Develop Your Hamstrings

If you’ve got a Swiss ball and a mat, you can perform this exercise to help develop powerful hamstrings.



Swiss Ball Hamstring Curl:
Lie on your back with your heels on the Swiss ball. Your legs should be straight at the start of the movement, with your butt off the floor. Keep your abs tight.

Roll the Swiss ball towards your butt with your heels.

Contract your hamstrings at the end of the movement. Release the tension and roll the Swiss ball back out to the staring position.

Starbucks Offers Healthier Breakfasts

Back in April, Starbucks announced it was launching a Health and Wellness platform, which included replacing the coffee chain's breakfast sandwiches with "healthy, unique breakfast alternatives."

Well, that time has come: Starbucks will begin serving its healthier breakfast foods September 3, 2009. The 6 new items include hot oatmeal, a protein plate, and a whole-grain apple bran muffin with fruit pieces.

While making breakfast yourself with your own ingredients is always the best option, I appreciate coffee chains such as Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts offering healthier alternatives for those days when you just don’t have a choice. Here's a peek at what will be offered on Starbuck's revamped breakfast menu:

1. Oatmeal. The whole-grain Perfect Oatmeal is served hot in a cardboard to-go bowl. For $2.45, buyers also get to pick two of three mixes for the oatmeal (served in separate packs): dried fruit, nuts or brown sugar.

2. Apple Bran Muffin. The $1.75 muffin with 330 calories is made with whole-wheat flour, oats, wheat bran, apples, cherries and honey. It replaces the current bran muffin.

3. Multigrain roll. The $1.60 roll has 280 calories and seven seeds and grains. It's served with almond butter or strawberry preserves.

4. Energy bar. The $1.75 Chewy Fruit & Nut Bar is made with oats, dried fruit, nuts, seeds and honey. It has 250 calories.

5. Power Protein Plate. The $4.95 Power Protein Plate has a hard-boiled egg (from uncaged hens), a small whole-wheat bagel, a 70-calorie pack of peanut butter, a cheddar cheese wedge, apple slices and grapes. It will be sold at stores that have cold cases.

6. Fruit pastry. The $1.75 Berry Stella started rolling out last month. The whole-grain pastry is made with seasonal fruits.

Why does this matter to you? Because you will now be able to indulge in an occasional treat along with your tall, black coffee. The best selections on the menu? Perfect Oatmeal--MINUS the brown sugar--and the Power Protein Plate.

P.S.: Check out this awesome "Egg Muffins" recipe for a high-protein, low-carb breakfast treat. It’s easy to make and yummy on its own, or with fresh fruit and veggies.

Source

Why You Need Amino Acids

What are BCAAs exactly, and do you need them? BCAAs are branch chain amino acids, and here is why they play an important role in your fitness goals.

Muscles can't grow without protein, which is composed of 20 different amino acids. That's why they are often referred to as "the building blocks of proteins." Responsible for the production of the body's enzymes, amino acids aid in repair, growth, and development of muscle tissue. They also play a key role in normalizing mood, concentration and sleep.

Our bodies break down the proteins we eat into amino acids, which are then used to create necessary body proteins and enzymes. Therefore, getting enough amino acids in your diet is needed to maintain good nutrition.

Of the 20 amino acids, there are 8 that the body cannot produce: isoleuceine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. These are called to as essential amino acids because they must be ingested in food or supplementation.

And while the body can make are histidine and arginine, they are sometimes considered essential in children because their rapidly growing bodies cannot synthesize them fast enough.

Twinlab's Amino Fuel Liquid contains all 8 essential amino acids, including L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine, as well as L-carnitine.

Check out Chad Waterbury, Christian Thibaudeau and John Berardi BCAA protocols on T-Nation. Charles Poliquin also calls BCAAs the most important supplement to take on a calorie-restricted diet in How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle.

Why does this matter to you? Because you want to maximize your efforts in the weight room while minimizing your digits on the bathroom scale! You can use tyrosine to support appetite suppression, glutamine to help muscle development and curb carb cravings, carnatine to aid fat burning and metabolism enhancement, and arginine to help the release of HGH (human growth hormone).

Develop Skinny Habits

Want to get lean and stay that way?

According to Suzanne Phelan, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University Medical School, men who lose weight successfully and keep it off share these 8 characteristics:

1. They eat an average of 1,850 calories a day, with 27 percent coming from fat.
2. They burn 3,293 calories a week exercising.
3. They watch fewer than 10 hours of TV a week.
4. They weigh themselves daily.
5. They eat the same way on weekends and holidays as they do on weekdays.
6. They eat breakfast every day.
7. They limit diet variety.
8. And they rarely eat fast food.

Why does this matter to you? Because these habits are worth stealing! And remember, it only takes 21 days to form a habit. Try to incorporate these habits into your life for 3 weeks. Not only will you see results, but you will have developed healthy new habits as well.

Eat Smart, Not Less

Britney Spears recently revealed she has regained her bikini bod by following a 1,200 calories-a-day meal plan and eliminating sugar from her diet.

"I have no sugar. I don't eat fruit or even fruit juice because of the sugar. I eat chicken and salmon and rice. I eat avocados. I'll have egg whites for breakfast and sometimes turkey burgers for lunch," Spears tells OK! Magazine. "I try to do just 1,200 calories a day. It may sound like it's not much, but it's actually a lot of food if you eat the right things."

Following a 1,200 calories-a-day diet may not a feasible long-term solution for weight loss, but eating smart--not eating less--may be the key to losing weight, at least according to a study by Penn State University Researchers.

The researchers found that diets composed primarily of foods low in calorie density--including fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and low-fat dairy--can promote healthy weight loss while controlling hunger. That's because piling your plate with low calorie density foods translates to more satisfying portions, which reduces the feelings of hunger and deprivation associated with calorie-restricted diets.

Why does this matter to you? Because foods high in water and low in fat, such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and low-fat dairy products, mean fewer calories per bite! That said, you still need to eat within your calorie range and consider your food's nutrient content, as well as its effect on your blood sugar.

Source

Tilapia's Potentially Dangerous Fatty Acid Combination

There are many health benefits associated with omega-3 fatty acids. They play a key role in the prevention and management of chronic diseases. They also form the foundation for pro-inflammatory and inhibitory compounds.

In fact, the American Heart Association recommends we eat at least two servings of fish per week. Heart patients, meanwhile, are advised to consume at least 1 gram a day of the two most critical omega-3s, EPA and DHA.

But Western diets are significantly higher in omaega-6 fatty acids, due in part to people swapping saturated animal fat for vegetable oil. Omega-6s, however, do not provide the health benefits that omega-3 fatty acids do, increasing inflammation and blood clotting.

And according to new study from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, farm-raised tilapia contains very low levels of omega-3s and very high levels of omega-6s, a potentially dangerous food source for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases.

"Cardiologists are telling their patients to go home and eat fish, and if the patients are poor, they're eating tilapia. And that could translate into a dangerous situation," said Floyd Chilton, a professor of physiology and pharmacology and director of the Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids.

Farmed tilapia contained less than half a gram of omega-3s per 100 grams of fish, compared to the 3 and 4 grams in farmed salmon and trout.

Chilton explained tilapia is easily farmed using inexpensive corn-based feeds, which contain short chain omega-6s. Feeding inexpensive foods to the fish, which grow under almost any condition, keeps the market price low, making it a staple in low-income diets.

Why does this matter to you? Omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA found in fatty fish like wild salmon and lake trout may help ward off depression, Alzheimer's disease, and some cancers. Aim for 1,000 mg of omega-3 oils a day, but remember: Not all fish are created equal! If you're on a budget, go for sardines instead of tilapia.

Source

Can You Work Off a Binge?

Oops… you lost control and pigged out in front of the TV with some warm donuts. Can you even things out by putting in two extra hours of cardio the morning after?

"Uh, no, it doesn't quite work like that," Sandy Joyce, a personal trainer who specializes in fat loss and physique transformation, explains. "When we ingest a food, our bodies utilize it for the functioning it needs. When our eyes and mind get the best of us and we over-eat, it's almost like our digestive system goes into a panic; our bodies don't know what to do with the excess. Basically, our body takes what it needs and then stores the rest."

Joyce points out that while food is a necessary fuel for our bodies, our minds view it in a different way. "Understand that our bodies don't look at food the way our eyes and our minds do," she adds. "We find food comforting, rewarding, and entertaining."

And even though running for two hours on a treadmill will burn about 400 calories, which equals two Krispy Kreme original glazed donuts, the trade off is likely to result in more muscle loss than anything.

Why does this matter to you? Binging can hinder your fat loss efforts. Eating six small meals a day will stave off cravings that often to lead to over-eating. Keep cheat meals reasonable and avoid junk food!

Drop the Scoop: Rediscover Real Food

If you read enough hardcore exercise magazines and websites, you will eventually become convinced that progressing towards your fitness goals is impossible without supplementation. It's inevitable. But once you have succumbed to the lure of protein powder, BCAAs, creatine and the likes, is it possible to quit cold turkey?

I'll be honest: I do not plan on quitting nutritional supplementation, and for a good reason. Supplements are not bad. Whey protein isolate, for example, is a great way to work high quality protein into your diet. It contains all the amino acids the body needs in the best possible balance.

The same benefits apply to the branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These BCAAs are referred to as "essential" amino acids because humans cannot survive unless they are present in the diet.

Then there is creatine, which helps promote production of the body's energy compound, ATP. Besides improving performance, creatine can also protect squeaky clean dieters from losing hard earned muscle mass.

And let's not forget Omega-3s and multivitamins--daily musts. You get the drift.

But as beneficial as supplements are, they don’t all necessarily need to be taken year-round.

I've decided to use whey protein isolate, for example, as an emergency back-up or meal-on-the-run option rather than an every day menu item. I've switched out my post-workout recovery drink to fat free chocolate milk. Hood's Simply Smart contains 12 grams of protein and 28 grams of carbohydrates per 8oz serving--it's the perfect protein to carb ratio with only 160 calories. And rather than add whey protein isolate to my morning oatmeal, I combine it with a 6oz serving of 0% plain Greek yogurt or eggs. My goal is to swap out my scoop of whey protein isolate with a variety of protein foods such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese (which I actually like).

And although I still plan to take creatine post-workout, it is a supplement that can be periodized. Check out John Berardi's Making Sense of Supplementation if you're interested in learning how to properly and effectively periodize your nutritional supplementation.

So while I am not quitting my supplementation completely, I am weaning myself off of some of them, and using whole foods whenever possible.

Why does this matter to you? Take a look at your diet and make sure you are getting all your daily macronutrients within your caloric range. Strive to make the healthiest choices for your body and eschew engineered foods when possible. Save the protein powder for baking and special recipes. The results will be a hale and hearty you!

Lose Fat, Not Weight

If you're "skinny fat," chances are you don't want to drop weight, just fat. Don’t confuse fat loss with weight loss! The two aren’t necessarily interchangeable, and here's why.

Your total weight in kilos--or pounds--is a number that doesn’t discern between fat and lean body mass. Fat mass includes essential body fat (the fat in cell membranes and surrounding internal organs) and storage body fat, which your body uses as insulation and a source of fuel. Lean body mass, meanwhile, is made up of muscle, water, bones and internal organs. And unless your overweight, achieving a lean and muscular physique means stripping excess fat.

According to sports nutritionist and certified USA Triathlon coach Jennifer Hutchison, your goal should be to change your body composition rather than lose weight. "Aggressive diet and training strategies directed towards simply losing pounds commonly have the deleterious effect of unspecified weight loss," she explains. "All-too-often the weight that is lost is comprised of both fat AND force-producing muscle tissue."

So what's an ideal percentage of body fat? That depends on your personal goals, of course, but if you're an avid weight lifter and clean eater, you should be looking at 10-15 percent for women, and single digits for men.

Here are some general body fat percentage categories provided by the America Council on Exercise:

Women
Essential Fat: 10-12%
Athletes: 14-20%

Fitness: 21-24%
Acceptable: 25-31%
Obese: 32% plus

Men
Essential Fat: 2-4%
Athletes: 6-13%

Fitness: 14-17%
Acceptable: 18-25%
Obese: 25% plus

Hutchison offers these 5 nutrition tips to help cut body fat:

1. Eat regular meals or snacks every 2 to 4 hours. Regular meals help maintain a more consistent energy level and help prevent over consumption by managing hunger.

2. Take advantage of the fat burning capabilities of your longer workouts. During training sessions more than one hour in length, include 30-45 grams of carbohydrates (CHO), or at least 120 to 180 calories per hour of training. Avoid the temptation to go with water only for these sessions, as you do need carbohydrate to help "ignite" the fat burning flame.

3. Skip the refined carbohydrates and sugars. Try to meet your daily carbohydrate needs with nutrient rich whole grain breads and cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes, vegetables and fruits … Save the sports drinks and bars for use during training.

4. Watch your portions of "good" fats. We know fat needs to be part on an Ironman diet, however, too much of even good fats can interfere with body composition change. All fats are calorie dense. Limit nuts and seeds to 1/4c per day, and limit added oils to 1 tbsp per meal.

5. Adjust your portions according to the daily or weekly training volume. A 150lb triathlete with a 20-hour base training week can have daily calorie needs ranging from 2800 to over 5000 calories. Common sense should tell you that your body requires less total calories for recovery weeks and recovery days. Cut back on added fats and reduce overall portions by up to ¼ during these less active days.

For more tips, check out Jen Heath's 10 Ways to Screw up Your Fat Loss.

Why does this matter to you? In the gym or on the track, body fat impairs performance because it can't produce force. But dropping over all pounds could mean losing that lean body mass you've worked so hard to gain. Always aim to gain and/or retain muscle mass, while shedding body fat.

Drill Coach Total Body Circuit

So ... what do I have in store for this week's group circuit workout at the gym? A total body circuit with lots of squats, push-ups and plyometrics.

Warm-Up Circuit
10 prisoner squats
10 arm shuffles
10 lunges
Plank - 30 second hold
Rest 30 seconds and repeat 3 times

Circuit 1
10 dumbbell single-leg RDL RIGHT, then
10 3-point dumbbell rows, left leg up
10 dumbbell single-leg RDL LEFT, then
10 3-point dumbbell rows, right leg up
10 rim jumps (5 each side)
10 T-stabilization push-ups
Rest 30 seconds, and repeat 3 times

Circuit 2
10 alternating dumbbell chop squat
10 no-arm hops
10 Lock offs
Rest 30 seconds, and repeat 3 times

Circuit 3
20 dumbbell squat & backward throw
One-arm plank - 30 second hold RIGHT
One-arm plank - 30 second hold LEFT
20 ankle hops
Rest 30 seconds, and repeat 3 times

Circuit 4
10 lateral squats RIGHT, hold for 30 seconds on last rep
10 lateral squats LEFT, hold for 30 seconds on last rep
Power Skip for 1 minutes
10 roll over push-ups
Rest 30 seconds, and repeat 3 times

Circuit 5
Tabata planks (20 seconds hold, 10 seconds rest, repeat 7 times)metrics.

Pushing Passed the Push-Up

There’s more than one way to do push-ups--and Nick Tumminello, owner of Performance University in Baltimore, puts together some great push-up workouts in Everything Push-Ups on T-Nation.

One is the 20/20/20 push-up, a body weight circuit that’s easy to remember. Tumminello suggests using it at the beginning of a power endurance phase.

Perform the following with no rest:

20 seconds of push-ups
20 seconds of paused push-ups (hold the bottom position)
20 seconds of clap push-ups

Rest 1 to 3 minutes.

Why does this matter to you? Push-ups are one of the best all-round upper body exercises. And a good push-up workout will help you build stability, hypertrophy, strength, power and endurance.

Hangin' Clean at the Gym

It's hard not to get absorbed into NBC's Olympic coverage. According to the network, the first two days of the Beijing Olympics drew an average audience of 29.1 million, making it the most highly rated broadcast of the Summer Games held outside the United States since 1976. And while watching the Games from your couch is inspiring, why not take some of what you've seen this past week and apply it to your fitness routine?

When preparing your next workout program, add one or two Olympic lifts to you routine, such as snatching, or clean and jerking a barbell. Some of the moves are challenging, so start simple and work your way up. Here's a good move to start with: The hang clean.

Standing, grasp a barbell with over hand grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Bend your knees and hips so the barbell rests mid-thigh. Keep your shoulders over the bar, your arms straight and your back arched.



To execute the hang clean, jump straight up and shrug at the same time, forcefully pulling your body under the bar while rotating your elbows around the bar. The barbell will travel up your body. As the catch is made on your shoulders, move into a squat position. Once you hit the bottom of the squat, stand up immediately. That's one rep. Check out the video above for visuals, courtesy of CrossFit.com.

Why does this matter to you? Olympic lifts are some of the most productive exercises you can do--and the hang clean works everything from your calves to your traps. Once you master the simpler moves, you can set your sight on clean and jerks!

Up Your Fiber, Slim Down

What's the big deal with fiber? Add some to your diet, for starters, and it can help you slim down. Here's what you need to know.

According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), adults should consume between about 30 grams of fiber every day--but most of us only get about half that. You can get your fiber from a wide range of whole foods such as veggies, beans, and wheat germ. Variety is key if you want to benefit from both types of fiber: soluble and insoluble

Soluble fiber--the kind found in oatmeal, apples, beans, and carrots--lowers the level of bad cholesterol in your body, while insoluble fibers, such as cauliflower, wheat germ, and potatoes, keep the intestines clean. "They both play different roles but they’re equally important in promoting general health," Dawn Jackson, a registered dietitian at Northwestern Memorial Wellness Institute in Chicago tells Oxygen magazine.

Why does this matter to you? Eating high-fiber meals with a focus on lean protein and vegetables will keep you lean and healthy. Aim for 35 grams of dietary fiber each day!

Check out this delicious fiber-rich recipe for Cauliflower Salad on OxygenMag.com.

Craig Ballantyne on Abs and Meals

Certified strength and conditioning specialist Craig Ballantyne has a great blog on Men's Health website titled Belly Off: The Trainer. On his blog, Ballantyne, author of Turbulence Training, offers up great advice about diet and fitness.

Here's an excerpt from a Q&A recently published on his post "Six Pack Abs Exercises & Meals":

Q: Craig, what do you eat at the start of the day?
CB: Sometimes I will start the day with a bowl of blueberries and pecans with perhaps a little natural peanut butter stirred in.

I'll then follow that up an hour or so later with a 3-4 Omega-3 egg omelet with 1/2 ounce cheese, and several servings of raw broccoli and peppers, and an apple. Both meals come with 1-2 cups of Green Tea. (Sometimes I have leftover steak with the eggs.)

Other days I'll have the omelet first and the berries and nuts later, depends on how hungry I am.

Eating raw vegetables first thing in the morning might sound odd, but if you do it for a week or two, it will quickly become habit.

Oh, and for all those folks who have written in saying that "I MUST be on an extremely restricted diet in order to get those abs", well, I'm very sorry to disappoint you.

Q: Most folks skip breakfast because as you know... life is really busy sometimes... what tips can you give us for a quick nutritional breakfast-on- the-run?
CB: Grab something high in fiber and containing some protein.

An apple and an ounce of almonds and a cup of yogurt is a great start. As is any combination of those 3 foods. And there's no reason not to cut up some vegetables the night before and add that to the mix.

Protein shakes are fine too. I don't use them and they aren't necessary in order to have a great body, but they are a convenient source of protein.

Q: How come you don't include steady state cardio workouts in your fat loss program?
CB: Cardio is just not an efficient use of your time.

Interval training has beaten steady-state cardio in the two "head to head" research studies comparing the two, and frankly, interval training works much better in the real world.

And you get done in half the time, which is the other important factor. So even if interval training was only AS good as cardio for fat loss - and not actually better - you'd still be better off choosing interval training because it takes less time.

Q: Conventional thinking says we have to do a whole bunch of sit ups and crunches to get six pack abs. And most of us hate doing sit ups and crunches! How come you don't have these exercises in your workout plans?
CB: Neither of the exercises is necessary to get six pack abs.

Crunches are a huge waste of your time. Such a small movement does little in terms of burning belly fat or sculpting your abs.

Every smart trainer knows that if you can do a resistance exercise 50 times in a row, like you can with crunches, that there is little benefit to body composition.

Sit ups are a more difficult exercise, but like crunches, sit-ups are hard on the low back. Spinal flexion - when you round your low back - compresses the discs between your vertebrae and is actually the same mechanism that causes disc herniations.

So both are unnecessary and risky moves. Too risky for my tastes.

An advanced replacement for crunches and sit ups is the "Pull-up with Knee-up", and an intermediate replacement is the Stability Ball Rollout.

Both are great to get more results in less time.

Download an outline of Craig Ballantyne's diet and a sample workout here

Why does this matter to you? Because it's advice from someone who knows what he's talking about! So if you want your abs to pop, here are 3 takeaways from this Q&A session:

1. Eat 6 small meals a day. Aim for 1g of protein per pound of body weight, eat tons of veggies and fruit, and eliminate sugar from your diet.
2. Switch out steady state cardio workouts and with high intensity interval training (HIIT).
3. Ditch the crunches! You can strengthen your core with compound exercises that work your upper and lower back, glutes and hamstrings.

What and Why: Post-Workout Nutrition

So much is made about post-workout nutrition--and for good reason. What you eat after your weight training session plays a big role in your physical transformation. Here are some things you should know to plan your post-workout meals.

During exercise, your body uses glycogen for fuel. And after that heavy lifting session, glycogen stores need to be replaced and muscle tissue repaired. Ideally, you want to do this within 30 to 60 minutes of exercising in what's often called the "glycogen recovery" window. That’s because during this time, your muscles are most responsive to nutritional benefits.

As a rule of thumb, aim for a ratio of about 2 to 1 carbohydrates to protein. According to strength coach Charles Poliquin, an optimal amount of protein intake is 0.6 g/kg of lean body mass. So for example, I have 40 kg of lean muscle mass (that's 88 lbs for you non-metric folk), so my ideal post-workout recovery meal contains 24 grams of protein, and therefore, about 45 grams of carbs.

A shake with a scoop of whey protein isolate and two tablespoons of raw organic honey or frozen berries and bananas does the trick for me. While you could eat a whole food meal instead of a recovery drink or bar after exercise, keep in mind whole foods are slower digesting.

Poliquin also suggests supplementing with 0.33 g/kg of glutamine, which has been shown to accelerate muscle glycogen resynthesis. Up the glutamine and reduce the carbs if you're trying to drop body fat.

Why does this matter to you? What you eat after an exercise session is critical part of the muscle-building equation. A post-workout recovery meal will stimulate protein synthesis, suppress protein breakdown and restore glycogen stores. Your best bet is a yummy post-workout recovery shake with a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein--with a side of glutamine!

Roll Out Your Swiss Ball

All eyes are on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and it’s hard not to take notice of the athletes’ physiques. Most of us are not professional athletes—but that doesn’t mean we can’t steal some moves from their workouts. So pump some life back into your Swiss ball and try some moves that Olympic swimmers and gymnasts are doing.

Florida Panthers’ strength and conditioning coach Andy O’Brien, who started working with 40-year-old Dara Torres in November 2007, includes Swiss balls, medicine balls, bands and resistance cables in the swimmer’s training regimen. The goal of her 90-minute strength sessions, which she performs four times a week, is to strengthen her core muscles using compound exercises.

Leading up to the Olympics, meanwhile, gymnast Alicia Sacramone performed an hour of strength training for gymnastics every day—and included the pike up with the Swiss ball in her routine.

To perform this exercise, place your lower legs on the ball and get in a pushup position. Pull the ball toward your face as you raise your butt high to form a pike. Hold for a second and roll back out until your body is straight. That’s one rep.

Why does this matter to you? The core is more than just your abs. So while you can use your Swiss ball for crunches, you can also use it to perform planks, back extensions, prone jackknives, hamstring curls and back wall slides to exercise your lower backs, hips, pelvis and upper thighs.

Check out Women's Health's Get in Olympic Shape for more Olympic workouts, photos and interviews.

How’s My Form?

Has someone ever critiqued your form while you’re squatting? If you perform butt-to-the-floor squats, count on someone telling you they’re bad for your knees. And let’s not forget about the knees-passed-your-toes police. So when it comes to squatting advice, how do you differentiate fact from crap?

"Different bodies have different shapes and bone lengths, as well as slight variations in range of motion due to genetic or acquired flexibility issues," Lou Schuler explains in The New Rules of Lifting for Women. "Someone with a relatively long torso and short legs would probably have more forward lean in the bottom position, with her knees out over her toes. Someone with longer legs would probably be more upright, with her knees behind her toes."

Shuler points out that while neither would be considered "perfect" form, they would be good form in these particular cases.

The case against full squats, meanwhile, is based on ignorance.

"A lot of athletes and coaches shy away from full squatting, instead using shallow one-fourth squats," claims Olympic weightlifter and football coach Christian Thibaudeau. "This is solely motivated by ego--wanting to lift more weight to impress others. They justify their method by saying that full squats are bad for the knees."

Thibaudeau notes, "In the shallow squat you use more weight (that's why it's an ego lift). If you can't full squat a weight, you have no business quarter-squatting it! Your structures (bones, tendons, ligaments) aren't well adapted enough to sustain the load and you risk injury."

Besides, Thibaudeau believes full squats are safer than partial squats. "The most unstable knee angle is 90 degrees. Does it make sense to stop (in a rapid manner) and change direction at the most unstable knee angle?"

Thibaudeau adds that full squatting helps balance lower body development, while shallow partial squatting can lead to quad dominance--the cause of many injuries.

Why does this matter to you? When it comes to squatting, everyone’s a critique. Don’t obsess about your knees going passed your toes, and squat deep if that’s what you do. But do pay attention to your back: Squat down until your lower back starts to round or lose its natural arch.

Periodized Cardio: Quality vs. Quantity

When it comes to weight lifting, most of us use some type of periodized strength-training program. We change our training program at regular intervals to keep our bodies guessing--and working harder. But what about cardio exercise? Do you squeeze it in when you can and don't give it much thought?

If cardio is part of your weekly exercise regimen, you're more likely to see results if you plan--or periodize--your cardiovascular training program. Otherwise, you'll hit a plateau--just like you would if you lifted the same weights for the same exercises week after week. Your body adapts to the physical demands and learns to do the exercise more efficiently.

Figure competitor and fitness model Olesya Novik created The Fat Inferno Cardio Program--three weekly cardio sessions that emphasize quality over the quantity. The sessions are broken up into an interval training (IT) session, a fast paced (FP) session, and a continuous low intensity (CLI) session. Here's a sample of her program:

Monday: Interval Training
Perform 8 to 10 fast 45-second intervals with 1-minute recovery periods in between.

Novik suggests performing IT cardio workouts on an exercise bike, stepper, elliptical machine, or treadmill. "You can even go walking or jogging outside and interlace bursts of full out sprints every so often during the session," Novik explains. She also highly recommends the total time spent on IT be no longer than 15-18 minutes.

Wednesday: Fast Paced
Perform 20 minutes of continuous activity at 75-80 percent of your heart rate max.

If you're an extremely fit, or an endurance athlete, you would perform your fast paced cardio workouts at a continuous 75-80 percent of your heart rate max, otherwise aim for a target range of 65-75 percent of your heart rate max. Beginners should start at 60-65 percent as a target range.

Your fast paced cardio may be done in a single session or broken up into a few sessions through the day. You could, for example, perform 5-7 repetitions of 5 minutes at your target heart rate with 1 minute of rest between sets.

Friday: Continuous Low Intensity
Perform 50 minutes of continuous cardio at 60-70 percent of your heart rate max.

CLI cardio is performed at a low intensity for 45 to 75 minutes. Novik suggests maintaining a target heart rate of 55-65 percent for maximum efficacy. "We're after total fat annihilation with this type of cardio, not so much its cardiovascular benefits," Novik notes.

"While performing medium to higher intensity cardio will result in fantastic fat loss, you may experience simultaneous muscle loss," Noik warns. "To minimize any possibility of burning your lean body mass, be sure to keep your protein consumption high and your diet dialed in correctly."

Novik also suggests adding a 4-5 minute warm up and cool down to each cardio workout.

Why does this matter to you? Periodizing your cardiovascular exercise will ward off weight-loss plateaus and maximize fat loss. But when it comes to fat loss, focus on the quality of your training rather than the quantity. And remember, more isn't t always better. Don't go beyond what your body can handle.

Cheat Meal Treats and Sweet Indulgences

If you train hard and eat clean during the week, you probably look forward to weekends. Whether you're following the Anabolic Diet or adhere to a 90/10 rule, chances are you allow yourself a couple of cheat meals Saturday and Sunday. But a cheat meal can spell disaster if it adds up to too many calories, or worst, turns into a cheat day. And the last thing you want to do is blow your week's worth of hard dieting in one sitting. Believe it or not, there are ways to indulge sensibly.

Cheating reasonably sounds like an oxymoron, I know, but treats can be delicious without being sinful. A great site to visit when you're looking for a calorie-conscious cheat meal is Hungry-Girl.com. HG's recipes include Loaded 'n Oated Pepperoni Pizza , So-Good Chocolate Chip Softies, Gooey Chili Cheese Nachos, Very Blueberry Pancakes, H-O-T Hot Boneless Buffalo Wings, Swirls Gone Wild Cheesecake Brownies , Fiber-ific Fried Cheese Sticks… You get the picture.

Why does this matter to you? Don’t reward your good eating habits with bad foods! It's OK to indulge a little on the weekend, but a cheat meal isn't an all-access pass to the trans fat party. By swapping out some ingredients, you can put back on the table treats that were once off-limits, and you can do so without completely derailing your fitness goals.

Can You Handle the Tabata Protocol?

If you’re a fitness buff, chances are you’ve heard of the Tabata Protocol. It’s a grueling workout that makes HIIT look wimpy. It makes big guys and girls cry. And it’s over in less than 5 minutes. Have you been tough enough to try it?

The Tabata Protocol is named after Izumi Tabata, PhD, a former researcher at Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya who studied the workout after learning about it from the coach of the Japanese national speed-skating team. Here’s the lowdown.

With the Tabata Protocol (also called the Tabata Method), you select one exercise and perform 6 to 8 -20-second sets at maximum intensity, separated by 10-second rest periods. In The Tabata Method: Fat Loss in Four Minutes, Dan John suggests using the front squat or thrusters.

"The thruster is one of the greatest lifts no one has ever heard of in the gym. Take two dumbbells and hold them at shoulder height. Squat down, keeping the dumbbells on the shoulders. As you rise up, press the bells to the overhead lockout position," John explains.

"Thrusters do things to your heart rate and breathing that I honestly can't describe. Go light! A 15-pound dumbbell in each hand is a very difficult thruster workout! Check your ego at the door for the first two minutes."

To do John's Tabata thrusters, do as many thruster repetitions as possible for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds. Repeat this 7 times. It helps to have a partner there to time you.

John calls the Tabata Protocol one of the best fat burning workouts out there. "I do either Tabata front squats or Tabata thrusters about twice a month. I'm sure someone will comment, 'If it's so good, why don't you do it every day?' Go ahead, try it and report back after the second day."

Why does this matter to you? A fat-incinerating workout that takes less than 5 minutes gives you the most bang for your buck. And anyone can incorporate at least 2 Tabata thrusters into their training regimen each month.

How Many Calories Should You Be Eating?

You work out and you eat clean, adhere to the precise macronutrient splits and nutrient timing--but how are you doing in the calories' department? When working hard to achieve your ideal physique, just one wrong or missing factor in the diet equation could add up to failure. So how do you know how many calories you should be consuming daily?

To find a base number, start by determining how many calories it takes to maintain your current weight. You can use this formula from Lou Schuler and Jeff Volek's The Testosterone Advantage Plan:

1. Get your weight in pounds and multiply it by 11.
2. Find out your Metabolic Rate (BMR)--that's the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day.

Now factor the effect your activity level and age have on your metabolic factor:

Mostly Sedentary: If you have a desk job and don't exercise regularly.

Moderately Active: If you have a job that involves physical activity' or if you spend at least 2 hours a day on your feet, whether for work or play, or if you have a daily hour-long exercise routing, you can consider yourself moderately active.

Dedicated Exerciser or Athlete: If you do some sort of high-intensity exercise almost every day, or if you're lifted weights 2 or 4 days a week for at lease a year.

Under 30 Years Old
Mostly Sedentary: 30%
Moderately Active: 25%
Athlete: 20%

30 -40 Years Old
Mostly Sedentary: 40%
Moderately Active: 35%
Athlete: 30%

Over 40 Years Old
Mostly Sedentary: 50%
Moderately Active: 50%
Athlete: 45%

Multiply the right percentage above by your BMR to calculate your metabolic factors. This will give you the number of calories you should consume if you wish to maintain your current weight.

Whether your goal is to loose or gain weight, it's all about calories in versus calories out. If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Do the opposite, and you'll likely drop some pounds. It's that simple, but you also have to be realistic.

One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. So to loose one pound of fat a week, at least theoretically, you'd have to cut 500 calories a day. Adding 500 calories a day to your diet and workout regimen, meanwhile, should help you pack on a pound of muscle in a week.

Why does this matter to you? Establishing you daily caloric needs is the first step in paving the way to your goal weight. Based on your objective, you'll be able to determine how many calories you should be consuming each day. No more guessing games!

Next, you will need to determine a macronutrient split that's best suited for you, create a daily meal plan and--most importantly--create a food journal to monitor your progress.

Liven Up Your Deadlifts with a Wide Stance

The deadlift is a staple of every weight training program. It works your back, quads, hamstrings, glutes, arms and forearms, and abs. If you want to keep deadlifting but crave a change in your routine, why not try a different variation of the standard deadlift?

I like to incorporate wide-stance dumbbell Romanian deadlifts into my routine. Here's how: Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip and take a very wide stance with your toes pointed out slightly. Your legs should be straight but not locked.

With your chest up and a slight arch in your back, bend at the hips and lower the dumbbells to just below knee level. Remember to bend at the hips without bending or straitening your lower back—don’t hunch or sacrifice your form.

When you reach the limit of your range of motion, contract your glutes and hamstrings and reverse the movement, rising back to the start position. At the top of the movement, press your hips forward and squeeze your glutes. That’s one rep.

"This variation will hit the semitendinosus and semimembranosus portions of the hamstrings better than a regular Romanian deadlift, while hitting the biceps femoris to a lesser extent," strength and conditioning coach Christian Thibaudeau explains in Violent Variations: Vicious Versions of Your Favorite Muscle Builders.

Why does this matter to you? Most of us are quad dominant, meaning we tend to recruit our quadriceps before our hamstrings. This is especially true of women (Quad Dominance and Neck Pain in Women). Romanian deadlifts help to correct this strength imbalance, which, if left unchecked, can damage ligaments that hold the knees together, resulting in knee injuries. Plus, it will give you tight glutes and a nice hamstring sweep!

Exercise Keeps the Heart Young

Endurance training will keep you young at heart—literally.

A study conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that after performing endurance exercise for about a year, older people had metabolically much younger hearts--with women benefiting more than men.

The heart generally deteriorates as people age because they become sedentary. The risk of heart attack increases in the elderly when the heart muscle doesn't take in glucose in response to increased energy needs--and goes into an energy-deprived state. The heart would be better protected against heart attacks if it could increase glucose uptake. And according to the study, endurance exercise was able to do just that.

After participants performed endurance training--which included one-hour walking, running or cycling sessions 3 to 5 days a week--their hearts doubled their glucose uptake, similar to younger hearts.

Based on heart glucose metabolism, both the men and women in the study benefited from the endurance exercise program.

The heart, however, uses both glucose and fatty acids for energy. And while the study found the heart's fatty acid metabolism dropped in response to increased energy demand in men, it went up in women.

Although researchers haven’t identified the significance of increased fatty acid metabolism, the study revealed the women had a better response to endurance training than the men.

But more importantly, the study shows the benefits of being active actually increase with age.

Check out Carol Mithers' Decade-by-Decade Guide to Exercise, which breaks down basic exercise needs based on your age. And for women specifically, Your Fitness Needs, Milestone By Milestone, reprinted from Body-for-LIFE for Women: A Woman s Plan for Physical and Mental Transformation, details the fitness needs for pregnant, perimenopause and menopausal women.

Source

Lifting Heavy Improves Strength and Endurance in Women

Lifting heavy weights for fewer reps is key for women who want to gain muscle strength and endurance.

A team at Ohio University studied 34 healthy, college-aged females who performed three different training methods over a 6-week period. The study compared a traditional strength training routine (heavier weights with fewer reps), a traditional muscle endurance training routine (lighter weights with more reps) and a low velocity regimen (lighter weights with even fewer reps, performed much slower than the other groups).

During each session, the participants’ performed 3 sets of leg presses, back squats and leg extensions with 4 to 5 minutes of rest between each set and exercise. The participants were then measured for absolute strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance and body composition.

While all 3 groups showed a small decrease in body fat, the traditional strength group--the participants who trained with heavier weights for fewer reps--gained the most strength in two of the three workouts, including the leg press and the leg extension exercises. For example, the traditional strength group increased 61.8 percent in strength in the leg press exercise, while the low velocity group saw an increase of 26.9 percent and the traditional endurance group improved 23.4 percent.

The traditional strength group, however, was not significantly different from the other training groups when it came to the squat exercise. The study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, also found that cardiovascular endurance didn’t increase significantly in any of the groups.

So if your goal is to improve muscle strength and endurance, make sure to include heavy weight training sessions in your workouts. But to maximize results in the weight room, you should vary your workout intensity, volume and modality. Periodize your workouts by creating a training cycle that contains 3 or 4 of workouts with different rep ranges, and repeat the cycle indefinitely.

For more about periodization, check out my post The Basics: Setting Goals Through Periodization.

Source

(Photo of Olympian and No. 1 ranked US female weightlifter Melanie Roach)

The Exercise Pill: Researchers Reveal AICAR Findings

There's no need to get physical. As it turns out, there really is a magic pill.

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., identified two signaling pathways that, when triggered at the same time with oral drugs, turned ordinary lab mice into mighty mice.

In the study, led by Howard Hughes Medical Investigator Ronald M. Evans, Ph.D., researchers fed untrained mice AICAR and found that after only four weeks--and without any prior training--the mice got up and ran 44 percent longer than untreated, untrained mice. "That's as much improvement as we get with regular exercise," postdoctoral researcher and lead author Vihang A. Narkar, Ph.D. said.

AICAR also tricked the mice's sedentary muscles into thinking they had been exercising, and they burned calories without doing anything at all. It also improved their fitness performance, helping the mice run 68 percent longer and 70 percent farther than mice who actually exercised but didn't receive the drug.

How potentially threatening is AICAR to the sports world? Evans has already developed a test that can detect AICAR in blood and urine and is working with officials at the World Anti-Doping Association, who would like to see a test in place in time for the upcoming Summer Olympics.

Source