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Becoming Conan: the Jason Mamoa workout

2011-11-12T03:03:00.000-08:00

Jason Momoa, star of the new Conan The Barbarian, built his medieval body with high-rep lifts and a super-strict diet. To build the body of a barbarian Jason had to train like a beast.

He may be reprising the role that first propelled Arnold Schwarzenegger to international stardom but actor Jason Momoa isn’t your stereotypical tough guy. In fact, he’s not even watched the classic 1982 fantasy film than began Arnie’s career. ‘No, I haven’t seen the original,’ he says. ‘Both my parents were painters in Iowa. I grew into this big action guy but I still feel like an artist.’

Not that anybody would know from looking at him. As the lead in Conan The Barbarian, a new movie take on the Robert E Howard character, Momoa is the perfect barbarian. His 1.93m frame is packed with over 100kg of lean, hard muscle.

For his larger-than-life role as Conan, Momoa worked with personal trainerEric Laciste, who has trained clients at Los Angeles’s 87eleven gym for more than a decade. It’s the facility that helped to get stuntmen ripped for action movies such as 300 and Fight Club.

As such, it’s about as far away from a typical commercial gym as you can get. ‘It’s this huge warehouse and just a bunch of fucking bad-asses crushing weights,’ says Momoa, who gained about 9kg of pure muscle during his time with Laciste, a feat all the more impressive considering he had already built an intimidating physique to play the warlord Khal Drogo in HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Lean times
Laciste’s plan was designed to allow Momoa to get stronger while staying lean. To achieve this the star trained six days a week, sometimes twice a day, using Laciste’s AR7 programme, which is built on high-rep sets and active rest (see how to achieve similar results below).

‘We worked out six hours a day,’ says Momoa. ‘It was pretty intense. I’d never trained at that level before, but it was really cool to transform my body.’ To support his workouts, he adopted a super-high-protein diet, eating boiled chicken breasts regularly at two-hour intervals. Momoa quickly fell into the routine. ‘At a certain point, you become a robot,’ he says. ‘It just became fuel.’

He definitely needed the extra muscle. Momoa did just about all his own stunts in Conan, most while carrying around as much as 18kg of gear. He broke a rib on the set and was nearly trampled to death during one scene. ‘I got bucked off a horse and almost died,’ he says. ‘I slid down his neck, and he went over my head. His ass almost crushed me.’

Next year Momoa will share the screen with Sylvester Stallone in the crime thriller Bullet To The Head. ‘I’m just a kid from Iowa, and now I’m playing Conan The Barbarian and fighting fucking Rocky!’ he says. ‘It’s a trip.'

Building Conan
To get in warrior shape for his role as Conan, Momoa used the AR7programme built around high reps and active rest, which had him holding the bar between sets. He completed 110 reps of each exercise, 330 reps in total, in about 30 minutes. Here’s a sample of what his leg workout looked like.

Exercises
Deadlift
Squat
Bodyweight jump squat

How you do it
For the deadlift and squat, select a weight that’s roughly 60 per cent of your one-rep max. Complete a set of seven reps on the deadlift, then rest while holding the bar for seven seconds before doing seven more reps. Rest seven more seconds, and so on. Then move to six-rep sets, then five-rep sets. Then move to the next exercise and repeat.

Session 1 Sets 7 Reps 7
Rest 7sec after each set, 90sec after completing all seven sets
Session 2 Sets 6 Reps 6
Rest 6sec after each set, 60sec after completing all six sets
Session 3 Sets 5 Reps 5
Rest 5sec after each set

TOP 10: Healthy drinks to help you loose weight

2011-11-12T02:48:00.000-08:00

When it comes to weight loss, substituting healthy drinks for those sugary sodas and energy drinks can have a drastic effect on your weight loss goals. Most people don’t realize how many calories they take in each day from drinks alone. For instance, a caffe mocha with all the fixings can pack in over 500 calories! So as you can see, switching to healthier drinks and ditching the “junk drinks” will greatly reduce your daily caloric intake and in return start shredding those unwanted pounds. Check out this list of the top 10 healthy drinks that can help you reach your weight loss goals…

Vegetable Juice
Vegetable juice is every bit as nutritious as fruit juice but with about half the calories. Most vegetable juices are also rich in fiber which can help make you feel full and in turn eat less.

Fruit Smoothies

Mix-up a delicious batch of smoothies using your favorite fruits and a little bit of skim milk. Do not consume smoothies with added sugar, whipped cream, honey, or other sweeteners that can add hundreds of calories – in other words, don’t eat smoothies from your favorite local restaurant or ice-cream shop and think that you’re eating healthy because you’re not!

Fruit Juice

Fruit juices have loads of vitamins and nutrients, but it’s important to make sure that there’s no added sugar…sorry Sunny D and Tang! Also remember that the pulpier, the better. Fruit juice with lots of pulp contains added fiber that can help you feel more full and eat less.

Black Coffee

Coffee has plenty of positive health benefits and best of all, it contains no calories! Black coffee is rich in antioxidants that can help boost your mood, improve concentration, reduce the risk of diabetes and cancer, as well as many other benefits. Keep you coffee consumption at 4 cups or less per day – as with anything, moderation is the key.

Green Tea

Like coffee, green tea has a plethora of positive health benefits and contains plenty of helpful antioxidants. It also helps to boost your metabolism if consumed on a daily basis, which can help to speed up your body’s fat-burning mechanism – as much as a 40% increase in some cases!

Milk

The calcium in Low-fat or skim milk can help contribute to the breakdown of fat cells in your body. Too much milk, though, can pack on the pounds because it does contain a lot of calories, so stick to 3-4 small servings per day in order to benefit from milk’s weight loss benefits.

Protein Drinks

Protein drinks, such as from powders or pre-mixed varieties, can have a great effect on your weight loss regiment, because lean muscle is very efficient at burning fat. In other words, the more muscle you have, the more fat your body will burn. Protein is a big part of this equation, because it’s the building block of muscle growth.

Fiber Drinks

There’s many fiber-rich drinks on the market today, and they can be a great tool for any weight loss program. Fiber helps to make your body feel full, and it also has plenty of other positive health benefits as well.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Sounds a little gross, and it may be too gross for some people to try, but apple cider vinegar is a sort-of “old school” health drink that was very popular in the ’70s as a weight loss tool. Although there aren’t any scientific studies that actually prove it works, many fitness gurus swear by it, saying that it greatly boosts your metabolism if taken regularly…Hey, it’s worth a try!

Ice Water

Probably the most powerful weight loss tool at your disposal, and also the cheapest, is plain old ice water (who’d a thunk!). Drinking plenty of water is great for your body because it helps you feel full, boosts your metabolism, and it contains zero calories. Furthermore, some studies suggest that drinking just two extra glasses of ice water per day can help boost your metabolism by as much as 30%. This equates to about 5 pounds of fat loss per year!

Henry Cavill - superman workout routine

2011-10-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

Henry Cavill will be starring as Superman in the next film, Superman: Man of Steel. It is following the trend of Batman and Spiderman as yet another prequel movie telling the story of the early years, much in the way of Smallville.

He actually spent 5 months training intensively with cardiovascular workouts, bodyweight training and a lot of mixed martial arts training (MMA) which really amounts to a low of old school fitness training and boxing workouts. For a while he was working out 7 hours a day with this type of exercise. This really set him up well for the Superman training workouts which followed.

The weight training for this role sees him lifting weights for 2-3 hours a day. His workouts involve cycling through various different weight training exercises throughout that week to encourage all of his muscles to grow. Henry actually was already bulking up during the preparation for Immortals which was also produced by the 300 team.

The 300 workout, which Cavill may or may not have done, uses a type of training called circuit training.
Circuit training, in the simplest sense, is grouping together a bundle of challenging movements that work the entire body into a circuit. An exerciser would complete one movement, then move on to the next, and so on and so on until the circuit is complete. This circuit can then be redone a number of times, depending on how challenging a workout the exerciser wants.

In my own experience, I have found circuit training to be very effective and at the same time, very time-saving. An example of a challenging fat-loss based circuit, in my opinion, would choose an exercise for each major area of the body, and use those to circuit train.

So here's a list of common exercises:
Front Squat
Back Squat
Deadlift
Sprint
Lunge
Burpee
Bench Press
Cable Chest Press
Push Up
Shoulder Press
Dip
Row variations
Inverse Row
Pull up

From this list, I would make sure I understood proper form and could complete the movement safely, and then choose one exercise for each major muscle group. A very simple circuit could be sprints, pull ups and push ups. I would set a time or rep count (reps are harder with sprints), and complete the workout.

30 second sprint
30 seconds of pull ups
30 seconds of push ups
Repeat 5-8 times

This is just an example; there are plenty of other challenging combinations that could be useful. Remember, the most important thing when it comes to the Henry Cavill workout and every workout in general is form! Learn to do the exercise before you actually do it!

Joe Manganiello Workout and Diet Tips

2011-10-21T05:02:00.000-07:00

Joe Manganiello is a new addition to the third season of True Blood. Manganiello, who plays the werewolf Alcide Herveaux, had to get ripped for his shirtless scenes to stay on par with Anna Paquin and Ryan Kwanten. Fortunately for him – thanks to his naturally muscular body and already-healthy diet, this was (relatively) easier than for most people.

Joe Manganiello Workout
When he started preparing for his True Blood role, Joe Manganiello weighed 240 pounds with 18% body fat. Therefore for him, ” it was about becoming more defined and cutting up the mass [he] already had,” said Manganiello in the August 2010 of Men’s Fitness. He worked out 6 days a week, twice a day! That’s twelve workouts a week!

For three of the days, he used a workout routine created by his physical trainer, Ron Matthews (who helped trained Hugh Jackman for X-Men, which is similar to Jackman’s Wolverine Workout), twice a day, three times per week. Manganiello also trained on his own three more times per week. He’d do his cardio in the mornings, and his strength training in the afternoon.

Here are some of Joe Manganiello’s workout tips, he revealed to the New York Post.

ARMS
To build those werewolf arms, Joe Manganiello worked his biceps and triceps from every angle and direction possible to stimulate different muscle fibers with each exercise.

In addition, instead of focusing on the middle of the muscle, which makes the arms bulky, he focused on the ends of the muscles to create separation and definition in his arm muscles.

TCW says: Alternate your curls with incline curls, standing curls, and decline curls. Each of these emphasize different portions of your biceps. For even more variety change your grip betweenstandard grip, hammer grip, offset-pinky grip (pinky is in contact with the head of dumbbell), and offset-thumb grip.

SHOULDERS
For shoulders, Manganiello used drop sets (or strip sets) in which he’d start off with heavyweights and do as many reps as possible. Then he’d lower the weight and do maximum reps. He would repeat this until he couldn’t do anymore.

CHEST
Manganiello liked supersets for his chest workout, which he paired with his biceps. With supersets, he could continue working out a second muscle group while resting a first muscle group. Not only does this cut your time in the gym, but it also leads to maximum fat burning. “Your heart rate isn’t resting at all. So after about 20 minutes, it feels like you’re doing sprints. It’s hands-on-your-knees, sweat-dripping-off-your-nose, can’t-catch-your-breath crazy,” says Matthews.

ABDOMINALS
Although Manganiello had a lot of muscle to start, he was lacking in the oblique and lower abdominal area. So Matthews had Manganiello doing a lot of twisting motion and hanging legraises to work on his abs.

From fab to fat

2011-10-21T04:21:00.000-07:00

Personal fitness trainer Drew Manning is making headlines for his unusual mission to go “from fit, to fat on purpose and in his six-month journey back to fitness, to show others how they can get fit. He has gained more than 70 pounds since his May 17, 2011 start date. In the video above he outlined his plans to post weekly video and blog updates on his progress, including his weekly weigh-ins, body measurements and photos as well as making note of how he is feeling.

He has gained the weight and returns to the losing phase, he plans to document as well, to give people the knowledge of what to eat and why and how and when to workout. Again, he will post blog entries so people can track his progress including his weight-ins, pictures and how he is feeling.

Drew Manning says that he wants to give people hope and inspire them by showing them it is possible to get in shape with the proper diet and nutrition and exercise routine.

His official Web site is Fit2Fat2Fit, and he also has an official Facebook page and a YouTube channel where he has posted numerous videos.

He said he had a lifelong passion for fitness and played sports and thus had no personal understanding of what it is like to be overweight. The journey will help him understand how hard it is both physically and emotionally.

His starting weight on May 17 was 193 pounds; his height is 6’2″ and that gives him a starting BMI of 24.8, within the normal range. In the video, he ends by consuming a plateful of doughnuts as his first step on the journey to becoming obese.

As of week 23, he was up to 263.4 pounds on his October 15, 2011 weigh-in, with a waist measurement of 47.5, and a BMI of 34 which puts him in the obese category.Click here to see the picture. You can see the week 23 video below.

Kellan Lutz's secret to getting a muscular body - 16 eggs a day

2011-10-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Twilight actor Kellan Lutz managed to pack on 25lbs of lean muscle to play the role of a Greek god in his upcoming movie.

The actor, seen here posing shirtless on the cover of the U.S. Men's Fitness magazine, piled on the weight to tip the scales at 220lbs - thanks to a high-protein diet and a rigorous workout regime.

Sharing his fitness tips with the publication, Lutz said he would eat 16 eggs a day in the lead-up to shooting and do insane outdoor exercise, that included throwing huge rocks around and doing countless push-ups

But Kellan insists he is no gym junkie despite his punishing fitness routine. In a behind-the-scenes video of the shoot for Men's Fitness, the 26-year-old actor says he likes to make up his workouts as he goes along. 'I don't really like the gym. I like to fool my body,' he said, referring to his spontaneous outdoor workout regimes. 'I run around the beach and then there's scaffolding so I can just do different pulls-ups there.'

'We did these [UFC fighter] Bas Rutten tapes, where it’s like, "OK, shadowbox! Defense! Shadowbox! Drop to the ground!" Within 30 minutes, you’re dripping. And it’s Africa. So it’s hot as balls out there. We pushed each other to be the best we could be.' While still maintaining a beefy physique, 6ft1 Lutz shed a few pounds of muscle for his Men's Fitness cover, weight in at 195lbs compared to his 220lbs peak.

(bron: The Daily Mail / Men's Fitness)

Surfing workout

2011-09-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

As summer rolls in, many people look forward to new sport and leisure activities. Surfing is one such of these summer endeavors that people tend to opt for. If you’re a beginner surfer however, you’ll want to tone up a little before hitting the nearest surf spot. Surfing can be very hard on the body and requires a certain level of fitness in order to be successful. As such, you’ll want to start training for a summer of surfing now in order to get the best out of your surfing time.

Surfing works all the muscles in the body. When surfing you need to work your legs, your core and your arms. In preparing for a surfing trip therefore, you’ll need to focus on building strength and endurance in these areas. Below are some great exercises for doing just that.

1.Core Strength
When it comes to riding the waves, core strength is key. If you want to build your core strength you can begin by taking some Pilates courses. These are great for learning new core strengthening exercises. If, however, you’d rather just work on your own, try to incorporate some core exercises into your regular fitness routine.

Great core strengthening exercises include the plank, squats, one legged squats, stability ball sit-ups and stability ball twists. These exercises can help build up your abs and lower back as well as improving your overall balance and agility—two very important qualities for surfing. The side plank is another great one to slip in. To add an extra challenge try it while lifting the top leg.

2.Upper Body Strength
Surfing likewise requires a good deal of upper body strength as any beginner will confess. Not only is carrying your board in and of itself a challenge sometimes, but swimming out to get to the waves can take some effort especially when you’re swimming against some pretty strong waves.

Good exercises for building arm and upper body strength include: the bench press, dips, and push-ups. To work your back muscles also add in close and wide grip pull-ups, close and wide grip seated rows, and arm pull-downs. Your shoulders too need to be buff so make sure to include some deltoid raises and military presses. For the arms, there are no substitutes for the good old fashioned bicep curls and tricep kickbacks.

3.Balance
A final, but essential aspect of surfing is working on balance. Getting up on the board is one thing but staying up for the ride is certainly another. To work on balancing use some of the above maneuvers including the side plank and one legged squats. Try also simply balancing on one leg and working with the stability ball.

Surfing is great exercise and can yield significant fitness results. However, if you’re just getting started and want to get the most out of a surf trip, you’ll want to start doing a little pre-training of your own. Don’t forget to work your lower body as well, as leg strength is also a fundamental aspect of a surfer’s success.

Bodybuilding and Tattoos

2011-09-18T00:58:00.000-07:00

People are searching for the ways of beautifying and attracting attention to their bodies and it's quite natural. We want to be noticed and show our body as we see it. There are several types of body modification and I'd like to talk about tattoos and bodybuilding. These are two forms of art which are not completely understood in modern society.

Tattooing and bodybuilding are for strong and dominant people who want to show their individuality. The understanding of "normal" in society varies and when it comes to tattoos not all people are ready to feel their meaning and real beauty. The same thing is with bodybuilding. Some people become nervous in the presence of hunks and tattooed persons as they can't comprehend such things. But the fact that more and more people get tattooed and men and women all over the world try to keep feet and bodybuilding becomes a way of life for most of them changes the situation. For example, in 1936 10 million Americans had one or several tattoos and in 2003 this number grew to 40 million. Nowadays more and more people become tattoo lovers as tattoo helps to define who they are. Tattoo may represent a special event and is done for sentimental reasons. The main thing is that people who go for bodybuilding and get tattoos are ready to stand any reaction of society and are strong enough to be individuals and feel great because they love their bodies and want to make them more attractive not hiding it under stylish clothes but showing it off. Usually a person with unique tattoo or muscled body is admired or loathed.

Woman can get elegant tattoo design and some forms of female tattooing are almost accepted by society while female bodybuilders are often ostracized for that. But the times when women were supposed to be soft and lean are behind- modern life requires strength of will and of body both from men and women.

Both tattooing and bodybuilding are connected with pain. The difference is that the pain of the tattooing doesn't last long and one should only bear the pain of the needle penetrating the skin. And building muscle requires intense muscle contractions and heavy lifting causing tearing, rebuilding and growth of the muscle fibers. The pain is regular.

Bodybuilders and tattooed persons get addicted to the chosen type of body art and once they have withstood the pain and discomfort of the process, they want to continue.

The main difference of body bodybuilding and tattooing is that the muscles can atrophy over the time if the bodybuilding isn't maintained and tattoo stays on the skin forever.

Most bodybuilders get tattooed and tattoo ink put into unique designs look great on beautiful muscled body. Both art forms require special attitude and in the case of bodybuilding lifestyle- don't forget to support the body with high quality supplements to achieve desired results and feel great. Tattooing should be done in sterile and trusted salon by professional tattoo artist. Tattoo needles should be high quality as well as all tattoo equipment.

It's great when we enjoy the beauty of our body and do our best to make it more attractive and meaningful. Tattoos and bodybuilding are popular body art forms and they can be easily combined.

The Prison Workout: A Total Body Exercise Routine

2011-09-16T04:12:00.000-07:00

Some prison inmates have nothing but a sink, a toilet, their bed, and a few square feet of space at their disposal. They need an exercise routine that can be done in a confined space without equipment. The "Prison Workout," which was nicknamed by some people who saw prisoners without access to weights doing it, is designed to develop strength, endurance, speed, agility, and balance. It also produces gains in muscle, losses in body fat, and plenty of stamina. It is a total body and cardio workout.

The Prison Workout consists of one classic exercise, the "burpee." This exercise works your chest, arms, front deltoids, thighs and abs.

The burpee is a six-count exercise:
1) Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands raised over your head. Then squat down and place your palms on the floor by your feet.
2) Kick both of your legs back so that you're in push-up position.
3) Bend your elbows and lower your body until your chest touches the floor.
4) Push yourself back up.
5) At the end of the push-up, quickly pull both knees into your chest while keeping your hands on the floor. You're jumping back into the squat position of step one.
6) Stand straight up by straightening your legs and throwing your hands in the air over your head. You're now in the position that you started in. You can make the burpee more advanced and increase the explosive power in your legs by jumping into the air as you stand up.

The Prison Workout is done in descending sets. For example, begin by doing 20 burpees without stopping. Rest 30 seconds, and then do 19 burpees without stopping. Rest 30 seconds and do 18 burpees. Continue doing descending sets until you get down to a final set of 1 burpee. That makes a total of 210 burpees.

For most people, 20 sets will be too much to start with. In that case, pick a lower number of sets like 15 or 10 or even fewer for your first workout. Then add a set every 1-2 weeks until you reach your goal. In prison, doing 20 descending sets without stopping is the minimum to be considered a "man." If you can do 25 sets, you're considered to be pretty tough, and, if you can do 30 sets, you're considered a "stud." If you're doing other exercises in addition to this workout, do your burpee workout 3 times per week on cardio days.

If some of you who've read this far are thinking to yourselves, "This Prison Workout is too easy. I'm looking for a man's workout," try one of these advanced variations of the basic burpee:
1) If you have access to pull-up bars, at step 6, jump up and do a pull-up. That will add 210 or more pull-ups to the workout.
2) Place dumbbells on the floor. Use the dumbbells as push-up bars for steps 1-5. At step 6, clean the dumbbells to your shoulders, press them overhead, and then set them back down for the next repetition. In other words, add an overhead press to each burpee. Be sure to use the solid, hexagonal dumbbells rather than the adjustable kind.

By itself, the Prison Workout will strip fat from your body, add muscle, and build stamina. Alternate it with a weight training routine, and you may be mistaken for a Greek god, or, at least, for an ex-convict.
If you can follow simple instructions, then you can build a healthy, strong body in the comfort of your own home using only bodyweight exercises.

Is chocolate good for your heart?

2011-09-16T03:33:00.000-07:00

During the past decade, several studies have reported on the potential cardiovascular benefits of chocolate. Cardiologists tended to regard the earliest such reports with a healthy degree of skepticism, since it is well-known that lifestyle choices that benefit cardiovascular health are typically supposed to be unappealing, difficult or painful. For most people, chocolate does not meet any of these criteria.
But in the intervening years, enough evidence has accumulated that most cardiologists will now admit to the potential cardiovascular benefits of chocolate.

What Is The Evidence That Chocolate Improves Heart Health?
Several studies have now documented an association between chocolate consumption and improved cardiovascular health. These generally have been observational studies, and while their conclusions are useful for developing theories, they cannot prove cause-and-effect relationships.
Nonetheless, virtually every study that has examined the issue has reported an association between chocolate consumption and cardiovascular health. Several of these studies have shown that chocolate consumption is associated with reduced blood pressure. At least one study showed that women who ate chocolate had a significantly reduced risk of developing heart failure.
Most recently, a meta-analysis of seven studies was published in the British Medical Journal, showing that chocolate consumption was associated with a 39% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke.
Again, these studies do not prove that eating chocolate directly improves cardiac health -- but they do demonstrate that there is a convincing association between the two.

What Is It About Chocolate That Is Beneficial?
Investigators theorize that it is the flavonols in chocolate that cause vascular improvement. These flavonols can make blood vessels more elastic, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce the "stickiness" of platelets and reduce blood pressure.
Dark chocolate contains more flavonols than lighter chocolate, so most of the published studies have reported on dark chocolate. However, the recent meta-analysis mentioned earlier found that chocolate in any form -- dark or light; in the form of chocolate bars, chocolate drinks or chocolate confections -- was associated with cardiovascular benefit.

How Much Chocolate Is Beneficial?
The correct "dose" of chocolate to achieve a cardiovascular benefit has not been determined. The studies that have reported a heart-health benefit from chocolate, however, generally described a range between 100 grams of chocolate per day and consuming some form of chocolate "more than once a week."
Most investigators who have studied this question have concluded that most of the benefit (if there indeed is a benefit) can be obtained by eating chocolate once or twice per week.

The Downside of Chocolate
There are several possible disadvantages to adding chocolate to your diet for the potential cardiovascular benefits. These include:
Observational studies are often misleading. Once randomized clinical trials are finally completed, it may turn out that chocolate does not actually produce much of a cardiac benefit after all.
Notably, 100 grams of chocolate equals about 500 calories. So, adding 100 grams of chocolate to your daily diet (the upper dose suggested by available studies) will cause you to gain about a pound of weight per week. Such a result does not seem like it would really be heart-healthy.
If you religiously adhere to one of those popular but mutually-exclusive dietary philosophies (that is, low fat vs. low carb), be aware that chocolate products come packed with both fat and carbohydrates. It therefore violates both of these dietary dogmas, and its consumption will reduce you to a state of dietary sin.

Batista's workout routine

2011-09-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

Batista, The Animal of WWE, is an amazing physical specimen. Standing 6'6" tall and weighing 290lbs, Dave Batista is a force to be reckoned with. Born in 1969, Batista spent 10 years training as a bodybuilder and bouncing part-time at night clubs before he found his calling as a wrestler.

The Animal's focus and dedication to his strength training routine has helped him gain significant muscle mass, in both size and definition. Batista divides his workout routine into 3 days:

Day 1: calves, thighs
Day 2: back, shoulders, traps
Day 3: chest, arms
He randomly trains his abs.

Batista workout routine is listed below. As you can see, it generally focuses on multiple sets of 10-15 reps. This type of workout is great for hypertrophy which stimulates muscle growth.

Day 1
Standing Calf Raises: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps
Seated Calf Raises: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Seated Leg Curls: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps
Lying Leg Curls: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Standing Leg Curls: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Leg Extensions: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps
Hack Squats: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Leg Presses: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps

Day 2
Front Pulldowns: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps
Rear Pulldowns: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Seated Cable Rows: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Lateral Raises: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps
Behind the Neck Presses: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Bent Laterals: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Dumbbell Shrugs: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps

Day 3
Hammer Strength Incline Machine: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps
Dumbbell Bench Presses: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Cable Crossovers: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Alternate Dumbbell Curls: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps
Preacher Curls: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Single-Arm Reverse Pushdowns: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps
Seated Machine French Curls: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Hammer Strength Forearm Machine: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps
Wrist Curls: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Reverse Wrist Curls: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
Twisting Hanging Leg Raises: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Machine Crunches: 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Top 10: Foods For Muscle Growth

2011-09-14T00:09:00.000-07:00

The weight continues: Certain foods will help you build muscular bulk

By now, most men understand the importance of protein in building muscles. When working out, the stress of weightlifting damages muscle fibres. This damage activates a special repair process that eventually forces individual muscle cells to grow. All of this growth requires loads of amino acids, the basic building blocks of life.

But the process of muscle growth requires more than just protein. Weightlifting also burns energy in the form of muscle glycogen, so your diet also needs to include a healthy serving of carbs to both replenish muscle glycogen stores and to boost insulin, a hormone that helps shuttle amino acids into the muscles.

So which foods help you build muscular bulk? We’ve decided to focus on those foods that pack the biggest protein punch. Here are the top 10 foods for muscle growth.

No.10 Quinoa
Reality check: Not all men eat meat. But without meat, how can you get that precious protein? Look no further than quinoa, a protein-packed “grain” native to South America. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is also complete, meaning that it contains all nine of the essential amino acids. This gluten-free food is also easy to digest and is high in fiber, magnesium and iron. No wonder the ancient Incas called quinoa the mother of all grains!

No.9 Almonds
Almonds are another plant-based food that is absolutely packed full of protein. Just 1/4 cup of almonds contains nearly 8 grams of protein -- that’s nearly 2 grams of protein more than your typical egg! Almonds are also an excellent source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and magnesium. Magnesium is an abundant mineral that’s used in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body and is specifically known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.

No.8 Cottage Cheese
It may sound surprising, but most serious bodybuilders include cottage cheese among their top muscle-building foods. To understand why, simply read the label of your typical low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese. Just 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese packs a whopping 14 grams of protein in only 80 calories with less than 2 grams of fat. Trust us, this one’s a winner.

No.7 Oysters
Although not the most well-known muscle-building food, oysters are another secret specialty of weightlifters and bodybuilders alike. Just 100 grams of cooked Pacific oysters yields upwards of 20 grams of protein with only 5 grams of fat. Oysters also provide more zinc than any other food. Like magnesium, zinc is another mineral that’s essential to protein synthesis, thus making oysters a top food for muscle growth.

No.6 Chocolate milk
Ever since we were young lads, men have constantly been reminded of the importance of milk to a growing body. But even as adult males, milk remains just as important. Because milk is an animal food, it provides all the essential amino acids while offering very little fat (especially skim milk).

The benefit of milk to muscles is even greater considering that it mixes so well with whey protein.

No.5 Lean ground beef
Red meats, like lean ground beef, are an excellent source of protein, so completely avoiding them because of the "red" stigma might be a mistake. Just 100 grams of lean ground beef contains upwards of 27 grams of protein!

Although such a serving also contains 11 grams of fat and around 200-plus calories, what separates beef from its other meat competitors is all the additional vitamins and minerals it contains. Beef is teeming with vitamin B12, zinc and iron -- all of which are important for muscle growth and development.

No.4 Soy
Whether served as edamame, tofu or soy milk, soy is a bean whose muscle-building benefits simply cannot be paralleled by any other plant source. As one of the few plant sources that provide complete protein, soy packs its protein in style.

Just one cup of cooked soybeans contains over 20 grams of amino acids. Soy is also stacked with other important vitamins and minerals, making this meat alternative one of the healthiest muscle-building foods around.

No.3 Eggs
Quick and easy to prepare, delicious and fun to eat, eggs are a key dietary component of any muscle-minded male. Each egg comes loaded with around 5 to 6 grams of protein at the very low caloric cost of only 60 calories. But it’s not just the amount of protein that makes eggs so special, it’s the type.

Egg protein is considered to be the most readily utilisable protein with the highest biological value of any whole food. This means that the protein in eggs is used most efficiently for muscular growth.

No.2 Chicken
What can we say about chicken that hasn’t already been said? Chicken is the staple muscle-building food. A nice, lean 100 gram slab of this white meat will fill you with a hearty serving of 31 grams of protein with only -- wait for it -- 4 grams of fat.

So, as far as protein-to-fat ratio is concerned, you’re looking at a superstar. Combine chicken’s great taste and its meal-versatility and there’s really no arguing that chicken belongs amongst the top muscle-building foods.

No.1 Fish
When it comes to building muscle, fish really crushes the competition. Take salmon, for example. Not only is salmon a protein powerhouse yielding around 25 grams of protein per 100 gram serving, but it’s also packed with so many other healthy nutrients that you’d be a fool to avoid it. Salmon is loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. It’s also an excellent source of vitamin D, a current media darling. All in all, fish, such as tuna or salmon, are simply the best.

Homework: Upper-arm exercises

2011-09-11T02:20:00.000-07:00

Exercising your arms is a very important part of any workout regime. Toned arms give you confidence at the beach or wearing a tank top and help you in your daily life due to additional strength. The great thing about working out your arms is that going to the gym is not necessary. Most arm exercises can be done at home using household objects as extra weight.

Arm Circles
To tone your triceps, biceps and shoulders, a good exercise to try is arm circles. To do these, either stand up straight or sit up straight in a chair without a back. Stretch out both arms to a 90-degree angle to your body. Open your palms and face them toward the floor. Keeping your arms as straight as possible, begin making circles in a clockwise motion. When you have done as many as you can in one direction, switch directions. Your arms will tire quickly with these exercises, so be prepared. For extra weight, hold a soup can or larger object. Do one to three sets of these per day.
Ball Toss
The ball toss is an easy and fun way to strengthen your triceps at home. Grab a small cantaloupe, medicine ball or any medium-size ball that has some weight to it. Lie flat on your back and bend your knees, keeping your feet on the floor. Then, holding the ball to your chest, push it out and throw it up in the air with your arms. Catch it and slowly bring it back down to your chest. Start with 3 reps of 4 per day and then increase in sets of 3 as time goes by.
Tricep Dip
This exercise focuses on your triceps and is a good way to exercise that area. To begin, sit on the edge of a bench or a stable chair. Place your hands on the bench or chair and extend your legs out in front of you. Move your body forward so it is not on the chair and you are being supported by your arms. Raise and lower your body, using only your arm muscles. Start with 12 to 15 per day and increase in sets of three as you gain strength.
Bicep Curls
A great way to tone is doing bicep curls. To do these, stand or sit in a chair with no back. Place your arms at your sides with your hands toward your body. Slowly bend your arms at your elbow and bring your hands to your chest. This exercise should be done with both arms at the same time. This is another great exercise to add weights to for more resistance. If you don't have additional weights, any handheld item with weight to it will work, like a bottle of water. Again, 12 per day (four sets of three) will be a good beginning with adding in sets of three as you get stronger and can do more.

Exercises that strengthen Thigh Muscles

2011-09-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

Increasing muscle mass is one of the easiest ways to burn more calories throughout the day and get rid of excess body fat. The thigh muscles are one of the largest muscle groups in the body, and focusing on strengthening these to increase muscle mass and size can help you achieve a leaner, sculpted look while burning extra weight. Some of the easiest exercises that can help increase thigh muscle size and strength include:

Lunges: Lunges challenge core muscle grops in the hips and upper thighs, and will also help you improve your posture. These exercises strengthen your lower body and can help to firm aup and tighten the inner and outer thigh areas.

Squats: Squats are another valuable exercise for challenging core muscle groups in the hips and upper thighs. Doing squats with weights will provide extra resistance for the lower body and help you increase muscle size and strength in a short period of time.

Plie sqats: A variation of the standard squat, these exercises challenge the inner thigh muscles and help build up strength in both the lower and upper thigh area.

Leg presses: Using a leg press machine can challenge large and small muscle groups in the thighs, and really target muscles that are not challenged with conventional weight-bearing routines. Learn how to use a leg press machine at the local gym to help sculpt and tone the thigh muscles with ease

Stair climbing: Using a stair climber or climbing regular stairs challenges the thighs and glutes; this can also help tone up and strengthen the inner and outer thighs, but you can get the best results when the exercise is performed in conjunction as part of an interval training segment

Stretching exercises such as Pilates or simply completing a thorough stretching routine can reduce the risk of developing bulky muscles. Stretching and breathing deeply encourages oxygen flow throughout the body and reduces the risk of muscle cramping and toxin buildup after an intensive exercise session. Stretching the thigh muscles before and after a workout is a simple way to keep the muscles looking long and lean.

8 Workout Nutrition Tips To Build Muscle

2011-09-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

1. Pre-workout nutrition should mainly include carbohydrates and proteins.
During intense training, your body depends on fuel from glycogen made from the carbohydrates that you eat. The body can't use fat for fuel during high intensity exercise because there is not enough oxygen available.

Consuming fruits, vegetables and smoothies 1-2 hours before a workout will build up your glycogen stores. When your glycogen stores are low, your performance will suffer.

2. Research has shown the effectiveness of pre-workout protein drinks (such as whey and casein).
Your muscles get 2 times as much benefit from a pre-workout protein drink compared to having just a post-workout protein drink.

3. Post-workout nutrition is important to help your body recover from intense exercise.
You don't need to eat immediately after your workout but there is a 45 minute to 1 hour window where replenishing your body's fuel (carbs, protein, fats) will optimize your tissue's repair and growth.

The post-exercise meal should consist of carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of essential fats. A drink, such as a smoothie, is good because it is quickly digestible. A ratio of 2g carbs/1g protein is what you need.

The carbs should be high glycemic, the proteins should be easily digestible (such as whey) and the fats should be from sources such as fish or flax oil.

4. Your body needs a minimum of 200 grams of carbs per day if you are a light exerciser.
You will feel tired and listless without this amount of carbs.

5. Athletes in sports that require plyometrics, speed and weight training need about 2.5 grams of daily carbs per pound of body weight.
A 180 pound athlete would need at least 450 grams of carbs each day to function properly.

6. Endurance athletes such as marathoners, swimmers, triathletes need high amounts of daily carbs. About 3.5 to 4.5 grams per pound of body weight is needed.
So, a 180 pound athlete would need 630 to 810 grams of carbs per day. These athletes sometimes use carbohydrate loading before events.

7. Protein provides the main building blocks for your muscles. Daily protein needs for athletes should be calculated according to body weight (not by percent of calories). Daily protein targets (grams per pound of body weight) are:

--Recreational exerciser, adult 0.5-0.75
--Competitive athlete, adult 0.6-0.9
--Growing teenage athlete 0.8-0.9
--Adult building muscle mass 0.7-0.9
--Maximum usable amount by adults 0.9 (your body will excrete excess protein)

For example, if you weigh 190 pounds and want a high protein intake (0.9 gms/lb), you'll need 171 grams of protein.
Protein should be eaten at least every 3-4 hours (with every meal) to insure adequate supply during the day.
Your night meal should be comprised of slowly digesting protein (such as lean meats) that will give a constant release of amino acids into your system overnight.

8. Drink daily about a half an ounce of water for every pound of body weight (180 pound person would drink 90 ounces).
Drink about a cup of water for every 15 minutes of exercise, during exercise.

Muscle Milk - the side effects and benefits

2011-09-07T01:29:00.000-07:00

Side effects
Muscle Milk is a relatively new protein product that basically has the usual side effects that many proteins have including things like diarrhea, abdominal cramps and nausea. The reason why I was first intrigued by Muscle Milk was because the producers of Muscle Milk claimed that they designed it after actual human mother's milk. This surprised me because babies often build large stores of fat that stay with them for many months after they're finished breastfeeding. Yet Muscle Milk claims the opposite, that it promotes efficient fat burning and lean muscle growth. Muscle Milk in fact has around 330 calories according to GNC and one of the Muscle Milk side effects is unwanted weight gain due to high calorie intake and not enough fat burning.

G-amine, which is one of the ingredients used in Muscle Milk has been shown to elevate levels of a compound known as homocysteine in the blood. This has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. In addition to this, people suffering from diabetes should be careful when considering Muscle Milk because of the L-Glutamate that's used in Muscle Milk, because it can have some unpredictable effects on blood sugar. Another reported Muscle Milk side effect is bloating and gas. This is because of a compound called Crystalline Fructose, which is the main ingredient in Muscle Milk. There have also been reports that one of the Muscle Milk side effects is a adverse effect on the reproductive system. I've been doing a lot of research to find out if this claim is accurate, but I haven't been able to find anything. This may be due to the fact that people often combine Cytosport, which is the powder form of Muscle Milk, with soy milk. Since soy is being shown more and more to have estrogenic effects on the body, this may be how Muscle Milk is said to effect the reproduction system negatively. You can also consider one of the many plant protein powder sources out there. Those are getting better day by day.

Benefits

Muscle Milk utilizes a number of different proteins in order to achieve their desired effect. This makes Muscle Milk a protein blend. It essentially uses whey protein and casein protein. This is because whey protein is broken down very quickly by the body and turned into amino acids, which the body can quickly use to rebuild muscle and burn fat. Casein protein is a slower acting protein, and provides a slower release of proteins into the body. This makes Muscle Milk a protein blend that's good for multiple situations, not just directly after a workout.

Even though Muscle Milk is high in calories and fats, the producers claim that the combination found in Muscle Milk is ideal for fat burning and muscle building. Even though this sounds backward, it could actually be true. The fats present in Muscle Milk are generally medium chain tryglicerides and are readily absorbed and burned by the body. In addition, Muscle Milk is high in certain amino acids that promote fat burning. Carnitine in particular is involved in transporting fats directly into the mitochondria of the cell, which is the cell's power plant responsible for generating energy. So having a nice balance of Carnitine and healthy fats can actually give a person quite a boost in energy. Still, if you're taking Muscle Milk and are experiencing unwanted fat gains as a side effect, you might want to discontinue use and go with a different protein powder. Muscle Milk is formulated specifically with fat burning and lean muscle building in mind, but it reacts differently with different body types and metabolisms, so you should definitely figure out how it affects you personally.

I also think that Muscle Milk is interesting because of its nutritional content. Muscle Milk contains high concentrations of both Vitamin A and Vitamin D. In fact, Muscle Milk contains the bovine, or cow, equivalent of a compound known as Colostrum, which is a compound found just after birth. As you can imagine, Colostrum is very nutritious and contains antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids. This is the part that really makes Muscle Milk different from other proteins. This is also what makes Muscle Milk not generally a post workout protein. It will definitely work post workout, and you'll see some nice gains, but many people take Muscle Milk before a workout as well. The product manufacturers recommend that "For Best Results" a person should take Muscle Milk after waking up, before a workout, after a workout, and before bed. But who wants to drink a protein shake 4 times a day? What that really says to me is that it really doesn't matter when you take Muscle Milk.

4 steps to developing a muscular back

2011-09-07T01:11:00.000-07:00

If you want to appear as wide, thick and powerful as you possibly can, nothing will allow you to achieve this goal faster than a well developed back.

In fact, 70% of your upper body muscle mass resides in this area! Nothing can replace the upper body thickening effect of big, bulging lats and a set of wide, tall trapezius muscles.

There are 4 major movements that you must perform to properly develop your back:

1. Deadlifts
I cannot possibly stress the importance of this lift enough. There is not a single exercise out there that can even come close to matching the effectiveness of a basic, bent-legged barbell deadlift.

The deadlift will work you from finger to neck to toe and is irreplaceable in developing strong, thick back muscles. The deadlift will stimulate growth throughout the entire back complex and should be the cornerstone of your routine.

2. A vertical pulling movement
These exercises mainly target the lat muscles and will help you to attain that wide, v-tapered look from behind. Examples of vertical pulling movements are chin-ups (overhand or underhand), lat pulldowns and v-bar pulldowns.

To get the most bang for your buck I recommend a basic overhand chin-up. This is the bread and butter of vertical pulling movements and will stimulate growth in the lats like no other exercise.

3. A horizontal pulling movement
Otherwise referred to as “rows”, horizontal pulling movements place their emphasis on the upper/middle portion of the back and also stimulate the lats. There are a ton of different rowing movements to choose from: bent over barbell rows, dumbbell rows, seated machine rows and cable rows just to name a few.

For maximum results, stick to a basic freeweight rowing movement. I usually recommend bent over barbell rows, but bent over dumbbell rows are an acceptable choice as well.

4. A shrugging movement
While not quite as important as the above mentioned lifts, a shrugging movement should still be performed at the end of the workout to target the upper traps and develop that mountainous, diamond-shaped look from behind. A basic barbell or dumbbell shrug will do the trick.

The routine
The following routine is ideal for optimal gains in back size en strength:

Deadlifts – 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Overhand Chin-Ups – 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Bent Over Barbell Rows – 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Barbell Shrugs – 2 Sets of 10 to 12 reps

It may not seem like a lot, but as long as you take every set to muscular failure and focus on quality rather than quantity, this routine provides more than enough stimulation for maximum back growth.

Make sure to keep a written record of every workout that you perform, and focus each week on increasing either the weight that you lift or the number of reps that you perform within the given rep range. Perform this workout once per week with full effort.

Back Anatomy

2011-09-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

Your back is made up of several muscles and it's function is to add support, strength and flexibility to the spine. The major muscles are:

The Trapezius or 'Traps' as they're commonly known, connects from the top of your neck and spans across the back of your shoulders and down in a kite shape to midway down your back. This muscle is the largest of your back muscles and is trained by using back exercises which involve elevating the shoulders such as barbell shrugs. The traps are often the most neglected muscle group in weight training due to the limited range of traps exercises. If you want a strong powerful back though, training the traps is a must.

The Latissimus Dorsi or 'Lats'. is the number one back muscle that most strive to build as it's responsible for developing the classic 'v-shaped' look and adds masses of width to the upper body. The lats span from the rear of the shoulder joint and stretch down each side of the back and are trained through pull movements such as the lat pulldowns and bent over rows. .

The Erector Spinae aka the 'lower back'. These muscles are situated down the sides of the spine at the base of the back and are worked through lower back exercises such as hyperextensions and back extensions.

Prevent Muscle Cramps

2011-09-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone who works out regularly will probably experience muscle cramps at some point. Not only are they painful, but they can actually make your workouts less effective and often force you to cut your exercise time short. Besides drinking plenty of water (which you should be doing even if cramps aren’t a problem for you) here are a few ways you can make sure that muscle cramps don’t harm your fitness plan:

Stretch

We all lead busy lives, so it can sometimes be tempting to jump into your workout at a hundred miles an hour, but diving right into lifting heavy weights or sprinting can overheat your muscles.

Eat More Sodium

This isn’t usually a problem because most people actually get much more sodium than they need, but if you follow a strict diet there is a chance you don’t have enough sodium in your system. Sodium holds water in your body, and when you don’t have enough it can lead to muscle dehydration making them cramp more easily.

Ease into a Workout Program

Muscle cramps might also be caused by trying to do too much too fast in a new workout program. This can even happen to experienced exercisers if they start a new unfamiliar exercise routine. For example, if you are used to doing cardio and want to give plyometrics a try, don’t expect to jump like Kobe on your first try. Take it easy it first, and build gradually over time.

A daily guide: How to boost metabolism

2011-09-02T02:01:00.000-07:00

DO – Get Enough Sleep

The subject of sleep engenders much debate, but sleep experts all agree that from kids to adults, Americans don’t get enough of it. Reasons range from the availability of evening light sources to general over-commitments in life, none of which are going to change. But sleep is the lynch-pin if you want to boost your metabolism. In one study on chronic sleep deprivation, participants experienced metabolic changes akin to advanced aging, with symptoms such as reduced glucose tolerance, an increase in blood cortisol, and alterations in thyroid hormone levels. Some tips for getting enough sleep include:
- Turning off all electronics 30 minutes before bed
- Avoid consuming alcohol before bed
- Dedicate your bedroom to sleep; no television or games
- Eliminate light sources from the bedroom, especially blue light

DON’T Skip Breakfast

Although it seems counter-intuitive, research has shown time and again that eating breakfast leads to greater success with weight loss. During sleep, the body’s metabolism slows down as your recuperate from the rigors of daily life. Breaking your nightly fast with a healthy breakfast, ramps up your metabolism and primes the body for the rigors of the upcoming day. Aim for a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates, both of which take longer to digest than fats and sugars. In the battle to learn how to resist food cravings, this approach smooths out insulin response and provides a steady supply of fuel to start the day.

DO Eat Plenty Of Protein

The subject of high protein diets conjures images of a high fat diet, but the two need not necessarily go hand in hand. Unlike fat, protein has the same calorie content per gram carbohydrates, but the complex chemical structure takes longer to digest, which provides a steady fuel supply throughout the day. Having plenty of protein available for rebuilding muscle after exertion is also key to increasing lean muscle mass; another key in the battle for learning how to boost metabolism. To be successful, aim to meet between 10-35% of your daily calorie needs from high quality, lean protein. If you’re looking for alternatives to chicken and salmon, try arctic char, venison, bluegill, or even lamb. Frequent travelers should look over this list of healthy fast food choices, and plan accordingly when on the road.

DON’T Skip Meals

When you’re striving for weight loss, its easy to fall into the trap of severely restricting calories. Unfortunately, depriving the body of the calories necessary to function puts it into preservation mode, thereby slowing metabolism. To effectively boost metabolism, one must provide a steady stream of nutrition to the body. Not an excess of calories, but a steady supply of high quality nutrition. To keep your metabolism operating at peak efficiency, smooths out spikes in insulin, and allay hunger, seek out a calorie counter to estimate your daily caloric requirement allocate those calories over 5-6 small meals each day.

DO Strength Train

Strength training, whether its with body weight alone, or with weights, offers the potential to burn fat and build muscle simultaneously. It seems intuitive that younger adults have a faster metabolism than their older counterparts. Science supports that perception, which is attributed primarily to the loss of lean muscle mass that happens with age. A degenerative condition known as sarcopenia is responsible for a steady loss in muscle mass, at a rate of 0.5-1% per year. The condition starts around age 25, and in the absence of intervention, will affect nearly everyone. By age 50, the process begins accelerating rapidly, eventually leading to muscle wasting. Fortunately, studies have repeatedly shown that strength training can reverse this condition, so the incorporation of a regular strength training regimen into your workout routine is a key to tackling the problem of boosting your metabolism. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, building muscle not only helps boost metabolism, it also reduces the risk of of injuries resulting from muscle loss later in life. To make the most of time at the gym, learn what to eat after a workout to fuel muscle growth.

DON’T Go For Marathon Training Sessions

To speed up your metabolism for weight loss, make a HIIT workout part of your training regimen. Instead of spending 2-3 hours a day at the gym, break your workouts up into shorter sessions of high intensity. Studies show that the body continues to run at an elevated pace for several hours after a workout. By spreading out your workouts over a longer time frame, you’ll allow the your body to consume more calories over the course of the day.
With just a handful of tweaks to your daily routine, its possible to speed up metabolism for weight loss. Couple this with a handful of metabolism boosters, and between the two you’ll speed up your metabolism naturally. By optimizing the body’s processes for weight loss, you’ll reach your goals far more quickly.Euroclix

Top 10 Worst Food Additives

2011-09-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

There was a time when “fruit flavored” and “cheese flavored” meant “made with real fruit” and “made with real cheese.” Today? It’s artificial everything. Most of the food at your local supermarket is no more authentic than Snooki’s tan. Our fruit comes packaged in Loops, our cheese delivered via Whiz. Sure, it’s edible, but there’s no way your great grandparents would recognize this junk as food.
The problem with additives runs deep. The FDA currently maintains a list of ingredients called Everything Added to Food in the United States (EAFUS), which features more than 3,000 items and counting. Thankfully, most EAFUS ingredients are benign, but a few of them do have potentially harmful effects. Why they’re legal is a mystery to us. Some of them might be backed by powerful lobby groups, while others probably survive simply because some guy at the FDA has too much paperwork on his desk and hasn’t made time to adequately review the data.
Below are 10 of the most dubious ingredients hiding in your food, compliments of Eat This, Not That! 2011. Even if you’re not convinced of their danger, you have to admit this: The more filler ingredients you cut from your diet, the more space you have for wholesome, nutritious foods.

Scary Ingredient #1: Olestra
A fat substitute synthesized by Procter & Gamble. Because human digestive enzymes can’t break down the big molecules, Olestra contributes 0 calories to your diet.
Why it’s scary: In the late ’90s, Frito-Lay released Olestra-enhanced WOW chips and Procter & Gamble introduced Fat Free Pringles. Both products were required to carry warning labels to notify customers about the risk of “loose stools.” Within 4 years, some 15,000 people had dialed in to a hotline set up specifically to handle adverse-reaction complaints. Apparently the complaints didn’t move the FDA, because in 2003, the administration revoked the warning-label mandate. If you want to take your chances with diarrhea, go ahead, but first consider this: Olestra also appears to interfere with the body’s ability to absorb some crucial nutrients like beta-carotene and lycopene. To counteract the effect, processers add some nutrients back, but it’s unlikely that all the blocked nutrients are adequetly replaced.
Furthermore, just last week I tweeted that an animal study at Purdue University found that fake fats like Olestra may cause more weight gain than real fat.
Where you’ll find it: Lay’s Light chips, Pringles Light chips

Scary Ingredient #2: Caramel Coloring
An artificial pigment created by heating sugars. Frequently, this process includes ammonia.
Why it’s scary: Caramel coloring shows up in everything from soft drinks and sauces to breads and pastries. When made from straight sugar, it’s relatively benign. But when produced with ammonia it puts off 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, chemicals that have been linked to cancer in mice. The risk is strong enough that the California government, a bellwether for better food regulation, categorized 4-methylimidazole as “known to cause cancer” earlier this year. Unfortunately, companies aren’t required to disclose whether their coloring is made with ammonia, so you’d be wise to avoid it as much as you can.
Where you’ll find it: Colas and other soft drinks, La Choy soy sauce, Stove Top stuffing mix

Scary Ingredient #3: Saccharin
An artificial sweetener discovered by accident in the 1870s.
Why it’s scary: Studies have linked saccharin to bladder tumors in rats, and in 1977, the FDA required warning labels on all saccharin-containing foods. In 2000, the agency changed its stance and allowed saccharin to be sold without warning labels. But that doesn’t make it entirely safe. A 2008 Purdue study found that replacing sugar with saccharin in rats’ diets made them gain more weight, proving once again that you should be aware of these faux fat foes.
Where you’ll find it: Sweet ‘N Low, TaB cola

Scary Ingredient #4: Potassium Bromate
A compound that conditions flour and helps bread puff up during baking.
Why it’s scary: Potassium bromate causes thyroid and kidney tumors in rats, and it’s banned from food use in many countries. In California, products containing potassium bromate are required to carry a cancer warning. Fortunately, negative publicity has made the additive relatively rare, but until the FDA banishes it, you should remain on the lookout.
Where you’ll find it: Johnny Rockets Hoagie Roll

Scary Ingredient #5: Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
Petroleum-derived antioxidants and preservatives.
Why they’re scary: The Department of Health and Human Services says BHA is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen,” yet the FDA allows it to be used anyway. BHT is considered less dangerous, but in animal research, it too has resulted in cancer. Oddly, the chemicals aren’t even always necessary; in most cases they can be replaced with vitamin E.
Where you’ll find it: Goya lard, Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Orbit gum

Scary Ingredient #6: Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
A semi-solid fat created when food processors force hydrogen into unsaturated fatty acids.
Why it’s scary: Partially hydrogenated fats are the principle sources of trans fat in the American diet, and a Harvard study estimated that trans fat causes 70,000 heart attacks every year. The good news: Partially hydrogenated oils are beginning to slowly retreat from our food. Progressive jurisdictions like New York City are starting to restrict the allowable amounts in restaurants, and many chains are switching to healthier frying oil. Still, the battle isn’t over. At Long John Silver’s, for example, there are still 17 menu items with more than 2 grams of the stuff. According to the American Heart Association, that’s about the maximum you should consume in a single day.
Where you’ll find it: McDonald’s McChicken, Long John Silver’s Broccoli Cheese Soup

Scary Ingredient #7: Sulfites
Preservatives that maintain the color of food, and by releasing sulfur dioxide, prevent bacterial growth.
Why it’s scary: Humans have used sulfites to keep food fresh for thousands of years, but some people—especially asthma sufferers—experience breathing difficulties when exposed. In the 1980s, unregulated use resulted in at least a dozen deaths, prompting the FDA to slap warning labels on wine bottles and develop new guidelines for proper use. Now restaurants can no longer soak fresh ingredients in sulfites. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, there have been no known deaths since the new legislation took hold. The bottom line: If you’re among the majority of people not sensitive to sulfites, consumption won’t hurt you. If you’re not sure, ask your doctor for a test.
Where you’ll find it: Wine, Sun-Maid Mixed Fruit, Jolly Ranchers, Fig Newtons

Scary Ingredient #8: Azodicarbonamide
A synthetic yellow-orange dough conditioner
Why it’s scary: This chemical is used most frequently in the production of industrial foam plastic, and although the FDA has approved its use for food in the States, the United Kingdom has labeled it a potential cause of asthma. In a review of 47 studies on azodicarbonamide, the World Health Organization concluded that it probably does trigger asthmatic symptoms. The WHO concluded, “exposure levels should be reduced as much as possible.” I’ll put it more concisely: Avoid it.
Where you’ll find it: Dunkin’ Donuts bagels, McDonald’s burger buns

Scary Ingredient #9: Carrageenan
A thickener and emulsifier extracted from seaweed.
Why it’s scary: Seaweed is actually good for you, but carrageenan is a mere seaweed byproduct. Through animal studies, it has been linked to cancer, colon trouble, and ulcers. It isn’t certain that carrageenan harms humans, but avoiding it is clearly the safer option. Most studies examined degraded forms of the additive, and research from the University of Iowa found that carrageenan could be degraded through the normal digestive process.
Where you’ll find it: Weight Watchers Giant Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Bars, Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches, Creamsicles

Scary Ingredient #10: Ammonium Sulfate
An inorganic salt that occurs naturally near active volcanoes and is used commercially to nourish yeast and help bread rise.
Why it’s scary: This nitrogen-rich compound is most often used as fertilizer, and also appears commonly in flame retardants. Thankfully, the ingredient only sounds scary—a 2006 Japanese rat study found the additive to be non-carcinogenic. Both the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the FDA deem it safe.
Where you’ll find it: Nature’s Own bread, Subway rolls

source: By David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding

5 qualities to search for in a workout partner

2011-08-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

A training partner can be a great propelling factor to proceeding exercise. Whether you are a runner or exercise in a gymnasium, knowing that mortal else will be in that location waitressing for you can be a great inducement when you exactly can't seem to get moving. Here are a couple of qualities to look for in the perfect physical exertion partner.

* Similar schedule - A good workout partner must be available to workout at your selected time. Always struggling to meet up for a workout is just another barrier to getting to the gym. It's far simpler to try to find someone whose schedule fits yours.
* Reliability - It goes without saying that reliability is essential in a workout partner. Someone who misses more workouts than you will not exactly be a great motivator to get out the door.
* Personality - The perfect partner for the mild-mannered cubicle dweller may not be the clown pants wearing, do rag loving, obscenity screaming, muscle guy. Try to find someone who matches you workout style, whatever that may be...unless your workout style is 5 minutes of reading a magazine while sitting on the recumbant bike followed by a trip to Cold Stone Creamery to reward yourself. If that is the case, maybe you could use a few workouts with muscle guy.
* Similar goals - It is easier to make progress if you have someone to workout with who is trying to achieve similar goals. A runner who lifts weights occasionally probably would not be a good workout partner for a powerlifter interested in deadlifting at his or her maximum capacity.
* Similar fitness level - While not a necessity, similar fitness level will allow workout partners to push each other, but not overdo it.

Take my advice...if you find someone who meets all of these criteria, hang on to them for as long as you can. A great partner is priceless.

How to stay in shape without a gym membership

2011-08-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

Gym memberships can get pricy, time consuming and flat-out inconvenient after awhile. But don't let that become your excuse for not working out. You can get some of the best cardio and muscle training right at home. Laundry bags, stairs, chairs and even the bare floor can help build strength and endurance and burn fat. Here are some back-to-the-basics tips for creating your own workout without breaking the bank:

1. Get Stable
Shoulder rolls, back arches and raises, leg extensions and more can be done on a Swiss Training Ball (or stability ball). Perfect for stretching, the balls are not only cost-efficient at $30 to $80 but can give you the maximum, full-body stretch prior to a workout session. A 75 or 85 cm size ball will usually do the trick. Stability balls are also great for more advanced exercises like side-to-side leg rolls and one-armed push-ups.

2. Jumping Jacks
This is "old school" at its finest. Use jumping jacks to warm up and get the heart rate pumping in preparation for a more intense workout. Just five minutes of jumping jacks after stretching helps tone and condition your body. Jumping jacks work the shoulders, back, thighs and calves and help develop overall stamina and endurance.

3. Completely Floored
Push-ups and sit-ups are classic moves that you can use at home, in front of the TV, on the road—anywhere. Push-ups work the chest, shoulders, abs and triceps while sit-ups predominantly work the abdominal muscles. Three or four sets of 25 to 50 is a great addition to any workout regimen.

4. Show Some Resistance
Enhance basic lunges, squats and bicep curls with resistance bands. Bands are lightweight for travel and usually cost between $6 to $20. First, know your colors. Usually, the various colors of the bands will tell the resistance of each: yellow (light), red (medium) and green (heavy). For squats, try standing with legs shoulder-width apart. Hold bands at shoulder length while standing and during each squat then return to original position. To work triceps, stand with resistance band along your back, holding the tubing in one hand and stretching the other band with your other hand over your head.

5. In the Bag
Laundry is one chore that naturally burns calories, but hold off on dumping your dirty clothes in the washing machine. Instead, use the weight from your fully-loaded laundry bag to get a stronger core. Lift the bag directly in front of you and keep it away from your body to get the maximum resistance. Do multiple repetitions—you'll feel it working your biceps, shoulders, chest and abs. Need more weight? Try sandbag training to build even more strength and endurance.

6. Stairs
Jog up and down stairwells or bleachers for a great cardio workout. Try running up six to 12 flights at your fullest speed then rest for two or three minutes in between. You can still walk up a few flights during the rest period to maintain your heart rate. To increase lower body strength, try climbing every other step. Round out your weekly cardio regimen by jogging, walking or riding your bike at least three or four times per week.

7. Dumbbells
Bicep curls, shoulder presses and tricep extensions are some of the exercises you can do at home using dumbbells. To work the chest, lay flat on your back, or on a bench, holding the dumbbells above your chest with arms extended up. Lower dumbbells to your chest then back up again. Try lying face down on the bench and lift the dumbbells to work the back.

8. Chair Presses
Take a quick break during the day to work the triceps, chest muscles and back. Whether you are at home or the office, find a chair, sit upright and place your hands on either arm of the chair with feet flat on the floor and pull yourself for a count of 10. Return to your sitting position and repeat. Lower-back muscles are stabilized and strengthened with this exercise—and it's free!

9. Park It
Grab a tree trunk or monkey bar at the local park to build upper body strength or invest in an affordable in-house chin-up/pull-up bar. ( Both exercises force you to lift your own body weight, giving you the maximum bicep and back workout. Pull-ups with palms facing away works the back while chin-ups (palms facing you) work the biceps more.

10. Jump Rope
Aside from the obvious cardio benefits, jumping rope can help develop coordination, agility, quickness and endurance for $5 or less (some double-weight beaded ropes can cost $10 to $40). A basic jump rope workout for 30 minutes can provide the same cardio session as any elliptical machine.

Dr. Dre tells about his muscles

2011-08-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Renowned hip-hop producer Dr. Dre details his quest to maintain a healthy body by working out in the upcoming new issue of XXL Magazine.

Within the upcoming December/January feature, the 45-year-old claims he has the body of a 31-year-old man.

In our in-depth cover story with Dre, from the forthcoming Dec/Jan 2011 issue of XXL, the 45-year-old West Coast legend told EIC-member, Vanessa Satten, that he might have to change his birth certificate due to his work in the gym. "I make sure that I take care of myself," he said. "I feel like, now I feel much better--and actually look better, to me--than I did when I was in my early 20s or 30s. I'm definitely healthier now. That has a big part to do with it, just staying healthy. It definitely keeps your confidence up. I've actually had tests on my body, and the doctor said I'm 31. [Laughs] So I'm riding with that sh*t. [Laughs]" (XXL Mag)

In 2007, Dre said he hits up the gym to work out daily.

Rap icon DR. DRE is fighting to get back into shape as he prepares to release what will be his final album, Detox in 2008. The former N.W.A DJ admits he felt heavy and overweight when he ballooned to 270 pounds in 2003 - but he's beaming now after becoming a well-toned gym regular who boasts just six per cent body fat. Dre says, "I go to the gym two to two-and-a-half hours Monday through Friday... I feel like I can kick a brick wall down now." (Hollywood Premiere)

The Doc was also previously accused of being one of many hip-hop celebrities who used steroids.

Exercises for a Rock Solid Core

2011-08-14T02:59:00.000-07:00

Training your core means 2 things: a six pack toned to the max, and better posture. Here are some exercises that zero in on achieving both.

- Situps
A classic move to build a solid core. Lie on the floor with your knees bent and facing upwards. Place your hands behind your head and slowly sit up so your chest is touching your knees. Pause and slowly return to the starting position.

- Crunches
Lie on the floor with your knees bent, facing upwards. Place your hands behind your head. Slowly roll upwards so you are almost half way from doing a complete situp. At the same time, bring your legs upwards to your knees are over the centre of your abs. Hold this position for 5 seconds, feeling an intense burn, then return to the starting position.

- Hanging Leg Raises
Grab a pullup bar with a wide underhand grip. Lean back slightly and draw your knees up towards your chest in a controlled manor, keeping them locked together during the entire move. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then return to the starting position.

- Sly Stallone Broomstick Twists
Here is a exercise created by Sly himself, which he used to get a perfect set of abs and a rock solid core in the Rambo and Rocky movies. Set an incline bench with ankle supports to 45 degrees. Sit upright on the bench, making sure your feet are secure under the supports. Grab a broomstick and hold it behind your head or across your shoulders, supported by your outstretched arms. Twist left and right on the axis of the stick. You should feel an intense burn in your core.

- Plank
Assume the classic pressup position, then move down so you are resting on your elbows with your arms bend and forearms in line with your legs. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Once you find that easy, progress to 1 minute or more.

- Pressup Plank
Get into the classic pressup position, with your elbows locked. Tense your abs and get ready for some pain. Hold this position for 30 seconds without lifting your bottom up to make it easier. Once you can hold it for 30 seconds, progress to a minute or more.