Creatine : Still the best Workout Supplement for strength, power, size and recovery

In the past decade, the sports and fitness world has seen many performance enhancing supplements arrive on the scene as the quest for maximum possible performance from the human body continues. Since I became a personal trainer 17 years ago I have personally seen and used dozens of different supplements, as much out of curiosity as to "what's new" as a desire to improve my performance and physique. From energy drinks to prohormones to protein supplements to nighttime recovery, I have experimented with many, and found a lot that I have chosen to keep using. Above all of them, however, the one constant that has ALWAYS been present since the very first time that I used it is creatine. It has proven to be one of the effective and safe supplements available when used properly. I always feel stronger and recover quicker using creatine when I participate in any kind of training that requires strength or quick bursts of anaerobic power. Any workout I do in the weight room or when rock climbing feels incredibly enhanced when I supplement with creatine, and I have no problem as an online personal trainer recommending this product to healthy individuals who can safely take the recommended dosages supplied by the manufacturers. I always say to people, it is your responsibility to make sure that you are a healthy individual who is cleared medically to participate in the high intensity training made possible by safe and proper creatine supplementation.

I remember the first time I took creatine back in 1995, and I did a leg press exercise as my first set of the workout. I easily lifted 10% more weight that I had been lifting before that day, and found I could do over 20% more repetitions per set with weights that I had been using. WOW! It was a very strange feeling to have that effect only minutes after taking the product. It was like a wonder pill, in some ways. As someone who loves lifting weights and being strong, it was a huge psychological boost to feel that different so quickly. Creatine has literally been a part of my training regimen ever since that day.

What was going on was that the main ingredient in the creatine supplement, creatine monohydrate, was enhancing my muscles' ability to produce effort before fatiguing. The monohydrate component of creatine monohydrate combines with the most immediate metabolic byproducts of intense muscular effort during exercise, which turns a large percentage of the byproducts right back into usable muscular energy. The muscle is able to lift more weight and fatigues later than without the supplement being present. My experienced increase in performance of 10-20% was right in line with what is the usual benefit.

The initial advantage to being able to lift more weight and do more repetitions is obvious: the body gets a better workout and a better stimulation to improve its performance levels. In addition to this first benefit, creatine also serves to pull more body water volume into the muscle cells, creating a fuller feeling of firmness in the muscle belly, which looks and feels good to the person using it. Muscle recovery is enhanced as well, so not only are the workouts better, the recovery from these workouts is quicker. Performance and cosmetic results are greatly enhanced.

Creatine supplements are always evolving coming onto the market in forms that manufacturers claim improve their results. They are now frequently combined with other performance enhancing ingredients in a single supplement to create amazing feelings of "pump" during a workout. And these latest versions of creatine supplementation are very effective and I have tried most of them. In the end, the actual way the creatine itself is acting upon the body and its effectiveness are largely unchanged from when I used it for the first time. It is a very effective and safe supplement when the manufacturer guidelines for use are followed or it is used in conjunction with a certified personal trainer.

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Core Fitness Exercise for Tight Chest, Triceps, Abs

Indoor Rock Climbing for Fitness: It's Not Extreme Anymore

Once an activity labeled as an "extreme sport", rock climbing has in the last few years become a very popular workout activity as the use of indoor climbing walls in fitness facilities, community centers and health clubs has increased and made the sport much more user friendly. Not only can it be fun and exciting, rock climbing is one of the most effective strength training workouts a person can ever have, providing fitness and strength benefits that are difficult to match with any other single activity. If you want to work out every muscle in your body in the shortest amount of time possible and get quick results in strength, body shape, toning and muscular endurance, there is no better thing to do. It burns a tremendous amount of calories as well, assisting with weight or fat loss. And did I mention that it is fun? Participants sometimes have such a blast that they even forget to feel tired! Around twenty years ago, the very first climbing gyms started appearing around the United States. One of the first was The Vertical Club in Seattle, Washington, and that is where I first took a lesson and learned to climb. My experience walking in there in 1993 was TOTALLY different than a new climber would have walking into the average climbing facility now. Back then, climbing gyms were primarily the domain of serious rock climbers who needed a way to stay in shape during the bad weather months or in between trips to outdoor climbing locations. Climbing as a general fitness activity hadn't arrived yet.

When I entered the facility that day, I was first greeted by a man on crutches who told me he had just broken his ankle in an outdoor climbing fall. He seemed pretty intense. There were several men climbing near the front without shirts on, their bodies seemingly made of nothing but muscle and sinew. One of them was attempting a climbing move just a few feet off the ground right in front of his buddies, who stood no more than arms reach from him, shouting him encouragement and prepared to break his fall if he came off the wall. He was exerting himself fully while trying the move, and I was struck by his effort, while all he had to do was literally put his foot down and he would have been standing directly on the ground.

I felt somewhat intimidated by the atmosphere. The place was definitely filled with people who climbed seriously, and at that time I was definitely someone who did not. I was glad I was there to take an actual lesson because I would have absolutely no idea how to start for myself. My teacher was the owner of the club, and he was very friendly and helpful. It was almost like having my own personal trainer. By the end of the 2 hour lesson I knew my way around the gym and the equipment and knew how to belay another climber and tie myself into the rope for safety. And I had climbed from the bottom of the walls to the top several times successfully. I was officially a climber, albeit a very enthusiastic beginner.

In the present day, a first trip to a climbing facility for a beginner will be a completely different experience. There are many more climbing gyms around, and like I mentioned above, many fitness centers and health clubs have climbing walls now. These climbing gyms and fitness center walls are used much more now by the average fitness enthusiast who is looking for a fun way to workout or have some recreation, and beginner classes abound. The look and feel of the facilities is usually very family friendly. Birthday parties and social events for kids, corporate outing and team building for adults as well as family recreation outings make up a huge percentage of the business for climbing walls nowadays. A first time visitor will be greeted by an enthusiastic staff wearing matching t-shirts and typically watch a safety video that gives an overview of the procedures of the facility. Then in a small group or individually, they are led out to attempt a few climbs before they are cleared to use the place on their own. The extensive orientation I received at The Vertical Club is mostly a thing of the past. The equipment and safety set up is much easier for the average person to learn, which gets them climbing and having fun sooner. This has greatly increased the number of people who participate in climbing and has led to the serious climbers that I saw on my first trip to The Vertical Club frequently being the minority in the gym at any given time.

Getting your exercise while climbing indoors usually involves you making your way from the floor toward the ceiling of the facility using plastic holds for your hands and feet that have the same look and feel as real rock. These are attached to a wall that is textured to resemble a real cliff face. As you make your way to the top, a cable attached to an automatic belay device or a rope attached to your partner and tied to your safety harness that you wear keeps you safe from a fall. Most indoor facilities have walls for roped climbing that go up to about 30 feet in height, though some in the United States go from 60 to 90 feet. Most facilities also have a version of climbing called bouldering where the climber is not roped but never climbs more than 10-15 feet off the ground, protecting against a fall with large gymnastics pads moved around on the floor underneath. Snug fitting climbing shoes with specially made rubber soles are worn for incredible grip against the footholds.

Indoor rock climbing requires exactly the same fitness and muscle strength and enduranace demands as doing it outdoors. And the benefits are awesome! Unlike traditional weight training which involves lifting weight in a controlled movement in a gym or home setting, rock climbing is "strength training with a twist": you as the climber are now the weight going up or down and rather than an arbitrary number of repetitions to be performed to complete a set, the goal of climbing is to get to the top of the wall. It doesn't matter how it is accomplished, either. Climbing doesn't have to look pretty to be effective. The result is a change of focus away from the effort of repetitions to the effort of working toward the immediately achievable goal of reaching the top. This can result in a very empowering feeling of accomplishment for the climber, because each trip up the wall holds a challenge that can be overcome and a goal that is achieved. This is what has been known to be addicting and can lead you to want to do more. And when you want to do more, you will keep doing it. And that is the biggest secret for long term success in fitness: keep doing it! It is amazing what consistency can accomplish.

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Bodybuilding Tips - Back to the Muscle Buidling Basics

Have you been struggling to achieve your bodybuilding and muscle mass goals? Sometimes getting back to the basics is the key to overcoming your training plateau. Often as we look for the next best thing, we get away from tried and true keys that always work for being successful.

Muscle Mass Bodybuilding Tips

Set Realistic Goals: Too often we set goals that we can't reach or at least in the time frame we have given ourselves. When you set realistic goals it gives you motivation as you complete them, and you can always set more goals to achieve more as you continue. Don't burn yourself out by unrealistic goals. More than just a program: Most people have a program they are following. If you don't stop know and find one to follow. Also, if you have been following the same basic program for a long time find a new one that will give your body a new stimulus. Important to make sure you train your entire body that leaving smaller muscles out only causes a lack in overall results.

With your program, set up from the start how many days a week, how much time per workout, and does that fit into your schedule and the program you have chosen. I see more people stressed because the time they have allocated doesn't support the program they have picked. You have to be committed: I personal feeling is that people quit one step from their results changing. This kind of comes back to realistic goals. Every week and every month isn't going to be the greatest mass building month of your life especially if you are serious and have made this a lifestyle. I believe it is those with faith and what we do on our bad weeks and bad months that make a difference.

Enjoy it: Sometimes we can get so rapped up in the results that we forget to enjoy the daily workouts and the good tasting protein shakes. Bodybuilding is a lifestyle so I find the more you enjoy all the small aspects the better your results are. A positive attitude goes a long way.

Create a flow: Creating a successful training habit during your workout keeps you in the right mind set to get the most out of every set. There is no sense spending all the time training only to go through the motions.

The more you stay in the moment of your training program the greater your results. Bodybuilding is about a lifestyle more than just a 90 minute muscle building workout. I believe the details matter, and the difference in people's results doing the same workouts and same supplements is the little consistent details.

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How to train like Bear Gyrlls

If you are a fan of Man vs Wild, you may want to achieve a fitness level like Bear Grylls. For those that don't know who he is, Bear Grylls is the survival expert in the Discovery Channel show Man vs Wild. Bear Grylls has one of the best all around fitness levels that I have seen. The key to a fitness plan like Bear's is to have core strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness involved.

I would call Bear Grylls strength functional strength. Being able to have a big bench press isn't going to necessarily help you hold on to a tree to climb down it. Core strength exercises require your abdominals to engage during the entire movement similar to outdoor activities. They also help by forcing multiple muscles to work together which is different that isolation exercises common at gyms. Proper core exercises should also work your flexibility and more important your strength through a full range of motion.

Good cardio is more than just 60 min. on the treadmill day after day. Proper cardiovascular training utilizes specific targeted heart rates to achieve effective workouts.

The last important aspect to achieve a fitness level like Bear Grylls is to get out and climb and hike yourself. Going for a weekend hike is the best way to build the hip strength needed to go backpacking. Indoor rocking climbing is a great strength workout and is considered one of the safest indoor activities you can do.

My personal trainer only has me do weights to lose weight

How many of the people that have hired a personal trainer done anything other than weight training as part of their fitness plan? The answer is probably not very many. Effective cardio workouts are considered to be the biggest gap in personal training programs.

What is interesting with all the weight training personal trainers take their clients through is that heart rate targeted interval training is considered to be one of the most effective ways to increase your metabolism and burn more fat. A person after doing an interval workout burns more fat as a source of energy than any other cardio workout or strength training workout.

Interval training is short durations of high intensity followed by short durations of low intensity. With a targeted heart rate to your correct aerobic metabolism this is the most efficient workout you can do to lose weight.

I would recommend staying away from weight lifting only trainers unless you are a bodybuilder. A really good trainer will do the cardio workouts with you to optimize your ability to be in the right heart rate zone though finding one can be a challenge. Even online only a few sites understand how to do cardio workouts. If you want to find out more about the best site that does it all cardio, strength, and flexibility visit Liveleantoday.com.