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  What is testosterone, and how does it work? Testosterone is a powerful steroid hormone that has different functions in both males and females. It allows us to gain lean muscle mass, maintain a healthy body composition, and maintain adequate bone density. Testosterone is found in humans and some other mammals. Males produce testosterone in their testicles. Women's ovaries do contain testosterone, though in lower amounts. The brain and pituitary gland control the amount of testosterone released by the body. It enters the bloodstream after being produced and performs a number of important functions. Testosterone levels increase during puberty and then begin to decline later in their forties. What is the significance of testosterone? Testosterone is essential for good health in addition to helping you have a nice body. Low testosterone levels can lead to a variety of health issues in both men and women, including depression, a lack of sex drive, obesity, and osteoporosis. Men with lo...

Bodybuilding is the practice of controlling and developing one's musculature for aesthetic reasons through progressive resistance exercise. A bodybuilder is a person who engages in this kind of activity. Bodybuilding is a long-term trial-and-error process. If you don't see any results after months of training, it can be discouraging. ↚ 1. Take measurements of your waist, arms, belly, legs, and other body parts before starting your bodybuilding program. Looking back on this measurement later in your bodybuilding program will allow you to assess your progress. 2. Work out all muscle groups, including your legs. Although your upper body is the part you want to flaunt, leg training has a lot of advantages. Building your lower body will increase your testosterone levels, allowing you to gain more overall muscle mass. 3. Keep in mind that maintaining a low body fat percentage while bulking will be difficult. Bulking is a term used by bodybuilders to describe a diet and workout routin...

  You certainly had a Santa wish list when you were a child. Now that you're a big boy, I'm sure your wish list has expanded to include new items like bigger pecs, an inch on your arms, and wider shoulder caps. Bigger delts are on every trainer's wish list because they give the appearance of a smaller waist, increase visual separation from the upper arm, and add the kind of cap that says you're a serious lifter. You know how your shirts have a little extra stretch to them? That's exactly what I'm referring to! You could be beginning your shoulder workout with overhead presses, just like a lot of other lifters. That is right. The easiest way to separate the middle delts in the lateral (side) plane is to implement lateral-raise movements. The lateral raise is a well-known technique. Blowing the technique is also a concern, and it can be achieved in a number of ways. The most popular variant, the standing dumbbell lateral lift, can be messed up in seven different w...

  When it comes to hormones, testosterone is considered the king hormone. In males, testosterone is produced mainly in the testicles. In women, testosterone is produced in the ovaries although in much smaller amounts. Testosterone production in the body begins significantly increasing in the late teens and starts to decline after the age of 30. Testosterone is the primary sex hormone, and it has a huge effect on your muscle mass and bone density, body fat levels, mood and red blood cell production. Low testosterone levels can cause a wide variety of symptoms including weight gain, low sex drive, low energy, depression and low self-esteem. While testosterone levels naturally decline as you age, there are multiple ways you can boost your testosterone levels to maintain optimal levels of this critical hormone. If you're experiencing at least 3 of the above symptoms on a consistent basis, meaning they're present daily, and you've been experiencing them for more than a few weeks...

Do you eat, eat and eat, but it never goes anywhere? Why can't you seem to put on muscle fast enough? If this sounds like you, then your body type is most likely an 'ectomorph'. Hallmarks of this physique are long thin limbs, narrow shoulders, fast metabolism, low body fat, and narrow hips and glutes. Very different than your naturally larger endomorph or mesomorph with a symmetrical physique. While others may envy your lightning-fast metabolism and slender frame, you may view your ectomorph 'blessing' as a curse! If you’ve failed every attempt to put on lean muscle, it’s time to try a different line of attack using a training and nutrition plan that is suited to your unique body shape.  Home > Build Muscle > How to build muscle for ectomorphs How to build muscle for ectomorphs What is an ectomorph? The ectomorph is one of the three most common body types (somatotypes), characterized by a “thin frame” and difficulty to gain muscle mass as well as fat. Peo...

For some guys, the answer to the exercise question will always be that they're looking to put on muscle. Whether you have a very specific goal, like getting into figure contests and bodybuilding, or you just want to fill out a t-shirt, you have to start somewhere, even if you've always struggled to add and keep weight onto a skinny frame in the past. But forget about your alleged high-revving metabolism, says Doug Kalman, PhD, R.D., co-founder of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN). “Most lean men who can’t gain muscle weight are simply eating and exercising the wrong way,” he says. Here’s your fix: Follow these 7 principles to pack on as much as a pound of muscle each week, especially if you're just starting to train in the weight room. Eat meat You need at least one gram of protein to gain one pound. This is the maximum amount your body can take in 24 hours, based on a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Assuming you weigh 160 pounds...

Fed up of spending hours in the gym, working hard and not getting the results you want? Then follow these simple tips and workouts and transform your self into an absolute beast. We all want that summer body, and we all want to be the one the other lads envy in the gym. Getting a lean, defined six-pack is actually one of the most difficult things to achieve when you don't know what you're doing. But fear not if you follow these 6 simple steps and get yourself shredded all year round.   Cut Out Alcohol Yeah, you’ve probably heard this one before. “But alcohol is a social norm,” right? No, the truth is you do not need poison to have a good time. You can sip on a water with lime and still enjoy the company you’re with and enjoy a nice evening. Alcohol is loaded with empty calories and sugar. Generally speaking, the consumption of alcohol usually leads to snacking and since your body is already working on breaking down those calories, the food you eat will turn straight into...

Do you look more like a marathon runner than a swimmer? Would you describe yourself as long and lean, willowy or wiry? Is it difficult for you to put on muscle mass? If you said, "yes" to any of these questions, then you most likely have an ectomorph body type.   Physical Characteristics Models who grace the covers and pages of most fashion magazine tend to have an ectomorph body type. In addition to being tall, they have a thin build, long limbs, small joints and thin bones. Many are flat chested and don't have much junk in the trunk. Although they appear skinny, they can actually have higher body fat than one might expect. Ectomorphs have a difficult time putting on muscle mass because their metabolism has a tendency to run higher than other body types. In the fitness world, we would refer to them as “hard gainers.” Famous female ectomorphs include Kate Moss, Natalie Portman, Taylor Swift, Kate Middleton and Cameron Diaz. Famous male ectomorphs include Matthew McCona...

When most people think about ‘bodyweight training’, they picture themselves doing endless reps of sit-ups and push-ups. But training like that won’t get you anywhere.  If you want to get stronger, you need to apply the principle of progressive overload (which is just like gradually increasing the weights you lift in the gym). When you apply progressive overload to bodyweight exercises, they are a fantastic way of building muscle… At least as good as using weights. It could even be argued that bodyweight exercises are better than training with weights because the movements are very natural and you’re much less likely to injure yourself. But we’re getting off topic… Below are five of the best bodyweight exercises that will help you build muscle safely at home, while traveling, or in the gym. First up: #1. PLANK The plank is one of the greatest and most underrated exercises ever. It’s practically a one-move static exercise that will help you build a core of steel, ripped abs and stron...

human growth hormone (HGH) is an important hormone produced by your pituitary gland. Also known as growth hormone (GH), it plays a key role in growth, body composition, cell repair and metabolism.   HGH also boosts muscle growth, strength and exercise performance, while helping you recover from injury and disease. Lower HGH levels may negatively impact your quality of life, increase your risk of disease and make you gain fat. Optimal levels are especially important during weight loss, injury recovery and athletic training. Interestingly, your diet and lifestyle choices can have a huge effect on your HGH levels. Here are 4 exercises to increase human growth hormone (HGH) levels naturally. Bent Over Rows « hgh exercise »     Hang Cleans « hgh exercise » Deadlifts « hgh exercise » Pullups « hgh exercise »   Having Optimal HGH Levels is Important As with other key hormones — ...

ne of the most frustrating elements of fitness is that it can be very difficult to gain a significant amount of muscle mass. We’re not talking about being a bodybuilder here, but 5-10lbs of new muscle would be a welcome addition to the physiques of most gym goers, at least on an aesthetic level.   Thankfully, gaining muscle isn't that difficult, you just need to know how to go about it in the right manner. There are a few basic principles that, when used in conjunction with one another, almost certainly lead to the growth of significant new muscle. First it’s important to understand the basic physiology of muscle gain. Contrary to popular belief you don’t actually get bigger and stronger in the gym. Instead, it's your body’s response to the muscle damage you inflict during a workout that leads to muscle growth. Tip 1 . Eat regularly, every two to three hours or so. Your body can only absorb a certain volume of nutrition during each meal, so eat often. Also, remember breakfa...

An Expert Says You Should Be Lifting Weights This Many Times a Week Want to tone up? Building muscle is your golden ticket! Tightening up your legs, arms, and stomach means you'll need to focus on strength training. Remember that strong is sexy, and once you have the determination, you just need to make a plan. Before you can make a plan, you need to know exactly how many times to strength train each week to build muscle.   Their improvements were measured twice over the eight month period of continuous training. Although the results show that improvements in strength were not very different among all of the groups, the group which trained four times per week had the best results. The conclusion we can draw from these findings is that even though training for more than four times per week leads to the biggest strenght gains at first, this difference gradually fades over the course of time.  Also, training only one group of muscles for a few days in a row was proven to be ...

As you probably know by now with health and fitness, there are thousands of contradictions, thousands of ideas, and thousands of perspectives. However, let us help you by sticking to the basic, and the best, ways to achieve your fitness goals. Now, there’s no immediate way to get washboard abs and arms that could crush a bear, but there are ways you can boost the effectiveness of your gym session, and this will help speed up how long it takes to get ripped.   #1) Spend LESS time in the gym You heard correctly. Your muscles need time to recover, because during the workout they actually get torn down. Therefore they need to build themselves back up afterward…which is where rest comes in. Most people don’t give themselves anywhere near the time necessary to do so. 2-3 days of vigorous exercising per week is plenty, and any more might actually put you at a greater risk of injury. #2) Diet to Get Ripped It’s an age old saying, but ‘you are what you eat’ has an annoying ring of tru...

If you're looking for ways to boost your testosterone level, start by looking at your daily habits. "I never prescribe testosterone alone without talking to men about their lifestyle," says Martin Miner, MD, co-director of the Men's Health Center at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, R.I. Some changes that are good for your overall health could also provide benefits in helping to maintain a healthy level of this important male hormone. There are countless different methods you can use to naturally boost testosterone. Testosterone is so valuable to us men, that there have been hundreds of different scientific studies into what kind of foods, activities, lifestyles, etc., impact testosterone.   Different methods work better for different people, and it can depend a lot on your circumstances. If you are greatly sleep-deprived and live a stressful life, then improving sleep and reducing stress will elevate your testosterone levels a lot. As I mention below, good...