Category: Xternal Fitness (Page 39 of 43)

Breakfast Pita

January 4, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

Here’s an interesting recipe from Men’s Health for a breakfast pita:

4 white mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp chopped onion
1 Tbsp chopped red bell pepper
?? Pinch of ground black pepper
1 egg
1 egg whites
? small tomato, seeded and chopped
3 Tbsp water or 1% milk
1 whole-wheat pita, halved and toasted
? avocado, sliced

Coat a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and black pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg, egg whites, tomato, and water or milk. Whisk together until frothy. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the eggs are firm. Fill each pita with half the eggs and top with the avocado slices. Makes 1 serving.

Diets, Food preparation, Foods products, Nutrition, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Weight Lifting Gone Wrong

November 14, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

Just a small reminder that safety comes first when lifting heavier weights:

General training, Weight training, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Getting to the bottom of high protein intake

October 17, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

In the October issue of Men’s Health, the mag debunks five nutrition myths concerning (among other things) protein intake, potatoes and salt. Among the five, the most interesting was Myth #1: “High protein intake is harmful to your kidneys.”

The mag reads:

The origin: back in 1983, researchers first discovered that eating more protein increases your “glomerular filtration rate,” or GFR. Think of GFR as the amount of blood your kidneys are filtering per minute. From this finding many scientists made the leap that a higher FGR places your kidneys under greater stress.

What science really shows: Nearly 2 decades ago, Dutch researchers found that while a protein-rich meal did boost GFR, it didn’t have an adverse effect on overall kidney function. In fact, there’s zero published research showing that downing hefty amounts of protein – specifically, up to 1.27 grams per pound of body weight a day – damages healthy kidneys.

The bottom line: As a rule of thumb, shoot to eat your target body weight in grams of protein daily. For example, if you’re a chubby 200 pounds and want to be a lean 180, then have 180 grams of protein a day. Likewise if you’re a skinny 150 pounds but want o be a muscular 180.

Anyone who has gotten sound nutrition advice has heard the, “One to 1.5 gram(s) of protein to pound is optimal” speech. I think the bottom line section in the Men’s Health article hits the nail on the head. If you’re a hard gainer looking to be 180, then shoot for 180 grams of protein a day. If you want to drop a few pounds and be a lean 180, then shoot for the same grams-per-day average.

Diets, Magazine Hype, Nutrition, Protein, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Muscle layoff

August 29, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

There was an interesting question asked in the “Malegrams” section of the August 2007 issue of Men’s Health:

Q: How long can I go without lifting weights before my muscles disappear?

Answer (provided by trainer Mike Mejia): Contrary to popular belief, your muscles don’t turn to mush as soon as you stop lifting. In fact, a recent study of recreational weight lifters found that 6 weeks of inactivity resulted in only a slight decrease in power (10) percent after 2 weeks) and virtually no drop-off in size or strength. You could go the whole summer without pumping iron – as long as you’re keeping fit with activities such as swimming or tennis. These sports help retain muscle mass and offer the perfect physical and mental break from the tedium of the gym. Come fall, you can return to the gum refreshed and ready to take your workouts to the next level.

Interesting. Obviously if your goal is to put on a ton of size, you don’t want to go an entire summer without so much as looking at a weight. But those who get sick of the rigors of a gym routine can find solace – at least from Mr. Mejia and his research – that if you partake in sports and other physical activities, you won’t resemble Calista Flockhart by August.

Magazine Hype, Men's Health and Wellness, Sports Health and Fitness, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Lift. Heavy. Weights.

August 7, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

One of my closest friends – and amateur bodybuilder – often stresses that it doesn’t get any more complicated than just lifting heavy. He always says, “ Like Dave Draper always says, “Train hard, eat clean, and be happy”.

You can sugar coat it any way you like, but at the end of the day if you’re not challenging yourself in the gym, you can’t expect to reap the benefits. Not only that, if you’re still hitting the same 3×8 with the 30lbs on dumbbell curls you were last year, don’t look in the mirror and wonder why you’re struggling to fill out the sleeves of that Hollister t-shirt your girlfriend bought you last Christmas. The only way to expect muscular gains is by challenging your muscles to handle greater and greater loads. The only way to do that is by fighting each and every session to increase the weights you’re using.

Anyone who thinks that light weights and high reps are the keys to getting ripped is kidding himself. You want to get huge? Lift heavy weights. You want to get ripped? Lift heavy weights. What’s the main difference? Nutrition. Feel free to cycle your training and throw in some moderate to light work to give the central nervous system a break, but the meat and potatoes needs to be heavy and demanding. So join the battle on the rubber mats the next time you’re training and blast it. Start leaving the gym with the knowledge that you defeated the iron – it did not defeat you. As the days fall away and those small victories start to add up, the time will come when you’ll reach the mountaintop only to set new goals and dreams far beyond anything you ever thought you could accomplish. Now that’s hard work and there isn’t anything finer.

Bodybuilding, Exercise, General fitness, General training, Men's Health and Wellness, Motivation, Power lifting, Weight training, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci