Brian December 29th, 2008
I was reading the highly vaunted FLEX magazine the other day and actually found a useful nugget of information. New research has found that Buckwheat protein, which is found in Soba noodles, has a better bioavailability (a measure of how well your body can assimilate and use a certain type of protein) than whey or casein. Soba noodles are a great alternative to pasta for those who are allergic to gluten. Combine some Soba noodles with mixed vegetable and chicken for a protein packed stir fry.
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In Health,
Brian Ramage
Brian December 21st, 2008
Given the recent spate of winter weather I figured a blog about exercising at home would be poignant.
There are some of you die-hard training zealots out there who will attempt to make it to the gym even in a nuclear winter. I speak from experience because I used to be one! I was the guy making the first tire tracks through the snow at the gym only to find that they were closed. Doing the drive of shame back home (sometimes in a state of emergency) is never fun, so here are some tips for training at home if the gym is closed or you just can’t make it out.
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Aerobic/Conditioning
If you don’t have a treadmill or bike at home and want to get your heart rate up (besides from shoveling snow) then try this small circuit.Â
- Bodyweight squats: 15-20 reps
- Push-ups: 15-20 reps
- Crunches: 25-50 reps (you can also do planks and side bridges for time)
- Lunges: 10 reps
- Pull/Chin-ups**: 10 reps
- Chair dips: 10-15 reps
- Lateral raise w/milk jugs (if you only have one then do one arm at a time): 12-15 reps
This doesn’t hit every muscle group, but it will increase your heart rate significantly. Do 2-4 rounds with 45-60 seconds between each round.
Strength
This is more effective if you have children that you can hold or put on your back. To get a strength/power sessions without weight you need to think speed and explosiveness in these movements.
- Lunges: 3 sets of 5-8 reps. Drop down into the lunge position and explode back to the starting position. Allow 2-3 minutes for recovery between sets.
- Bodyweight squats: 3 sets of 5-8 reps. If you have room do these as vertical jumps.
- Clap push-ups: 4 sets of 5-8 reps. Explode as high as you can; vary hand positions
- Pull-ups**: 4 sets of 5-8 reps.Â
If you have a weight vest of children you can have them sit on your back for push-ups and hold them while doing squats (although I don’t advise jumping in the air with them!).
** Only perform if you have access to a tree branch or pull-up bar.
In Health,
Brian Ramage
Brian December 17th, 2008
You may want to think twice before you lather up with lotion this winter. A new report shows that some men are developing breast cancer when exposed to certain compounds in lotion. These compounds mimic estrogens in the body (think PCB’s) which can wreak havoc on the endocrine system. Aside from the health implications, extra estrogen in men is never good if you are trying to put on lean tissue.
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In Health,
Brian
Brian December 10th, 2008
There is a never ending stream of misinformation that pervades the world of fitness and strength & conditioning. I will list some of the more common ones with a brief explanation.
“Training more=more results”- the human body has only so much reserves and capacity for physical work and it needs time to grow and recover. Protein synthesis, recovery and muscle accretion only occur WHEN YOU ARE RESTING!
“More repetitions=fat loss and definition”-Â this is only partly true. Doing more reps will burn slightly more calories, but not to an appreciable extent. Most of these calories will still be from stored carbohydrates and blood glucose. The body starts using fat as fuel after 15 minutes of steady rate aerobic training. Use diet and gH boosting weight training circuits to burn fat.
“Cardio training is the best way to burn fat”- see my other blogs on this topic.
“I have been training for 8 weeks and haven’t lost a pound”-Â when a beginning trainee starts an exercise regimen they can actually gain weight from muscle, body water and glycogen storage. If the scale stays the same, but your clothes are looser and you look better, then chances are you lost some bodyfat. Visit the scale no more than once per week, but make sure you are also taking measurements and getting your bodyfat checked.
“More protein intake=more muscle mass”-Â while protein is essential for building muscle, there is a point of diminishing returns when your intake becomes too high. There must be cell signaling (caused by the right training stimulus) for protein synthesis to occur and if there is excess intake that the body can’t use it can be stored as bodyfat. Keep your protein intake to 1g./lb. of lean body mass.
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In Health,
Brian Ramage
Brian December 9th, 2008
People these days are not only looking to trim their waist lines, but also their grocery bill. If you still want to eat healthy and you’re not ready to eat pasta and boxed mac and cheese, try some of the suggestions listed below.
Oatmeal in a tub-Â $3-$4 will get you breakfast for the whole week. Add some mixed berries or apples, cinnamon and low sugar maple syrup for flavor.
Eggs-Â if you eat a lot of egg whites buy an 18ct. carton and de-yolk them yourself instead of buying egg beaters.
Canned Tuna-Â cheap, convenient and full of protein; limit this food to 1-2 days/week.
Whole Turkey of Chicken- buy the whole bird and trim it yourself.
Brown Rice- you can purchase this in tubs or boil in bag.
Protein Shakes-if you are trying to gain weight, but don’t want to spend the money on a weight gainer try the following: 1 scoop vanilla or chocolate whey protein, 1 cup of whole oats, 2 tbsp. of natural peanut butter and 2 cups of milk. Throw this in a blender with some ice and you have roughly 800 liquid calories.
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In Health,
Brian
Brian December 6th, 2008
People who exercise have a plethora of different terminology thrown at them constantly. These terms mean nothing to the average trainee without some explanation or context. If you are an avid athlete or exercise enthusiast this may bore you, but for the lay person this is a great start to understanding fitness and its many facets.
Aerobic Capacity-Â this can be used interchangeably with aerobic fitness, cardiovascular fitness and fitness capacity. This is simply a measure of your body’s ability to take in, distribute and utilize oxygen at the cellular level. In articles you will see this listed as VO2 max or METS.Â
Maximal Strength-this is the maximal amount of force a muscle can produce. In a lab setting they use a test called dynamometry, but for gym trainees it will be measured by the external force produced (i.e weight lifted).
Explosive Strength-a subcomponent of maximal strength, this measures how fast a given weight can be moved. A good example to see the distinction between explosive and maximal strength is to watch an Olympic Weightlifter (explosive strength) and someone going for a max lift on the bench press (maximal strength).Â
Conditioning-many times this is confused with aerobic fitness, but it is actually something different. Aerobic fitness is a component of conditioning, but there are other processes at work with conditioning. Conditioning is your body’s ability to do work with minimal fatigue, while utilizing and breaking down by- products of physical work. Think of how different you feel when you do repeat sprints vs. a slow 8 mph. long distance run.Â
Toning-this phrase is mentioned by almost every female trainee out there. However, it is a misnomer to say that you want to “tone up”. Muscle tone is simply the resting tension that a muscle has (think of a loose or taught piano string). What people really mean is that they want to lose the bodyfat they have over the muscle. Losing this fat will make a person LOOK more tone, but there may have been no changes to the muscle.
Check back soon for fallacies of fitness and the continuation of my diet series.
In Health,
Brian Ramage