Monday, July 25, 2016

What is my body type

Whenever you hit the gym or look around yourself you might be wondering why the other fellow gets good results even though they workout less or some may not gain a single inch even working out hard. Yeah, mostly diet, sleep,  workout, proper nutrition and so many parameters come into play while we talk about bodybuilding but the one most important factor is your genetics or body type too that has been passed on to you from your ancestors. It is not like that the inferior body types or hard gainers won’t make it up to the top or won’t get the desired results but they will have to follow a special routine for their body type to get them closer to their desired goal.

We will discuss on that lately in this post, but the important thing to first discover that in which category does your body belong to and then we can move forward to sculpt it in a desired fashion. Generally speaking there are three known body types – ectomorphs (long, lean, building muscle hard), endomorphs (high body fat, big, store body fat easily) and the mesomorphs (muscular, well-built, high metabolism, easy muscle gainers).
body types ectomorph endomorph mesomorph

Ectomorphs
Due to fast metabolism they can burn off fat easily and are good at converting carbohydrates into energy. But they struggle to pack on muscle so to become bulk up they need to restrict cardio sessions to minimum and emphasize on compound exercises – squats, bench-press, deadlifts, etc. with intense sessions (8-12 rep) and keep it at most 3 days a week workout plan as working out more will again hamper recovery and turn down muscle gain. A diet packed with high calories, carbs, protein and fat can be a good choice and keep it mind it is healthy, also adding some unsaturated fat and complex carbs like - sweet potatoes and brown rice will be great plus incorporating pre and post workout protein shake can be included.

Endomorphs
These body types have high tendency to store fuel and hence fat is concentrated mostly in the lower body. They find it hard when it comes to manage body weight and overall fitness; there main focus must be getting body fat shredded and getting a bigger upper structure by working out the shoulders. They must not go for cardio all day long rather they can go for lifting heavy as doing more cardio can cause weakness. For them 4 days a week of heavy weight split training with low reps combined with cardio sessions is a good pick and focusing on bodyweight exercise can be good. A diet high in protein and fibre with low carb content (oats, brown rice) plus green tea (fat burner, increases metabolism and aids detox) can be taken. As stress can also add to weight gain so keep it at bay and try to eat complex carbs and keep in mind the source is healthy.

Mesomorphs
These body types are easy gainers and pack on muscle without much effort and also least tendency to store body fat. For them incorporating a progressive workout plan is a good pick and can be done by merely increasing weights with every session as they get more powerful and muscular, adding up some sprints, jumps or plyometrics is good as their body responds well to power moves with low reps. Treadmills or sprinting can boost their metabolism and keep them shredded. Their intake should consist of complex carbs, lean protein and healthy (unsaturated/plant based) fats also they can add creatine for recovery and growth as such body types respond well to it.
Now as we know our body types we can work in the correct path and based on the goal we can set a workout and diet plan so as to make maximum gains and get the desired results in no time.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

How to be healthy and fit all day long

In today’s fast paced busy lifestyle the biggest question in everyone’s mind is how to keep ourselves fit and healthy along with keeping up with the daily chores. Being fit and healthy is the dream of everyone but most of us fail to achieve it. The major drawback is that we are so busy with our work schedule that we cannot make out time for our health.

But, what if we can incorporate a healthy lifestyle along with our work schedule, this would not add muscle mass or get us shredded for sure but it will help us keep healthy and fit. Along with doing our daily work if we can achieve fitness without making out any special time or workout routine wouldn’t it be great? In this post we will try to incorporate some simple known things to our day to day schedule so as to keep ourselves fit in the long run.  

Start early in the morning... 
muscle fitness health bodybuilding
It’s scientifically proven too that waking up early in the morning keeps us fit and energetic the whole day. But waking up early also means going to bed early as well because our body needs at least the 7-8 hours of sleep which helps the body to recuperate and do repairs. As, the childhood saying "early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise",  this post would not tell you how to be wealthy or wise but definitely waking up early can do miracles. Also, the fresh and pleasant weather and air in the morning is beneficial for our body too. 

Drinking water... 
muscle fitness health bodybuilding drinking water
Drinking about a liter of water on empty stomach as you wake up can help you cleanse and activate the digestive system and help you get rid of all the toxins and other waste materials out of the body at an early go. This practice takes no extra time and in return keeps your body hydrated right from the morning and also makes your cells active those were dehydrated for a long time during sleep. 

Breakfast!!! 
muscle fitness health bodybuilding breakfast
Now, this is the important and essential meal of the day. Never skip your breakfast,NEVER!!
 The importance of breakfast can be understood as it is the first meal of the day as our body was on fast during sleep and the last meal was nearly 10 hours before. Can you imagine our body without its much needed fuel? If this practice is continued for long may give rise to fatigue, acid reflux and ultimately your body may crumble. So, may be how busy your schedule be try to grab a healthy breakfast and start your day. 

"If possible incorporate a short session of exercise – jogging, running, brisk-walking, push-ups, stretching or yoga whatever suits you for about 10-15 minutes. Keep the session intense and short with proper form and technique."


 muscle fitness health bodybuilding stretching running

Take a WALK... 

muscle fitness health bodybuilding walking
Here we are not talking about taking a walk to your work place but to find out ways to install walking as a habit to be incorporated in our daily schedule. Like instead of using lifts we can use the stairs or else can park our vehicles to a bit far off place in the parking lot so that we can have a walk to our work place. Rather than sitting all day at your workplace on the chair you can take out some time stretch out or take a walk while discussing your work with your colleagues or team too.


Meals...


muscle fitness health bodybuilding meals diet


Lunch and dinner are considered the main meal in most of the regions of the world. But if we can incorporate breaking down this two big meals to 4-5 meals in a day it will keep our body fueled, help digestion and also aid in avoiding getting fat deposition. Or else, we can keep our diet loaded with carbs, protein, fibre and less on saturated fats, can also incorporate fruits and raw vegetables along with them in form of salads which will boost fibre content and help in detox.  





Fluidizing... 


muscle fitness health bodybuilding coffee green tea

Try to add regular fluid intake in your diet so that body is hydrated all day, fluids can come from any source like simply drinking water or getting some fruit juice but in this case try not to go for packaged content go for fresh juice. Mostly, packaged juice will consist of preservatives added sugar and chemicals which can take you miles away from your goal. Also, adding some dairy fluids can be a best option to get hydrated and pack some extra nutrients for your system. 



Adding some green tea or coffee can also have significant benefits but don’t overdo the coffee or more amount of caffeine can hinder with your sleep patterns.



Avoid the JUNK!!! 
muscle fitness health bodybuilding junk food
Yes, avoid junk foods in your diet, they can be super tasty super tempting but if you want a fit and healthy body be away from them. Also they affect our acid reflux and hormonal balance too making us fatigued out. Replace the junk food with some healthy snacks or simple veggie sandwich with some fruits. 

Light last meal…

The last meal of the day should be light and good in fibre content so that it’s easy to digest and also overeating or heavy meal does not hinders with your sleep cycle. Eat a quality meal and eat till 80% of your stomach feels full. After meals wait for 15-20 minutes before drinking lot of water and have your last meal at least half an hour before going to bed.

These healthy practices if followed correctly can bring many positive changes in our lifestyle and help us achieve the goal of fitness.



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