Building A Strong Back

Building A Strong Back
Why Build a Strong Back?

Building your back will add muscle to your upper body and
make your waist look smaller creating that sexy 'V' shaped
body men crave. Many every day activities involve your back
muscles, so it is useful to make them strong so tasks like
lifting become easier and you'll be less prone to back
injuries. The muscles in the back are large and so bigger
muscles here will also help you burn more fat day to day.

Your Back Muscles

Three major muscle groups that make up your back are:

The Latissimus Dorsi is the large flat triangular muscle
that runs down the sides of your back and is responsible
for extending, rotating and pulling your arm in to your
body (adduction). A common exercise for the Latissimus
Dorsi is the lateral pull down.

The Erector Spinae is made up of three muscles that run
from your neck down to the bottom of your spine and is
involved in extending your spine. In other words it helps
you stand up straight.

The Rhomboids sit between your shoulder blades and are
responsible for rotating, elevating and retracting the
shoulder blades.

Training Your Back

You should train your back no more than three times a week;
like any other muscle, they need rest in order to grow. If
you're using weights that are heavy enough that you can
only do 6-8 reps you should do no more than two back
workouts per week.

Make sure you choose a variety of exercises to target each
of the muscle groups and change your workout every 6 weeks
or so to make sure you keep getting gains.

5 Best Back Exercises

The Deadlift

The Deadlift is one of the best exercises for exercising
the whole of your back. In fact, it works almost every
major muscle group in your body.

Start by standing behind a barbell with your shins close to
the bar and your feet about shoulder width apart. Hold the
bar with your hands a little wider than shoulder width
apart. Bend your knees, flatten your back and keep your
arms straight.

Now lift the bar off the floor by straightening your legs
until you are standing up straight. Finally, lower the bar
back down to the floor. Make sure you keep your shoulders
back and keep the bar close to your body throughout the
move.

Lateral Pull Downs

The lat pull down works your Latissimus Dorsi, rear
deltoids (back of the shoulders), biceps and forearms.

Grab the bar with both hands (you can use a wide, narrow,
overhand or underhand grip) and sit at the pull down
machine with your knees under the pad. Arch your back and
pull the bar down until it touches your chest. Hold this
position for about one second before straightening your
arms again.

Pause with your arms straight for a second or two and feel
the stretch before repeating the movement again.

Pull Ups

This is essentially the same exercise as the lateral pull
down and therefore works the same muscles. However, it can
be more difficult as you have to lift your whole body
weight.

If you find you can't do many pull ups at first, you can
build up strength using the lat pull downs instead. Or,
some gyms have an assisted pull up machine where you place
your knees on a pad that slide up and down counterbalancing
some of your weight. Alternatively, just do as many as you
can do, and build up the reps gradually over time.

To perform the exercise, take hold of the pull up bar (like
the lat pull down, you can vary the grip width). Start with
your arms straight and your lat muscles stretched. Whilst
arching your back slightly, pull yourself up bringing your
chin above the bar. Stay in this position for one second
and then lower and repeat.

Bent Over Barbell Row

The bent over barbell row works the latissimus dorsi,
rhomboids, trapezius (neck, shoulders and back), erector
spinae, biceps and forearms.

Start with your knees slightly bent, bending over a barbell
with your back straight. Take hold of the bar with an
overhand grip.

Pull the bar up to your upper waist and then lower it again
until your arms are extended and your shoulders are
stretched forward. Then repeat the movement.

For strictly correct form, your torso should be kept as
horizontal as possible. Make sure you keep your knees bent
to stop your lower back from rounding.

Hyper Extensions

Hyper Extensions work the erector spinae in the lower back
as well as the buttocks and hamstrings.

Position yourself in the hyper extension machine with your
upper thighs are on the pad. Keeping your legs straight,
place your feet under the foot pad.

Lower your upper body at the waist until it is at right
angles to the floor. Then contract your lower back muscles
to raise your upper body back to the starting position
(with your legs and back in a straight line). Pause for a
second and repeat the movement.

As you progress, you may want to increase the intensity of
this exercise. You can do so by holding a weight plate
against your chest.

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For more information on exercise, muscle building and great
fat burning techniques, visit http://www.homomuscle.com .
There's also more information on how to do deadlifts,
including a few variations on the standard deadlift.

Herbs For Anxiety Treatment - Are They Effective?

Herbs For Anxiety Treatment - Are They Effective?
Herbs for anxiety treatment is considered as one of the
alternative ways to treat people with anxiety. They have
come out of scene because traditional medications have been
believed to be addictive and even physically harmful. Not
surprisingly, a natural resolution which appears milder and
safer is gaining attention and popularity.

Herbs used in anxiety treatment are those which contain
anti-anxiety properties. Some of the more well-known ones
include:

1. Kava Kava

This plant comes from the Kava crops in the western pacific
and is effective in delivering tranquillity. Although Kava
Kava is not addictive, some researchers believe that it may
cause violent allergic reactions in a very small number of
patients.

2. Valerian Root

This herbal supplement is extracted from the Valerian
flower plant. Like Kava Kava, it is also as an effective
tranquillizer, and is often used in reducing symptoms
associated with insomnia and epilepsy. Valerian extract
works rapidly, often in less than an hour, but it is also
known to be mildly addictive.

3. St. John's Wort

St. John's Wort is also known as Klamath weed or Goat weed.
It is used for in anxiety treatment because it contains
properties that are capable of combating depression. In
some countries, St. John's Wort is even more often
prescribed than traditional medication in treating mild
depression.

4. Others

There are more names to be covered, including passion
flower, lemon balms, hops, chamomile, magnesium, B-complex,
etc.

Herbs have been a hot topic in recent years. If you do
some web search, you will found dozens of claimed
applications for herbal supplements in almost every corner
of medical world. Some even claim that herbs are magic
heals for cancer and AIDS.

Are herbs really effective? In treating anxiety, will
herbal drugs eventually take place of prescribed drugs? At
this point of time, the anwser is probably NO. The fact is
that there is no strong evidence yet to prove that herbs
are effective in treating anxiety or, better yet, anxiety
order, on its own. Although you may have come cross the
claims by manufacturers of herbal products or testimonies
from patients that they have been helped by St John's Wort
or Velerian Root, traditional medications and behavioral
therapies are still the best combination in battling
anxiety and other mental conditions. The role by herbal
medicines is only supplementary to the main two, at the
very best. Having said that, herbs still carry their
obvious advantage over the more powerful drugs for being
less addictive and less harmful.

If your anxiety problem is only minor, your doctor may
recommend herbal supplements prior to stronger medications.
In case you are purchasing herbs for anxiety treatment by
your own, you should be careful with those herbal drugs
that seem to come out of no where. As with every single
industry, some manufacturers are more reliable than the
others, and you should do yourself a favor to check them
out. You can always consult your doctor for a good
recommendation if you would like to skip your homework.

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If you are looking for a natural way to effectively treat
your anxiety, you may like to check out the highly regarded
Linden Method at: http://www.treating-anxiety.net . You
will be amazed at how this unique method can quickly
transform your life!

Is Your Sleep Schedule Interfering with Your Muscle Gains?

Is Your Sleep Schedule Interfering with Your Muscle Gains?
There are a few VERY important factors that every weight
trainer must follow to gain weight and build muscle mass
fast. Some of the more obvious ones are a proper workout
routine, diet, supplements, and hard work.

Every so often I'll get an e-mail from someone who claims
he or she has applied each of those key factors for many
weeks and still say they have trouble trying to gain weight
and build muscle fast. One of the lesser known but very
important factors to build muscle fast in record time is
something that most people just plain don't get enough of
these days: sleep.

I read an article recently saying that the average person
gets less than 7 hours of sleep per night. Whether you are
a hardgainer of not, getting at least 7 hours of sleep per
night is absolutely critical, preferably 8 or more.

Here is a simplified form of how your muscles grow and why
sleep is so important:

First, while you are in the gym lifting weights, you are
actually tearing tiny muscle tissues as you perform the
exercises. When you eat your food, the protein serves as
the repair tool for your muscle tissue. However, your body
only begins to use the protein and the rest of the
nutrients to repair your muscles when you are resting or
asleep. That means, if you don't get enough sleep, your
body doesn't have enough time to recover your muscles
fully, and when you begin your next workout you won't be
100% recovered, which means you won't get maximum results
from your workouts.

In addition, when you are following a hardcore muscle mass
building workout program, it is HIGHLY suggested to get an
extra hour of sleep each night for the last month of your
program. If getting enough sleep every night is difficult
to do, then try to at least take a couple 20 minute naps
whenever possible throughout your day.

Remember, if your goal is to gain weight and build muscle
fast, it is always better to rest throughout the day as
much as possible. That means if you can walk rather then
run, do so. If you can sit rather then stand, do so, and so
on. The more rest you give your body in-between workouts,
the more you give it time to properly repair itself, and
the better results you will get.

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Derek Manuel is the author of the best-selling, "How to
Gain Weight and Build Muscle for Hardgainers". If you want
to learn how you too can gain 20 to 30 pounds of solid
muscle in as short as 8 weeks, or if you just want more
quality information on how to gain weight and build muscle,
please visit http://www.hardgainers-weight-tips.com

Skin Care Advice In Your 40's

Skin Care Advice In Your 40's
Skin care advice at 40 starts with daily maintenance.

Once women hit 40, it becomes easy to tell who's been
taking care of their skin and who hasn't, say leading
dermatologists. Skin is drier, thinner, and less firm.
Skin care advice experts say that this happens because
lipid and estrogen levels have dropped.

Skin care advice starts with the understanding that
elasticity is losing its bounce and fluctuating hormones
can still cause occasional acne breakouts.

SKIN CARE CONCERNS AT 40

Problems with the skin around the eyes become much more
prevalent at 40. There are bags, drooping lids, and/or
under eye hollows to be dealt with. Also, there is a lot
of skin care advice about the neck, which starts to show
telltale signs of neglect. The neck starts to develop
rings that can give away your age.

DAILY SKIN MAINTENANCE

Use products with retinol 2-3 times per week, since they
are proven to stimulate collagen growth. A topical
antioxidant, like a vitamin C serum, will brighten the
complexion. Cotemporary skin care advice suggests fighting
the forces of time internally with supplements like super
greens, including green tea and omega fatty acids.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Day - you should wash your face and neck with an
antioxidant cleanser and use a hydrating antioxidant day
cream with an SPF15 or higher.

Evening - your protocol should include washing your face
and neck with an antioxidant cleanser, using a retinol
serum, and then use, use, use a night skin care moisturizer
cream - that means use skin care moisturizer cream.

As we said, the eyes, after 40, are the major problem.
After tons of research, the skin care advice offered by
leading experts is that the cheapest, easiest way to
preserve your youthful looking eyes is with sunscreen and
eye cream. When started early, these topical products
protect the delicate eye area skin from environmental
damage, while giving it the moisture and vitamins skin
needs to say supple.

The common name for the 40 year old eye wrinkles is crow's
feet. Crow's feet, or under eye area lines, are caused by
years of smiling and squinting as well as mild skin
drooping.

Using products that boost collagen production deep within
the skin to smooth the appearance of lines and crepey skin
are recommended. The earlier you begin intervention, the
more successful you will be, but if you don't stick with it
every day the treatments will not be successful.

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John Russell of IH Distribution, LLC brings you health,
anti-aging and skin care products from around the world.
Find fabulous skin care tips and great articles on a wide
range of topics for women at
http://www.hormones-beauty-health.com

Discover The Best Secrets Of Holistic Skin Care

Discover The Best Secrets Of Holistic Skin Care
The foundation of holistic skin care is using products that
are all natural. Do you realize that the condition of your
skin is a direct reflection of your internal health? This
is in large part why holistic skin care is so essential -
it goes beyond taking care of only the surface skin. The
natural products work to balance our body, mind and spirit
and by doing this they promote a sense of well being, which
gives you that natural healthy glow.

Understand that if you are looking for a quick fix then
this is not going to help you. When we are talking about
holistic care we are talking about a lifestyle change. It
is a lifestyle change because we are working with caring
for the entire person, hence the term holistic. With the
skin being the reflection of our health on the inside,
taking care of the issues that we have internally will then
naturally improve our skin.

Proper care of the skin includes dietary changes. Making
sure that you are eating enough antioxidant rich foods
helps our skin fight the effects of the pollutants and
toxins that it comes into contact with everyday.
Antioxidants will help slow the aging process of our skin
as well as combat imperfections of the skin. The best way
to get antioxidants is by consuming organic foods. There
are supplements available as well, but getting them through
your food is best.

Another step in the process of holistic skin care is sleep.
Many of us are sleep deprived and don't even realize until
we look in the mirror. For most of us, our bodies need
eight hours of sleep. This is the time that our body
repairs itself from what it has gone through in the day.
You will be amazed at what you will see in the mirror when
you get a few extra hours of sleep a day.

If you smoke, you might as well be covering your face in
with gravel from the road side next to a nuclear waste
dump. I encourage you to look at giving up smoking if you
are serious about starting a healthy skin care regimen. If
you follow all the other steps but continue to smoke you
are sabotaging the progress you would make.

Holistic skin care as we have stated means natural skin
care, caring for ourselves from the inside out. So giving
up as many synthetic products as you can is also good for
you skin. Nowadays finding natural and organic beauty
products is very easy. You don't need to make a special
trip to an organic store, you can find the natural products
where ever make up is sold.

You will also want to make sure that you are protecting
your skin from the sun. Did you know that between 10am and
2 pm the sun is at its harshest and we need to try to avoid
direct sunlight during those hours? Using a good sunscreen,
even in the winter, is essential to avoid damage from the
sun.

Another component of holistic skin care is exercise.
Remember we are taking care of the whole person from the
inside out so that we have radiant glowing skin. Exercise
will help move toxins out of the body, increase muscle
tone, it produces a natural mood enhancement and it
relieves stress. Take a bike ride, go for a walk or a run
each and everyday.

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Find out how you can be more beautiful with holistic skin
care and experience a fantastic boost in your
self-confidence.
Helen Wall has been an acupuncturist and complementary
therapist for 25 years and shares her experience at her
website.
http://www.chinesemedicineadvisor.com/holistic-skin-care.htm
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