Recent Thoughts About Hoarding Disorder and Yoga

by Ram

Taking Out The Garbage by Edith Vonnegut*

I was at an Ayurveda conference last year when one of the participants approached me to discuss her mother, who was diagnosed with HD. Being a neuroscientist, I assumed HD to be Huntington’s disease, a neurological condition that results in the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. In the middle of the conversation I realized that she was referring to another condition: Hoarding disease. I was puzzled because I never thought of hoarding as a disease.

As I kept reading about this condition from various sources, I was amazed to learn that hoarding disorder (HD), as it’s officially known, is a serious condition that is as common as schizophrenia, bipolar illness, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In the latest version of the DSM manual (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), hoarding, which was previously classified under OCD, is now classified independently of OCD suggesting the higher prevalence and seriousness of this disease. A recent review published in the “Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing” found that 2-5% of the population met the criteria for hoarding disorder. According to the Mayo Clinic:

“Hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them.”

As a result, any thought of getting rid of the items triggers serious mental stress to the individual. Excessive accumulation of items, regardless of the actual value, often creates cramped living conditions with homes/garages that are filled to capacity and narrow pathways leading through mounds of clutter. The clutter may include but is not limited to household utensils, paper materials (e.g., mail, cards, books newspapers), clothing, containers (e.g., boxes, paper and plastic bags), garbage, rotten food, pet’s stuff, and, of course, wealth. Hoarding disorder ranges from mild to severe, and may not have much impact in some cases, while in other cases it seriously affects the individual’s functioning on a daily basis. Symptoms of hoarding disorder begin relative early (around 30) and worsen with age. People with hoarding disorder often don't see it as a problem, making the diagnosis and treatment challenging. Attempts to “de-hoard” usually fail since the problem may recur, often within a few months. Moreover, hoarders whose homes have been cleared without their consent are known to experience extreme distress and may become further attached to their possessions thus putting them in a downward spiral of the disease.

Medicines alone may help reverse some of the associated symptoms such as depression, fear, worry, and/or anxiety but does not appear to reduce the hoarding behavior. Psychologists and counselors suggest the following:

1. Hoarders need to be sympathized and held with respect
2. Help the person to recognize that hoarding interferes with every aspect of life
3. Find out what will help motivate the person to discard or organize 
4. Encourage the hoarders to come up with suggestions to clear the clutter to make their living environment safer

What does this have to do with yoga? Well, in the yoga philosophy, the first of the eight rungs or limbs is the yamas, and are considered as universal morality (see Yama Drama: Considering the First Branch of Yoga). Yamas serve as moral, ethical, and societal guidelines to lead a healthy, conscious, honest, and ethical life. Of the five yamas that help us to relate to our surroundings and environment and to achieve oneness with it is aparigraha. (see The First Branch of Yoga: The Yamas). The term can be translated to mean noncovetousness/non-possessiveness/non-hoarding. Aparigraha means to limit possessions to what is necessary or important, and having what is truly necessary and no more. The more we accumulate and hoard material possessions, the more we get attached to and worry about losing these possessions. 

According to Patanjali, coveting material wealth increases greed and possessiveness, and distracts an individual from doing a charitable act. But hoarding is not just about accumulating material possessions but also about filling/holding thoughts and emotions that affect our normal mindset and thinking process. We tend to fill our minds with fear, worry, anxiety, grief, anger, rage, jealousy, and judgments, among others ,and we do not let go of these emotions. Over time, these emotions build up and accumulate as unexpressed or suppressed emotions that can trigger mental and/or physical pathological conditions (see Aparigraha (Non-Hoarding) and Healthy Aging for more on this topic). Was Patanjali was referring to acute hoarding or chronic hoarding leading to a neurobehavioral disorder? Whatever be it, the very act of hoarding can be devastating to both mind and body, and need to be seriously addressed. 

Since yoga can help both the body and mind to function at their best, there is a possibility that yoga can also get rid of compulsive hoarding or hoarding disorder. What is the easiest and effective way to ward off emotional hoarding? Meditation helps to bring the awareness of oneself from moment to moment. While meditation may not cure a person from the act of hoarding, it may help the individual to react to life differently. This reaction and suitable action measures comes from a true awareness to the physical or emotional turbulence. Additionally, yoga asanas may also help, and there are several anecdotal reports about various asana posture for HD. In the scientific literature, there are several published reports about the effectiveness of Kundalini yoga for the treatment of psychiatric disorders including OCD. According to the authors of one such study, the Kundalini OCD protocol includes techniques that are useful for other neurobehavioral conditions, including anxiety disorders, fear and anger management, and reversing mental challenges, and for converting negativity into positive thought. According to the authors of An Introduction to Kundalini Yoga Meditation Techniques That Are Specific for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders, the yoga protocol also successfully addresses phobias, addictive and substance abuse disorders, major depressive disorders, grief, and insomnia. Additionally, the authors also provide information about contraindications and list of dos and don’ts to keep the yoga practice safer. 

Let me also add that while I consider yoga to be a powerful tool for improving neurobehavioral health problems, such as HD or OCD, it is one of the many solutions. One may need to use it as an add-on practice to western medicine, including drugs and/or therapy. You need to do whatever it takes to help you get better and the yoga mat is one of those solutions.

And if you’re a parent, spouse or significant other, or a family member of an individual with HD, kindly encourage the individual to take some form of yoga class as it has been shown to successfully address phobias, addictive and HD. Consider taking these classes yourself so you can provide the most calm and supportive environment possible for the HD individual.

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How Can I Stay Motivated?

Motivation is one of the most important things you will need to build muscles and actually get results. Keeping the motivation is one of the hardest things you will need to do in order to build muscles and to succeed in pretty much everything you do. If you don't have the motivation then it's almost impossible to succeed. Every person no matter what they are doing have at some point asked themselves Why? Why am I doing this? Why should I keep doing what I'm doing? I like to ask myself those questions once in a while just to remind myself when I feel like giving up and don't see any point to continue. And it really helps me.

Well what should you do when you feel like giving up? I want to give you a little tip, WRITE it down. Yes you read it right writing it down does really help. I know it sound a little silly but it's not like I want you to write a long story or something like that. Just write down your goals it doesn't have to be anything more than that. No need to write why you want it, unless you want to write that of course. Write your main goal and then some smaller goals. If you are a high jumper for example then your main goal might be to break the world record and jump higher then 2,45m and some smaller goals might be like jumping 2m and another one might be 2,10m for example.

That way you can have goals that are within reach in a near future and that will keep you motivated on the way to achieving your main goal. This method works for pretty much everything it doesn't have to be sports or muscle building. It works just as fine with studying for example. I have used this for a lot of things and it really works. I am yet to reach my main goals but I'm getting there. I hope this will help you to keep your motivation up.

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Exercises for a Massive Back - Training for Size

There's one specific body part that if you do not have well developed, it will be noticeable. Just as well, if it's built solid, it will indeed be noticed. Not only that, but you'll stand out among the crowd. You can have a big chest and arms, but if you neglect doing exercises for a thick and wide back then you entire physique will suffer. Your back muscles make up much more muscle mass than most other body parts put together. Back training must be made a priority and must be trained intense and with heavy weights. Below are a few exercises for a massive back that will enhance your muscle gains.

Exercise for a Massive Back 1: Deadlifts

Deadlifts are the king of back exercises and in all realty should be a staple in anyone's regimen if the goal is to gain muscle mass. If you do deads, you will grow; it would be almost impossible not to grow doing them, assuming you eat enough protein and calories and get proper rest. You'll pack on slabs of muscle on your back with deadlifts.

Exercise for a Massive Back 2: Barbell Rows

This exercise will help your back grow tremendously and can easily be deemed as one the second greatest exercise for a massive back, right under deadlifts. You can do an overhand grip which is the traditional method, or underhand grip. Six time Mr. Olympia in the 1990's, Dorian Yates swore by underhand grip barbell rows and he was known for having the best back in bodybuilding in those days.

Exercise for a Massive Back 3: Dumbbell Rows

Dumbbell rows will make you feel like you just ran wind sprints as you'll be out of breath at the end of your set. But this is a sure-fire way to building a solid back. Don't shy away from themA because they're tough.

Exercise for a Massive Back 4: Lat Pulldowns

Now this last one isn't as much of a muscle mass builder as the previous exercises for a massive back mentioned. But let's not belittle the importance of this exercise either. Although lat pulldowns are used primarily for back width, you can go pretty heavy on these which will promote muscle overload, ultimately leading to more muscle mass.

If you're not already doing so, implement these exercises for a massive back. You're certain to grow. And not only will your back get thicker and wider, but you should also notice strength gains on other major lifts such as your bench press. For a massive, well-rounded physique, you cannot neglect back training.

                                                         Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4954346

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Great Abdominal Exercises For Women

A known university bio mechanics laboratory conducted a study. They have confirmed that the most completing Ab Workouts for Women is easier than first imagined. There were exercises evaluated and assessed determining thirteen types of different workouts starting with a well-known abdominal crunch. These ended with complex exercises involving the use of gym equipment at home.

By working on the lower abs, you will find that this is the best workout for flattening a stomach. Vertical knee raises would be the required equipment at the gym for this exercise. An Swiss ball or pillow could also be used at home.

When using the abdominal exercise machine, you should stand with your back to the pad and place your arms on the armrests. Hold the handles in a tight grip. Lift your knees slowly towards your elbows and hold them there for a short while. Complete this slowly and repeat twenty times. Doing it slowly is the key to success. It was reported that Bruce Lee thought of this as his power exercise, therefore men can also do this.

Do not overdo this exercise as only later in the day will pain be experienced from completing the workout. By slowly introducing this into the training regime, your abs will soon enough start to tone and tighten.

These can also be completed at home if your gym is inaccessible. This can be completed with ab slings or with a vertical knee raise station. Using ab slings, elbows should be placed into ab slings after the person has hooked up onto a chin up bar. The hands will go on the straps and the knee raises can begin. The vertical knee raise station provides much more support for the back than the ab slings.

One can also use an Swiss ball or a cushion or pillow to flatten the tummy. Your gluteus maximus goes onto the ball or cushion, both feet placed on the floor about one foot apart in distance, now lean back onto the cushion or ball. By raising the torso slightly there will be a crunch completed.

Simple leg lift is the next exercise that can be completed anywhere. You need to lay down flat on the floor and then raise your legs up in the air. Try keeping your legs up for as long as possible and then resting them. You can repeat this exercise. There are several different ab exercises for women. It is never too late to attain a new leaner, more healthy body and more confidence.

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Best Protein for Building Muscles - Whey Protein As a Muscle Builder

Whey protein is always a hot topic in every gym. It is the so-called best protein for muscle building. Let us take a good look at whey protein as a muscle builder in this piece of information.

Whey is one of the protein sources in milk. When milk is processed to become cheese, the high quality protein whey is filtered out.  But why is it so valuable for building muscles?

Whey is a muscle builder protein. This is because it is readily digested and used by the body. It has high biological value, the measure of how efficient the body can absorb and utilize a certain protein. In fact, whey has one of the highest biological values among all proteins.

Whey is also rich in amino acids that are essential for the development of new muscle mass as well as the maintenance of it. These supplements are cost-efficient ways to supply sufficient amounts of these amino acids to the muscles.

Without you probably knowing it, whey is also a good way to boost the immune system. This is important because weight lifting and resistance training can cause the immune system to be weakened. To counter diseases, the protein supplement can raise the levels of glutathione, an antioxidant produced by the cells. This has a positive impact to the immune system.

With the above reasons, this protein is worth all the praises from nutritional experts and successful people who have gained the muscles. Whey protein is, indeed, a must-have for individuals who are serious in bulking up and building serious muscles.

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Video of the Week: Cat in a Tree (Vrksasana Variation)

Well, it has been a few months since Baxter came up a new balance pose, but he was inspired to cone up with this one when a friend of mine suggested a variation of Tree pose to be called "Cat in a Tree."

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Aging and Your Digestive System

by Baxter and Nina

Popcorn Vendor by Melina Meza

While some people have digestive systems that continue to function well as they age, in a given year, close to 40 percent of older adults experience digestive problems that are caused in large part by age-related changes to their digestive systems! In general, you can optimize your digestive health as you age by staying physically active, reducing chronic stress, supporting healthy eating, and maintaining a healthy weight. So a well-rounded yoga practice, including an active asana practice for exercise, mindfulness practices and meditation to support healthy eating and improve awareness of subtle changes in your body, and stress management practices to reduce the effects of chronic stress and allow you to spend more time in the Rest and Digest state—will support your digestive system overall. 

Now let’s take a closer took at how aging affects the individual components of your digestive system so you can help prevent some of the digestive problems from developing!

Mouth, Tongue, Teeth, and Pharynx. Your mouth gradually changes with age, reducing or changing your sense of taste and altering how you “feel” the texture of food, which can affect your food preferences and eating habits. Chewing may also become more difficult, as your mouth produces less saliva, your tongue works less efficiently to move food, and/or your teeth may wear out. You may also have more trouble swallowing. Although you cannot influence these changes with yoga, mindful yoga practices, such as pranayama and meditation can support healthy eating habits and improve self-awareness, allowing you to tune you into these changes so you can address them with your health care team. 

Esophagus. The smooth muscles lining your entire gastrointestinal tract work less efficiently, slowing the downstream movement of food and liquids. In the esophagus this can cause swallowing, in some cases even gagging, choking, or vomiting. Restorative poses where your head and chest are higher than your belly and standing yoga postures can improve the functioning of your esophagus, and stress management practices will help both you and your esophagus relax.

Stomach. As the lining of your stomach becomes less able to fight damage, your risk of developing peptic ulcers increases. In addition, your stomach becomes less elastic and cannot accommodate as much food, and the stomach empties into the small intestine at a slower rate, which may limit the size of your meals. Using yoga’s stress management practice will support stomach’s functioning, as you reduce chronic stress and spend more time in the Rest and Digest state. 

Small Intestines. Although the movement of contents and the absorption of most nutrients in the small intestines do not change much, they may slow down a bit. However, lactase, one of the enzymes in the small intestine, decreases with age, leading to intolerance of dairy products in many older adults. Cultivating mindfulness may alert you to this change and support better food choices.

Large Intestines. Due to age-related changes in its smooth muscles, waste moves more slowly through your large intestines. This, plus weaker rectal contractions can contribute to constipation, a common problem for older adults. Using your yoga practice for exercise, especially including twists and forward bends, can help support healthy functioning of your large intestines.

Liver, Gallbladder, and Pancreas. As your liver ages, it shrinks, the blood flow in and out is reduced, and repair of liver cells slows, reducing your liver's ability to metabolize many substances. As a result, substances that are toxic to the liver, such as alcohol, can cause more damage in older people than in younger ones, and medication may have a stronger effect or produce more side effects. In the gallbladder, the production and flow of bile decrease with aging, increasing the frequency of gallstones. Age-related changes in the pancreas reduces its ability to deal with sugar levels in your bloodstream, contributing to the increased incidence of type 2 diabetes in older people. Overall, to support three these organs, you can use yoga’s stress management tools to spend more time in in the Rest and Digest state and support a healthy lifestyle. To support the work of your pancreas, use your yoga practice for exercise (but you're already doing that for other reasons, right?).

Gut Microbiome. Older adults have a different microbial profile than younger adults, and, after 65, the number of microbial species decreases and the populations become more similar among individuals. While it is possible these age-related changes might negatively affect the relationship between your gut and your immune system, we don’t yet understand their specific effects. Stay tuned for new research findings! In the meantime, you can use yoga’s stress management tools to support your gut microbiome and foster healthy eating habits.

Enteric Nervous System. Although we still don’t know much about how intestinal nerves age, evidence suggests age-related changes may contribute to the increase in gastrointestinal disorders in older people, such as trouble swallowing, gastrointestinal reflux, and constipation. To support the functioning of your enteric nervous system, use yoga’s stress management tools to reduce chronic stress and spend more time in the Rest and Digest state. 

See Techniques for Cultivating Agility for our recommendations specific techniques you can use to support your digestive system.

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New Thoughts About Agility and Yoga

by Nina

The Football Players by Henri Rousseau

Yes, as Baxter and I continue to learn, our thoughts about some of the topics we've already written about continue to evolve. Sometimes we even realize that what we said before was incorrect. So even though we wrote about agility, aging, and yoga as recently as a year ago in our post Yoga for Agility: An Overview, it's time for a little update because we have some new things to say! First I'll say something about what agility is—and what contributes to your ability to be agile. Then we'll look at how yoga helps you maintain agility as you age.

About Agility

Agility is the ability to move easily through a series of positions while you stay balanced and in control. Some everyday situations that require agility are getting in and out of a car (especially the back seat of a two-door!) and getting up and down from the floor. Often speed is required as well as coordination, such as when you walk down a crowded city sidewalk (have you ever been to New York City?) or scoop up a ball that’s rolling along the ground. 

For those of you who play sports, such as tennis, basketball, and soccer, maintaining agility will enhance your performance. Maintaining agility also helps prevent falls, a serious—sometimes life-threatening—problem for older people.

Being agile and coordinated requires a combination of a number of physical and mental skills. First of all, to move with ease, you need all three of the other essential skills that you’re already working on: strength, flexibility, and balance. And, importantly, to stay upright as you move from one position to another, the same postural reflexes that help you balance upright in static poses also help you stay upright when you’re moving from one position to another. 

Exteroception and Proprioception. The ability to make coordinated, precise movements comes from combining the three essential physical skills with knowing where you are in space. As we discussed in How We Balance, exteroception, the ability to feel what is interacting with the exterior of your body, and proprioception, the ability to tell where one body part is in relation to another, both allow you to maintain your balance in a static position. These same senses allow you to maintain your balance and sense of where your body is in space as you move from one position to another, so both are as important for agility as they are for balance. 

Vision, Hearing, and Touch. Whether you are walking down a crowded sidewalk your during lunch hour, hiking a mountain path, or doing Sun Salutations in a crowded classroom, you also need your eyes, ears, and sense of touch to tell you where you are in space, and to provide you with information about possible obstacles and your relationship to them. Is that someone riding a skateboard behind me? Is that slippery rock in the middle of path over there? Should I step back a bit so I don’t hit that person next to me when I bring my arms out to the sides? Or—oops—did I already do it?

Focus. Unless you’re doing a series of movements that have become automatic, your ability to concentrate as you move from one position to another is a very important aspect of agility. Becoming distracted can throw you off balance or cause you to run into an obstacle. Let’s say you’re at a music festival weaving your way through the obstacle course of other people trying to find good spot, blankets, chairs, and coolers set up by people already dug in, and toddlers bolting off in random directions. If you stopped looking where you’re going or paying attention to where your feet were taking you, just imagine!

And even for a routine set of movements, such as Sun Salutations, some amount of mental focus is needed, as complete distraction causes you to lose track of where you are or suddenly find yourself doing the wrong thing (been there, done that).

Speed. For those times when you need to respond quickly as well as with coordinated movement, your strength is particularly important. Because the fast-twitch muscle fibers in your muscles affect the speed and explosiveness of your muscle contractions, strong muscles provide you with both power and velocity. But moving with speed on a regular basis will also prepare you for those situations when being agile means responding rapidly. In addition, a healthy somatic nervous system—the part of your nervous system that provides you with voluntary control of your body movements—is important for quick, coordinated responses to your requests for movement (see section x for information). When you think, “step forward right foot,” you want fast results!

How Yoga Helps

A well-rounded yoga practice that cultivates strength, flexibility, and balance will also enhance your agility.  But yoga enables you to work directly on the coordination and speed aspects of agility with the following: 

Dynamic Poses and Flow Sequences. Moving dynamically in and out of poses with your breath or between linked poses in flow sequences allows you to practice quick, precise movements. This improves your overall coordination, and exercises the fast-twitch fibers that assist in quick movements. The wide range of dynamic poses and flow sequences that you can choose from (and the ability to make up new ones!) provides you with enough variability to address virtually all your muscles and to stay challenged. 

Static Poses. Moving in and out of static poses with precision helps improve coordination. And making subtle adjustments to your alignment while you’re in a pose refines your ability to sense where you are in space and improves fine motor control (as you start to use rarely used muscles). The large repertoire of yoga poses plus their many variations means you can use virtually all your muscles—in many different ways—throughout a given week, rather just doing the same basic movements over and over. 

To maintain your fast-twitch fibers, you can focus on strength-building practices in static poses, particularly standing poses and that mimic getting up and down. And practicing all types of balance poses, especially using the  challenge techniques we recommend, such as varying the surface you practice on and practicing standing poses with closed eyes, will also help maintain fast-twitch fibers as well as postural reflexes.

Floor Poses. Getting up and down from the floor on a regular basis helps you maintain agility (and it’s one of the things you need agility for!). So just the act of adding floor poses to your practice is beneficial, even if you have to use support to get up and down.

Mindfulness. For all poses, practicing mindfully engages and refines your senses. For vision, you use your eyes to verify your alignment. Are your feet evenly aligned on the floor or is your foot really turned out? For hearing, you use your ears to note how gracefully or awkwardly you make certain movements—when you step into a new position, are you coming down lightly or heavily? For your sense of touch, you can observe how evenly you are pressing into the floor or onto a prop, and notice when one part of your body is touching another (sometimes that means you’re doing the pose right and other times—oops!).

Nerve Health. To maintain speed, you can use your asana practice to support the health of your somatic nervous system. Practicing a wide variety of poses and movement patterns will activate all those nerves on a regular basis. Active poses will improve blood flow to your special sensory nerve receptors (the nerves that shuttle information back to the brain) and stretching poses will create space around your nerves. Finally, balancing poses and flow sequences will help keep your proprioceptors—the nerves that allow you to sense where you are in space—healthy. 

Mental Focus. Moving through flow sequences trains your mind as you return your focus again and again to making quick, precise movements while maintaining balance. You notice shifting sensations—the feeling of being on or off balance—and when extraneous thoughts take you away from your movements. In addition, breath practices and meditation can improve your mental focus in general, benefitting your balance both inside and outside the yoga room.

Cognitive Distraction. When you’re ready for more advanced challenges, you can prepare for real-world situations by adding cognitive distraction to your agility practices. Although you can’t toss a ball from hand to hand while practice a flow sequence, you can play music or talk radio, or have some pets or small children—watch out!—join you in the yoga room. 

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Featured Pose: Warrior 1 (Virbradrasana 1)

by Baxter

 Warrior pose is an energizing, strengthening standing backbend. It cultivates balance, builds strength in your legs, arms, and upper back, and stretches your hips, upper back, and shoulders. Because the pose improves posture, it helps maintain the health of your lungs and respiratory system.

Baxter prescribes this for:

• Improving balance
• Improving poor posture, especially rounded upper back
• Strengthening weak legs
• Stretching tight hips, spine, and shoulders
• Energizing body and mind
• Helping fatigue and depression
• Preparing for backbends

Timing: For the most improvements in strength and flexibility, hold Warrior 1 pose from 90 seconds to 2 minutes. However, if you are newer to the practice and still building up your strength, you can start by holding the pose for 30 seconds or less, if needed. You can practice this pose dynamically by moving from starting leg position to the full pose on inhalation and returning to the starting position on an exhalation. Repeat 6 times.

Cautions: Those with knee pain should try standing with their feet 6 to 12 inches closer together and be especially attentive to the alignment of the front knee over the ankle, bending less if necessary. Those with lower back pain should try version 3 first, standing with feet 6 to 12 inches closer together in this version.

1. Classic Version

From Mountain pose, take the starting position by stepping your feet about three feet apart. Turn your right foot and leg out 90 degrees and pivot on your back heel about 4-5 inches to turn your back foot and leg in about 45-60 degrees. Rotate your chest and belly toward your front leg. 

To come into the full pose, inhale and swing your arms forward and up along the sides of your head, with your palms facing each other. Then exhale and bend your right knee directly over your right ankle (an angle of no more 90 degrees). Firm the muscles around your back knee to keep your back leg straight and lengthen from your back heel up through your hips, spine, and arms as you arch your spine into gentle backbend. Balance your head over your shoulders and gaze straight ahead. 

To come out of the pose, inhale and straighten your front leg, exhale and release your arms to your sides, then turn your feet to parallel. Repeat on the second side, and finish by stepping your feet together into Mountain pose. 

2. Bird-Wing Arms

(sorry, no photo)

This version is good for those with shoulders that are tight or painful when arms are overhead, as well as for opening the front chest for those with a collapsed chest or as a preparation for backbends such as Bridge pose and Upward Plank pose.

Begin by taking the starting position for the classic version. Then inhale, bend your elbows, and take your arms out to the sides into bird-wing position, keeping your elbows in line with or slightly below your shoulders and your forearms pointing straight up. Exhale and bend your front knee as in the classic version. Follow the leg, hip, spine, and head instructions for the classic version lengthening up from your back heel to the crown of your head. Widen your front chest and as you relax your shoulders downward. 

To come out of the pose, follow the instructions for the classic version. Repeat on the second side, and finish by stepping your feet together into Mountain pose. 

3. Hands on Hips

This version makes the pose accessible to those with shoulder problems, such as stiffness, rotator cuff injury, or frozen shoulder, who can’t do version 2. For those who have balance problems, this version is easier than versions 1 and 2, allowing you to gradually work toward raising your arms.

Begin by taking the starting position for the classic version. Inhale and bring your hands to your hips, widen your front chest, and move your elbows back a bit. Follow the leg, hip, spine, and head instructions for the classic version, lengthening up from your back heel to the crown of your head. Widen your front chest and as you relax your shoulders slightly downward. 

To come out of the pose, follow the instructions for the classic version, relaxing your arms by your sides on your exhalation. Repeat on the second side and finish by stepping your feet together into Mountain pose. 

4. Hands on Chair Back

(sorry, no photo)

This version makes the pose accessible to those with poor balance or who are too weak to do the classic pose. 

Start by standing a few inches away from the chair in Mountain pose, with your hands resting on the top of the chair. Inhale and step your left foot straight back 2 ½ to 3 feet, and turn your left foot in about 45-60 degrees. Exhale and bend your right knee over your ankle.  Follow the leg, hip, spine, and head instructions for the classic version, lengthening up from your back heel to the crown of your head. Press your hands down onto the top of the chair, while keeping your arms long and straight.

To come out of the pose, step your left foot forward to match your right foot and straighten both legs. Then come into Mountain pose with your arms at your sides for a breath or two. From there, repeat on the second side by placing your hands on the chair back again and on an inhalation stepping your right foot back into the Warrior 1 position.

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Training Tips for Bigger Arms and Biceps

Everybody digs for bigger arms and it never goes out of style. Who wouldn't like to have arms of a super-hero size? It's the part people respect once they see them and bigger arms are what the women discover most sexy. Through vigorous training, big arms are achievable and if you want those arms, you have come to the right place. This article will outline the rules on how to get huge arms.

For huge arms, the biceps training along with associated muscles is necessary. Training the biceps engage associated muscles for a larger overall upper arm and the muscular appearance. When it comes to arm training, there are 4 questions that you should plan for: How many sets to do? How many reps to do? How often should you train arms? What are the best exercises?

Here are some of the tips on how to get bigger biceps and arms.

• Train arms together on their own day with forearms. This is the most important arm training tip. Train biceps, triceps and forearms collectively on their own day. Trainees often add biceps after back or triceps after bench. The body parts trained first progress faster than the one worked at the end of fatigue kicks in. Train arms when you are fresh as glycogen stores are full. They produce intense arm workout and results are better.

• Use thick bars to train your arms. In case you don't have one, grab Fat Gripz. They are the best investment. Using a thick handled bar is among the best way to develop greater muscular size and strength. It makes your arms big and increases upper body power strength than training with regular bars.

• Make sure to train your forearms hard as your upper arms. It is also an important tip on how to get bigger arms. A set of big forearms is impressive. The effective way to build your forearms is to train using thick handled barbells and dumbbells.

• Make sure you feel the muscles working and are getting a good pump. When your muscles get a pump, it brings blood and nutrients to it, which is critical for development and strength. Moreover, it can effect on your fascia. Fascia is a tight sheath surrounding your muscles (especially arms). The more you pump more room it creates to allow growth. When they are fully pumped, stretch your arms. It acts as a positive catalyst to your training.

• Use more exercise to stimulate new growth. Train your arms in the 8-15 rep range twice a week with less than a minute between sets and a minimum of 10 sets (if you're doing arms on their own day).

• Stay injury free, if you're injured your arms are not growing. It is important because injuring yourself will shrink your arms. The best way to do this is to use proper form.

• At last, drink about 10 cups of water a day. Muscles are more than 70% water. So eat as natural and organic as possible and eat protein for the body growth. Eating healthy is an obvious tip on how to build your muscle.

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Barbells Vs Dumbells - What Is the Best Equpment for Building Muscle Mass?

Some fitness equipment has the ability to create debate with some people as to what is better than the other. Barbells and dumbbells seem to create debate as to which is better, but truth be told, both pieces of equipment do exactly what they are intended for - and that is building muscle mass.

While one of these pieces of equipment employs the muscles involved directly in the workout, the other one also employs that muscle but also uses other muscles to help stabilize the other muscles being worked.

So as you can see, it is the different method in which each builds muscle mass

You really need to be using both barbells and dumbbells to get the best results from your workouts and below I will show you the reasons why.

Barbells

Providing a balanced approach to lifting weights, the barbell is simply a long bar with weighted plates placed on each end. The lifter is usually pushing or lifting the bar straight up, or lowering it down in a controlled manner. The stability is achieved by using both hands and this help keep the bar as straight as possible as well as having complete control over the equipment.

If you want to increase the weight you are lifting, it is simply a matter of adding more plates to each end of the barbell,

Dumbbells

Dumbbells are like a much smaller version of the barbell, you still have a bar with weighted plates on each end, however the length of the dumbbell bar is much shorter and is only lifted using one hand. This will provide you with a balanced workout muscle-wise, using not only linear movement, isolating certain muscles, but also side to side, bringing other muscles into play that will help provide the stabilization.

Also some exercises such as tricep extensions, the fly and the lateral raise can only be done with barbells.

While you can and probably do use dumbbells individually, make sure you workout both sides of your body equally, to maintain a balance of size and strength. If you don't keep each side in proportion, you run the risk of injury, which can keep you off the weights for days, and sometimes weeks.

Conclusion

As with all of your workouts, you should always ensure you are using proper form.This is the best way to build muscle mass and prevent injuries.

You should workout five days a week consisting of at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, with both sides of your body getting an equal workout.

Alternatively, you could train three times a week, with a more vigorous workout of 20 minutes, again working out both sided of your body evenly.

Between working both sides of your body and using varied routines, you could alternate between these two workouts weekly. By doing this, your body will not become accustomed to one workout, you will be working muscles in different ways, keeping not only your workouts fresh and challenging, but helping to keep your mind motivated as well.

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Best Chest Exercises for Mass

What Are The Best Chest Exercises For Mass?

Having a well-defined chest is a super important aspect of a good physique. The pectoral muscles are one of the larger muscle groups of the entire body, so if you want to look good without a shirt or in a bathing suit, you're going to want a great chest. In addition to that, the chest is related to some other aesthetically important muscle groups including the shoulders and triceps.

Guys and girls both wonder how to get killer pipes. Having a solid arm workout is important, but incorporating heavy, multi-joint lifts can have an even bigger effect on your arms. The best chest exercises for mass also help to improve the triceps and the front of the shoulder (known as the anterior deltoid), while sculpting your chest. If developing your arms is the goal, don't skip out on these important exercises!

With all of that said, the chest is important all by itself, and many guys struggle to develop strong chest muscles. We often develop what has become known as the dreaded "man boob." I think it's fair to say none of us want that! As for the ladies, the chest is often neglected, but like I said, if you want to develop nice arms and an overall strong body, a strong chest is a must! So read on to learn 3 of the best chest exercises for mass.

The Top 3 Best Chest Exercises for Mass

1. Incline Chest Press

The incline chest press is one of the best alternatives to the bench press. It is performed on an angle, challenging your muscles in a slightly different way. It's one of the best ways to "lift" the pecs. It also works the deltoids a little more than the flat bench press. The incline bench press should be included often in your workouts. Substituting dumbbells is a great way to change things up.

2. Bench Press

The bench press has been around forever, and for good reason.. it works! The bench press is one of the most effective ways to target the pectoral muscles, the triceps muscles and the anterior deltoids. It also gives your core a great workout. It can be performed on a number of different modalities such as dumbbells, a barbell or a cable machine. The bench press can be loaded up with serious weight, making it one of the most effective chest exercises for mass and overall strength. The bench press is absolute must for any strength program.

3. Chest Flyes

Flyes are a solid exercise for working the chest and shoulders. They're great for building width in the pectoral muscles. The fly should be used with the above two exercises. Never substitute the fly for one of the above multi-joint exercises. Flyes can be performed with dumbbells or machines primarily. Try them on a cable machine for a unique challenge as well.

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The Best Exercises to Include In Your Muscle Building Routine

As you go about you workout routine, it is important to discover the best muscle building exercises that you can be doing. This will point you in the right direction by eliminating wasted time, and mobilizing you to spend your energy on exercises that are proven to provide excellent results. Fortunately, there are a number of time-tested, basic exercises that have consistently provided outstanding muscle and strength gains for professional athletes, bodybuilders, powerlifters, and for anyone willing to put in the required level of work.

The benefits of muscle building exercises are well documented. Incorporating them into your workout routine will build lean muscle mass, which will increase your body's metabolism, allowing you to burn fat more efficiently. It will also lead to significant strength gains. An added benefit to doing these exercises is that they work more than one muscle group in your body at once, providing you with greater payoff for your effort. Given these benefits, lets take a look at some of the top muscle building exercises that you should consider incorporating into your daily workout routine.

The Details - Let These Exercises Take Your Muscle Development To New Levels:

• Deadlifts: This power-lifting movement will strengthen and build the muscle in your upper legs, glutes, and lower back very effectively. Along with squats, they are proven effective at significantly increasing muscle mass.
  
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• Squats: Often referred to as the king of strength and muscle building movements, the effectiveness of squats is unrivaled in terms of building mass and strength in the hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, muscles of the lower back and spinal column, and your core. Assuming you back will allow it, this exercise should be a staple of your regular workout routine.
  


• Lunges: This is a great movement for building muscle in your thighs and hips. They can be done with a set of dumbbells or a barbell across your back. If you are new to lunges, you will quickly discover their effectiveness as your legs will feel incredibly worked within just a few repetitions.
  

• Bench Press: Another power-lifting exercise, the bench press has long been lauded for building thick muscle mass in the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The strength gains that can be achieved are unrivaled as well. There also are several variations of this exercise that can be performed to enhance results. Close grip, wide grip, and incline bench press exercises are all very effective. Given its incredible muscle and strength building benefits, the bench press should also be a staple in your workout routine.
  


• Dips: A professional body builder was once asked what exercises he would do if he could only choose three, and dips was one of the exercises he selected! Little wonder, because dips are exceptionally effective at working the chest, shoulders, and triceps. To super-charge your dip routine, once you can do a high number of repetitions without stopping, you can begin to increase the weight using a dumbbell attached to your lifting belt.
  


• Overhead shoulder press: Nothing beats this movement for increasing muscle mass in the shoulders. It also provides a significant workout for the triceps. Shoulder presses can be done seated or standing, with a barbell or using dumbbells. Two huge favorites are seated dumbbell presses and seated behind the neck barbell presses. Any of these variations is a highly effective workout for your deltoid muscles.
  


• Push-ups: One of the things that makes push-ups such a great option is that you can basically do them anytime, anywhere. They can be done in combination with other upper body exercises, or as a stand-alone upper body exercise if you are away on vacation or can't get to a gym. Push-ups are great for building lean muscle in the chest, shoulders, triceps, and upper back.
  


• Rows: The ultimate exercise for working the lat muscles of the upper back, there is no substitute for rows. Bent-over dumbbell rows are immensely popular for building mass and strength. T-bar rows and seated cable rows are also an excellent option.
  


• Pull-ups: This is a hard one, but very effective! While you may only be able to do a couple of them if you are just starting out, pull-ups are an excellent way to work the upper back and the biceps.
  


• Curls: Whether they are done with a barbell, or in alternating fashion with dumbbells, there is no substitute for curls to develop mass and strength in the biceps. As an added benefit, they also work the forearms.
  


• Sit-ups/Crunches: Like push-ups, sit-ups and crunches can be done basically anytime, even if you can't get to the gym. Done in in several sets, they work the abdominal muscles very effectively.
  

The Bottom Line:

When you engage in these exercises as part of your regular workout routine, you can be confident that you are doing some of the very best muscle building exercises for your body. Because of their effectiveness at working the various muscle groups, none of them should be done on back-to-back days. Make sure that you establish a routine in which you work specific muscle groups in each workout, and then rest those muscle groups for at least the next day. Do your homework and research some sample workout routines to determine how to structure your workouts for the week, and how many sets and reps of each exercise to do. The important thing is to find a routine that works for you while incorporating many of these basic exercises into it.

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