I live in a pretty hilly area and I have been riding bike outside since the weather has been awesome. What does this "count" as? I'm assuming - cardio, however, I really get a good leg workout going up those hills. I can really feel it in quads. How much is this working legs and butt? Can...

Over training could be hindering progress, but two other factors preventing maximum gains could be form and intensity. Either you may be too intense, i.e. using too much weight that compromises form, or not intense enough, i.e. not going until ABSOLUTE failure on every set. Have a personal trainer o...

wow, that is the book I had in mind before reading peoples responses. It appears to be popular, and for good reason. I would definitly recommend the book as well. Not only does it have in depth descriptions and pictures of many top exercises for body building, but it also gives first hand descriptio...

In opinion, doing both low and high reps will create the highest quality muscle development. If you are aiming towards bulky muscles, than you may want to do something like 4x6 for low reps, and 3x12 for high reps. If you're ultimate goal are toned muscles, than you may want to do something like 4x1...

Try using a very light weight, such as just the bar itself, and practice doing squats or cleans in front of a mirror. Position yourself so you can see yourself from the side. Practice doing the moves with proper form. This will allow you to develope muscle memory, which is key for keeping proper for...

I would recommend starting with some basic compound exercises Ex. (in no particular order) DB 1 arm row DB bench press Squat Straight leg dead lift refer to http://www.shapefit.com/training.html for proper form of the exercises. Be very careful when doing all of the exercises, especially at the begi...

Sorry, i'm a little confused. Are you lifting 3 days per week, or are you doing a 3 day split? A 3 day split would divide your body into 3 different routines. Ex. day 1 Chest, shoulders, triceps, day 2 back and biceps, day 3 legs. If you're talking about the advantages and disadvantages of different...

If you're looking to just tone, than you can successfully do that with either machines or free weights; it depends upon personal preference. Toning and fat loss is best achieved with high reps and short rests in between sets. If you have a decent amount of time, you may want to do something like 3 s...

I'd also like to add that because they are raised off the ground, they allow you to do a pushup at a slightly different angle, which puts more emphasis on the lower chest. This can be a nice change from the standard pushup.

Just in case you're wondering what Swanso means by hypertrophy (he uses fancy words a lot), he means training for muscle volume. If you wait more than about 1 minute between sets, you will continue to recruit the same muscle fibers, which is great if you want those to be strong, such as in power lif...

Does your back arch anytime you squat, or just with heavy squats?

Also, which way is your back arching? Is your stomach coming out too far, or is the back bulging backwards?

Have you been doing any lifting over the past few months, or have you solely focused on your diet? If not, have you done any routines in the past with either machines or free weights? If so, what exercises have you done. It's important to know how much experience you have with various exercises, as ...

There is definitly logic behind his theory of shocking the muscles by continuously changing the program. That being said, his claim that you can completely transform your body in 90 days may be a little strong. One must not only eat a healthy diet in correct proportion to his/her body requirments, b...

I would invest in handles. They help take strain off the wrists, which can help to prevent injury.

If I want to define and tone arms, should I do heavier weights with low reps, or light weights with more reps Do both. By doing so, you will hit different types of muscle fibers, and constantly make your muscles adapt to new workout routines. There's different ways you can approach this. Some peopl...