Archives 2020

If you are a fan of sports or other fitness activities, it is likely that you have suffered an injury at some point in your life.

In addition to the pain, the injury may have deterred you from continuing to participate in physical activities. It is worth noting that getting an injury while doing some activity or exercise is not unique to you.

How to properly recover from a serious injury

Although enduring an injury and going through the recovery phase can be excruciating, you still have the opportunity to return to the field or gym and continue participating in the physical activities you love and appreciate.

Recovering from an injury can be difficult and agonizing, however, there are certain steps you can take to ease your recovery process and prevent further damage to your body. These tips are as follows:

1. Find out the extent of your injury

The moment you feel a sudden pain in any part of your body, the last thing you should do is make assumptions about what it may be. It is advisable to report your symptoms to your doctor to determine the real cause of the pain.

While visiting the doctor, find out the exact area that has been affected and what activities you cannot participate in. It is your responsibility to check the extent of the injury, the expected recovery period, and whether you need to see a physical therapist to help you with your recovery.

2. Exercise the injured muscle or joint by doing low intensity exercises

Depending on your doctor’s advice, you should move the injured muscle to ensure the healing process. The movement will maintain blood flow through the muscles and prevent the muscle from shortening over time.

You can also stretch the muscle slightly every hour for about twenty seconds. Make sure you don’t overdo it, as this can cause more damage to the muscle.

3. Watch what you eat

The food you eat determines how quickly your injury will heal. Some foods cause inflammation in the body, leading to more swelling and damage to injured parts. This is worse for soft tissue injuries ranging from a strain to a sprain.

Your goal therefore should be to avoid inflammatory foods.

These foods include flour, refined sugars, processed meats, oils, and foods with saturated fat. Instead you should eat fruits, vegetables and foods rich in omega 3, as they will accelerate recovery or pain caused by an injury.

4. Find a support system

This is extremely important, especially if you are suffering some serious injuries. Surrounding yourself with family and friends will motivate you to improve.

You could also surround yourself with other people who are recovering from a similar injury. Having that company will boost your morale and strengthen your recovery process.
If you are working with your physical therapist and a coach, make sure you both communicate with each other. This will create consistency in recovery plans and therefore limit confusion about what to do and what not to do.

5. Be aware of your body

Different people can endure different levels of pain. Remember to be honest with your coach or physical therapist. Don’t push your body too hard when the pain is unbearable. If a certain exercise routine causes more pain in the injured part than before, tell your coach.

Take it easy and don’t minimize the pain just because you’re tired of sitting on the bench. If the pain becomes too intense, interrupt your workout until you are ready to return. It is better to wait until you fully recover than to return when you are in pain, as this is likely to do you even more damage.

6. Find an alternative activity

Having to give up a planned activity like a marathon or game due to injury can be very frustrating for you. You may be afraid of losing your cardiovascular fitness due to such an injury. However, there are other activities you can still do to maintain your physical condition without harming your body.

For example, you can do some low-impact cardiovascular activities like cycling, swimming, or an elliptical workout. This won’t put pressure on your ankle the way it would running. Ask your doctor and therapist to recommend activities that you can still participate in.

7. Set new goals

Now that you can no longer run that marathon or be part of the soccer team, you must set new goals. This helps you feel like you are accomplishing something without stress. You can sign up for another activity a few months later and take your rehab period in preparation for that activity.

Having an injury shouldn’t make you a couch potato. If you cannot participate in other physical activity, you can set other goals by deciding for example to lose something or maintain your current weight through a diet program. This will give you something to work on and make your recovery process easier.

8. Accept your emotions

For some athletes, staying out with an injury is more painful than the actual injury. You may feel angry, scared, shocked, or even deny the situation. You may also feel a deep sense of loss compared to the feeling of longing for your old self.

This emotional turmoil can cause clinical depression if left untreated. Make sure to talk to your doctor about how the injury makes you feel. Your doctor may offer mental exercises to help you come to terms with your injury and speed up your recovery process.

Summary

In general, you should keep in mind that having an injury is common, especially in the world of sports and general fitness. Take advantage of your recovery time and learn to rest.

This is an opportunity to take some time off and recharge. Another way you can use this time is to strengthen your mental skills through meditation while practicing positive self-talk and teamwork skills.

In this article we are going to talk about gaining weight.

Wait! Are you saying, Gain weight?

I thought that the great expectation today is to lose weight. Who on earth wants to gain weight? Well, if you’re reading this, you’re likely one of the many people who are really struggling to gain weight.

3 ways to gain more weight in an intelligent way

In fact, when I talk about gaining weight I mean gaining lean mass or building muscle .

Not only do you not want to gain weight, but you want to increase lean muscle mass. So if you want to learn what to do and what not to do to gain muscle mass, read on to find out.

My own history

I personally totally understand those who want to gain weight because I have been in that situation. I’ve been a skinny guy all through high school and most of college.

Sometimes it seemed like no matter what he did in the kitchen or the gym, he couldn’t make the scale go up a single pound.

I first started exercising when I was in college and my body weight was around 60-65 kilos at 1.78 meters tall. So I was pretty skinny and I never thought I could reach 85 kilos (which I’m weighing today) without looking fat.

Anyway, my point is, I’ve been there and I know how you can get out of it.

The easy (and stupid) way

The easiest way to gain weight would be to eat exactly how you are eating right now and simply add a medium-sized pizza every day. If you do, you will gain weight and will probably gain it fairly quickly.

If pizza isn’t exactly your thing, you can drink a 1,000 kcal weight gain shake or a few bags of tartlets every day. Either of those things will work too.

However, there is a problem with all these strategies. After a month or two of doing it, you are definitely going to gain weight but you probably won’t be happy with how your body is changing.

And the reason for this depends on what you’re doing in the gym (assuming you go to the gym), you may or may not end up being stronger or more muscular after overeating, but you will definitely end up fatter. Probably much fatter.

That’s why your goal shouldn’t just be gaining weight. You need to rethink this to gain as much muscle and fat as possible. And achieving that takes a different approach than simply “eating a lot more”.

The intelligent way

Very well, to be bigger but also without being fat, you must follow three simple steps:

1. First of all, you should eat just a little more calories than you burn.
2. You must have a high protein, high carbohydrate diet.
3. Do compound exercises with a lot of weight.

If you can implement the above steps correctly, you can gain weight while improving your body composition. This approach is much more likely to bring you closer to the body type you hope to achieve.

Alright, now let’s look at a little more detail in each of these three steps and see how you can implement them in your own lifestyle.

Step 1. Eat a little more

Weight gain and weight loss are as simple as calories in and calories out. If you are not eating enough calories, you will not gain weight. And that’s the only reason some people don’t gain weight.

Your appetite alone is not enough. The problem is that when your natural appetite is really low, you really feel like you are eating a lot of food but you really aren’t.

In fact, I’ve known people who had this problem and they calculated that they were eating between 3,000 and 4,000 calories, but when I asked them to keep track of everything they were eating, they found that they were consuming only about 2,000 kcal. per day.

Muscle development occurs when you have a caloric surplus. Your body will need just a little extra energy to start building muscle effectively.

Now, once people discover that they actually eat less, they begin to exaggerate with the amount of calories they eat, which is not optimal for rebuilding your body.

You think that if overeating a little is good for muscle development, eating a lot more will be even more beneficial, right?

Well not really.

Based on research and studies conducted so far, it has been scientifically proven that you will build muscle at the maximum rate possible and minimize fat gain when you eat only 10 to 15% more calories from the ones you burn .

So if you do the math, for most people this is only 200-400 kcal above your maintenance level. If you put that in your food, it can be just an extra sandwich or just a tall glass of milk. That’s! That’s all you need to eat to put your body in a slight caloric surplus and start changing your look.

If you eat a lot more than that, your muscles simply won’t be able to keep up with the amount of food you’re eating. Therefore, all the extra calories will be stored as body fat.

Let’s move on to step 2!

Step 2. High amount of proteins and carbohydrates

You probably already know that protein is given a lot of importance in the world of bodybuilding. And the reason for this is that it supports muscle growth. There’s a ton of studies to back that up, so there’s no catch here.

The amino acids in protein are the building blocks of our muscles, so it makes perfect sense to eat plenty of it. If you don’t, you will always have trouble building muscle.

Apparently the optimal amount of protein you need to eat to build muscle efficiently is around 1.5 gram per kilo of body weight . So if you weigh 70 kilos, you will need to eat 105 grams of protein per day. This should represent about 30-40% of your caloric intake on average.

Now when it comes to carbohydrates, there is a lot of debate. You rarely see someone recommending eating a lot of carbohydrates. As you probably know, there is a lot of hype around low-carb diets these days.

In fact, low carb diets are not effective at all if you like fitness or weight lifting or any other sport or physical activity. Low carb diets are good for overweight and sedentary people, but for active and healthy people they are pretty bad.

Eating carbohydrates will actually help you build muscle faster.

Carbohydrates will increase the amount of glycogen in your muscles. As you may know, glycogen is the fuel our muscles use in the gym when we exercise. More glycogen means better workouts, and better workouts will result in more muscle development.

Another way that a high carbohydrate diet helps is to maintain a higher insulin level, which will reduce the rate of muscle breakdown by keeping your body in an anabolic state for longer periods of time.

So, if you want to build muscle as fast as possible while gaining little fat, you need to eat enough protein and carbohydrates while keeping your total caloric intake just 10-15% above your maintenance level.

Step 3. Do compound exercises with a lot of weight

Let me start by telling you that if you miss the first two steps, step 3 is really not going to matter that much. A proper diet is extremely important! So make sure your diet is under control and only then continue to step 3.

What you do or don’t do in the gym will greatly affect your results.

The best types of workouts for people who do not use steroids are those that focus on compound exercises like bench press , military press , squats and deadlift . All of these exercises should definitely be in your training plan.

The reason compound exercises are superior to isolation exercises is because they allow you to progressively overload your muscles more effectively. You can increase the level of tension in your muscles over time much more effectively.

This is the main driver of muscle growth and while there are several different ways to do it, the most effective is to get stronger. That’s why the strongest people in your gym are also some of the biggest. So if you want to build a great physique, you need to start lifting heavy weights and building your whole body strength.

That’s basically it. These are the only 3 things you need to do to gain weight consistently and effectively and to make sure that much of that weight is muscle and not fat.

Summary

Here’s a quick rundown of the 3 smart ways to gain more weight:

• Eat a little more.
• A diet high in protein and carbohydrates.
• Lifting weight

Are you struggling to gain more weight? Leave a comment below.

Much of the time you see people stretch their legs before a race, or stretch any part of their body before training. It is also very popular for people to start warm-up sets before the actual weight training session begins.

All about warming

Proper warm-up, stretching, and cool-down is critical in bodybuilding , though often overlooked in parts of a training program.

Although these components of training are very basic, many people tend to overlook a good warm-up, stretch, and cool-down and wonder why they don’t feel ready to lift high weights. I call these aspects the forgotten elements of training, since they are techniques that are almost never seen in gyms.

Warming up has many benefits. The main benefit of warming up is the prevention of injuries because blood is pumped to the area we want to train that day, reducing the probability of a pulled muscle or a joint injury.

Warming up is a great way to increase flexibility before a heavy set. By training the muscles with relatively small weights, through an identical range of motion, it stretches the muscle correctly and avoids any muscle pull when using high weights.

The warm-up is not only a safety measure – it also has positive effects on a bodybuilder, because after a warm-up, strength and attention should be focused peaking. Warming up has many physical and mental benefits.

Stretching and cool-down go hand-in-hand mostly because they come after a workout, while a general warm-up precedes a training session. Their main benefit is to increase recovery, and these activities also contribute to overall muscle health.

Lubricate the joints

Let’s say a lifter is ready and mentally prepared that day for a full set of barbell squats, 150 kilos of 5 reps. You hit the gym and your legs aren’t hot. He goes to the squat rack and puts on 80 kilos. He gets into the right shape but he can’t get all the way down. Luckily, you can push a light weight with the help of the cage.

If you had skipped the warm-up and put the 150 kilos on in one go, you would have pushed your legs to an extension beyond the maximum point and likely pulled your muscles or broke your joints.

So the same lifter decides to do 3 warm-up sets with 40-60-80 kilos to get the blood pumping and oxygen in his legs. When it goes up to 120-150, it is much more flexible. After 3 warm-up series, it can be said that the knees are fully lubricated, so there are no injury problems.

Steps to heat

Continuing with the squat lifter example

The first goal of a warm-up should be to give the muscles a light pump of blood. This is best accomplished by completing 1-2 sets of 8-12 reps with a very easy weight.

This step will prepare the muscles for large warm-up sets and eventually high-weight training. You also get a good lifting mood. So for our 150X5 squat lifter, his first 3 sets might look like this:

40 kilos at 12 repetitions

60 kilos at 8 repetitions

80 kilos at 6 repetitions

The next step in the warm-up is to prepare the muscles for the heavy weights. The next two sets to come are very close to the weight that will be used for the first set of work, but it will only be 1 or 2 reps – this is so that you don’t fatigue the muscles and that no micro-trauma occurs too early. Your 2 series can be like this:

100 kilos at 3 repetitions

120 kilos at 1-2 repetition

The last step is to make sure you get 2-3 minutes of rest after your last big warm-up. This will allow the minimal amount of fatigue that occurred to go away, but it is also short enough time for the muscles to maintain high blood flow.

After this, don’t repeat the heating process! Just keep doing heavy sets (most lifters do 2-4 sets of one exercise).

150 kilos at 3-6 repetitions

150 kilos at 3-6 repetitions

Everyone in the fitness and bodybuilding industry talks about intensity . Supplement companies develop, manufacture, and sell products with the intensity of your workouts in mind. Intensity seems to be the holy grail of any achievement in our physique, regardless of our goals.

But What is intensity? According to the definition of Dictionary.com «, intensity is doing something that costs us or the degree of force with which it manifests a phenomenon (a natural agent, a physical quantity, a quality, an expression, etc.). »

This sounds good, but what does this mean in terms of reaching our goals? Anyone who has developed their own exercise protocol is going to try to persuade you to believe that their method is the best. We know that many programs work, but not everyone gets results. Many authors of strength training will say that intensity is one repetition maximum. Others will say that high intensity training is carrying out an exercise until muscle failure. Many times we see in the photos of magazines that they try to visually encapsulate the intensity of the workouts of a professional bodybuilder or athlete. Doing the same routines that we see in these magazines does not mean that we will have the same level of intensity that is shown in the photos.

My take on intensity : We can spend all day trying to visualize, quantify, and define, but it will be useless for us if we don’t apply it! I am not going to create a new exercise program, but I am going to encourage you to question what you are currently doing. The intensity application to reach your goals around three qualities: hard work, focus / goals and believing in yourself.

Hard work

Work is the first quality needed to apply intensity. I’ve mentioned before that many programs work, but not everyone gets results. Most of the time it is because the athlete is not working hard enough for results.

Can you train to fail? That topic is from another article that I already wrote a while ago. If you always work to failure you will have to significantly reduce the volume of your training to avoid the drainage of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Muscles may be able to recover, but if your central nervous system doesn’t, you won’t be able to complete successive workouts with the same intensity.

Focus

Without focus or attention, there is no purpose to hard work. Setting your goals defines your focus . If your goal is to be a bodybuilder and increase your muscle mass , then you should be focused on using optimal and perfect form for each exercise, with a full range of motion , a good muscle pump, and setting a goal that is only cosmetic in nature. If your goal is to increase your strength, then your focus is on increasing the amount of weight lifted over a period of time and setting a goal that is measurable. If your goal is to become a better athlete, then your attention or focus is on developing the functional strength that will lead to your chosen activity and improve your skills in that activity. While many people would like to have all three of these characteristics at the same time, it is probably best to focus on just one at a time. You must have a clear focus in order to apply the appropriate level of intensity necessary to achieve your goals.

Focus is also what makes intensity effective.

Believe in yourself

In order to apply a maximum level of intensity that you need to achieve the desired results you have to believe in yourself and believe in the training method you choose to employ. What’s the point of following a specific training plan, if you don’t believe in your ability to execute that plan, or even your own plan?

From the department of the nursing degree of the Camilo José Cela University, yesterday, June 15, an online farewell session was organized for the 4th grade students of Nursing. The Covid-19 situation has not allowed us to carry out this act in person, however, even remotely, we are all connected.

We had the opportunity to enjoy the presence of the director of nursing at Hospital Virgen del Mar, Esther Fernández . Esther, encouraged our already graduated nurses, to continue discovering what it is to be a nurse. He shared his personal experience, how he came to nursing management, and how he continues to be passionate about caring for the patient and collaborating with his colleagues.

Later, we were able to count on the presence of Sara Gasco from CODEM (official nursing school of Madrid). He spoke of his performance in the management of this pandemic caused by the coronavirus in the community of Madrid. The role of humanization in nursing care was emphasized.

Sara Gasco explained the registration process. Let us remember that nurses must be registered to work (national law since 97). It was indicated that all the procedures of the association can be carried out online , this year with greater reason to avoid possible infections. He pointed out that until the end of June the entry fee has been canceled. Membership includes: the civil liability policy, continuing training for courses and conferences, an assault policy that includes a 24-hour phone number to consult, labor and legal advice …

The students were able to ask questions about their membership, and Sara herself answered all of them. These types of doubts are common since they have not carried out this procedure before, so we believe that it is necessary to have a first contact before entering the world of work, so that doubts can be resolved.

By way of farewell, Professor Raquel Moreno , was in charge of organizing an emotional video, which made more than one cry, here are some of the quotes:

“We hope that each and every one of you will work in the unit that you like the most and never forget to take care of yourself”

“don’t listen to the sellers of fear”

“we are not heroes, we are people, but with impeccable ethics”

Students who have graduated this year will always remember: the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the bicentennial of Florence Nightingale. They have become stronger in the face of adversity, they have faced this new stage with strength, perhaps this pandemic has supported the visibility of nursing. We know that they have been empowered in care work, that they have learned from this crisis and we encourage them to continue learning and continue training.

For the teachers, it has been very enriching to be able to collaborate in their training, all the teachers of the degree dedicated a few words to the students and finally we are left with this beautiful quote:

“The Camilo José Cela University is and will be your home, we are willing to help you in everything, you stop being students to be classmates”

creatin is one of the most used supplements in the world of bodybuilding, sometimes much more than protein powder. There are numerous evidence-backed studies supporting the efficacy of creatine supplementation (some perhaps a bit exaggerated). For the majority of the population, including elite bodybuilders and untrained individuals, creatine supplementation increases muscle mass and improves anaerobic and aerobic performance.

What is creatine and what does it work for?

I will explain a little what creatine is scientifically since it is the only way to understand what it is for …

Creatine is a natural component of meat, mainly in red meat. Creatine is made naturally in the body through the amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine. This process takes place in the kidneys, liver, and pancreas.

About 40% of the body’s creatine stores are free creatine (Cr), while the remaining 60% is stored in the form of creatine phosphate (FC). A normal person only processes 2 grams of creatine per day and replaces that amount through food intake and manufacturing in the body.

Creatine is used for the resynthesis of ATP. (ATP) or adenosine triphosphate, is the “power” that handles muscle energy. When a muscle contracts, the bonds of the ATP molecule split, producing ADP (adenosine diphosphate). The energy released by breaking this bond enhances muscle contraction.

When ATP is depleted within the cell, the cell can no longer contract. There are several methods by which the body rebuilds ATP. The fastest method, without oxygen, is via (FC). Creatine phosphate breaks down the phosphate part of the molecule.

Creatine supplementation increases Cr and FC in the muscle, allowing a greater capacity to regenerate ATP. In other words, creatine enhances the muscle’s ability to maintain energy production during short periods of high intensity exercise. The periods are short because a cell’s ability to store FC is limited, therefore the body will quickly move to other methods of ATP replacement.

Benefits of creatine for bodybuilding

1. Delays fatigue:

It allows us to better withstand hard exercise, since it masks the effect of lactic acid, especially in short and intense activities.

2. Increase in muscle mass and strength:

Intramuscular creatine is stored, causing muscle cells to absorb water (cellular hydration). The access of water to the interior of the cell together with creatine and glycogen leads to an increase in the volume of the muscle fiber, as well as in potential strength. A larger diameter of the cross section increases muscle mass and therefore more strength. When creatine monohydrate is present, muscle cells operate more efficiently and increase in size .

Another advantage of their rapid operation is that they can synthesize more protein more diligently, and the acceleration of protein synthesis allows muscle cells to develop more than would be possible without a creatine supplement. The main causes of overtraining is the lack of intramuscular creatine, slowing down the resynthesis of ATP. A contribution of creatine ensures that this does not happen. Bodybuilders are encouraged to use creatine because it can provide muscle energy, muscle strength, and help reduce fat.

3. Muscle hypertrophy:

The sustained contribution and consequent increase in volume due to the access to accompanying water end up forcing the muscle fiber to adapt to this situation and therefore physiologically requiring an increase in the synthesis of new muscle proteins that adequate volume and size.

Studies show that taking creatine can run longer and with greater intensity. Creatine has been observed to produce a slight increase in the percentage of type II muscle fibers. Theoretically, if we could increase the percentage of this type of fiber, we would have more capacity to produce a great performance of strength and power, in relation to the other type II and type I fibers. of the potential for the growth of muscle fibers.

4. Improves anaerobic exercise :

Intense and intermittent exercise, of the explosive type, is one that requires ATP and PCr. Sprinters, powerlifters, and bodybuilders can all benefit from creatine supplementation, which boosts their performance.

How to take creatine and doses

Most studies on creatine supplementation have used creatine monohydrate , the form of creatine attached to a molecule of Water. Some studies suggest that the combination of creatine and carbohydrates increases the absorption of creatine. ( I advise taking it with some juice 30 minutes before training )

The most common protocol used since 1990 was to perform 4 doses of 5-7 grams per day for 5 days as a loading phase. That is, about 20-25 grams per day divided into 4 doses. But over the years it has been seen that this loading phase is useless and almost all the creatine is excreted in the urine.

According to current studies, the key to effective creatine supplementation and to be able to fully fill the deposits is to take small amounts and delay intestinal absorption, this gives creatine more ballots to end up in the muscle than in the urine.

That is why it is recommended to take only 2-5 grams a day, 30 minutes before training. (taking more than 5 grams a day will not help us at all and the excess will be thrown away in the urine as I said above)

Is creatine supplementation good for everyone?

creatine supplementation may not be effective for everyone. Due to the mechanisms by which creatine supplementation works, it may not be as effective for endurance athletes. A significant percentage (5%) of the general population appears to have no response to creatine.

People who are vegetarians seem to have a greater response to creatine, in theory, due to the lack of dietary intake with creatine. From this, it can be inferred that individuals who consume large amounts of protein on a daily basis, especially red meat, will have a less significant response to creatine supplementation than the amount ingested through their typical diet.

Conclusion

Supplementing with creatine can provide the results you are looking for. No supplement can replace the fundamental elements of a fit, healthy lifestyle. These include adequate rest and recovery, proper nutrition, and adequate training stimulus.

Only when these factors exist and are optimized for your body, will you begin to see results (reduction in body fat and increase in muscle mass). When this occurs, supplementation is a possible “next step” to increase the results you are looking for.

After many comments on this article about creatine, I have decided to create another article about the most frequently asked questions about this supplement. Anyone who has a question about creatine will undoubtedly find all the answers that come to mind here!

What you take or eat before your workout can greatly influence, not only your performance in the gym, but your gains in muscle mass . Follow these four simple steps and you’ll be on your way to anabolic muscle growth from the very first rep you perform.

When it comes to nutrition, it seems that most bodybuilders – beginners and intermediate lifters in particular – place a greater emphasis on ensuring that their post-workout nutrition is the most appropriate. possible and they forget that pre-training is also very important.

A regimen with good nutrition, if followed correctly, will help you experience dramatically noticeable gains in muscle size and strength.

To visualize the importance of pre-workout supplementation, imagine your body running on an empty stomach during training. You may feel a bit sluggish and your performance may suffer. If you are lucky, you can still get some muscle engorgement. But what you don’t realize is that you are experiencing a double negative effect.

Mainly, if you are training on an almost empty stomach, glycogen stores are depleted quickly. And once they are completely exhausted, the body will use your muscle mass as its closest source of energy.

The other negative consequence of inadequate pre-workout nutrition is that intensity and endurance capacity suffer. As a result, you won’t be able to push yourself to the limit, resulting in a less-than-stellar performance in the gym.

As a general rule, your nutritional pre-workout regimen should be divided into two phases. The first phase consists of having a meal an hour or two before exercising (depending on your metabolism).

The second phase takes place 15 to 30 minutes before training and consists of supplements that are consumed to give more fuel to your training. Here are four easy-to-follow tips you can use to build a solid pre-workout nutrition plan.

Phase one: Pre-workout meal (1-2 hours before training)

1. Slow-digesting carbohydrates:

Before training you need to consume good sources of carbohydrates, such as slow-digesting ones. Not only will they provide a source of energy, preventing your body from using the energy from your muscles, but they will also sustain you throughout your entire workout.

This is why it is not advisable to use high glycemic index or fast digesting carbohydrates, as they will quickly deplete once their energy source is used during your training.

If you consume excess carbohydrates, or too close to your workout, your body will not have enough time to metabolize food.

As a result, blood is redirected directly to working muscles rather than assisting with digestion. As a general rule, it is recommended to consume between 40-80 grams of carbohydrates one or two hours before training.

Some slow digesting carbohydrates can be: brown rice, oats, whole wheat pasta, etc.

2. Eat fruits:

Fruits, like oranges, are an excellent addition to a pre-workout meal. Now that you have a slower digesting source of carbohydrates (as noted above), it is also beneficial to have a small, rapidly digesting carbohydrate source to kick start your workout.
Oranges provide this type of energy source fast.

In addition to providing a solid source of simple carbohydrates, oranges are packed with vitamin C and electrolytes. Bananas and apples are also great options if oranges aren’t to your liking.

3. Proteins:

Of course, no meal is complete without protein. As the most important source of muscle growth, protein – made up of essential and non-essential amino acids – is vital to maintaining a positive nitrogen balance necessary to stimulate maximum protein synthesis.

Obtaining the correct amino acid ratio is critical to achieving an anabolic state and the best way to achieve this is by consuming complete protein sources such as egg whites, chicken, turkey and even skim milk.

Another option is to have a whey protein shake if you can’t eat or are in a rush. As a general rule, consume 20 to 40 grams of protein in preparation for your training session.

Phase 2: Pre-training supplements (30 minutes before training)

4. Supplements:

There are a lot of supplements to choose from. Therefore, when analyzing stores be sure to select a fast-acting supplement, which is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream so that you have extra energy in your training.

Products that contain a combination of caffeine and l-arginine are very popular choices, and for good reason. Caffeine promotes greater focus, intensity, and energy in the gym. Arginine-based supplements are another popular option, as they are designed to activate maximal vasodilation, resulting in stronger muscle engorgement.

When developing an effective chest training routine, press exercises are essential for building mass and strength in the pectoral muscles and achieving overall good fitness.

Adding the bench press as a main part of your upper-body workout allows you to take advantage of the benefits of a compound movement: effective exercise of multiple muscle groups at once and faster release of testosterone into your system for faster recovery, greater fat burning and muscle growth.

Choosing to make the bench press a key component of your routine is one step, choosing which method to use for the bench press is another. The barbell bench press is one of the most traditional and popular options for chest workouts. Comprised of a straight metal barbell with plates added to the ends, a barbell is what most people think of when it comes to the bench press. Dumbbells are another popular option for press exercises and are used in pairs during bench press exercises generally with the same weight on each side. A flat, sturdy bench is used with the bar or dumbbells to support your weight while allowing you to keep your feet flat on the floor.

Note : When planning your upper body routine, perform compound exercises like the bench press at the beginning of your workout and then continue with more isolated workouts as openings and crosses for increased muscle exhaustion.

Should I choose barbell or dumbbells for the bench press?

There are three components of a bench press that can drastically affect your results: range of motion, symmetrical effort, and muscle tension. Here are some barbell and dumbbell press comparisons when it comes to these factors:

1. Range of motion

Barbell Press : When grasping a bar, your hands lock into a fixed position on the bar and then you begin to press up. This movement does not allow your arms to move through their full range of motion, limiting the potential extension of your arms and the impact of the bench press itself

Dumbbell Press : The dumbbell press requires both hands and arms to lift the dumbbell and allows you to extend yourself further, significantly increasing your range of motion. This allows more muscles to move and be placed under more tension from the press, increasing the muscle benefit of your workout.

2. Symmetric development

Barbell Press : One of the problems with pushing a single barbell is that sometimes mastery of the hands comes into play. If you bench press while favoring one side, you could end up with a size and growth imbalance in your muscles.

Dumbbell Press : Since each arm has its own system for pushing the weight, each arm moves independently to lift the dumbbell. This allows each side to do the same work and develop equally.

3. Muscle tension

Barbell press : During a barbell press, it can be tempting to slide your hands outward to distribute muscle tension to other muscle groups outside of the chest. This in turn decreases the stress placed on the pectoral muscles, which can negatively affect your results.

Dumbbell Press : Since the dumbbell press allows a greater range of motion in the exercise, you have more control over the movement of your arms and can maintain more your movement in front of your body instead of outwards. This will allow you to maintain a more concentrated tension on your chest muscles for a longer period of time, maximizing your results.

The most important thing to remember with any exercise is that consistency is key, as well as knowing the basics of a compound movement. Variety ranks close in importance. Almost all weightlifters will start on the bench with a bare barbell and quickly (or slowly) work their way up to more and more plates. Eventually, however, your training will stabilize, become stale, and even inefficient; That’s where the dumbbells will come to your rescue.

Dumbbells will help you increase your range of motion, stay longer under tension, and help you exaggerate your chest pressure movement. Without the help of a training partner, dumbbells are your best friend to help you overcome a plateau and squeeze those extra gains.