Monthly Archives: February 2009

The Power of Pilates

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An estimated 6 million people across the country are now strengthening their bodies and minds, and losing weight, with the help of pilates exercises, the fastest growing fitness trend in decades. Among the Hollywood celebrities publicly touting its benefits, Goldie Hawn, Candace Bergen, Brad Pitt, Ben Afleck and Matthew Broderick.

Thanks to the Method’s popularity, a growing industry has emerged. More than 11 thousand people in the U.S. now claim to be pilates instructors, but according to the Pilates Method Alliance, (PMA), the international, not–for–profit, professional association that establishes certification and continuing education standards for Pilates professionals, at least 25 percent of them have not been properly trained.

“If you are working with an instructor who doesn’t have adequate training, you run an incredible risk of getting hurt,” says Kevin Bowen, co-founder of the PMA. “Pilates isn’t something you just start doing one day. You have to make sure you have an instructor who understands the Method and how to make the exercises work for you.”

If done correctly, pilates exercises strengthen, tone and stretch the body, encourage proper breathing and facilitate good posture. Here are 10 important questions you should ask an instructor before signing up for their class:

#1 What kind of training did you go through and where?

#2 How much time was spent in your original training?

#3 How long have you been teaching?

#4 Did you only learn the mat work or was your program comprehensive in nature, teaching you pilates exercises on the pilates equipment? #5 Do you understand the body, have basic knowledge of kinesiology and understand fundamental biomechanics?

#6 Do you understand the aging process?

#7 Do you pay close attention to safety and guidelines?

#8 Does the facility where you teach practice safety standards for group classes?

# 9 Do you have a commitment to continuing education?

#10 Are you affiliated with a professional organization like the Pilates Method Alliance?

For help finding a pilates studio or instructor in your area, who is likely to answer these questions to your satisfaction, log onto the Pilates Method Alliance Web site at www.pilatesmethodalliance.org. Click on the link on the left hand side that says “Finding a Teacher.” That will take you to a page with a link to a searchable database.

Courtesy of ARA Content

30 minute fitness workout

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Being fit is fantastic. You look gorgeous and even more importantly, you feel it. But getting there can be, shall we say, a miserable slog although deep down we all know it’s worth it. And if you stick with it, it gets easier and you might even come to love it.
So how exactly do we get to that stage? the first trick is not to think about it too much.
People get bogged down with the detail,After a break from training, effective fitness regimes are best kept simple – do it regularly, work your major muscle groups (legs, back and chest) and push yourself. You can’t expect to get any results, let alone great results, if you don’t break a sweat and get your heart rate up.
One way to keep it simple and get a great overall workout is with circuit training. Circuit training is based on a series of exercise “stations” and can be done in the park, at home or at the gym. The best circuits have stations that are divided into two groups of moves.
First there are the weight-bearing stations, which target upper and lower body muscles. Then there are the cardiovascular stations, which condition your heart and lungs. The idea is you move directly from station to station.
At each one you’re required to work up a sweat for roughly 30 to 40 seconds.
It might sound like a major effort, but circuits are so quick-moving that you’ll forget all about the sweat and focus purely on the fun. Now, let’s get cracking.

why circuits work

Circuits are fantastic because they use lots of movements. This means you’ll work several muscle groups at once, while pushing your balance and coordination. And you’ll be zipping from one circuit station to the next so your heart rate will stay up.
Add this total body workout to your regular power walk, jog or cycle and you’ll soon notice major improvements in both body shape and tone. Why?
Because it includes some of the most effective weight-bearing and cardiovascular exercises around. Aim to go through the circuit twice, then build up to three or four times.
You need to do this three to four times a week, with at least one day’s rest between workouts, particularly when starting out. Perform the nominated number of repetitions for each exercise in the order listed and move quickly between stations, preferably with no more than 20 to 30 seconds rest. This circuit doesn’t need any training equipment. To progress, add more stations or repetitions.
NB: Do a light stretch beforehand for five minutes. For the cool down, repeat and hold stretches for 20 to 30 seconds.

1. squats

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, contract and pull your abs in so that your tailbone points to the floor and your spine is in a neutral position.
Keep the chest proud, neck long, shoulders back and down. With your weight towards the heels, bend your knees and lower into a squat.
Point your toes either straight ahead or turn them out slightly, making sure your knees are pointing in the same direction. Allow your arms to move forward to help counter balance you, then stand up.
Do 20 repetitions.
• Strengthens quadriceps, hamstrings, buttocks and lower back.

2. push-ups

Kneel on the ground on all fours with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
Bring your hips down until your back is straight and brace your abs. From here, lower yourself by bending your elbows out to the side and stop about five to 10cm off the ground. Think posture, long spine, shoulders pulled back, chest out, and no rounded backs. Push up through the heel of your hands. Do 15 repetitions. The advanced version is to rest on your toes.
• Strengthens chest, front shoulders, triceps, abdominals and spine extensors (muscles along spine).

3. ski jumps

Find a line in the grass or draw an imaginary line. With your feet shoulder width apart, jump from side to side.
Be sure to land softly, knees and toes pointing straight ahead. This one is tough. Time yourself for one minute or do 60 reps, trying not to stop. Need motivation? Picture those jiggly bits melting away.
• Improves fitness, strengthens heart and works on agility and balance.

4. backward stepping lunges

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, tall posture, chest lifted, shoulders back and imagine you’re standing on two railway lines. Step backward onto the ball of your foot, maintaining the line of the track.You will need to step far enough back to allow both legs to form two perfect right angles, keeping the back heel lifted. Avoid tipping forward or looking down, fix your gaze on the horizon instead, and imagine you’re balancing a water bottle on your head.
Keep your tailbone under your head. Push up and return to the standing position and switch legs. Do 20 alternating lunges.
• Strengthens buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings, core stability and balance.

5. step-ups

Using a small step, step up and down quickly. Lead with one leg 20 times, then switch. Always think posture. This means long straight torso, shoulders back and down, and abs pulled in. Check your knees and toes are pointing straight ahead, and be light on your feet.
• Increases fitness level, raises core temperature, strengthens buttocks, quadriceps and hamstrings.

suit yourself

• Tailor your circuits to suit your needs or to keep things interesting. Circuit A could include leg training and cardio stations, Circuit B mainly cardio stations, Circuit C all upper body stations with a few cardio stations, and Circuit D everything.
And remember, it’s important to be working for at least 30 minutes.
Perspiration is the key.
A good guide is how much huffing and puffing you’re doing.We’re definitely looking for some heavy breathing. If you’re not working with intensity you won’t get the results you deserve.
two is better than one
• Circuit training is always more fun and motivating when you’re training with someone else. Try getting some workmates to exercise with you, or maybe some family members.
Having two people or more also increases the amount of things you can do, for example, tag team push-ups could be another station or perhaps a running relay.
You can keep each other motivated and brainstorm new activities.

Strength Training Is For Every Body

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A visit to your local health club weight room will reveal a space filled with dazzling steel and chrome machines. Not long ago, these modern-day “torture chambers” were places for dedicated body builders, mostly of the male gender who had very little body fat and a whole lot of rather large, hard-to-miss muscles. There was a distinct aura to that room, a feeling of raw power and intimidation. The moment you entered, something told you to get out quickly – you didn’t belong there.

Not so today. Although the appearance of weight rooms today has remained somewhat the same, the game has changed and so have the players. Where once only getting “bigger muscles” was the goal of strength training and mostly men participated in the routine; today, women and men alike; young and old; thin and fat; healthy and not so healthy are finding their way into weight rooms and realizing the magic of strength training – beyond simply achieving a beautiful body.

Why all the sudden fuss about strength training? It’s really quite simple. Fitness experts have finally realized that there’s more to being “fit” than just cardiovascular strength. Muscle strength is an equally important component to overall health and fitness. According to Dr. Michael Pollock, chairman of the American College of Sports Medicine’s position paper on exercise guidelines, “With society living long and longer, it makes sense to keep people functionally capable and independent.” Strength training is a means to achieving this end.

Although physical appearance is certainly a plus that comes with strength training as well as a motivation factor for a great number of people, “physique perks” are not the primary goal of strength training participants. There are three additional reasons every body can benefit from strength training, regardless of age.

MAINTAIN AND/OR ENHANCE LEAN MUSCLE WEIGHT
It’s a fact. You will lose 1/2 pound of muscle for every year you age past 20, if you do not incorporate some type of resistance strength training into your exercise routine. Think about that for a moment. That means if you weighed 120 pounds at the age of 20 and you weigh 120 pounds now at the age of 40, you’ve replaced 10 lbs of muscle with 10 lbs of fat, even though your weight is exactly the same. Pretty shocking isn’t it?

We all recognize the health risks associated with excess body fat, but did you know that muscle actually burns more calories than fat? That’s right, one extra pound of muscle will burn 50 more calories a day, just at rest. On the other hand, every pound of muscle you lose will burn 50 less calories a day.

This may explain why you were able to eat more when you were young. And, since muscle is denser than fat and takes up less space (even though you weigh the same), your body doesn’t quite look the same and that size 8 is now a size 12.

Aerobic exercise will help burn the excess fat, but cannot delay the natural diminishing in overall body muscle tissue associated with the aging process. There are no magic pills or treatments…strength training is the only cure.

INJURY PREVENTION AND INCREASED CAPACITY
Skeletal muscles are the major shock absorbers of your body. Some of these muscles work up to 24 hours a day, such as the ones that help maintain your posture as you stand or sit. Muscles help protect your bones and joints every
time you take a step or dance during Jazzercise participation. lt’s easy to see how strengthening your major muscle groups (i.e., the shoulders, arms, legs, back, and abdominals), will diminish the stress of impact forces and lessen the
risk of exercise-related injury.

Strong muscles also help one to perform daily tasks with ease and efficiency. Activities such as climbing stairs, gelling out of bed, lifting groceries and children, cleaning the house and mowing the lawn all become easier to perform.

PREVENTION OF OSTEOPOROSIS
Although strength training cannot turn back the clock on osteoporosis once you have it, recent research indicates that regular strength training can help to maintain bone mass and reduce a woman’s risk of developing osteoporosis.

There you have it – three excellent reasons to start some type of resistance strength training. What does it take to get those muscles in shape? Not as much as you may think. You can choose from a variety of resistance equipment. There
are weight machines, free-weight dumbbells, wrist/ankle weights, bands, balls, or even your own body weight with calisthenics. Naturally, your fitness level and goals will dictate what type of equipment is best for you.

In terms of recommended training routines…if you ask ten different experts, you’re likely to get ten different answers. There are numerous routines for increasing strength depending on your specific goals. Working out “hard” and “long” may elicit greater improvement in strength, but it also increases your risk of injury. So why not take a sensible,
yet effective approach.

After years of research, here’s what the experts have found:

  • Frequency of training: Minimum of two times per week.
  • Number of Repetitions: 8-12 per set
  • Number of Sets: Minimum of one set per muscle group.
  • Number of Exercises: 8-10 exercises which focus on the major muscle groups.
  • Movement Speed: Slow to Moderate
  • Amount of Weight: Enough to fatigue your muscles by the last few reps. (8-12 reps for strength training, 15-20 reps for endurance training.)

Isn’t it great! You don’t have to spend hours in the gym to significantly improve your strength. You can be in and out in as little as 20 minutes. Now, that’s a schedule we all can live with!

Remember, you don’t have to be in perfect shape to work with weights. Strength training is now considered an important component of a weight loss program;  along with diet, aerobic exercise, behavior modification, and is recommended for people suffering from certain types of arthritis and chronic back pain. Once believed dangerous for the elderly, research has confirmed that a low to moderate resistance strength training program is safe for the older population and people with high blood pressure or heart disease. Of course, if you happen to be one of those people in less than perfect shape, be sure to get your doctor’s “OK” before you start lifting away!

What are you waiting for? Now’s the time to turn your body into a strong and efficient, lean and mean calorie-burning machine. Strength training is for every body…start your program today!

Lift Weights To Lose Fat

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Most people believe that if your goal is fat loss, you should start with aerobic workouts and lose the body fat first before adding weight training. That is a big mistake and here’s why: Obviously, weight training is the chief element in developing strength and muscle mass. What few people realize is that weight training can also increase fat loss dramatically, so by skipping the strength training in favor of aerobic-only training, you are not increasing your fat loss – you are slowing it down!”

Weight training is anaerobic and therefore burns primarily carbohydrates (sugar) during the workout. Cardiovascular exercises such as jogging, cycling, step classes, or stairclimbing are aerobic and therefore burn primarily fat during the workout. So it seems logical to focus on aerobic training for fat loss. What you’re missing if you skip the weight training is the benefits that accrue after the workouts.

Something interesting happens “beneath the surface” when you lift weights. Intense, progressive weight training increases your lean body mass – aerobic training does not. Excessive aerobics combined with low calorie dieting or aerobic training without weight lifting can even cause muscle loss. If you lose lean body mass, your metabolism slows down, and this makes it easier to gain fat and harder to lose it. If you increase your lean body mass, you increase your basal metabolic rate, and fat loss becomes easier. Best of all, you increase metabolism and fat burning even when you’re not working out…

Weight training provides an additional short term increase in metabolic rate after the workout, called “excess post exercise oxygen consuption” or EPOC for short. It’s a myth that “all exercise” keeps you burning calories for hours after the workout. Only high intensity exercise increases post workout energy expenditure substantially and weight training has the greatest effect of all. (High intensity cardio also has a high EPOC, but thats the subect of another article). This explains why bodybuilders, who train with weights religiously and have extremely high muscle to fat ratios, can stay lean year round without doing much aerobic work.

Losing body fat as quickly and efficiently as possible requires a three-pronged approach: (1) balanced nutrition from natural foods, (2) aerobic training, and (3) weight training. All three ingredients are essential. If you neglect any one of these components, it will compromise your results because you lose the “synergy” created from this combination.

In “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” Author Steven Covey wrote, “Synergy means that 1 + 1 may equal 8, 16, or even 1600. Synergy is everywhere in nature. If you plant two plants close together the roots commingle and improve the quality of the soil so that both plants will grow better than if they were separated. If you put two pieces of wood together they will hold much more than the total of the weight held by each separately. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

When you include weights, cardio and balanced nutrition in your fat loss regimen, the effects of the three parts brought together are not linear, they are exponential. Each part complements the others and multiplies your results. You develop an efficient metabolism and a lean, muscular body that could not be achieved with one or even two of the components in isolation.

The best you can hope for from diet and aerobics alone is to become a “skinny fat person.” You may lose weight from diet and aerobics, but much of it will be muscle, your fat to muscle ratio will plummet and you will take on a “soft” appearance. It’s not uncommon for a woman 5 feet 4 inches tall to weigh 125 pounds and yet have 25-30% body fat. According to the Metropolitan Life height and weight tables, 125 pounds is ideal for a medium-framed 5’ 4″ female, but 25-30% body fat is extremely poor for anyone! Without the weight training, you will never optimize your muscle to fat ratio and you will always struggle to keep fat off permanently.

If you have extremely limited time, and your main priority is to lose fat, then you can keep your weight training brief – maybe 30 minutes 3 days per week – and spend the rest of your time concentrating on cardio. But never neglect the weights completely – always do both, and if possible, devote an equal amount of attention to each.

Last, but not least, don’t forget that weight training, not cardiovascular training, is “shapes” and sculpts your muscles. Simply put, lifting weights makes you look better! If you want a lean, hard, fat-free body, then get out of the aerobics studio, get off that bike or treadmill, and pick up some barbells and dumbbells! Lifting weights isn’t just for “muscle-heads” anymore.

By Tom Venuto, GHF’s Fat Loss Expert

Physical Power of Positive Thinking

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The positive thinker has quite an advantage in
that he is able to achieve his goals much quicker, devote his energy to positive
feelings toward himself and others. He’s able to drain such time consuming
thoughts, as resentment, irritations, guilt reactions, and annoyances that have
collected throughout the day and refill his mind with refreshing and happy
thoughts.

Love and positive thinking is the internal force that gives you new hope, joy
and vitality. It’s for people who truly want a powerful new lease on life!!!
Remember that your brain is the central power
station of the body. A diet that consists of mainly junk foods and sugary
carbohydrates will cause physical illness to the brain when, on the other hand a
proper nutritional diet promotes positive thinking which frees you from mental
conflict and helps you to achieve success that much sooner.

The positive thinker is able to love someone besides himself, and with the world
so full of hate, only proves the fact that the diet of today is full of junk
food. Hate will only tear your mind apart further. That’s why you naturally feel
physically good when you’re happy — your entire body is well nourished and
working together — now, isn’t that what bodybuilding is all about!?

You CAN adapt your self to any change whether
it be in diet or physical exercise! Remember, the mind governs the body. Harmful
thoughts such as: fear, hatred, anxiety and over sensitivity originate when your
brain cells are starved. Positive thinking is impossible when the mind is
undernourished, and a mind that is constantly undernourished becomes touchy and
irritable.

Your mind along with your body must be kept in top physical condition, otherwise
it will dwell on destructive thoughts towards yourself and others. With the
correct diet you are able to think positive and encourage yourself through a
tough bodybuilding routine — and the results will appear much faster.

Health must be Earned and Learned

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The after 50 set back that occurs in many people is due to improper diet. Once you past the age of 50, you must begin to rebuild your body — if you wish to avoid senility and retain sound mentality and physical vigor. As long as you supply the body with the materials it needs to rebuilt and repair cells you will have good health.

Re-examine your dietary habits — make sure your daily intake of food is nutritional. Slowly eliminate processed food (which is white flour and their products, french fries, cake, cookies etc.) and sugar from your eating habits. Now, you might say what’s left? There are many natural foods that are super in nutritional value and will do wonders for your muscle size and overall shape. It’s time you began to build a knowledge and understanding for good nutrition while you build your body. Be aware of the vitamins, minerals in food and what fantastic things these foods can do for you and your body.

Protein is the bodybuilding substance needed to form new tissues and cells and rebuild and repair old one. Your blood, tissues, organs, skin, hair, and nails are about 95% protein, along with your bones and nerves. Meat, fish, eggs and poultry are known as complete proteins. Others include soybeans, sunflower seeds, and peanuts. 60% of protein consumed is changed into sugar (glucose), that’s why sugar is completely unnecessary in your bodybuilding diet.

2/3 of your diet should be protein — the other third should be made up of fresh raw fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Liver is the most effective source of complete protein. It’s the number on food that not only builds your body up, but greatly increases your energy. It relieves fatigue and neutralizes many dangerous drugs within your system.

Fat produces an energy reserve, slows down the rate at which food is digested and is a source of heat and energy, and a cushion for vital organs. Fish is practically a perfect food. It’s excellent source of high quality protein, vitamins and minerals. Eggs, are another superior protein food, 1-2 a day are recommended for everyone. They supply a full measure of minerals. True, they do contain cholesterol, but they are an excellent source of lecithin, inositol and many other effective cholesterol controlling agents. Powdered milk is outstanding because it consist of an abundance of fat free protein, vitamins and minerals. It’s known to rejuvenate the heart, brain, and verves and strengthens the failing body.

Natural carbohydrates invigorates the body and supplies is with warmth and vitality. The potato is not to be eliminated from your bodybuilding diet. It’s a vegetable and contains many nutritional elements and it’s very easily digestible. Honey is in the blood stream 20 minutes after eaten. It’s the best heart stimulant you can use. Honey has much greater advantage over sugar. It fills any void that may occur in the daily intake.

Here are the 4 fine qualities of honey:

a wholesome food

it’s a purifying cleanser

it has regenerative power

it’s a sweet that has natural laxative qualities

REMEMBER: It is not how much you eat — it’s what happens to the food after you have eaten it. Eating large quantities of food will not help your muscle building progress it it’s the wrong food!!

Real Muscle – Real Fast

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Adding muscle seems to be a mystery to most, yet if you pick up a copy of any fitness or bodybuilding magazine and you’ll almost always see a headline like this: “Gain 15 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks.”

If it were so easy you’d have millions of muscle-heads running around. Even though building muscle tissue can be a challenge, I’m going to outline some very specific principles that can pack on the muscle faster than you can throw away that copy of “Muscle and Fiction”!

Before we get started though I want to clarify a few points.

The ridiculous claims made by most fitness and bodybuilding magazines are only there to get you to buy that issue – nothing more!
If you are serious about strength training you need to be reading books and NOT cheesy fitness magazines
Ok… here we go.

In order to add muscle tissue you must force the body to add it. Your body won’t just add a pound of muscle just because you followed a 3-set workout that you read about in Muscle + Fitness. You need to give the body a reason to make improvements – in this case add muscle tissue.

You have to provide what I call a “stimulus”. This can be done in many ways and I’ll address a few in just a moment. Basically, you need to force the body to add muscle by subjecting it to levels of stress it is not used to. Some methods are more obvious than others but all can work. Here are a few examples of how this can be done effectively.

First, the basic and common methods:

Increase weight or resistance
Perform more repetitions
Perform more sets
Move the resistance slower
Rest less between sets and exercises
Now for the more advanced methods:

Pre-exhaust (perform an isolation exercise first and immediately continue with no rest on a compound movement. ex. chest flye and then chest press)
Static holds (hold the resistance in the hardest position of the range of motion. ex. the top position during a leg extension)
Partial reps in weak range (perform a portion of the rep where you are weakest. ex. the top half of a rep of leg extensions)
Strip-set (after a warm-up set, perform 3 sets back to back with no rest while starting with the heaviest weight possible and each time strip off some weight to allow you to continue)
1 ½ reps (perform one full rep and then on the second rep only perform half the normal range of motion and then return to starting position to begin the next rep. ex. one full rep of lat pulldowns, pull second rep all the way down, resist weight back up but only half way and then pull back down)
These are just a few examples of methods of increasing intensity to ensure progress. The key point to remember is that whatever you do it must be progressive in order for it to elicit a physical change. This is even more critical for those looking to add muscle size.

Although this article is geared towards individuals who are interested in gaining muscle size, the principles can also be used for individuals who want to build strength, increase metabolism, or tighten and tone muscles.

Here are some general recommendations for different goals…

If your goal is to tighten and tone muscles:

  • Focus on increasing reps, decreasing rest, and changing exercises frequently.
  • Train each muscle group twice per week.
  • Perform fewer sets of many different exercises (1-2 sets per exercise)

If your goal is to increase strength and power:

  • Focus on increasing weight
  • Train each muscle group once every 7-10 days
  • Perform multiple sets of each exercise (2-5 sets per exercise)

If your goal is to increase muscle size:

  • Focus on shocking muscles by changing variables frequently (exercises, set and rep schemes, rest time, etc)
  • Train each muscle group on a variable schedule (experiment by training a muscle group 3 times a week and then once every ten days)
  • Perform multiple sets for a while and the perform single sets for a week or two

Some final reminders:

The recommendations above are general and of course would need to be adapted and adjusted for your personal goals and experience. For those of you who are advanced and may be thinking there’s no way you can build strength by training once every 10 days I challenge you to try it for at least 4 weeks, or those of you who think that you need to stick to the same basic movements like bench to build size I challenge you to try shocking the muscles by changing the exercises you perform each week for 4 weeks, and those of you with little experience I hope that you’ll throw away the fitness magazines and learn what really works.

by Jesse Cannone

Four Keys to Successful Bodybuilding

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Mental Attitude

As long as you have the desire to physically develop your body — that’s half the battle! How you feel about yourself is extremely important. Ask yourself how much bigger you’d like to be, then go after that goal! DO NOT let anything get in your way. Gaining muscular weight is very personal. Only you can put out the effort — and only you will get the rewarding results!

Your mental attitude is the first thing you should deal with — you not only have to prepare your body but, your mind too. Believe in yourself! There will be many times when a strong mental attitude towards yourself is just what you need to get you through a difficult day of training or perhaps keep you on that diet. Nothing at all will stop you from being successful. You are at the wheel — think positive — and follow this program and you’ll be amazed at the muscular weight you will see in a matter of weeks.Diet

You might think that gaining weight is now problem — you simply overeat! Right? WRONG! To increase your body weight as a bodybuilder means to increase your muscular weight. This makes a special nutritional diet extremely necessary. A DIET THAT IS BOTH HIGH IN CALORIES AND HIGH IN PROTEIN IS THE ONLY WAY TO GAIN SOLID BODYWEIGHT!

Many people who have failed in building their bodies properly were just not eating enough of the right foods. You can exercise, train night and day, but, if you are not supplying your body with proper building materials (nutritional food), then you are wasting your time.

The number one rule for your diet is to completely avoid “JUNK FOOD”. What makes a certain type of food junk? The fact that the nutritional value of its contents is ZERO!! In other words, it’s like eating dead food. It does absolutely nothing to increase the quality of your blood, heart, lungs and mind. Modern technology has promoted such food by demineralising, devitaminising, and bleaching food to the extent that by the time it’s available to the consumer — it’s absolutely USELESS!! In fact it does us more harm than good. The ice cream, cakes, candy, soft drinks, tea and coffee filled with refined white sugar decays in your body and clogs your vital organs with slimy, sticky poisons until those parts of your body can no longer function. Now, is this any way to build muscular weight?

Start your day off to a super start with a good breakfast. It should consist of eggs, and bacon, plus a protein drink made with milk. Avoid dry cereals no matter what the advertising tell you. Confine you meals to wholesome foods that will benefit you health and help you build strong muscular weight. Supplements are also very helpful. Take vitamins in tablet form and include wheat germ in your meals whenever you can. When you plan and prepare a meal think of the nutritional value first. The most important basic food items are: milk, eggs, lean meats, fowl and fish. These foods should be consumed in large quantities. Other important foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts and soups. They will round out your diet along with your vitamin supplement. Rest & Relaxation

Rest and relaxation is also an essential part of your bodybuilding program. Studies have been conducted which have proven that a loss of sleep results in loss of accuracy in perception, memory and reasoning. A late evening on the town, or perhaps just a sleepless night usually results in a very disorganized day after. You find it difficult to perform many tasks that require physical and mental co-ordination, and your endurance is greatly weakened.

Relaxation is of utmost importance in the field of bodybuilding. When you train and exercise, your muscles get quite a workout. That is why it is extremely important to learn how to relax those muscles, so they can look forward to a night of complete rest, which is necessary for tissue repair and growth.

Just because you spend 8-10 hours in bed, does not mean that you have relaxed your muscles for that period of time. In fact, even when you are asleep you are not totally relaxed. Tensions have built up through-out the day, and remain in the muscular system and these tensions result in sleep that is not beneficial.

Perfect relaxation is vital to increase muscular growth, so, if your job causes you many tense moments through-out the day, then, you must try to relax as much as possible in the evening. A high protein meal after a heavy training program (described later), is the most effective way to achieve complete relaxation.

Eating too much food before you go to sleep will make it extremely difficult to sleep, however, going to bed on an empty stomach could be worse. Each individual is different What you have to remember is that YOU ARE IN CHARGE of your own body, so, it’s up to you to find out what works best for you.

Try to control those late nights and you’ll find that adequate rest is not only important, but tremendously rewarding. If you get to bed about the same time every night and get at least 8 hours of good sound sleep, then, your body will thank you by growing strong muscular weight. Complete 100% rest at night will prepare you for a successful and fruitful training session the next day.Exercise

EXERCISE FOR ADVANCED TRAINING YEARS — AND HELPFUL HINTS FOR EVERY BODYBUILDER!! In order to get the most out of your exercise routine, you must provide your body with complete muscle stimulation. For this, heavy weights are necessary. You will perform all the movements in 5 sets of 5 repetitions, using the most weight that you can handle. Begin with light weights the first two sets of each exercise, this will enable you to warm up. The remaining 3 sets should be done quite vigorously in order to attain the best results. Approach those weights as if you are going to destroy them. TAKE CHARGE!! You are in control!!

You have probably read about bodybuilders who spend numerous hors training 6-7 days a week. Experts now recommend shorter programs for only 3 times a week or more (if you are on a split schedule). If your muscles disappear when you shorten your program — then — they weren’t worth having to begin with. Muscles that are well nourished — will not disappear in a matter of days or because you’ve cut down on the training time. The gains you make from this system will be the most effective and will stay with you a long time!!

Quality, not quantity is important. many bodybuilders work out too long, instead of working out for shorter periods and making every short minute count. In other words give it all you’ve got!! total effort and a positive attitude is how you should approach every training session — and it’s with this enthusiastic disposition that your results will appear much faster.

Follow program 1 for 4 weeks (3 times a week), then go on to program number 2 for the next 4 weeks. REMEMBER: to add more strength and muscle to your body you must add more weight to your exercises, eat good nutritional foods, and get plenty of rest and relaxation and you’re on your way to a stronger and larger muscular shape.


PROGRAM NO. 1

PROGRAM NO. 2

SIT – UPS

As many as you can do

SIT – UPS

As many as you can do

LEG RAISES

As many as you can do

LEG RAISES

As many as you can do

STANDING DUMBBELL PRESSES

5×5

CHIN TO BACK OF NECK

6×5

SQUAT

5×5

SQUAT

6×5

DEAD LIFT

5×5

FRONT SQUAT

6×5

BENCH PRESS

5×5

DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS

6×5

BARBELL ROWING

5×5

SINGLE ARM

6×5

BARBELL CURL

5×5

DUMBBELL ROWING

6×5

SEATED DUMBBELL

6×5

CURL

6×5

Simple Proven Formula for Weight Gain

Get a physical check up before you begin a bodybuilding program. Make sure you have no internal problems or some type of physical flaw, that will prevent or delay you from satisfactory progress. It’s always wise to get advice fro a good medical doctor. If you are in good health, proceed to the next step.

Revise your diet so that it’s well-balanced — include 2 quarts of whole milk everyday as well as the necessary food supplements.

Get at least 8-9 hours of sleep per night.

Do not engage in any form of vigorous or competitive athletic activity.

Do everything to maintain a calm, pleasant mental outlook.

Train 3 times a week on alternate days, or use the ‘split routine’ — as suggested here.

Forget the fat burn zone

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“Fat burn is greater when exercise intensity is high.” Izumi Tabata

I believe in high-intensity aerobics. In Ripped 3, for bodybuilders, I recommended “a variety of relatively short and infrequent aerobic sessions interspersed with explosive muscular effort.” In Lean For Life, published six years later, I emphasized high-intensity aerobics even more; I reduced the frequency of aerobic sessions to two times a week (in Ripped 3 I recommended up to four) and substantially increased the intensity. But it wasn’t until recently, when my friend Richard Winett, Ph.D., publisher of Master Trainer, called my attention to new research findings, that I came to fully appreciate the superiority of high intensity aerobics compared to the usual prescription that heart rate be maintained between 60% and 80% of maximum.

As explained in the nearby FAQ (Low intensity aerobics?), high intensity aerobics burns the same amount of fat as low intensity, but the expenditure of calories is substantially greater; plus, intense aerobics produces a higher level of fitness. Importantly, the more fit you become, the more likely you are to use fat as fuel for any given activity. And now, research in Japan and in Canada shows that short, very intense aerobic sessions are amazingly effective for both fitness and fat loss.

Maximal oxygen uptake, or V02max, is generally regarded as the best single measure of aerobic fitness. As the rate of exercise increases, your body eventually reaches a limit for oxygen consumption. This limit is the peak of your aerobic capacity, or your V02max. As intensity increases beyond V02max, your body must shift to anaerobic (without oxygen) energy production. An oxygen debt begins to build at this point and blood lactate levels climb. In general terms, one’s ability to continue exercising in the face of rising oxygen deficit and lactate levels is called anaerobic capacity.

This is important because many high-intensity sports (including basketball, football, soccer and speed skating) require a high level of both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Clearly, total fitness involves both high V02max and high anaerobic capacity. A training protocol that develops both would be a godsend.

Izumi Tabata and his colleagues at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan, compared the effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on V02max and anaerobic capacity. (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (1996) 28, 1327-1330). Interestingly, the high-intensity protocol had been used by major members of the Japanese Speed Skating team for several years; it’s a real-world training plan. As you will see, however, the protocol is unique among aerobic training programs for its intensity and brevity.

Many studies have been done on the effect of training on V02max, but little information has been available about the effect on anaerobic capacity. That’s because until recently methods for measuring anaerobic capacity have been inadequate. This study used accumulated oxygen deficit to measure anaerobic energy release, and is one of the first to measure the effect of training on both aerobic and anaerobic capacity.

Notice that the duration of the moderate-intensity and the high-intensity protocols are drastically different: (excluding warm-ups) one hour compared to only about 4 minutes per training schedule

Tabata’s moderate-intensity protocol will sound familiar; it’s the same steady-state aerobic training done by many (perhaps most) fitness enthusiasts.

Here are the details (stay with me on this): In the moderate-intensity group, seven active young male physical education majors exercised on stationary bicycles 5 days per week for 6 weeks at 70% of V02max, 60 minutes each session. V02max was measured before and after the training and every week during the 6 week period. As each subject’s V02max improved, exercise intensity was increased to keep them pedaling at 70% of their actual V02max. Maximal accumulated oxygen deficit was also measured, before, at 4 weeks and after the training.

A second group followed a high-intensity interval program. Seven students, also young and physically active, exercised five days per week using a training program similar to the Japanese speed skaters. After a 10-minute warm-up, the subjects did seven to eight sets of 20 seconds at 170% of V02max, with a 10 second rest between each bout. Pedaling speed was 90-rpm and sets were terminated when rpms dropped below 85. When subjects could complete more than 9 sets, exercise intensity was increased by 11 watts. The training protocol was altered one day per week. On that day, the students exercised for 30 minutes at 70% of V02max before doing 4 sets of 20 second intervals at 170% of V02max. This latter session was not continued to exhaustion. Again, V02max and anaerobic capacity was determined before, during and after the training.

In some respects the results were no surprise, but in others they may be ground breaking. The moderate-intensity endurance training program produced a significant increase in V02max (about 10%), but had no effect on anaerobic capacity. The high-intensity intermittent protocol improved V02max by about 14%; anaerobic capacity increased by a whopping 28%.

Dr. Tabata and his colleagues believe this is the first study to demonstrate an increase in both aerobic and anaerobic power. What’s more, in an e-mail response to Dick Winett, Dr. Tabata said, “The fact is that the rate of increase in V02max [14% for the high-intensity protocol – in only 6 weeks] is one of the highest ever reported in exercise science.” (Note, the students participating in this study were members of varsity table tennis, baseball, basketball, soccer and swimming teams and already had relatively high aerobic capacities.)

The results, of course, confirm the well-known fact that the results of training are specific. The intensity in the first protocol (70% of V02max) did not stress anaerobic components (lactate production and oxygen debt) and, therefore, it was predictable that anaerobic capacity would be unchanged. On the other hand, the subjects in the high-intensity group exercised to exhaustion ,and peak blood lactate levels indicated that anaerobic metabolism was being taxed to the max. So, it was probably also no big surprise that anaerobic capacity increased quite significantly.

What probably was a surprise, however, is that a 4 minute training program of very-hard 20 second repeats, in the words of the researchers, “may be optimal with respect to improving both the aerobic and the anaerobic energy release systems.” That’s something to write home about!

What About Fat Loss?

Angelo Tremblay, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the Physical Activities Sciences Laboratory, Laval University, Quebec, Canada, challenged the common belief among health professionals that low-intensity, long-duration exercise is the best program for fat loss. They compared the impact of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and high-intensity aerobics on fat loss. (Metabolism (1994) Volume 43, pp.814-818)

The Canadian scientists divided 27 inactive, healthy, non-obese adults (13 men, 14 women, 18 to 32 years old) into two groups. They subjected one group to a 20-week endurance training (ET) program of uninterrupted cycling 4 or 5 times a week for 30 to 45 minutes; the intensity level began at 60% of heart rate reserve and progressed to 85%. (For a 30-year-old, this would mean starting at a heart rate of about 136 and progressing to roughly 170 bpm, which is more intense than usually prescribed for weight or fat loss.)

The other group did a 15-week program including mainly high-intensity-interval training (HIIT). Much like the ET group, they began with 30-minute sessions of continuous exercise at 70% of maximum heart rate reserve (remember, they were not accustomed to exercise), but soon progressed to 10 to 15 bouts of short (15 seconds progressing to 30 seconds) or 4 to 5 long (60 seconds progressing to 90 seconds) intervals separated by recovery periods allowing heart rate to return to 120-130 beats per minute. The intensity of the short intervals was initially fixed at 60% of the maximal work output in 10 seconds, and that of the long bouts corresponded to 70% of the individual maximum work output in 90 seconds. Intensity on both was increased 5% every three weeks.

As you might expect, the total energy cost of the ET program was substantially greater than the HIIT program. The researchers calculated that the ET group burned more than twice as many calories while exercising than the HIIT program. But (surprise, surprise) skinfold measurements showed that the HIIT group lost more subcutaneous fat. “Moreover,” reported the researchers, “when the difference in the total energy cost of the program was taken into account…, the subcutaneous fat loss was ninefold greater in the HIIT program than in the ET program.” In short, the HIIT group got 9 times more fat-loss benefit for every calorie burned exercising.

How can that be?

Cardiovascular Exercise Principles and Guidelines: Part two

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For maximum effectiveness and safety, cardiovascular exercise has specific instructions on the frequency, duration, and intensity. These are the three important components of cardiovascular exercise that you really need to understand and implement in your program. In addition, your cardiovascular program should include a warm-up, a cool-down, and stretching of the primary muscles used in the exercise. The last article, part one of this two part series, explained the proper methods of warming-up, stretching, and cooling-down and discussed the frequency and duration of a sound cardiovascular routine.

You learned that cardiovascular exercise should be done a minimum of three times a week, a minimum of 20 minutes per session and should be done after a 5-10 minute warm-up (at a low intensity of 50-60% of max HR) and a 5-10 minute cool-down (at a low intensity of 50-60% of max HR) should follow. Once your muscles are warm (after warm up) and after the cardiovascular exercise, you should stretch those muscles used in the exercise.

This article, part two, discusses how to monitor exercise intensity and heart zone training.

There are several ways to monitor the exercise intensity. The best way to test the intensity is to take your heart rate during the exercise, within the first 5 minutes of your cardiovascular exercise session and again just before the cool-down.

There are two ways in which you can check your heart rate during exercise. The most accurate one is to purchase a heart-rate monitor that you strap around your chest. It will give you feedback on a digital watch that tells you exactly what your heart rate is at a specific time in the exercise session. The other way to obtain your heart rate is by palpating (feeling) either the carotid artery, the temporal artery, or the radial artery. The easiest site is either the cartoid or the radial artery. The cartoid artery may be felt by gently placing your index finger on your neck, between the middle of your collar bone and jaw line. Palpating the radial artery is done by placing your index and middle finger on the underside and thumb-side of your wrist.

When you’re taking your heart rate you measure it in beats per minute (counting the number of beats for 60 seconds). For convenience, many people take their pulse for 6 seconds and multiply that number by 10, or simply add a 0 behind the number just obtained. So, if in 6 seconds you counted 12 beats, that would mean your heart rate was 120 beats per minute (bpm). Although counting for 6 seconds is most convenient, keep in mind that the longer the time interval used, the more accurate the results will be. For example, counting your heart rate for 30 seconds and then multiplying that number by 2 will give a slightly more accurate reading than counting your heart rate for 15 seconds and multiplying by 4, or 10 seconds and multiplying by 6. What ever time interval you use, be consistent.

Heart Zone Training

How do you know if you are training too intensely or not intensely enough for what you want to achieve? This is where Heart Zone Training comes in. Refer to the chart below. The top of the chart reads “Maximum Heart Rate,” which is 100% of your heart rate (the fastest your heart will beat). This is different for everyone. To use Heart Zone Training you must first determine your maximum heart rate (max HR).

You can determine your max HR one of two ways. One way is to use the age predicted max HR formula, whereby you subtract your age from 220. So, if you are 40 years old, your predicted max HR would be 180 bpm. The other method, which is much more accurate and more individualized, is actually having a medical or fitness professional administer a max HR test for you, which is usually done on a stationery bicycle or treadmill for several minutes and requires very hard work. Thus, only those cleared by a physician should do this test. We do not explain how to administer this test because only trained professionals should do so. Please refer to the Global Health and Fitness Personal Training Directory for professionals in your area (may or may not be trained in administering a max HR test).

Once you have determined your max HR, you will need to decide what zone you want to train at. There are five different training zones separated by 10% increments, each having different characteristics and benefits.

Healthy Heart Zone

The first zone is called the Healthy Heart Zone. This is 50-60% of your max HR. This is the easiest and most comfortable zone within which to train and is the one that is best for people who are just starting an exercise program or have low functional capacity. Those of you who are walkers most likely train at this zone. Although this zone has been criticized for not burning enough total calories, and for not being intense enough to get great cardiorespiratory benefits, it has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. In this zone, 10% of carbohydrates are “burned” (used as energy), 5% of protein is burned and a whopping 85% of fat is burned.

Fitness Zone

The next zone is the Fitness Zone, which is 60-70% of your max HR. Once again, 85% of your calories burned in this zone are fats, 5% are proteins and 10% are carbohydrates. Studies have shown that in this zone you can condition your fat mobilization (getting fat out of your cells) while conditioning your fat transportation (getting fat to muscles). Thus, in this zone, you are training your fat cells to increase the rate of fat release and training your muscles to burn fat. Therefore, the benefits of this zone are not only the same as the healthy heart zone training at 50-60% but you are now slightly increasing the total number of calories burned and provide a little more cardiorespiratory benefits. You burn more total calories at this zone simply because it is more intense.

Aerobic Zone

The third zone, the Aerobic Zone, requires that you train at 70-80% of your max HR. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. In this zone, your functional capacity will greatly improve and you can expect to increase the number and size of blood vessels, increase vital capacity and respiratory rate and achieve increases in pulmonary ventilation, as well as increases in arterial venous oxygen. Moreover, stroke volume (amount of blood pumped per heart beat) will increase, and your resting heart rate will decrease. What does all this mean? It means that your cardiovascular and respiratory system will improve and you will increase the size and strength of your heart. In this zone, 50% of calories burned are from carbohydrates, 50% are from fat and less than 1% is from protein. And, because there is an increase in intensity, there is also an increase in the total number of calories burned.

Anaerobic Zone

The next training zone is called the Threshold or Anaerobic zone, which is 80-90% of your max HR. Benefits include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you’ll be able to fight fatigue better. Since the intensity is high, more calories will be burned than within the other three zones. Although more calories are burned in this zone, 85% of the calories burned are from carbohydrates, 15% from fat and less than 1% are from protein.

Red-line Zone

The last training zone is called the Redline Zone, which is 90-100% of your max HR. Remember, training at 100% is your maximum heart rate (maximum HR), your heart rate will not get any higher. This zone burns the highest total number of calories and the lowest percentage of fat calories. Ninety percent of the calories burned here are carbohydrates, only 10% are fats and again less than one percent is protein. This zone is so intense that very few people can actually stay in this zone for the minimum 20 minutes, or even five minutes (you should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so). Usually, people use this zone for interval training. For example, one might do three minutes in the Aerobic Zone and then one minute in this Redline Zone and then back to the Aerobic Zone (this is called interval training and will be discussed further in a future article).

I hope you have found the information in this article helpful. You now have the knowledge to achieve the results you desire and the benefits your body deserves.

Your greatest challenge, however, is not learning new cardiovascular exercises or the proper technique; it’s not learning the heart rate zone to train at for your goals and interests or how to monitor the intensity. Nor is it deciding when to try new cardiovascular exercises. The greatest challenge facing you at this moment is deciding whether you are willing to take action and make time for yourself and make cardiovascular exercise a priority.

When you begin achieving great results, the excitement and fun you experience will make the change well worth the effort. Action creates motivation! Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of an effective cardiovascular exercise program.