Golf driving mats can be useful when it comes to improving your golf skills but not everyone who is on a tight budget can afford them. This is where the knowledge of building your own golf driving mat comes in handy.

Making your own mat is not as difficult as you think! By following these step-by-step instructions, you can make your own driving mat in no time.

A notable benefit of creating your own golf mat is that you can customize it according to your requirements. For example, you can opt to have more or less padding according to your comfort zone.

Apart from that, if you are an artistic person who likes to add something extra to each of your possessions, then you can do the same as well with your driving mat and personalize it according to your taste.

1- First of all, assemble the items which are needed for making a driving mat. This includes plywood, artificial turf, hand saw, knife, bonding spray/glue and carpet padding.

2- Next step is to cut the plywood piece using a handsaw into a 3 by 5 foot rectangular shape. This is the ideal size and shape though it can vary depending on your comfort level.

If you have enough space to stand on the piece of plywood and you are able to hit the golf ball with comfort, then the size is apt for a golf driving mat.

3- After that, you need to cut a piece of carpet padding and artificial turf. They need to be the exact same size of the plywood.

This is done to make sure that the padding and turf cover the plywood piece completely and perfectly.

4- Using the bonding glue or spray, stick the piece of carpet padding to the plywood piece. If you need a softer mat, then you can add another layer of carpet padding.

5- After the carpet padding has been put in place, you will have to again spray the glue onto the top of the padding.

6- Place the piece of cut artificial turf on the padding. Care should be taken to avoid creases.

7- Let the mat rest for a day or two before using it to practice your golf skills!

It is recommended to use a bonding spray or glue in a well ventilated area.

By following these steps, you will be able to make your own fuss-free golf driving mats that are easy to maintain and great to practice on!

First things first, decide whether a treadmill is for you. Before you invest several thousand dollars in a treadmill only for it to end up being a clothes hanger, you have several things to consider. With so many people purchasing exercise equipment that they don’t use, the market is full of used exercise equipment in excellent condition and some in not so excellent condition. We’ll address this in later paragraphs. Where do you start? Try checking your local newspaper for individuals selling their equipment, yard sales, and estate sales. You can also find some real bargains via online sources such as online classifieds and eBay. Many areas also have second hand sporting goods stores that sell used fitness equipment. Why not pay them a visit and see what they have to offer? The savings can be significant.

Here are the some great reasons why to buy a treadmill:

1. The treadmill will save you time. You can set your workout schedule and you don’t have to worry about getting to a gym early enough to find an open machine, yours is always available.

2. No excuses, it’s in your house, get off your butt and use it.

3. The treadmill will create opportunities for your kids to be present while you are exercising. Your son or daughter can work on a homework assignment or coloring book and there’s no daycare or babysitter to worry about.

4. No more gym fees. Investing in a treadmill at home means no more spending $25 to $30 a month on a gym membership just to use their equipment. Or even worst spending that money every month and NOT going.

First Things First: Treadmill History 101

Believe it or not, treadmills weren’t always meant for human use. The first treadmills were invented in 1875. Called “level power” treadmills, they came in either large or small, the large ones were used by horses to power threshing machines, and the smaller variety were used by dogs and sheep to power butter churns. It wasn’t until 1952 that cardiologist Robert Bruce, along with his colleague Wayne Quinton, developed a treadmill designed for humans to use. Quinton eventually sold his interest to Stairmaster and the rest was, well, history. You may have heard of Quinton treadmills. The world has proven that the human treadmill was a great idea, its longevity and popularity speak volumes. Sears alone is reported to retail over a billon dollars worth of treadmills a year. The Sporting Goods Manufacturers’ Association maintains that consumers spend more money on treadmills than any other fitness equipment designed for home exercise. There has never been a single year since their first commercial production that treadmill sales have declined. If you require further proof, take a look in any gym. You won’t find many of the pieces of equipment peddled by personal trainers on late-night infomercials. They may be surrounded by much hype, but aren’t always as glorious as they claim to be. And usually cannot not take a real exercise regimen. Treadmills, on the other hand, have consistently proven their usefulness and solid construction over the years, which is why they’re staples in every workout facility. Does not matter if it’s a commercial gym or your local apartment building workout area, chances are you will find a treadmill.

According to a study conducted by the Medical College of Wisconsin and the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, a sixty-minute run on a treadmill will burn an average of 705 – 865 calories – more than other standard fitness equipment such as rowing machines (at 606 – 739 calories per hour), stationary bicycles (595 – 604 calories), cross-country ski machines (595 – 678 calories), and stair machines (637 – 746 calories). But that’s only the beginning of the benefits offered by the treadmill.

The news is in, and medical experts agree that walking is great exercise. Whether it is a daily power walk around the neighborhood or just a stroll around the block, walking is a great way to lose weight and gain fitness. Unfortunately, however, the weather does not always cooperate when it comes to getting the exercise we need. When it is too rainy, too cold, or too hot outside, it can be quite difficult to keep up with even the most well intentioned exercise regimen. That is perhaps why a treadmill can be such a great purchase, and why treadmills are such popular pieces of exercise equipment. A quality treadmill has a number of important advantages over many other kinds of exercise equipment.

They’re good for any fitness level. Whether you’re just starting your exercise regime or are an old pro, you can find a speed setting that will give you a great cardiovascular challenge.

They’re adjustable. Maybe you feel that you need only a light workout or two or three times a week with a treadmill, you can vary your intensity accordingly.

They’re versatile. Technology has made it possible for today’s treadmills to offer a variety of options. You can choose programs that focus on cardio or fat burning. You can work to improve your speed. You can simulate running uphill. There are pre-set programs, or you can combine varying levels of incline and speed. You may also want to program your own workout.

They’re low-impact, but not impact free. You won’t reach your goal of cardiovascular fitness if you can’t exercise, and you can’t exercise if you’re injured. Running (or walking) on a treadmill is a safe bet. Their surfaces absorb impact and lessen pressure on critical joints much better than running on concrete or asphalt. The chances for injury are greatly lessened with low-impact exercise. Most treadmills have a safety key or safety shut down system just in case you should fall, they will turn off instantly.

They’re convenient. Raining? Snowing? Blistering heat wave? No problem. Treadmills can be used under any weather condition, so you’ll never have to get a rain jacket or sweater in order to use one. Plus, most treadmills available on the market today have places to keep your water bottle, towel and reading material. On some of the new treadmills you can plug your MP3 or iPod right into the treadmill console. Some have TV’s and the internet on them. And, of course, a workout will always fit into any schedule. For example if you get home from work, it’s already dark outside, and you don’t feel comfortable walking alone, you can always hop on the treadmill. No excuses!

If you’re in the market for a treadmill, you may be confused (and surprised!) by the different types and terms you’ll encounter. There are residential home treadmills, light commercial and commercial treadmills. Folding ones, motorized and non-motorized it’s enough to make a novice want to buy a pair of running shoes and hit the road. Let’s break it down a bit and compare the ins and outs of each.

Motorized vs. non-motorized. On a non-motorized, or “manual,” treadmill, your feet do all the work. If you slow down or stop, so does the treadmill. Manual treadmills can be difficult to get started, and if you desire a change of incline during your workout, you have to stop the machine, get off, adjust the incline level, and get it started again. In a nutshell, there’s really no advantage to buying a manual treadmill as opposed to a motorized one. The reason cited most often is the cost. Manual machines are much cheaper than their motorized counterparts, but it’s important to remember that they’re not usually constructed as well, either. If it’s cost-effectiveness you’re concerned with, it isn’t hard to find slightly used motorized treadmills for a fraction of what they’d cost brand new. We’ll discuss this at more length in a minute. Think of all the people who buy treadmills then never use them and are willing to part with them just to get them out of the way! My thought is if you are looking for a manual treadmill just walk outside or inside and save yourself some time and money.

Some other considerations that you must address before purchasing any exercise equipment would include number of users, maximum weight of the users, and frequency of use. Also know that all treadmills are rated for a maximum user weight. A user exceeding the maximum weight rating chances cracking the walking deck or at worse burning out the moving parts rather quickly. Lower end models generally are rated at a maximum of 250 pounds. It is also recommended that you purchase a treadmill with a CHP (Continuous Horsepower) motor as opposed to a THP (Total Horsepower) motor. Lower end treadmills will have a DC powered motor, while many commercial treadmills may have AC powered motors.

Also check the application of the treadmill, most residential treadmills are labeled for “In Home Use” only. The warranty will be void if used in a gym or other commercial type setting i.e.: condominium or apartment workout rooms. Most residential treadmills will use a regular 110 volt outlet, while most commercial treadmills may use 220 volt outlet. If you’re confused about which type of motorized treadmill to buy, it pays to do a little research and comparison. Ideally, you’ll want to purchase a machine that has 1.5 – 2.5 CHP motor.

OK, after all this you still want a treadmill?

1. Before You Head Off To Make A Purchase

Take into account how much space you have available. Obviously, if you live in a small apartment or have a limited amount of space, you’re not going to want a large treadmill. You need to know how much space you have to store and use the equipment. Fortunately, there are pieces of fitness equipment available that you can fold and easily store. If you’re pressed for space, these can be an excellent alternative to bulky equipment. You must realize that most full size treadmills will take up a foot print (floor space) of 3 feet wide by 6 feet long. Most ICON Fitness treadmills do fold, you will find these treadmills at your big box retailers like Sears, Costco and Wal Mart. Also at specialty retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods and The Sports Authority. They are sold under many of the following brand names, Nordic Track, Pro Form, Weslo, Weider, Epic, Healthrider, Gold’s Gym, Free Motion, ICON, Reebok, Body Fit, IMAGE, iFit.com, Sears, Horizon, Ironman and Smooth, just to name a few. As a side note in 2007 some of the manufactures also starting making ellipticals that fold, but that is a totally different subject.

2. Consider The Expense Of The Appropriate Treadmill

This sounds like a no brainer right, the cheaper the better. But you need to consider how much would the treadmill you “need” cost new. When I say “need” I mean, “runner vs. walker”, “Usage vs. number of users”. Don’t be penny wise and dollar foolish. Not every less expensive treadmill is a good deal. The phrase “you get what you pay for” most certainly applies to exercise equipment. If you are a serious exerciser or runner you will need to spend more money to get a model that will last and offers features that most runners expect. If you want a treadmill and you are a serious runner then a budget for a new treadmill might be in the $ 1500.00 to $ 3,500.00 dollar range. This would be considered a Light Commercial Treadmill. If you are a walker, a few times a week, for only 30 minutes at a time then your new treadmill budget might be in the $ 700.00 to $ 1,500.00 dollar area. This is considered a Residential Treadmill. So if you are a serious exerciser the new treadmill average would be $ 2,500.00 dollars. On the other hand a purchasing a used light commercial treadmill you might consider spending in the $ 800.00 to $ 1,500.00 dollar range.

If you are a walker your new average treadmill budget would be $ 1,000.00 dollars. Then you should consider spending $ 400.00 to $ 700.00 dollars for the used residential treadmill. No one says you have to have the fanciest equipment in order to meet your fitness goals. Even if you’re on a tight budget, you have lots of available options. A few sets of dumbbells may be all you need to build and tone muscle and something as simple as a jump rope can give you an excellent cardiovascular work out. Don’t underestimate these simple solutions! You may want to give them a try before investing in a treadmill that takes up space. After all, who wants to spend money an elaborate treadmill that may become a clothes hanger?

3. Establish Your Exercise Goals

This should always be a high priority. Exercise goals should be clearly thought out before considering the purchase of any type of fitness equipment. You don’t know how many customers I ask, how often do you use the treadmill? They will tell me at great length the amount of usage the treadmill is getting and then I will check the “hours used” function on the treadmill, only to find out that after 5 years of ownership, the treadmill has less than 100 hours usage. Is your goal to achieve better cardiovascular health or is it to build and tone muscle? If cardiovascular health is your primary goal, a treadmill, stair climber, elliptical, upright bike or a recumbent bike might be the best option. If you want to tone or build muscle, choose a machine that allows you to do resistance training, preferably with weights. This could be a cable system, free weights or resistance bands.

4. Features, Features, Features

Decide what’s important to you. What is the maximum speed? Does the treadmill incline? If so, how high of a percentage? Do you need programs? Do you want to make your own programs? How about items like fans, TV’s, orthopedic walking belts, large console displays, book holder. Does the treadmill only have front rails or does it also have side rails? Heart monitors, did you need this feature for medical reasons? Do you want a model with a wireless heart rate detector? If so, is the treadmill capable of this feature and if it is, will this be an additional expense?

5. Ok, Ready Set Shop

Hit the used exercise equipment stores, if you need to feel and touch your purchase. Some areas have “Play It Again Sports” stores which specialize in used equipment. Check the Yellow Pages. But you may find better discounts on-line. Just like shopping for a new car, the best time for purchasing a used treadmill is when the new models start coming out for the Christmas shopping season. The Christmas to New Year’s Eve time is the “season” for retailers of exercise equipment. This is due to the fact that most exercise equipment buyers find a need to get in shape for the holidays, with company parties on the horizon, and New Years resolutions right around the corner. They may want to trade up to a better model and you may get a great deal on a used one at this time. Purchasing a used or reconditioned treadmill from a dealer can definitely be a smarter purchase. The exercise equipment dealer will usually have done all the maintenance and replaced any needed parts. They will clean the treadmill and make sure it is safety ready for its new owner. The dealer will usually offer delivery, setup and some type of limited parts and labor warranty. You may have to pay a little more money to purchase from a reputable exercise equipment dealer, but the added expense may well be worth it. Especially if they include a warranty, delivery and setup all for one price. Can you purchase an extended warranty? I’ve always believed that extended warranties are money well spent, especially since treadmills can be expensive to repair.

Always be cautious on purchasing a used treadmill from a private party. Have you heard of “Buyer Beware”? Well if that saying ever was appropriate it is here and now. Do you know that most consumers when purchasing a treadmill whether new or used only “test” it for an average of 30 seconds? That’s right; they walk on the treadmill for 30 seconds and make a major decision. Large manufactures have timed customers without them knowing and this is a proven fact, 30 seconds. Now, why do I mention this, because treadmills tend to take a beating, and one of the biggest technical problems a treadmill can have is that it will shut down after 30, 40 or 60 minutes. It’s over heating, it may have a bad motor, worn walking belt or other electrical problems. So will your 30 second test run tell you that this “Great Deal” of a treadmill won’t be such a great deal when you get it home and it shuts down during your first workout? Treadmills can be big and heavy, not for the average person to be lugging around.

You may have to pay a little more money to purchase from a reputable exercise equipment dealer, but think of the time and effort you may save. Are you shopping on eBay, Craig’s List or some other internet sites? Check closely, many internet deals are for “Local Delivery Only”. Do you have to pick it up and set it back up once you get it home? How will you get it home? Do you know how to un-assemble the treadmill and re-assemble it without breaking it? You may have to un-assemble the treadmill just to get it through doorways. How old it the treadmill? Even though you may be hearing that it was only used once by my grandmother, beware, especially if it’s over 10 years old. Personally, I wouldn’t purchase a treadmill over 10 years old, so be careful. And of course no matter where you are buying the used treadmill from negotiate, negotiate, negotiate.

Bottom line, if you’ve decided that a treadmill is for you, you must remember that not every less expensive treadmill is for you and it may not necessarily be a good deal. It pays to be well educated with well defined fitness goals before making a purchase of an expensive piece of fitness equipment you may never use. After all, do you really want to look at that abandoned clothes hanger for a treadmill every time you go home? But you can get a “Great” deal with a little education and patience.

For overall health and fitness you need a well balanced diet and exercise. Among the innumerable benefits, exercise helps to tone your muscles, protects you from dangerous diseases like cancer, heart attack, and blood pressure. Exercise plays an important role in keeping your digestive system healthy and strong.

In order to digest food efficiently, you need to have a strong digestive system as well. If the food is not digested properly, it can lead to:

– Gastro intestinal problems

– Acidity

– Acid reflux or Gerd

– Heartburn

– Heaviness

– Constipation

– Bad breath

To overcome such problems related to the digestive system, you need to adapt a lifestyle and eating habits that will make you fit and healthy. Food plays a very important role in your overall health. Right eating habits and proper exercise will definitely result in good health condition. Doctors often report that several digestive disorders arise because of lack of exercise. While exercising, your heart beat rate and breathing rate are increased and thereby the muscles that support the digestive tract also get toned and result in good bowel movements. Several exercise regimes like yoga, aerobics, boot camp workouts demand changes in your eating habits as well.

Your digestive system is made up of several organs like esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, small intestine and large intestine. The normal time for digestion of the food is usually 24 hours to 72 hours. Exercising helps to improve the digestion process.

There are several forms of exercise that really help you to strengthen your digestive system.

Yoga

Yoga, one of the ancient systems that help you to achieve a balance of physical and mental health, works superbly for digestive problems as well. There are several asanas or yogic postures that concentrate mainly to improve the digestive system. Yogasanas or postures that comprise of twists and forward bends tone the digestive muscles and stomach, help to eliminate gas that causes stomach pain, acidity, heart burn and heaviness. Yogic postures that are exclusively meant for improving digestive system enhance blood circulation to the stomach thereby improving the digestive capacity of the stomach. Several digestive disorders can be treated and diabetes, which results with the malfunctioning of pancreas, can also be prevented by specific yogic postures. The important yogic postures that aim to assist in improving the digestive system are wind relieving pose, supported child’s pose, revolved abdomen pose, bound angle pose.

Yogasanas or yogic postures result in calming your mind. Relaxation also helps in improving the digestive capability of your stomach.

Breathing

Several breathing exercises or pranayama also aim to strength your digestive system in a subtle manner. Deep breathing exercises help in eliminating toxins from your body.

Boot camp workout

In a boot camp workout, the stomach muscles are strengthened, your stamina levels are increased and the body metabolism rate also goes up. For performing boot camp workouts, you need extremely high levels of stamina and energy.

Whatever exercise regime you may follow, you need to remember certain basic rules:

Any form of exercise should be done on an empty stomach.

It is better if you consult your physician before starting any form of exercise.

Eat a well balanced diet that consists of all nutrients required for the body.

Eat only when you are hungry.

Ready to get as fit as a fiddle and lean as a…erm lobster? OK well then you’re ready for HIIT or High intensity interval training. It’s what all the slim jims are doing to get fit and super lean. The good news is you get the benefits of this type of training in as little as 20 minutes; the bad news is it’s jolly hard work!

This type of training consists of short intense bursts of activity followed by longer recovery periods of steady state activity. To get the real benefits from this method it’s important that you can push yourself beyond your upper aerobic system, into your anaerobic system. Dipping into your anaerobic system means working at 80-90% of your max heart rate (MHR). A crude way of working out your MHR is to minus your age from 220. So mine would be 220-21(ahem) = 199 beats per minute(bpm). So the range for a 21 year old would be 159-179 bpm.

All well and good if you have a heart rate monitor, this makes it easy to see how hard you’re working but if you don’t have a monitor then you need to rely on your own perceived amount of exertion. The RPE (rating of perceived exertion) scale is used for just this with 0 at zen like meditation state and 10 going all hell for leather. You should aim to be 8-9 on here. Easy to cheat this way but really what would be the point? As Mrs Lund (my old math’s teacher) used to say ‘you’re only cheating yourself!’ she was right. I’m rubbish at math’s now. You’ll know when you hit your maximum effort as the tell tale muscle burn will kick in.

So to go over the benefits before you decide to opt out after reading of muscle burning: If you do HIIT training you will:

1. Burn more calories during and after the session as it takes your body longer to recover.

2. Get metabolic adaptations that enable you to use more fat as fuel

3. Improve endurance levels

4. Get lean

5. Limit muscle loss (which often happens during steady state cardio training)

6. Feel more energetic

7. Save time

Try this 20 min interval for starters. If you’re just beginning with this type of exercise then its best to keep the recovery periods quite long. Do this program three times during the next week, then start to decrease the recovery times by 1 min every week. This applies to any type of cardio training – running, elliptical, rowing etc.

Warm up: 5 mins at 60-70%MHR or 6-7 RPE

Interval: 1 min at 80-90%MHR or 8-9 RPE

Recovery: 4 mins at 60-70%MHR or 6-7 RPE

Repeat the interval and recovery again

Cool down: 5 mins at 60-70%MHR or 6-7 RPE

I’d love to know how you get on. Let me know.

‘It’s a deep burn!’ Name the movie and the actor…

The first time I did P90x, a group of people wanted to do it with me. I’ll tell you right now that not everyone had success with it. Some had success and got a whole lot healthier, stronger, fitter and also lost several pounds. However, the rest benefited little and had no results to show when the program was over. At the end of it there seemed to be a split. One side thought the program was awesome, while the other side was saying, “P90x sucks!”.

What was the defining differences between the group that failed and the two that had success? There were several. The first difference was that the group that had no success complained, a lot. They complained about eating healthy, they fussed about the workouts, they whined whenever an exercise made them uncomfortable. Let me tell you right now, P90x and exercise in general is uncomfortable! They were negative about the whole program in general. They started of excited, but as soon as things got tough (as in, just after the first workout started), it was as if they were trying to talk themselves out of doing the workouts and sabotage transforming their body and changing their life for the better.

There is a reason they put the Nutrition Plan book in the program! Many people ask, “Do I have to follow the P90x Nutrition Plan?” My response is yes! If you are serious about getting results, then you need to eat healthier! The group that failed didn’t follow the Nutrition Plan. They rationalized that the bacon, cookies, sugar loaded cereal, white bread, ice cream, and the rest of the junk they so often ate didn’t need to be removed. These people honestly thought that because they ate “home cooked food”, they were eating healthy. Granted, any outsider would soon realize after seeing their “home cooked” bacon, chicken, and mayonnaise sandwiches, that these people were out of their minds thinking that what they were eating was “healthy home cooking”!

Fail to do the workouts, and you’ll fail to see change! The group that failed didn’t do Yoga X. They never made it through a single Yoga X workout. That particular workout is an hour and a half long, and they opted to not do it because it was “too hard and too long”. They also opted to not follow any set time to do the workouts. They would put off doing the workouts until late at night, when they would then say aloud, “I’m too tired to do a workout.” They missed many workouts, and on average would only do about 2-3 workouts a week, which pretty much meant they did less than half of the program.

If you want to fail, do what the above group did, because none of them got anything out of it. They complained, were negative, and were constantly trying to sabotage their own attempt to transform their body and their life. They continued to eat unhealthy, and they only did less than half of the workouts in the program. At the end of it they thought P90x sucked, when in reality, their failure was 100% their own fault.

In today society, a lot less people have started bodybuilding, and more people have started fitness model programs. Not a lot of people want to be huge with massive biceps and big chest anymore. Instead, they would rather want to have a lean, ripped physique of a cover shoot model. How has bodybuilding popularity declined in the last twenty years? I’ll show you how and why people shun bodybuilding and how you can make a difference.

Back in the “Golden Age” of bodybuilding, people were fascinated at how men can develop their muscles in way that makes people want to start bodybuilding themselves. Take a look at Eugen Sandow, the “father” of bodybuilding. He had a lean, muscular, ripped physique with insane ab muscles. Then came along other bodybuilding icons, like Steve Reeves, Reg Park, and many other famous athletes. But the real bodybuilding craze began with Arnold Schwarzenegger, after appearing in the bodybuilding movie “Pumping Iron”. Widely considered to be the greatest bodybuilder ever, he made bodybuilding and himself a household name. From that point on, people opened many gyms everywhere to start bodybuilding, whether it’s to go professional or just to build muscle. Movie directors recruited bodybuilders like Arnold to star in their movies. For a long time, the bodybuilding era was spreading all over the world.

But what went wrong? How did this era slowly dwindle away? Simple. People started getting “too big, too muscular”, which made people think that it looks impulsive, overbearing, and to add it all up, disgusting. Today, bodybuilders want to be bigger and muscular than their opponents. Bodybuilders like Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman are perfect examples of people are “overdone” their muscle growth and development. What really put a stop to this era was the movie “Fight Club” with Brad Pitt, where the lean, muscular body was introduced, and people realized that you don’t have to big, you just have to get lean. My opinion is that men have become “feminized”, meaning they want a body that will look more attractive to a woman and people start modeling like women, which is easy to understand why men today wear pink t-shirts or shirts that say “Real men wear pink”. This is absurd!

Let’s talk about Arnold for a moment. Why do you think he was considered the best bodybuilder? Was it because he had the biggest muscles? Or than he had a confident presence when he went on the bodybuilding stage? Maybe it could be that he gave the best advice on building muscle? It was any one of these three reasons. In the movie “Pumping Iron”, Arnold talked about having the perfect physique. He said, “You have to get you proportions right. If you look in the mirror and say “Okay, I need a little bit more deltoids. So you would go to the gym and put those deltoids on. Where as an artist would just slap his brush on a picture there it’s done. We have to do it the hard way because we building the human body. Now some people will look at you funny like you’re doing something strange, but it’s not really something a lot of people know about. And once you find out about it, you understand so much about bodybuilding that you haven’t realized before”.

You see? Arnold had the perfect proportional body, and bodybuilding enthusiasts knew that. He differs a lot compared to today’s bodybuilders, who build their bodies out of proportion. So how can you make a difference in building muscle? Get you proportions right. Let every muscle be just right, not smaller or bigger than it needs to be. Hope you enjoyed this article and will properly make the best in building muscle.

As soon as one investigates high intensity interval training the terms ‘Tabatas’ and ‘Hennie Mullers’ appear. It’s understandable, then, to want to know just what exactly Tabata and Hennie Muller exercises are.

Tabatas are so named after Dr. Izumi Tabata at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo.

Tabata intervals are long on the high intensity interval and shorter on the resting interval, i.e. 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise followed by ten seconds of rest constitutes one cycle. Repeating this cycle eight times will take four minutes. Because of the exhausting demands of the high intensity interval, the rest period is absolutely necessary for partial recovery of mental and physical ability.

In the study done by Dr. Tabata a mechanically braked cycle ergometer was used, but one can apply this protocol to almost any exercise imaginable.

Picture yourself doing one or more of the following for example: Sprinting, skipping rope, doing squats and push-ups, or hitting a boxing bag.

If you have the drive and the endurance – as well as the necessary reasonable fitness level to begin with – quick results are a given.

Hennie Mullers are named after a legendary South African Rugby Player, a Flanker.

A Hennie Muller consists of running the width, the length and the diagonal of the rugby field, ending up where you started. Do it twice in a row, then repeat as you’re able. Apparently the Tokyo Gaijin Rugby Team do about five sets for one training session.

Tabatas and Hennie Mullers can be almost unbearably exhausting.

Without a doubt, Tabatas and Hennie Mullers should not be done by people of average fitness levels. Just as certainly the almost brutal demands made on the trainee can bring about mental fatigue and physical discomfort. But the hypothesis behind such exercises can be adapted for average people, and the proven increased physical fitness level obtained even by them

Are you seeking greater physical fitness for yourself?

Research has shown that four minutes of Tabata interval training can do as much to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity as an hour of endurance exercise, thus, even an adapted form of intensity interval training is bound to speed up desired results. Whether done at the most demanding level or an adapted version for average mortals, working out in a supporting group is encouraging and helpful.

Nitric Oxide products have enjoyed a long history as premier muscle builders. Along with creatine, they define the pre-workout market! I am going to define “nitric oxide” a little differently than most, because I view nitric oxide products as ones that don’t contain creatine. There is nothing wrong with creatine, but it isn’t a nitric oxide product just because it contains some arginine. Most of these kitchen sink products on the market contain everything from neurotropics to arginine to creatine in an effort to boost performance, but to me they miss the mark completely. I feel that mixing everything together in one big scoop just isn’t effective! That being said, luckily there are true NO products on the market that don’t rely on creatine to boost their pumps and use the power of arginine and arginine co-factors to give you wicked pumps in the gym. Unfortunately the studies on Arginine products are not very supportive for their desired function, increasing NO2.

First on the list is NO2 (R) from MRI, the company that put NO on the map! NO2 is currently sold as NO2 – Black and it contains the same basic formula of L-Arginine AKG as the original formula along with some new co-factors that help supposedly improve the conversion to Nitric Oxide. NO2 – Black contains Arginine alpha-Ketoglutarate (A-AKG) 3000.00 mg along with the NO2 Black Proprietary Blend 150.00 mg Alpha-Lipoic Acid (thioctic acid) ACTINOS2 Whey peptide Fraction. Let’s look at these ingredients one by one to discuss their role in NO production. A-AKG is a staple performer for NO products, it is simply L-Arginine mixed with a krebs cycle intermediate alpha-ketogluterate. It probably has some absorption benefits over straight L-Arginine, since I believe that peptides are better than singular amino acids for passing through the intestine. The other ingredients are a bit of a mystery. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a great anti-oxidant, and is certainly good for you but I am not exactly sure how really benefits NO production. A quick literature search does show that it could help with NO production in diabetic patients, so it is possible it helps. The ACTINOS2 is a whey protein fraction that is supposed to help upregulate eNOS, which is an enzyme that converts Arginine to Nitric Oxide. Unfortunately, I am not sure what this fraction is, so we will have to take their word for it. Still, NO2 Black is a solid choice for an NO product and since it started the revolution it is the “champ”.

Force Factor (R) is a brand that was completely born on the internet. They have some seriously outrageous advertising, but that aside, let’s look at the ingredients and see what they have to offer over NO2. It contains some very familiar ingredients such as Arginine alpha-Ketoglutarate (A-AKG), Arginine Ketoisocaproate (A-KIC), L-Arginine Monohydrate, which are all similar forms of L-Arginine bonded to krebs intermediates. This I hate, they use ingredients like Di-Potassium Phosphate, Calcium Phosphate and magnesium stearate as “active ingredients” when in fact they are the binders that hold the tablet together and don’t do anything as a supplement. It does have some cool things like NAD (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) and L-Citrulline Monohydrate but the last ingredient, the L-Citrulline is last on the list, making it a very, very small quantity. Too bad, because Citrulline is a very cool ingredient that can help boost NO. NAD is an energy co-factor and a pretty cool ingredient, that can give you natural energy, which is a good addition.

The final product is Anadraulic Pump from LG Sciences. It is a bit different, since it is a drink vs pills, but it has some interesting ingredients for building pumps and increasing focus. It includes the usual suspects for boosting NO, L-Arginine HCL and L-Arginine AKG, but also L-Arginine Nitrate which is a new ingredient that combines the power of natural nitrates in foods like beets with L-Arginine. It’s pretty new, so there is no true data on it, but the manufacturer of this particular ingredient swears you can “feel” it. Anadraulic Pump also contains other amino acids meant for increasing performance like L-Taurine, L-Alanine, L-Aspartic Acid, all of which are shown in the literature to increase athletic performance. Taurine is popular in energy drinks for its energy boosting benefits, L-Alanine is similar to Glutamine, being used up when you exercise and Aspartic Acid may increase stamina and physical performance. Finally it has Quercetin, which may boost athletic performance and will also stop the body from reducing the enzyme responsible for destroying L-Arginine. This enzyme reducing effect should really help the conversion of Arginine to NOS, which is the point of pump products. Finally, it contains Geranium Oil Extract #105-41-9, which is a stimulant that will give you a natural energy boost prior to working out. Being a powder, it has a flavor called “Citrus Blast” which tastes similar to weak “Tang(R)” I suppose. It is pretty tasty and I actually looked forward to drinking it.

Each product delivers on it’s promise to give you NO boosting Arginine, along with co-factors. I feel the best are NO2 – Black and Anadraulic Pump, then it comes down to whether you want the simple formula in NO2 or the more advanced powder on Anadraulic Pump, specifically the inclusion of the Geranium Oil Extract, that gives you a stimulant boost. If you want a pill, stick with NO2, but if you want a powder, with some cool free form amino acids and a razor sharp stimulant, you should try Anadraulic Pump. Both products have a healthy dose of Arginine, which can also help with fat loss and are consumed with lots of water during the day to make them active. There are lots of products with creatine in them that take on the “NO” title, but I still don’t feel that those are TRUE nitric oxide products, since they tend to have everything thrown together and should be put into the creatine category.

The gym is an excellent place to work out for many reasons. For me, it’s because of the vast amount of free weights and equipment and the hardcore atmosphere that feels particularly motivating for me.

The problem with working out at the gym is, it is after all a public venue. This means the moment you decide to sign up for a gym membership you will have to co-exist with the other gym members and deal with whatever peculiarities they have. This can prove to be very challenging especially when you are at the gym working hard on exercising to reduce tummy and the presence of some others are making it hard for you to do so.

I’ve seen how many people give up going to the gym or stopped following their training program because of some bad encounters they have at the gym. Moving from one gym to another doesn’t help because some of these annoying people exist everywhere.

In today’s post, I will list down some of the top 5 most annoying people you might see at the gym and how you can deal with them – if you have to.

The Chatterbox:

Every gym has at least one of them. This individual (sometimes a few of them) goes to the gym primarily to socialize, bitch, gossip and basically do anything but exercise. This person would chat with you between sets and if you get caught in the conversation, you lose track of your rest periods. Then your body and muscle cools down and you are no longer in the zone to lift your next set. Your workout gets ruined.

Sometimes this person would gossip about you – your clothes, your body part, your exercise technique, etc – and deliberately let you hear it. It makes you conscious about yourself and you lose concentration.

While there’s nothing wrong with socializing, we should lose track of our main reason for going to the gym. Having an extended rest period can affect your training intensity and your focus on the next set. This is definitely not what you want to achieve especially if you exercising to reduce tummy. Remember, you can always socialize after your workout.

Solution: If you know the person, try keeping the chat within a minute or no longer than your usual rest period. If the chat goes beyond, gradually assume the position of your next exercise, smile and carry on with your exercise. Most people will get the point.

If they talk about you, glance at them and make sure they notice you. Let them know you heard them and continue with your workout. Who gives a s**t about what the others think? This is your work out!

The Hogger:

The people at my gym are generally very friendly and willing to share their equipment in between sets. But occasionally we have one or two of these possessive weirdos who simply won’t share and insists on completing their exercise before anyone can use it.

If they have just a few sets left, that’s fine. What’s unforgivable is that they are hogging the equipment for the wrong exercise. Don’t know what I mean? Here’s an example:

Imagine someone hogging the squat rack to do biceps curl with the Olympic bar. The reason they need the squat rack is because they can rest the bar at the rack so that it’s easier for them to pick it up at the next set… (long pause for effect). And by the way, in case you think these are strong people who need the Olympic bar to curl massive weights, you couldn’t be more wrong. They are just curling an empty bar.

Hoggers are not just restricted to the weights section. The worst Hoggers are those on the treadmill. Because it’s impossible to share the treadmill, users should be even more considerate and be conscious of the time they spend on the machine. Even though it’s clearly stated that each user is limited to 30 minutes on the treadmill, some continue on, completely oblivious to the people waiting behind. And check this out, some even have the newspapers nicely laid out in front of them as they take a stroll on the treadmill while holding onto the handles…

As you patiently wait for your turn on the treadmill, homicide at this point inevitably comes to mind.

Solution: If they are using the machine for any other exercise than what it’s meant for, politely tell them that there’s an alternate machine that they can use. Usually this works. Otherwise, ask them to share. The switching of weights will eventually make one party give up. Usually it’s them.

The Moaner:

I bet you can find one of these in every gym as well. Their voices echo throughout the entire gym. You know exactly when they are going to start their set and when their set is going to end. They psyche themselves up with a war cry that puts the New Zealand All Blacks to shame as they lift their massive weights (or weights which they think are massive to them), and throughout the set, the grunt, moan and groan until they eventually climaxed at the last repetition before dropping their weights to the floor.

Whether these people are truly trying to psych themselves or they are looking for attention, their loud moans and war cries are a distraction to everyone in the gym. Imagine if everyone in the gym starts doing this? Others might mistake the gym as a Taekwondo dojo or worse, an adult venue masquerading as a gym.

Solution: You can try to telling them to keep it down. But I’ve tried and it doesn’t work. So, get yourself an iPod or a set of earplugs. I do like my friend’s solution though, which is to exercise next to them and moan even louder.

The Big Bully:

A nightmare to both gym instructors and members alike, the Big Bullies are hard to miss. Walking around with arms flaring out as if there are potatoes in their armpits, these oversized muscle heads share many characteristics with the Hogger and the Moaner. They use your equipment between sets without asking and they never return any of the weight they use.

The worst of them even criticize your exercise technique without even giving you actual pointers.

Many of these muscle heads are just pure muscle bulk with no definition. Some even sport a belly. But they walk around thinking that everyone should marvel at their tremendous musculature.

Solution: Handling the Big Bully needs extra care. Remember to always be polite because these are the closest things that we have to a primate living among us. Perhaps the only stations you will never find Big Bullies using are the treadmill and the abs machine. But if a big bully is suddenly use your equipment without asking, wait for him to complete his set, then tell him politely, “Lets share between sets”, as you pick up the weights. If he stops you or starts giving you aggressive looks, no problem. Move on to the next heaviest weight. Let him have it. It’s not worth it. You watched Planet of the Apes? Just let the primate have his toy.

The Army Ants:

Usually in a group of at least seven or eight, these people are like army ants, ravaging every machine, treadmill and free weight they set their eyes on. If they are doing dumbbell presses, you can be sure that almost all of the weights on the rack will be gone. These people usually belong to a specific sports team and have decided to bring half their squad for training at a local gym.

Their disruptive presence at the gym is obvious and even greatly magnified when they are there during peak hours. If your gym is fairly small like mine, you can either wait for the ants to finish their workout or be prepared to wait for 5 minutes between each set.

Solution: Army ants or not, you are already at the gym. So get your workout in! If they are using the equipment that you plan to use, either find an alternative or workout another body part first. There’s no point sharing equipment with the army ants because you end up wasting more time waiting to do your set.

Ok, I threw in this last group of people not because they are really annoying, but the way they are training is an utter waste of time and I’ve seen groups like this is three gyms I’ve been to already.

The Bench Press Boys:

There’s this group of four to five overzealous teenage boys who go to the gym pretty frequently. I’ve only ever seen them train one body part.

Correction.

I’ve only ever seen them do one exercise – the bench press. Well, you can’t really blame them. The obsession with having a huge chest is not just limited to women. Having a massive chest does make one looks just as impressive as having huge arms. The good thing is, at least they are choosing free weights over machines. But once they start to lift the weight, everything else goes very wrong.

They use a weight that’s too heavy for them right from the first set. The boy performing the exercise has a spotter behind him, to his left and to his right. The scene looks almost like a pit crew carrying out a pit stop at a motor race event. What even funnier is the boy who’s performing the exercise continues to add weight to the next set. As his spotters struggle to help him through his last set, he looks as if he has conquered Mount Everest and with that look of extreme satisfaction.

These boys don’t really annoy anyone except sometimes if you really need to use the bench; you have to wait for them to get through their 10 sets of bench press, each.

Solution: Well, they are not really offending anybody. But if you need to use the bench, ask politely to share the bench. When they see you are lifting more than them and they give you that “Whoa! Awesome!” look, you can give them a few pointers and correct their bench pressing techniques.

When dealing with any of the five annoying people above, the key thing to note is, always remember to be polite. Never use aggression even if you are bigger and stronger than the other guy. Treat fellow gym users with respect and you will get respect in return.

HIIT cardio is the new craze sweeping across gymnasiums in Europe and North America – the reason for this… it’s fast, efficient and it works!

High intensity interval training is something that athletes and runners in particular have been well aware of for a long time now. Fartlek training, translated from Swedish is ‘speed play’ and this has been a popular method of fitness training for runners for a long time and one method that has been shown to burn more fat than steady paced running. Fartlek training mixes slow paced running with high paced intervals of running, one example that most people who have ever played Football will be familiar with is jogging the length of the pitch, sprinting the width, jogging the length and then sprinting the width again.

Although Fartlek training is still a great method of physical training, the Tabatha protocol of HIIT shone a light on the possibility of condensing a workout dramatically without taking away any of the benefits. The problem with the Tabatha protocol of high intensity interval training is that it sounds false; no one ever really believes that a 4 minute workout can strip fat and although the 8 circuits that compromise the Tabatha method are extremely difficult, athletes often tend to feel they have cheated themselves leaving the gym after 4 minutes. On way in which body builders chose to incorporate the Tabatha protocol of HIIT Cardio to their sessions was to blast one 4 minutes session either side of the normal body building routine. This tends to be a very popular way of using HIIT without feeling you have cheated yourself.

The Tabatha protocol will work for anyone using it. What we all have to keep in mind is that time spent in the gym is not in direct correlation to results gained in the gym. Always keep in mind the famous saying ‘you can train hard or you can train long, you can’t do both’. A great example of this is the direct comparison of the traditional one hour treadmill session for fat burning at a slow steady pace versus the very popular and newly found 30 sets in 20 minutes Kettlebell Workouts. Studies show that not only are more calories burnt in the actual training session of the shorter period of activity, but participants display greater muscular definition, lower body fat and far greater fitness levels. This is just one way in which training harder for shorter periods of time is proven to be more beneficial.

Often you will hear about Boxers overtraining for a fight and not feeling fresh when the big night arrives which can have devastating effects, think of Amir Khan in his most recent outing against Danny Garcia. He was originally primed to a fight a few months earlier before Lamont Peterson was banned for taking illegal substances. After being stopped in 4 rounds only a couple of months after peaking for a fight that never happened, a lot of pundits and coaches around the world attributed this to over training. There are others such as the never outspoken Chris Eubank Senior who claims over training is a myth and a state of mind and it is more about becoming stale when training which the biggest worry is. Whilst this may be the case with Boxers, there is a lot of scientific evidence in body building as to how overtraining can halt results altogether. For instance studies have shown time and time again that Bicep progress is halted by over training and in fact as soon as the Bicep is over worked the muscle shuts down and no growth or repair will occur. In addition to this, often the best way to get over a training Plateau (a stage when progress as halted) the best way to get past this is take one week of the Gym allowing all the muscles and joints to recover. After doing this, most people find that they can instantly lift more weight than one week previous when they were stuck lifting a certain weight.

HIIT Training seems to answer most if not all of the problems associated with physical training; it keeps you fresh in body and mind. It combats injury and overtraining problems and is a tremendous fat burner and a great way to increase your physical fitness.