Looking to increase your muscle mass? Read more on how to gain weight

A lot of people make tons of excuses as to why they can't embark on a bodybuilding program.  In my experience, if you want something badly enough, you will find a way to achieve your goals no matter what the odds may be.  That is the reason why every time I come across an inspirational story of someone who has beaten the odds, I love to immediately share it in order to inspire others to do the same and get what they want out of life.

With that said, here is the inspirational story of IFBB Pro Shawn Rhoden and how he went from skinny to fulfilling his dream of becoming one of the best in the world against all obstacles.  While you may have no aspirations of even competing one day, the thing to take away from this story is that if you are determined, you have the right mindset, you believe in yourself and are willing to make the necessary sacrifices you will accomplish anything.

Learn About The Inspirational Bodybuilding Journey of IFBB Pro Shawn Rhoden originally appeared on About.com Bodybuilding on Saturday, December 24th, 2011 at 00:01:28.

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We all want to achieve the fastest bodybuilding gains.  Sometimes bodybuilders focus their attention on the latest and greatest supplements on the market in hopes to accelerate gains.  However, do you want a tip that will really maximize your gains?  Check your exercise form and lift the weights properly.

As obvious as this may sound, in practice what you see over and over again in gyms all across the world is a lot of heavy lifting with very poor exercise form.  Keep in mind that bodybuilding is not just about lifting a weight from point A to point B.  The goal is to use the weights as a tool to make the muscles contract and stimulate them to grow.  So what is the proper way for bodybuilders to lift the weight?

You need to feel the muscle contract as you execute the movement and then you need to feel it elongate during the stretch position.  If you are just getting started, I suggest that you take 2 seconds to lift the weight (the positive portion of the exercise) and 3-4 seconds to lower it (the negative portion of the exercise).  Make sure that you go through the full range of motion and avoid swinging motions or using momentum to get the weight lifted.  Become an expert at creating a mind to muscle connection that will activate as many muscle fibers as possible when you lift the weight.

Think of bodybuilding exercise as posing but with weights.  So for example, if you do a biceps curl, focus on the squeeze of the biceps and then on the stretch as you take the weight back to the starting position.  The upper arms should remain stationary and only the forearms should move as you focus on making the biceps stretch and then contract as hard as possible.  The better you become at creating a mind to muscle connection by concentrating on lifting properly the better your bodybuilding gains will be.  You may need to back off a bit on the weight lifted at first but I guarantee you that the results will be well worth it!

Exercise Form and Lifting The Weights Properly Are The Keys for the Fastest Bodybuilding Gains originally appeared on About.com Bodybuilding on Saturday, November 19th, 2011 at 21:39:03.

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