With this article, I just wanted to share with you one of my special muscle meal plans that I love. Surprisingly, it actually comes in the form of a salad, but it is killer!

I know the ladies will love this idea, but for all of you guys out there that think eating a salad makes you less of a man… Well, you haven’t tried my ultimate “salad on roids” yet!

Keep in mind that this salad is not low in calories. It’s not low in fat. It’s not low in carbs.

And guess what…that’s the whole point! It’s not low in anything, but it sure as hell is HIGH in everything under the sun that’s good for your body… just about every vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, and phytonutrient on the planet! And that means your body will receive all the nutrition it needs to maintain optimal hormonal balance, function at it’s highest capacity, keep your appetite satisfied for hours, and prevent any unwanted cravings.

Keep in mind that last point… when you fill your body with all of the nutrients it needs on a daily basis, you pretty much totally eliminate cravings! This happens because your body is satisfied and doesn’t need to crave any more food, because it has all of the nutrients it needs.

I’ve experienced this myself. Years ago, I used to crave sweets ALL THE TIME. But now that I eat the balanced diet that I do these days, I can’t say that I’ve had a craving in at least 5 years! No joke.

Alright, here’s the special muscle meal plan recipe:

The Ultimate Muscle Salad

approx 1-2 cups spinach leaves
approx 1-2 cups mixed leaf lettuce
shredded carrots
1/2 of a ripe avocado, diced
2 hard boiled eggs, diced (preferrably organic, cage free)
3 Tbsp chopped pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
top with homemade dressing made of balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and Udo’s Choice Oil Blend (3/4 of total liquid should come from the vinegar)

Mix it all together and you’ve got one delicious and ridiculously nutritious salad. For an extra shot of antioxidants, wash it all down with some homemade iced green/white/oolong tea lightly sweetened with the natural sweetener Stevia or a little touch of raw honey.

Alright, now let’s look at the approx macronutrient breakdown:

Prot: 23 g., Carbs: 48 g., Fiber: 12 g., Fat: 45 g., Calories: 650

Now before you throw your arms up in disgust and call me crazy for recommending such a high fat, high calorie meal, keep in mind to scale back the portion sizes for your own caloric goal. The portions above are simply the portions that I use considering that my maintenance caloric intake is around 3000 calories/day. If your maintenance is 2000 calories/day, then scale back the portions accordingly.

Also, I don’t care about the high fat content of this meal… because every last gram of the fat in this meal is VERY healthy… from the pecans, the olive oil, the Udo’s oil, the fresh avocado… and yes, even the fat from the eggs is good for you!

How about the carbs? Well, out of a total of 48 grams, you’ve got 12 grams of fiber. That’s a pretty good ratio. Also, the healthy fats and protein in this meal will slow down the carbohydrate digestion, giving you a healthy glycemic response and steady controlled blood sugar.

Alright, so you’re probably also wondering why there isn’t a larger amount of protein. After all, protein is all the rage with bodybuilders, right. Well, actually 23 grams isn’t too shabby, especially considering 14 grams of that comes from the highly bioavailable protein from the hard boiled eggs. Also consider that this meal has a whole lot of healthy fats, which increases the utilization of your protein. This happens because your body does not need to use your protein for energy, and can instead use it for muscle building or maintenance, and all of the other various functions that amino acids are needed for in the body.

Overall, with this meal plan, you’ve got a great mix of healthy fats, good fibrous carbs, quality protein, and a huge diversity of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other trace nutrients.

Follow this link for more ideas on killer fat loss and muscle building programs. Michael Geary (CPT) is a recognized Fitness Expert, owner of http://BusyManFitness.com, contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Magazine, and author of the internationally-selling book, The Truth about 6-Pack Abs ©2004-2006.

Perhaps Arnold said it best when he said NO PAIN, NO GAIN. Our mindset in today’s bodybuilding is that we want results and we want it now but many are unwilling to dedicate the necessary intense time required to achieve the results. Many would rather research the next quick fix drug than spend the time in the gym. As I say at the end of all my articles, “Sweat Eventually Hardens to Muscle”. I observe that 99% of the guys or gals that I see in the gym loaf through their workouts and for crying out loud don’t even work up a sweat. I can’t say it strong enough or often enough that your workouts need to be more intense, longer and more frequent. Don’t whine to me about overtraining… that is a modern day excuse for not doing you duty in the gym. Working out is serious business. I did these levels of routines and you can too. If you have made this far in this article, it appears to me that you are a cut above the rest and are serious about getting the most from your gym time.

Okay so what does it mean to work longer? Does it mean to spend 2 hours on chest and 3 on legs during a workout? Well not exactly but I think the idea of working each body part longer will add value. The focus of this article is to dispel the myth that working each body part one day a week is acceptable to achieving the results for competitive bodybuilder. Frankly it is not! If you really want to gain muscle size you have to force the muscle to grow.

Ever see the mammoth size of the thighs on an Olympic sprinter? I’d kill to have thighs that size. Do you think that sprinter only trained his legs once a week? Give me a break. He was on the track multiple days per week blasting the 50 Meter dash. And on the days he wasn’t running, he was training with weights.

It is not expecting too much for you to work you body parts twice a week!

If you want to be successful in bodybuilding, if you want to grow out of your shirt and pants, start working your body parts twice a week. The routines in this section will help you gear yourself to train muscle groups twice a week, attain adequate recovery time to achieve a rapid muscle growth. If you take this challenge:

* You will get twice a many workouts compared to regular guy in the gym

*Expect more dramatic and rapid muscle gains.

*Expect the routine to create better muscular definition and vasularity

*Expect the mind to feed on the physical success and further motivate you. You will look forward to your gym time.

Scott Jameson is a bodybuilder and trainer for over 30 years. He has a passion for bodybuilding and helping other achieve this success. He regularly applies the techniques in this article. See more of his articles at http://www.bodybuildingprogramzone.com

If you want to more information on a Bodybuilding Program - Check out the Zone, the site with a passion for you to succeed.

This article may reproduced on your website provided you acknowledge Scott Jameson as the author and must show link to http://www.bodybuildingprogramzone.com

Even without any formal education in anatomy and physiology, most people recognize that people have different body types. Bodybuilders have discovered over the years that these different body types respond differently to both training and nutrition. As a result, it’s vital that you become aware of what your body type is so that you can design an effective workout program to maximize building muscle.

Body type origins

Most of what we know about body types comes from the works of William Sheldon (1898-1977). Sheldon was an American psychologist who devoted most of his life observing and classifying the wide spectrum of human bodies. While teaching at several universities and doing valuable research he came up with a system for classifying people into three basic body types. The following descriptions are based on pure versions of each type. As we’ll see later most people have characteristics from all three types.

Ectomorphs

Ectomorphs are the “skinny” ones among us. They tend to have light joints and bones and their muscles are small. Their limbs are relatively long in proportion to the torso and the shoulders often exhibit a “drooping” appearance. Ectomorphs tend to appear longer than they really are due to the length of their limbs combined with a lack of muscle mass. The ectomorph is not naturally strong and will have to work hard for every ounce of muscle they gain. Ectomorphs make their best gains by following short, but intense, training programs. Ectomorphs tend to be nervous and shy types in social situations.

Mesomorphs

When it comes to bodybuilding mesomorphs are the lucky bastards. They have well-defined muscles even before they start working out and possess large bones. Their torsos have that nice v-taper and they are the owners of relatively narrow and low waists. Facially mesomorphs have clearly defined cheekbones and a square, heavy jaw. The face tends to be long and broad, and is square in shape. Because of their naturally high testosterone levels, mesomorphs have high sex drives and are usually fearless in situations. Mesomorphs have the best body types for building muscle.

Endomorphs

Also known as “fat” the bodies of extreme endomorphs are round and soft. Unfortunately for endomorphs, much of their excess weight is concentrated in the waist region. This combined with the fact that most endomorphs have short limbs gives the appearance of stockiness and dumpiness. The hands and feet of endomorphs are comparatively small, and the upper arms and thighs are often much larger than the lower parts of the arms or legs. Although often a stereotype, endomorphs are usually jolly in nature. Endomorphs build muscle fairly easily but they’ll always be fighting the weight issue.

Body Type Combinations

As we alluded to earlier, people usually don’t fall neatly into one of the three main body types. Although there are some people who are purely ectomorphs, endomorphs, or mesomorphs with little or no characteristics of the other body types, very frequently, people fall into mixed categories, such as ecto mesomorphs, or endo mesomorphs. One of your first steps in building muscle is to determine what characteristics you possess. Not only will this help your training but it also determines which muscle building supplements and fat loss supplements to use.

The previous information has been created by experts to help you increase your knowledge base about training and bodybuilding supplements. Be knowledgeable. Be informed. Make the right choice!

Bob Howard expert on bodybuilding and steroids. Are you looking for more of his building muscle articles? http://www.bodybuilding-news.net ©Article Bob Howard 04/07/2006

Bodybuilding is the sport of developing muscle fibers through the combination of weight training, increased caloric intake, and rest. Competitive bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points.

The sport is not to be confused with strongman competition or powerlifting, where emphasis is on actual physical strength, or with Olympic weightlifting, where emphasis is equally split between strength and technique.

Though superficially similar to the casual observer, the fields entail a different regimen of training, diet, and basic motivation. Bodybuilders aspire to develop and maintain an aesthetically pleasing (by bodybuilding standards) body and balanced physique. A bodybuilder’s size and shape are far more important than how much he or she can lift.

The growth and repair, however, cannot occur without the necessary building blocks. These are supplied by high quality nutrition. Bodybuilders require a very specialised diet. Generally speaking, bodybuilders require anything between 500-1000 calories (2000 to 4000 kilojoules) above their maintenance level of food energy while attempting to increase lean body mass.

A sub-maintenance level of food energy is combined with cardiovascular exercise to lose body fat in preparation for a contest. The ratios of food energy from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats vary depending on the goals of the bodybuilder.

Supplements can help muscle gain, although some are unproven and many are ineffective. Two supplements which have been proven to help bodybuilders gain and maintain size (without unhealthy side effects) are Creatine and L-Glutamine. Like all supplements, these only help if used in conjunction with a solid nutritional base and weight training program.

Some bodybuilders may use drugs to gain an advantage over results due to natural hypertrophy, especially in professional competitions. Although many of these substances are illegal in many countries, in professional bodybuilding the use of anabolic steroids and precursor substances such as prohormones are sometimes essential to competing in world-class competitions.

Most steroids allows the human body to be in a more anabolic state. Significant negative side-effects accompany steroid abuse, such as liver damage and negative feedback leading to a decline in the body’s own testosterone production, which can cause testicular atrophy and possible infertility.

Bodybuilding - Providing Bodybuilding information. Learn about Bodybuilding supplements, diet, nutrition & much
more.

Technique in weight training is very important for achieving the expected progress, but also for protecting the body of the sportsman. The first important thing is to learn correctly the basic movements.

In this type of training there is a kind of classic set of exercises, which the sportsman needs to master from the beginning. This set includes exercises with free weights (dumbbells and barbells). While training with these, the movement is not imposed by any machine. When executed without the supervision of a fitness instructor, it is possible that these movements are done in a wrong way, a situation which increases the risk of accidents a lot.

One of the most frequent mistakes is an incorrect position of the spine. Some exercises (bench press, barbell curls) could involve exaggerated arching, while others (sit up bend , dead lift, squats, etc.) involve unjustified flexing (hunching).

These wrong positions can lead to unfavourable stress exerted over the spine, knees or shoulders. Besides, they can direct the effort to other groups of muscles than the ones intended. The result is that none of these are properly trained, because no exercises specific to the muscles are performed correctly. In such situations, the sportsman will only feel exhaustion in all his body and will not be able to direct and localize the effort in the zone which a particular exercise should mobilize.

Another example of wrong technique is exaggerated swinging for exercises which do not need impetus. This happens most often while raising the weights laterally for working on the deltoid muscles, when the sportsman wrongly flexes the knees and uses the lumbar muscles, arching his back too much.

Other mistakes are made when catching the bars. In the case of pull up, for example, and of pushing from behind the neck (for the shoulders), a too narrow catch will place the scapular-humeral circulation into a non-physiological, stressing position. Exaggerated bending forward during squat will force the spine, while lowering the thighs below horizontal position will stress the menisci.

Rowing from bending position and stretching back must be done with the back in extension; otherwise the risk of slipped disc might appear. Not using a belt when lifting very heavy weights can determine slipped disc, but also inguinal hernia or rupture of abdominal muscles.

The technique of breathing must be understood correctly. Breathing in instead of breathing out, blocking the thorax or not can affect the sportsman a lot. Generally, the sportsman must breathe out during the most difficult part of the movement and must breathe in during controlled coming back in position. Apnoea (blocking of the thorax) must be used only in the case of lifting heavy and very heavy weights; otherwise it is not justified. While making aerobic effort, it is necessary to have a particular breathing rhythm, a pace which can vary according to the cardiac frequency and lung ventilation.

All these examples support the idea that the presence of the fitness instructor during training is absolutely necessary.

Isabel Curini, fitness trainer and editor at http://www.healthfitnessworld.com HealthFitnessWorld.com - Health, Fitness, Body Building, Weight Loss, Nutrition - Articles and Resources.

HealthFitnessWorld.com is dedicated to providing high-quality, free advices, tips and resources on health, fitness, body building, supplements, nutrition, weight loss, beauty, massage, acne, medicine, depression, massage.

This article may be reprinted or published without the author’s consent as long as the “About” and “weblinks” are kept intact and active.

Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders’ training regimes.

It is useful, therefore, to describe in detail the processes involved in actually doing these exercises. This will help beginners to start out using the correct techniques before moving on to potentially more dangerous heavy weights. If it also helps more experienced lifters to redress some of the little faults that have almost imperceptibly crept in over the years, all the better.

In this article we’ll take a close look at the leg curl.

MUSCLES TARGETED: semimembranosus, semitendinosus, biceps femoris

STARTING POSITION

Assume a prone position on the machine and press the torso and hips against the pads.
Place the ankles behind and in contact with the foot pad.
Place the legs parallel to each other.
Hang the knees slightly off the edge of the knee pad.
Grasp the handles.

UPWARD MOVEMENT

Raise the pad by fully flexing the knees.
Keep the torso stationary and the hips and torso pressed against the pads.
Do not lift the hips or thighs off the thigh pad.
Do not lock out the knees.

DOWNWARD MOVEMENT

Allow the knees to slowly bend back to the starting position.
Keep the torso stationary and the hips and torso pressed against the pads.
Repeat or finish set.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Exercises to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

If you are clueless at the gym and yet hungry for plain, good ‘ol professional advice to help you on the road to that sculpted physique of a Greek god, fret not! All you have to do is to have a solid commitment, use the knowledge gleaned from this article and you will attain the body you want pronto. But remember to warm up and cool down, as well as stretching before and after each session; Or even better, after each set for better muscle recovery and prevention of injuries.

Use Free Weights instead of Machines More Often

Machines will have its uses, but for a start, concentrate on free weights. That means work almost exclusively with barbells and dumb bells. Free weights recruit many stabilizing muscles for balance and control. That means you will work a lot more muscle parts other than the intended ones. That will give rise to little bumps, striations and definitions all over your body instead of one huge lump of muscle on your intended muscle. Because of the extra stimulant created, your muscles grow faster too. Why else do you think all professional body builders almost exclusively use free weights?

Compound Exercises Instead Of Isolation Exercises

Use as many compound exercises as possible to your workouts. Compound exercises are exercises that involve 2 or more joint movements. Because they utilize more joints, that means greater muscle mass are involved. Greater muscle mass means heavier weights. Heavier weights means greater muscle gain.

Some excellent compound exercises are the Squat, Deadlift, Chin ups, Dips, Bench press, Barbell Press, Lunges, Bent-Over Barbell Row…etc.

Train with Intensity

You must train intensively like a mad man for your muscle to grow. Try to do more reps or add more weight than the previous session or your muscles will think, “Ah… we’ve done that. Nothing new, so no need to grow bigger and stronger.”

Because of this, it is important that every time you train hard, you give your body time to recover as it has suffered strains and actually sustained many small scarring. Your muscles grow when you rest, especially when you sleep and not in the gym. So sleep at least 8 hours a day. Also, do not train everyday or work the same muscle group more than once or twice a week. If your training was vigorous enough, do no more than an hour per session.

Try not to do cardio work on the same day as your weight lifting work. In fact, during the muscle building phase, you should do less cardio work as aerobic exercises burn muscles. You can increase your cardio work when we come to the cutting phase, to lose fats and gain rippling definition.

Correct Technique And Form

Everywhere, everyday, you will see people using wrong form and technique when training with weights. This not only compromises your growth, it will also make you susceptible to injuries.

Wrong form occurs usually when people try to lift weights that are too heavy, whether out of vanity or ignorance. As a guide, always lift with strict focus on the muscle you intend to build for that particular exercise. Feel it contract and extend. Lift the weights deliberately and slowly. Never ever swing your weights up especially when doing bicep curls or the military press. Lower the weights slowly, taking about 3 seconds instead of letting gravity pull the weight down. You must fight gravity to stimulate the muscles, if not, half of your effort is going to waste. Another common mistake is when people arch their back when they are doing their bench presses. By arching your back, you are using your spine to press the weight up. Your back must be pressed against the bench at all times for the exercise to be effectively working on your chest! However you MUST arch your back when doing squats and deadlift.

With some exceptions, as a general rule, if you can lift a weight in good form for more than 10 reps, it is too light. Conversely, if you can’t lift it more than 5 times in good form, it is too heavy.

To Grow Fast and Huge, You Must Perform Lower Body Exercises!

This is what most people don’t realize. Your lower body makes up 60-70% of your musculature. If you don’t train them, not only will you look spider-legged, your entire body will not grow as quickly and as large. Don’t think that you can hide those skinny legs in your pants! Most people do not train their legs because squats, dead lifts and lunges can be very grueling exercises. But it is precisely because of such intensity that you will produce more growth hormones when you sleep and overall muscular development is stimulated.

EAT and EAT Correctly

Losing weight and building muscles cannot happen at the same time although there are methods to do so and will be too technical to describe here. To lose weight, you must have a caloric deficit. To build muscles, you must have more calories, period! So do not be afraid to eat. Have plenty of protein, moderate complex carbs and some good oil like Omega, olive, flaxseed, fish etc., especially immediately after a workout. That is when your body is most nutrient hungry and will absorb whatever you eat very quickly. The longer you delay eating after a workout, the less effective it will be. Even better, take quick absorption protein shakes and high glycemic carbs during this time. The carbs will induce insulin production almost immediately and shuttle the protein to your muscle cells very quickly.

Eat about 2 gm of protein for each kg of your bodyweight or 1 gm per pound of your body weight. Spread your meals evenly throughout the day about 3 hours apart. It is advisable that you have supplementation of Creatine, Protein, Multivitamins and L-Glutamine.

Yes, you will probably gain weight, but a lot of it will be muscle weight because muscles are heavier than fats. You may also gain some fats because of the extra calories consumed. Don’t worry, it is a happy problem because the more muscles you have, the easier the fats are to shed when you come to the cutting up phase to get those rippling definitions.

Easy isn’t it? Now that you know the facts, the rest is up to your determination.

Chris Chew is a personal trainer and count actors, pageant winners, models and other celebrities as his clients. He runs a fitness training school in Singapore at www.sgfitnessonline.com and has written the book “Burn Fat Build Muscles Fast.” See his books at www.sgfitness.com

Gustavo Badell was born on November 3, 1972 in Venezuela. He currently resides in Puerto Rico with his wife and two kids. Gustavo stands only 5′8″ but weighs in on stage at a ripped 240 pounds. Of course, Gustavo must do a clean bulk prior to a contest where his weight can get as high as 270 pounds. He still keeps a low bodyfat during his pre-contest bulk, which is why Gustavo can easily switch from off-season to pre-contest mode very easily.

At the age of 15, Gustavo was actively involved with contact sports such as boxing and kickboxing. Two years later he started becoming involved with amateur boxing but was too skinny make a name for himself. His trainer suggested that he should start weight lifting to put on weight, and he then followed the rigors of an intense workout. After noticing his great genetics, and arms that were almost too big for his body, his fellow gym members suggested that he should get into bodybuilding. Gustavo never thought twice!

Gustavo`s bodybuilding career started slowly, but once he found a better rythm for himself, he has become one of the better pro bodybuilders in the IFBB. The following contest results of Gustavo Badell proves this:

1997 World Amateur Championships-10th
1998 Grand Prix Germany-9th
1999 Grand Prix England-17th
1999 Night of Champions-Did Not Place
1999 World Pro Championships-14th
2000 Ironman Pro-18th
2000 Night of Champions Did Not Place
2000 Toronto Pro -Did Not Place
2000 World Pro Championships -11th
2001 Grand Prix England Did Not Place
2001 Ironman Pro Invitational -16th
2001 San Francisco Pro Invitational-11th
2002 Ironman Pro Invitational -13th
2002 Night of Champions-10th
2002 Mr. Olympia-24th
2002 Southwest Pro Cup-6th
2002 Toronto Pro Invitational-3rd
2004 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic-7th
2004 Ironman Pro Invitational-3rd
2004 San Francisco Pro Invitational-4th
2004 Show of Strength Pro Championship-3rd
2004 Mr. Olympia-3rd

Gustavo`s fan base continues to rise at an alarming rate, and he even has his own video`s that allow you to see inside information in the life of Gustavo Badell:

1)Gustavo “The Great” Badell (DVD)
2)Gustavo Badell - Common Sense (DVD)

Great pictures of Gustavo can be purchased at http://www.gustavobadell.com/pictures.html

*http://www.looksmartwrestling.com/p/articles/mi_m0801/is_8_65/ai_n6116966
*http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0801/is_8_65/ai_n6116966
*http://www.gmv.com.au/default.asp?pageid=HOME&template=CONTENT&sid=215
*http://www.gustavobadell.com/bio.html
*http://www.bodybuildingpro.com/gustavobadell.html

MY SITE: http://www.mightybody.com

Welcome to article number 2 in our series “Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts”. In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.

If you missed the first article, you can read it by clicking on the link below.

Here’s a breakdown of the articles to look for:

1. Article:1 - Choosing The WRONG Exercises
2. Article:2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results
3. Article:3 - Targeted Stretching
4. Article:4 - Targeted Exercises
5. Article:5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention

Article:3 - Targeted Stretching

Stretching can be great, but it can also make existing injuries worse or even bring about new ones!

The key to making stretching work for you is knowing which stretches you need to be working on… and just because a muscle feels tight, that doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be stretched.

For example, many people stretch the hamstrings because they feel tight and they think the hamstrings are limiting their flexibility…

the fact is, most of the time the hamstrings are “tight” because they are constantly being pulled / lengthened due to muscle imbalances that tip the pelvis forward.

As you can, when the pelvis tips forward the hamstrings get pulled upward and are constantly held in a stretched position…

And this is why millions of people can stretch their hamstrings every freakin day and never make any improvement in their flexibility….

Are you one of those people?

If you are, you need to stop stretching your hamstrings and find out exactly which muscles you need to be targeting by reading the rest of this article…

Not only does this forward tipping of the pelvis (which is caused by muscle imbalances) keep the hamstrings tight and make it very difficult to make improvements in the muscles flexibility, but it also leads to the following:

• increased stress / wear and tear from the ankles all the way up the spine

For example, the forward tipping of the pelvis places uneven pressure on the ankle, knee and hip joints and also many of the vertebrae in the spine.

• weakens the hamstrings, inhibits normal functioning and increases the likelihood of hamstring pulls

When the hamstrings are constantly being strained because of the muscle imbalances, the muscle is weak, not able to function as it normally would, prone to injury and without correcting the muscle imbalance recover can take up to 9 months to a year, or longer!

• creates excess curvature in the lower and middle spine

This tipping of the pelvis places excessive amounts of abnormal stress on the muscles, vertebrae and discs in the lower and mid spine and this sets you up for potential injuries to the muscles of the lower and middle back…

Plus, it also causes the discs between your vertebrae to wear down and deteriorate much faster than they normally would and this sets you up for degenerative, bulging, protruding and herniated discs along with numerous other spinal conditions like arthritis, spinal stenosis, and the oh so popular sciatica!

This hamstring example is just one of many… muscle imbalances are responsible for nearly every ache, pain, injury and condition out there!

Here are a few more examples of injuries / conditions that are caused by muscle imbalances and can easily be prevented and/or eliminated with targeted stretches and exercises:

• upper back and neck pain
• shoulder injuries (rotator cuff)
• elbow and wrist pain (carpal tunnel, tennis/golfer/baseball elbow, etc)
• knee pain (runners knee, chondromalacia, ligament tears, etc)
• hip pain (IT band syndrome, bursitis, etc)
• ankle pain (Achilles tendonitis, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, etc)

All of these conditions are caused by muscle imbalances and will NOT go away unless you work towards correcting the imbalances… and the only way to know for sure which imbalances are causing your pain or injury is to do a series of physical assessments like the ones covered in our Lose the Back Pain Video which is designed for anyone suffering from back pain or sciatica.

What the heck is a targeted stretch?

This is a question we are asked often and here’s the definition we give it:

Targeted Stretch - a stretch or stretching exercise that is chosen, based on physical assessments, to target a specific muscle or muscle group to increase the flexibility and range of motion in that area and bring the bones and or joints back towards the normal position.
When you compare a targeted stretch to general stretches like the ones found in Yoga, Pilates and the corny ones your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist gives you, it’s no surprise they give little or no pain relief and almost always fail to get rid of the problem.

Conclusion

Remember, the key to eliminating injuries and preventing future ones is to identify what areas you need to target. In the next article we’ll be discussing in detail, how to address various injuries like back, hip, knee, and shoulder pain with targeted exercises. In the meantime, be sure to read thru all of our detailed Pain Articles and post any questions you have on our discussion fourm.

Article by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, CSPN and Steve Hefferon, CMT, CPRS of http://www.losethebackpain.com. If you’ve got back pain or sciatic pain, you’ve gotta check out their website!

Muscle is better known for its ability to flex and give shape to a body. Like any other part of the body, muscles too are prone to diseases. Muscle Diseases, like any other kind of disease and infection, can affect anybody. It can even make a person physically disabled. The Muscle Diseases often make the person weak. The person suffering from Muscle Diseases is under constant pain and feels weakness in the muscles. He or she finds it difficult to walk, sit and get up, climb, run, lift or carry, or move the limbs. In most cases, progressive muscle wasting followed by contraction of muscles takes place.

Muscle Diseases vary in their conditions and require different types of treatment. While some treatments respond to medicine, the others have ‘only’ a chance of improvement. Muscle Diseases may be caused due to various reasons. Some Muscle Diseases are genetic. These are caused due to defective genes in the body. Such diseases are genetic disorders that can make the individual permanently disabled, physically.

Genetic Muscle Diseases often need not be inherited from a parent with a family history of genetic disorder. This can happen spontaneously, due to gene abnormality. These diseases may affect the eyes, cause muscle wasting and even paralysis. The most well-known disease of the muscle occurring genetically is Muscular Dystrophy, or muscle-wasting disease. This is caused by the error in the gene and can affect anybody at any age. It is also known to affect the heart in some cases.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a muscle-wasting disease, affects only boys, unlike muscular dystrophy. There are other diseases that are non-genetic Muscle Diseases. These are acquired gradually and not caused genetically. These diseases may be caused by body’s own immune system, some kind of hormonal imbalance or even a disorder caused by the intake of medicines.

One such acquired disease is the inflammatory Muscle Disease, where the immune system of the body injures its own muscles. There are the metabolic Muscle Diseases, which may not be as common as the other Muscle Diseases. But once affected it has very little chance of recovery. These are caused by deficiencies in the enzymes. The symptoms begin with weakness of the muscles, until the condition of the ailing person deteriorates. For instance, the Carbohydrate-Processing Disorders is a type of metabolic disease where the breakdown of glycogen or glucose is affected.

Muscles provides detailed information about muscles, build muscles, muscle cramps, muscle diseases and more. Muscles is the sister site of Best Treadmills.