How Much Protein You Need and

Pro Bodybuilders eat about one gram (sometimes even 1.5 grams) of protein per pound of body weight or per pound of non-fat tissue. I'm sure you've seen that the recommended dail

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Monday, June 30, 2014

Learning to Sit On the Floor, Part 1

by Shari
We recently received a question about learning to sit on the floor without support. Because we often write about the benefits of sitting on the floor (see To Sit or Not To Sit (on the floor)?), we thought having a little guidance for people who are currently unable to sit comfortably on the floor would be useful for a large number of people. So we decided to dedicate an entire post to the topic of how you can learn to sit comfortably on the floor. But let’s begin with the question:

Q: I’m a stiff Western guy who was brought up sitting on chairs and finds it really uncomfortable to sit crossed-legged on the floor even for a few minutes. Now I find that for my wedding, which will be a Hindu ceremony, I will be expected to sit on the floor for several hours. What can I do to get in shape for this? (My normal exercise routine includes running and weight lifting—I don’t do yoga yet at this point.)

First off, may I say congratulations on your upcoming wedding. How exciting for you, and you are to be complimented in your thoughtfulness for your desire to fully participate in your wedding's rituals. I don’t know anything about Hindu wedding ceremonies except what I have read about or seen in various movies but I do know that though you will be on the floor you won’t be totally motionless. What I don’t know is exactly what type of sitting posture you will be required to do for certain lengths of time. I would encourage you to discuss this with your fiancé but let us propose that you may be in kneeling or cross-legged positions all without external back support.

For you, and everyone else who wants to work on sitting without support, it might be helpful to break down the components of unsupported sitting. Which areas need to be both flexible and strong that you can work on during the upcoming months? We also need to discuss the role of breathing in enabling you to sit unsupported.

The vertebral spine and the diaphragm are major supporting internal structures of the human body. The spine consists of four curves that when properly stacked upon each other can withstand a significant amount of gravitational force to maintain the solidity of the curves. The curves allow the spine to move as well as to maintain stillness. Nestled deep within the pelvis—which connects the vertebral spine to the lower limbs/legs—is a very important bone called the sacrum. The sacrum and the two pelvic bones (ilia) are literally the bridge that forms the base of support that we need to sit. The femurs (thigh bones) connect into the ilia at the hip joint to widen the base of support. To sit unsupported in a cross-legged fashion, we need to provide good contact of the outer heads of our femurs (thighbones) with the ground.

There is a lot of discussion among health care professionals and yogis on what ideal sitting posture is and how to obtain it. But for our discussion we need to find you a doable position. The key is that when we sit unsupported we need to position our knees lower than our hips. This is easy to see when you sit in a chair without using the backrest. To obtain this position we typically need to raise our seat height up to widen the angle between our torso and our thighs. Typical chairs for standard height individuals have us sitting with our knees level to our hips and our torso perpendicular to the chair and this is termed 90/90 sitting position. But if we widen the angle of thigh to torso ratio to 135 degrees it is easier for us to lift up and lengthen our spines.

This is where I suggest you start. Place a pillow or folded blanket on the chair seat to raise your pelvis—this will allow your knees to be lower than your hips so your pelvis can roll over the head or your femurs (thigh bones) to re-establish your lumbar curve (your lower spine). Then you can lengthen or elongate your spine. This will help you learn to sit with your spine in a lengthened position and to support this posture from the “inside out.”

To learn how to stabilize the spine from the inside out we need to learn about our diaphragm, transversus abdominus, and pelvic floor musculature, and how they all assist in spinal stabilization, especially in a seated position.

The diaphragm is the dome-shaped sheet of muscle and tendon that serves as the main muscle of respiration and plays a vital role in the breathing process as well as internal stabilization. The origins (attachments) of the diaphragm are found along the lumbar vertebrae of the spine and the inferior border of the ribs and sternum. When we inhale, the diaphragm contracts and is drawn inferiorly into the abdominal cavity until it is flat. At the same time, the external intercostal muscles between the ribs elevate the anterior rib cage like the handle of a bucket. The thoracic cavity becomes deeper and larger, drawing in air from the atmosphere. During exhalation, the rib cage drops to its resting position while the diaphragm relaxes and elevates to its dome-shaped position in the thorax. Air within the lungs is forced out of the body as the size of the thoracic cavity decreases.
Diaphragm
Structurally, the diaphragm consists of two parts: the peripheral muscle and central tendon. The peripheral muscle is made up of many radial muscle fibers—originating on the ribs, sternum, and spine—that converge on the central tendon. The central tendon, which is a flat aponeurosis made of dense collagen fibers, acts as the tough insertion point of the muscles. When air is drawn into the lungs, the muscles in the diaphragm contract and pull the central tendon inferiorly into the abdominal cavity. This enlarges the thorax and allows air to inflate the lungs.

Due to its structural orientation, the diaphragm can be used to assist in torso stabilization for erect sitting along with contraction of the transversus abdominus muscle. The transverse abdominis muscle attaches to the thoracolumbar fascia and the deep erector back muscles between the pelvic bone and rib cage posteriorly and from the lower six rib cartilages, linea alba and the inguinal ligament anteriorly.  It extends the entire length of the anterior trunk.  Since it is the only abdominal muscle to attach to the posterior spine, it is considered the “human corset” of the trunk.

It is also helpful to work with your pelvic floor. The pelvic floor muscles create a hammock that spans the base of the pelvis from the front to the sides and to the back. Women often learn about these muscles after childbirth and are taught Kegel exercises to “strengthen” this area. You learn to engage the urogenital triangle without using the buttocks or tucking your tail to engage. In yoga mula bandha (root lock) is the “Kegel” and is taught to create strength and preserve energy of the body.

To learn how to feel the diaphragm and transversus abdominus, you can lie on the floor with your head slightly elevated and your chest opened. You can do this by folding three yoga blankets in an overlapping stepped or tiered position so the different layers of blankets support the curve of your lumbar spine, your thoraco lumbar junction and lastly your head (see Yoga Couch on gingergarner.com):
If this setup is too complex, you can try a Supported Savasana with your torso on a bolster (or folded blankets) and your head on a support. See Savasana Variations for info.
To sense the muscular actions of breathing, place your hands on the outer edges of your waist on your floating ribs. Gently firm and draw in the area just below your umbilicus and keep that area gently firm as you take a full breath in. As you inhale, notice if you can feel your lower rib angles moving out into your hands. As you exhale, continue to keep your lower belly engage as you feel your ribs return to their resting position.  Once you can do this breathing  in the reclined position, you can transition to doing it in hands and knees position and then to sitting in a chair to learn to create internal support in an upright position.

To learn where your pelvic floor is, sit on a soft but firm chair with your knees lower than your hips and gently bear down as in defecation. You should feel a slight bulging of your perineum. Then, try to lift your perineal area by tightening the muscles between your pubis and anus. You might also notice that you are drawing in your lower belly to do this, and that is okay because we often engage both our transversus abdominus and our pelvic floor muscles. Just make sure you aren’t tightening your buttocks to do this. Continue to practice this regularly while sitting in a chair until you have built up your tolerance and stamina.

Now let’s look at the more visually obvious muscles you need to work with. To sit erect for long periods of time—whether on a chair or floor—you need to have strong back muscles. These include deepest paraspinal msucles that run the entire length of your spine from head to tail, the deep spinal muscles that are longer and broader, and the more superficial larger back muscles, such as the latissimus dorsi, trapezius. A good way to begin to strengthen these muscles is by practicing simple backbends like Locust pose (Salabasana) with various arm positions and leg lifts (see Locust (Dynamic Version) for a few ideas) and Bow pose (Dhanurasana). 
You might also want to work on your back in Bridge pose variations (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana), especially working with the deep spinal stabilizers, which you can do with One-Legged Bridge or Marching-in-Place Bridge. You might want to have someone watch you when you do these positions to make sure that you can keep your spine neutral and not sag or twist. Also an all-fours position (see Hunting Dog Pose) with opposite arm and leg lifts will work the deep spinal stabilizers. Using a stick that is placed from your head to tail along your spine gives you nice feedback that you are maintaining a neutral spine. Please remember when you start doing these active training positions to use your deep abdominal/diaphragmatic /pelvic floor stabilizing breathing that was described earlier.

Next let’s look at flexibility of your spine. Begin with passive backbends that are nice and easy, such as lying over a bolster to arch your spine into a reverse “C” curve. Keep it gentle—don’t be too aggressive in increasing your arch. More is definitely NOT better. Work with nice deep belly breaths here, not your stabilizing breathing pattern. Cobra pose (Bhujangasana) is also a good way to build spinal flexibility as well as a gentle Cat/Cow pose.

Now it’s time to turn to the lower body and learn to stretch our hips, buttocks, and legs. Thread the Needle/Figure Four pose (Sucirandhrasana) will help you begin to stretch your tight outer hip muscles. Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana) will also help begin to stretch your gluteal muscles and tight lower back fascia. You can practice version one of Reclined Leg Stretch (Supta Padangusthana), but you may find that a sustained single leg stretch through a doorway with one leg up the doorway and the other leg straight on the floor through the doorway is a nice way to hold a hamstring stretch for a longer time period without your hands getting tired gripping a strap. Different poses to stretch your hip rotators such as seated Cow-Face pose (Gomukasana) or Pigeon pose (Kaptosana) preparation are also helpful. To stretch your rhomboids (mid-back muscles), consider adding upper back stretches, such as Garudasana (Eagle pose) arms, to your seated poses.

Finally, we need to move to standing. Begin at the beginning with Mountain pose (Tadasana). You need to learn to stand erect first before you can sit erect.
From here, learning to do Half Downward-Facing Dog pose at the Wall begins to teach you how to integrate your arms, legs and torso.
Then we do have to move onto standing poses! I think by this time you may realize that it would be helpful for you to join a beginner yoga class and to learn to do a home practice. When you find a class that you like, I would recommend privately talking with the teacher and perhaps meeting with him or her to help you devise a doable home practice to target all the areas that you need to stretch and strengthen. With patience, perseverance and a sense of humor you will accomplish your goal! 

For more on learning to sit on the floor (including photos of props you can use), see Learning to Sit on the Floor, Part 2.

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Friday, June 27, 2014

The importance of Tracking in bodybuilding. By Damien Botte Noyan

The importance of Tracking in bodybuilding
By Damien botte noyan
Knowing your body: This may be one of the most the most important tools to bodybuilding success. Keeping track of what you do may help greatly towards this. 
Many beginners in the sport tend to follow the general guidelines offered from the multitude sources of information out there, through coaches, books, videos, online videos, websites, online forums, magazines and so on. While all these general principles of bodybuilding are normally sound, the results produce from their application will tend to vary from one person to the next. For this reason, when someone decides to take his/her body transformation to the next level, an important part of the process is to learn how one’s body react to exercise and nutrition.

“As a bodybuilder, your success/failure is determined by your individual effort, commitment, dedication, determination, etc.…”

It is also important to note that because of the individual nature of the sport, the results obtain through training and nutrition will also be determined by the uniqueness of person. Each individual has different genetics and will respond differently (to a certain extent) to diverse training and nutritional regimen.
  
Why do I need to learn how my body reacts to exercise and nutrition?
The answer to this question really depends on how much results someone wants out of his/her bodybuilding journey. As mentioned above, the general principles of bodybuilding will yield results. However, when chasing a particular goal (e.g. lose x% of body fat), one will need to know how his/her body reacts to the different training and diets they do, so that they know they are on the right track. This knowledge helps analysing what has been done, what results were obtained and also helps define what needs to be done ahead to move closer to the goals. This is especially more important for those bodybuilders who want to compete. This learning process is a not an easy one but once mastered, one can have a good idea of what to do to get the results he/she desires. One of the methods that can be used to learn how one’s body react is through record keeping or journaling.

What do I need to keep record of?
Since bodybuilding involves training and nutrition, the best thing to start tracking would be both training and nutrition. Eventually, once someone is comfortable tracking both training and nutrition, they can even take it to the next level, where they keep a complete journal of their bodybuilding journey. This can include other stuff like how they were feeling during their workout, outside the gym (in terms of mindset), if they have been sick, how much sleep they are getting, etc. The journal is really a collection of data on the individual. This data can become particularly useful later on when being reviewed so that the person can learn what works and what does not work. For example, one can track their mood on the day following a cheat day, to see how it also affects their training on the next day.

Tracking your workout:
There are various reasons to track one’s workout. Below are a few of those reasons
Remember the appropriate weights to use when doing an exercise
-     When asking someone for advice, the person giving out the advice will have more data from which to base their advice. Tracking the progress made in the gym

How this may help progress in training?
One of the basic principles used in bodybuilding is that of progressive overload.  This principle refers to the process of gradually placing the body under increased stress from exercising. The aim behind it is to continually make gains (in terms of muscles or strength) from exercising, despite the attempts of the body to adapt to the stresses it is put under. In the gym, one of the best ways to apply progressive overload is to increase volume. Since volume is basically defined as number of sets x number of reps x weights, increasing volume is done by increasing one or more of these three factors; 1) weight, 2) number of reps and 3) number of sets. By tracking those three factors for each workout, one is able to make sure that volume is increasing and by how much. This allows tracking plateaus and also guiding someone when using cycles in their training (that is moving from a heavy workout to a lighter one, while keeping volume high).

What do you want to track during a workout?
Basic tracking:
  •       Name of the exercise
  •       Number of sets
  •       Number of reps
  •        Weight used on each set
The table below shows basic tracking
Exercise Log
Date:           
Exercise
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Set 4
Example: Flat bench press
15 x 50kg
15 x 50kg
15 x 50kg
12 x 60kg
Example: Dumbell flyes
12 x 15kg
12 x 15kg
10 x 18kg



























A sample email conversation that I had with my nutritional and training advisor Vic Goyaram, highlighting the importance of "tracking" 



Other things that can be tracked during a workout:
  • -      Warm up routine (if it is not an exercise being tracked)
  • -      Mood before workout
  • -      Mood after workout
  • -      Pre workout supplement used (if any)
  • -      Notes on individual exercises (e.g. press behind neck is causing shoulder pain)
  • -      Stretching done
  • -      Time spent working out
  • -      Water intake during workout
  • -      Other notes (e.g. what music helped to boost the workout, time spend checking     out yoga class next door… lol)
As mentioned already, all this is aimed at gathering as much information as you can about yourself. Once you do so, you can review what works and what does not and use the information to help maximise the results you get from each workout.

Damien is a Mauritian who has settled in Canberra, Australia. Bodybuilding is his passion since his days in Mauritius. He aims to make his competitive debut in natural bodybuilding at the INBA Canberra Natural Physique Championships in 2015. He is one of the most avid followers of Bodybuilding Mauritius since we went online.  

THANKS FOR THE ARTICLE DAMIEN

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Disclaimer: The Content on this site is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as medical advice or a diagnosis of any health or fitness problem, condition or disease; or a recommendation for a specific test, doctor, care provider, procedure, treatment plan, product, or course of action. BODYBUILDING MAURITIUS is not a medical or healthcare provider and your use of this site does not create a doctor / patient relationship. We disclaim all responsibility for the professional qualifications and licensing of, and services provided by, any physician or other health providers posting on or otherwise referred to on this Site and/or any Third Party Site. Never disregard the medical advice of your physician or health professional, or delay in seeking such advice, because of something you read on this Site. We offer this Site AS IS and without any warranties.  Correspondence: vicgoyaram@gmail.com
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Friday Q&A: The Three-Part Breath

Ladder by Melina Meza
Q: I was taught the way to breathe is through the belly to the chest and ending in the sternum area.  I saw a video from Leslie Kaminoff where he stated he does it the opposite way meaning sternum to belly. So, what does yoga teach us? Does it matter?

A: I’ll start right off with the assertion that from my perspective there is no one right way of breathing. And from my exposure to different styles of yoga and different modern lineages of yoga, I have often encountered conflicting recommendations on how to imagine the breath is moving in the body or how it is filling the lungs. But, as our reader points out, one of the more commonly taught ways of imagining, experiencing or encouraging the breath to come in on the inhalation is often called the three-part breath. In this variation, you imagine that you are filling your belly area with breath first (reflected in the belly gently expanding before any other part of the body or chest changes shape), followed by your lower chest, and lastly your upper chest. As an example, if you decided to do this over the course of a three-second inhalation, you could divide the filling or shape change of each area of your belly and chest into one-second increments. Remember you are not actually breathing into your belly, as your breath only goes into your lungs, which are located inside your ribcage! We suggest to our students that the breath is going into the belly during a full, relaxed breath because of the change in shape that takes place in that area of the body, when the breathing muscle—the respiratory diaphragm that separates the chest and abdomen—contracts and pushes down on the abdominal contents, leading to the outward bulge of the belly.

The exhalation is then sometimes said to exit in the opposite direction, from your upper chest first, your lower chest next, and your belly last. When performed in a relaxed, deep way, this breath is said to shift your nervous system to the Relaxation Response (Rest and Digest), slow your heart rate and lower your blood pressure, to name three typical benefits. But everyone experiences the breath differently, so not everyone will have those results, especially when first learning to breath differently. When I travelled to India in 2005, I was taught the style of breathing that our reader describes in his question, just the opposite of the more common three-part breath I just described. It is the same one Leslie Kaminoff describes in video that our reader mentioned. In this version of the three-part breath, you first invite your inhale into your upper chest, then your lower chest, and finally your belly. You then move your exhalation out of your belly first—with the assistance of the abdominal muscles contracting—then your lower chest and finally your upper chest. 

When I was first guided into this breath, I immediately recognized that it was the opposite of what I had been taught back home. But I was curious to try it and see what it felt like. My instructors at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram claimed this breath reflected the spinal movements that more naturally occur with inhaling (slight backbend of the spine) and exhaling (slight forward rounding of the spine), and stated that it would lead to a deeper, longer, fuller lung capacity. I have worked with both styles of breath over the ensuing years, and I can say for certain that one is not necessarily “better” than the other. 

Sometimes teachers of one method or the other will claim that the breath style reflects the movement of prana or internal energy in the body. Some sources state that prana moves upwards towards the head on inhalation, and moves downward on the exhalation, so therefore the first style of three-part breath reflects and supports that. Other teachers have suggested that there are energetic benefits to drawing the prana downward on the inhalation and releasing it upwards on the exhalation; and that inhaling downward towards the belly flips the digestive flame downward toward the lowest part of the belly, where the ancient Hatha yogis felt we stored all kinds of waste and toxins we needed to burn up. 

As I shared this potential difference of opinion with my friend and very experienced yoga teacher Susi Amendola, she promptly suggested the following:

“There is no one right way to breathe. There is just the ability to observe our habits and adapt if you discover that you are limited in your breathing capacity. Why are you reluctant to do a particular method of breathing: does it hurt, is it just weird and unfamiliar, or are you wed to a particular technique because you feel it is the “right way” to breath? These first two aspects are more interesting ways of assessing your breath than deciding which is the right way to do it.” 

I was reminded of the response of some of my fellow students back in India after we were first introduced to the second version of the three-part breath. Several said they would refuse to try the second version again because it was not the way they learned in their tradition, and it was therefore not something they were interested in learning.

So, when you are learning new pranayama techniques, consider giving it a try and notice how it makes your feel and how that jives with the purported benefits of the technique. If you are really struggling with either form of three-part breath, ask your teacher for guidance. Lastly, pick your teacher’s brain to see what other tidbits of wisdom about the breath you can learn.  Also, keep in mind that there can be an accumulated benefit of doing the breathing techniques regularly for a while, just as there is when doing your yoga asana home practice each day.  So add in a regular pranayama practice to your home yoga practice if you have not done so already!

—Baxter

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BODYBUILDER PROFILE & ADVICE: VARUN BOODHUN. BY VARUN BOODHUN.

BODYBUILDER PROFILE & ADVICE

 VARUN BOODHUN
I chose bodybuilding: the sport of Gods
PROFILE
Name:L. Varun Boodhun

Age: 22

Weight: 82 kg

Height: 1m 66 cm

Gym: Sandokan Barbell Club

Years in bodybuilding: 2

Achievements: gain of 22 kg in 2 years

Occupation: Final year LLB (Honours) student at Middlesex University. 
                         Former student of St. Esprit College

Goals: to compete in Mr. Quatre Bornes and open a Strongman Camp

Favourite bodybuilders (Local and International): Denis Ayen, Franco Columbu
My favourite bodybuilders are Denis Ayen (Mauritius) and Franco Columbu (USA via Italy). 
Typical daily diet: 
06:30: Whey protein 
07:00: muesli
10:00: Bread and any protein source (meat, chicken, fish) and greens for the fibers 
13:00: Same meal as 10.00
14.00: Whey Protein
16.00: Any food with high carbs
16:30: one shot of black coffee (gym from 17.00 to 19.00)
19:15: Post Workout Shake: 33 g oatmeal powder, 400 ml milk, 50 g whey protein, 1 banana, 1 spoon peanut butter all blended together
20.00 Dinner: Pulses or beans, salad and any source of protein
23.00: milk then sleep

Favourite supplements: I don't go for fancy brands, so any whey protein with the sufficient nutritional basics is good for me. And I do supplement with creatine monohydrate every now and then.

CURRENT TRAINING PROGRAM

Monday: Chest& Triceps
Gironda Dips 4 sets of 10
Inclined DB Press 4 sets of 6
Decline DB Press 4 sets of 6
Peck Decks: 3 sets of 15
Cross Overs: 3 sets of 15
DB Pull over: 4 sets till failure
Triceps Pushdown: 3 sets of 10
Skull Crushers: 4 sets of 6 (heavy)
Close Grip Bench Press: 4 sets of 6 (heavy)
Bench Dips: 3 sets to failure
My triceps were built with pushdowns, skull crushers,
close grip bench presses and bench dips
Tuesday: Back& Biceps
Weighted Pull Ups: 3 sets of 8
T-Bar Rowing: 4 sets of 6
Lats Pull down: 3 sets 12-15 reps
Seated Rows: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
One Arm DB Rows: 4 sets of 6
Deadlifts: 6 sets of 6
Shrugging: 4 sets of 6
Barbell Curl: 4 sets of 6
Scott Curl: 4 sets of 6
Inclined DB Curl: 3 sets of 8
Hammer Curl: 3 sets of 8
Back is hit hard with a mix of heavy (6-8 reps) and light (12-15 reps) sets.
I do a second workout for the back later in the week using compounds only.
 

Wednesday: Legs
Half Squat: 6 sets of 6 (heavy)
Front Squat: 4 sets of 6
Sissy Squat: 4 sets of 10
Horizontal Leg Press: 6 sets of 8-10
Good morning: 4 sets of 12 (Light weight to avoid over working the lower back)
Lying Leg Curls: 4 sets of 6 (heavy)
Barbell Curls, Scott Curls, Hammer Curls and Incline curls
helped me carve solid biceps 
Thursday: Shoulders
Military Press: 4 sets of 6
Alternate DB Shoulder Press: 4 sets of 6
Bent Over Lateral Raise: 5 sets of 10
Upright Row: 3 sets of 10
Lateral Raise: 4 sets of 6
Front Raise (using weight plates): 4 sets of 8
DB Shrugging: 3 sets to failure

Friday: Compound lifts for Chest and Back
Bench Press: 6 sets of 6
Bent Over Rows: 6 sets of 6
Deadlifts: 6 sets of 6
Barbell Pullover: 6 sets of 6

Saturday: some legs training
Full Squat: 6 sets of 6
Angled Leg Press: 6 sets of 6
Standing Leg Curl: 4 sets to failure

Keeping it old school at the Sandokan Barbell Club with vertical leg presses
Variety is the key
I am experimenting with changing my intensity techniques every two weeks, and this week I tried rest pause. So for all exercises, I lifted roughly around 85% of my 1 rm and lifted the weight in a two way stage; like for instance if I had to perform 6 reps, I performed 4 reps, paused for 10 seconds and then performed an additional 2 reps. 

I train forearms and calves everyday
You will notice that I did not include forearms, calves and abs in any workout. This is because I do forearms and calves every day. Why forearms and calves every day? Because I believe that these are the two muscle groups in our body which goes through maximum tension throughout our daily activities. And for me, training them on a specific day do not hit them that hard. I have quite good forearms so I don't go insane with them, just wrist curls (palms up and down) and reverse wrist curl (but I do only one of those exercises a day). As for the calves, they are my weakest body part. But my recent approach is working miracles to them. I train them everyday to the point I feel them begging for mercy! They are always sore and they are getting bigger. I don't do the same calves workout for two consecutive days. I change the workout each day and change the intensity technique; for  example, on Monday I started with seated calf raise with 5 drop sets to failure, followed by Donkey Calf Raise with 5 drop sets to failure. On Tuesday I started with Leg Press Calf raise 4 sets of pyramiding, begining with 15 reps and ending at 6, followed by standing calf raise with the same pyramid approach. Finally concerning calves, which will look absolutely funny to a lot, but I don't give a crap since it is working wonders, I train calves shoe-less and throughout my calves workout, I walk on tippy toes (when looking for weights etc), and I am always stretching them (between each sets). When you feel your calves begging for mercy, fry them for a few more reps ;)
I train forearms every workout. It works for me
As for abs, I train them on Mondays and Friday and keep it simple: Hanging Leg Raise, Lying Leg Raise, Sit ups and crunches. Then look up for a gym where there is a trainer. Having a trainer monitoring you from the beginning is extremely important, I did not have that luck, and for 4 months I was being a fool in my first gym.

My warm up consists of an 8 mins dynamic workout and 5 mins of twist using a stick.
How I used to look prior to lifting

My Advice to beginners

Congrats for choosing the sport of Gods
My advice as to a beginner. First of all congratulations my friend, you have chosen the sport of Gods. As for training, you should never be greedy but don't be a sheep as well. What I mean to say is don't let others establish your limits, find them and always keep pushing till the limits, but don't be greedy and exaggerate. I believe the Joe Weider program for beginner is a good one, just one change that may turn out to be useful is to substitute the Bench Press with Gironda Dips, I personally think the Gironda dips is a better chest building exercise. Don't be afraid to lift weight, but don't lift weights that will hurt you, like I said earlier, establish your own limits. Don't feel depressed if your progress is slow or that your friend is progressing faster than you. It doesn't matter how fast others are progressing, what matters is that you are progressing, even if it is a slight progression, if it is present then you should not worry. But before starting to lift, I think you should first of all do a complete medical checkup of your body. Record your weight and body fat. Establish where you are and what you want to become; either lose weight or gain weight.

Nutrition and supplementation: I know it will seem like supplement makes the bodybuilder (been there done that) but that is sooooo untrue! Supplements are important yes, but choose them wisely, and never rank supplement above nutrition! Establish a good meal plan first and then you may consider supplementing with a whey protein. But again, I won't advise you to go for labels and publicities, these are marketing scams.
 
As for motivation, you need to start loving what you are doing. Once you fall in love with lifting, then there is no coming back. Once a lifter, always a lifter. Last but not least, actually the most helpful advice is to regularly check bodybuilding Mauritius, it is updated regularly with excellent tips and instructions. 
 
Don't let others establish your limits, find them and always keep pushing till the limits
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