It might be that time of the year when you have binged on a lot of mince pies, pastries, cookies and gulped a few pints of beer and wine during Christmas and new year – or as a matter of fact any celebration in the family.  Either way, it is now resolution time and somewhere on top of your bucket list is adopting a healthy and active lifestyle.

Such resolutions traditionally only lead to new gym memberships to evade the guilt within you and after a couple of weeks or months, the money is just going the drain as it is less appealing to hit the gym regularly for various reasons.

No wonder 25% of the newly enrolled customers cancel their membership within the first 3 months and a further 6% would plan to do so in coming days, reports suggest.

It is simply because you can’t fit the gym routine in your overly busy work routine and family responsibilities. At times it is less motivating to drape yourself up in your workout gear and hit the gym at the right time. Also peak hours are overly crowded and you end up struggling getting the right equipment you want to work on.

So if you are that independent type, home gym is probably the best thing for you.

Believe it or not, by having a home gym, you could adapt fitness as a lifestyle. By having the flexibility to work out any time you want is a big motivation in itself. Also, these days several online programmes, DVD’s, and videos are available which aid for a perfect workout at an astonishingly low price. Survey also suggests that Nintendo’s Wii Fit has revolutionised in-home fitness with its broad appeal and focus on fun and social interaction.

Working out at home has obvious advantages. But there are some down sides to it as well. For example; distractions from the phone, kids, pets, doorbell etc. can put you off track from your workout routine, and that’s if you can get started in the first place.

Also when you’re at home, it’s easy to find something more important that needs to be done. So it is always better to exercise in the morning when there is little or no distraction.

Tips for Working Out at Home

As much as it seems enticing to have your own gym with the right kind of equipment in order to get that perfectly shaped body you dreamt of, it is rather tricky at the start and leaves you with several questions swirling around your head. Is it really possible to get that toned body by working out at home? Where do I find the information about the right kind of equipment I need? And most importantly how much does it cost me? So here in this article we are providing tips on how to go about choosing the right kind of adjustable dumbbells for yourself.

Talking of work out regime, Fitness experts suggest that, things like dumbbells, medicine ball, balance balls, resistance bands, a bench and an effective workout programme is all that is needed to gain a sleek, toned body. An ideal fitness routine consists of

1. Warmup
2. Cardio workout
3. Resistance training
4. Stretches
5. Cool down

A warm-up can be a quick walk down the road or on a treadmill, or couple of miles on a bike or a couple of low intensity exercise that can get your system ready for a great start. Cardio is again running on a treadmill with greater speed, using a cross trainer with higher levels of resistance, using spinning bikes with high resistance or follow an aerobic exercise routine.

When it comes to resistance it could be as simple as squats, lunges, push-ups, and abdominal crunches. It can be made more effective by stacking up weights to it. For example, doing squats with weights targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus, and calves and you can achieve quicker and greater results. Push-ups involve the pectorals, deltoids, biceps and triceps — even the abdominals and the upper back.

Stretching and cool down exercises will help bring your heart rate down to normal. Trust us, your body will thank you for having given it such a great workout and you will feel more energetic and happy throughout the day.

Many studies have highlighted the benefits of adding strength training to your daily workout routine. Lifting weights benefits your heart, increases bone strength, improves your body balance, and aides greatly in weight loss.

So you could go ahead and purchase an expensive piece of gym equipment that works only on one or two muscle groups or use weights with a properly programmed exercise routine that shapes all muscle groups. Buying regular standalone weights are expensive and also hard to store.

If you live in a small apartment where space is limited, storing these weights is a messy business. The option now readily available in the market which takes away that hassle of using and storing traditional weights is as set of adjustable dumbbells. This allows you to use a variety of plates that attach to a metal bar in order to achieve your desired weight. We think this is an effective and economical solution for throwing more weights into your everyday workout.

Of course, the most attractive bit is the price. A standard set of weights can cost thousands of dollars, depending on how complete you want your set to be. On the other hand a set of adjustable dumbbells might only cost several hundred dollars. Also it might give you even more weight options and versatility, all at a lot less upfront expense.

There are several factors that need digging up before you invest in adjustable dumbbells:

Usage

Safety should be of paramount importance when it comes to choosing equipment for your home gym. Adjustable dumbbells with a proper safety mechanism are designed to give good results with safety in mind. Most sets use a pin system, which keeps the weights secure until the pin is removed; others use a dial to select the required weights that stays safe on the handle while you exercise. There are also a few in the market which we can barely classify as adjustable dumbbells. They are too hard to change weights on and also inconvenient to use.

Along with safety, the convenience at which you can actually use it is what makes the product a real hit with the customers. Most adjustable dumbbells are very easy to change the weights on. You just need to turn the dial to choose the weight you want work on and lift the centre bar. The dumbbell then elegantly lifts up from its cradle with the desired weight. Others use a simple pin system.

The centre bar, of course, should have an ergonomic grip (ridged grip) that is convenient to hold and exercise on. You must feel firm and sturdy when you hold it; not slippery or rough. If you do not get such a feeling or you have a weird feeling that the dumbbell could fall apart in the middle of the session, then it is not the right adjustable dumbbell for you. A great adjustable dumbbell set should stand the test of time and be able to take whatever you can pump through and still remain intact.

Upgrades and Extra Features:

Of course, other good things to look for in an adjustable dumbbell set are the available upgrades and extra features that come along with it. For instance, you may want to look for an adjustable dumbbell set with a sturdy and secure storage rack. You might also want one with the ability to add additional weight sizes. Some sets even come with smart adjustment systems. Then, of course, there are the cosmetic bonuses, like colour and shape, to think about.

Quality of the Adjustable Dumbbells

Quality is extremely important, when it comes to adjustable dumbbells. Some sets are absolutely wonderful and state of the art. Others are cheap and constructed without any thought with regards to design. The problem with a cheap set of dumbbells is that simple construction often means bad construction.

It’s certainly worthwhile to invest a bit more money in a set of adjustable dumbbells that has been constructed with quality in mind. You’ll be paying for locks that work, weights that feel better and are less loud and, of course, weights that come with a great warranty.

However, the other thing to remember about buying quality adjustable dumbbells is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to buy them. Even a quality set of adjustable dumbbells should only cost a few hundred dollars. A set of non-adjustable weights, on the other hand, would be likely to cost as much as a couple thousand dollars. So, even if you pay for quality adjustable weights, you’ll still be saving yourself a lot of money and trouble.

Warranties and Guarantees:

Warranties and guarantees are also definitely worth thinking about. You could potentially buy an off brand product or a used product to save money. However, would you really be saving money in the long run?

If you buy a quality product, you shouldn’t need to have it replaced and repaired. Yet, problems do occasionally arise. So, it’s important to buy a quality product that also has a guarantee that comes along with it. Also, it’s important to be aware that different parts of the product may have different warranties. For example, you could find separate warranties for:

• Labor
• Weight Plates
• Parts

Warranties usually range from one to five years, depending on the product and warranty type. So, it’s important to be well aware of what kind of coverage you are getting. It helps to get a product with a well-known name, usually, since they tend to have both the best guarantees and the best customer support services.

You’ve been running yourself ragged. You spend more time at the gym than at home. You push yourself so hard you’re pretty sure you’ll bust a vein if you do one more rep. And despite all this, you still aren’t seeing the results you were hoping for.

Something is obviously wrong somewhere. Don’t worry, though, because the problem isn’t you. No matter how skinny you are, or how fast your metabolism is, you can still gain muscle.

If you aren’t building muscle like you had hoped, you might be making certain mistakes that are sabotaging your progress. You have to remember that every aspect of your life–from your social life to your workout–will influence your ability to build muscle. So, let’s look at some of the most common mistakes when it comes to building muscle.

Mistake #1: You Don’t Eat Enough

Eating insufficient calories is one of the biggest mistakes you can make if you’re looking to build muscle and gain mass.

No matter how much time you spend on designing the best workout or how hard you work in the gym, if you’re not eating enough, you aren’t going to see any gains.You need to have a positive calorie balance, meaning that you need to eat more than you burn. This will ensure your muscles have enough fuel to repair themselves and grow.

Ideally, if you are of average size, you should aim for an extra 300 calories per day over your basal metabolic rate (BMR), and if you are underweight, then you need about 500 calories per day. Note that these are only suggested starting points because it will vary from one person to the next. You can start with an extra 300 calories and if you still aren’t seeing results, then add some more. However, try not to increase your caloric intake by more than 300 calories at a time or you run the risk of gaining fat along with muscle.

Also, make sure that those extra calories come from lean proteins like beef and chicken, good fats like avocadoes and olive oil, and from healthy carbohydrates like brown rice and sweet potatoes. A clean, healthy diet will promote quality mass gains, which is what you want.  If you feel your lifestyle does not allow you to plan your meals properly then you will most likely need a whey protein supplement.

Mistake #2: You’re Overdoing the Cardio

When it comes to building muscle, doing too much cardio can hinder your efforts.

As we’ve already established, your body needs a surplus of calories so it can build muscle. However, if you’re running, cycling, rowing or doing any other type of cardio on a regular basis, you are burning up calories that could have gone towards building muscle.

While cardio will not stop you gaining muscle completely–unless you’re not eating enough in which case your muscles will begin to cannibalize themselves to provide your body with fuel–it will slow your progress significantly. So, if you haven’t seen any muscle growth and have been doing a lot of cardio, you need to cut back. You don’t have to cut it out completely, but try not to exceed three twenty-minute sessions per week.However, if you’ve always had trouble putting weight on and are relatively skinny, then you need to cut out the cardio for at least two months. During this time, focus on gaining mass. You can then incorporate a few cardio sessions per week to keep you lean.

If you’re overweight, then you might be focusing on the wrong thing. While you can build muscle and lose fat at the same time, it’s relatively inefficient. To lose fat, you need a calorie deficit, while to gain muscle you need a surplus of calories. So, if you have a lot of extra fat to get rid of, focus on fat loss first, which means creating a calorie deficit through diet and cardio. Once you’ve dropped some weight, you can switch gears and adopt a diet that will help you bulk up.

Mistake #3: You’re Overtraining

You’re probably irritated that you aren’t seeing the gains you want.

You leaf through bodybuilding magazines and want to look just like them, and you can’t understand why you’re not getting the same results. So, you add more sets, increase the duration of your workout and train more frequently, hoping to see better results. Unfortunately, the exact opposite will happen. Not only will overtraining lead to injury, which could keep you out of the game for weeks, but it will also stifle your gains. Resting is just as important as working out. , because that’s when the body repairs the muscle fibers you’ve torn during your workout. In other words, that’s when your muscles grow. If you don’t rest you aren’t giving your body the chance to gain mass.

And when it comes to the professionals, remember that many of them have excellent genetics, use steroids, growth hormones and various drug cocktails, and there’s also a good chance they don’t have a regular job they need to go to every day. All this means that they can train a lot more than regular people without any negative impact. On the other hand, a normal person who has average genetics, doesn’t take drugs, and has a job will simply be unable to achieve the same results, regardless of what they do.

Instead of rushing things, employ a bit of patience and you will achieve your goals, even if it takes longer. If you overtrain, all you’re going to do is hurt yourself and slow your progress. So, don’t train more than four days per week, and don’t train more than two days in a row, with sessions lasting up to 75 minutes.

Mistake #4: You’re Using Weights That Are Too Light

Muscles grow when enough tension is placed on the muscle fibers to stretch them and cause tiny tears.

Cells in your muscle fibers then repair the tears, but also make the fibers bigger and the nerves that activate them stronger so that the next time your muscles are exposed to the same level of tension they are better able to handle it. When the fibers get bigger, so do your muscles. However, for your fibers to keep growing, they need to be exposed to an increasing amount of tension or your growth will stagnate.

So, if you’re not seeing any gains, there’s a good chance that you aren’t lifting heavy enough. If you are able to complete a set easily, then your weights are too light and you aren’t placing enough tension on your muscle fibers. They’ve already adapted to handle the weight you’re using, so no tearing is taking place. No tearing means that there’s no need for your cells to increase the size and strength of your muscles.Ideally, you should be using weights that are heavy enough to cause muscle failure after 8 to 12 repetitions per set. If you don’t have a partner to help you continue lifting with good form, then rest for a few seconds and continue lifting to finish the set. This approach will offer you better results than using weights that will let you finish a set easily.

Mistake #5: You’re Using Too Many Minor Isolation Exercises

If you study what most successful bodybuilders do in terms of training, you will find that most of them use a small range of basic exercises that are all concentrated around big lifts.

If you want to build a muscular body, you’re going to have to forget about minor isolation exercises and start focusing on the big, compound movements.

Your body is limited in the amount of energy it can expend on recovery and growth, so it doesn’t make sense to waste that energy on exercises that offer limited returns. Instead, focus on basic lifts because they will offer better returns, allowing you to grow faster. Once you’ve gotten so strong that these lifts aren’t cutting it anymore, you can add more complex exercises, but while you’re still trying to grow, stick to a few big basic movements as they’ll offer you the best gains.

Mistake #6: You Aren’t Using Proper Form

Lifting heavy isn’t enough. You have to make sure that you are using proper form in all your exercises.

The weight you’re using is important as it places tension on the muscle. However, the way you do the exercises determines whether the correct muscle is being targeted.

If you’re not using the proper form, you won’t be able to lift as much weight, you are exposing yourself to injury, and you might even be targeting the wrong muscles. Thus, learning proper form is essential. And no, throwing weights up and down is not proper form. If this is what you do, you’re only deluding yourself in terms of your actual strength because you’re using momentum and not your muscles. Instead, perform exercises slowly and with controlled movements, both when contracting and extending your muscles.Also, don’t make the mistake of using weights that are too heavy because you won’t be able to use good form, which will negate the benefits of heavier weights.

Mistake #7: You Aren’t Training Hard Enough

Anyone who wants to see massive gains needs to train really hard.

However, most people don’t train that hard. They think they do, but the fact is that very few people put in the amount of work required to change their bodies. What’s worse is that the more advanced you become, the more work you will need to put in.

However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that training hard means doing more reps or more sets. Doing more of the same thing poorly isn’t going to get you the results you want. Training hard means training with as much intensity as you can. It means working out with complete focus and increasing the weight you lift regularly. It means training to failure on every set, and giving it everything you’ve got in each session.

If you’re training for an hour or more and are barely winded after each session, then you aren’t training hard enough. So, remember, if you want to see massive gains, you’re going to have to increase the intensity. It’s really a matter of quality over quantity. If your workout is intense enough, you don’t need to spend more than an hour in the gym, but you will see incredible results.

The Groom+Style team has put together a terrific article on how to increase your lifts by 30% – might be worth a read!

In order to lead a healthy life many people believe you need to eat right and do a lot of running or biking (cardio) to burn off calories and increase cardiovascular fitness. While both of these practices are key to a healthy lifestyle, there is one more that needs to be added to the mix: strength training.

Strength training will not only improve your health, it will eventually lead to a better looking body and better self-esteem.

One of the major areas you need to focus on when it comes to strength is your upper body and in order to be successful you need to know what to do.

To start off, you must know what muscle groups you will be working out because you want to be able to hit all of them so you can possess muscular balance.

The major groups you need to focus on when working out your upper body are your back, shoulders, and chest with secondary muscle groups being the triceps, biceps, and your abs. Some people may be confused as to why your abs are included, but the reason is simple: if your core is strong, then the rest of your muscles will be much easier to train.

Below are some exercises that will focus on the three primary upper body muscle groups as well as the secondary muscle groups. Remember to practice proper gym safety when performing these exercises to include wearing weight gloves and utilizing spotters when needed.

Also, these exercises should be difficult to complete but they should never hurt. If they hurt, stop immediately.

Chest Strength

There are countless exercises and gym equipment exercises one can do in order to improve their chest strength and in reality it all falls down to personal preference.

In order to ensure a proper balance of strength one should try to hit the middle, upper, lower, and outer portions of the chest which can be conducted in three to four exercises.

If you are looking for exercises you can do without weights, the old fashioned push-up is the best place to start. To hit the upper part of your chest do some incline push-ups.

The easiest way to do these is to get a coffee table (wood is better than glass) and put your hands shoulder width apart on the table and perform push-ups. You should feel the burn in the upper portions of your chest. To get the lower part of your chest do decline push-ups with your feet on the coffee table and your hands on the ground at shoulder width length. Doing just these three exercises at home are relatively easy and the strength gains not only in the chest but in the arms as well will be noticed quickly.

For the gym goers, the standard bench press, decline bench press, and incline bench press will do the same thing the push-ups do but with heavier weight; which has been shown to grow muscle and strength much quicker.

Other exercises to do are the dumbbell bench press, cable chest fly, the pec deck, and the countless variations of dumbbell chest flies. The fly exercises and the pec deck focus on the outer regions of the chest; an area often overlooked by many individuals attempting to boost their muscular strength.

Shoulders Strength

Working out the shoulders is probably the easiest or one of the easiest muscle groups to work out in terms of range of motion and amount of energy needed to accomplish the exercises.

Some of the most beneficial exercises for shoulders are the dumbbell shoulder shrug, the shoulder press (angled or vertical), and dumbbell raises. The thing with shoulders is that many of your back and chest exercises actually work the shoulders out at the same time. If you are doing the bench, incline bench, and decline bench for chest, then adding the shoulder press and shoulder shrugs will make sure your shoulders get a complete work out.

Back Strength

The thing with the back is that there are dozens of machines at the gym to work your back out but people often choose not to work their back out at all or more commonly, they work it out too hard and injure themselves.

You must remember that it is fairly easy for you to pull muscles in your back; especially if you are an individual not use to working labor-intensive jobs where you use your back muscles. Conduct proper research and practice all back exercises with lighter weights until you get the form down correctly or you will regret it later.

The list of back exercises is extensive and include a lot of your rowing exercises (cable, dumbbell, and machine rows), a lot of you cable pull down exercises, and the dreaded pull-ups.

The thing with pull-ups is, you need to have a strong core to assist in pulling your lower body weight up but the pull-up; if done properly; will hit a significant majority of the muscles in your back all at once.

You can knock out back exercises and cardio all at one time if you go on over to the rowing machine at your gym and knock out 30 minutes on it. Although it will only increase your strength slowly, it will get you use to using the rowing motion and train your body for increased weight to come.

Abs Strength

Like the back, there are countless ways to gain muscular strength in your abs; a.k.a your core; but like your back, you can injure your abs relatively easily if you don’t pay attention to what you are doing.

The things with your abdominal muscles is that there are more than just the muscles in the center of your stomach. Like your chest, you have the upper, center, lower, and outer (oblique) abdominal muscles and you need to hit all of them in order to maintain proper muscular balance and increase your overall muscular strength.

Remember that a strong core will make working everything else out much easier.

The classic sit-up or crunch is a good mainstay and starting point for working out your core. Include some oblique crunches to hit your oblique muscles and throw in some reverse crunches where you bring your knees into your chest to hit the lower muscles.

Other good exercises to try include the incline and decline sit-ups, cable crunches, flutter kicks, planks, and leg lifts. Of course as your abdominal muscles get stronger, you can start holding weights as you do these exercises to increase your workload.  A home ab machine could also be used if you prefer.

Triceps Strength

You will find that having strong triceps is an integral part of having an overall strong upper body. While you are doing your bench presses and shoulder work outs you will be working out your triceps in as a secondary benefit, but some primary focus on these muscles is key to overall strength.

The favorites of gym goers and body builders across the world include the triceps pull down, triceps push down, overhead dumbbell raise, and the interestingly named skull crusher. Make sure to not overwork your triceps and save these exercises toward the end of your workout program, because you need fresh triceps to perform your chest, shoulder, and back exercises.

Biceps Strength

Every man wants large arm muscles so they can “flex” and show off the “guns” and when you are looking for a strong upper body, you will gain these if you so choose; with training and time.

Hitting your biceps should be one of your final exercises in your workout program because like your triceps, you utilize your biceps throughout your workout. You must be carefully not to overexert your biceps though because if you do, bending your arms the next few days after your workout can be pretty tough.

The best exercises for your biceps that will increase your upper body strength are the common barbell curl or dumbbell curl.

Unfortunately these can become boring to people and many people don’t have the form down correctly so they aren’t getting the most gain from their efforts. If you are new at working out, stick with the cam or cable curls until you get the form down and then switch to the free weights. Other variations of the barbell curl to include the hammer curl, preacher curl, reverse curl, and concentration curl can be added into routine to liven it up a little.

In truth there are hundreds of variations of exercises one can do in order to increase their upper body strength and finding out which ones work best for you can take a little time.

The list above is just a few of those thousands but the key to take away from this article is that in order to achieve upper body strength, you need to make sure to hit your chest, back, shoulders, abs, triceps, and biceps. Whatever combination of exercises you choose to hit these muscle groups is up to you but hitting each of them is essential.

If you have been working out for a while and want to know how to improve you can read this article on how to increase your big 3 lifts by 30% safely.  Similarly, if you have been training for a while but are not seeing the gains you expect you might find some answers in 7 mistakes that sabotage your muscle gains.