Most Recent Articles

Squats!

Squats! The mother of all exercises! Although it's part of "The Big 3," if ever there was a big one, this is it!

Women, want to know how to build that booty? Squats. Men, want to lift big and strengthen your body from head to toe? Squats.

OK, squats are a great exercise. But there is a fair amount of technique involved in executing a strong, productive, safe and powerful squat, regardless of which style of squatter you are.

Calves are a problem spot for many a bodybuilder. For some people it seems like everything grows except for their calves. And yet good calf development can go a long way towards a balanced looking physique.

Fortunately, there is a lot that can be done to improve calf development. Here we discuss exactly what can be done to make your calves grow into the massive hunks of muscle they should be.

There was a ton of great content that made its way to allnaturalmuscle.com in 2014. But there are only a few articles that can to be crowned the best articles of 2014. Check out which ones made the cut!

Although nobody will actually admit it, the message sent by the masses is that mediocrity should be your goal. We see it all the time. Someone assumes you can't do something because they failed at that very same thing. We even doubt ourselves because we are unsure or because someone "who knows better" told us that it couldn't be done. The reality is that most people can achieve more than they know.

The winter holidays are arguably the hardest time to stay on your diet. Between Thanksgiving, Christmas and everything in between, there are plenty of calories to go around and many gyms are well, closed. But don't fear, because there are a lot of things that you can do to ensure that your diet and your exercise aren't tossed aside during the holiday season.

I'm not talking about turning away Aunt Edith's fruitcake or skipping the mashed potatoes at Christmas dinner. I'm talking about simple and effective solutions to ensure that you don't end up letting the holidays hit your waistline or derail your training program.

There's no doubt about it, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) burns serious calories. And compared steady state cardio, HIIT can really help you shed fat. But that's not all! There are many reasons to do HIIT and that's what this article is all about. If you want to learn about when to use HIIT and how to do HIIT effectively for different goals, then read on.

It's undeniable that volume has a huge impact on eliciting muscle growth. Yes, training volume is more important for stimulating muscle growth than heavy weight or those crazy bosu ball exercises your buddy said would make you 'swole.'

While upward volume manipulation combined with a well periodized training program might help you keep growing, there is a limit. And for many of us, that limit is time. What if there was a better way? What if you could somehow manipulate training volume to help you grow and still fit in your life and your schedule.

Diet and food selection has a lot to do with meeting any kind of fitness goals. Your diet gives you the energy and the nutrients you need. However, too many calories in your diet can lead to excessive weight gain. Too few calories can quickly lead to a metabolic crisis, or even worse, starvation. And even if you hit your calorie target dead on, nutrient intake and food choices have a lot to do with determining body composition. Read on to see how changing your diet and food choices can help you better achieve your fitness goals.

Most people understand that muscle grows during rest. But how much rest is really necessary? Is there are point when too much rest becomes counter to the goal of building muscle? And what about overtraining? When does that become an issue? These questions and more are answered below.

The first part of this post primarily concentrated on building muscle. This part discusses burning fat: how to do it, how to keep doing it and most importantly, how to maintain your physique when you are done losing fat. Between these two posts and the linked content already on allnaturalmuscle.com, you should be well on your way to achieving and keeping the body want.

You read the magazines and listen to the experts, but somehow the body you want has eluded you. That's because there's a lot more to shaping your body than you might read in muscle magazines. And the crazy part is that even some of the so called "experts" don't know what they are talking about. So, how the heck are you supposed to know?!? Well, allnaturalmuscle.com is here to help! If you really want to change your body, this is the article for you!

Lifting to failure can be a development tool if used properly. However, it can have negative impacts when used improperly. When should you lift to failure when you not and what actually happens when you go to failure is all discussed here. So read on if you want to see how going to failure might benefit [or hinder] your training.

If you've ever talked to anyone about bodybuilding then you've likely at least heard about cutting and bulking. But what about for the rest of us? Are periods of cutting and bulking really necessary for the average person who just wants to be in good shape? The answer might surprise you.

There’s no doubt about it, training takes time. Lifting weights takes time. Cardio takes time too. That’s just the way it is. The trick is not reducing the time you spend training, but making sure that it doesn’t interfere with the other important things in your life. That kind of balance is hard to learn and even harder to implement. But here are a few tips that can make it a lot easier.

I am a huge believer in stretching for injury prevention, increased flexibility and improved balance & form. But I've had people tell me multiple times that stretching also improves strength. Some people have even gone so far as to say that stretching increases muscularity. So, what's the real deal behind stretching? Can it really make you stronger?

We’ve all heard that the key to a lean, muscular, and healthy physique is food selection. Eat grilled chicken instead of fried chicken. Eat brown rice instead of white rice. Don’t eat ice cream or pop tarts. Now, what if I told you that what we’ve all heard is simply not true.

What if you could eat ice cream, fried chicken, cake, steak, or cookies and still maintain a very lean, muscular, and healthy physique? That’s certainly a lot more attractive than just eating brown rice, baked chicken, and green vegetables all day, isn’t it? Well, that’s exactly how flexible dieting works!

Yesterday I completed a goal that I had since late 2013: compete in a natural raw powerlifting competition. The name of the powerlifting meet was the Central Florida Open Championships and the venue was the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, FL. Like many first time competitors, I was a little confused on what I should bring, what equipment I needed and the ordering of the events. However, now that the meet is finished, I have a much better insight into the orderings of the events and what is required to be prepared to have a great day and a strong lift. Here's what I learned.

It amazes me when people think they are going to go from 15+% body fat to shredded in a couple of months. Seriously? That isn't going to happen without some potentially serious health consequences and probably a significant amount of muscle loss.

The first rule of cutting fat should always be preserving muscle. What good does it do to lose weight if you look and feel worse? So how much should you plan on losing and how fast should you plan on losing it? Read on to find out.

Eat clean. Train hard. Don't drink. Get plenty of rest. That's what we've all heard is the key to getting the lean sculpted physique that so many of us desire. The problem is that what you hear and what is actually true isn't ~~often~~ always the same thing. This post addresses one popular misconception: you can't build or maintain a lean and sculpted physique if you drink alcohol. The truth is that you absolutely can! There are, however, a few caveats.

You may have heard the term deloading. You might have even heard a thing or two about deloading. But did you know that deloading can actually help you build more muscle if done properly? That's right! Deloading can help you build muscle! So, read on to find out what deloading is, who should deload, when you should deload and how you can use deloading to help you build more muscle.

Most Recent Articles

Squats!

Turn Those Calves into Bulls

The Best Articles of 2014

The Myth of Mediocrity

Keeping the Holidays Healthy

Do You HIIT? Here's How!

Volume Manipulation For More Muscle

Diet and Food Selection To Target Your Goals

Rest, Training and Overtraining

Pulling It All Together Part II: How to Get the Body You Want

Pulling It All Together Part I: How to Get the Body You Want

Going To Failure

Is Cutting and Bulking Really Necessary?

Making Time To Train

Does Stretching Make You Stronger?

How to Live a Healthier and Happier Life With Flexible Dieting

Being Prepared For My First USAPL Meet

Cutting Fat: How Much? How Fast?

Can You Drink Alcohol and Still Build Muscle?

Deloading To Build Muscle