Female Bodybuilding

There was a time when being a female bodybuilder was unheard of and certainly taboo. Unfortunately, it is still viewed as going against society norms and "unfeminine" if a female bodybuilder has a great deal of muscle. For these reasons alone, many females who may want to become bodybuilders and who may in fact have the genetics and dedication to become great bodybuilders, shun away from even trying. However, female bodybuilding came along and brought some equality in the sport among both genders.
All things being equal, a female will have significantly less muscle mass than the male. Furthermore, the manner in which the female body metabolizes differs from the manner in which males do. Female bodybuilders have to be even stricter because of their higher levels of fat and it is an equally strict and tough routine as for male bodybuilders. With women requiring more work than men in burning fat, many women use low carbohydrate diets and seek out foods that help increase metabolism to overcome some of the physiological disadvantages that females have.
Of course, the exceptional dedication, demands and commitment to the development of the physique is required by both males and females and regardless of whether a bodybuilder is male or female; they handle and work through the same physical challenges. Among recreational bodybuilders, there is a tendency for females to focus more on "toning" and shaping their bodies.
Training
Training at the competitive level between the two sexes is more similar than different. Training angles for all exercises are the same for both genders and both need the same amount of muscle contraction to stimulate muscle growth. Women bodybuilders at the competitive level tend to include more cardio and high rep training to aid them in tightening up certain areas of the body, this is more easily achieved by their male counterparts who burn the excess fat more efficiently.
Calories
A 260 pound professional male bodybuilder requires consumption of greater calories and protein than a 160 pound female bodybuilder to maintain and gain further muscle mass. The diet for both men and women still requires the necessary calories and macro/micronutrients to achieve anabolic growth, and getting proper amount rest to grow, except, the body masses involved differ, although males do have a significant advantage in making progress due to testosterone advantages.
It's clear that you should reduce your consumption of fat in order to decrease your body fat level, because fat is a highly concentrated source of calories. There are 3500 calories in one pound of fat. That means that by reducing your food by 500 calories per day, you should lose one pound of fat per week, right.

Learn More About Bodybuilding Supplements

Any person taking up body building will likely be looking into the potential of bodybuilding supplements as an aid to bulking up muscle and assisting in the process of advancing in the matter of sculpting and toning the body. There are several available classes of bodybuilding supplement available, including most notably those which provide protein for muscle-building, and those which add or influence hormones which, in their turn, support the physiological process of muscle-building. Of course, in order to be effective, the body building supplements themselves should accompany a program of weight lifting and body building exercises.
Protein-based bodybuilding supplements function by providing a large dose of the most basic physiological building-block needed for creating more muscle tissue--the units of protein themselves. Protein molecules are made up of strings of amino acids, from which some body building supplements (such as Creatine) take their names. Muscle fibers are made up, in their turn, primarily of proteins. The process of lifting weights puts those muscle fibers to use, creating a strain on them, to which the body responds by adding additional muscle fibers and gradually bulking up the muscle--provided the body has those muscle-building proteins ready at hand for creating those additional muscle fibers. Whey protein powders in various forms comprise a large section of the market of bodybuilding supplements, and the body builder most commonly adds the protein into their diet in the form of milkshakes or smoothies blended up with a heaping scoop of the protein powder. Every outlet selling bodybuilding supplements will offer a variety of protein powder options, in the form of ready-made drinks, powder to add to smoothies or other recipes, or as fast-absorbing tablets that can be taken just before and after a workout.
The other common category of bodybuilding supplement is those which affect the body's hormone levels. The performance-enhancing steroids which are illegal in competitive sporting venues fall into this category, but there are many forms of legal and allowable bodybuilding supplements which also fit this description. A number of herbal ingredients, which will be found in many herbal nutritional supplements for body builders, actually boost the body's own production of testosterone. Herbs like saw palmetto, tribulusterrestris, fenugreek seed, wild yam, ginseng, yohimbe, the aptly named horny goat weed are among the many that act on the body to increase the body's own testosterone production. This, in turn, has the effect of boosting the body's ability to build and sustain muscle tissue. Herbal supplements which affect hormone levels should be approached with some caution, particularly for young body builders or any with pre-existing health conditions. A physician's guidance can be invaluable for the body builder looking to make the right choices about bodybuilding supplements to enhance and improve the body builder's capabilities.

Bodybuilding Without A Gym - The Way To Go

By Micheal

Bodybuilding without a gym? Sounds a bit far fetched, don't you think? Believe it or not, when it comes to bodybuilding, your own body is far superior to any gym equipment. There is no doubt that you can use your own bodyweight workout program to achieve gains that regular body building equipment cannot hope to provide.
Conventional bodybuilding gyms are typically jammed to the rafters with latest and greatest in bodybuilding and weightlifting machines. Inside those gyms attached to those machines are people sweating away, toning and sculpting their bodies in search of the perfect physique. If only they stopped to consider the benefits and simplicity of bodybuilding without a gym, those dedicated bodybuilders could better results quicker and spend less money.
The Perfect Bodybuilding Machine - Your Own Body
When you switch to bodybuilding without a gym, your muscles work naturally, using the weight of your own body to exercise the muscles. Common exercises such as chin-ups, push-ups, lunges and squats are all exercises you can use to develop a workout to any level of intensity, depending on your fitness. As bodyweight bodybuilding has no requirement for weights or specific equipment, it can be worked easily in to a busy schedule. All in all, it is a fully rounded "super" workout.
Advantages of Bodybuilding Without A Gym
1. Holding Good Form Is Easier. One real advantage of using your own body weight to workout is that good form and definition can be continually improved and perfected. This is not always possible with conventional bodybuilding equipment, where your range of motion can be limited by the constraints of the machine. In addition, crashing the equipment and hurting yourself is no longer an issue, so working out with your own body weight gets your muscles working harder.
2. Working To Exhaustion Is Faster. A good bodyweight bodybuilding program lets you work to exhaustion much faster than you can on conventional machines. For example, when exercising on many normal machines, you are simply sitting on a bench. When exercising with your own bodyweight resistance, you need to exert much more effort and balance from your core muscles. This is more beneficial for your body, and builds muscle and strength more efficiently.
3. Convenience. No more waiting in line at the gym waiting for the bodybuilding machines to be free. No more seeking out gyms when you are away - there is nothing stopping you from hitting the floor and beginning your bodyweight bodybuilding routine wherever you are.
4. Cost Savings. Bodybuilding without a gym can be done anywhere, you don't necessarily have to be at a gym. Provided you have the discipline to workout at home, you simply need a cleared space with a mat and perhaps a balance ball for working on core strength.
The benefits of bodybuilding without a gym are clear. Bodyweight bodybuilding programs ensure you properly engage your core muscles, and this helps to build a strong, fully functioning spine. In addition, you will get better muscle gains, lose more fat, and enjoy a much-improved workout. Now what could be better than that!

 

Hardcore Bodybuilding: Monster Muscle Building

Hardcore Bodybuilding
at its finest. It's time to get your nose out of that glossy muscle magazine, full of powder puff workout programs that will get you nowhere, and get into the real world of weightlifting that will build real muscle. Some refer to this type of training as 'Power Bodybuilding'. That 'some' is a very small number though, as most people in most gyms do not know how to train truly hardcore. I mean training hardcore resulting in hardcore muscle gains. You can train 'hard' until you pass out and are blue in the face. That does not mean you will even gain a gram of new muscle from it.Fact is, most trainees do not gain even a pound of new muscle from year to year. You know the guys at your gym, who look the same year after year. You are probably one of them if you are reading this article. Well, good for you it is your lucky day! Things are about to change! Make sure to read all of the articles in my "Hardcore" series. Each article gives extra bits and pieces that are essential to the entire program. Do make sure you read my articles about whey protein, diet, and avoiding mistakes also. I am here to guide you into the realm of hardcore successful bodybuilding.
Now, on to workout #3. Just a quick 'note'. There are a total of 6 different workouts. This program takes 2 weeks to complete, then workouts are repeated. Three workouts each week, preferably done on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday split. The total body is split between 2 workouts. During the course of the 2 week period, each body part gets trained directly 3x total. Twice one week, the once the next week. That timing is perfect for muscle growth. Here is workout #3:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press keep the incline on the low-end
Hammer Strength Machine Pulldowns I prefer overhand pulls, under is OK
Behind the neck standing Military Press a classic exercise
Power Cage Rack Pulls set the pins so the bar is just above the knee caps
Power Shrugs perfect to do when done with the rack pulls
Dips (triceps emphasis) just go down to upper arm parallel
You will have to read the previous articles to get the instructions on how to warm up and perform the 3 'working' sets for the exercises. I will go over the exceptions here. Once warmed up properly for the rack pulls, simply perform 1 all out set at your heaviest weight, anywhere between 6 - 10 reps. Upon completion, strip the bar down to a weight that is challenging for one single all out set of power shrugs. Look them up on YouTube if you do not know how to do them. Most do not.
You most likely will not need to warm up for the dips, just hit the first set, followed by the other two. Add weight with a belt if you can.
Exercise substitutions are allowable as long as the same basic motion is being performed. Remember though, you cannot repeat any of the same exercises on different workouts of the six workout cycle.
Make sure to hold a good solid single static rep on all the exercises of this workout, except for the rack pulls and power shrugs. If you have to ability to also perform a single negative rep on some of the exercises that is fine also. That is, once your sets are done for that exercise, and not on the rack pulls or power shrugs.