I don’t know if you’re like me, but when I train at the gym I have one intention. It’s to build more muscles. I’m sure this is the same for you.

As a fitness coach and personal trainer I need to answer this question all the time:

How can I get bigger?

It’s easy if you follow some simple rules. You will be able to increase your muscles mass without increasing your body fat!

Heavy Lift

First rule on the list is you need to lift heavy weights to increase your muscle mass. When you challenge your muscles enough, you damage the tiny micro-fibers of the muscle. With the right nutrition and enough rest you repair the damage, and with this repair your muscles slowly grow. To get good results, make sure you challenge your muscles with intensity in your workout. If you take too long of a rest in between sets, your muscles will not get the intensity they need to be really challenged. I suggest taking only just enough time to catch your breath (around 30 to 45 sec.) and then start another set right away.

By the way if you have never tried Super Charge before a workout…go for it! You will see a whole different you at the gym!

Today I will give you one of the best tips that will allow you to build a great athletic physique. You are probably asking yourself what kind of tip it could be and whether it is simple and easy. Remember always that you need to concentrate on getting the right nutrition on top of physical exercise. But what is this magic piece of advice?

It’s not a piece of equipment, it’s not an exercise…it’s much more important than that: it’s your technique and your attitude. To be able to gain lean muscle you need to push yourself enough in order to stimulate your muscle fibers. Most people know that.  Next time you go to the gym, look around and see how people work out. I’m sure you will find some good technique and a lot of technique that is not so good.

It’s the hot topic in fitness. Strengthen your core! But what does it really mean?  What’s the real benefit? And why work on muscles you can’t see?

Well, let’s get to the core of the matter. 

Your core actually includes a complex arrangement of muscles that hold you together.  You can’t make a move without using your core muscles.  They include all the muscles of the upper, lower, and sides of the abdomen, and the muscles that support your spine from your neck to your tailbone.  A strong core gives greater balance, stability and control, and reduces the risk of injury.  It will improve your posture, and help prevent back pain, keeping you fitter and stronger for longer.

You try to gain mass and build lean muscle. You train for few months - or even worse - for years without seeing any significant change in your physique. What do you think is going wrong? Which essential key are you missing for muscle growth? Read on and find out.

 Which key is most essential for muscle growth? Do you think it’s your training? Or is it your nutrition? Or what about supplements? Which of these keys will get you closer to your goals and to the physique you deserve?

 Since you started lifting weight are you stronger? I’m sure you are if you have a good training program. But the big question is; are you bigger? Did you increase the size of your chest, back, or legs?

When you read this title, you’re probably asking yourself what this guy is talking about. If you are, then this article is for you for sure.

You probably take your workout routine very seriously and do everything it takes to grow your muscle mass. You train hard, eat right, and sleep well to make sure you recover for the next training session.

But you probably don’t think to stretch, right? Stretching is for the ‘yoga freak’ you think. Not at all, my friend！ If you want your muscles to grow as big as you want, you need to incorporate some stretching in your training session. Stretching is essential for building muscles.

 Every week, someone at the gym asks me the same question. They train several times a week, do some weight lifting, cardio and even some fitness classes. They don’t understand why when they are sweating that much, the scale always stays the same!

 Remember one thing. Sweating is one of the ways we maintain a regular body temperature. Sweating is not the only indication of a good workout. Some of us sweat a lot, some don’t. I personally don’t sweat a lot and my workout is effective for sure. It’s not because you sweat that you lose weight. By sweating you lose water, but once the workout is finished you’ll drink and replenish that fluid. That doesn’t mean anything for weight loss.

 Watching these people working out, I can see them making the same mistakes. To tell you the truth, they don’t exercise properly.

 There’s a few simple adjustments you can make at the gym that can get you some really good gains. And when I say gains, I mean weight loss. Make sure you watch out for the 6 most frequent mistakes people make at the gym when they are trying to lose some weight.

This is a good one -  I really need to share this story with you! It’s too good to keep to myself!

A good buddy of mine has a nutrition store in North Vancouver and the other day I went there to buy some protein powder. He showed me a few new products he just received. I love looking around his store to see what’s new on the market. I’m like a kid in a candy store!

 We are in the middle of a conversation when a young woman, around 25 years old, came in and started to look around the store. My friend goes over and asks her if he can help, and she said ‘I’m looking for a fat burner. Do you have something new?  I’ve tried a few of them and they don’t work. I really need to lose some weight.’

The other day, I had a BBQ with a good friend. We started to talk about workouts and why he doesn’t get the results he should have, and that he really wants. He was little bit upset. He said, “I train 4 days a week, sometimes even 5, and I should get better results than this!”

I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and my calculator, and I got to work right there at the BBQ. Let me explain something very important, and something a lot of people don’t realize.  

Would you like to be a fitness woman? Or are you a fitness woman but would like your program to be more effective?  Here are 7 great tips on how to become an effective fitness woman:

1. Get a program that will best suit you. Every fitness woman is different. You may have surgical history where a program may not be suited for you. Always consult a qualified trainer to make sure that the fitness program will not hurt you. If the fitness program is not for you, it will only be a cause of frustration and injuries.

How are your energy levels?  If you are consistently feeling tired, or if you tend to get an energy rush after you eat followed by a debilitating crash, you need to have a close look at what you eat. 

 As a basic principle, choose complex carbohydrates rather than simple carbohydrates.  Simple sugars tend to be found in processed or refined foods, and are broken down easily in the body.  This means that they enter the blood quickly causing a blood sugar spike.  You can feel this as a rush of energy, perhaps accompanied by a feeling of nervousness or irritability.  Once this energy rush passes, your blood sugar plummets, and so does your energy level, leaving you feeling tired and empty.  In addition, simple carbohydrates are more likely to be laid down as fat in the body.  Complex carbohydrates provide a more sustained release of energy over a prolonged period of time as they take longer for the body to break down.  Try to choose carbs with whole grains such as whole grain rice, and whole wheat pasta, and look for excellent natural sources of natural complex carbs such as yams and sweet potatoes, rather than French fries which tend to be fattier and are broken down more easily.