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A no-nonsense guide to designing your workouts

In my recently rewritten article “A no-nonsense guide to design your workouts“, which is a three-part series, I offer no BS ways for beginners and veterans alike to keep their workouts fresh while consistently making gains.

Everywhere you turn these days, weight training seems to be the focus. And why shouldn’t it be? A proper weight training program produces many positive effects, including: increased muscle mass; reduced body fat; increased bone density; improved insulin sensitivity; improved self-esteem; and overall well-being. The list goes on. Yet with all the information available, why is it so hard for people to make progress? Because most of what is out there is BULLSHIT!!

Helping people is what being a trainer and a coach is all about. Most publishers and editors are so hell-bent on selling magazines, they print things like this: “Put 2 inches on your arms in 21 days;” “Have a chest like Arnold’s in just 6 weeks.” People, just like you, purchase this type of trash in the hopes that it might work. These writers and editors rely on your ignorance.

Having the knowledge and ability to help somebody achieve their goals goes far beyond writing an article about workouts. Writing workouts is actually a pretty easy thing to do. Just about anyone with a little bit of knowledge can do it, and many ? unfortunately — do. The barriers to entry to become a personal trainer are so low, most certificates aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. In contrast, look at the barriers to entry to become a nurse. Several years of school filled with prerequisites, in which you need a 78 percent just to pass, coupled with many hours of hands-on clinicals. What education does a trainer need? Send away for some study guides, take a test, and “Bam!” you’re a certified trainer.

More Creatine

Creatine is perhaps the most researched supplement on the planet. Yet new data on the benefits of supplementing with this incredible substance is still mounting. Canadian researchers compared the changes in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) amounts in 2 groups of subjects. All the subjects performed at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity 3 -5 X?s per week for eight weeks. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: One supplementing with creatine, the other, an isocaloric placeo. Muscle biopsies were taken before and after the training period and analyzed for IGF-1 content. The creatine group had a 24% higher level of IGF-1. The creatine group also had a 23% higher increase in type II muscle fibers. These findings were independent of dietary guidelines. (Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2008; 18(4))

What does this mean for the average Joe? It means if you supplement with creatine, you?ll not only get the well known ?volumizing? effect, but added lean mass.

Trans fat needs a warning label

Trans fat roles in the body include:
? Lowers high density lipoproteins (HDL), otherwise known as the ?good
cholesterol?.2
? Raises low density lipoproteins (LDL), otherwise known as the ?bad cholesterol?.2
? Raises C-reactive protein, a substance in the blood that indicates arterial inflammation and is said to indicate proneness to heart disease.3
? Raises Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), a substance in the blood that indicates arterial inflammation and is said to indicate proneness to heart disease.4
? Raises C-reactive protein, a substance in the blood that indicates arterial inflammation and is said to indicate proneness to heart disease.5
? Promotes improper management of blood sugar thus having detrimental effects in diabetics.6
? Interferes with the function of the immune system.7
? Decreases the bodies ability to utilize and decreases the amount of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids in our tissues.7

What are trans fats? They are poison in our food supply. ?The latest government study confirms that trans fat is directly related with heart disease and increases LDL cholesterol. Because of that, the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, declared there is no safe amount of trans fat in the diet.?8 ?There should be a warning on food made with this stuff like there is on nicotine products. It?s that bad for you, says Dr. Jeffery Aron, a University of California at San Francisco professor of medicine and one of the nation?s leading experts on fatty acids and their effect on the body.9

(Fats, cholesterol, and the lipid hypothesis)

Exercise can be bad for your health

We all know that exercise is good for our health. Exercise helps to improve our cardiovascular system, and respiratory system; resistance exercise helps to improve muscle function and will prevent age associated muscle atrophy. But did you know exercise, especially high intensity exercise by flooding it with free radicals. Free radicals are chemical marauders that can affect every cell in your body causing DNA mutations, premature aging, cell death, muscle weakness, fatigue and chronic oxidative stress.

So how can you get the best benefits of regular exercise?without placing your body at risk in the process? Proper antioxidant support is one effective way: Extensive research shows that safe, natural substances including vitamins A, C and E, N-acetyl cysteine, lutein, rosemary leaf extract, turmeric, green tea, bilberry and grape seed extract are all potent free radical quenchers?and you can find all of them in a single daily formula from Vitamin Research Products called Extension Antioxidant.6-15

Supplementing with nutrients that will help your body to replenish its essential ATP levels is another key strategy?one that will improve muscle function plus increase your heart?s stamina and help it to keep up with the demands for more ATP during exercise.16

D-ribose is a pentose sugar that can help to maintain ATP regeneration in your body, especially following exercise. Studies document that D-ribose can supply extra amounts of ATP to your heart muscle in particular.17-18 Meanwhile, the popular antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) also plays a vital role in ATP synthesis, and can improve energy production when your body is under physical stress.19 It?s no surprise, then, that research shows that regular CoQ10 supplementation can boost exercise tolerance, lessen fatigue and improve physical performance in active subjects.20-23

Whether you?re a casual exerciser or an amateur athlete, look for the highly bioavailable form of CoQ10, preferably the second generation CoQ10-H2?, to combine with Extension Antioxidant and D-ribose?which are all available from VRP?for a supplement-based strategy that can reduce your recover time plus maximize your strength, energy and endurance throughout each and every workout.

www.vrp.com

Buyer Beware! If You’re Using Olive Oil for the Health Benefits the Fed is Stepping in to Help

The language surrounding olive oil is can be quite confusing.

From virgin to extra virgin, cold pressed, unfiltered, etc.

And to add to the confusion, a bottle of oil containing as little as 10% olive oil could call itself olive oil.

Reading labels is a must but at $15-20 a bottle for most oils it is a must to know what you are buying.

Julianna Barbassa delivers the latest news on the new regulations by the USDA to clarify olive oil confusion.

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