Why Low Carb Diets Work

Dieting, mainly cutting carbs and/or cals, is how you lose weight. The body changes carbohydrates into glucose when ingested. The glucose is used to fuel the body and it's organs. When you don't use all of this glucose it is converted to storage as glycogen and stored in the body for later use. When too much glycogen is stored in the body, it starts to convert to fat. So how do you lose fat? It's simple, deplete the body of its energy stores. By remaining active and cutting down on carbs your body will have to tap into its stores of glycogen to fuel the body. When the glycogen stores run out the body then taps into fat and proteins to fuel the body. Doing this all at once can be dangerous so I advise to slowly deplete the carbs. Think of Carbohydrates as a 12 oz glass of water. Everyday you drink (exercise) 2oz of water. Everyday you refill it (eating carbs) by 1oz. After about two weeks the glass(Carb stores in the body) will be empty. That is when you start tapping into fat stores for fuel. Some people advise against this method but in my experience it is the most simple and effective method. As long as the output is greater than the input weight loss is inevitable. Another method is calorie counting. If you burn more calories than you eat then eventually you will start to lose weight. As soon as you get to your goal all you have to do is maintain your exercise regimen and you can loosen up on the diet. Some will claim that this method will result in the body breaking down muscle tissue for energy. This is true to a certain extent, but the amount of fat lost compared to the amount of muscle lost is what makes it worth it. Getting more cut will make you look like you have more muscle anyway.

Lowering Rest Time Between Sets

Many of us struggle with plateus. For those of you that don't know what that is, it's when your body adapts to your routine and you stop seeing results. There are many ways to get around this, one being lowering rest time in between sets. When you lower rest time in between sets your workout becomes more of an aerobic workout. It increases your muscular endurance and forces more blood to your muscles causing a temporary increase in muscle size. This is often referred to as your "pump". Typical rest times are between 60-90 seconds or longer depending on how heavy of weight you are lifting. By decreasing your rest times to 30 seconds for a week you'll notice that when you return to your normal rest times that you can do more reps and have more endurance, thus overcoming the plateau. At first this technique can be challenging but the pump you experience is great. I personally use this technique one to two weeks a month.

Workout Supplements

I have used and experimented with a very wide range of supplements. The two that I noticed the biggest results from were Whey Protein and NO-Explode. Taking NO-Explode before my workouts gave me tons of energy. I call it motivation in a bottle because as soon as you take you just want to get to the gym and workout. I love that stuff and would strongly recommend it to men and women. Whey protein is a dietary supplement to help you build muscle. Take it after workouts to help build lean muscle. Protein supplements are the most important supplements for weightlifters of all skill levels. One supplement most people assume is crucial are vitamins. This may sound dumb but vitamins never impacted me when I took them. I never noticed a difference when I was on them or off them. I don't take vitamins and a lot of my friends that are big time weight lifters don't either. There are many places to buy supplements. I personally use www.bodybuilding.com. The shipping is always fast, and the prices are always cheap. They also email you every once in a while with good coupons. I DO NOT work for any of the companies I just mentioned. I am simply telling you the products that worked for me and the best way to get them. There are many other supplements out there that you can experiment with. I recommend checking the forums on supplements at www.bodybuilding.com. There are lots of educational reviews and ratings. Remember to research a product before you buy it.

What is Hypertrophy?

Hypertrophy is what everyone trying to gain lean mass is trying to achieve. Hypertrophy occurs when physical activity breaks down your muscles forcing them to rebuild bigger, leaner, and stronger.  You have to work hard to achieve hypertrophy. The best way to know you've gotten there is to be finishing your workout and thinking..."Man, I am going to be sore tomorrow." Then you will be sore for a few days. During these days it is essetial to get adaquate rest so that your muscles can rebuild. Afterward you will be slightly bigger stronger and more defined.

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P.S. Hypertrophy is not only for bodybuilders. This information is beneficial to anyone who lifts weights.