Full Spectrum Cinnamon Extract from Planetary Formulas

by Derek 'D-Rock' Peruo
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : cinnamon, diet, fat loss, nutrition, supplements, weight loss

Research shows that cinnamon is an excellent way to lower blood glucose levels after consuming sugary or carb-dense foods. The suggested dose for cinnamon is 1-6 grams, taken with a carb-heavy meal. I followed this recommendation and saw fantastic results: Over three weeks, I consumed several high-glycemic foods with no major changes to my body composition.

Cinnamon should be an integral part of your program if you're serious about fat loss, and Full Spectrum Cinnamon Extract from Planetary Formulas is an excellent way to reduce blood sugar levels so you burn fat and get lean fast!

Read the full review at Renaissance Fitness Inc..

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Carlson Labs Fish Oil

by Derek 'D-Rock' Peruo
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : supplementation, supplements

You're not eating enough Omega-3 fatty acids.

Years of research show consuming 250-1,000 mg of high-quality polyunsaturated Omega-3's per day can improve all sorts of issues, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, asthma, hay fever, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, chronic fatigue, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Most importantly, Omega-3's reduce inflammation and pain from physical training, boost brain power and metabolism, reduce stress, lubricate joints, and lower body fat using doses as high as 6,000 mg...

Read the full review at Renaissance Fitness Inc..

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Green Tea Fat Burning Pills from Applied Nutrition

by Derek 'D-Rock' Peruo
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : fat loss, metabolism, supplements, weight loss

Green tea has a noble history dating back 4,000 years, and has been consumed to help everything from healing wounds to promoting digestion. In the 20th Century, scientists discovered green tea contains a bunch of useful compounds, including EGCG and L-Theanine, which boost metabolism and improve mental focus.

It would make sense then, you would think, to concentrate this tea and turn it into a pill, allowing for easier consumption and higher concentrations. But this idea usually fails, and the Green Tea Fat Burner from Applied Nutrition is no exception.

Had Applied Nutrition simply extracted green tea and placed it into a tiny pill, I probably would have had no issues; but they added a "Vitality Boost" to their Fat Burner formula, and this is where everything falls apart for me.

I seem to be sensitive to yerba mate, a natural herbal stimulant found in this "Vitality Boost," and was plagued with migraines and unshakable jitteriness whenever I took the pills. I've had similar experiences in the past with yerba mate, and was hoping the amount found in this formula would be small enough to go unnoticed in my body. I was wrong, and my constant nausea made it challenging to take the pills regularly.

Nausea is an excellent appetite suppressant, but I'd rather spend extra time in the gym or change my diet plan.

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Renaissance Fitness Supplement Kits

by Scott Andrew Bird
Filed in : elsewhere
Tags : supplements

These sound great.

Personal Trainer extraordinaire Derek 'D-Rock' Peruo is currently putting together various supplement kits, designed to provide regular doses of everything needed to help attain a particular goal. The video below will give you the overall idea :

For more information on the kits themselves (available soon!), pricing and so on - head over to the site at :

renaissancefitnessinc.com

And yes, we'll be reviewing these just as soon as they're available. Fantastic.

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Gymchat 194 (Gymchat Bite 2) - Performance Training for Hockey (with Conor Doherty)

by Scott Andrew Bird
Filed in : Gymchats (formerly twitterchats)
Tags : conditioning, photography, sports psychology, sprinting, supplements

Continuing on from the 'Training Athletes' discussion, this time we'll be concentrating on a small part of that - Performance Training for Hockey. Helping us will be Certified Athletic Trainer Conor Doherty, as well as Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. Really looking forward to it.

If you'd like to join us for the hangout and ask a question or two, the details are below. And if it's your first time, welcome aboard. They're a lot of fun.

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Introducing the mini-Gymchats - the 'Gymchat Bites'.

by Scott Andrew Bird
Filed in : Gymchats (formerly twitterchats)
Tags : nutrition, supplements

I love these discussions - can't get enough of them. Superb ways to find out how everyone else is training, and benefit from their experience. Fantastic.
In addition to the regular full-length Gymchats, we've decided to create a series of shorter conversations : Gymchat Bites. Just 10-15 minutes in length; same great topics. Good fun.

We'll be holding the first of these shortly. For everyone who's joining us, the details are :

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Get Extreme With Hydroxycut Hardcore Elite

by Derek 'D-Rock' Peruo
Filed in : Reviews
Tags : fat loss, supplements

I've written about a lot of products related to pre-workout stimulants and energy boosting (read them here, here, and here), so I'll keep this review brief.

MuscleTech Hydroxycut Hardcore Elite is potent!

This is some professional-grade stuff here, even by my standards, and I consume a lot of stimulants!

MuscleTech's combination of ingredients suppresses appetite, boosts focus, and increases energy.

This stuff works incredibly well. So the question becomes, does it burn fat?

Maybe.

While on the pills for two weeks I always had a warm, fuzzy feeling in my body, like I was floating on a cloud. The sensation was manageable, and I can only hope it was the pills doing their job.

Here are my very unscientific before and after photos. What do you think?

You have to be careful with this stuff. These are some serious drugs. The combination of caffeine, coleus extract, green coffee extract, L-theanine, cocoa extract, and yohimbe made my teeth chatter if I wasn't careful.

I recommend starting with one pill in the morning instead of your usual coffee. Don't take this stuff if you're already jacked on caffeine because that's a recipe for disaster and you will overdose on stimulants.

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Become Superhuman with Solaray Probiotics

by Derek 'D-Rock' Peruo
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : diet, nutrition, probiotics, supplements

"Here, take these..."

My friend, a successful personal trainer and health nut, handed me four little pills. I asked him what they were. This felt like a drug deal.

"They're probiotics," he said. "Take them. You'll feel much better in no time."

Probiotics are bacteria, like the kind you find in yogurt. They help maintain a very important balance of microorganisms in your digestive tract that aid in digestion, nutrient absorption and killing germs. When we get sick, travel too much, or take medications like antibiotics, the microorganisms in our stomach become imbalanced, leading to long-term G.I. distress and general illness. Taking a high dose of probiotics is the fastest way to get your body back on the right track.

I was suffering from a terrible head cold and had already taken an over-the-counter decongestant, but it didn't help much. I still felt like I'd been run over by a moose.

I was completely blown away when my symptoms went away within hours after taking my friend's pills. My nose cleared up and my cough was gone. I felt like a superhero, healing myself within a matter of hours. I instantly became a believer in the power of probiotics.

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Fight Fat With CLA from eVitamins

by Derek 'D-Rock' Peruo
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : fat loss, supplements, testosterone

The Meat Man Cometh

In recent weeks, I've become fascinated by meat. I love meat, and firmly believe it can make a huge difference in the gym and in life.

If you're a vegetarian, I salute you. I tried eating a plant-based diet once and just couldn't do it. I felt lethargic and my workouts suffered. I am most definitely a carnivore, and always feel best when I consume at least 3 lbs of high-quality red meat per week.

Not all red meats are created equal, and it's very important to eat the highest-quality meat you can find. If you can find wild grass-fed meat, that would be ideal.

But what if you can't find a high-quality meat? What if all you have access to is garbage?

Enter CLA

CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid found in grass-fed animal products like meat and dairy. It differs slightly from other omega-6 fats in that it is very effective in preventing tumor and cancer growth.

This means it's healthy for you.

There is some research out there to suggest CLA may help increase testosterone levels and reduce body fat, but the results are mixed. The reason CLA works is still unknown, and a solid long-term research study on humans has yet to be done.

For now, it seems the fatter you are the greater the benefits of CLA. So if you're a fat-ass, I highly recommend you stop eating crap and start taking CLA, fish oil, and probiotics as part of your training program.

Keep in mind that the research has all been conducted with grass-fed meats. This means the effectiveness of synthetic CLA is still up for debate.

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Happy Bastille Day

by Maik Wiedenbach
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : cholesterol, heart, supplements, triglycerides

Since today is July 14th, or Bastille Day, I decided it would be a great day to tackle the "French paradox" also known as "red wine is good for you."
According to some people, red wine is a fountain of youth. It is full of anti-oxidants, good for the heart, prolongs your life, and lowers the bad (LDL) cholesterol.

So does that mean that alcoholics turn 120 years old? Not quite. Many studies on red wine have found that the antioxidants and flavonoids, especially resveratrol, have health-enhancing effects. Resveratrol in particular is a substance of great interest. It stands behind the "French paradox," explaining that relatively few people in France have heart problems despite a high fat diet. As a quick side note: from a scientific stand point, I find it ludicrous to believe that you could pinpoint something so complex as mortality on a single item, such as the consumption of red wine, but I digress.

Back to the topic, studies with mice have shown that those that were fed a diet high in saturated fats and got a dose of resveratrol lived longer than their counterparts on a restricted diet. In fact, the resveratrol seemed to mimic the effects of a 30% calorie reduction of the overall daily intake. The substance also seems to reduce the bad cholesterol and keep the heart healthy. The findings of this and other studies have fueled a surge in resveratrol supplements; it has been touted as an elixir for longevity and happiness. Dosages have also been increased to very high levels (the equivalent of drinking 30 liters of red wine a day to get to the same effects as in the mice studies) in order to promote cell health.

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You Need More Drugs

by Derek 'D-Rock' Peruo
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : brain, coffee, photography, pre-workout nutrition, stimulant, supplements

As a self-proclaimed professional caffeine junky, Vasopro Xtreme from Mega-Pro has a lot to live up to.

I expect my pills to work has hard as I do, especially if the label has the word "xtreme" on it. I want to feel like a greek god every time I pop those suckers, and they should make people around me cower in fear and reverence at the shear awesomeness of my workouts.

Unfortunately, I did not experience the shock and awe I was hoping for while using Vasopro. In fact, the results were far too ordinary for me to consider this my preferred pre-workout stimulant.

Vasopro is basically a caffeine pill with the addition of acacia rigidula, a shrub that acts like adrenaline and helps burn small amounts of body fat.

The problem with caffeine (any source of caffeine, mind you) is that the more you use it, the less it works. Use caffeine long enough, and you'll need to ingest higher and higher dosages to feel an effect. If the dose gets too high, sleep, blood pressure, heart rate, and a whole slew of other biorhythms are thrown out of whack. Not good.

Each Vasopro pill contains 250mg of caffeine, about the same amount as a medium cup of coffee from Starbucks.

I was taking two pills on a regular basis and, while I felt fantastic the first few days, the feeling was greatly diminished by the end of the first week of use. I tried taking three pills, but became jittery during the workout, so I reduced the dose and was disapointed by the lack of umph only two pills provided.

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Hercules for a Day

by Derek 'D-Rock' Peruo
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : coffee, photography, pre-workout nutrition, supplements

"My god, I feel like I can take on the universe right now!"

I was standing in the middle of the gym, water bottle in hand, my shirt drenched in sweat. I had just finished an 80 minute-long upper body workout and was shaking uncontrollably from all the hard work.

If you had asked me then to join you for another workout, I would have said yes.

That's because right before my workout, I took a heaping scoopful of MuscleTech NeuroCore, and that is what made all the difference!

My friends over at eVitamins.com sent me a bottle of this magic powder to use and review; and let me tell you: this pre-workout stimulant is more than just a fancy cup of coffee! In fact, it takes coffee to a whole new level with the addition of beta-alanine to buffer lactic acid, L-citruline to increase nitric oxide, creatine to increase strength, and geranium extract to fire up your nervous system.

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Gymchat 160 - Supplementation

by Scott Andrew Bird
Filed in : Gymchats (formerly twitterchats)
Tags : supplements

Quick reminder : in this week's Gymchat we'll be discussing the nutritional potential of a bit of dietary supplementation; whether that involves a little fine-tuning or a major overhaul.

No matter what you currently take - and why - we'd love to hear about it. See you there.

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What do you take, when and why?

This week we're looking at vitamins & minerals, protein shakes and everything else you take to help fine-tune your regular diet. What's necessary, who should be taking it and the many benefits on offer.

Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than personal trainer Derek Peruo, who you'll find over at Renaissance Fitness. Fantastic.

See you there.


NB : If you've just joined us on Google+, welcome. Join us on Mar 14, and add a comment/ask a question or three. Dive in.


Details -

Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Supplementation
When : Wed Mar 14, 9pm EDT (GMT -4h)
How : Post a comment, question or reply
Where : https://plus.google.com/u/0/113406428532094481598/posts/QEx2pRVGQQh

If you've never been to one of these discussions before, here's how to join in the fun. Simple, quick to set up and free.

And to see when it's on in your timezone, head over to the calendar.

See you there.

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World's Stupidest Supplement Ads

by Maik Wiedenbach
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : fitness marketing, supplements

Supplements...we all take them, looking for an edge or even a magic pill. Over the years, I must have taken hundreds of different supplements and spent 1000s of $ (sad).

The results are sobering, to say the least. There are some that are worth the money, 101 Fitness Myths has a chapter on the 5 best supplements.

But what always fascinates me is the incredible marketing and graphs the companies use to suck money out of our pockets. Waiting for clients at the gym, I began flipping through muscle magazines, and I couldn't help but notice the stupidity of some supplement ads.

So without further ado, my 10 favorites:

10. "Now with real fruit!" Ok, ...what was it before? Unreal fruit??
9. "Our new pre-workout supp will cause skin bursting pumps! "Wow, that would really hurt and definitely put you in the ER.
8. "Burn 400% more body fat. "Than who? Where is the comparison?
7. "Build 20 lbs of muscle!" That is a great one. Aside from the fact, that it would be a difficult feat to achieve even while on steroids, one has to wonder: what if I only weigh 120 lbs? Do I really gain 15% of my body weight?
6. "Breakthrough technology." Does it get any more vague than this?
5. "Lean muscle mass. "There isn't really any fatty muscle mass, since that would be called adipose tissue or body fat.
4. "Steroid-like results." Nothing, absolute noting will give you results like steroids. There is a reason those substances are classified as drugs in most countries...No further comment...
3. "Muscles exploding with new growth." That would probably kill you.
2. "Build x lbs of pure muscle." How in the world do you build impure muscle? If you have this much control over your body, you could definitely play in the NFL or be your own nuclear reactor a la Dr. Manhattan.
1. "Product x declares death to fat cells." Without getting into the whole leptin discussion, fat cell death (apoptosis) is extremely rare. If all your fat cells were to die, so would you. Fat is also needed to make testosterone so some of it would be helpful. On another note, fat doesn't melt either, it oxidizes and by doing so the body makes use out of the stored energy.

But my absolute favorite is a certain company who takes it to a whole new level. They basically, use the Matrix movie ( do you want the blue pill, Neo?) , the blue pill signaling endless muscle growth and 4% body fat. You (Neo) have to commit to buy a 3 month supply for a a whopping 500+$, which will be delivered to you in a case that looks like something straight out of Area 51. The supplement? A humble berry extract....

I understand they are trying to sell us things, but I can't help but wonder if the supplement industry takes all bodybuilders and strength athletes for illiterates who are unable to tie their own shoes.

Rant mode off...

Train hard!

Maik

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AtLarge Nutrition

by Scott Andrew Bird
Filed in : atlargenutrition
Tags : nutrition, supplements

The products advertised on Straight to the Bar all have to pass one simple test - they have to be things I use myself. Loadable clubs from StrongerGrip, Grip tools from David Horne, Bending and Tearing resources from Jedd Johnson and so on. It's all top-quality gear.

This is certainly the case when it comes to nutritional supplements. In fact, it's even more tightly controlled here (if I consume the stuff, I want to know what's in it); I expect the supplier to use their own products as well.

Fitting the bill perfectly, AtLarge Nutrition's Chris Mason.

Not only does Chris clearly know his stuff (and he seriously does know what he's talking about), he produces things for the 'right' reasons. As a result, it's all fantastic gear. Highly recommended.

To explain precisely what the 'right' reasons are, here's the man himself. Chris Mason.

Incidentally, if you haven't yet tried any of the AtLarge products, now is the perfect time to give them a go. For the few days (up until March 29, 2012), they're offering a whopping 15% discount on everything in the store.

Just enter the coupon code march1215% when ordering and tell Chris that Straight to the Bar sent you. He'll look after you.

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Nutrition Tips for Jocks, Gym Rats, and Health Freaks

by Al Heinemann
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : brain, clubs & maces, diet, grip, leverage, recovery, supplements

How does one navigate the minefield of conflicting nutritional advice while seeking to improve performance, recovery, body composition or health? My own culinary misadventures have taken me through vegetarianism, veganism, macrobiotics, right on up to born-again-carnivorism. After trying a lot of things, and while continuing my own research and experimentation, I have decided to come up with a list of guidelines that still make sense to me at this point in my travels.

I am not a certified nutritionist. Of course most nutritionists advocate the food pyramid and other absurdities so this may not be a strike against me. The more lay-research I do into nutrition and physical performance and health the more I see vast differences between what the laboratory informed "experts" generally recommend and what those in the trenches practice. For an entertaining and insightful look into the ideology of food guidelines and dietary fads I would recommend hunting down Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma at your local library.

Before laying out my haphazard collection of dietary tips I will set out a little scheme as dreamed up by Pollan. I am going from memory here but Pollan sets out the following guideposts, lovely in their simplicity:

1. Eat food. That is real food.
2. Eat nothing that your grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.
3. Eat nothing with more than 5 ingredients
4. Eat less grains, more vegetables and fruit and if we choose to eat meat think of it as a condiment.

I know I don't have them exactly right but you get the idea. Simple. My quinoa salad from last night breaks rule #3 but I don't think it applies to homemade food. You get the point. Strikes me as reasonable and not too hard to live by.

Here is my less-lovely list along with short explanations:

Eat less grains. That does not mean to eat no carbs. Try and get your carbs from primarily vegetable and secondarily fruit sources. Think of approaching grains as a condiment. And when you do eat grains try and eat whole grains such as quinoa, amaranth and the like.

Why eat vegetables instead of grains?

• Grains tend to cause spikes in insulin levels which means you will want to eat in order to restabilize insulin, and the choices you make while tryng to restabilize may set the domino effect along even further.
• Vegetables tend to contain many more vitamins and nutrients than than grains. Whatever you eat will contribute to filling you up. If you eat a big helping of grains then you will not likely be eating as many vitamin-rich vegetables or tissue building and tissue repairing proteins.

All fats are not created equal. You must consume healthy fats for your well-being. Much of your brain is lined with fats. Fats promote hormonal communication. So eat avocados, olive oil and flax oil.

• Fish oil: I consider fish oil and protein powder to be a food, not a supplement. The thing with fish oil is that they are not all created equal. Most fish oils, even those readily available at health food stores, are not pure enough to take in the kinds of doses that are deemed most beneficial. High quality pharmaceutical grade fish oils are usually tested batch-by-batch for purity. The oils are usually taken from smaller species of fish which do not tend to bioaccumulate as many toxins. Therefore the potency can be greater without compromising the consumer by exposure to mercury, etc. Fish oils are believed to function as an anti-inflammatory (thereby contributing to heart health, joint health and more), and also may contribute to brain development, eye health, hormonal balance, mood and more.
• Protein shakes: if you are trying to put on muscle mass or maintain a high level of lean muscle mass and recover from intense training it will simply be too difficult to eat real "meals" frequently enough. This is where shakes and protein supplements come in. Many nutritionists dismiss protein powders but if you look at the methods of successful strength athletes you will see that many if not most of them use some kind of protein supplementation.

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What Really Works? Effective Strength Training Principles

by Josh Hewett
Filed in : Articles
Tags : abdominal, assistance device, clubs & maces, diet, grip, leverage, recovery, supplements, thick bar

It seems like the debates over effective resistance training program design will never end. Throughout my career as a trainer I have studied and implemented countless strength and hypertrophy regimens. What always intrigued me was that so many of these programs promote what appeared to be completely antagonistic training philosophies! One guru will insist that only high volume training is ideal for muscle growth, while another expert declares that low volume, high intensity training is the key. Other routines were so convoluted that you would spend more time contemplating the complex variations therein than actually training! This is called "analysis paralysis".

What became apparent, however, was that despite all of the conflicting information, the most effective programs typically share common elements and principles. Rather than focusing on the different theories, it will serve you better to look at the big picture: the fundamentals. The intention of this article is to present the most effective training principles in a simple and clear fashion. If you design your next program based on these basic concepts, you will get results. When it comes to training for size and strength, this is "What Really Works":

1. Use Progressive Overload

   This is the most basic and one of the most important principles. Muscles grow bigger and stronger as they adapt to stress. Therefore, you need to progressively overload your muscles each week either by lifting moderately more weight, exerting more force, or performing more repetitions with the same weight. This is why it is so important to record your progress and write down your training goals.

2. Use compound, multi-joint, free weight exercises:

   Basic, big pushing and pulling movements such as variations of the deadlift, squat, lunge, power clean, overhead press, chest press, row and pull-up involve more muscles, larger muscle groups, more resistance and greater Neuro-Muscular Activation (NMA) than isolation movements. Generally, the more of your body you involve in the exercise and move through space, the greater the NMA. By this reasoning, a heavy weighted dip would be more productive than a heavy decline press, and pull-ups are superior to pull downs, for example. These exercises not only produce greater increases in size and strength in a shorter period of time, but they also stimulate the production of higher levels of growth hormone in your body. In addition, by training destabilized (free weights vs. machines) you are involving more of your small intrinsic muscles.

3. Use Ground Based Exercises

   This idea ties in with the above principle. When possible, choose to train in a standing or ground based position rather than seated or lying. This alone will make the exercise much more functional, and more challenging! Compare the seated overhead press to a standing military press; or seated rows to bent-over barbell rows. There is also typically a greater involvement of your core muscles with ground based exercises.

4. Train your CORE

   Some define their core as only their abdominals; I look at the "core" musculature as your entire midsection, including your abs (rectus abs, tranverse abs, obliques), spinal erector muscles (quadratus lumborum, longissimus, spinalis, multifidus, iliocostalis), and glutes. Considering this, you should incorporate exercises to target each of these main areas. I recommend starting your workout with some core isometrics, to activate these muscles in order to facilitate a stronger workout and prevent injury. The basics are the plank, the side plank, the bridge, and the lying back extension. Then I finish each workout with a different isotonic core exercise.

   Of course, if you are using the big, multi-joint exercises I suggested above, your core muscles are being challenged during the rest of your workout as well. By using functional, free weight, ground based, compound movements, you are involving your entire midsection to a huge extent. I also strongly advise against using any belts, wraps or straps during most of your regular training, as this can decrease the involvement of the important core stabilizers. These training accessories should be reserved for maximum lift attempts and competition, unless otherwise indicated for specific injuries.




5. Train with Balance

   
   I have written entire articles on the topic of 'balance': balancing rest and training; training different energy systems in balance; having balance in your life. It is an important subject, not to be overlooked. For now, let's look at the following aspects of balance:

   Include stability training & unilateral (single leg, arm) movements
   Incorporate some exercises that force you to balance on one leg or stabilize a weight with one arm, such as step ups, lunges, single arm press, etc. Working with odd objects such as kegs or sandbags also create a greater demand on your stabilizers and place a new stress on your body, leading to new results. These types of movements will increase the strength of your weaker side and develop your proprioceptive ability.
   
   Balance the volume of training for (and the strength of) agonist and antagonist (opposing) muscle groups

   This is an important principle for increasing strength, size, NMA, and preventing injuries. Basically, you want to balance the workload on both your pushing and pulling movements. The force and speed you can generate in a press or a throw is largely affected by the ability of the antagonist muscles to eccentrically stabilize the joint. If you cannot control deceleration, you can't accelerate to your full potential.
   Research has also demonstrated that one can recuperate faster by performing a set for an antagonist muscle group between sets. This is known as Push-Pull Supersets, such as super-setting rows and chest presses, or pull-ups and overhead presses. It has been shown to maintain strength between sets, as well as stimulate hypertrophy.
   Work on Your Muscular Imbalances

   Muscle tension and joint pain is often due to compensation for joint instability or weakness in another muscle. This is where isolation exercises come into play. You need to train your weak links in isolation before you can incorporate them into a movement pattern. Otherwise, your dominant muscles will continue to compensate, leading to further muscular imbalances. Prime examples of common weak links are the posterior deltoids, external rotator cuff, lower trapezius, glute medius, vastus medialus, and often some core muscles.

   Having said that, it is my opinion that in most cases it is a waste of time to perform an entire workout using only isolation exercises for small muscle groups (unless you are in a prehab / rehabilitation program). For example, a one hour workout just for "arms" is completely impractical. Each workout should stimulate a majority of target muscle groups with fewer exercises. Think of training movements, not muscles.

   "Functional training" (integrated exercise) will only reinforce compensatory patterns if the weak links are not first identified and eliminated."
-- Greg Roskopf, MA, founder Muscle Activation Techniques




6. Incorporate Strongman Implement Training

   
   Strongman training and odd object lifting is great for improving a trainee's General Physical Preparedness (GPP) and stimulating new neural muscular recruitment patterns. Exercises such as sled dragging, farmers walk, keg pressing, thick bar lifts and sandbag carries increase the use of muscles that may not be challenged with a barbell alone. There is also a huge stimulus placed on your 'core' musculature and your smaller joint stabilizers with this type of training.

   In fact, strongman training ties in directly with most of the principles listed above (#2,3,4 & 5)! It involves compound, functional, ground based movements that strengthen your core and build balance. Strongman training is a fun and effective way to make your workout more productive, and is easy to incorporate into your regular training program. Give it a shot.




7. Incorporate Speed and Explosiveness Training:

   
   To maximize your strength potential you need to develop more 'powerful' muscles as well. In order to generate more power you will need to incorporate speed training into your program, in addition to pure strength training. (Power equals Force X Speed). Activities such as plyometric drills, sprint training, sled dragging, and Olympic Weightlifting type exercises are very effective. This also helps to prepare your body for the unexpected dynamic stresses that can occur in daily life and competition. A great strength coach once said, "Life is Ballistic. Train for it."



8. Use a Method of Periodization

   
   For long term progress you will benefit from following some method of program periodization. A very general definition of periodization is that it is a training scheme with planned phases of varied intensity, volume, speed, and exercise selection, etc. The popular Western method is known as linear periodization, which divides the different aspects of strength training into separate phases over time, but it has many limitations. Conjugated periodization is a very effective method with shorter phases, wherein you train many aspects of strength (such as max strength and dynamic strength) during the same weekly program. This is the method used by Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell Club. There are other variations (such as pendulum training), but I will not embark on a lengthy explanation at this point. However, I do encourage you to study periodization and adopt a method that makes sense to you.

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Loveable Leucine

by Sam Cox
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : amino acids, recovery, supplements




Eggs. Photo by Emuishere Peliculas.
PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN!! We know already!!! Stop telling me I need protein to get strong and build muscle. Even people who aren't interested in the iron know this. So, needless to say, this article is not about protein. Nor does it need to be. It needs to be about how I can use that protein, get every drop of goodness out of it, how can I really make that protein work for me. And that's exactly what it's about. I want the biggest return on investment possible when I do something, like most people. SO, if I'm eating the 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight like the experts say is what I need, this raises the question, 'is the protein being used to the fullest', and 'can I increase the effects of the protein I ingest'. Obviously the answer is yes, if It wasn't, I would not be writing this article. The answer comes in a very little talked about amino acid called Leucine. There is a lot of ground to cover and I could write forever on it so I am going to break it down into a couple major benefits for the lifter.

Here they are:

The FIRST benefit of this amino is that it is responsible for the preservation of skeletal muscle tissue, especially under stress. It does this through sparing muscle glycogen, an energy pathway to skeletal muscle contraction. Preserving the glycogen will save the tissue by giving more energy over a period of time delaying breakdown. This preservation means more endurance for the lifter, longer periods of peak muscular contraction. The European Journal of Applied Physiology did a test and supplemented rowers with Leucine over 6 weeks and found the rowing time of the individuals increased over one minute compared to no increase in the placebo group.

The SECOND, Leucine is responsible for nearly all protein synthesis in the body. Leucine present in the blood stream signals your cells to begin breaking down proteins into usable amino acids, more usable amino acids from a signal that is concentrated in the skeletal muscle means more aminos will be transported to the skeletal tissues, even bone. Yes, Leucine is also responsible for the healing of bone tissue.

Martha Stipanuk PhD from Cornell University says, "...it seems clear that most effects of the amino acids on protein synthesis are mediated by Leucine."

Also, there is also strong evidence that Leucine may increase Growth Hormone production in humans.

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Recovery and Regeneration for the Strength Athlete

by Patrick Ward
Filed in : Articles
Tags : amino acids, bands, diet, fitness marketing, post-workout supplements, recovery, supplements, whey




Farmer's Walk. Photo by Green Colander.
Lets face it - strength athletes are animals! They train. They train hard. And they leave it all on the table! Some of the best workouts I've been a part of took place in a garage in suburban America where we were flipping tires, performing Olympic lifts and heavy deadlifts and pretty much going balls to the wall.
While the strength athletes are certainly gung-ho about their workout, often the most overlooked component to their entire training plan is the recovery and regeneration.

"That stuff is for sissies!"
"If I'm not pushing max weights, I'm not making progress!"

These two dogmas couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, with some proper planning and attention to recovery, strength athletes could potentially make the gains that have eluded them for the past few years. In addition, it's important to remember that in the gym we tear down tissue. We grow and get stronger when we rest and allow our body to adapt to the training stresses we have just imposed on it. If we never give it time to adapt and get stronger, then we're constantly in a phase of breaking down, and that certainly will catch up to us in time.

I have outlined five recovery strategies that can be beneficial to all athletes (not just strength athletes) and instrumental in avoiding overtraining, potentially preventing injury and setting you up for continued progress in the weight room.

1) Unload

Give yourself a break some times! Yes, progressive overload is important to making gains. But, backing off and giving your nervous system a break is also important. You can't max out every day (and probably not every week even...at least not for any considerable amount of time) as you will likely hit the wall sooner rather than later.

Unloading could be accomplished in a variety of ways. It could be just lowering the intensity (the amount of load lifted in relation to your 1RM for a given lift) for a week. For example, if you are squatting 4 sets x 5 reps @ 87%, the following week you could unload the intensity by performing 4 sets x 5 reps @ 75%. It could be in the form of lowering the volume. So, if you are working on squatting 4 sets x 5 reps @ 87%, next week you could unload by performing 5 sets x 2 reps at 87% before ramping back up. Or, it could be in the form of just taking a few days off and maybe partaking in some active rest (an easy walk, riding the bike, etc).

Whatever you choose, allowing yourself to back off a little bit not only helps the nervous system recover from all the heavy/intense training, but it also gives the joints and tendons some time to recover, since going heavy too frequently can lead to a lot of aches and pains.

An easy way to set up time for unloading is to use a 4-week schedule. Week number four is always going to be your unload week before starting to work the intensity back up or changing the training focus (IE, from strength emphasis to power emphasis) in the next 4-week wave. The 4-week wave also fits nicely into a month training plan, which is why I like it.

While there are many ways to incorporate unloading into your program (and some of this will be dictated by your sport and the amount of time you have to prepare for competition), here are two generic examples to give you an idea:

Example 1

	High Volume	Moderate Volume	Very High Volume	Unload
Exercise	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Bench press	4x5	3x5	6x5	2x5
Chin ups	3x8	2x8	4x8	2x8 (decrease load or use body weight if you typically use extra weight for work sets)

Example 2

	Base Week	Moderate Intensity	High Intensity	Unload
Exercise	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Bench press	3x5@80%	4x5@82%	6x3 start at 85% and work up to a max over 6 sets	2x8@70%
Chin ups	3x8	3x5	5x5	2x8 (decrease load or use body weight if you typically use extra weight for work sets)

2) Nutrition Around The Workout

What you eat is critical to what you get as a return on your training investment. Making sure you're getting quality calories is important to ensure that your body is fueled up for the next training bout. Incorporating a post-workout shake or meal is also important to help replenish muscle glycogen (stored energy) that was burned during your workout and to start repairing damaged tissue (protein synthesis).

This year I had the opportunity to attend the NSCA's 31st National Conference. Joel Cramer PhD, Jeff Stout PhD, and Joseph Weir PhD gave a three-part talk on Nutritional Supplementation Before, During and After Resistance Training. They really drove home the point that we need to be on top of our supplementation around workout time. One thing that they talked a lot about was the potential for protein synthesis to be maximally stimulated by increasing amino acid delivery to the muscles at the time when blood flow is increased (which is just prior to and during our workout). After presenting the research, Jeff Stout concluded that, "consuming carbohydrate and protein pre-, during and post-resistance training can significantly reduce muscle damage. By reducing muscle damage, athletes should be able to increase speed of recovery, and allow for them to participate in the next high-intensity exercise sooner."

A simple way to put this into practice is to bring a shake to the gym that you can sip on just before and during your workout. Sometimes, because of how whey protein is, it is not the best texture to sip on during training. If this is the case for you, there are a number of Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) products out there which have a much more manageable texture and taste for prior and during the workout (some of them taste a lot like Gatorade).

3) Paying Attention To Things That Hurt

The five worst words in the English language are "maybe it will go away". If something hurts, it means that something is wrong. Figure out what that something is and correct it before it turns into a bigger problem.

Oftentimes, little, nagging problems can be fixed by incorporating some stretching and corrective exercise into your daily routine. This doesn't mean you have to join a yoga class or stop lifting heavy and pick up five pound dumbbells and wave them around like an idiot on one leg. But, it does mean that you need to be aware of what is going on with your body and know what to do to fix it.

Corrective exercise and stretching are not stressful on the system and can help with your recovery and regeneration. Perform some of the corrective exercises prior to your lifting, as part of your overall general warm-up and perform stretches post-workout once the muscles are warm. As well, since they are not stressful, you can perform the corrective exercise and stretches on off days. In fact, this is recommended, as it will help make the effects of these modalities more long-lasting. Performing some flexibility and mobility work on off days can be a great way to get active rest and keep the body healthy.

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Four Steps for Reducing Your Triglycerides

by Parth Shah
Filed in : Diet and Nutrition
Tags : cholesterol, diet, plate, supplements, triglycerides




Hungry yet?
My father and I got a blood test done about 3 weeks ago. When the test results came back, I was pleasantly surprised because everything was normal, including my cholesterol. For a chubby kid growing up this was a huge deal. All my work in the past year was paying off.

But then I saw it. I saw an "l" meaning low. What was this? I looked at the number 39, then googled TRIG and came across triglycerides. I did not know what these were at the time, but I could tell that 39 was a good number for your TRIG's to be at.

Then I opened up my father's blood test. He had a few things that were high including cholesterol. Right underneath the cholesterol figures was his TRIG number: 416. The range given beside that number was 50-200, meaning that my fathers TRIG levels were twice as high as average!

When we talked to the doctor, the doctor said that my father had nothing to worry about. But, you know what, I don't trust doctors. Doctors today wait for a problem to happen before giving you a solution. And even that solution is a band aid solution such as increased medication. I don't want my dad to be taking any sort of medication ten years from now.

I did not know what triglycerides were exactly and what health risks they posed to you if they were high. So I decided to go and do my own research.

What are Triglycerides?

Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in food and the body. They are found in plasma and are derived from fats that we eat, or from food made from other energy sources such as carbohydrates. You've all heard that any calorie that we do not burn off we store as fat. Well, before this fat can be stored, the calories are converted to triglycerides and transported to fat cells to be stored.

Extremely high triglycerides (500mg/dl or higher) in plasma is known as hypertriglyceridemia and is often linked to coronary artery disease. According to The National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines, my father's TRIG levels are high (200 - 499 mg/dl). Once he breaks the 500 mark, he officially has hypertiglyceridemia.

I personally believe that my low TRIG levels come from my style of exercise and diet. According to my research, in order to lower your TRIG levels, you need to change your lifestyle habits and substitute them for healthier ones.

I once trained my father with my brand of exercise: heavy weight training performed at a high intensity with a fast pace. He lost 7 pounds in two weeks, and has kept the weight off. However, one day his only employee at his convenience store quit, leaving him to work 6 days a week. I have been trying to get him back under the weights ever since, but he just does not seem motivated to get back to working out. He claims that heavy weights are not good for him and he just needs to diet. Well, we can see how the diet only protocol is working out for him.

Since diet is a very important aspect of the problem, lets go over what I believe is the best way of lowering your TRIG levels. Many resources tell you to first cut your calories. However, I think it is more important to learn how to eat healthy. If I tell my father to cut calories, he'll just end up eating 1500 calories worth of junk food. That is not the solution to the problem. Instead, learn to eat the right foods first.

What are the right foods? Surprisingly the right foods are the same type of foods you would be eating if you want to lose weight. Start eating more fruits and veggies and make these your primary source of carbs. In addition, replace all your saturated and trans fat with healthy fats and Omega 3's.

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