Fitness. Redefined.

Pre Workout Nutrition & Supplementation

2010-09-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Crazy MOFO fitness & bodybuilding blogger here!

Today we'll talk about pre-workout nutrition & supplementation.

First things first, as with the post workout nutrition we should know what are going to do in terms of kind and intensity of exercise.

I'll give you some tips on terms of Pre-Workout nutrition, assuming you are going balls to the wall in the gym.

Ok, on the carbohydrate side of things, we're aiming for medium GI carbs 2-2.5 hours before workout. That means Brown rice, sweet potato, oatmeal and the likes are our friends.

Eat a quantity you can digest in 2 hours otherwise you'll find yourself puking in the gym toilet :) These kinds of carbohydrates will give you a good, sustainable of energy that will keep long enough to annihilate your muscles.

On the protein side of things, we want a full protein source like beef protein (contains good amounts of creatine which will help you in your training).

You may also like a multi - source protein. It will help you too.

You might use a good creatine or pre-workout supplement.

I suggest, to use an alkylated creatine cause it tends to have better absorption and no need for loading. I'll be reviewing good pre-workout supplements and various other supps in upcoming episodes.

A brief post is over but I think a gave you a good guideline of a good pre-training approach.

Until Next Post,

Go and Kick Some SERIOUS Arse :)

Harry.

Post Workout Nutrition & Supplementation

2010-09-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Welcome to the latest episode of the crazy MOFO fitness blogger :P.

Today we are going to talk about post workout nutrition and supplementation.

There are some key things to consider when choosing post workout foods. What kind of exercise you'll be doing (weights or cardio?), and what level of intensity you'll be putting to your workout.

Hopefully, your training intensity is high as this is the only way (in my opinion) that I know of that has worked for me and every single one of the people I've trained over the years.

So, assuming that you won't go half-assed in the gym, there are some tips I want to give you in order to be able to find what's right for you.

As always, all bodies are not the same and you have to experiment and listen to your body. Measure your progress as you go along.

My sole purpose here is to give you some principles in order to learn how to think on fitness nutrition and then discover what is the best approach for YOUR body.

1. Generally pick carbs that are of medium to high GI (Glycemic Index).

The reason for that though, is not what you think it is!

For example, white rice and brown rice have the same GI but white rice is usually refined and your body has a mechanism that tends to assimilate NON refined foods faster and more efficiently. I can't back this up scientifically because as I said the metrics (GI) are almost identical BUT the real world and personal experience has taught me otherwise. I'd pick brown rice over white any day, and these are just my 2 cents.

So, the carbs of choice post workout would be non-refined, medium to high GI carbs like bananas, brown rice, potatoes and sweet potatoes etc.

The medium to high GI carbs are generally digested faster, thus are available sooner for your body to work with. Manipulate various kinds and quantities of carbs to see what fits YOUR body.

2. Prefer a protein that's absorbed quickly. I'd go with supplements like beef protein isolate or hydrolyzed whey isolate. These 2 are quickly broken down in to amino acids and they're tending to be quicker to digest and absorb.

There's another option for nitrogen retention post workout that I see very few people use and I think they're making a big mistake (I'm not excluding myself here and I'm not judging anyone).

This method is to consume a good peptide bonded amino acid formula immediately post workout with your carbs. In my humble opinion, amino acids are far superior than protein powders in terms of absorption, as long as they are peptide bonded and complete protein (essential and non-essential). The reason for the amino superiority is that aminos don't need to be broken down to.... aminos, in order to be assimilated and construct the much needed protein in the hard pounded muscles :). Give aminos a try and thank me later ;)

Now, to some examples that I use and change often between one another.

Now those example are for me (225 lbs. at the moment). Based on these try to adjust accordingly to your bodyweight.

1. 2 medium or large bananas with 2-3 scoops of beef or whey isolate (25-30 grams of protein per scoop). That's because protein powder sources are giving Net Nitrogen (NNU) for Body Protein Synthesis (BPS) at a rate of only 16% - 40% (shit). That's why we need enough grams to retain or gain muscle.

2. A couple of small backed potatoes or sweet potatoes with 6-7 bi-peptide amino acid tablets . The advantage we have here is of course the rate absorption of bi-peptide amino acid tablets (80% - 99%) Yeah buddy!:)

3. Brown Rice and a steak with 3-4 bi-peptide amino acid tablets.

Other supplements to consider post workout: Extra Glutamine, creatine, athletic multivitamin (better ratios of micros) and extra vitamin C.

All of the above can help you recover much faster thus, giving you a faster progress rate.

As I always stress, the above guidance is 10-15% of the equation. The rest 85-90% is having a customized balanced nutrition battle plan and stick to it. If you need one proven nutrition battleplan, fill the contact form on the left and I'll contact you ASAP (Fees apply). Real food will make all the difference in your body, provided you're training like a f#cking animal :)

Some folks have told me that the above post workout meals are small for a 225 pound fellow like moi :) Guys, keep in mind that if you train intensely enough to the best of your ability, your stomach is pretty upset for at least 1 hour post training, at least mine is. Personally, I can't eat giant portions of food (or supps for that matter) after I had a -balls to the wall- training session and you know what? Neither should I. The goal here is to have a small to medium sized meal immediately post workout in order to start the recuperation process and eat again after 1 to 2 hours.. Got the picture?

Next post we're going to attack Pre workout nutrition but until then...

YOU should be kicking some SERIOUS Arse ;)

Harry.

How to Burn More Calories in Less Time

2010-09-11T07:04:00.001-07:00

Hey again!

Today's episode of the crazy fitness blogger will aim to those that have not much time to spend in the gym, but want to get a great workout and burn as many calories as possible.

The way to do that is (drumroll) basic compound movements (f8ck yeah!). The catch here is that we're going to do them with a little twist also known as Giant Sets.
Giant sets are done by selecting 4-12 exercises (maybe more if you're super advanced) and doing the exercises back to back in cycle manner 1-3 times. So for this post I'll give you an example that'll woop your butt and send your metabolism sky high ;-)

First, our selection of exercises.

1. Squat: 2-3*15
2. Deadlift: 2-3*10
3. Bent-over bar row: 2-3*12
4. Bench Press: 2-3*10
5. Shoulder Press. 2-3*10

Instructions.

Perform the exercises back to back non-stop and rest 3-4 minutes between cycles. A cycle is comprised of these 5 exercises back to back without any rest between them, just between the cycles. Do no more than 3 cycles! If you can do more than that, you're not putting enough intensity. Intensity should be enough to get you to use a wheelchair to get out of the gym :).
Put as much weight as you can handle for the amount of reps instructed with good form, use a spotter if you have to. Do this routine maximum 3 times a week, no more than 6 weeks. After that you should put your workout as a priority in your life and MAKE more time to hit the gym (sorry ;-)).

Do this baby properly and you'll have a killer fat burning, muscle annihilating workout.

One more thing to consider is your nutritional plan. As I always say, this is the 90% of your success in getting where you want in fitness and bodybuilding EVEN when you are just a recreational fitness enthusiast.

No excuses in the kitchen baby! Eat right, train smart and hard, and it won't be long until you can not recognize the person in the mirror.

Try this Fat Burning machine routine for yourself and see what happens! Put your heart in to it, give it all you got, stay true to your nutritional plan and enjoy the rewards!

On the next post, I will be covering post workout nutrition and supplementation.

Until then,

Kick some serious Arse .

Harry

Basic Nutrition Principles Take 2.

2010-09-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all!

Today we will talk about the Micronutrients aka Vitamins, Minerals, Trace Elements & Organic Acids. Ok, I'm being way too simplistic here but as always, I try to use a non scientific terminology and don't go in to depth in order for the average reader to get the point of what a f4ck I'm trying to say.
After all this is not a chemistry lesson!

Let's start!

Minerals

Dietary minerals (magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, iodine.) are needed in small quantities.
Macrominerals are needed in larger quantities.
Microminerals (Trace Elements) include Iron, Cobalt, Iodine, Zinc, Manganese among others and are needed in small quantities.
Supporters of the biochemical reactions of metabolism.

Vitamins

They are:

Organic Chemicals that your body requires in small amounts in order to maintain good health.
Must be obtained from food because most of them can not be synthesized by your body.
A, B (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12) C (Ascorbic Acid), E (Tocopherol) and many more.

Now in order to obtain these little mofo's you are required to have a balanced nutrition plan and if you're not, you either use GOOD supplements or you are f8cked :-)

Just kidding, but vitamin and mineral deficiency will get you in trouble.

Where to find them micronutrients?

Uuuhm, everywhere? Fruits, Veggies, Water you name it! You can find a hell of an Iron and B vitamin in lean red meat as you can find a shitload of calcium in some veggies.

Now, like I said in my previous post if your diet is poor due to lack of time or you train like there's no tomorrow and you need to supplement your micronutrient intake then by all means do it. But do it sensibly and wisely.

You can find a good selection of supplements over at Predator nutrition (EU but ships to US).

Until Next Post,

Stay Hungry and Kick A$$.

Harry.

Cancer's Favorite Food - Found in Everything You Eat?

2010-09-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Posted By Dr. Mercola | August 27 2010

Pancreatic tumor cells use fructose to divide and proliferate, according to a study that challenges the notion that all sugars are the same.

Tumor cells fed both glucose and fructose used the two sugars in two different ways. This could explain why other studies have previously linked fructose intake with pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancer types.

According to MSNBC:

"Americans take in large amounts of fructose, mainly in high fructose corn syrup, a mix of fructose and glucose that is used in soft drinks, bread and a range of other foods. Politicians, regulators, health experts and the industry have debated whether high fructose corn syrup and other ingredients have been helping make Americans fatter and less healthy."

Are all sugars equal in terms of the health effects they produce?

Sooner or later, science will put this debate to rest once and for all. It's already been conclusively shown that fructose, most commonly consumed in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), is FAR more hazardous to your health than regular sugar, but the corn industry still vehemently denies such claims.

Through successful PR campaigns, industry has managed to pull the wool over your eyes for some time now, but eventually even they will have to surrender to the scientific evidence...

Until then, propaganda machines like the Corn Refiners Association's site, SweetSurprise.com, will continue telling you that "research confirms that high fructose corn syrup is safe and no different from other common sweeteners like table sugar and honey. All three sweeteners are nutritionally the same," and that "though the individual sugars are metabolized by different pathways, this is of little consequence since the body sees the same mix of sugars from caloric sweeteners, regardless of source."

But are these metabolic differences of little consequence?

Far from it!

Fructose Speeds Up Cancer Growth

Research just published in the journal Cancer Research shows that the way the different sugars are metabolized (using different metabolic pathways) is of MAJOR consequence when it comes to feeding cancer and making it proliferate.
According to the authors:
" Importantly, fructose and glucose metabolism are quite different... These findings show that cancer cells can readilymetabolize fructose to increase proliferation."
In this case, the cancer cells used were pancreatic cancer, which is typically regarded as the most deadly and universally rapid-killing form of cancer.
The study confirms the old adage that sugar feeds cancer because they found that tumor cells do thrive on sugar (glucose). However, the cells used fructose for cell division, speeding up the growth and spread of the cancer.
If this difference isn't of major consequence, then I don't know what is.
Whether you're simply interested in preventing cancer, or have cancer and want to live longer, you ignore these facts and listen to industry propaganda at your own risk.

How Does Sugar Feed Cancer?

Controlling your blood-glucose and insulin levels through diet, exercise and emotional stress relief can be one of the most crucial components to a cancer recovery program. These factors are also crucial in order to prevent cancer in the first place.
It may surprise you, but the theory that sugar feeds cancer was born nearly 80 years ago. Even more shocking, most conventional cancer programs STILL do not adequately address diet and the need to avoid sugars.
In 1931 the Nobel Prize was awarded to German researcher Dr. Otto Warburg, who first discovered that cancer cells have a fundamentally different energy metabolism compared to healthy cells.
Malignant tumors tend to use a process where glucose is used as a fuel by the cancer cells, creating lactic acid as a byproduct.^[i] The large amount of lactic acid produced by this fermentation of glucose from cancer cells is then transported to your liver. This conversion of glucose to lactic acid generates a lower, more acidic pH in cancerous tissues as well as overall physical fatigue from lactic acid buildup.^[ii] ^[iii]
This is a very inefficient pathway for energy metabolism, which extracts only about 5 percent of the available energy in your food supply. In simplistic terms, the cancer is "wasting" energy, which leads you to become both tired and undernourished, and as the vicious cycle continues, will lead to the body wasting so many cancer patients experience.
Additionally, carbohydrates from glucose and sucrose significantly decreases the capacity of neutrophils to do their job. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that help cells to envelop and destroy invaders, such as cancer.
In a nutshell, ALL forms of sugar are detrimental to health in general and promote cancer, but in slightly different ways, and to a different extent. Fructose, however, clearly seems to be one of the overall most harmful.

Connecting the Dots: Fructose—Uric Acid—Cancer and Chronic Disease Risk

One particularly interesting tidbit I noticed in this latest study is the mention of how fructose metabolism leads to increased uric acid production along with cancer cell proliferation.
In my first interview with Dr. Johnson, he explained just how detrimental the impact of fructose is on your uric acid level. Interestingly, ONLY fructose, NOT glucose, drives up uric acid as part of its normal metabolic pathways
And, the connection between fructose, uric acid, hypertension, insulin resistance/diabetes and kidneydisease is so clear that your uric acid level can actually be used as a marker for toxicity from fructose -- meaning that if your levels are high, you're at increased risk of all the health hazards associated with fructose consumption and you really need to reduce your fructose intake.
For more information about this topic, please see this link.
Dr. Richard Johnson has written one of the best books on the market on the health dangers of fructose, called The Sugar Fix, which explains how fructose causes high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and kidney disease. As I've mentioned previously, he does promote the use of artificial sweeteners in this book, which I cannot recommend. His research on fructose, however, is unsurpassed in my opinion.
Now it's safe to say that cancer, at least pancreatic cancer, is also definitely on the list of diseases that are directly linked to excessive fructose consumption.

So are Fruits Good or Bad for You?

This recommendation has created much controversy among many who regularly consume fruit and believe this recommendation does not apply to them.
Many who eat large amounts of fruit have no symptoms, just as those with high blood pressure may not have any symptoms. However lack of symptoms is no assurance you are not exposing yourself to some danger.
Please remember that over three-quarters of the population has insulin resistance.
How do you know if you have insulin resistance? If you have any of the following conditions it is a safe bet you have it:
Diabetes

High blood pressure

Overweight

High Cholesterol

Cancer

If you have insulin resistance it would be strongly recommended to limit your total grams of fructose from fruit to below 15 grams per day (see the table below). If you believe you are very healthy and are an exception to this recommendation, then you can easily confirm if this is true for you by measuring your uric acid level.
If your uric acid level is greater than 5.5 than you have a risk factor and should limit your fructose consumption. The higher over 5.5, the stronger the risk factor is.
Keep in mind that fruits also contain fructose, although an ameliorating factor is that whole fruits also contain vitamins and other antioxidants that reduce the hazardous effects of fructose.
Juices, on the other hand, are nearly as detrimental as soda, because a glass of juice is loaded with fructose, and a lot of the antioxidants are lost.
It is important to remember that fructose alone isn't evil as fruits are certainly beneficial. But when you consume high levels of fructose it will absolutely devastate your biochemistry and physiology. Remember the AVERAGE fructose dose is 70 grams per day which exceeds the recommend limit by 300 percent.
So please BE CAREFUL with your fruit consumption. You simply MUST understand that because HFCS is so darn cheap, it is added to virtually every processed food. So even if you consumed no soda or fruit, it is very easy to exceed 25 grams of hidden fructose in your diet if you are consuming anything processed.
If you are a raw food advocate, have a pristine diet, and exercise regularly, then you could be the exception that could exceed this limit and stay healthy. But in my experience that is certainly the exception and not the norm.
So please, carefully add up your fruits based on the table below to keep the total fructose from fruit below 15 grams per day.

Fruit	Serving Size	Grams of Fructose
Limes	1 medium	0
Lemons	1 medium	0.6
Cranberries	1 cup	0.7
Passion fruit	1 medium	0.9
Prune	1 medium	1.2
Apricot	1 medium	1.3
Guava	2 medium	2.2
Date (Deglet Noor style)	1 medium	2.6
Cantaloupe	1/8 of med. melon	2.8
Raspberries	1 cup	3.0
Clementine	1 medium	3.4
Kiwifruit	1 medium	3.4
Blackberries	1 cup	3.5
Star fruit	1 medium	3.6
Cherries, sweet	10	3.8
Strawberries	1 cup	3.8
Cherries, sour	1 cup	4.0
Pineapple	1 slice (3.5" x .75")	4.0
Grapefruit, pink or red	1/2 medium	4.3

Restricting Fructose Consumption is Crucial Part of a Comprehensive Cancer Treatment Plan

Reducing (or preferably eliminating) fructose and other added sugars, as well as limiting grain carbohydrates from your diet, is usually a primary priority on my list of cancer reducing strategies, and for good reason.
This dietary strategy should also be part of your comprehensive cancer treatment plan.
By severely reducing your intake of fructose and carbs in your diet, you help stave off any potential cancer growth, and "starve" any tumors you currently have.
It also bolsters your overall immune function, because sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately.
Unfortunately, few cancer patients undergoing conventional cancer care in the US are offered any scientifically guided nutrition therapy beyond being told to "just eat healthy foods." I believe many cancer patients would see major improvement in their outcome if they controlled the supply of cancer's preferred fuel, glucose, and stayed clear of fructose to significantly reduce tumor proliferation.

Starving Cancer – Another Up-and-Coming Strategy

Before I go into further cancer prevention strategies, I'd like to remind you of another recent cancer research development I recently wrote about, namely 'starving' cancer by eating foods that prevent angiogenesis.
Angiogenesis (too many blood vessels) is a hallmark of cancer as the tumor actually needs blood in order to grow (this is how it feeds on the glucose in your bloodstream). But angiogenesis appears to be preventable by consuming foods that are natural inhibitors of excessive blood vessel growth.
When you regularly consume these foods, you can effectively starve any microscopic cancerous growths, effectively preventing them from growing further and becoming dangerous.
According to Dr. Li, who is currently leading this research, resveratrol from red grapes, for example, have been shown to inhibit abnormal angiogenesis by 60 percent. Even more potent is the ellagic acid found in strawberries.
Other potent anti-angiogenetic foods include:

Green tea	Berries: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries	Cherries
Citrus: oranges, grapefruit, lemons	Kale	Turmeric
Nutmeg	Artichokes	Parsley
Garlic	Tomato	Maitake mushroom

Logically, different foods contain different potencies of anti-angiogenetic compounds. Some foods have even been found to be more potent than current anti-angiogenetic drugs! These include parsley and garlic.
But interestingly, when researchers evaluated a combination of two of the LEAST potent teas, for example, they discovered that this combination tea had greater potency than any given tea by itself.
"There's synergy," Li states, which should come as no surprise to those of you who are well-versed in holistic nutrition.
It is this synergy that makes fresh, whole foods so potently nutritious!
The sum is far greater than the individual parts, and this is why it's far more important to focus on eating a diet of whole, organic foods, rather than obsessing about individual nutrients.

Other Cancer Prevention Strategies

Aside from avoiding fructose and other added sugars (which means cutting out not only soda and sugary beverages, but also processed foods since most are loaded with HFCS), and incorporating more anti-angiogenetic fare into your diet, here are several additional strategies you can incorporate to virtually eliminate your cancer risk:
Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. This is one of the most effective, and least expensive, cancer prevention strategies available to most people. Ideally, you'll want to monitor your vitamin D levels to make sure your levels stay within a therapeutic range year-round.

Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats.

Exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.

Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. My particular favorite tool for this purpose, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.

Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with, preferably fresh and organic.

Ideally, you'll also want to determine your nutritional type, as some veggies are better than others, depending on your type. In addition, if you are a carb nutritional type, for example, you may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than a protein nutritional type.

Maintain an ideal body weight.

Get enough high-quality sleep.

Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.

Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.

References

[i] Warburg O. On the origin of cancer cells. Science 1956 Feb;123:309-14.
[ii] Volk T, et al. pH in human tumor xenografts: effect of intravenous administration of glucose. Br J Cancer 1993 Sep;68(3):492-500
[iii] Digirolamo M. Diet and cancer: markers, prevention and treatment. New York: Plenum Press; 1994. p 203

Dr. Mercola is the founder of the world’s most visited natural health web site,Mercola.com. You can learn the hazardous side effects of OTC Remedies by getting a FREE copy of his latest special report The Dangers of Over the Counter Remedies by going to his Report Page.

Basic Nutrition Principles Take 1.

2010-08-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Todays episode is about Nutrition basics (again) and we're going to talk about some pretty basic Stuff about Nutrition.

First we’re gonna talk about Macronutrients which consist of carbohydrates, protein & fats.

1. Protein.

Let’s get down to business…

First of all, the majority of your protein must come from natural sources, (FOOD that is) not supplements! If you need to supplement in order to consume your daily protein quantity goal, do so wisely and pick a protein that comes from non - dairy sources like lean beef protein (my opinion). If you HAVE to have dairy proteins consume hydrolyzed whey isolate which is ALMOST free of lactose (no matter what the label claims). I won’t get into details why beef protein is far superior than dairy derived proteins but you should trust me on this and don’t get caught up in the hype that the big supps companies create. Just search, investigate, educate yourself and THEN make an informed decision of what you put in to your body.
Hell, I DO use protein supps, but 95% of my macronutrients come from food, got the picture?

Best Natural sources of animal and plant derived protein are Lean Beef, white fish (excellent source of omega fatty acids too), egg whites, brown rice (yes it’s a fantastic carb source but also contains fantastic but NOT complete protein too), beans, Cassius, hazelnuts, almonds and last but not least oatmeal (yes! Oatmeal). Plant proteins are not complete proteins especially for athletes and bodybuilders BUT they're very useful and if you use them smart, you won't regret it as they produce far less toxins than animal proteins. That said you should try and make a wise use of both in the quantities your body requires.
If you train like a beast (hell yeah!), I'd suggest to consume 3 - 4 Grams per/Kg of bodyweight in order to build some serious muscle. That would be roughly 300 - 400 Grams per day for a 100 Kg (220 lbs.) athlete.

Next, on to carbs (carbohydrates)

I’ll try to use as less scientific slang as possible here.

First thing of course is to pick natural unprocessed sources of carbs.

Lets go!

Oatmeal, sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice or brown pasta, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, low fructose containing fruits (but not pre contest), Potatoes, veggies. From supplements I'd suggest waxy maize starch. It's one of the finest carbs you can put in your body.

Now, carbohydrates have this thing that we geeks call GI (or Glycemic Index) which basically defines the speed with which your body absorbs that carb and the effect that carb has on your blood glucose levels.

Low Glycemic index equals slower digestion rate and thus, more longer periods of sustainable energy.

High Glycemic index means faster digestion & faster energy spikes for shorter periods of time (I know the explanation is too simple but the purpose here to KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).

Now, Low GI (55-) is contained in most Veggies & some fruits, whole grain products etc.

Medium GI (55+) Whole wheat products, sweet potatoes.

High GI (70+) white potatoes, white bread, watermelons, white rice etc.

With all the above said, the total GI of a meal is lower when we combine proteins, carbs and fats together thus, you do not need to crazy over GI.

If a white potato has a very high GI for you, then combine it with a
lean sirloin stake and 2 Tbs. of sesame oil and voila! You have a medium GI meal, cool eh? ;)

Fats

Fats are not the enemy, on the contrary, fats keep your cardiovascular system running like a fine tuned engine PLUS they help burn subcutaneous fat. The good necessary fats or as we call them, the Essential fats are usually mentioned as essential fatty acids.

Good fat sources are the omega group of fats (Omega 3-6-9) and CLA. The best natural sources for those fats are (drumroll):

Fish (preferably white), canola oil, olive oil, sesame oil, almonds, cassius peanuts, hazelnuts, and yes, peanut butter BUT in low quantities because if you eat 2 pounds of skippy a day you’ll find yourself rolling downhill like a bowling ball.

That’s pretty much what you need to know for the 3 basic macronutrients without going in to details.

In the next episode of me murmuring, I’m gonna tell you about the ingredients that work as transporters and help the body use all the macronutrients PLUS they are responsible for good health. These are none other than the micronutrients. “The health elements” as I like to call them. These are the Vitamins, Minerals and Trace Elements and without them all the protein in the world won’t do you any good. I’ll fill you in on those at the part of my basic nutrition principles series.

Until Next Time…

Yours in Muscle and Health..

Harry C.

Go B2B aka Back to Basics

2010-08-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

More often than not, people come asking me which piece of gym equipment is the best for that bodypart or that bodypart or for fat burning, muscle building etc.
When I tell them that they should focus on basic, free weight movements no matter what their goal is (bodybuilding, fat loss, or fitness) they kinda freaking out (Not so easy as a magic machine eh?).

People must realize that training with free weights builds more muscle, burns more calories and fat, strengthens the surrounding muscle groups thus, creates balanced strength and physiques.

Now, depending on the goal the things that vary are nutrition, cardio and supplementation. That's why you see fitness or bikini contestants train their butts off with free weights and still be feminine and sexy, small and tight like the judges want. They train different only in the fact that they implement more cardio in their routines year round whereas a bodybuilder does less cardio and of course tries to train heavier and eats like a horse ;) If you don't believe me go check out some videos from Ava Cowan of Gaspari Nutrition or Marzia Prince from Gaspari or every other figure and bikini pro out there.

The nutrition part is that the more calories you consume the bigger you get period! Of course depending on the KIND of calories you consume and the amount of training you'll end up bigger in fat or bigger in muscle... The choice is yours!
Eat lots of good, clean calories, train insane and you'll get muscularly big, go the other way and you'll learn how it feels not to be able to see your weenie :).

So, to sum this up...
Training hard with free weights is -in my opinion- mandatory from beginner level in order to build a solid foundation and help boost one's metabolism - by the way, weight training is far superior for fat burning than cardio-.
Then, depending on your goals, you should adjust your nutrition, supplementation and cardio accordingly. The best muscle building, fat burning strength building exercises are: (drum roll)
The flat footed olympic style FULL squat, the almighty Deadlift (for the lower back), military presses for cannonball delts, Bench presses and Incline Bench Presses for the Pecs (Chest), Bent Over barbell rows and Pull Ups for the Upper Back, Standing Barbell Curls for biceps and close Grip bench presses for triceps. For your calves I'd suggest to find a way to do donkey calf raises (I'll explain this magnificent calf exercise along with others in another episode). Abdominal training is in my opinion unnecessary (WHAT?) IF you bust your ass with squats and the works because abs are getting more than sufficient stimuli when you're busting your ass under a loaded bar.

Now you'll think that I claim machines are useless. FAR FROM IT. You must incorporate PROPER fitness equipment in your training BUT the core of your routine should be basic, multijoint movements because they give you the best bang for your buck.

Until Next time...

Stay Focused!

A Different Approach...

2010-08-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

As a Personal Trainer and a lifetime dedicated bodybuilder myself I see hear things everyday that make my eyes pop out gasping @ the lack of education and the myths that wandering around in Gyms the TV and the Internet.

The Goal I've set for this blog is to bust as many myths as possible and educate people based on scientific background and personal experience about, Fitness, Bodybuilding, Nutrition and everything these terms represent...

UNCENSORED I might add :) Meaning we'll be talking about AAS and naming names.

Even if one person gets educated with the info in my posts and my colleagues posts, then this blog will be a success!

Any posts that give to the common knowledge base and have proper manners and no criticism are welcomed in this blog...

I hope and dream to help even one of you with I have to share along with what other experts of our community have to share...

Yours in Fitness...

Harry C.