Month: January 2009 (Page 2 of 2)

      Cognition drugs are gaining in popularity

      January 17, 2009 /

      Is it really possible to pop a pill to improve your memory and concentration? In one sense this offers intriguing possibilities, but is this another example of people just looking for the easy answer?

      Facing an important job interview, the college graduate searches her closet for the perfect outfit, then rifles through her medicine cabinet for just the right cognitive-enhancement pill. Adderall, perhaps, to help her concentrate. Or Provigil, for alertness…or maybe a beta blocker to combat jitters?

      Doctors in the U.S. who track drug trends say scenarios like this could play out in a thousand variations as college students who grew up using prescription drugs as study aids enter the workforce. Many high-powered professionals are already popping such pills in secret. Within a few years they could be joined by millions of older adults, including baby boomers who decide there’s nothing wrong with using “smart drugs” to ward off senior moments. The drug industry will benefit mightily if public opinion swings this way.

      Many healthy people have trepidations about tinkering with the brain using addictive or otherwise risky pharmaceuticals. But those reservations are eroding for several reasons. A whole generation has come of age using attention-deficit drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin, a category valued at nearly $4.7 billion in 2007. A lot of teenagers have used them casually as study aids, often buying them on the Internet. And now, overworked professionals are seeing the appeal. “From assembly-line workers to surgeons, many different kinds of employee may benefit from enhancement and want access to it,” wrote Martha J. Farah, director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, in a recent commentary in the science journal Nature. In the controversial essay, she and her co-authors, including Stanford Law School Professor Henry T. Greely, declared it’s time for people to overcome their squeamishness: “Mentally competent adults should be able to engage in cognitive enhancement using drugs.”

      I’d like to see more research before putting these things in my body. It’s amazing how much you can improve your concetration just by using common sense – turn off the TV and radio, stop checking your email every five minutes, or go to a quiet place where you won’t be bothered by friends and family. You might be amazed by the results.

      Anti-Aging

      Duration of exercise.

      January 16, 2009 /

      In the case of weight training, the duration of exercise is the volume or number of sets performed. Intensity and duration have an inverse relationship. Meaning, the harder you train, the less time can be spent training. This is because we have a finite amount of fuel available to carry that level of stress. This is not a choice or an opinion; it?s fact.

      This brings us to the most common way people train too much; too many sets. Although training hard is the best way to move forward, some people are under the impression that doing more is training harder. Performing anything more than what is optimum, will hinder your progress. Yet, most perform more sets with reduced weight or reduced intensity because of the more is better mentality. Do not get caught in this no win cycle.

      Training all out, poses extreme demands on the body’s resources, which are governed by genetics and in limited supply. Because of this finite supply, the body will not allow you to train ?too hard? for too long, and gives clues you are reaching your limits. Once you reach failure performing a set, or run out of gas during a workout, you?re simply not able to train any harder. And because training intensity is the number one stimulus for building srength and muscle does it make sense to do more with less.

      Bodybuilding, Exercise, General training, Power lifting, Weight training

      The Fittest Movies of All-Time

      January 15, 2009 /

      Some of the best motivation to get in shape comes from shredded actors on the big screen. Of course many of those fit actors have personal trainers, diet specialists, personal cooks and loads of time to devote to looking so good, but still, it doesn?t matter where the motivation to eat right and stay in shape come from – as long as they come from somewhere.

      Men?s Fitness.com recently unveiled its choices for the fittest movies of all-time. Below is a sample, but make sure to check out the entire article by clicking here.

      FIGHT CLUB
      Brad Pitt never had trouble winning over the ladies, but to most guys, he was still a skinny pretty boy?until Fight Club. As anarchist Tyler Durden, he inspired men everywhere to start crunching.

      Fight Club

      300
      The film’s CGI-backbone doesn’t tarnish the exceptional shape the actors (like Gerard Butler, above) achieved to play a fearless Spartan army. After training for three months, the cast had to complete a 300-rep fitness test, including pull-ups, deadlifts, and pushups.

      300

      PUMPING IRON
      The documentary that brought bodybuilding and its Austrian poster boy into the mainstream. With vintage footage of Gold’s gym and the brutal workouts that forged champion bodies, Pumping Iron is a must-see for any musclehead.

      Pumping Iron

      Exercise, General fitness, Magazine Hype, Men's Health and Wellness, Motivation, Nutrition, Sports Health and Fitness, Weight training, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

      Keep your New Year?s Resolution this time around

      January 14, 2009 /

      Bullz-Eye.com Fitness Editor Mike Furci has a game plan for you to achieve your New Year?s resolutions by using the strongest muscle in your entire body ? your mind.

      Furci Column“Desire is actuated in the heart but is sustained in the mind.”

      It’s that time of year again when people resolve to lose weight, eat healthier, stop smoking, exercise regularly, etc. The problem is most good intentions don’t last much more than three to six weeks.

      People look for that perfect diet or training program hoping it will magically move them toward their goal. The fact of the matter is, you can have the best trainer, the best program and the best diet, but if you don’t have the right mind-set, and learn how to maintain it, you’re doomed.

      Without the right mindset, it’s not worth the aggravation — and in some cases the expense — to initiate a change in your life. You must first exercise your strongest muscle, your mind, and put yourself in the right direction on the right path. How far are you going to get, driving a Porsche 911 Turbo the wrong way down a one-way street? Ultimately, will it matter if you used a Porsche or a Taurus, if you’re headed in the wrong direction? Use the following information to not only put yourself in the right mindset for your resolution, but for life in general. Being positive is imperative for a successful outcome to all of life’s endeavors.

      (Read the entire article after the jump.)

      Exercise, Men's Health and Wellness, Motivation, Nutrition, Sports Health and Fitness, Weight training

      Training Frequency

      January 2, 2009 /

      How often can, or much more importantly, should I train per week? Optimum recovery time between training sessions is essential if one is going to continue to make progress. Training frequency, which is determined by ones recovery ability, is often a forgotten part of most training protocols. It never ceases to amaze me, how many people train for months and years experiencing little or no success, and never consider the fact they maybe doing too much.

      You can never train too hard, but you can train too much. Training ?too much? can actually be described in two ways. The first and probably the most common way, is training too often. If you are training with 100% intensity, you should not be able to train a body part any more frequently than once every 6-8 days. Everyone should realize that if you are still feeling it from the previous workout of the same body part, then it is best to take a few more days of rest. I have actually heard people say that they train even if they are sore because it is harder on the muscles. True, it is harder on the muscles, but not in a positive way. Ask yourself, ?Where is the logic in training a muscle before it is recovered?? The muscle hasn?t had a chance to adapt to a previous training session and you tear it down with another. Training may stimulate your muscles to grow, but they don’t grow during training. Proper nutrition and enough rest between sessions is what facilitates recovery and allows the muscles to grow. If you train before the muscle is recovered, you not only slow or put a halt to your progress, you increase your risk of injury.

      Abs, Arms, Back, Bodybuilding, Chest, General training, Legs, Neck, Power lifting, Specific workouts, Weight training, Workout programs

      Newer posts »

      © 2026 BottomLineFitness.com

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑