Proteins are broken down to amino acids, and your muscles use these amino acids to grow. One amino acid that plays a special role in muscle protein synthesis is leucine. Find out why and why it’s important to get enough of this essential amino acid in your diet.
Are you in an exercise “funk” and having trouble staying motivated? Here are six exercise motivation zappers that may be destroying your desire to work out. Do any of them apply to you?
Are you frustrated by the lack of glute development you’re seeing? You’re doing the standard lower body moves – squats, deadlifts and lunges but that may not be enough. Here are three reasons, despite your best intentions, that your glutes aren’t growing.
Ask people what their favorite exercise is and you won’t hear many say planks. Why are planks so contentious – and why do you need to do them at all? Find out what advantages planks have over crunches and why you can’t afford not to do them.
Heavy resistance training with an emphasis on large muscle groups supposedly leads to larger gains in strength and muscle mass due to a greater release of anabolic hormones – but does it really? Some research suggests that the “anabolic advantage,” that comes from greater post-workout hormone release is actually a myth. Is there any truth to this?
Are you aware of the many benefits HIIT offers? Chances are you don’t know about this one. A new study shows high-intensity exercise may have anti-inflammatory benefits. When you consider how many health problems, inflammation is linked with – that’s a good thing. Find out what this new study shows and how HIIT training can improve your overall fitness.
Men may be the “stronger” sex in some capacities. For example, men have greater upper body strength than women, partially because they have more lean body mass. The average man is also capable of generating more power, on average. But what about endurance? How do males and females stack up against each other in terms of endurance? Find out why women have some advantages when it comes to exercise endurance and why estrogen may play a role.
Resistance training is your ticket to becoming stronger and more defined – but that’s not the only reason to do it. Have you ever thought about how resistance training impacts other tissues – like the connective tissue that gives your body support and resistance to injury? Find out how the benefits of resistance training go beyond building bigger muscles
Why do some people form the exercise routine habit and stick with it while others never get very far? According to a new study, mindfulness may be a factor. Find out how mindfulness relates to exercise success and how you can use it to stay motivated to work out.
Sure, high-intensity interval training boosts fat loss and improves cardiovascular health, but it may help you age more slowly as well. Read on and find out more about the anti-aging benefits of short, but intense, workouts.
Women, on average, have a lower aerobic capacity than men. That’s why women typically don’t perform quite as well as men in endurance sports. There are a number of reasons for this. Now, a new study shows women have to work harder to breathe during exercise relative to men and this may impact exercise performance. Find out more.
Is there an optimal training frequency for maximizing muscle growth? This article focuses on research comparing resistance training frequencies. Read on and find out whether training more often will lead to greater muscle size.
