In today’s natural bodybuilding video blog, I cover with my good friend Rodzilla whether workouts performed with high reps or low reps are better for gaining muscle.

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It is best to use both high reps and low reps in order to build muscle optimally. So basically you use periodization in which should do loading phases (3-4 weeks) in which you do higher reps (10-15 reps…sometimes going as high as 20-30 reps). Research indicates that you do get hypertrophy even at the higher rep ranges. And then you should do a Growth Phase in which you cut down on the volume (limiting sets to 10 total per body part; example: 4 sets of exercise #1 and then 3 sets for exercises #2 and #3) and then in terms of reps 5-8 reps.

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Keep in mind that you need to change your routines in order to keep the results coming. By following periodization principles, you will be able to avoid overtraining. Try to finish your workouts within 60 minutes in order to keep your testosterone levels high and cortisol levels low. That, combined with proper form and muscle tension will give you the best results possible.

Here is a sample periodized routine: Natural Bodybuilding Workout With Periodization

Hope that this bodybuilding tip helps. Please let me know what other tips you would like us to talk about.

Until next time, take care and train hard!

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Today I want to share with you a video blog on whether bodyweight exercises are good natural bodybuilding choices for gaining muscle mass.

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Natural Bodybuilding FAQ: Are Bodyweight Exercises Good For Muscle Mass Gains?

Are Bodyweight Exercises Good For Muscle Mass Gains?
Yes. Bodyweight exercises are great for gaining muscle mass. Since you have to carry your own bodyweigh through space you activate more muscle fibers and thus, that activates more muscle fibers than doing the exercise in a machine which constricts you to a 2-dimensional universe where not nearly the amount of muscle fibers is needed in order to move the resistance.

How to Make Bodyweight Exercises More Effective and Challenging
You can do this by slowing down the motion and using perfect form! So for example, take 4 seconds to go down, hold yourself as you contract the muscles at the bottom of the movement, go back up taking 2-3 seconds and then taking a full 1 second contraction at the top of the movement.

Remember that Time Under Tension is one of the key variables for gaining muscle mass. At the beginning it may be hard for you to feel your muscle contractions but as the brain learns how to activate your muscle fibers you will feel your contractions that much better.

What Are Good Natural Bodybuilding Bodyweight Exercises?
Bodyweight exercises are an awesome way to train at home when you have no equipment available. Below are a list of exercises that you can do at home:

Chest: various push-ups
Back: various pull-ups (do need a pull-up bar for this)
Shoulders: Hand stand press
Biceps: close grip chins
Triceps: close grip push ups, triceps dips
Quads: squats (press with ball of the foot), various lunges (press with ball of the foot), sissy squats
Hamstrings: squats (press with ball of the foot), various lunges (press with ball of the foot), sissy squats
Calves: standing two-legged calf raises, one legged calf raises
Abs: various forms of crunches and leg raises

Advice For Beginners
Just do 1 set of each of these exercises 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday for example). After 3 weeks you can go up to 2 sets. By week 6, you can increase again your sets to 3.

As you get more advanced, depending on what your goals are, you can opt to split your exercises by having an upper body day and a lower body day. At this time you can add more sets as well (4-5 per exercise doing between 10-15 reps and resting 40 sec to 1 min in between sets).

If you have found this knowledge useful you may want to check out the MI-40 program, which is jam packed with muscle building information. And if you choose to get it, I will also give you my Body Re-Engineering program (with over 21 weeks worth of workouts) for FR E E. For details and review of the MI-40 program click here.

Been getting tons of questions regarding whether you need to use BCAAs for gaining muscle. Check out my answer in this video below:

Do You Need BCAAs for Gaining Muscle?

Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) are among the nine essential amino acids that the body needs to function. There are 3 BCAAs which are leucine, isoleucine and valine. These amino acids are processed in the muscle tissue and the most anti-catabolic one is Leucine.

In my opinion, BCAAs are GREAT if you are dieting down and looking to gain muscle as you lose fat. If you are in an exclusive muscle building diet which gives you sufficient calories to gain muscle, you can still use them to accelerate results if your finances allow for it. If you are on a budget, you can pass on this supplement to be honest.

Best Way To Consume Them

The best way to consume BCAAs is before, during and after the workout. I use the Labrada Power BCAA product (mixed with PowerCarb for better utilization) as it is better to mix up the BCAAs in a drink than to swallow multiple capsules of 1 gram each (since I take 20 grams when using it during the workout).

You can also use the BCAAs in between meals. This is a great strategy not only to preserve muscle tissue as you are dieting, but also to suppress your appetite. 5-10 grams between meals will do the trick.

Bottom Line

For muscle building: If you have the finances to add it and further accelerate your gains, then why not. IF you don’t have the finances, then just stick to the basic supplements stack (multiple vitamins, protein and essential fats).

For fat loss/dieting: Excellent supplement to use in order to keep your muscle as you lose fat. It is during a fat loss diet that BCAAs work their magic best!

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In this article I discuss several women’s fitness topics and how to use natural bodybuilding for body sculpting. [Read more…]

If you are wondering how to implement periodization (which is the orderly variation of your workout parameters – sets, reps and rest in between sets) in order to gain muscle and lose fat, here is another sample natural bodybuilding routine that uses periodization. [Read more…]

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