Women Should Slow It Down To See Toned Muscle Results

A great way to challenge your workout and really get your muscles to bulk a bit is to spend more time on your actual movements. Instead of doing fast reps with small to medium weight to exhaustion try this technique: make your movements take 3-5 counts in both directions. For example, when doing a chest press work slowly to extend the arms. Once in extended position take the same amount of time to come down.

Talk about a quick burn and exhaustion! You are not only lifting the weight but you are taking gravity into more consideration. Just think how hard you have to concentrate on the movements to get a nice slow stable form. This really challenges the muscles and joints and makes those tiny tears necessary to build great definition!

Once too tired to lift any more reps take a quick break (no longer than 60 seconds and repeat). The shorter the break the better workout your muscles are going to get AND your heart rate will stay up to increase calorie burn. It takes about 3 minutes for muscle recovery therefore your rest should never be this long, the goal is to tire your muscles out after all. I recommend 30 second rest breaks.

Post workup refuel with a protein shake, a good cool down and lots of water!

Make your whole body workout follow this plan- legs, arms, backs, shoulders, abs, etc. Keep the movements smooth and controlled. With this slow plan you are also going to improve stability and help to strengthen the joints and connective tissue.

When doing squats using your butt muscles for control move slowly in position, a great addition is to stay in the squat for 5-10 seconds, or you can do bouncing squats for this time before slowly coming up. Back extensions, dead lifts, push ups everything gets slowed down.

You will notice that your reps will decrease significantly than if you were doing the medium to fast pace before. That is great, it means you are pushing yourself. If you are lifting an amount where you can still do 10 or more reps then you need to increase your weight. It is ok for women to increase their weights. Really push yourself because it is the only way results are going to pile on.

A FEW TIPS
You can decrease your normal lifting weight by 10-20% just make sure to keep the pace slow!

DO NOT stop till you are unable to go farther!

Remember your body needs a rest so keep the workouts to every other day. Overloading the muscles can lead to injury and obviously if you are injured you are not going to be able to build the great toned and strong body you are going after. Plus the rest will really help to increase your metabolism and allow the results to come much faster.

Eat plenty of protein to assist in the muscle development. You can only build muscle if you have enough resources!

Try this workout for 30-40 days after which switch it up to avoid plateauing.

Steroid Hormone Powders for Female's Bodybuilding

Lots of people have very strong convictions against women using steroids. The most common misconceptions involve the strain of thought that steroids will turn a woman into a muscle-bound man with a vagina. Although this may be true in some cases, the fact remains that steroids could be very beneficial to women.


It is often believed that women on steroids have or will in-fact sacrifice all femininity but this is a dubious assumption. Many women on steroids build and maintain very beautiful physiques ripe with feminine appeal; those that do simply understand what to use and how to use it. For years some of the most beautiful fitness models from around the world have supplemented with such hormones.


With that in mind, the only question is which anabolic steroids can women take? Without question, the number one anabolic steroid for any woman is Oxandrolone; more commonly known by its most popular trade name Anavar. Anavar is the most female friendly steroid. Anavar is such a female friendly steroid, in most performance based circles it is informally referred to as “The Girl Steroid.” This steroid carries the lowest virilization rate of any anabolic steroid.


While Anavar should be any woman’s top choice, there are other steroids that can be solid options. Of such steroids, Primobolan Depot (methenolone enanthate) is the second most female friendly anabolic steroid. Oral Primobolan can be used, but as it is not a C17-aa oral steroid it is not recommended as most of it will be destroyed by the liver. At any rate, most women will find they tolerate 100mg of Primobolan Depot a week fairly well, but they must limit their use with 4 weeks of use generally being a safe time frame and 6 weeks being the max.


Then we have the Stanozolol hormone, more commonly known as Winstrol. This one is more or less a 50/50 shot; about half the women who supplement with it will tolerate it well, perhaps a little more than half will tolerate it well, but it falls below Anavar tremendously in-terms of toleration. If it can be tolerated, most women will find 10mg every other day to be all they need. Injectable and oral Winstrol are both fine.


Clomid can be used to stimulate ovulation. It works by blocking estrogen receptors at the hypothalamus, which is an important "hormonal control center" for the body. When this happens, the hypothalamus is stimulated to release follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). These are the naturally occurring ovarian stimulants, which prompt ovulation in a normal cycle.

Why Woman Should Lift Weights

Why Women Do Need a Strength Training Routine

We know that increasing and maintaining adequate muscle mass is one of the best ways to keep body fat at bay and to improve overall fitness, particularly as we age. We also know that weight lifting is the best way to build muscle mass. Still, the number of women who actually participate in any formal or consistent weight training workout is still extremely low. Most women who exercise are spending most of their gym time on cardiovascular exercise. Whatever your reasons for avoiding the weights, if you are a woman, here are ten reasons why you need to take strength training seriously.

    You Will Be Physically Stronger.
    Increasing your strength will make you far less dependent upon others for assistance in daily living. Chores will be easier, lifting kids, groceries and laundry will no longer push you to the max. If your maximum strength is increased, daily tasks and routine exercise will be far less likely to cause injury. Research studies conclude that even moderate weight training can increase a woman's strength by 30 to 50 percent. Research also shows that women can develop their strength at the same rate as men.

    You Will Lose Body Fat.
    Studies performed by Wayne Westcott, PhD, from the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, found that the average woman who strength trains two to three times a week for two months will gain nearly two pounds of muscle and will lose 3.5 pounds of fat. As your lean muscle increases so does your resting metabolism, and you burn more calories all day long. Generally speaking, for each pound of muscle you gain, you burn 35 to 50 more calories each day. That can really add up.

    You Will Gain Strength Without Bulk.
    Researchers also found that unlike men, women typically don't gain size from strength training, because compared to men, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause muscle hypertrophy. You will, however, develop muscle tone and definition. This is a bonus.

    You Decrease Your Risk Of Osteoporosis.
    Research has found that weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density (and enhance bone modeling) by 13 percent in six months. This, coupled with an adequate amount of dietary calcium, can be a women's best defense against osteoporosis.

    You Will Improve Your Athletic Performance.
    Over and over research concludes that strength training improves athletic ability in all but the very elite athletes (See Article). Golfers can significantly increase their driving power. Cyclists are able to continue for longer periods of time with less fatigue. Skiers improve technique and reduce injury. Whatever sport you play, strength training has been shown to improve overall performance as well as decrease the risk of injury.

    You Will Reduce Your Risk Of Injury, Back Pain and Arthritis.
    Strength training not only builds stronger muscles, but also builds stronger connective tissues and increases joint stability. This acts as reinforcement for the joints and helps prevent injury. A recent 12-year study showed that strengthening the low-back muscles had an 80 percent success rate in eliminating or alleviating low-back pain. Other studies have indicated that weight training can ease the pain of osteoarthritis and strengthen joints.

    You Will Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease.
    According to Dr. Barry A. Franklin, of William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, weight training can improve cardiovascular health in several ways, including lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol, increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. When cardiovascular exercise is added, these benefits are maximized.

    You Will Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes.
    In addition, Dr. Franklin noted that weight training may improve the way the body processes sugar, which may reduce the risk of diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is a growing problem for women and men. Research indicates that weight training can increase glucose utilization in the body by 23 percent in four months.

    It Is Never Too Late To Benefit.
    Women in their 70s and 80s have built up significant strength through weight training and studies show that strength improvements are possible at any age. Note, however, that a strength training professional should always supervise older participants.

    You Will Improve Your Attitude And Fight Depression.
    A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling did. Women who strength train commonly report feeling more confident and capable as a result of their program, all important factors in fighting depression.

Breaking the Myth: If I Lift Heavy I'll Look Like A Man!

Rosie Chee talks about another myth - If I lift Heavy I'll end up looking like a man! Rosie explains the facts about resistance training.

You hear it time and again from females in and out of the gym, when it is suggested to them that they either a) lift weights, or b) increase the weight that they are lifting. “I don't want to do that, because I don't want to look like a man.” Many people, males included, have come to believe that for a female to lift weights means that she will somehow transform into the stereotype image of the female bodybuilder. This is simply NOT the reality of females and resistance training. This article will discuss and compare the physiology, the hormonal adaptations to resistance training, and the role of diet in gaining muscle, in both males and females.

Whilst males and females are structurally similar, there are many physiological differences that affect the sexes' ability to gain muscle mass.
Hormones

The primary reason that females cannot gain muscle mass as fast or to the extent as males is the difference in hormone status.

Testosterone is one of the androgenic hormones responsible for anabolism in the body. It is testosterone that is responsible for masculine traits (i.e. excess hair (especially facial), deepening of voice, increase in muscle mass). Both males and females produce testosterone, as it is necessary for hormonal balance and body function. However, males have much HIGHER levels of testosterone than females, with the ‘normal’ range of total testosterone (in the bloodstream) being 0.95-4.3 pg/dl, compared to the 0.7-3.6 pg/dl of females. However, it is not so much the total amount of testosterone that an individual has that determines their potential/ability for muscle growth, since most of the testosterone in the body is bound to either sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) or other non-specific proteins such as albumin, but their levels of FREE testosterone (i.e. the amount of testosterone that is NOT bound in the body). In males 0.3-5% (with an average of 2%) of their total testosterone if free, with their free testosterone normal values being 270-1100 ng/dl, compared to only 6-86 ng/dl of free testosterone available to females.

The female ‘equivalent’ of testosterone is estrogen. Whilst estrogen may increase Growth Hormone (GH), it also increases a) SHBG, which decreases the amount of free testosterone in the body; and b) cortisol, which reduces muscle mass.
Muscle Fibres and Types

There is a similar distribution of the percentage of Type I, Type IIa, and Type IIb muscle fibres in both males and females. However, females have ~60-80% of the muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and whole muscle anatomical cross-sectional area (ACSA) than that of males. Therefore, despite the potential for muscle hypertrophy in a relatively short period of time, similar percentage increases in either muscle mass or volume as a result of resistance training, results in smaller total overall gains in CSA and ACSA in females than in males.
Resistance Training and Hormonal Adaptations

Studies have shown that resistance training acutely increases total testosterone in males; whereas there is NO change in females. However, free testosterone HAS been shown to be elevated up to 25% in females after resistance training. Yet, because females have less free testosterone than males at rest, any increase is not significant enough to allow for muscle hypertrophy to the extent of a male. Therefore, it has been suggested that other anabolic hormones, such as GH may be responsible for hypertrophy in females.
Role of Diet in Gaining Muscle

Diet is an important component of gaining muscle mass. To gain muscle mass one needs to be eating MORE than Maintenance calories. Because females are generally smaller than males (i.e. smaller bone size and mass, less muscle mass, etc.), they generally require (and eat) LESS than males. If a female ate the amount that a male ate to gain mass, they would most likely end up gaining a lot of unwanted bodyfat along with muscle hypertrophy. Females are also generally more prone to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, etc. that are detrimental to muscle hypertrophy, and cause muscle loss.
Conclusion

Masculinization in females does not occur as a result of [heavy] weight training, but rather because of the excess of androgenic hormones (i.e. testosterone) coupled with the correct stimulus for muscle growth (i.e. chronic resistance training AND diet directed at muscle growth). The stereotype image of the female bodybuilder in the media is a result of said females chronically using androgenic compounds (i.e. steroids) in order to increase their muscle mass and size. For the female who is NOT doing this, they can lift as hard and as heavy as they want, and will come nowhere close to “looking like a man?".

Striking the Balance – Femininity, Muscle, and Symmetry

An Interview with IFBB Pro Women's Bodybuilder Shannon Courtney


 For a woman, especially a young woman entering a sport that many say is on its way out, that's an important milestone. There's a segment of Women's Bodybuilders, the pragmatists if you will, that see the writing on the wall and they've started jumping ship. Some will choose retirement, meanwhile others will opt to join the ranks of Women's Physique, Figure, or maybe even Bikini. But then there's the women that do bodybuilding because they love it. They're the women that will go down with the proverbial ship. That is, if they can't steer that ship to safe waters by way of striking a balance – delivering a perfect combination of femininity, muscle, and symmetry. Shannon Courtney, like a small handful of others, just may save the sport of Women's Bodybuilding.


For too long, those of us that support the women have had to point to the past champions (e.g. Corey and Lenda) and/or past sell-out crowds. Shannon Courtney is the present and the future. Here's to Shannon and Women's Bodybuilding!

Q: Shannon, please take a moment to introduce yourself to the audience (full name, age, include IFBB Pro status, where you're from and if possible what gym you train at).
A: Shannon Courtney, 22 years old, IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, from Oakdale, California, Inshape and Fitness Evolution.


Q: You initially got started with Physique, talk to us about transitioning from that division to Bodybuilding and do you ever see yourself competing in both?
A: At first I started with Figure (2 shows) and never did well, I was always too muscular and too lean, judges told me to switch to bodybuilding. I never wanted to compete as a bodybuilder, though. I hated the image it had. I didn't want to be a part of it. Then when I heard about the new division Physique I thought it was perfect for someone like me.  So I entered a Physique show thinking I would do very well. Turns out they placed me close to last because again I was too muscular and too lean. Judges and others advised me to either tone down my legs and back to fit the category or transition into Bodybuilding. I wasn't positive on switching to Bodybuilding, but I also didn't want to stop training the way I liked and, of course, eating how I want. It took a while for me to decide, but I thought why do I need to become the stereotypical women's bodybuilder? I just need to stay true to myself, keep doing exactly what I'm doing. So… I switched.


Q: You placed 3rd in your class at the 2012 USA's and then returned a year later win your class and the Overall, turning Pro. I've always believed that the USA is the gold standard for turning Pro, followed by Nationals, the North Americans, and Team Universe, respectively. Was this contest the only show you had your heart set on winning to turn Pro? And what changes did you make to your training, diet, and/or supplementation from 2012 to 2013?
A: I agree with you with the order of national shows. I believe USAs is the most competitive and the best Pros come from that show. I was set on winning USAs, but I did have in mind doing Nationals if I didn't achieve my pro card that July. The first changes I made for prep of USAs was switching coaches. The best decision I could've made. Last USAs I was on a starvation diet and hours of cardio (which screwed me up big time after the show), so this past USAs was completely different – I had a cheat meal every week up to two weeks out! Sometimes even two cheat meals! Best prep I ever went through. I sailed through it.


Q:What are some immediate and long-term goals that you've set for yourself as a Pro Women's Bodybuilder? Is it possible for a woman to still make a living in the supplement/bodybuilding industry without delving into obscure, perhaps risqué employment?
A: I would love to qualify for the Olympia. That is a goal I'm setting for myself next year. We’ll see what happens! Honestly, I don't think 95% of women bodybuilders are promotable. I get that and understand why. I'm hoping I will bring a new look to the division and change some opinions on female bodybuilding. I do have a couple sponsors, so I am lucky with that and very, very grateful.


Q: Aside from having a beautiful physique, you're a beautiful woman. What are the fans like at contests, online, and/or in person? Did you set boundaries early on, or was it a learning process?
A: I’ve been gaining a following very quickly… on Facebook, Instagram, other places on the web I don't even know about and randomly find out. It’s pretty cool and motivating for me.
But as I gain more fans I gain more haters. Sometimes it's hurtful but I’ve learned more and more just to ignore and keep doing my thing. And of course there are the ones with the weird fetishes that I completely ignore!


Q: Let's talk about the future of Women's Bodybuilding. If, heaven forbid, the Ms. Olympia went the way of the Ms. International, would you stop training, would you stop improving yourself? I guess the real question is, even without the shows, would you stop being a woman bodybuilder?
A: This year there was a lot of talk of the end of Women’s Bodybuilding and it did make me reconsider what division I wanted to continue with. I was considering Physique again, stopped training for 5 weeks, cut my proteins way down, upped my cardio and I was depressed... I hated it, it just wasn't me. Then I received the schedule for next year’s shows and saw that there were actually shows added this year for Women’s Bodybuilding and Olympia was scheduled again. I was excited and talked with my coach and realized if this sport really isn't about money why am I doing something that's making me unhappy? So I'm back to bodybuilding and will not stop until it does end. If it does, I think I will take a break and have another baby, this might force me to get smaller if I need to transition to Physique.


Q: Let's talk about training. It seems everyone in this game has a nutritionist, a training guru, a massage therapist, a publicist, and if possible someone to train for them (kidding on that last one!). Is your Team a Team of 1 or do you have people that help you along the way?
A: I have an amazing coach – IFBB Pro Lisa Aukland. She has coached me through this past USAs, the Tampa Pro show, and now this off season. I will continue with her this next year. She is there for me every steshaCourtneyp of the way, I cannot thank her enough!


Q: In terms of training and diet, what's your take on women having an off-season and/or bulking up? I think that women (from Bikini to Bodybuilding) shouldn't add a ton of weight (like the men do) because it's a lot harder for women to lose it later. What's your take, what's worked (or not worked) for you?
A: I think women should NEVER bulk, absolutely no reason… unless you are trying to step into Bodybuilding and need to put on a good amount of size. Even then bulking doesn't mean eat whatever you want when you want. It seems to me that's an excuse to get fat. Throughout the off season women (and men) should be on a consistent program to either maintaining or adding lean muscle – still need to eat clean foods.


Q: How important is femininity to building muscle for a woman? Why do you suppose some men and some women attack muscular women? Envy, jealousy, ignorance?
A: I think the majority are just so unfamiliar with what the human body is capable of, they want to shout 'STEROIDS!' any time they see a muscular women. I'm not saying most female bodybuilders don't go overboard, that's why it has a bad name. I’m saying it is possible to gain a great amount of size not drugged up. Staying feminine in this division is so important. After all, it is called “Women’s” Bodybuilding.  I understand some don't like the muscular look, but those are also the ones that can’t appreciate it – the ones that have no idea how much hard work is put into it. To those people I don't even waste my time on.


Q: Let's talk about the 2013 Ms. Olympia. Are you happy with the placings? I'd love if you could share your Top 5 for that contest.
A: I hate to say it... because I do like Iris Kyle but honestly she isn't a good image for the sport. It makes me upset that the judging isn't going toward the feminine look, they're setting it up for failure. In my opinion I think Alina Popa should've received the 1st place and Debi Laszewski 2nd.

How Women Build Muscle

There are more myths and misconceptions about strength training than any other area of fitness. While research continues to uncover more and more reasons why working out with weights is good for you, many women continue to avoid resistance training for fear of developing muscles of Herculean proportions.

Other women have tried it and been less than thrilled with the results. “Don’t worry,” people say. “Women can’t build muscle like men. They don’t have enough testosterone.” This is, in fact, only partly true.

Many women, believing they wouldn’t build muscle, hit the gym with a vengeance and then wondered why, after several weeks of resistance training, their clothes didn’t fit and they had gained muscle weight.

The truth is, not everyone responds to training in quite the same way. While testosterone plays an important role in muscle development, the answer to why some men and women increase in muscle size and others don’t lies within our DNA.

We are predisposed to respond to exercise in a particular way, in large part because of our genetics. Our genetic makeup determines what types of muscle fibers we have and where they are distributed. It determines our ratio of testosterone to estrogen and where we store body fat. And it also determines our body type.

A Question of Body Type

All women fall under one of three body classifications, or are a combination of types. Mesomorphs tend to be muscular, endomorphs are more rounded and voluptuous and ectomorphs are slim or linear in shape. Mesomorphs respond to strength training by building muscle mass much faster than their ectomorphic counterparts, even though they may be following identical training regimens.

Endomorphs generally need to lose body fat in order to see a change in size or shape as a result of strength training. Ectomorphs are less likely to build muscle mass but will become stronger as a result of resistance training.

Building Just Your Heart Muscle

One of the fundamental principles of strength training is that if you overload a muscle, you will increase its size. With aerobic training, the overload is typically your body weight. Activities such as step training or stair climbing result in changes in the size and shape of the muscles of the lower body. Increasing the height of the step or adding power movements increases the overload.

For those concerned about building muscle, it would be better to reduce the step height or lower the impact of the movements. While this may reduce the aerobic value of the workout, it also will decrease the amount of overload on the muscles, making it less likely that you will build more muscle.

Training by the Rules

When it comes to strength training, the old rule still applies: To get stronger, work with heavier weights and perform fewer repetitions. To promote endurance, use lighter weights and complete more repetitions.

It’s encouraging to note that just like men, most women will experience a 20 to 40% increase in muscular strength after several months of resistance training.

Understanding your body type and how you might respond to exercise can help you set realistic goals and expectations. Avoid comparisons to others you see, at the gym or elsewhere, and remember that no two people are alike.

Focus on how good exercise makes you feel rather than how you would like to look. Accepting our bodies for what they are is a great way to get rid of the guilt or pressure we often feel to look a certain way.

Secret World of Women's Bodybuilding

It is a subculture that involves bulging biceps, protruding veins and never-ending workouts.

And for many of the women who take up the sport, bodybuilding can involve being stared at, whispered about, and insulted to their faces.

"They look at you like you're from outer space or something," says bodybuilder Yvette Williams.

"I remember people sneering and making lewd comments," says another woman. "'What is that? A man or a woman?'"

In the world of female bodybuilding, not only do women spend grueling hours in the gym pumping iron, pushing genetics to the limit, but many pay an even higher price for their 60 seconds on stage: The toll on their bodies can be irreversible, and the subculture can be all-consuming, obsessive and dangerous.

A Consuming World

"It's a horrendous sacrifice to make," says Katie Arnoldi, a former bodybuilder, referring to the hundreds of women who start out with big dreams but end up so desperate to succeed they may turn to performance-enhancing drugs. "But they're doing it."

Arnoldi started bodybuilding when she was 33 to get back in shape after the birth of her second child. But what started out as an innocent exercise plan quickly turned into an obsession as she fell deeper and deeper into the bodybuilding subculture.

"It's the opposite of anorexia," says Arnoldi, who wrote a novel called Chemical Pink about the world she left behind when she quit bodybuilding. "It's a compulsion. It's an obsession. And there is no satisfying that."

"Somehow it becomes an addiction," says Mimi D'Attomo, a former bodybuilder. "It's like an alcoholic."

Drugs That Transform

D'Attomo, who started bodybuilding when she was in her late 20s, became fanatical and her desire to win turned her to drugs. She started mixing chemical cocktails of steroids and diuretics after competing for three years.

"You can train as hard as you can," she says, "but realistically, it's almost impossible to make gains without anabolic steroids, because anabolic steroids help you recuperate so you never really feel the aches and pain."

Many women, she says, mix potentially harmful combinations of insulin, diuretics, human growth hormone, beta blockers, and anti-wasting HIV drugs.

"I feel to be a professional bodybuilder," she says, "you have to be a chemist. You have to know what to mix, what not to mix, or it could kill you."

Women can pay a devastating price for the advantages drugs offer them. The testosterone, for example, can cause disturbing male characteristics.

"They grow facial hair, their vocal chords thicken, their voices drop, they get hair on their chest and back, a woman's clitoris will grow into a male-like appendage," explains Arnoldi. "These bodies become what is normal to you. And then the real world is almost invisible."

D'Attomo knows all too well how that can happen.

"I didn't think I looked weird," she recalls. "It was normal for me … up until I went outside the gym and socialized outside with other people. Then I realized how different I looked. I said, 'Whoa, I'm freaky. I'm a freak.'"

Fortunately for D'Attomo, she stopped using anabolic steroids before the side effects became irreversible, but it took her three years to recover. The hormonal withdrawal caused her to gain 40 pounds, her joints ached and she suffered from depression. But many women who take steroids for too long may never lose the facial hair or deep voice, and may have pregnancy difficulties.

 Arnoldi says industry insiders know what goes on, but the sport is reluctant to test bodybuilders more strictly for anabolic steroids because big bodies draw big bucks.

Sandy Ranalli of the National Physique Committee, an organization for the bodybuilding and fitness industry, also says drug testing can just be too expensive.

"To be honest with you, we're such a small sport, it's just not financially feasible," says Ranalli of testing the athletes for drugs. She says they do, however, try to do random testing occasionally.

Ranalli adds: "There's steroids in every sport … But to say you're not going to get to the competitive level … without anabolic steroids, that itself is false.

The Sexual Subculture

Arnoldi, who says she quit after two years rather than take drugs, says chemical abuse is not the only dark side to the sport. Even more sinister, perhaps, is the strange sexual subculture that exists.

"There is this whole subset of men that would pay a lot of money to have a girl come over, get them in a headlock or wrestle with them," she says. "I've talked to these guys that are very excited by the idea of being overwhelmed by a strong female … by a big muscular female who can physically overpower them."

D'Attomo saw it, too. "I saw a lot of rich men sponsoring big women," she says. "They would pay for their everything in exchange for maybe a whipping."

But not all bodybuilders paint such a bleak picture of the sport.

For Lesa Lewis, a 33-year-old construction worker from Kansas City, bodybuilding is a challenge and a way to look and feel beautiful.

"I love the competitive part," says Lewis, who will vy in the prestigious Ms. Olympia competition this fall. "I love travel for the shows … I love looking in shape and looking fit."

Many women say it can be a liberating or empowering statement. But Arnoldi says despite the positives, the drawbacks remain.

"Nobody is making these girls do this," she says. "This is a choice … I don't see anything changing."

Women Bodybuilding Tips For Taking Steroids Safely

The Mick Hart blog has always said that bodybuilding views should be expressed honestly, without prejudice and straight in-yer-face. SO, we would like to introduce a great friend of the “Bull” to you who WILL no doubt, like us, tell it straight and “like it is!” We give you……. Emma James – A memorable interview for women bodybuilding!!!
“I can’t really remember how it all started. I just started training when I was 13 years old and then found out very quickly that I had the genetics of my Grandmother so all I had to do was look at a weight and I instantly put on muscle.

I was competing in women bodybuilding by the time I was 16 years old and natural and continued until I was 22. I don’t remember getting any comments or problems from anyone, especially being from Northern Ireland where attitudes tend to be somewhat archaic. At 22 I went into powerlifting and began a really successful career, which resulted in finally winning the WPF World Championships in 2000 at Graz, Austria, and also won best overall female lifter.

Three years prior to this I had started taking anabolic steroids. I had taken long and painstaking efforts to research as many products as I could, talk to as many people as I could and read as much literature as I could get my hands on but still the information for women bodybuilders was virtually non existent. I can remember being put on Sustanon 250 by a well meaning person who hadn’t really thought about what it would do to a woman. One voice drop later and few extra hairs on my chin I came to realise that this substance was not for me!! And so the trial and error went on.

I noticed I kept getting called sir on the telephone and called sir from behind!! OK – time to worry. I really had to try and find someone who could help me with the steroid situation and how I should take steroids, as I knew that soon I was going to look facially like a man if I wasn’t careful and if I wanted to keep competing then I had to do something fast. I wasn’t prepared to sacrifice all my femininity and was going to have to work hard at the remaining amount I had left! At the end of the day if you want to be up there – you got to take the consequences.

I found that the Primabolan I had been taking, over an extended period of time and even with carefully spaced cycles was giving me side effects so I even came off that. It was then that a close and trusted friend of mine came up with the idea of trying a fast acting testosterone, something that doesn’t hang around in the system. I tried taking Virormone and found that I had no further side effects and then I also took Testex 250, one shot a week, when I went back into bodybuilding and the side effects have now stopped. I have adopted that strategy now for the last year and I have had no more voice drop, no more facial hair, no more clitoral enlargement (much to the disappointment of one person!) and now feel and look more feminine than I have in years. I’ll list for you what I tried and the side effects:

Deca Durabalon: instant voice drop and facial hair

Winstrol: Chronic water retention, mood swings, exceptionally aggressive (as in ‘I want to kill you now)
Sustanon 250: Chronic water retention, voice drop

Primobolan: After careful usage of about 1 year of cycles I had voice drop and facial hair.

Testex 250: Water retention after 24hrs subsiding within 72 hours – no other side effects. Real hard and full look with it and felt really good.

Virormone: No water retention, no other side effects.

Test Suspension: Oooohh didn’t like this at all! No side effects just huge aggression.

Ganabol: 2ml per week gave me outstanding results with minimal side effects. NB: hard to get the real thing.

The list could go on but these are the main ones I tried.”

How to Start Bodybuilding for Women

Strength training seeks to make a stronger you, while bodybuilding kicks the goal up several notches - to make your body a visual statement of rippling muscle and taut sinew. You can become a female bodybuilder and still maintain your femininity and appeal, as demonstrated by bodybuilding icons such as Rachel McLish and Marissa Rivero, successful actresses and beautiful models. To get started, you need mainly to commit to an initial three months of dedicated work, as well as planning and tracking your progress.

Commit to the Weight Room
Two to three days a week, you need to hit the weight room for a date with your barbells. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are ideal. You can focus on the powerlifts - the deadlift, squat and bench - to build muscle and in the process, burn fat. Expect to warm up by lifting light weights and to spend about an hour per session. Women: Don’t forget to train hard, after your first month or so of getting acclimated. Push yourself as part of serious training designed to pack on 5 to 10 pounds of additional muscle, advises fitness author Stuart McRobert.

Ramp Up the Cardio Intensity
Pick your favorite form of cardio - spinning, outdoor biking, running, hill sprints, swimming - and hit it hard. Literally. Brian Lebo of the Athletic Performance Training Center in Ohio advises HIIT, high-intensity interval training, as your way to burn fat in a time-efficient manner. Lebo advises a 3-to-1 rest-to-work ratio. In practical terms, this means you can for example go hard as you can on a hill sprint for 30 seconds, walk or jog back down the slope for 90 seconds, and repeat four times for an intense 10-minute training session.

Change Your Eating Habits
Processed and fried foods will be going bye-bye as part of your bodybuilding program. You’ll need five or six small meals each day with lean protein to repair muscles, carbs to fuel your workouts and healthy fats to satisfy hunger. Lebo advises that you create meal plans for your week. Rest your muscles a full 48 hours before working the same muscle group and get plenty of sleep.

Meal Ideas for Beginners
You may need to restock your pantry with lots of tuna and whole grains. A mini-meal may consist of oats and cooked egg whites; sweet potato and tuna; brown rice, chicken and greens; or tilapia and a quarter of an avocado. Figure competitor Ashley Toms, who describes diet as 90 percent of success in bodybuilding, similarly combines chicken, green veggies and steel-cut oats; whey protein shakes and oats; and snacks such as protein shakes or a handful of nuts.

Water In The Life Of a Bodybuilder

Any athlete, as a professional and amateur, is aware of the importance of proper nutrition and sport mode. No less important is the correct drinking regime. Common man enough to drink 30 ml of water per 1 kg of body weight per day. In sports, especially during intense exercise, the rate of water consumption increases.

Some people believe that in order to reduce weight and acquire a special fry should drink less water and more diuretic. This approach is incorrect. Of course, during competition course all the means are good, but in real life you can not restrict the use of water. Water is the best diuretic. If you drink your water ration (without replacing it with other drinks), the body ceases to save it in the interstitial fluid and excess water is drained.

Meanwhile, the water - a very valuable resource for the body. It provides the normal flow of all processes in the body, including muscle building and fat burning. During training, a lot of water evaporates from then, so to replenish its reserves is necessary. Furthermore, water produces energy in cell membranes, giving the athlete cheerfulness, driving fatigue.

Exercise, especially weight training aimed at building muscle, they require increased supply of oxygen. Therefore, is very useful for athletes to drink water saturated with oxygen.

During training, the sweat from the body evaporates minerals, the lack of which will help to fill mineral water. In order to ensure the normal operation of the digestive system, it is important to drink a glass of water half an hour before each meal. And, of course, do not forget about it during the day and during workouts.

Other beverages such as juices and dairy products, carbohydrates and fats in the rapidly digestible form, so it can be recommended as a means of recovery after intense training. However, those who want to lose weight a little bit, get rid of fat is necessary to replace these drinks with water completely.

The Real Girl Power of Female Bodybuilding

Beyond the blinged-out bikinis and lucite heels, a female bodybuilder (and girly girl) has a message for the mainstream media: The frail and starved are being replaced by the fit and powerful.




I’m sure plenty of people were shocked when they first saw the Serbian bodybuilder, Jelena Abbou, flexing fiercely in M.A.C.’s Strength ad campaign. I wasn’t one of them. Bulging biceps under a ball gown? Welcome to my world. I’m a professional bodybuilder—and a girly girl.

As my colleagues in the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness pro league sometimes say, "I don’t sweat; I sparkle." I love manicures and makeup, but there’s a decent chance I’d be able to beat your boyfriend in an arm wrestling match.

Girls who look like Jelena and me have a message for the mainstream media: The frail and starved are being replaced by the fit and powerful, even if strides like the M.A.C. ad are happening little by little. I’m tired of skinny (probably hungry) girls being used to define femininity. Our culture wants to beat obesity and anorexia? So, believe, like I do, that strong is beautiful.

I started lifting heavy-ass weights four years ago, in part so I could carry all of my groceries up the stairs of my walk-up apartment in New York. But the real reason I’m a bodybuilder today is frustration. l was your standard cardio-crazed calorie counter—torturing myself on the elliptical and eating a rocky diet of bagels for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and carrots for dinner. I would get thinner, but the overall pear shape of my body never really changed. I never felt truly toned.

I decided I was going to permanently transform my physique. I found a trainer whose body I wanted: She was shaped just like an “x”, with sexy, curvy legs, a tiny waist, strong shoulders, and defined arms. She taught me to drop the five-pound dumbbells and pick up heavier ones. I focused on training four times a week, isolating one muscle group at a time.

I completely changed my diet, eating more frequently and with more protein, choosing steak over pizza, cutting out sugar completely, and scaling down on alcohol dramatically (and sometimes, totally.) So you understand why endorphins are my everything...

Training led me to the competition circuit, which means 5 a.m. cardio sessions before my 9 to 5 job in pharmaceutical sales, and post-work lifting, more cardio, and practicing my poses, including the Model Turn. I went pro in my third year of competing, and it felt like proof that I can do anything I believe to be true in the world.

Beyond the blinged-out bikinis, lucite stripper heels, and self-tanner, female bodybuilders are an example of the power of the human body—and real girl power. My competitors and I are very supportive of each other, because we know what kind of sacrifices we've all made and to be there. Sure, we’re all tired and ready to rip our fake eyelashes off and finally eat a cupcake, but there is a sense of pride that unites us all.

Still, it isn't all glamorous. I try my best to maintain a social life, but let’s be honest: Who wants to go out with someone who swears off alcohol and brings her own Ziplock bags of steamed tilapia wherever she goes? I was fortunate enough to maintain a supportive relationship for my first four years of competing, and my ex-boyfriend was very patient with the “hangry” (hungry and angry), super-ripped maniac blocking him from eating pizza in the kitchen. But eventually the lack of wine-and-fun filled date nights wore on our relationship. As the saying goes for competitors, I am married to the iron, at least for now.

I know a lot of guys are turned off by the possibility of me being able to squat more than them, but the truth is I’m turned off by them, too. My strength is empowering to me and not at all "mannish." I wouldn't trade in my muscles for anything, because they represent who I am—determined, proud, and female. Real men find that very attractive.

If you were jarred by your first glance at Jelena Abbou, look again. Consider that, as women, we’re continually trying to break out of the molds we’ve been taught to accept as beautiful. 

The Difference Between Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss

For bodybuilding, having low body fat levels is essential if you want to display the muscles that you have worked so hard for. A big mistake however that many bodybuilders make is that when they want to get ripped, they focus too much on losing weight instead of just focusing on losing fat.

You see, weight loss and fat loss are not necessarily the same thing. Weight loss is very easy to accomplish actually. All you have to do is take in less calories than what your body burns on any given day. So if your body burns 2,500 calories, and you just take in 2,000 calories, weight loss will occur. The problem is that if those calories that you take in do not have the right amount of nutrients, the weight loss may come in the form of muscle tissue loss, water weight, and perhaps even some bone mass! With that being said, let's consider the three examples below:

Bodybuilding Diet Example #1

An example of a diet that can have a negative impact of this nature is a fad diet like eating just chocolate for example (let's call this "The Miraculous Chocolate Diet". In a case like this, because you are taking in less calories than what your body burns, you will lose weight. However, at least 50% of the weight loss will not come from fat. It will come instead from muscle tissue and bone tissue as a diet like this does not provide enough good nutrition to maintain (or slightly increase) muscle mass. The end results will be a smaller but still flabby version of yourself. Furthermore, your metabolism will be crippled by the fact that you have lost lean muscle which is one of the tissues that serves to maintain a high metabolism!

Bodybuilding Diet Example #2

In this example, the bodybuilder is a hardcore athlete who wants to work hard for his/her goals. This bodybuilder is willing to pay the price in order to achieve the bodybuilding goals. However because of his over-enthusiasm, logic is thrown out of the window and a bodybuilding diet consisting of 1500 calories, mostly coming from proteins and some good fats is implemented, in conjunction with an aggressive cardiovascular workout of twice a day 45 minute sessions and killer bodybuilding workouts.

While initially the body will respond well for about ten days, because the calories are so low and the stress on the body so high, cortisol levels will skyrocket, halt fat loss and start cannibalizing muscle tissue in order to cover the energy demand. In addition thyroid levels begin to shut down as well in order to lower the body's metabolism and halt weight loss.

So even though tons of weight will be lost from a program like this, again, the best you can hope for is a 50% split between muscle loss and fat loss (so if you lose 20 pounds, 10 pounds are from fat/water and 10 pounds are from muscle; not good). Thus, the end result will be a more defined but much smaller version of you with a crippled metabolism.

Bodybuilding Diet Example #3

Now imagine that you follow a diet that creates a slight caloric deficit. So if you burn 2500 calories every day, your diet will consist of 2300 (a 200 calorie deficit). Also, imagine that you are following a good nutrition program consisting of 40% good carbs, 40% proteins and 20% fats, and that once a week you consume slightly more calories than the other day (around 2700) in order to prevent a metabolic slowdown. Furthermore, you create an even bigger caloric deficit through your 45-60 minute bodybuilding routines and a cardiovascular program consisting of 30 minutes or so every day. In this case, bone and muscle tissue are preserved (or even improved upon) while fat loss and the release of extra water retention are maximized. This is obviously what we are trying to accomplish.

Conclusion

While any calorie restriction will bring about weight loss it is very important to distinguish between weight loss and fat loss. Regardless of whether a person is interested in bodybuilding competition or simply looking fit, this principle applies to everyone. So always remember, train and diet hard but also be smart. 

Myths of Women's Weight Training and Female Bodybuilding

The myths about women's weight training and female bodybuilding do not ever seem to go away. With this article, I'd like to share the facts regarding weight training and female bodybuilding.

Women's Weight Training Myth #1 -Weight training makes you bulky and masculine.
Due to the fact that women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass by merely touching some weights. Unfortunately, the image that may come to your mind is that of professional female bodybuilders. Most of these women, unfortunately, use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that high degree of muscularity. In addition, most also have good genetics coupled with an unbelievable work ethic that enable them to gain muscle quickly when they spend hours in the gym lifting very heavy weights. Believe me when I say that they do not look like that by accident. Women who conduct weight training without the use of steroids get the firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that you see in most fitness/figure shows these days.

Women's Weight Training Myth #2 - Exercise increases your chest size.
Sorry girls. Women’s breasts are composed mostly of fatty tissue. Therefore, it is impossible to increase breast size through weight training. As a matter of fact, if you go below 12 percent body fat, your breast size will decrease. Weight training does increase the size of the back, so this misconception probably comes from confusing an increase in back size with an increase in cup size. The only way to increase your breast size is by gaining fat or getting breast implants.

Women's Weight Training Myth #3 - Weight training makes you stiff and musclebound.
If you perform all exercises through their full range of motion, flexibility will increase. Exercises like flyes, stiff-legged deadlifts, dumbbell presses, and chin-ups stretch the muscle in the bottom range of the movement. Therefore, by performing these exercises correctly, your stretching capabilities will increase.

Women's Weight Training Myth #4 - If you stop weight training your muscles turn into fat.
This is like saying that gold can turn into brass. Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue. What happens many times is that when people decide to go off their weight training programs they start losing muscle due to inactivity (use it or lose it) and they also usually drop the diet as well. Therefore bad eating habits combined with the fact that their metabolism is lower due to inactivity, and lower degrees of muscle mass, give the impression that the subject’s muscle is being turned into fat while in reality what is happening is that muscle is being lost and fat is being accumulated.

Women's Weight Training Myth #5 - Weight training turns fat into muscle.
More alchemy. This is the equivalent of saying that you can turn any metal into gold; don't we wish! The way a body transformation occurs is by gaining muscle through weight training and losing fat through aerobics and diet simultaneously. Again, muscle and fat are very different types of tissue. We cannot turn one into the other.

Women's Weight Training Myth #6 - As long as you exercise you can eat anything that you want.
How I wish this were true also! However, this could not be further from the truth. Our individual metabolism determines how many calories we burn at rest and while we exercise. If we eat more calories than we burn on a consistent basis, our bodies will accumulate these extra calories as fat regardless of the amount of exercise that we do. This myth may have been created by people with such high metabolic rates (hardgainers) that no matter how much they eat or what they eat, they rarely meet or exceed the amount of calories that they burn in one day unless they put their mind to doing so. Therefore, their weight either remains stable or goes down. If you are confused about nutrition, please read Nutrition Basics.

Women's Weight Training Myth #7 - Women only need to do cardio and if they decide to lift weights, they should be very light.
First of all, if you only did cardio then muscle and fat would be burned for fuel. One needs to do weights in order to get the muscle building machine going and thus prevent any loss of muscle tissue. Women that only concentrate on cardio will have a very hard time achieving the look that they want. As far as the lifting of very light weights, this is just more nonsense. Muscle responds to resistance and if the resistance is too light, then there will be no reason for the body to change.

Women Should Train Hard
I have trained with girls that train as hard as I do and they look nothing but feminine. If you want to look great, don't be afraid to pick up the weights and lift hard! 

Breaking The Female Myth: "If I Lift Heavy I’ll Look Like A Man"

Does lifting turn women into muscle bound freaks? Of course not! Find out the physiological and hormonal reasons why women can't get as big as men.

You hear it time and again from females in and out of the gym, when it is suggested to them that they either:

    a) Lift weights, or...
    b) Increase the weight that they are lifting.

“I don’t want to do that, because I don’t want to look like a man.”

Many people, males included, have come to believe that for a female to lift weights means that she will somehow transform into the stereotype image of the female bodybuilder. This is simply NOT the reality when it comes to females and resistance training.

Hormones

The primary reason that females cannot gain muscle mass as fast or to the extent as males is the difference in hormone status.

Testosterone is one of the androgenic hormones responsible for anabolism in the body. It is testosterone that is responsible for masculine traits (i.e. excess hair - especially facial, deepening of voice, increase in muscle mass). Both males and females produce testosterone, as it is necessary for hormonal balance and body function (Marieb, 2004). Males have much HIGHER levels of testosterone than females, with the ‘normal’ range of total testosterone (in the bloodstream) being 0.95-4.3 pg/dl, compared to the 0.7-3.6 pg/dl of females.

However, it is not so much the total amount of testosterone that an individual has that determines their potential/ability for muscle growth, since most of the testosterone in the body is bound to either sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) or other non-specific proteins such as albumin (Wheeler, 1995), but their levels of FREE testosterone (i.e. the amount of testosterone that is NOT bound in the body). In males 0.3-5% (with an average of 2%) of their total testosterone if free, with their free testosterone normal values being 270-1100 ng/dl, compared to only 6-86 ng/dl of free testosterone available to females.

The female ‘equivalent’ of testosterone is estrogen. Whilst estrogen may increase growth hormone (GH), it also increases,

    a) SHBG, which decreases the amount of free testosterone in the body.
    b) Cortisol, which reduces muscle mass.

Muscle Fibers and Types

There is a similar distribution of the percentage of Type I, Type IIa, and Type IIb muscle fibers in both males and females. However, females have ~60-80% of the muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and whole muscle anatomical cross-sectional area (ACSA) than that of males. Therefore, despite the potential for muscle hypertrophy in a relatively short period of time, similar percentage increases in either muscle mass or volume as a result of resistance training, results in smaller total overall gains in CSA and ACSA in females than in males.

Resistance Training and Hormonal Adaptations

Studies have shown that resistance training acutely increases total testosterone in males; whereas there is NO change in females. However, free testosterone HAS been shown to be elevated up to 25% in females after resistance training.

Yet, because females have less free testosterone than males at rest, any increase is not significant enough to allow for muscle hypertrophy to the extent of a male. Therefore, it has been suggested that other anabolic hormones, such as GH may be responsible for hypertrophy in females.

Role of Diet in Gaining Muscle

Diet is an important component of gaining muscle mass. To gain muscle mass one needs to be eating MORE than maintenance-level calories. Because females are generally smaller than males (i.e. smaller bone size and mass, less muscle mass, etc.), they usually require (and eat) LESS than males.

If a female ate the amount that a male ate to gain mass, they would most likely end up gaining a lot of unwanted bodyfat along with muscle hypertrophy. Females are also generally more prone to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, etc. that are detrimental to muscle hypertrophy, and cause muscle loss.


Masculinization in females does not occur as a result of (heavy) weight training, but rather because of the excess of androgenic hormones (i.e. testosterone) coupled with the correct stimulus for muscle growth (i.e. chronic resistance training AND diet directed at muscle growth). The stereotype image of the female bodybuilder in the media is a result of said females chronically using androgenic compounds (i.e. steroids) in order to increase their muscle mass and size.

For the female who is NOT doing this, they can lift as hard and as heavy as they want, and will come nowhere close to “looking like a man”.

Why Take Steroids?

Why do athletes take anabolic steroids?

Almost all steroid users are taking steroids because they believe it is the only way to develop muscle and strength. Further more, almost all bodybuilders are taken steroids because they want to get as much strength and size as they possibly can. In my own opinion, society today makes people think that to produce muscle and size, steroid use is mandatory. That is not the case, with hard work and determination, anything is possible, but who wants that when you can pretty much triple your size using steroids. Steroid is a drug, and like other drugs, people take them to escape reality, and they enjoy what the drug does for them. I feel steroid is the same case. Steroid users like what the drug has done for their size and strength, and it has taken them away from their original, smaller body. Anyone caught using steroids, the public sees these people as cheaters and are people who have the lack of doing something “the hard way.” Steroid users work hard, they work extremely hard, even as much as any regular athlete that trains. Users take steroids for help, and for steroids to work, the athlete must go through a great deal of weight training.

In today’s world, people enjoy entertainment and people want to win. Athlete’s are willing to do whatever it takes to win. Sports today has come a long way since the beginning, and records are being broken everyday. Steroids have taken sports to new levels, and it will only continue to be on the rise. Face it, there are several players in the National Football League that got to the NFL using steroids, and several still probably are some how. Teenagers are using steroids more than ever today, and this is becoming a big problem in the world. There are few teenagers that really know enough knowledge on steroids, and there are several teenagers making careless mistakes while taking them. The following is by W. Nathaniel Phillips:

“In my observations, there are two main sub groups of steroid users which can be differentiated primarily by age. Group 1 users fall below the mean age of the steroid using population. They are usually in their tens and twenties. These users typically perceive bodybuilding and steroid use to be a way to attract attention. They are very affixed to the notion that if they obtain one of these incredible physiques, their life will be richer and they will be more popular and successful.”

If you told a youth about to take steroids that if he takes steroids he might die at the age of 35 instead of 55, he will probably choose the steroids. What kid would give up the chance to make millions in a pro career doing what they want, but might die a bit earlier than expected? For this reason, it is hard for parents and educators to make a youth turn down steroids.

Group 2 is involving users in their 30’s, 40’s, and over. Phillips said:
“This group, Group 2, is comprised of individuals with very different motives than Group 1. Group 2’s motives for using steroids tend to be much more intra personal. These users are typically more conscious of health risks and therefore use the drugs more prudently. Many of these users are searching for some type of rejuvenation.”
These steroid users usually aren’t planning on being as big or as strong as they can, but to improve there physical feature for them self. They usually aren’t planning on entering “Mr. Olympia” or even a competitive bodybuilder.

FULL BODY BEGINNER

WORKING YOUR WHOLE BODY in one workout is perfect for beginners and people on the go. If you only have a couple of hours per week to dedicate to your training, a wholebody programme like this one can keep you fit.
This programme is a mix of machine and free-weight (barbell and dumbbell) exercises. While machines offer a lot of benefits to beginners because of their safety and the controlled movement patterns, it’s also important to get your body accustomed to free weights. Doing a little of each is a good bet for faster advancement.
Don’t forget to breathe! Advanced bodybuilders and strength-training athletes learn to adjust their breathing patterns on exercises depending on the particular move, but beginners should simply follow this rule: breathe out as you pass the most difficult part of the move, breathe in as you return to the start.


SPLIT SQUAT

START: At the beginning, use just your body weight so you learn the movement. Stand with both feet together, then take a giant step forward with your right leg. Your left heel will lift off the floor.
MOVE: Drop your body downward by bending your right knee and lowering your left knee toward the floor. Reverse the motion and press back up into a standing split squat. Complete all reps for one side, then switch to the other.

BARBELL PREACHER CURL

START: Set the seat height so that when you sit down, the arm rest is slightly below shoulder level. Take an underhand grip on a barbell and place the backs of your upper
arms firmly against the pad.
MOVE: Slowly curl your arms and raise the weight to a point where your elbows are just a bit beyond 90 degrees. Flex at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the weight.

SEATED CALF RAISE
START: Sit in the machine and place the balls of your feet on the platform so that your heels hang off the edge.
MOVE: Raise your heels as high as possible and release the safety bar. Lower your heels as far as you can, then reverse the motion and raise your heels as high as possible.

ABS 15-MINUTE WORKOUT

YOU CAN GET A GOOD AB WORKOUT in 15 minutes; the key is to squeeze as much intensity as you can into that time. This high-impact regime does just that.
In the knees-down variation of the Swiss-ball roll out, do the same exercise shown, but with both knees on the floor.
Six-time Ms. Olympia Cory Everson (shown in these photos with trainer Jeff Page) uses these moves in her own workout she recommends training your core (abs and lower back) twice per week.

SWISS-BALL ROLL OUT
START: Kneel in front of the ball, resting your forearms on it, fingers interlaced. Then lift up your knees to extend your legs behind you.
MOVE: Without arching or rounding your lower back, move your arms in front of you to roll the ball forward, forcing virtually all the muscles of your torso to work, including the deep core muscles, abs and obliques. Pause momentarily and then roll the ball back in towards your body.

CYCLING WITH BALL
START: Begin in the jackknife position used for the V-up and hold a medicine ball against your chest.
MOVE: As you extend one knee, flex the other to bring your kneecap toward your body while you bring the ball over to that side. Reverse knee positions, shifting the ball over to that side to “meet” the opposing knee. Continue in alternating fashion.

 
BALL PASSING
START: Lie on your back with your legs and arms extended; hold a Swiss ball in your hands.
MOVE: Raise the ball overhead with your arms while simultaneously bringing your legs toward it. When your hands and feet meet, pass the ball from the former to the latter. Without pausing, lower your arms and legs back down. Continue in alternating fashion.

STANDING ROTATION
START: Stand straight, knees slightly bent, holding a medicine ball with both hands in front of your forehead. Your training partner assumes the same position behind you, without a ball.
MOVE: Keeping your lower body in place, rotate your torso to one side and pass the ball high to your partner, who has simultaneously rotated in that same direction. Then rotate in the other direction and receive the ball back from your partner, this time in a lower position (hands at your waist rather than shoulder level). Continue passing and receiving the ball in this fashion for the desired number of reps. Then do the same number of reps beginning with the ball high on the other side.

Bare Your Arms

Jen Jewell’s Armageddon Workout
Don’t cover your arms with sweaters and T-shirts. Have the confidence to bare your arms! Here’s the workout that will help you do it.
What does a set of tight, toned, and sleek arms say about you? It says that you're a fitness badass who's prepared to hit the weights or rock a sexy tank top! Whether your goal is to enter a physique competition or just tone up, building awesome arms should be on your "to do" list.

"But Jen," you might be thinking, "what if I don't want my guns to rival those of a world-champion arm wrestler?" Don't worry, weight training isn't going to make you massive. Women don't produce enough natural testosterone to get huge. But I will say that you won't get rid of that under-arm jiggle by pedaling away on a bike or pushing the handles on the elliptical.

To develop tight, sculpted arms, you've got to pick up those weights and get to work!

Arm Training Advice

    For my arm workouts, I include a combination of exercises that hit my muscles from various angles. I use dumbbells, barbells, cables, machines—you name it. The point is to stimulate as many muscle fibers as I can to allow for maximum development. Lately, I've been including supersets to make my arm workouts fun, fast-paced, and efficient. I also "remix" my sets and rep ranges so I don't become bored or hit a plateau.

    Remember, you train your arms any time you do compound chest and back movements. (It's impossible to bench press without using your triceps, for example.) Even if you don't dedicate an entire day to arm training, a proper training regimen should still promote biceps and triceps development.

    Make sure that you're challenged through the entire duration of the workout. Yeah, that might seem obvious, but I've had many female clients throw down their weights after they feel that "pump." Go beyond what's normally challenging.

    If you stick with a solid arm workout regimen, results will come fairly quickly. When I gear up my training for a photo shoot or a competition, I make noticeable progress within the first couple of weeks. With hard work, you'll do the same!

Which is Better, Cardio or Lifting Weights?

How many times have you heard these statements?
"I don't want to bulk up by lifting weights. I want to lose the fat first and then I will try to build muscle."
"You've got to do a lot of cardio if you want to drop excess pounds and inches."
"I don't care about getting strong. I just want to get skinny."
The list goes on and on.

Each one of these statements is born of misinformation and is totally counterproductive to everyone's weight loss and fitness goals.

Here are the facts:

1. One doesn't get bulging muscles like the Incredible Hulk accidentally just because they walk by the weight rack at the gym regardless of their gender or genetics. Men have to work extremely hard for many years to gain the type of mass that might turn off the average Joe Q Public. Women have to work even harder because their levels of testosterone are much lower than their male counter-parts. Add to this calculated dietary manipulation and only a small segment of the population will ever achieve such large amounts of muscle.

2. Cardiovascular activity, while it may be heart healthy is very catabolic (which means it tears down your muscle mass) if done to excess. The simple truth is that most people require a brisk twenty minute walk about 3 times per week in order to attain and maintain good heart health. Giving up your muscle because of "the magic number" on the scale is extremely counterproductive as this will slow your metabolism overall and will actually cause you to gain fat in the long run.

3. Although you burn more calories while performing cardio than you do while at rest, you won't burn as many calories during cardio as you will while performing a rigorous weight lifting routine. Your body will also continue to burn calories for several hours after lifting weights. Your metabolism will not remain so elevated after cardiovascular activity,

4. Your body burns most of its calories from fat when you are sleeping. Think hibernation. Your body still needs energy to sustain itself even though you can't eat. The more muscle you have, the higher your body's metabolic rate will be even at rest.

So the answer to the question is quite simple. This is not a question of either weight lifting or cardio. You need to utilize both strategies to become physically fit. Additionally you need cardio to achieve any long term fat loss goal. The best route to take is by putting an emphasis on weight lifting as this will cause the body to build muscle which will rev up your metabolism around the clock. Cardio vascular activity should be supplemental to insure proper heart health and additional calories burned while you strive to reach your fat loss goals.

WOMEN AND STEROIDS

Due to their hormonal make up, female athletes need to take a different approach to the use of steroids than their male counterparts. The specific compounds considered to be the safest for use by women are Anavar, Primobolan, Nolvadex, Winstrol, Maxibolin and Durabolin. It's also very important to note that even on low doses of these particular steroids, some women will develop virilizing effects. This is due to the fact that any amount of steroid introduced into the female endocrine system will trigger a reaction, since it's essentially a derivative of a male hormone. With this in mind, it's always recommended that low dosages of weak androgenic steroids are used for short periods of time.










SIDE EFFECTS

Most common side effects experienced by women using steroids are:

•     Acne and oily skin
•     Aggression
•     Male pattern baldness
•     Lowering of voice tone
•     Disruption of menstrual cycle
•     Clitoral enlargement
•     Increased hair growth on face, legs and arms

More positive side effects of steroid use in women would be:

•     Increased feeling of well being
•     Increased energy
•     Decreased recovery time from workouts
•     Heightened sex drive
•     Muscle and strength gain
•     Decreases in estrogenic fat (e.g. upper legs, abdomen, upper arms, butt)