10 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO ON LEG DAY

Some say you can't go wrong as long as you squat on leg day, but it's not quite that simple. Memorize this list of 10 leg-day sins you should never commit.

If you were to ask a diehard lifter for a list of things you must do on leg day, the answer would be simple: Just squat.

But the list of items to never do? Well, that's a different matter.

A lot can go wrong on leg day, some relating to technique errors that never seem to get fixed, others with constructing your routine, and still more that pertain to your avoidance of the most-challenging (read: beneficial) movements. Pay attention, because many are linked with the kind of injuries that are preventable.

How to Get Stronger: 5 Rules That Make All The Difference

These 5 coach-approved techniques could be the secret behind your new PR!

What does it mean to be strong? Different people will have different definitions, based on different rep maxes, body weights, training styles—you name it. Other people will shout their maxes from the rooftops (or the YouTube comments section, which is the basement), but take a look at the lift itself and...you might go blind.

My own system doesn't involve max efforts. It's what I use as a guide to help clients set attainable benchmarks of strength for an able-bodied individual.

How to Gain Muscle Fast II

It can be tough to pack on muscle but the way forward is consistency. If you want to gain muscle quickly, however, there are a few tradeoffs, such as gaining some fat along with that muscle mass, and giving up some other activities like running so that your body can focus on muscle gain. You need to be eating more, using the right workout strategy, and employing exercises geared toward making your muscles bigger.

Part 1

Working Out to Gain Muscle

1. Start with basic strength training. Most workouts for your major body parts should start with basic, multi-joint strength training exercises that allow you to lift more weight overall, such as the bench presses for chest, overhead presses for deltoids, barbell rows for back and squats for legs. This will allow you to lift heavier on these exercises, while you're still fresh and have enough energy to better stimulate muscle growth.

The skinny guy's guide to muscle building: Top 10 fitness and nutrition tips

Everyone knows that a healthy diet and regular exercise is the answer to a fitter body, but what should we be eating and how much should we work out when trying build muscle?

For many of us, gaining muscle conjures up images of countless hours in the gym, but food also plays an important role.

A high protein diet is key for anyone wanting to bulk-up. This can be consumed naturally through foods such as eggs, turkey and salmon and can also be taken in the form of supplements such as protein powders, milks or bars.

A mixture of the two alongside a healthy diet is recommended. However, consuming lots of protein can be straining on the kidneys, so it is important to drink a lot of water. 

This will flush out your system and negate the negative effects of eating a high-protein diet.

SORE NO MORE: 3 PROVEN MUSCLE-RECOVERY TIPS

A hard workout has you a little sore—or a lot! It doesn't have to stop you in your tracks, though. Use these tips to recover faster and stay on track.

DOMS: The dreaded four-letter word (well, technically it's an acronym, for "delayed-onset muscle soreness) that many a gym goers have a love/hate relationship with. We love it because it's a not-so-gentle reminder that we killed it in the gym. We hate it because it hurts to sit, stand, lay down, or sometimes even breathe.

First and foremost, it's important to understand that not all soreness is bad. Think of it as your body letting you know it's currently going through a repair process—and yes, the end result is bigger, stronger muscles. In order to see change within your muscles, you need to disrupt their structure. Unfamiliar or high-intensity exercise causes small microscopic tears within the muscle fibers, which creates a stimulus for muscle growth and repair. In other words, it is definitely part of the transformation process.

4 NEW TRICEPS EXERCISES TO BLOW UP YOUR ARMS!

Suffering from a case of "tiny triceps syndrome?" Never fear! Team Bodybuilding.com has your cure with these 4 exotic triceps exercises, plus 2 unique variations!

Exercises are like ice cream flavors. Most people choose common varieties like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. A few others opt out of the mainstream, instead indulging in butter pecan, chocolate espresso, or mango. And a more limited number want to try something altogether different, like goat cheese cashew caramel. (Don't laugh: This is a real flavor from Black Dog Gelato in Chicago.)

Like those at the ice cream parlor, most people in the gym stick with a handful of tried-and-true movements, rarely venturing into new or unfamiliar territory. On triceps day, that means push-downs, dips, and skullcrushers. The more adventurous may vary hand grip and body or bench position to introduce some novelty into their arm training, but even they rarely venture from these safe waters.

6 FITNESS MYTHS THAT MAY BE HOLDING YOU BACK!

These 6 fitness myths have stalled the progress of many motivated lifters. Break through the mistruth and become a wiser, stronger you!

Fitness has its own share of tall tales. You've heard the ones about sculpting your six-pack with daily high-rep crunches, right? How about the little boy whose knees fell off after a single squat? Far too many of us have let our lives be steered by these yarns over the years, with nothing to show for it in the end. You deserve better!

To help separate myth from reality, we turned to two EAS athletes who have seen and heard all sorts of pumped-up fitness parables over the course of their careers: active duty Coast Guard member Steven Lopez and NPC bikini competitor Nikki Walter.

Here's what they had to say about six of the most persistent legends passed down through generations of iron enthusiasts.

THE SKINNY ON ABS

Having abs shows that you’re even leaner than you need to be, that your posture is confident and athletic, that your muscles are strong, and even that your hormones are very masculine (study). Abs look so good because having all of these things at once shows that you’re not just healthy, but obnoxiously healthy.

Fortunately, we just so happen to be the body type that can rock a washboard stomach year round without suffering the negative side effects that other guys risk (perpetual hunger, reduced sex drive, etc). This gives us a real physique edge over the other body types.

However, as naturally skinny dudes with naturally smaller muscles, our walk across Abbey Road is a little atypical. There are usually two types of ab advice you’ll come across, and neither works very well for us:

How To Get Cut Without Getting Huge

The body image most men are looking for and most women find attractive today is that of a professional swimmer.

The days of trying to bulk up as much as possible are out. The body image most men are looking for and most women find attractive today is that of a professional swimmer. They are lean and toned with just the right amount of muscle and body fat to turn heads wherever they go. But this is not a simple look to achieve. You must follow the right training protocols and make sure your diet is in check. We're providing you with some guidelines to follow so that you can get cut without getting huge.

what to avoid

Just as there are principles you should follow, there are also protocols you shouldn't be doing. Make sure to avoid these at all costs if you're trying to get cut without getting ripped.

THE TOP 3 MUSCLE BUILDING ROUTINES TO FOLLOW FOR MAXIMUM

Are you having difficulty finding a training routine that works for you? Read this guide to full body workouts and splits to see if a 3, 4 or even a 5-day split might be the muscle building routine that you need!

There is often a lot of confusion about just what routine to follow when trying to build muscle. There are several options that people can choose from and just about all of them will work.

The real question is which one will work best for you and your starting point. Let's cover the most common routines out there today and describe the category requirements so that you can make an informed decision on which program will suit you best.

3 DAY FULL BODY ROUTINE

This routine is a 3-day-a-week workout routine. Each workout day is followed by 1 rest day and the third workout is followed by 1 or 2 rest days (as most people will take the weekend off entirely).

This routine is typically used by beginners and involves full body workouts.

It is great for beginners because of many reasons:

The Teen Guy's Guide to Gaining Muscle

What to do -- and not do -- to build up your muscles.

The football players, pro wrestlers, and MMA fighters you see on television may be packing serious muscle. But if you’re a guy in your teens, you have some body-building advantages they would love to have.

During your teen years, you’re in a phase of your life when your body wants to grow. You’re churning out hormones that are specially designed to help you get bigger. And right now you may be able to take in a huge amount of food and use it to build a strong body.

But it's easy to make mistakes in your quest for muscle. Here's how to avoid those errors.

Do These 5 Things Now

Following these steps will help you give your muscles the exercise and the fuel they need to get bigger.

How to Gain Muscle Fast

It is a well-known fact that muscles that are most used tend to get stronger and muscles, which you don’t use often, get weaker/smaller.

So, it is obvious that we need to make use of the muscles we want make stronger and bigger. Now, there are plenty of sports, exercises, and modalities that will pump blood in your muscles and make them grow bigger.

However, the question that remains unanswered is-“what is the best way to gain muscle fast that make people say “WOW!”? ” Here are some of the best tips to help you get larger and better-toned muscles in the smallest possible time frame:

1. Know the number of calories you need to grow bigger

Your calorie needs depend on your age, gender, current weight and how active your lifestyle is. For the sake of simplicity, multiply your current weight in pounds to 20. If you weigh 130 pounds, that’s 130 x20 = 2600 calories daily. This might come as a shock if you’re not used to eating that much in a day.

The 5 Best Tips for Skinny Guys Trying to Gain Muscle

Tired of people telling you how lucky you are because you can’t gain weight?  Kick your body into gear with these 5 tips for packing on the pounds.

If you want to change the way your body is, then live by these six tips and you’ll be packing on quality muscle in no time.

1. Eat muscle fuel.

Eating is definitely the most important thing in gaining muscle. You need to eat a lot of proteins, which are building blocks for muscle and you need carbohydrates, which are the main energy source for your body. If you don’t get enough carbs during the day your body will start using proteins and muscle as a source of energy! The best foods for muscle gaining are chicken, turkey, steak, rice, pasta, oats, nuts, milk, eggs, and fish.  So make sure you are eating these!

2. Eat every 2-3 hours.

Your body needs to have nutrients all the time, especially so if you’re trying to gain muscle weight. To eat 3 times a day is not enough, it takes too long before you start feeding your muscles. It’s best to eat a serious breakfast, then have a snack after two hours, then eat a protein rich lunch, then another snack, a workout an hour or so after that snack, a shake after a workout and then another big healthy meal in the evening. If you want, you can drink another shake right before going to bed so your muscles don’t starve while you sleep.

Build Bigger Legs With These 6 Squatless Training Tips

This is not just another "shut up and squat" article. Leg training should be well-rounded. Build better quality wheels with these 6 squatless leg training tips.

Massive legs

Despite the myriads of articles and books written on the topic of training legs, a well developed pair of wheels is still a very rare sight in most gyms on North America. Why is that?

I can think of several reasons, one of them being general unwillingness to work and the lack of instant gratification that stems from leg workouts.

But fear not, I will try not to engage into another "you are pathetic if you don't squat" debate but instead offer some (hopefully) new insights on training the lower body.

First things first. You must train your legs. By that I mean you need to dedicate one or better two days a week to develop your legs for several reasons.

Quick Tips To Correct Lifting Technique When You Are Training Alone

Training at home and having a hard time improving your exercise form? Here are 7 practical tips to help get you on track and hitting your goals.

The body adapts with every single rep, and in order to reap maximum benefits from your training and avoid injury you must constantly search for, and produce perfect repetitions. This is a point emphasized by almost anyone who works with strength training.

I remember Paul Chek, HHP, telling a story about a day when he went to Charles Poliquin's gym. Paul apparently had a minor flaw in his squat technique. Charles did not let him workout and much less allowed him to leave before the flaw was corrected!

I'll assume here that you know the correct technique for the lifts you are performing. Yet here is a short list of typical errors that can occur in often practiced lifts.

• Overextending the neck in squats and deadlifts.
• Letting the low back round in squats and deadlifts.
• Letting elbows move out and up in bench presses.
• Forceful extension of the elbow joint (with no muscular control) in exercises like biceps curls and triceps extensions.
• Letting the wrist drop back (extension) in exercises like snatches and military presses.
• Letting the knees move in front of or inside of the toes in standing exercises.

The 7 Best Strength Exercises You’re Not Doing

Every exercise in your strength program has a purpose — to help you build strength and muscle, burn fat, and improve your fitness. While there’s a time and a place for nearly any exercise under the right circumstance, some movements are simply more effective than others. And it should be no surprise that the ones that build a foundation for skills that you’ll use in real life will be the most beneficial for improving your fitness and quality of life.

So how does a lifter ensure they’re making all the right moves? If you’ve plateaued or just aren’t seeing the results you’re banking on, it’s time to get back to basics with these seven moves. From increased strength, better core stability, greater athleticism, and improved overall health, these key exercises need to find their way into your routine.

150 Muscle Building Tips Part Two

Here are 150 of the best muscle building tips I could piece together in one evening. They are short, sweet and to the point. But don't let that fool you. Follow them and you'll be successful.

76) Muscle building takes years, not weeks or months. Don't forget that.

77) If you really want to learn something interesting, ignore how a bodybuilder trains now, and find out how he trained the first 2 years when packing on mass.

78) Train most compound exercises between the 5-12 rep range. Heavy weight works best with moderate reps.

79) Train most isolation exercises between the 8 to 15 rep range. Lighter weight isolation lifts work best with a few extra reps.

80) Muscle soreness is not a be all, end all indicator of workout effectiveness.

150 Muscle Building Tips Part One

This article packs a punch. 150 of the best muscle building tips, including specific information on workouts, exercises, nutrition and supplementation.

Here are 150 of the best muscle building tips I could piece together in one evening. They are short, sweet and to the point. But don't let that fool you. Follow them and you'll be successful.

150 MUSCLE BUILDING TIPS

1) Compound exercises are your best tools for growth. Use them.

2) Eat your biggest meal of the day about 30 to 60 minutes after you lift weights.

3) Get strong! There are no weak bodybuilders. You don't have to become a powerlifter, but you do need to dramatically improve your strength over what it is now.

5 Strength Training Tips to Build Muscle Mass

There’s no question that strong is the new skinny, but putting on muscle can be easier said than done. And while figuring out the formula for size and strength isn’t exactly rocket science, there is some science involved.

The Science of Strength

Thankfully we don’t need a periodic table or fancy equations to figure out how to get fit. However, it is helpful to know what makes muscles grow. It might seem counterintuitive, but in order to grow, a muscle must first be broken down. And that’s what happens when we lift weights. We’re applying stress to our muscle fibers to create the best possible kind of injury, triggering satellite cells to rush to the scene of the “trauma” in order to repair our muscles. These cells fuse muscle fibers together and create new muscle protein, known as myofibrils.The result: bigger, stronger muscles.

12 ‘SKINNY GUY’ TIPS TO BUILD MONSTER MUSCLE!

Are you afraid to challenge yourself? After reading this article, you should be ready to take the first steps in the journey!

Every gym in the world has one of them: that guy. You know...the big dude? Everyone knows when he comes in. Heads turn. He is the most popular guy in the room when he arrives. He is known as simply THE MAN! He is the biggest dude in the gym.

Every gym on Earth also has one of those guys who always seems to be nervous. When he comes in, he just looks down. Always self-conscious for some reason. He may not be too sure what he is doing, but he really wants to succeed. He is known in bodybuilding and fitness circles as the little dude. He is the skinniest guy in the gym.

5 MUSCLE-SHOCKING METHODS YOU FORGOT ALL ABOUT

Rev up your workout intensity with these five methods for muscle mass and fat loss.

The search for sleeve-busting biceps and chiseled chest has led lifters to try virtually anything to gain more muscle and see better results. All of the new, cutting-edge techniques that are emerging have led us to forget one thing - what actually works. Real training programs should be based off of results, which in this case, refers to effectiveness at putting on huge amounts of muscle.

There are tons of training programs out there that promise a big return on your training investment. Some focus on an extremely high training volume whereas others promise big gains with relatively little training. It’s hard to find a workout program that actually delivers. To actually build muscle and transform your physique, we went back to the basics and highlighted 5 methods that pass our litmus test - results.

10 TIPS FOR GAINING MASS FAST

Want to fast-track your muscle growth and build size in a hurry? Bodybuilder Geremy Satcher will show you how!

Nobody wants to wait for results. You post a photo on Instagram, and you hope to see at least 100 "likes" within an hour. You keep up with your favorite team's results just by opening an app on your smart phone for play-by-play coverage. Even Bodybuilding.com offers next-day delivery on orders to most of the United States.

With that sense of urgency in mind, I consulted with powerlifter-turned-bodybuilder and Dymatize athlete Geremy Satcher for his best tips on not just gaining muscle, but doing it in the fastest time possible. He provided his best "build muscle in a hurry" advice for those who simply don't have time to wait.

Ten Quick Tips For Building Muscle!

Learn the ten secrets to gaining lean muscle mass quick! Get your body in an anabolic state in a hurry. See what you've been doing wrong!

1. HIGH CALORIES = ANABOLIC STATE

One of the most overlooked factors in bodybuilding is consuming enough protein but not eating enough calories per day. You've always heard that your body needs protein to grow and this is true. However, adequate protein does not always entail growth. You need to consume adequate calories also.

The truth is, if you don't consume enough calories, then you're not growing. A good rule of thumb is to take your bodyweight and multiply this by 10 or 12 depending on how in shape you are. Then add on 1000-1500 calories per day.

I once read that Jay Cutler got big by eating small meals every hour and half. Although he was eating smaller meals, his total caloric intake was above his daily caloric expenditure putting his body in an anabolic state.

2. EAT PLENTY OF CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates are needed to fuel exercise. The storage form of carbohydrates is glycogen. The idea here is to super saturate glycogen levels so that the body never has to dip into protein for energy production.