How to train calves

It's no secret that building amazing calves is one of the hardest training feats imaginable. Most people just accept their genetics and surrender to the idea that they'll never have great calves. You know the people I'm talking about: you see them with huge upper bodies and skinny "bird" legs. Or they have "cankles" where the calf runs down into the ankle with zero shape or definition.

If you've ever heard, "Are those your legs, or are you just riding a chicken,"' then I'm talking about you!

All too often, I see people treating their calves like their abs... They either train them almost every day after they're done training more "important" body parts, or they ignore which muscle group in the calf they're actually training.

Regardless of how developed or underdeveloped our calves are, we can learn how to speed the muscle growth and improve overall performance. The following is an in-depth review of the anatomy of the lower leg and proper tips for optimizing your calf workouts.

To get a visual, follow this link to a calf anatomy chart:
Calf Anatomy Chart

• The gastrocnemius is the calf muscle that is visible from the outside of the body. It attaches to the heel with the Achilles tendon and originates behind the knee on the femur, crossing two joints. The function of the gastrocnemius is to elevate the heel (known as plantar flexion). This muscle is primarily a type II fiber (fast twitch).
  
• The soleus is not visible when looking at the body from the outside as it lies underneath the gastrocnemius on the rear of the lower leg. The function of the soleus is exactly the same as the gastrocnemius: to raise the heel. The only difference is that it works in a different position: with the knees bent. This muscle is primarily a type I fiber (slow twitch), and it makes up roughly 60% of the calf.

• Improper Training Techniques : do you understand which exercises are stimulating the correct fibers? If your calves aren't growing, chances are you're unaware of how to train slow- and fast-twitch muscle groups or you don't know which exercises isolate the soleus vs. the gastrocnemius.
  
• Not Moving Through the Full Range of Motion (ROM) : bouncing up and down while holding at the top won't work in most cases. Allowing the maximum ROM is crucial for full fiber stimulation and breaking the calf plateau.
  
• Inflexibility! People with "cankles" suffer from poor flexibility in the ankle joints. The calf cannot grow unless it's exposed to different terrain variables during walking, running, and training. Flexible ankle joints will force the calves to respond, which will result in greater definition and less chances for injury. Notice how hikers have great leg development? They expose their lower bodies to different terrain like rocks and uneven surfaces forcing the ankles to move more, which in turn stimulates the calves.
  
• Not Enough Variation : most calf training on machines involves the simple motion of moving up and down with weight directly above the legs or under the feet. Adjusting the variables by moving the location of the weight placement will stimulate different parts of the calf. Wait... Before you adjust your feet like everyone else does, make sure you first try to adjust the angles of motion. (I'll explain how in a minute.)
  
  Here's an interesting fact to support this theory: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicates that foot position doesn't change muscle action in the seated calf raise (Tesch, 1999). In other words, moving your feet around (pointed inward, pointed out) doesn't make much difference to stimulate growth.
  
• Training Calves on Upper Body Training Days : research indicates that high-intensity elbow flexion decreases blood flow to the calves and may hamper performance (Kagaya, et al., 1996). Training calves and the upper body limits blood circulation—the less blood circulation to the calves, the slower the muscle growth.
  
• Performing Cardio on Calf Training Days : this is a big mistake if you're looking to grow your calves! If you do cardio the same day you train calves, the slow twitch fibers in your calves might like it, but you can bet your fast-twitch fibers are depleting, and the cardio will greatly hinder recovery.

As revealed above, the soleus makes up 60% of the calf... so it's obvious that training the soleus properly would lead to the best gains in calf size and strength. Also explained earlier, it's a slow-twitch muscle, which means it responds best to slow contractions and high reps. Based on that, calf exercises working the soleus should be done relatively slowly (for at least 30 seconds) with a full ROM until complete fatigue is achieved (then repeat). I highly recommend the seated calf raise as one of the best exercises to work the soleus.

The gastroc is a type II muscle, meaning it responds well to explosive contractions with low-rep and heavy weight protocol. Still obeying the full ROM rule, use a heavy weight for less than 30-second sets. Ideal gastroc exercises are standing calf raises and donkey calf raises.

The mother of all calf exercises that yields the greatest growth, uses ROM, and introduces multiple variables for proper Type I & II stimulation is the standing one-leg calf raise. But there is a twist I want to recommend to really optimize muscle fiber stimulation and growth. Find a ledge that allows you to lower your heel as far as it'll stretch while holding a dumbbell on the same side as the working leg (use the other hand for support). With a straight posture, slightly bend your knee 20 degrees and hold at that angle. Hold the weight in front of you for 7 reps (no rest) and then hold the weight to your side for 7 reps (no rest) and then hold the weight directly behind you for a set of 7 reps. Rotating the weight around from the front to the back exposes the lower leg to different variables integral for growth-stimulating development.

Another positive calf stimulating regiment is plyometrics. A series of athletic drills (bounding, jumping, mechanics, etc.) can really force serious recruitment of those fast-twitch fibers of the lower leg. An awesome example of a type II fiber stimulating exercise is HIIT (high-intensity interval training). Short sprints and bursts of speed are great for building the lower legs as well as for burning fat.

 found this program really helpful so check it iut here. 

Remember the following points...

• Identify what exercises are working either the gastroc or the soleus. Train the soleus slowly with high reps. Train the gastroc with an explosive tempo using heavy weights for low repetitions.
  
• Practice variations! Incorporate one-legged standing calf raises using multiple locations of weight placement.
  
• Keep those ankles flexible. Always use maximal ROM!
  
• Avoid training upper body and cardio on calf training days.

take all this into account and youll have massive calves in no time

How to burn more fat with interval training

Losing weight and building fitness doesn’t have to mean pounding pavements all week. Your shortcut lies in High-Intensity Interval Training. Cancel your Sunday run and use start-stop exercise instead

Just give it a fortnight

That’s how long it takes to gain results you can see and feel using HIIT. Over 14 days you build the same endurance and power with 135 minutes of interval training as you’d get from 630 minutes of traditional steady-state endurance work. Did we mention it’s a lot less boring, too?

Forget flat surfaces

Horizontal jogging won’t do you any favours. Set the treadmill at a 10% gradient to boost your leg strength, reduce your risk of injury when pushing your limits and help you work up more of a sweat. Do 30 seconds on an incline then 30 seconds off for 12-15 sets. Then just get the hell out of there.

Pick your poison

One interval distance was not made to rule them all. Instead, adapt the length of your efforts to your current goal. If you want to finish your next 5K faster, do 4 x 800m runs. If a half marathon is more your thing, speed up then slow down every mile. Your next race time will speak for itself.

Don’t run on empty

Ignore what you’ve heard about it burning more fat. When doing intense bursts, energy is vital: 20g of protein before a session is ideal and enhances your calorie burn rate over 24hr.

Carb up, no guilt

To maximise your muscle gains from interval training, carbohydrates are firmly back on your menu. The oxidative stress from intense bursts of exercise can prompt your body to turn on your muscles for energy, eating them away. Avoid this by enjoying a couple of handfuls of brown pasta or two slices of wholemeal bread before any HIIT session and relish the fact you don’t have to justify it to yourself.

Make a speedy recovery

It sounds horrendous but if you want to deal with soreness quickly, supra-maximal HIIT is your new masseuse. It removes the painful metabolic by-products of training, such as lactic acid, much more effectively than any sort of steady-state recovery cardio. Although you’ll probably need to lie down afterwards.

Supplement before your workout

For the best leg up during HIIT, take amino acids before your session. Men who took them 30 minutes prior to training were found to build 42% more muscle than those 
who dosed up after.

Save the best for last

To maximise its benefits, perform HIIT at the end of your workout. If you can contemplate anything other than stumbling into the shower afterwards, it’s a sign you’re not doing it properly. The pain in your hips won’t lie.

Check out the actual article here at http://www.menshealth.co.uk/fitness/running/how-to-burn-more-fat-with-interval-training

P.S Check out my post on Six pack abs HERE

Thanks for reading 

how to boost testosterone

A testosterone shortage could cost you your life. As if losing muscle mass, bone density, and your sex drive to low T levels wasn't bad enough, new research shows the decline can also increase your risk of prostate cancer, heart disease, and even death. Follow these steps to lift your levels and lengthen your life. 

1. Uncover Your Abs

As your waist size goes up, your testosterone goes down. In fact, a 4-point increase in your body mass index—about 30 extra pounds on a 5'10" guy—can accelerate your age-related T decline by 10 years. Check out the six pack workoutl

2. Build Your Biceps 

Finnish researchers recently found that men who lifted weights regularly experienced a 49 percent boost in their free testosterone levels. "As you strengthen your muscles, the amount of testosterone your body produces increases," says David Zava, Ph.D., CEO of ZRT Laboratory. You need to push iron only twice a week to see the benefit.

3. Fill Up On Fat 

Trimming lard from your diet can help you stay lean, but eliminating all fat can cause your T levels to plummet. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine reveals that men who consumed the most fat also had the highest T levels. To protect your heart and preserve your T, eat foods high in mono unsaturated fats—food such as fish and nuts.

4. Push Away  From The Bar

Happy hour can wreak havoc on your manly hormones. In a recent Dutch study, men who drank moderate amounts of alcohol daily for 3 weeks experienced a 7 percent decrease in their testosterone levels. Limit your drinking to one or two glasses of beer or wine a night to avoid a drop in T.

5. Stop Stress

Mental or physical stress can quickly depress your T levels. Stress causes cortisol to surge, which "suppresses the body's ability to make testosterone and utilize it within tissues," says Zava. Cardio can be a great tension tamer, unless you overdo it. Injuries and  fatigue are signs that your workout is more likely to lower T than raise it.

ALso check out these muscle building products HERE

As always thanks for reading 

healthy foods

Now we all want those foods what help you shed the pounds and get the body you want and you want to do it without starving yourself. Well here is how you can by eating these foods here are just some of the foods what will help you lose fat. So you dont need to not eat and starve yourself. check out this Metobolic cook book. youll see results 


1. Eggs. Skip the bagel this morning. Eggs, which are full of protein, will help you feel fuller longer-a lot longer. A multicenter study of 30 overweight or obese women found that those who ate two scrambled eggs (with two slices of toast and a reduced-calorie fruit spread) consumed less for the next 36 hours than women who had a bagel breakfast of equal calories. Other research has shown that protein may also prevent spikes in blood sugar, which can lead to food cravings.

2. Beans. You've probably never heard of cholecystokinin, but it's one of your best weight-loss pals. This digestive hormone is a natural appetite suppressant. So how do you get more cholecystokinin? One way, report researchers at the University of California at Davis, is by eating beans: A study of eight men found that their levels of the hormone (which may work by keeping food in your stomach longer) were twice as high after a meal containing beans than after a low-fiber meal containing rice and dry milk. There's also some evidence that beans keep blood sugar on an even keel, so you can stave off hunger longer. Heart-health bonus: High-fiber beans can lower your cholesterol.

3. Salad. Do you tend to stuff yourself at meals? Control that calorie intake by starting with a large salad (but hold the creamy dressing). In a study of 42 women at Penn State University, those who ate a big, low-cal salad consumed 12 percent less pasta afterward-even though they were offered as much as they wanted. The secret, say researchers, is the sheer volume of a salad, which makes you feel too full to pig out. Health bonus: A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that people who ate one salad a day with dressing had higher levels of vitamins C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and carotenoids-all disease fighters-than those who didn't add salad to their daily menu.

4. Green tea. The slimming ingredient isn't caffeine. Antioxidants called catechins are what help speed metabolism and fat burning. In a recent Japanese study, 35 men who drank a bottle of oolong tea mixed with green tea catechins lost weight, boosted their metabolism, and had a significant drop in their body mass index. Health bonus: The participants also lowered their (bad) LDL cholesterol.

5. Pears. They're now recognized as having more fiber, thanks to a corrected calculation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At six grams (formerly four grams) per medium-size pear, they're great at filling you up. Apples come in second, with about three grams per medium-size fruit. Both contain pectin fiber, which decreases blood-sugar levels, helping you avoid between-meal snacking. This may explain why, in a Brazilian study that lasted 12 weeks, overweight women who ate three small pears or apples a day lost more weight than women on the same diet who ate three oat cookies daily instead of the fruit.

These foods were taken from the website http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/15-foods-to-help-you-lose?page=2 So check out the rest here and you are one step closer to a slim body 
also check out this healthy cook book HERE
Thanks for reading 

STA Fitness

Massive Shoulders Workout

Building massive shoulders

If calves are the most forgotten body part in a lifter’s routine, the rear delts come in a close second. Unfortunately, they lie on the back of our shoulders and our minds. But where poorly trained calves offer more of an obvious aesthetic imbalance, poor rear delts might be a clear indication of even bigger issues, the least of which is the glaring imbalance between the front, side and rear of your shoulder. Poor rear delts are classic indicators of an unwelcome injury and invariably, weak rotators.

Doubters Welcome

Sound like an exaggeration? Ok, well, let’s see if this sounds familiar. It’s shoulder day, and naturally you reach for some light dumbbells to bust out a few sets of lateral raises before heading to either the heavier dumbbells or a loaded barbell for some grueling overhead presses. After the overhead presses, you might hit some upright rows, which heavily target the middle delts, followed by some heavier laterals and front raises. Finally, if you’re up to it, you either grab some light dumbbells or head to the reverse pec deck station for some rear delt work, but more often than not you end up convincing yourself that you’ll hit them next time.

If that routine sounds familiar, you’re not alone, but you’re also not excused. We naturally gravitate toward exercises and routines that target the most visible muscles. Plainly said, we don’t generally consider the rear delts as important muscles, period. But neglecting the rear delts is also an indicator of a bad habit that many bodybuilders fall into: neglect of the rotators. Undoubtedly, those who don’t take time to work on their rear delts will more than likely ignore the delicate rotators as well.

Change Your Profile

Going back to our example above, nowhere within that routine do you find any sufficient training of the rear deltoids or adequate warm-up of the rotator cuff muscles, a thin group of four strap muscles —supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis — that are highly responsible for long-term shoulder health. See, neglecting both the rotators and rear delts week after week will lead to two definite outcomes: muscular imbalance and subsequent injury.

The imbalance is the easiest to spot. Just stand sideways to the mirror and check your profile. Do your front and middle delts overpower your rear delts? If doing benches for chest is your favorite workout and have a habit of skipping back training or rear delt, work we already know the answer! Some of you are even hunched over, causing even worse posture than you thought you had! Without question, it’s most certainly due to underdeveloped rear delts. What you want is for your profile to be a fair representation of the hours you’re putting into the gym. However, the unfortunate truth is that you may indeed be “that guy” who looks like he does only bench presses and biceps curls. It’s time to change your profile.

Handcuffed By Rotators

As far as potential injury, that problem isn’t as easy to detect or predict. That is, of course, until you strain one of the delicate muscles, all of which serve only to stabilize the shoulder. See, you can grow bigger and stronger on the outside with the deltoids while the smaller inner muscles lag behind until the day they can’t support the stress that the outer muscles require. The fact is, your shoulder development will forever be at the mercy of the foundation within.

The truth is that because those muscles are so small, it doesn’t take much time and/or effort to train them adequately. A few minutes per week are all they need to stay healthy and ready for the rigors of the more “important” training of the superficial muscles. If we slow down long enough to focus on the minor, finer muscles, the major muscles will forever be grateful — and grow.

Inside-Out Approach

This month, we’re going to completely flip your shoulder training upside-down, beginning with a proper warm-up of the rotators using simple internal and external rotation exercises, and working from the rear delts forward. Think of it as a weakest-to-strongest approach. Unorthodox to be sure, but after four weeks of dedicated inside-out delt work, your appearance, as well as your shoulder strength and stability, will be immediately improved. Not only that, other exercises and bodyparts that rely on strong and stable shoulders will also benefit from your new dedicated approach.

Inside-Out Delt Solution

Cable Internal Rotation*     2 Sets x 20 Reps  (each arm)

Cable External Rotation*     2 Sets x 20 Reps (each arm)

Dumbbell Bent-Over Lateral Raise     3 Sets x 12–15 Reps

Prone Incline Dumbbell Y-Raise     3 Sets x 12–15 Reps

Leaning Lateral Raise     3 Sets x 8–10 Reps

Upright Row     3 Sets x 8–10 Reps

Overhead Press^     3 Sets x 8-12 Reps

*With your upper arm pressed tightly to your body, hold a D-handle (attached to a cable set at waist height) in your hand and keep your lower arm parallel to the floor. Keep your elbow in tight to your body. The range of motion is only a few inches. Rotate the handle toward your midline (internal) and away from (external) your body.

^Your working weight on the overhead press will likely be less than typical because your shoulders are prefatigued.

So this is the secret to making thos shoulders look more fuller and bigger. 

muscle building leg workout

Now we all know that its great to have a big upper body. I have lost count how many times i have seen people with a massive upper body then look at the legs to see skinny legs with no meat on. People just dont like training legs because we all know the next day is SORE!!!. 

Ive put together this leg workout which you can do to build some good muscle on the legs and get that full body look.

Exercise 1 -  Barbell Squat

All of these exercise are aiming to do about 3 - 4 sets of 7 - 10 reps.

The Squat is hands down the most effective leg exercise you can do. It blasts every muscle in your legs.

The first point is if you’re not at least reaching parallel in your squats, The main problem with this is the shallower the squat, the less work your leg muscles have to do , which results in less muscle and strength growth.
Here’s what this parallel position looks like.Notice also how the head is neutral, chest is up, shoulders back, and the spine is in a neutral position, and the knees are behind the toes. These are all key points to maintaining proper form on the Squat.

It must be performed correctly, however. Improper squatting is not only ineffective, it can increase the risk of injury

Heres a video on how to squat properly

Exercise 2  Barbell front squat

The Barbell Front Squat is a great exercise for emphasizing the quadriceps, and for taking the stress off the lower back.

it feels quite awkward at first, and often uncomfortable, but the more you do it, the better it gets.

Exercise 3 - Romanian deadlift

 Exercise 4 - Leg press machine

the leg press machine is a great leg workout to really work on the quadriceps but at the same time works the hamstrings and glutes.

Youre wanting to be doing about 3-4 sets of about 8-10 reps

If you follow these leg exercises and make sure youre using the right weight and eating right. your legs have nice choice but to grow. so get to work and do a leg workout.

As always thanks for reading 

Get a Six pack

All men who want the perfect body all want the rock hard defined abs. Most people don't realize how hard it actually is to get a six pack. When you see these "Get a six pack fast" Workout . It doesn't work because to get a six pack it needs exercise and diet

Its not as easy as you think.

Most people just think if you do a lot of sit ups then eventually you will get good abs

Its not that easy.  If you do loads of crunches then yes your abs will get a lot stronger but what most people don't know is that there is a layer of fat that covers the abs and this is what stops most people from getting, The defined abs. The way to tackle that is to add cardio in your ab workouts and also at the end of your other workouts 

What cardio is good for abs ?

Well even though no cardio just targets the belly fat, there are some exercises you can do to burn those calories and lose the belly fat. Im going to start by giving you a few to get you on your way 

Exercise 1 - Mountain Climbers

Exercise 1 is mountain climbers. Mountain climbers burn a lot of belly fat and also burn a lot of calories. It gets the heart beating fast and is a very good exercise.

Step 1 – lie down with your face directed towards the floor
Step 2 – straighten your arms and touch the knees to the ground
Step 3 – lift yourself with the help of your hands such that your hands come direct under your chest but keep them a bit wider than the shoulders
Step 4 – keep the legs in the stretched manner and they must be in line with the remaining body (do not tend to make a gap between the knees). You can 
follow any similar position in which you feel comfortable

Exercise 2 - Side plank

How to do it: Lie on your right side, in a straight line from head to feet, resting on your forearm. Your elbow should be directly under your shoulder. With your abdominal s gently contracted, lift your hips off the floor, maintaining the line. Keep your hips square and your neck in line with your spine. Hold 20 to 40 seconds and lower. Repeat two to three times, alternating sides. (If this is too challenging, start with bent knees.)

Exercise 3 -  Bicycle crunches

• Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground and contract your core muscles.
• With your hands gently holding your head, lift your knees to about a 45-degree angle.
• Slowly, at first, go through a bicycle pedal motion.
• Alternately touching your elbows to the opposite knees as you twist back and forth.
• Breath evenly throughout the exercise.

by adding these exercises to your workout you can get the Abs you deserve. Add this to your ab workout and after your other workouts.
I have done this after mine and it has by far improved my abdominal s by far.

Check out this FAT LOSS COOK BOOK HERE!!! 

Please let me know how you get on and thank you for reading.

Nutrition during workouts

Nutrition during workouts. one of the lest explained topics to anyone and i think this is a very important and interesting topic to talk about.
Now when you are working out , your body needs alot of nutrients to keep you all full of energy etc. this is mainly Carbs, Protein and fats.

proteins 

Proteins are an important part of your bones, muscles, and skin. In fact, proteins are in every living cell in your body. Inside cells, proteins perform many functions, including:

• Helping to break down food for energy
• Building structures
• Breaking down toxins
• muscle repair

Proteins are made up of building blocks called amino acids. Your body can make some amino acids but not others. Proteins that you get from meat and other animal products contain all the amino acids you need. These include both those your body can make and those it can't. Proteins from meat and other animal products are known as complete protein.

Carbohydrates 

The foods you eat contain different types of carbohydrates (kar-boh-HEYE-drayts). Some kinds are better for you than others. The different types of carbohydrates are:

• Sugars are found naturally in fruits, vegetables, milk, and milk products. Foods such as cakes and cookies have had sugars added. Table sugar also is an added sugar. All of these sugars can be converted in your body to glucose, or blood sugar. Your cells "burn" glucose for energy.
• Starches are broken down in your body into sugars. Starches are found in certain vegetables, such as potatoes, beans, peas, and corn. They are also found in breads, cereals, and grains.
• Dietary fibers are carbohydrates that your body cannot digest. They pass through your body without being broken down into sugars. Even though your body does not get energy from fiber, you still need fiber to stay healthy. Fiber helps get rid of excess fats in the intestine, which helps prevent heart disease. Fiber also helps push food through the intestines, which helps prevent constipation. Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, nuts, seeds, and whole-grain foods (such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, and brown rice).

Fats

Your body needs some fat to function properly. Fat:

• Is a source of energy
• Is used by your body to make substances it needs
• Helps your body absorb certain vitamins from food

But not all fats are the same. Some are better for your health than others. To help prevent heart disease and stroke, most of the fats you eat should be monounsaturated (mon-oh-uhn-SACH-uh-ray-tid) and polyunsaturated (pol-ee-uhn-SACH-uh-ray-tid) fats.

Now when you are weightlifting or working out you need these before and after your workout to get the most out of your workout and there are many valuable sources as to keep fit all over the internet. 

what if i dont have these before workout ?

If you dont get these nutrients to the body before you workout then you will start burning off calories. but if you have no calories left to burn off then your body will tap into another energy source. that energy source is the muscles so it will start breaking down glycogen in the muscles and you can lose mass from this. so nutrition is key to muscle growth and that is so improtant to remember.

I have also recently tried this new fitness program that i feel you will see benefits from this. i got it not long ago and it really changed my understanding. check it out HERE