5 Tips for Gaining Muscle Mass Faster

As a bodybuilder or a keen gym-goer, you'll know that there are plenty of things you can do to gain muscle mass. However, if you are looking to gain muscle fast, this is where it becomes difficult. Since muscle growth is naturally a slower process than fat gain, you'll need to make some specific changes to your diet and training routine. If you want to gain muscle mass fast, here are some tips you can use.

Start from a Low Body Fat Level

Experts suggest that starting your muscle-building journey from a lean state will help you to maximize results. For men, you want to be at 10% body fat or lower, and for women, you should be at 16% or less. If your body fat percentage is any higher than this and you start to try and build muscle mass by consuming more calories, you are simply feeding a metabolism that is increasing body fat stores. Instead, the leaner you are, the more likely it is that your body will use these calories for training, muscle growth, and recovery. This leads us to our next point.

Add More Calories Gradually

As you probably already know, gaining muscle requires consuming more calories than you burn off. Since you need to be in a calorie deficit for losing weight, the opposite is true for bulking up. However, there is a delicate balance you need to reach when it comes to increasing your caloric intake. Too much, and you risk excessive body fat being gained instead of muscle. The best advice is to gradually increase the amount you eat so that you can carefully monitor your weight gain and achieve the right muscle growth to fat gain ratio.

Consider Natural Steroids

Anabolic steroids are currently illegal in the US and possession of them can land you with a hefty fine and even a prison sentence in some situations. There are also many nasty side effects, such as infertility, breast development, and an increased risk of prostate cancer, so it's just not worth the risk. However, there is good news for those wanting to gain muscle mass fast in a safer way. You can try turkesterone instead. This is a natural ecdysteroid found in plants and insects. There are said to be many health benefits related to turkesterone, including increased muscular endurance, improved recovery time, and improved body composition. It can even help with improving cholesterol and glucose levels.

Workout Sessions Should Be Frequent but Less Intense

While the temptation might be to simply create more intense workouts, research suggests that this isn't always the best route to take. Instead, you want to work out more frequently without pushing yourself too hard. This avoids injury and excessive soreness. For example, if you planned to focus on training your legs in just one session per week, you'd need to do a high number of low stimulus reps. However, spreading the reps over several sessions allows you to move more weight and reduce the stress you are putting on your body.

Eat More Protein and Carbs

It goes without saying that protein is vital for muscle growth. You need to consume around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight when you are trying to bulk up. However, it is also important to get enough carbs. While the muscles can use protein for energy, carbs are required if you want energy for high-intensity workouts. Here, it is recommended that you consume between two and three grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight.

Gaining muscle fast requires eating the right foods and devising the right workout. Use these tips to help you along your journey.

The Final Issue of Archery Focus Magazine

The final issue of Archery Focus Magazine is now available. I am fortunate to have been part of it.

I will miss it.

People interested in reading the final issue or reading back issues can learn more at:

archeryfocusmagazine.com

 

Horse Riding as Exercise

How many calories do you burn while riding a horse?

Well, the horse is doing most of the work... But the rider isn't exactly still either.

According to our sources - horseback riding calculators and magazines like Canadian Thoroughbred Magazine - an individual rider burns approximately 250 to 400 calories on average (varies on the rider's weight and level of fitness). This happens when riding at a slow speed. On the other hand, speedier activities like galloping tend to burn 550 to 700 calories per hour, but the horse can't really gallop for a full hour. It needs to stop and rest. You would have to gallop on a horse for as long as it can gallop, switch horses and repeat, and keep doing that for an hour. So you can't really gallop on a horse for a full hour.

All this goes to prove is the horse riding is great exercise.

It is also expensive. The vet bills alone for owning a horse is over $11,000 CDN per year.

But there is a solution!

If you really want to learn how to ride a horse (and get exercise) there are a variety of places that offer horse riding lessons or "trail riding days" near Toronto.

Places like:

• Claireville Ranch
• Caledon Equestrian School
• Creditview Stables
• Meadowlarke Stables
• Benchmark Equestrian
• Raynham Stables
• Briarwood Farms
• Quarter Valley Stables
• York Equestrian
• Forward Riding School
• Well Dressed Equestrian
• Pathways on Pleasure Valley
• Silvercreek Riding School
• Ajax Riding Academy
• Stoneridge Farm

And more... Seriously. There's a tonne of them, and they cater to a variety of needs so you just need to browse if you want to find a fun place to ride horses (and get exercise). You want to find the kind of place that is right for you, in terms of the financial cost of riding lessons or "trail rides" and what you are looking for. Trail rides for example are typically less expensive, but they're not really teaching you anything. You are just expected to ride the horse as it follows the trail and you don't do anything else except ride (which is great if your primary goals are exercise and fresh air).

 

Not everyone wants trail rides however. Some people might want English-style riding lessons, or Western-style riding lessons. Some people might even be interested in show jumping or horse racing, in which case they would need to find specialized lessons for that sort of thing.

Some people might even want to learn how to ride bareback... on a beach. And while that sounds like a fantasy there are technically places that offer that. They're called resorts that have their own private beach and have horse riding lessons available for guests at the resort. Guaranteed you are paying a premium for that extra bit.

But if you do get into horse riding there are a number of physical health benefits for doing so, and a few mental ones too.

The benefits of horse riding include:

• Strengthens core muscles. Core muscles are the ones that support your torso and help keep you upright.
• Works your leg muscles.
• Your arms and shoulder muscles get a workout.
• Boosts heart health.
• Improves balance and coordination.
• Lowers stress.
• Helps develop problem-solving skills.
• Increases your bond with animals. 

So... Are you still procrastinating? You're not getting any younger. Go find some horse riding lessons today! It makes no difference to me. I mostly teach archery lessons. I just happen to like horses.

If it was up to me I would opt for the trail riding because I have already had horse riding lessons when I was younger. Getting riding lessons and repeating a lot of the stuff I already know is useless to me. I just want to go riding.

But I do foresee getting my son riding lessons, and possibly my wife if I can get her to agree to it, in which case that list of places above could be handy.

How Smartwatches Can Help You Lose Weight?

By Karlo

Smartwatches seem to be on the rise. They have proven to be more than a fad but are not as popular as smartphones are. One area in which they get heavily touted is fitness. One of the most common obsessions of the modern age is the desire to lose weight. In this article, we explore how you can use your smartwatch to help you with that goal.

Every Step Counts

No matter what someone says, you will not lose weight just by having a gadget on your wrist. It is there to make your tracking and info logging easier and provide you with certain useful information, but it doesn’t magically start reducing your kilos.

Pretty much any smartwatch has a pedometer to count your steps. It’s a good beginning. Most will even have a programmed target of 10.000 walking steps a day. You will most likely fail to hit that target, but don’t worry. 5.000 is also good enough if you have other psychical activities in the day or if your diet is reasonably balanced. Not to mention, any psychical activity (including walking) helps a lot with your insulin sensitivity which might have gotten worse if you lived a sedentary life for some time.

An essential part of exercising (and eating) right is to reward yourself with something after. And in this case, bad food isn’t an option. Instead, we recommend you play games. Get a hit of adrenaline by playing free online games that don't cost you a cent. Eg. Pokemon Go.

 

Half of the Work Is Done In The Kitchen

Walking, running, and exercising is only one-half of the equation. Your diet is the other part. Luckily, you can get a lot of assistance from your smartwatch in that regard.

It would help to track the calories and the macros (protein, carbohydrates, or fats) you are intaking. But to do that, you would first need to know how many calories a specific type of food has. So it would help if you had a convenient way to store information (what and how much you ate) and a quick way to find out how many calories are in the ingredients you are using for dinner. Don’t worry; that’s what nutrition platforms come in handy. And the best ones are., of course, also available for your smartwatch too.

One thing not to forget is to drink enough water. It is suitable for weight-reducing goals, but it is even more critical for your general health and wellbeing. And smartwatches can also help to remind you to drink enough water during the day.

All in all, smartwatches don’t magically make you lose weight. They help manage the process more efficiently and digitally. They don’t suddenly give you a surge of willpower or make you run more. That is your part. Think of your smartwatch just as a fitness (and diet) notebook for the 21st century.

5 Best Treadmills with Web Surfing

By Petra

A treadmill is an excellent investment for both home and professional use. It's always available and can get used no matter the outside weather. Also, running on cushioned tread has a lesser impact than running on outside terrain. The great thing about treadmills is they can track your workout, and some treadmills can simulate different terrains. In addition to basic features, some modern treadmills can get used for web surfing. They also let you listen to music and watch videos. In the text below, we gathered the five best treadmills that allow web surfing and mentioned some of their most significant features to help you find the most suitable one.

NordicTrack Commercial 2450

The NordicTrack 2450 features a 14" screen that allows watching videos and films while working out and taking care of your health. At any moment, you can check your activities by switching to the stats tracking mode. In addition, by automatically adjusting the treadmill's pace, incline, and descent, the iFit app will assist you in concentrating on your running and following the instructions. Other features include space-saving design and FlexSelect cushioning that makes running comfortable and easy.

Artis Run

Artis Run shares the basic and minimalist design of the Artis series. It includes strength and cardio equipment, and it got designed to provide maximum performance and complete training. It features a big cushioned running surface that adjusts to your pace precisely. Also, it comes with 21 inches multimedia touch interface that has an ergonomic placement. The touchscreen serves to watch TV series and movies, enjoy music, and surf the web while the workout gets tracked. The advanced technology enables minimal power consumption and quiet operation. Fast track controls are programmable and easy to use for interval training. For uphill training, the treadmill can imitate an incline of up to 15%.

Matrix TF50

Matrix TF50 is a sturdy and durable treadmill that has a lot to offer. Various connection options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Android. It features a 16" touchscreen display and 5W speakers. Furthermore, it's integrated with many popular apps like Netflix, Facebook, and Hulu, along with workout programs. Other features include the maximum speed of 12.5 mph and incline range up to 15%.

Among other apps, Matrix TF50 includes a web browser. You can browse almost any website you want. You can run on a treadmill any time and don't have to worry about missing sports events. It has enough computing power to visit more demanding HTML5 websites, such as online games with detailed graphics. If you have one of these treadmills, be sure to check how they cope with these types of casino games because it will be a good benchmark for everything else you throw at it. On top of that, the treadmill has a dent so that you can put a tablet in it. Load it with your favourite apps and combine it with the touchscreen.

ProForm Pro 9000

The 60"x 22" belt surface area of ProForm Pro 9000 provides a large running area for running. The steel frame makes this treadmill durable for many years of workouts. The 10" full-colour touchscreen has a Chrome browser for surfing the internet. Also, the treadmill supports iFit integration, allowing you to use it as a personal trainer with automated decline and incline adjustments.

FreeMotion 890

FreeMotion 890 treadmill has a large running area ideal for heavy runners. It also has multiple incline and decline ranges, while the 10-inch touch screen can connect to the Internet and Android. It even has HMDI and RCA ports for connecting to a laptop. Additionally, iFit and 40 workout applications are available. The integrated fan can get used while working out to keep yourself fresh.