Tip: To build a bigger, stronger physique consider supplements

In addition to training and eating properly, remember your BCAA’s (Brain Chain Amino Acids)

The benefits of BCAAs are:

• support protein synthesis
• better testosterone to cortisol ratio for muscle building
• leucine can help increase strength
• glutamine can help aid recovery and assist in curing DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)

Tip: To build a bigger, stronger physique, get your sleep

Your muscles grow while you are resting, so by not giving yourself enough quality Zzz, your body isn't able to recover and repair your muscles as well as it could if you were getting adequate sleep. In addition to being tired, another drawback of sleep deprivation is that important muscle-building hormones are negatively affected. These hormones include testosterone, growth hormone, cortisol and insulin.

Cortisol
This is a catabolic stress hormone which increases fat storage in the body and also aids in breaking down your hard-earned muscle tissue to use for energy. It has been proven that your body produces excess cortisol when you don't sleep enough.

Testosterone
The more testosterone you produce, the more muscle you can gain. Lack of sleep decreases testosterone production.

Growth Hormone
This important hormone regenerates your body and helps build and maintain muscle mass. Once again, skimping on quality sleep will decrease this hormone's production.

Insulin
Without enough insulin in your body, you're not able to maximize your intake of nutrients into your cells. Not getting enough sleep will cause your body to increase insulin production, and if your body produces too much insulin it can cause diabetes, excess fat storage, or even heart disease.

Your muscles grow while you are resting and sleeping, so by not giving yourself enough quality Zzz, your body isn't able to recover and repair your muscles as well as it could if you were getting adequate sleep.

Tip: To build a bigger, stronger physique, get your protein

You need protein for your muscles to grow; the more, the better. Include lean red meats in your daily diet, as they contain the right nutrients to make muscles grow. It is actually quite simple: the combination of a high protein diet and the right kind of workout will make your muscles grow like you never thought possible.

The general rule of thumb in bodybuilding is that you need a minimum of 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight to build quality muscle. (eg: 180-lb. person needs to eat between 180-270 grams of protein per day).

Tip: To build a bigger, stronger physique: rep max

Every few weeks, add as much weight on to a certain exercise and see what your 1 rep max is, this will give you a rough guide to see how far you have come along in your off-season in regard to overall strength (as well as slightly boosting the ego).

Tip: To build a bigger, stronger physique, use compound exercises

Utilize the following compound exercises to increase the size of every muscle fiber in your body:

Flat bench
Muscles Worked: Pectoralis, Major Pectoralis, Minor Anterior Deltoid, Triceps Brachii Serratus, Anterior Coracobrachialis

Squat
Muscles Worked: Quadriceps, Glutes, Adductors, Hamstrings, Erector Spinae, Rectus Abdominis

Deadlift
Muscles Worked: Erector Spinae, Trapezius, Glutes, Quadriceps, Rectus Abdominis

Clean and Press
Muscles Worked: Deltoids, Triceps Brachii, Biceps Brachii, Erector Spinae, Hamstrings Glutes, Calves, Rectus Abdominis

Tip: To build a bigger, stronger physique, use free weights

To build a bigger, stronger physique, use dumbbells instead of the smith machine or cables. Resistance machines are great to add definition, but for real size, use the free weights section. Dumbbells will make your ancillary muscles work as well and they will build compound mass. The greater range of motion (possible with the dumbbells) increases the number of muscles used in the training, therefore yielding better results.

Smart Snacking

Make snacks work for you by choosing nutrient-rich foods from the grains, fruit, vegetable, dairy and protein food groups. Snacks can boost your energy between meals and supply essential vitamins and minerals. There is a place for snacks in a healthy eating plan. Just choose wisely:

• Think of snacks as mini-meals that contribute nutrient-rich foods. You can fit snack calories into your personal healthy eating plan without over-spending your day’s calorie budget.
• Snack only when you’re hungry. Skip the urge to nibble when you’re bored, frustrated or stressed. Feed the urge to do something by walking the dog or working in the garden.
• Keep portion control in mind. Have a single-serve container of yogurt or put a small serving of nuts in a bowl. Eating directly from a multiple-serving package can lead to overeating.
• Plan snacks ahead of time. Keep a variety of nutritious ready-to-eat supplies on hand, such as whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese.

Tip: Lose Weight by Eating Less Fat

Even without extreme dieting, eating low-fat foods leads to healthy weight loss.

To lose weight without your stomach eating itself, here are some easy ways to eat less fat:

• Switch to low-fat milk and yogurt, or try a soy or hemp version.
• Cut down on butter, cheese or eggs. You can also try alternatives like vegetable oil spreads, or use apple sauce or ground flax seed instead of eggs when baking.
• Cut the fat from your meat, or eat leaner cuts.
• Eat fruit instead of fatty baked goods, which often contain animal-based saturated fats.
• Snack on vegetables, which may fill you up before you zip off for some fast food.

Tip: Don't reward yourself with food

Do you allow yourself to have that extra piece of pizza or order that dessert when dining out because you "went to the gym" earlier? While rewards are a good motivator, rewarding yourself with food isn't the right way to reach your goals. Your food rewards may be undoing all of that good calorie-burning that you accomplish in the gym.

Educate yourself on the calorie content of your food (and your treats) as well as how many calories you burn at the gym. You don't want to undo all of your hard work in the gym by enjoying that brownie, do you?

Tip: Get your Rest

You won't be able to train properly or have an effective workout if your body is burnt out. Depriving your body of sleep can hinder your weight-loss, as sleep triggers a number of hormones that influence cravings and a tendency for weight gain.

In addition, too many sleepless nights will leave you tired and unfocused for your workouts, which means that you won't get much from your efforts. Since a lot of recovery and muscle repair happens while you rest each night, sleep is an important component of an effective workout routine.

So don't skimp on your sleep.

Tip: Squat for a Six-Pack

Do squats and deadlifts . . . to build your abs. Research shows that these two exercises force your abdominal muscles to do a significant amount of work to maintain your posture.

Tip: Buy Shoes That Fit

Shop for workout shoes late in the day. That's when your feet are the largest. Make sure there's a half inch of space in front of your longest toe, and that you can easily wiggle your toes. Then slip off the shoes and compare them with your bare feet. If each shoe isn't obviously wider and longer than your foot, go half a size bigger.

Eric Turner's Five Favorite Glute Exercises

Eric Turner  – Houston, TX

People frequently ask what I do for glutes.  They can’t believe that a white boy can have a booty like mine.  It’s taken time and a lot of exercises to get to this point.  But these are the five I’ve found most helpful to develop a full, round booty:

Deep Squats

Your glutes are the strongest muscles in your body, but the gluteus maximus isn’t fully engaged unless your hip is lower than your knee. Doing a deep squats get you low enough to fully engage the muscle.  Start with light weight on a Smith Machine and once you feel comfortable with your form, graduate to the squat rack.

Walking Lunges

Make sure when doing lunges that you keep your front heel down and take a large enough step so that your foot stays ahead of the knee. For the first several steps, put your hands just below your glutes on your upper hamstring. You should feel those muscles tighten. Avoid holding dumbbells. They cause you to lean forward which is one of the worst things you can do to your lower back.  If adding weight, use a straight bar held on your traps like you would while doing a squat, and it will help you stay upright and keep the pressure in your glutes.

Weighted Knee Ups

When doing a knee up, make sure that your starting position has your knee ABOVE your hip.  Doing a knee up instead of just a step up also throws in the added factor of using the muscles in your core and legs to balance.  Again, when you add weight put it on your traps so that you stay upright, instead of hunching forward.

Hip Abduction

The gluteus medius isn’t the largest muscle in the buttocks, but if you’re looking to create a ‘shelf’, it’s the most important.  Develop it, and it will also make your lower back look sexier.  Vary the angle by either leaning back or forward and feel the differences it makes.

Barbell Hip Thrusts

Once you’ve increased the size of your glutes, you’ll want to shape them.  A hip thrust will give you a ‘bubble butt.’  Sit on the ground with your upper back on a bench, with your hips under a barbell.  (I suggest using a squat pad to minimize the pressure on your pelvis.)  Keep your knees together and your feet close to your butt and thrust upward, holding the bar with your hands.  Slowly lower back to the ground.

Tip: Eat 6 Small Meals

Rather than eating 3 large meals spaced every 6 or so hours, cut each meal in half. Make the same amount of food you normally would, but divvy it into 2 portions. Eat 6 “snack sized” meals spaced every 3 hours or so. This keeps the metabolism up throughout the day, and keeps the body constantly fueled. This also keeps the body out of “famine mode.” When the body enters this mode, it clings to everything the next time you eat (since it doesn’t know when it will eat again). This is why starvation diets do not work, and is the reason you will, eventually, regain all the weight you lost, plus some.

Tip of the Day: Metabolism

To keep your metabolism running as efficiently as possible, eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Don't binge on eating, starve, or over eat. Small, but frequent, meals help keep your metabolism in high gear, and that means you'll burn more calories overall.