Author: Mike Furci (Page 50 of 65)

      Mike Furci graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelors of Science in Health Education. His curriculum laid the foundation for his future in fitness and sports specific training. He owned and operated Club Olympia Fitness Center in Westlake, Ohio for more than 10 years, and was voted “Best Personal Trainer” by Cleveland Magazine. In 2009 he decided to expand his knowledge of the human body and attained his license as a Registered Nurse in 2011.

      Mike specializes in improving athletic performance through strength, conditioning and nutrition. He uses his education and knowledge to train clients according to their specific goals, i.e., increased fitness, strength, weight loss, health or sports performance. Mike started training 30 years ago, and was a competitive bodybuilder with several overall titles, including the 1999 Mr. Ohio. He continues to train with 100% intensity to this day, which has helped him excel as a firefighter for the city of Lorain Ohio. His experience has also allowed him to train and consult with many competitive powerlifters and bodybuilders.

      Mike has appeared on many news stations as a fitness consultant. His qualifications allow him to offer expert information on all aspects of health, fitness and sports specific training.

      Exercising with a cold

      January 22, 2009 /

      You’ve got a runny nose, coughing, sneezing and it’s hard to breath. You want to workout, but will it make your symptoms worse?

      Two studies were published over a decade ago that showed results that surprised researchers. The studies showed no difference in symptoms between those who exercised and those who didn?t. And there was no difference in the duration of the colds between the two groups. When symptoms were assessed, in some cases those who exercised said they felt better.

      The result of these studies are in no way meant to encourage people to train when they’re sick. The studies tested subjects who had head colds. One needs to be more cautious when dealing with a cold or other illness that produces fevers or other symptoms like chest congestion.

      The rule of thumb is: If you have symptoms above the neck it?s OK to workout. Below the neck, forget it.

      Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1997
      Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1998

      Edit: In the third paragraph, the mistake “their” was changed to the correct “they’re”.

      Exercise, General fitness, Men's Health and Wellness, Sports Health and Fitness

      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

      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

      Statins and inflammation

      December 9, 2008 /

      Results of the JUPITER study seemed to show that the statin drug Crestor lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes in those with high levels of inflammation. Some believe this will lead to even more people being put on statin drugs.

      In reality the benefits are actually insignificant. Aproximately 0.72 percent of the statin takers in the trial had a heart attack or stroke, compared with 1.5 percent of those taking placebos.

      Instead of taking statin drugs that come with dangerous side effects, there are things you can do to reduce inflammation naturally.

      Stop smoking. Smoking increases inflammation and your risk of cardiovascular disease. But research shows you can reverse all the damaging effects to your arteries within 10 years of quitting.

      Olive oil and fish. Consuming olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids fight inflammation.

      Get of the couch. Exercise a great way to lower stress and inflammation without any of the side effects associated with medications.

      Get your sleep. Some research shows that both too little and too much sleep increases inflammation. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says most adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night.

      Reduce stress. High levels of stress hormones can lead to the release of excess inflammatory chemicals.

      Anti-Aging, Heart disease, Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness, Nutrition

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 BottomLineFitness.com

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑