Katy Aqua Tigers

VITAMIN E

2012-01-19T08:58:00.000-06:00

Almost everyone who has ever swallowed a vitamin of any kind knows a bit about vitamin E.
Mostly they know that it is a fat soluble vitamin that is a powerful antioxidant. But few know what vitamin E actually is.
Vitamin E is the generic name for a group of compounds known as tocopherols and the lesser known, tocotrienols.
Each has four different structures or isomers that are designated as alpha, beta, gamma and delta.
What may surprise you most about vitamin E is that although scientists know that it is important for muscle function, they don’t know exactly why.
That is until now.
Researchers from Georgia Health Sciences University recently uncovered how precisely vitamin E contributes to muscle function.
They discovered that tears in muscle membranes would not heal unless the muscle cells were treated with vitamin E. As you already know, vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, which means it stops free radicals from causing further damage to cells, such as muscle cells. These free radicals prevent muscle tears from healing. You also know that vitamin E is fat soluble. The membrane of a muscle cell is essentially made of fats. Because vitamin E is fat soluble, it actually inserts itself into the membrane where it prevents the free radicals from attacking the membrane, and therefore allowing the tears to heal.

Jim’s take-home point:
When you work out you cause tears in the muscle cell membranes AND you increase free radical production. So getting in adequate vitamin E is absolutely critical for anyone who exercises.
I suggest supplementing with 400-800 IU of vitamin E per day and consider taking it with your preworkout shake on workout days.

But don’t just grab ANY kind of vitamin E supplement.
I have some critical tips to help you pick out a suitable vitamin E supplement.
First off, be sure that the vitamin E you choose provides at least all four of the forms of tocopherols: alpha, gamma, beta, and delta.
If it also contains some tocotrienols, even better. Although alpha tocopherol is the most critical form of vitamin E, particularly for muscle membrane repair, you also want to be sure to get in some of the gamma, beta, and delta, too. Each one offers distinct benefits in the body, and research shows that a mix of the isomers has the greatest range of benefits. For instance, gamma tocopherol can help to inhibit cancer growth. Plus, supplementation of only alpha tocopherol has been found to reduce levels of the other isomers in the body.
And second, be sure the vitamin E you choose uses natural forms of vitamin E and not synthetic.
While both are absorbed to the same degree, the natural form is more than two times more bioactive within the body. Only about half of the synthetic Vitamin E is treated as the preferred natural Vitamin E by the liver and the rest is predominantly excreted down the toilet.
So how do you tell if a vitamin E supplement is natural or synthetic?
By the letters “l” and “d”. If it lists dl-alpha tocopherol, it's synthetic. But if it lists d-alpha tocopherol (no "l" after the "d"), then it's the natural form and is most likely derived from vegetable oils.

So if you’re serious about your muscle growth and your health, be sure to supplement with vitamin E every day.

Reference:
Howard, A. C., et al. Promotion of plasma membrane repair by vitamin E. Nature Communications, 2011; 2: 597.

ABS LAST

2012-01-10T08:59:00.001-06:00

Regardless of how big you want your arms, or how strong you want your bench press, you still want a ripped set of abs.
I don’t think that I’ve ever met a man or woman who wouldn’t prefer to have an impressive six pack. Despite that fact, ab training and cardio are the most likely things to get skipped when time is running short. That is not the best way to get a ripped set of abs.
There are many trainers out there who recommend training abs and cardio first for those who tend to skip them.
Yet while this may be good for those who have a problem with their time management skills, it is not good for those who what to build muscle size and strength.
You NEVER want to do cardio first when you work out.
Yes, doing 5-10 minutes of light cardio makes a good warm-up, but doing a full cardio workout before you lift weights will zap your energy levels and your muscle strength. So be sure to wait to do cardio till after the weight workout. Not only is this best for muscle strength and size gains, but research shows that it can also enhance fat burning.
There are numerous reasons why you NEVER want to train abs first when you work out.

The first is strength… or lack there of.
Core strength is critical on most exercises you do, but is especially critical on exercises like squats, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, and even curls and the bench press. Greater core strength translates into greater strength on these exercises. If you train abs before you train the major muscle groups, then you will fatigue your core muscles, which will reduce your core strength, and reduce your strength on most other exercises. And this is not just hyperbole.
A study that I did with the Weider Research Group supports this.
We had trained bodybuilders do three sets of squats using their 6-rep max weight. In one workout, they did a typical warm-up and then did the 3 sets of squats. In another workout they first trained abs by doing 3 sets of the dumbbell woodchoppers, 3 sets of hanging leg raises, and 3 sets of crunches before doing the 3 sets of squats. When they did the ab workout before squats they completed fewer reps on ALL 3 sets of squats than when they did squats without doing abs first. They performed one less rep on sets one and two and 2 less reps on set three. In other words, the guys were weaker on squats after training abs. Likely the reason that they were weaker on squats was because their core muscles were fatigued.
A second reason to never train abs first when you workout is to prevent injuries, particularly to your spine or spinal discs.
Since the core supports your spine, training abs before you train legs or other muscle groups could also leave you more prone to injuries. That’s because a fatigued core will offer your spine less support. And when you have to support heavy weight, this can increase your risk of back injury, as well as other injuries.

You also can risk injuring your spinal discs by training abs first if you workout first thing in the morning or have a long commute to the gym.
When you sleep, loading on the discs is reduced, which allows them to absorb more fluid. So when you wake up the pressure inside the discs is much higher than before going to bed, which increases bending stresses at the discs. Flexing the spine, such as when you do crunches, at this time can increase the risk of injuring a disk. But if you first train other muscle groups first in the morning, the discs become more elastic and flexible in bending as the workout goes. Then when you train abs later in the workout, there is less risk of injury.
Sitting in your car for long periods allows the disks in your spine to gain height, which decreases your spines range of motion and that can increase your risk of injury when flexing the spine, such as during crunches. Again, by waiting till the end of your workout to train abs, the spinal disks will lose height and you’ll have an increased range of motion in the spine and less risk of injury.

Consider also reading my article to Crunch or Not To Crunch, which also covers these last two points about crunches:
http://www.jimstoppani.com/home/articles/to-crunch-or-not-to-crunch-that-is-the
The bottom line is to be sure to keep your ab training and cardio at the end of your workouts or do them as completely different workouts.
This way your strength and muscle growth will not be limited and neither will your ability to get lean and build an impressive six pack. For those of you who are often pressed for time and end up frequently skipping abs, I suggest that you consider supersetting abs with other small muscle groups, such as forearms or calves. Or you can even do an abs, calves and forearms triset workout. Again, do this at the end of the workout or as a separate workout on its own. This will help to limit the time it takes to train these oft-neglected muscle groups.

FAST REPS vs SLOW

2012-01-01T08:13:00.000-06:00

Author: Jim Stoppani, PhD

If you're familiar with my training advice, then you know that I like change. I like to change up exercises, rep ranges, rest periods, training splits, and even the speed at which reps are performed. When it comestibles rep speed, most people stick with the tried and true slow and controlled pace of about 1-2 seconds on the positive and about 1-2 seconds on the negative. While this is the pace you should keep for most of the time, you should occasionally consider going much slower some of the time and much faster some of the time. Super slow reps can help you build more muscle, while fast and explosive reps can help you build more strength and power, which can help you build more muscle in the long run, and they can even help you to burn off more body fat.

Studies Confirmed

Scientists from the University of Sydney (Lidcome, NSW, Australia) had males and females follow a biceps training program for 6 weeks using different rep speeds to determine which rep speed on the one-arm biceps curl best increased strength and which rep speed best increased muscle size. One group did one-arm biceps curls using slow reps (3 seconds on the positive and 3 seconds on the negative part of the rep), while the other group did fast reps (less than 1 second on the positive and negative part of the rep). Each group trained with a weight that limited them to 6-8 reps on the one-arm biceps curl and trained three times per week. They found that the fast reps increased biceps strength by 46% over the 6 weeks, while slow reps only increased biceps strength by 40%. Slow reps on the other hand, increased biceps size by 3%, while the fast reps only increased size by 1%. In other words, fast reps appear to be best for increasing muscle strength, while slow reps are best for increasing muscle size. Slow reps may increase size better than fast reps due to a greater increase in growth hormone (GH) and testosterone levels. A Japanese study reported that subjects using slow reps raised GH and testosterone levels than those using faster reps.

Fast Reps = Fast Results

Fast reps likely increase muscle strength better because they utilize more of the fast-twitch muscle fibers within a muscle. These are the muscle fibers that can contract with great speed and strength. These muscle fibers also appear to burn more calories than slow-twitch muscle fibers. Researchers from Ball State found that weight-trained men doing squats with fast reps burned over 10% more calories than when they did squats with normal speed reps. The fast rep workouts also caused the men to burn 5% more calories at rest after the workout was over.

So be sure to change up your rep speeds just like you change up other aspects of your workouts. Keep normal-speed reps at the foundation of your training program, using them the majority of the time. However, also use fast reps for building strength and power, as well to drop body fat. Use slow reps to help encourage more muscle growth.

THE WORKOUT

2012-01-01T08:10:00.001-06:00

The Workout

Day 1
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Muscle Group
Barbell Incline Bench Press On Bench	4	10	Chest
Dumbbell Bench Press On Bench Both Arms	4	8	Chest
Laying On Incline Bench Dumbbell Flys Both Arms	3	10	Chest
Standing Mid Cable Flys Both Arms	3	15	Chest
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press Both Arms	4	10	Shoulders
Standing Barbell Upright Row	4	8	Shoulders
Standing Dumbbell Side Raise Both Arms	3	12	Shoulders
Standing Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise Both Arms	3	15	Shoulders
Laying On Bench Bar Triceps Extension Both Arms	4	10	Arms
Dips	4	8	Chest
Standing Cable Triceps Extension Both Arms	3	12	Arms
Day 2
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Muscle Group
Barbell Bent Over Wide Grip Rows Both Arms	4	10	Back
Seated On Bench Bar Lat Pulldowns	4	8	Back
Seated Cable Row	3	12	Back
Standing Overhead Cable Pulldowns Both Arms	3	12	Back
Standing Bicep Curl Barbell Both Arms	4	8	Arms
Seated On Bench Bicep Curl Dumbbell Alternating Arms	4	8	Arms
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl	3	10	Arms
Day 3
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Muscle Group
Barbell Squat	4	8	Legs
Machine Leg Press Both Legs	4	8	Legs
Hack Squat	3	10	Legs
Seated Machine Leg Extension Both Legs	3	12	Legs
Barbell Straight Legged Deadlift	4	8	Legs
Prone Machine Leg Curl Both Legs	4	8	Legs
Seated Leg Curl	3	10	Legs
Day 4
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Muscle Group
Standing Barbell Shrugs	4	10	Shoulders
Standing Dumbbell Shrugs	4	12	Shoulders
Standing Barbell Shrugs With Band	3	15	Shoulders
Standing DB Reverse Curls	4	10	Arms
Barbell Wrist Curl	4	12	Arms
Standing Calf Raise	4	10	Legs
Seated Calf Raise	4	12	Legs
Day 5
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Muscle Group
REST	0	0	TIPS

Day 1
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Muscle Group
REPEAT WORKOUT FROM WEEK 1 FOR WEEK 2	0	0	TIPS

Day 1
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Muscle Group
Barbell Incline Bench Press On Bench	4	12	Chest
Dumbbell Bench Press On Bench Both Arms	4	10	Chest
Laying On Incline Bench Dumbbell Flys Both Arms	3	12	Chest
Standing Mid Cable Flys Both Arms	3	20	Chest
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press Both Arms	4	12	Shoulders
Standing Barbell Upright Row	4	10	Shoulders
Standing Dumbbell Side Raise Both Arms	3	15	Shoulders
Standing Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise Both Arms	3	20	Shoulders
Laying On Bench Bar Triceps Extension Both Arms	4	12	Arms
Dips	4	10	Chest
Standing Cable Triceps Extension Both Arms	3	15	Arms
Day 2
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Muscle Group
Barbell Bent Over Wide Grip Rows Both Arms	4	12	Back
Seated On Bench Bar Lat Pulldowns	4	10	Back
Seated Cable Row	3	15	Back
Standing Overhead Cable Pulldowns Both Arms	3	20	Back
Standing Bicep Curl Barbell Both Arms	4	12	Arms
Seated On Bench Bicep Curl Dumbbell Alternating Arms	4	10	Arms
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl	3	15	Arms
Day 3
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Muscle Group
Barbell Squat	4	12	Legs
Machine Leg Press Both Legs	4	10	Legs
Hack Squat	3	15	Legs
Seated Machine Leg Extension Both Legs	3	20	Legs
Barbell Straight Legged Deadlift	4	12	Legs
Prone Machine Leg Curl Both Legs	4	10	Legs
Seated Leg Curl	3	15	Legs
Day 4
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Muscle Group
Standing Barbell Shrugs	4	15	Shoulders
Standing Dumbbell Shrugs	4	15	Shoulders
Standing Barbell Shrugs With Band	3	20	Shoulders
Standing DB Reverse Curls	4	15	Arms
Barbell Wrist Curl	4	15	Arms
Standing Calf Raise	4	15	Legs
Seated Calf Raise	4	15	Legs
Barbell Standing Calf Raise with Bands	3	20	Legs

ISOMETRICS

2011-12-10T06:43:00.002-06:00

Isometrics Basically Involve Applying Maximum Force to an Immovable Object

For example, stand in the middle of a doorway and press your arms into the door frame as if you were doing a lateral raise. Press against the door frame as hard as you can. Unless you are the Hulk, the door way is not moving and neither are your arms or your shoulder joints. But your deltoid muscles were still contracting as hard as possible. That is an isometric contraction.

When you do an isometric contraction you actually apply more force than any other time.

For example, when you do lateral raises, even if you went so heavy as your one-rep max, you were able to lift the weight. So your muscles only applied enough force to lift that weight. When you try to move an immovable object, your muscles apply even greater force (as long as you are pushing with your all-out effort) than when you lift a weight that’s equal to your one-rep max. That’s one reason why isometrics can help you to get stronger. However, the problem here is that isometrics only increase strength in that one joint angle. You can overcome this with a power rack on exercises such as the bench press or squat. Just change the height of the bar on the rack and you can do isometrics through the whole range of motion. And many powerlifters do this to increase their strength.

However, the study I am going to discuss used isometrics to increase muscle strength in an entirely different way.

Researcher from the University of Wisconsin – Parkside (Kenosha, WI) used isometrics on an antagonist muscle to make the agonist muscle stronger. Say what?!

Okay, a brief lesson on kinesiology.

Many muscles are referred to as agonist or antagonist muscles. When you do a barbell curl, the biceps is the agonist muscle, as it is the one performing the movement, which in this case is flexion of the elbow. The triceps, on the other hand, are considered the antagonist muscle, as they perform the exact opposite movement of the biceps. They extend the elbow joint, such as during triceps pressdowns. This is the same for the hamstrings and the quadriceps. When you extend at the knees, such as during leg extensions, the quadriceps are the agonist and the hamstrings are the antagonist.

The antagonist muscle actually makes the agonist muscle weaker.

For example, when you do leg extensions to work the quadriceps, the hamstrings (antagonist) are lengthened as the quadriceps contract (shorten) to extend the knees. The hamstrings resist this lengthening a bit and so the quadriceps not only have to work against the weight on the leg extension machine, but they also have to work against the hamstrings (which act like a rubber band that the quads must stretch).

If you fatigue the antagonist muscle before you work the agonist muscle, the resistance to the lengthening of the antagonist can be reduced because the antagonist muscle is too fatigued to put up much of a fight.

And that is what the University of Wisconsin researchers investigated. They fatigued the antagonist muscles with isometric contractions.

The researchers had subjects perform the vertical jump on a force plate to measure force production on two different occasions.

In one trial they had the subjects first do a six-second isometric leg curl to fatigue the hamstrings and then immediately perform the vertical jump. In another trial they just did the vertical jump without the leg curl first. In this case, the quadriceps are the primary agonist muscle and the hamstrings are the antagonist.

They reported at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the National Strength & Conditioning Association that doing the isometric leg curl first increased their quadriceps force production by almost 15%.

Jim’s take-home point.

Although this study used a power exercise, the vertical jump or jump squat, it is showing that when you first fatigue the antagonist muscle (hamstrings), it increases the force (power and strength) of the agonist muscle (quadriceps).

To use this technique in the gym, perform a superset by first doing a 5- or 6-second isometric contraction of the antagonist muscles of the muscle group you are training and then immediately perform the exercise that targets the agonist muscle.

The best position to hold the isometric contraction is about the halfway point of the range of motion of that exercises. For the bench press try isometric rows, for curls try isometric triceps pressdowns, for shoulder presses try isometric pulldowns, and for leg extensions try isometric leg curls and the opposite applies as well.

Reference:

Ebben, W. P., et al. Antagonist knockout training increases force and the rate of force development. Annual Meeting of the National Strength & Conditioning Association, 2011.

WHAT DOG ARE YOU FEEDING?

2011-11-03T06:14:00.000-05:00

A Native American elder who has two dogs that he takes to a dog fight every other month. He would often take his Grandson on the outing. The Grandson couldn’t but help notice over time that his Grandfather would always bet on one of his own dogs, and that when he did, that particular dog far outperformed his other dog and often won the fight.

“Grandfather, how do you know which dog to bet on?”

“Well, Grandson, it is quite simple. I bet on the dog that I have been feeding. That dog is the strongest and wins!”

He then went on to relate that humans also have a dog fight going on inside of their minds and hearts…and similarly the dog that gets fed the most wins. The two dogs in the human are the FEAR dog and the COURAGE dog. The fear dog is hungry, active and very eager to steal every morsel of thought food intended for the courage dog. The courage dog, on the other hand, is docile, loving and generous. He will take a back seat to the fear dog if you let him.

We can't kill the fear dog because he is part of us. Hating the fear dog is the same as feeding him. Hate is energy – food for the fear dog. Rather, we should strive to control the fear dog…basically tame him by re-directing fear energy into assertiveness and discipline.

Meanwhile, we need to strive to feed the courage dog. Feeding the courage dog makes us more kind, patient, tolerant, powerful and present. We will avoid conflict and be better leaders. We won’t hesitate to lean into the hard tasks; fear will cease being an influence in our lives.

How do we feed the courage dog?

By taking care of teammates

By encouraging rather than judging

By showing compassion for yourself, and forgiving yourself for your personal disasters
By looking for and finding good in the world

Condition your mind to feed the courage dog. Pay attention to your mind and witness it trying to feed the fear dog. Interdict, re-direct and maintain the positive courage state!

So, what dog are you feeding now? Train hard and stay focused!

WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND

2011-10-08T13:36:00.000-05:00

True warriors are unbeatable because they have conditioned their minds to be unbeatable. They learn to control their minds and win internally well before they enter the fight.

This is the first Premise of Unbeatable Mind training

This sounds simple but it is not easy. It takes knowledge, skills and practice. The process looks like this:

Step 1 is to gain control of your mind, rather than allow your mind to run amuck. The mind running amuck I call the “monkey mind.” This is the term that Buddhists use to describe the untamed mind. Their goal, like ours, is to train the mind to be unfettered, focused, concentrated and pure. So you need to gain control of the monkey mind, before you can begin to work with it. Similar to roping the horse before you train it!

Step 2 is to charge your mind with positive energy.

Step 3 is to build your unbeatable vision in the fertile soil of your unfettered mind.

Step 4 is to nurture and strengthen your vision through repeated internal visualization practice.

Step 5 is to take massive action. Of course there are many nuances and skills involved in the details of this process. But that is essentially it.

Control the mind.

Build your vision.

Act on it.

Where do we start if our minds, like most people, are like run-away freight trains?

2011-09-28T06:25:00.002-05:00

http://sports.yahoo.com/elite-athlete-workouts/natalie-coughlin?vid=26748272

CHECK OUT THIS STORY

2011-09-18T14:41:00.000-05:00

www.32marathons.com

TO CRUNCH OR NOT TO CRUNCH

2011-09-16T14:08:00.000-05:00

To Crunch Or Not To Crunch, That Is the Question

There is a lot of crazy advice out there on the internet. After all, that’s one of the
main reasons that you guys look to me – for sound advice that is backed by credible
science.

One of the craziest recommendations that I am seeing lately is fitness “experts”
warning that crunches are DANGEROUS!

What?!

Yes, there is an entire camp of fitness “experts” that claim that crunches are bad for
your spine and that you should completely stop doing them. In fact, over a year ago
our online editor for muscleandfitness.com posted an article by a so-called fitness
expert that warned our readers against doing crunches. I was horrified when I
saw the article on our website and had the online editor remove it promptly. I was
shocked that anyone would be so idiotic to think that doing crunches is bad for your
back. That’s like warning people to stop doing curls because they are bad for your
elbows! But I quickly learned that this guy was not alone and that there is a whole
slew of fitness “experts” claiming the same ridiculous thing.

But don’t just take my word for it.

Luckily, the National Strength & Conditioning Association’s (NSCA) Strength and
Conditioning Journal published a review paper on whether or not the crunch is a
dangerous exercise. Here is a summary of what they found:

There is research showing that when you flex your spine forward, like you do when
you do a crunch, it can cause damage to the spinal discs.

However, all of this research was done in animal spines and in vitro! In vitro
basically means “outside the body”. So basically these studies were done in isolated

animal spines. There are many problems with this technique.

For starters, the majority of these were done with the cervical (neck) portion of pig
spines and not even the lower back portion. There is a big difference between the
spine in your neck and the spine in your lumbar (lower) back. A BIG difference!

Another problem is the fact that in the body there are muscles that support the
spine and take much of the load and reduce the stress on the spine and discs. There
are no muscles working with the spine in an isolated animal spine.

Another issue is that when you do a crunch you increase the pressure inside the
abdominal cavity. An increase in pressure inside the abdominal cavity reduces the
stress on the spine and discs. An isolated animal spine has no abdominal cavity
working with it and therefore no extra pressure to support it.

So most of these fitness “experts” claiming that crunches are bad for your spine are
making these conclusions are this ridiculous research in pig cervical spines. What
they forgot to read were all the studies showing that flexion of the spine is actually
beneficial to the discs, as the Strength & Conditioning Journal article points out.
Research shows that flexion of the spine increases nutrient delivery to the discs.
And research also shows that exercise programs involving spinal flexion have been
proven to reduce low back pain and increase flexibility of the spine. Not to mention
that the ONLY way to increase muscle hypertrophy of the major midsection muscles
– the rectus adbominis (the abs) and obliques as well as their strength is by doing
exercises with resistance that involve spinal flexion!

So if you read in a book, or magazine, or online that you should stop doing crunches,
get a good laugh, and ignore it. Crunches and other ab exercises that involve flexing
the spine are one of the healthiest things you can do for your back and your body.

In my opinion, I think that these fitness “experts” that warn against crunches are
just looking for excuses not to train their abs. And I’ll bet that the majority of them
have less than impressive abs.

JUMPING ROPE

2011-09-16T13:54:00.004-05:00

Jumping Rope: 780 calories per hour
Only got ten minutes? You can still squeeze in cardio with this highly effective activity, which can have you burning 130 calories every ten minutes (or 780 calories per hour). According to MedicineNet.com, you’d have to run an eight-minute mile to burn as many calories as jumping rope for the same amount of time, making it a good choice for someone who is starting a fitness regime and may not have the endurance to maintain a fast running speed for an extended period of time. If you have limited space and time, jumping rope is the most efficient way to see results. In addition, the high-impact nature of this workout means you’ll add bone mass, increasing your bone health, according to 24 Hour Fitness Club's Website and BoneHealth.com, while you lose fat.

Gourmet Protein - Muscle and Fitness nutrition

2011-01-29T08:08:00.000-06:00

Gourmet Protein - Muscle and Fitness nutrition

7 FAT BLASTERS

2010-11-12T08:31:00.001-06:00

We all have days when there's no time to get to the gym. So we wondered: Which close-to-home cardio activities blast fat fastest?
Wonder no more. Here are the top seven fat-and-calorie burners, from Los Angeles based celeb trainer Ramona Braganza.
Try any one of these, and you'll boost your metabolism for up to a whole day afterward. One small workout, one giant payoff.
1. Inline skating
Burns 425 calories in 30 minutes
2. Running
Burns 374 calories in 30 minutes
3. Jumping rope
Burns 340 calories in 30 minutes
4. Hula hooping
Burns 300 calories in 30 minutes
5. Tennis
Burns 272 calories in 30 minutes
6. Dancing
Burns 221 calories in 30 minutes
7. Walking vigorously
Burns 170 calories in 30 minutes

AMAZING AMINOS

2010-09-09T13:38:00.000-05:00

Amazing Aminos – the key to unlocking Amazonian Muscle Growth
Proteins are macro-molecules that are composed of amino acids. Halt! You're bored already. Right! Why? Because most of the crud you read about amino acids is as exciting as watching sand shift in the Mohave desert.
But you know what? The EAAs (essential amino acids) are the single most important dietary factor in promoting muscle mass gains and expediting recovery. Why? Because your body doesn't naturally make them. Hence, they are essential!
If you slept through high school biology (admit it, we all did), remember that amino acids are the building blocks of protein. So for any given protein that you consume, whether it is beef, chicken, or beans, the amount of each specific amino acid differs. Most plant sources of protein for example do NOT have enough of the essential amino acids; that's why they are incomplete proteins. And that's why most athletes are carnivores.
Conversely, the non-essential amino acids are made by your body; therefore, you don't necessary need to consume them in your diet. Though if you consume meat or milk-based proteins, then you will always get a mix of essential and non-essential amino acids.
So what are the essential amino acids or EAA?
Of the 20 amino acids that are used to form proteins, 9 are essential or indispensable; meaning that you need to consume them in your diet because your body does not normally make them. (See Table 1)
Table 1 - Essential Amino Acids
1. Phenylalanine
2. Valine
3. Tryptophan
4. Threonine
5. Isoleucine
6. Methionine
7. Histidine
a. (arginine)
8. Lysine
9. Leucine
________________________________________

And these EAAs are the holy grail of muscle recovery and growth.
For those of you with the attention span of a fruit fly, here's a summary:
• Consuming the essential amino acids after lifting weights leads to a large increase in the rate of muscle protein synthesis which means in gym lingo, your muscles get bigger.(1)
• A high proportion of leucine, the key essential amino acid, is required for optimal stimulation of the rate of muscle protein synthesis; i.e. big muscles again.(2)
• Net muscle protein gain is significant when essential amino acids and/or protein are consumed immediately post-exercise. There is also evidence to show that consuming essential amino acids pre-exercise is even more anabolic.(3) So friggin' eat protein or aminos right after you train as well as before!
• According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, their position stand states that, �Post-exercise ingestion of amino acids, primarily essential amino acids, has been shown to stimulate robust increases in muscle protein synthesis, while the addition of CHO may stimulate even greater levels of protein synthesis. Additionally, pre-exercise consumption of a CHO + PRO supplement may result in peak levels of protein synthesis.(4)� Yeah yeah�boring science stuff. But hey, it's proof that it works!

Boring Science Stuff to Read – But it's Proof!
1. Drummond MJ, Dreyer HC, Fry CS, Glynn EL, Rasmussen BB. Nutritional and Contractile Regulation of Human Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis and mTORC1 Signaling. J Appl Physiol 2009.
2. Katsanos CS, Kobayashi H, Sheffield-Moore M, Aarsland A, Wolfe RR. A high proportion of leucine is required for optimal stimulation of the rate of muscle protein synthesis by essential amino acids in the elderly. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2006;291:E381-7.
3. Tipton KD, Rasmussen BB, Miller SL, et al. Timing of amino acid-carbohydrate ingestion alters anabolic response of muscle to resistance exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2001;281:E197-206.
4. Kerksick C, Harvey T, Stout J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Nutrient timing. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2008;5:17.

2010-09-09T13:37:00.000-05:00

A tale of Leucine, Valine and Isoleucine – the terrific trio of amino acids!
Guess what? The BCAA (branched-chain amino acids) leucine, valine, and isoleucine can help improve muscle recovery and even enhance performance in endurance events. Yep, that's right. We have science to prove it. But first, let's go back to school.
Trivia Question: Which of the following macronutrients are "essential" in the human diet? (The word �essential' as it refers to our diet means that we need to consume that food or nutrient because our bodies do not make that nutrient naturally; hence, it is �essential' we get it in our diets).
Your choices are:
A. Carbohydrate
B. Protein
C. Fat
D. All of the above
E. Two of the above
Did you figure out the answer?
The Answer is.... "E"
Yes, that's right. Only two of the three are essential. And they are protein (with amino acids as the building blocks) and fat (i.e. the essential fatty acids).
In the protein category, there are amino acids are unique in their own right. They're the branched-chain amino acids (valine, leucine, and isoleucine). And of the three BCAA, leucine is very important. Here's why.
So what are the essential amino acids or EAA?
One study looked at the effects of dietary leucine supplementation on exercise performance of outrigger canoeists (i.e. paddlers). Thirteen (ten female, three male) competitive outrigger canoeists underwent testing before and after 6-week supplementation with either capsulated L-leucine (45 mg/kg.d) [that's equal to 3.15 grams of leucine for a 154 lb individual] or placebo (corn flour). Testing included anthropometry, 10 second upper body power and work and a row to exhaustion at 70-75% maximal aerobic power where perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate (HR) and plasma BCAA and tryptophan concentrations were assessed. What happened?
Leucine supplementation resulted in significant increases in plasma leucine and total BCAA concentrations. Upper body power and work significantly increased in both groups after supplementation but power was significantly greater after leucine supplementation compared to the placebo. Rowing time significantly increased and average RPE significantly decreased with leucine supplementation while these variables were unchanged with the placebo. Leucine supplementation had no effect on the plasma tryptophan to BCAA ratio, HR or anthropometric variables. Six weeks' dietary leucine supplementation significantly improved endurance performance and upper body power in outrigger canoeists.(1)
During exercise, muscle protein synthesis decreases together with a net increase in protein degradation and stimulation of BCAA oxidation (the BCAAs are of course leucine, valine and isoleucine). Thus, both insulin and leucine are key regulators in muscle protein synthesis!(2) In other words, they're friggin' important.
Another interesting tidbit is that leucine by itself increases muscle protein synthesis.(3) By combing leucine with protein and carbohydrate, you get quite the anabolic super-effect. For example, in one study eight male subjects were randomly assigned to three trials in which they consumed drinks containing either carbohydrate (CHO), carbohydrate and protein (CHO+PRO), or carbohydrate, protein, and free
Another interesting tidbit is that leucine by itself increases muscle protein synthesis.(3) By combing leucine with protein and carbohydrate, you get quite the anabolic super-effect. For example, in one study eight male subjects were randomly assigned to three trials in which they consumed drinks containing either carbohydrate (CHO), carbohydrate and protein (CHO+PRO), or carbohydrate, protein, and free leucine (CHO+PRO+Leu) following 45 min of resistance exercise. They discovered that plasma insulin response was higher in the CHO+PRO+Leu compared with the CHO and CHO+PRO trials. Whole body protein breakdown rates were lower, and whole body protein synthesis rates were higher, in the CHO+PRO and CHO+PRO+Leu trials compared with the CHO trial; moreover, the addition of leucine in the CHO+PRO+Leu trial resulted in a lower protein oxidation rate compared with the CHO+PRO trial. And to top it off, muscle protein synthesis, measured over a 6-h period of post-exercise recovery, was significantly greater in the CHO+PRO+Leu trial compared with the CHO trial with intermediate values observed in the CHO+PRO trial.(4)
Another study discovered that 2 grams of the BCAA with some arginine actually lessened the amount of muscle breakdown during endurance exercise.(5)
Valine, Isoleucine, and Leucine. They do the body good.
References
1. Crowe MJ, Weatherson JN, Bowden BF. Effects of dietary leucine supplementation on exercise performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 2005:1-9.
2. Norton LE, Layman DK. Leucine regulates translation initiation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle after exercise. J Nutr 2006;136:533S-537S.
3. Lang CH. Elevated Plasma Free Fatty Acids Decrease Basal Protein Synthesis but Not the Anabolic Effect of Leucine in Skeletal Muscle. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2006.
4. Koopman R, Wagenmakers AJ, Manders RJ, et al. Combined ingestion of protein and free leucine with carbohydrate increases postexercise muscle protein synthesis in vivo in male subjects. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2005;288:E645-53
5. Matsumoto K, Mizuno M, Mizuno T, et al. Branched-chain amino acids and arginine supplementation attenuates skeletal muscle proteolysis induced by moderate exercise in young individuals. Int J Sports Med 2007;28:531-8

SWIMMERS EAR

2010-08-28T07:57:00.002-05:00

After swimming it is recommend that you put a few drop of alcohol in your ear, they also have an over the counter ear drop also, do this every time when you are finished swimming, this will cut down on ear infections.

PROTEIN USE AND MIXING

2010-07-20T19:52:00.002-05:00

This a common table to go by, it,s not Gospel but it is close.

HEALTH CONSCIOUS,ACTIVE ADULTS:
Consume 0.4 to 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day.

ENDURANCE ATHLETES:
Consume 0.5 to 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day.

STRENGTH ATHLETES:
Consume 0.7 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day.

Example for a Strength Athlete: 200 lb x 0.7 grams of protein = 140 grams per day.
Ideally spread over smaller meal per day.

NOTE: Athletes who engage in intense, regular exercises should consume at least 120 fl oz of water per day. Drink an additional 16 fl oz of water for every pound lost during exercise.

FASTER METABOLISM

2010-07-12T17:39:00.000-05:00

A fast metabolism is critical to burning fat and managing body weight. While some dieters use diet pills to speed up their metabolisms, the risks and side effects of these drugs make them risky. You can use some safe and natural methods to speed up your metabolism.
Gain Muscle
The American Council on Exercise recommends resistance training for weight management. Think of your muscles as your body's engine. The bigger your engine, the more energy you can burn. Muscle, unlike fat, is active tissue that raises your metabolism just by being there. Adding a resistance training program is a sure method of naturally raising your metabolism. To make the most out of your time in the gym, train three days per week, training your entire body during each session. Use basic, compound exercises such as the leg press and shoulder press.
Keep Hydrated
Inadequate water intake can slow your metabolism. Water is responsible for several metabolic processes, including digestion, waste management and temperature regulation. The Mayo Clinic recommends drinking 2 liters of water daily. You can fight hunger as well as raise your metabolism by drinking a glass before each meal. To provide an extra boost, make sure your water is ice cold. Your body burns extra calories heating it up to room temperature.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Cardiovascular exercises such as walking, jogging and cycling are all effective ways to burn calories and keep your metabolism stoked. If you are just starting out, use a low-impact, low-intensity exercise such as brisk walking or moderate cycling. With more experience, you can graduate to jogging or intense cycling like spinning.
Coffee
Whether you realize it or not, you might already be waking up to an effective natural metabolism booster. The caffeine naturally present in coffee raises metabolism and can improve fat oxidation. Drinking a cup before exercise can also improve alertness and help fight fatigue.

PowerLung

2010-07-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

PowerLung

8 Min Abs Workout, how to have six pack ( HD Version )

2010-05-26T07:23:00.000-05:00

2010-05-15T20:08:00.001-05:00

19 Push Ups Variations Without Any Equipment - Watch more Funny Videos

HOW STRONG POSTURE MAKES YOU FASTER IN THE WATER

2010-03-04T18:46:00.000-06:00

Solid posture is key to being faster in the water. To strengthen your posture, and therefore increase your speed, you need total body training with exercises that work your body on a horizontal plane, develop muscle memory and translate to when you jump off the blocks or streamline off the wall. This will help you develop good body alignment and head position in the water.

Proper posture is a result of engaging your thighs, glutes, core and posterior chain—and then connecting them. You risk overdevelopment of the core, and in turn poor posture, by working only the front of your body.

One exercise we perform year-round, twice a week, toward the end of workouts is the Pop, Lock and Drop Push-Up. We do 2 to 5 sets of 5 to 10 reps, resting 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

• Assume Push-Up position
• Lower body to ground until chest touches
• Push up until elbows are bent 90 degrees; hold for five seconds
• Complete Push-Up by fully extending arms; hold for five seconds
• Using a five-second count, lower body back to ground
• Rest 5 to 10 seconds; repeat for specified reps
• Increase the length of your holds as the exercise becomes easier.

Holding these positions isometrically is great for your streamlining position coming off the walls and posture positioning with your long axis strokes, as you want your body to move as one piece.

Coaching Points: Keep body in a straight line and head in a neutral position for the duration of the exercise // Avoid popping back and positioning shoulders higher than hips // Tighten through core and belly button, and engage from thighs to the midsection to the shoulders