By Joanne Barker

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Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

taken from: http://teens.webmd.com/girls-puberty-10/exercise-beauty

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By Barbara Russi Sarnataro
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature

Here you are, standing in a sea of cardiovascular equipment at the gym – rows upon rows of treadmills, elliptical machines, stair steppers, rowing machines, stationary bikes, and more.

So which one do you choose: The machine that is supposed to get you the most fit; the one that burns the most calories; or the device that has least impact on your joints?

These are all valid concerns — but none of these is the most important question you should be asking yourself, says exercise physiologist Bryant A. Stamford. That question is: Which machine do you really want to use?

“When it comes to exercise and weight management, a good assumption is that if someone needs to exercise for weight management, they’re probably pretty easily turned off by exercise,” says Stamford, professor and chairman of the department of exercise science at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind. “The worst thing to do is to mold someone into something because people say it is the best.”

So instead of choosing the treadmill for the calorie-burning factor, or the elliptical trainer your friend recommended, figure out which machine feels best to you, he suggests. “What is it going to take to get you compliant?” he asks. “Everything else is secondary.”

Nashville exercise physiologist Kathy Alexander agrees: “The best aerobic piece of equipment is the one you’re most willing to use,” she says.

But how do you know which machine is likely to feel right to you? Here’s what you can expect from the most popular cardio machines out there, along with some tips on getting the most out of your workout.

Choosing a Machine

Here’s the lowdown on what you can expect from some of the machines you’re likely to find at your local gym.

1. The Treadmill

The treadmill burns the most calories of any of the cardiovascular machines available at most gyms, says Alexander. You can expect to burn about 100 calories per mile, walking briskly.

Stamford notes that a treadmill can be adapted to many different fitness levels by increasing the speed from walking to running or by adjusting the incline.

But even walking may be too much for someone who is overweight and has joint pain.

Every time your foot hits the ground, says Alexander, “the impact forces are 3.7 times your weight just walking on the planet.”

Since a treadmill is moving under you, the impact may be slightly less than that. But if it doesn’t feel right — particularly on your knees or lower back — choose another machine.

One more thing to keep in mind: Treadmills can pose a real balance challenge for new exercisers or those who haven’t worked out in a while, says Matthew Vukovich, exercise physiologist and associate professor at South Dakota State University.

2. Elliptical Machines and Stair Steppers

These machines pack a little less punch on the joints, and either can be a good alternative to the treadmill, says Vukovich.

Because you use them in a standing position, you’re using lots of muscle mass, so the calorie burn rate is still pretty high.

Elliptical machines with arm components can further increase the numbers of calories you burn, says Stamford. But if you’re a beginner, he doesn’t recommend using your arms at first.

3. Stationary Bikes

All our experts agree that the stationary bike offers the workout with the least impact on the joints. People with knee pain are often steered toward these bikes, since the impact of body weight is not a concern as it is on a treadmill, elliptical trainer, or stair stepper.

But to avoid knee strain, you must make sure the bike is adjusted to fit your body, Vukovich says.

“Nine times out of 10, people get on a bike and are not fitted to the bike,” he says.

When adjusting the seat height, he says, make sure that when you’re sitting on the seat with the ball of your foot on the pedal, there is a very slight (5- to 10-degree) bend in your knee.

Most people sit too low, meaning their knees flex too much as they pedal. This can put too much pressure on the knee and result in soreness, warn Vukovich.

In addition, “if you’re too low, you’re not allowing the leg to go through a full range of motion,” meaning you’ll use fewer calories, he says.

The stationary bike is a less intense calorie-burner than some of the other machines. You’ll need to pedal four miles to burn 100 calories, says Alexander.

4. Rowing Machines

Don’t be fooled into thinking this machine gives you only an upper-body workout. Rowers are more advanced cardiovascular machines.

Because you must push with the legs while you pull with the arms, rowers require coordination. They also you require you to engage your core abdominal muscles to support and protect your back.

Because they use so many muscle groups, rowers burn lots of calories. But this machine has several red flags for a beginning or unfit exerciser.

“It is thought by most unfit people to be fairly uncomfortable,” says Stamford.

Extra weight often comes with back pain, and this is not a machine you want to use if you have back issues, he says.

Working out Smart

Our experts offered the following tips to help you make the most of any machine workout:

Choose a machine that feels right. If impact is a problem, the stationary bicycle may be a better choice than the treadmill. If you have low back limitations, it’s probably not a good idea to get on a multi-muscle machine like the rowing machine at first.

“It’s not so much about the machine as the relationship between the body and the machine,” says Alexander. “If anything hurts and you can’t modify the equipment or yourself so that it doesn’t hurt, then, at least for that day, that’s not the right piece of equipment for you.”

More muscle use equals more calorie burn. The basic rule of thumb is that the machine that exercises the greatest muscle mass burns the most calories. There’s a flip side of that coin, too: If you’re a beginner, using more muscles means getting fatigued sooner — which will result in burning fewer calories.

“As someone who hasn’t been exercising, it’s better initially to work less muscle groups so you don’t get tired as quickly,” says Alexander.

Vary the routine. You’ve discovered you like the elliptical machine and it keeps you coming back? Great. But don’t let yourself get bored.

Experiment, recommends Stamford: Try using a pre-programmed workout that includes variations in speed and intensity. Or vary those factors yourself during your workout.

“Why set it at 3.5 and a 1% incline for 40 minutes? That’s boring,” he says. “Play with it, vary it, change it. There are so many things you can do to make it more interesting.”

Work out for time. Instead of forcing yourself to stay on one piece of equipment when you’re bored or uncomfortable, just give yourself a time goal at the gym, says Stamford.

For example, give yourself 30 minutes to get your workout in. Then break it up any way you want – say, 10 minutes each on the treadmill and bike, followed by 10 on the elliptical machines. If you’re still feeling chipper, go for 5 or 10 more minutes on the machine of your chice.

“There’s no reason you have to follow the rules of fitness to get you to weight management,” says Stamford. “The more agony you impose on yourself, the more likely you are to quit.”

Mix it up. Even if you love one particular machine, you don’t have to use it every time. “The key is changing to avoid boredom, and adapting,” adds Vukovich. “Don’t do the same one every time; try them all. That way, you’re not bored, you have variety, and you’re always challenging the body in a different way.”

Ignore the readouts. At the end of your workout, it’s nice to see that you’ve burned X number of calories or traversed X number of miles, but don’t put too much credence into these numbers, says Stamford.

Because these results are based on averages, he explains, they “are about as accurate as rolling the dice and multiplying eye color times shoe size.”

Better, he advises, to cue in on how you feel, how you’re breathing, and what your perceived exertion is.

“All this quantification is sort of American, it’s sort of the way we do things,” he says. “I always encourage people to just do it and the outcomes will take care of themselves.”

Be a creature of habit. We brush our teeth every morning and every night, Vukovich tells his students. It’s a habit, a routine, something we do every day. It’s not something we have to think much about, or come up with an excuse for avoiding. Exercise should be that way too, he says.

“It doesn’t mean you can’t take a day off,” from exercising, he says, “but it’s easier to do if it’s something that’s ingrained in you, like brushing your teeth.”

Set realistic goals. The bottom line is that if you don’t like your exercise program, you won’t stick with it. So instead of setting yourself up for failure with all sorts of requirements, set less lofty goals at first, if it means you can meet them, says Alexander.

Maybe tell yourself you’ll start out coming to the gym three times a week. If you manage a fourth time, that’s awesome. But if you say you’ll come six days a week and end up only coming three, you’ll feel negative instead of positive about what you did.

Get medical clearance. Never begin a new exercise regimen without getting the approval of your doctor. If you don’t even have an internist or family practitioner, says Alexander, “it is a great time to hunt one down.”
taken from: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/all-bout-exercise-machines

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Use this page to create a personalized bodybuilding diet that will help you achieve the ultimate goal of a leaner, more muscular physique that’s at least as strong as it looks.

In this nutrition guide, I walk you through the nine simple steps of creating a weight lifting diet plan that works for you.

I’ll use the hypothetical example of Sammy Smalls (a guy trying to gain weight) to give a context for creating a muscle building diet plan that minimizes fat gain.

I’ll also use the example of Freddy Fatts (a guy trying to lose weight) for explaining how to design a weight loss diet plan that minimizes muscle loss.

9 Step Bodybuilding Diet Action Plan

Quick Overview. I’ll go over each step in detail, but here are all nine steps at a glance:

• Need-to-Know Basics. Not so fast…. If you don’t already know these basic nutrition concepts, you must master them before going too in-depth with the nine steps, listed below:

1. Short-Term Goal. Decide whether the first step towards your ultimate goal is to bulk up or cut down.
2. Daily Calories. Estimate your daily caloric needs based on your short-term goal, bodyweight, activity level, and metabolism.
3. Protein Intake. Eat 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.
4. Fat Intake. Set fat intake at about 20% of total daily calories.
5. Carb Intake. Carbohydrates fulfill the remaining calories after setting protein and fat intakes.
6. Workout Nutrition. Eat solid or liquid meals pre- and post-workout for enhanced performance and recovery.
7. Meals and Food. Eat as often as needed to fulfill your requirements (calories and macros) and eat the right foods to stay healthy and keep your bodybuilding diet on track.
8. Hydration. Drink about a gallon of water (or any calorie-free drinks) per day.
9. Test and Tweak. Test your diet plan and modify it if you are not getting the desired results.

Stay Focused. Avoid wasting time and energy with any fad diet tactics or advanced techniques that you might find elsewhere. All you need is right here – the bodybuilding diet fundamentals that drive results.

Need-to-Know Nutrition Basics

Before You Start. Before diving into the nine steps, I’m going to explain why a good bodybuilding diet is important and what important nutrition concepts you must know.

Nutrition Fundamentals. I’m going to make sure you understand a few simple nutrition concepts before we get to explaining each of the nine bodybuilding diet steps. You’ll learn about calories, macronutrients, and how they are related. I have also provided an example (see table below) of how to convert macronutrients into calories, which is essential to creating and understanding your diet.

• Definition of Calories. Calories is defined as a measurement of the energy in food. Your body needs the calories in food to get the energy it needs to function.
• Burning Calories For Energy.Your body is constantly burning calories for energy – every time you take a step, talk, blink, breathe, or even while reading how to create your bodybuilding diet.If you can’t get the calories you need from food, then your body is forced to go cannibalistic and eat away at its own tissue. This means that it will burn stored energy in the form of fat or muscle.
• Definition of Macronutrients. Proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are the three macronutrients that contain the calories in food. Macronutrients act as a source of calories as well as the building blocks for body tissue.
• Calories per Macronutrient. Each gram of a given macronutrient has a certain number of calories as shown in the table below. Note that grams (g) are the standard for measuring macros.

Your New Best Friend – The Nutrition Label. When it comes to putting your diet into practice, you must be able to read and understand the nutrition facts on the back of the food packaging. Otherwise, you can’t keep track of calories and macronutrients – the most critical aspect of an effective and productive bodybuilding diet plan.

The table below demonstrates how to convert the grams listed for each macronutrient into calories using 2% milk as an example.

Now You’re Ready. Finally, we’re ready to move on to the good part – creating your personalized bodybuilding diet plan and getting you on your way to real results!

Step #1: Choose a Short-Term Goal

Short-Term Goal. Your long-term goal is probably something along the lines of being bigger, stronger, and leaner. But for now, you must choose a short-term goal. Start with one of the following bodybuilding diet types:

• Bulking Diet. A weight gain plan for increasing muscle mass while ideally minimizing fat gain. In simplest terms, bulking involves eating more food. You’ll learn the details of creating a bulking diet plan in the remaining steps.
• Cutting Diet. A weight loss plan to burn fat and get shredded while ideally maintaining muscle mass. In simplest terms, this means eating less food. As with bulking, you will discover how to set up a cutting diet plan by the end of this guide.

Newbie Gains! There’s great news if you are a beginner and deciding between bulking and cutting for your bodybuilding diet: newbie gains. This phenomenon allows beginning lifters to see rapid progress.

In addition to overall faster results, you can also observe fat loss while gaining muscle if you choose to bulk. Likewise, you experience some muscle gain while burning fat if you choose to cut. This only lasts for a few months, so be sure to take advantage of the situation like a man with an almanac and a time machine!

Still Deciding to Bulk or Cut? Not sure which route to take? The easiest way to decide is by looking in the mirror and going with your gut feeling. Would you rather get bigger and more muscular or get more shredded first? I recommend bulking if you have 12% body fat or lower. If you are above 12%, then start cutting to lose fat. These are just recommendations.

Step #2: Estimate Daily Calories

Maintenance Level. Maintenance level refers to how many calories you eat and burn per day. The starting point for any bodybuilding diet plan is to find out how many calories you must eat per day. This will depend on whether your short-term goal involves bulking or cutting. The following statements demonstrate the basic concept behind calorie requirements.

• Bulk. Eat above maintenance level → More calories than you burn per day.
• Cut. Eat below maintenance level → Fewer calories than you burn per day.

Bulking and Cutting Calories. Use the bodybuilding diet guidelines below to calculate your calorie intake to lose weight or gain weight.

• Bulk. Multiply your bodyweight x 18 calories.
• Cut. Multiply your bodyweight x 12 calories.

Note Regarding Estimations. The above equations work very well for the majority of people. However, different body types can make a difference if you’re on one extreme or another. For example:

• The “Ectomorph” Body Type. You can try multiplying your bodyweight by a higher number if you’re a pure ectomorph (e.g., bw x 20 to bulk; bw x 14 to cut).
• The “Endomorph” Body Type. On the opposite side of the spectrum, you can multiply your bodyweight by a lower number if you are a pure endomorph (e.g., bw x 16 to bulk; bw x 10 to cut).

Step #3: Set Protein Intake

Setting Protein Intake. Your protein intake should be 1-1.5 grams per pound (g/lb.) of bodyweight. I personally set my protein intake closer to 1.5 g/lb., especially if I’m cutting.

Step #4: Set Fat Intake

Setting Fat Intake. A fat intake of approximately 20% of total calories works well for the average person’s bodybuilding diet. However, it can vary quite a bit for different people. Some individuals do better with low fat diet plans, while some do better with high fat, low carb meal plans.

Use 20-30% to calculate fat intake for now and change it if needed during step nine.

Step #5: Set Carbohydrate Intake

Setting Carbohydrate Intake. Once protein and fat intakes are set, you simply fulfill the remainder of your caloric needs with carbohydrates. If you’re going the low carb diet route, I recommend you take a look at this low carb foods list for food shopping and meal planning.

This step concludes the “big picture” view of the bodybuilding diets. The next steps cover the details…

Step #6: Eat Pre- and Post-Workout

Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition. The pre-workout meal and post-workout meal are extremely important to your bodybuilding diet, but don’t lose your head about being laser-precise with timing. Many well-intentioned lifters are borderline OCD in that they must have their meal/shake the millisecond they finish a workout because of an irrational fear (thanks to supplement propaganda) of rapidly losing muscle and withering away. Just follow the guidelines below and you’ll be golden.

• Pre-Workout Guidelines.Optimal protein intake is 0.25 g/lb of bodyweight. Optimal carbohydrate intake is also 0.25 g/lb of bodyweight. Fats are optional.You can eat this as a solid meal or as a shake – I do whatever is most convenient in terms of time vs. when I’m planning to work out. If you choose a solid meal, eat it 1-2 hours before working out. If you’d rather have a shake, then drink it 30 minutes or less before starting your workout.
• Post-Workout Guidelines.The optimal protein intake for your post-workout meal is 0.25 g/lb of bodyweight. The optimal carbohydrate intake for your post-workout meal is also 0.25-0.5 g/lb of bodyweight (depending on how carb-restricted your diet is). Fats are optional.As with the pre-workout meal, you can have this as a shake or a solid meal – I always have a shake. Either way, it should be eaten within 30 minutes of finishing your workout.

Step #7: Meals and Food

Meal Frequency. Contrary to bodybuilding diet dogma, there is no magic number of meals per day that you must eat. You can eat as often as you want to as long as you meet all your calorie/macro requirements and include proper workout nutrition.

If you prefer eating 7 small meals per day, then by all means, go for it. I personally find preparing and eating meals to be tedious, so I squeeze my 3500 calories into 3-5 larger, more satisfying meals depending on the day. However, hardgainers who may need to eat 5000+ calories would do much better eating 6+ smaller meals than scarfing down 3 huge meals.

Eat Mostly Healthy Foods. The majority of your food should come from healthy food sources, in order to fulfill your calorie and macronutrient requirements, as well as your vitamin and mineral needs. Check out the muscle building foods page to discover the most nutritious foods to eat for a successful diet.

Flexible Dieting. Note that I said to eat mostly healthy foods. Although there are many healthy foods that taste good, you probably have a not-so-healthy favorite food (pizza or subs for me).

I strongly recommend “fitting” your favorite foods into your dietary requirements on a regular basis (but still hit your calorie and macro goals). This advice may go against the hard-headed, all-or-nothing mentality that is common with the “hardcore” crowd. But, unless you are dieting for a contest, a flexible bodybuilding diet is superior because:

• Any difference in results is negligible or non-existent.
• You can actually enjoy eating.
• You are much more likely to stick to your diet plan.
• Strict diets tend to end in crazy binges of deep fried Twinkies and pixie sticks…. You don’t want that.

Step #8: Drink Water

How to Stay Hydrated. Hydration is a critical, but commonly forgotten aspect of the bodybuilding diet. Most people will be fine if they drink about one gallon of water per day. However, water intake can vary on several factors, especially if you’re drinking water to lose weight.

Top Hydration Tips. Some basic tips and guidelines for proper hydration include the following:

• Replenish. Drink more on training days, especially before, during, and after workouts or strenuous activities, as well as if you’re outside for long periods on hot days.
• Avoid Thirst. Thirst is a sign that you’re already partially dehydrated. The best way to avoid this is by making it a habit to sip on water throughout the day.
• Have No Fear If Your Pee is Clear. The color of your urine is the best indicator of hydration. You’re good to go if your pee is clear or slightly yellow. However, you should up the water intake when your urine is yellow.

Step #9: Test and Tweak

Adjust Your Calories. You will likely need to make a slight adjustment to your calorie requirements based on how much weight gain or weight loss you experience.

• Bulking Adjustments. If you are bulking, you should aim to gain about a pound of bodyweight per week. If you are not gaining any/enough weight, then increase your calories by 10-20% per week until you are gaining about a pound per week. If you are gaining too much weight, decrease calories by about 10-20%.
• Cutting Adjustments. If you are cutting, you should aim to lose about 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing any/enough weight, then decrease your calories by 10-20% per week until you are losing about 1-2 pounds per week. If you are losing too much weight, increase your calories by about 10-20%.

Final Word

Bodybuilding Diet Summary. All nine steps are very important to building your custom-tailored nutrition plan. However, the bare minimum that you should take away from this page are the following underlying bodybuilding diet principles:

• Begin With the End in Mind. You should know exactly which direction you want to take for your short-term goal. This means no wishy-washy, middle of the road approaches that lead to stagnant progress. Decide, then take proper action.
• Meet Your Calorie and Protein Requirements. As long as you eat your target number of calories and enough protein, you will make good progress. The rest certainly does matter, or else it wouldn’t be included on this page. However, it does not make the difference between success and failure.
• Eat Foods That You Enjoy. You must be able to stay on your nutrition plan to have a successful diet. Avoid insane cravings and binges by making your favorite foods a regular part of your diet (while still meeting calorie and macro requirements).

Consistency is Key to Victory. This wraps up the nine fundamental steps of making your perfect bodybuilding diet. It may take a little time to get used to and a couple of cycles to find what works best, but just stick with it and it will soon become second nature. Be consistent with your diet plan and the new and improved body will follow suit.

taken from: http://www.myweightlifting.com/bodybuilding-diet.html

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