Cutting Exercises - A Bodybuilding Myth?

One of the most common goals of fitness enthusiasts is to have low levels of body fat covering their hard-earned muscles. Whether the individual is an athlete that wants to look good in and out of uniform or a fitness instructor that wants to have "toned" arms, everyone is looking for the most effective exercises to reach their goals.

There is certainly no shortage of opinions when it comes to training programs and exercises that trainers and magazines seem to promote to reach these goals, so it is understandable that many bodybuilders and gym-goers can be overwhelmed by information. But what really confuses me is the claim made by gym employees and fitness authors that certain resistance training exercises are for definition and cutting up.

Believe it or not, but no strength coach or exercise physiologist has been able to prove that one exercise rather than others can promote more definition or toning! Can someone explain how leg extensions are a better exercise for muscle definition than squats? This article will dispel these myths and will reveal the best exercises for meeting the goals of increased muscle definition, which is the correct term for toning, cutting up or getting ripped. In fact, lets just eliminate toning from our vocabulary all together.

First a little background for those without a long history of weight training experience. Bodybuilders (that includes any man or woman that is seeking to improve their bodys appearance!) traditionally perform a number of exercises for a body part during a single resistance training session. For example, in a chest workout one might start with bench presses, move to incline dumbbell press, and finish with dumbbell flyes or the pec-deck.

now according to many personal trainers and fitness magazines, the rationale behind this type of program is that the pressing exercises are best for strength and mass development and the pec-deck would provide for definition. Also, people believe that these definition exercises should be emphasized in order to develop a ripped body (that is, low levels of body fat). Unfortunately, it seems bodybuilders and fitness buffs alike have been led astray, and the end result is a poorly planned program that does not lead to the desired results.

Next we need a brief, yet simplistic, review of human anatomy and physiology to reason why these cutting exercises (i.e. pec-deck) do not do the job. For our purposes there are 2 components determining body composition, muscle and fat. For most people it is the amount of fat that is the limiting factor for them in the development of muscular definition and not the quality of their muscle. If an overweight individual were to be stripped of all their fat, they too would have muscle definition.

On the other hand, a skinny individual can increase their muscle definition by lifting weights and increasing muscle hypertrophy (growth). The body cannot tell the difference between exercises! It responds according to the demands applied to the body. If you lift weights the muscle will grow so that it is stronger and can lift the weight easier the next time. If you eat too much and do not exercise, the energy is deposited as fat and your muscle definition will be lost. It is a very simple equation!

The pec-deck can still be incorporated into workout designs, but it is not the best exercise for promoting a better body composition. In fact, this isolation exercise recruits only the chest muscles and ignores the triceps and deltoids, unlike the previously mentioned presses. And remember that more muscles result in greater energy expenditure and a greater overall training stimulus.

Another myth that seems to propagate is that sets performed for a very high number of repetitions are most effective for cutting up. Refer back to the basic anatomical principle that the bodys appearance is determined by the amounts of both muscle and fat, and most importantly that low levels of body fat are necessary for muscle definition. Using a lightweight to do a huge number of repetitions might not show off your muscles better than using a moderate weight and performing a moderate number of repetitions.

Why not? Because there would likely be no difference in the amount of total calories burned between the two workouts provided each performed a similar exercise volume in the workout. The greater number of repetitions in the one workout would be offset by the greater intensity (weight) used in the other workout. However, a heavier weight will stimulate more muscle growth. More muscle results in a faster metabolism and theoretically greater energy expenditure at rest. So over the long haul the more intense (heavier lifting) workout may be the optimal choice for reducing body fat. In addition, larger muscles are easier to see!

Okay, so what is going to bring you the results (i.e. definition) that you want? Keep the exercises basic and intense (i.e. moderate to heavy weight). most bodybuilders are better off to do 4-5 sets of bench and incline presses (for a total of 8-10 sets) rather than including 3 sets of pec-deck in the traditional manner. The volume of exercise will be the same but the difficulty of exercise will be harder and the cumulative effects will greater.

Aerobic exercise is not essential for low levels of body fat but can certainly promote greater cardiovascular fitness and help prevent excessive weight gain. Interval training has now been shown in 2 studies to be more effective than slow cardio.

So stick with multi-muscle strength exercises and interval training to burn more calories out of the gym. It really adds up to more calorie burn and less body fat. That is a far better approach than relying on cutting exercises.

And finally, make the proper dietary changes to promote muscle gains and body fat reductions. nutrition is the #1 factor for fat loss. If you don't have good nutrition, no exercise program will help you lose fat. In the end you will be healthier and will achieve superior muscle definition!

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Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked cutting workouts have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Get ripped with new fat loss workouts each month and get more results in less time. Craig is using the Muscle Gaining Secrets Workouts from Jay Ferruggia to gain 25 pounds of muscle without supplements.

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Powerful Ways of Marketing Your Business Through Golf

Not only is the game of golf big business, but it's big IN business too. Millions of business transactions happen on the golf courses of the world nearly every day of the year. From sales negotiations to legal settlements, the golf club is as mighty as the pen when it comes to getting business done.

It's hard to separate the social from the business aspects of a workday spent on the links, and perhaps its better that way. You see, conducting business on the golf course is just as complicated as conducting business in the boardroom. Only the environment and clothing are different.

While nearly everyone can grasp the obvious benefits of playing golf in business sales and negotiation situations, fewer people understand how to find other ways to use golf in business to drum up new customers.

While anyone who plays can invite a colleague, vendor, or co-worker for a round of 18 holes, how can the lone golfer benefit from the magic powers of golf in business?

It seems that Portsmouth, N.H business woman Dianne Durkin has found a unique approach. According to Durkin, she has snared a number of new clients for her business consulting firm by simply approaching the first tee alone and then getting matched up with others players who need to round out a foursome. Sometime during the game the talk always turns to business, and Durkin gets a chance to make her low-key sales pitch. Now that's one smart golfer!

There are other ways to ride the golf in business success train even if you've never touched a set of clubs yourself. one Long Island business executive, who had no interest in the game himself, hires salespeople who play and lets them entertain prospective clients on the area's courses. The end result is more sales, with a higher average dollar amount per sale, and another example of a clever way to make money from playing golf in business.

No matter what size community your business is located in, there are advertising, marketing and sponsoring opportunities tied to golf in business as well. You can sponsor local golf tournaments, or even start a tournament yourself that carries your company's name. If your business is oriented towards school-age children, donating golf shirts to the high school golf club is a great way to reach prospective customers and grab some golf in business publicity at the same time.

custom-printed golf towels, golf balls, golf hats, and other golf accessories make fine golf in business gifts as well. There are plenty of advertising speciality companies that can print these golf in business items up in any quantity that you need.

The key to leveraging golf in business is to think outside the box. You don't have to be a player to reap the benefits. You just need a golf in business strategy that's capable of getting your name on to the links even if your body remains in the office.

Richard myers is a keen golfer and his web site http://www.thinkandreachpar.com and http://www.golfforleftys.com contains many free tips and great golfing advice plus training videos and DVDs to help you to improve your swing and lower your score using some very simple exercises.

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Zune Downloads for PC

The apple Ipod now has fierce competition from it's microsoft counterpart, The Zune. Mirosoft's answer to portable media and entertainment, the Zune was designed to be used with an online music store such as Ipod's Itunes. Zune quite frankly is the heavy weight underdog in the ring with the undisputed champion, The Ipod. With an extended viewing area and Wi-fi Zune to Zune access, The Zune is becoming the favorite runner up with the possibility to take out the competition. Those apple Ipod users need to know, the Zune shows more maturity than one might think!

According to microsoft, The Zune connects to their version of the Itunes store called the Zune marketplace. microsoft has announced that it will purchase songs from Ipod users who are switching over in an effort to get them to convert sides in this portable multimedia war. Zune's marketplace places strong emphasis on the indie rock band as well as featuring tons of local artists. Music provided for the Zune marketplace is taken care of by big giants such as EMI, Warner Music Group, Sony BMG and Universal Music Group. Apple's storefront continues to grow in it's selection, however, With microsoft lavishing advertising dollars to buy Ipod users songs, apple better not turn a blind eye to the supremacy microsoft is trying to set.

If Microsoft's extended marketplace was not enough, then letting users connect their Zune's to their xbox 360's just might sweeten the deal. Allowing the users to download their songs directly to their 360 is a rather genius move on Microsoft's part. You do not have to create two separate playlists when Zune user's can create it on their PC's once and once only. This can only supplement your party tricks as you can use the Xbox visualizations as party eye candy without having to set up your music all over again on your xbox. With the Zune's player compatibility with it's cousin the xbox, downloading and sharing music throughout your home will be simply standard for any serious household entertainment system.

The reality of the situation, however, will lead users paying monthly for their Zune marketplace subscription. Songs can either be bought individually or have an unlimited download option for just a few extra dollars. With premium content and an emphasis on local artists, finding what you want to listen too will be a no brainer hassle. On the swing side, there are other distribution networks that only require a one time fee for an unlimited lifetime of downloads. These programs range in their prices and quality but still offer a gold standard in comparison to the Zune's default network. Having used Microsoft's store, users are continually switching to these options as viable sources to keep their Zunes and their wallets full. For a complete listing of these programs that offer the most, visit

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