I know I usually go on my rants about what “most people don’t do.” However, I feel this topic is just as important as any of my other rants. Many people get hurt while lifting in the gym or at home. Many get hurt in professional sports while running or jogging. The leading cause for most of these injuries is not warming up and/or stretching before starting to really exercise. You always have those people that will just jump on a machine, or a bench, or even take off running really fast and they get injured. I see it daily at my local gym.

When lifting it is very good to do warm up sets. Warm up sets are lifts that contain light weight for you and you are able to do multiple reps with the amount of weight. You do these so that you warm up and stretch out your muscles before putting heavy strain on them. It is also good to get all the joint “creaks” and “cracks” broke loose. Stretching before running is vital because your body isn’t used to going from a calm lax state to a very hard working state instantly. It would be wise to do some nice leg stretches and start off with a very light jog.

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Many people who struggle with weight problems or muscle building problems leave out the most important meal of the day, breakfast. A recent study analyzed the breakfasts of 19,000 people, ages 12 and older, finding that high-fiber, low-fat breakfasts may promote healthy weight control more than the “refined” breakfasts most people are eating. The No. 1 reason people say they skimp on breakfast is time, prompting the average Joe to grab-and-go. Still, according to the American Dietetic Association, “breakfast doesn’t have to be fancy or traditional to meet nutritional needs” — and you can get started on simple, easy and healthful breakfasts.

A classic excuse for skipping breakfast is often about dieting. People feel that by ignoring the first meal of the day, they are reducing their caloric intake and promoting weight loss. A vicious cycle is started to eat a larger meal toward the end of the day and actually not be hungry for breakfast the next morning. Our body loves to be fueled often to perform well.

Recommended Breakfast Shake!

Soda has become a drink that has gotten out of control in our society. When Soda was first introduced it was supposed to be a dessert item or a celebration drink. It was intended to be a drink that was only drank on rare occasions. It was also supposed to be drank around 6-8oz. However, none of the above is the case anymore. Our society drinks soda in the same manner we are supposed to drink water. Even a single can of soda is 12oz. The normal can is slowly fading away. We now consume 20oz bottles and even buy 1 liter bottles of soda to drink as a single serving. Fast food restaurants had to do even one better and now sell soda that comes in 64oz cups. This is ridiculous!

The high amount of calories itself should steer you away from drinking soda. The average soda has about 150-160 calories per can. The average American consumes over 53 gallons of soda per year. This is close to a little over a gallon of soda a week. With current nutritional information suggesting each person drink 8 glasses of water a day, it becomes increasingly concerning when, according to a Beverage Marketing Press Release, one in every four beverages consumed in America today is a soft drink. In fact Americans drink more soda than they do water on a daily basis. Soft drinks are the best-selling product today in our grocery stores. Soda outsells basic food items including fruits and vegetables, taking in over $11.7 billion in sales annually. With these sales figures, Soda ranks as the #3 leading beverage and offers absolutely no benefit to its drinkers over other beverages (including water) besides containing excess sugar.

Does soda offer any benefits to your nutrition?

Many bodybuilders do not gain the amount of muscle mass they are striving for because they simply don’t recognize the importance of getting enough protein. Protein is one of the key nutrients that need to be present in the diet of a bodybuilder at all times in order for muscle gain to take place. It is amazing how a great deal of people purchase hundreds and hundreds of dollars on that “miracle” supplement and they do not get even half the amount of protein their body needs to gain any muscle. These people are wasting their money. All the supplements in the world do not make up for lack of nutrition and protein.

Building muscle is about protein balance. If you make more muscle protein than you break down, your muscles will increase in size and strength. However, if you make less muscle protein than you break down, your muscles will tend to get weaker and smaller. Thus, a positive protein balance indicates an anabolic state. Since protein contains nitrogen, protein balance can be estimated by measuring nitrogen balance.

Learn about the steps that can help make your body in a massive muscle building state

Endurance or stamina is basically the ability to exert oneself physically for long periods of time. A very popular result many want from their training is more endurance. However, to get more endurance you must train for more endurance. You can’t train at a lower heart rate and expect to perform better during a higher heart rate event. You train the same way to get more endurance no matter what sport you are wanting the improved endurance.

Running and/or jogging still proves to be the most effective form of training to gain more endurance. When you first start to use running as part of your training to gain endurance you want to start off light. Start jogging for about 20 minutes a day, and then gradually increase the amount of time you are running daily. If running is too hard on your body, you may want to start walking for longer periods of time. Running can be stressful to your knees and it is assumed not everyone can use running as a main method of training for endurance. Riding a bike is much less stressful on the body and can also achieve great endurance results.

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