Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The Best Muscle Workout May Not be what you think

There are so many programs out there that claim to be the best muscle workout that it is easy to be misled, or confused. How is it possible to determine what is the very best muscle building workout for you?

The answer to this question lies in what your goal is. The best muscle building program is different for a person who is looking to just get into shape versus a guy who is looking to become the next Mr Olympia. There are programs that show you how to "get ripped" and some that show you how to pick up a car (strength). But all of them have one thing in commen, the best muscle workout is one where you actually get off your butt and do something.

There is no simple pill that you take that will get you to develop the physique that you are looking for, at least not a legal one. Even with the use of illegal steroids or stimulants, you cannot get the body that you desire by just sitting there. The key to creating the body that you desire is in action and sweat....yes, sweat.

One of the key ways to set your goal is to determine exactly who, or what you want your new body to look like. By doing that, you can visualize exactly what you want to look like. Do you want to look like an athlete or Arnold? For me, I would rather have a healthy, strong body than a body builder physique.

The good thing is that the internet is full of solutions when it comes to creating the best muscle building workout for your specific goals. There is no doubt that having a lean, muscular physique will not only make you look good, but it will also allow you to move around (not like that huge body builder). There is no doubt that in comparing who you may want to have your body look like, a UFC fighter has to come into the mix.

UFC fighters have extremely strong, healthy bodies. They have created one of the best muscle workouts around. Their MMA workouts are built around increasing strength without bulk, increasing explosiveness and quickness and of course creating endurance and stamina. There is possible way in looking at some of these guys that you would beleive they dont have a body that you would like to have. The good news is, you actually can.


Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - The Best Muscle Workout May Not be what you think


Author: Alexander Travis

Monday, January 4, 2010

Get Washboard Abs with an MMA Workout

You can get washboard abs by doing an MMA workout just like the UFC fighters do. UFC fighters have to build a solid core in order to not only be able to handle a punch or kick to the midsection, but also their core muscles are what can help them to torque their body in many of the holds that they put on their opponents. Now you can learn the same techniques that they know in order to get washboard abs like they do.

In order to get washboard abs, you don't need to spend hours upon hours doing sit ups. In fact, sit ups are not the best exercise to get that six pack that you desire. In order to get the best looking six pack possible, you need to do isometric core exercises.

Isometric core exercises are those that are not built around movement of the body, but rather the tightening or contracting of the muscle. Many people who do yoga understand the meaning of isometric exercises (although this is not about yoga.) One of the best ways to do iseometric exercises for your abs is with a plank.

By doing a plank, you are tightening your core ab muscles without "building" your ab muscles. To do a proper plank, you place your elbows and forearms on the ground with your toes on the ground (as if you were doing a push up). If you tighten your abs and your glutes (butt), you will feel the tension in your core muscles. Keep that position for 30 - 45 seconds and you will start to feel the burn.

With this exercise, you will notice that there are no movements done to build muscle, which makes the ab muscle group tighten up in order to get washboard abs. There are also many other variations that go along with doing planks that also will help to build your core muscle groups.

But don't be mistaken, you cannot get washboard abs if you do not also make sure that you are eating the right foods and dieting correctly. The midsection area of a body has the most fat content and so it must be free of that fat layer in order to see the results of your hard work.

All of these exercises to get washboard abs as well as ripped biceps and chest are all in Eric Wong's MMA Ripped program. In this program, you will learn the very best exercises that the UFC fighters are doing to get their bodies to be absolute machines.

Click Here for Eric Wong's MMA Ripped Fat Loss Program

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Get Washboard Abs with an MMA Workout

Monday, December 28, 2009

An MMA routine should develop movements, not muscle groups

Every workout routine from a standard gym trainer is always the same. Their routines are always about building your chest, shoulders, legs and arms all separately. But a good MMA routine develops muscles groups based on the movements that you use to strike, sweep and take down your opponents.

Every gym trainer always looks at the bench press as the holy grail of building and defining muscle and strength. Guys in the locker room always talk about how much they can bench, or how many reps they got in. But, when it comes to fighting, the bench press offers little in the way of really knowing how to deliver a punch. This is because the bench press has you laying down and only using the chest and shoulders in a up/down motion.

When you workout with a good MMA routine, you would be thinking more about the movements that you would need to throw that punch. That would not only include the chest and the shoulder muscles, but also the obliques and back muscles that torque your body for its full potential. When you are throwing a punch, you aren't standing in a completely straight up position (like the bench you would be laying on).

Now, to be sure, I am not discounting the bench press in any way. It is a great exercise for building strength and isolating your chest and shoulders for bodybuilding. But in an MMA routine, it would not be the best way to really develop the muscles used.

A different, better exercise would be to throw a heavy medicine ball or even a heavy bag to a partner. When you begin your movement of throwing the medicine ball, start the ball at your hip or on your side. This better reflects the torquing that your body does when you are delivering a hard punch. Raise the ball towards your chest and press it to your partner. In doing so, you are developing your chest and shoulders as the bench press, but it is in a more free flowing motion. You also should be standing, which develops your balance making you a more formidable fighter.

This is just an example of the unorthodox methods of developing muscles for movement, and not just to build. MMA routines are created around the thought of what movements should be isolated for each different strike that is done. That way, you compound the development to deliver the most powerful blow possible.

For more MMA routine information click here!

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - An MMA routine should develop movements, not muscle groups

Thursday, December 24, 2009

MMA Conditioning Program for a Mean Body

MMA Conditioning Program for a Mean Body

Author: Alexander Travis

Doing an MMA Conditioning program does not mean just running around the block or on a treadmill. A good MMA conditioning program is one where you push your body to limits of endurance in order to push through the barriers to get to the next level.

When people hear the word conditioning, they often think about a marathon runner or someone who has the physical capacity to go long distances. That is not the case when you are talking about MMA conditioning. For an MMA workout to be successful, the fighter needs to push not only the cardio portion of the workout, but the total exhaustion of the fighters muscles. Only then will he be able to increase his stamina and be ready to fight in the octagon.

So, what does an MMA conditioning program look like?

Well, it is about as unorthodox as a workout could be. Running or jogging is only good for warming up your muscles when it comes to one of these intense workouts. Short distance sprints are used to build not only the legs' muscle endurance, but also get the fighters lungs to full capacity. Sprints are an effective way to add explosive power and quickness to your legs. This will also give a fighter the ability to shoot for his opponent and take them down.

Of course, muscle endurance and MMA conditioning is about blending speed and stamina. When you mix in speed, you create that explosiveness with any type of movement that is done. For instance, boxers are known for punching the speed bag for both hand eye coordination and to increase the speed and rhythm of their jabs. For an MMA fighter, especially in a kickboxing discipline, the heavy bag is used to kick on. Not slowly and methodically, but quickly and powerful. Again, this delivers a powerful kick to the opponent, but also increased the muscle endurance of the fighter. Continuous, quick kicks to a heavy bag conditions the fighter to have the stamina to perform those kicks late in the fight.

All over You Tube, you can find videos of UFC fighters workout out by slamming a sledgehammer into a big tire. This is not to show how tough they are and how hard they can swing a hammer, it is to increase the muscular endurance of their back and shoulder muscles. Continuously chopping down on that tire with a heavy sledgehammer until the point of exhaustion, gives the fighter the edge he needs to continue to ground and pound his opponent.

So, MMA conditioning is not about just being able to run long distances without breathing heavy. It is more about the anaerobic conditioning of the muscle and building endurance that will keep the fighter strong and powerful into the late rounds of a fight. For they know, if they can't go the distance, they probably wont win.

Click Here for a great MMA Conditioning and Strength program!

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - MMA Conditioning Program for a Mean Body

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

MMA Workouts will get you looking good

Author: Alexander Travis

To have the Ultimate Fighter body that you desire, you need to build your strength. However, strength for a UFC fighter is not bodybuilding, that must be made very clear. UFC fighters build their muscular frames by performing many exercised that enhance both their power and functional athletic muscle, without sacrificing agility and flexibility. Therefore, a lot of the exercises they perform in their MMA workouts are not the typical "gym membership" types of exercises. They are not interested in bulk and brawn.

For each of the different martial art discipline, different core muscles are used in different ways. For instance, a striker, UFC fighter would have a workout that focuses mainly on arms, shoulder, neck and torso strength. They develop their MMA workouts to focus on powerful punches, jabs, uppercuts and work their core muscles to accept a blow to the midsection or head without faltering.

Kickboxer and Karate disciplines develop their MMA workouts around creating powerful punches and jabs, but also work on strengthening their leg muscles to deliver crushing roundhouse, heel kick and side kicks. They need a strong core to create the flexibility and power to derive these types of strikes. They also create their MMA workouts to create a solid balanced foundation that allows them to quickly strike and quickly pull away from strikes.

Wrestlers and Grapplers develop their MMA workouts around total body strength with less emphasis on speed and agility. They are flexible, but tend to develop their workout regimens to develop ways to overpower their opponents. Their workouts consist of many lifting, pulling and twisting exercises that develop powerful backs, shoulders and arms. They do squats to develop the leg muscles needed for slams and ground movement.

Jiu Jitsu is a completely different discipline that is aimed more at speed than strength. Sure, these UFC fighters are in prime condition and very strong, but they create their MMA workouts to maintain ultimate flexibility and agility. Their muscles are developed for quickness. Jiu Jitsu fighters are methodical about their holds and chokes and wait for the optimum time to submit their opponents.

By tailor making your own workout, you can develop your muscles, speed and stamina to match what the UFC fighters do, even if you aren't planning on stepping into the ring soon.

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Find out how you too can have an ultimate body with a UFC Workout

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - MMA Workouts will get you looking good