Chasing the Dream

BJJ Hygiene (warning contains graphic images)

2012-01-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

This post comes at the request of one of my friends from back home in Indiana, he mentioned that there are some smelly guys where he trains BJJ currently. Nobody likes rolling with the stinky guy in class, but even more so, no one wants to be the stinky guy in class. So you want to learn how to stay clean? Read on below.

Rule #1. Wash and dry your gi! No one likes rolling with someone who's gi stinks, if you wore it last night for class don't wear it again the next day before washing it even if "you didn't sweat much". A gi is a perfect place for bacteria to culture, and bacteria causes things to smell. Since I have been training at Alliance in ATL, my workouts are very intense each class, and this cause me to sweat a lot. In the beginning I was having some issues getting the smell out of my gis, I would wash them right after class yet when they came out of the dryer they would still smell. Since then I have been using 1 cup of baking soda added in with the detergent at each wash and my gis come out smelling like a gi, not like a sweaty gi.

Rule #2. Wash yourself. With all of the horror stories of things like staph, MRSA, and ringworm, it is imperative to take a shower after a BJJ class. There are sometimes 50 guys all on one mat, sweating in close proximity, and it is hard to tell what everyone there may have living on their skin. Certain people have higher natural levels of staph on their skin than others, they have developed an immunity to the staph that lives on them, but if you come in contact with it, and it gets into an open area on your skin you can get very sick, or get a nasty infection. I am a nurse and I have had staph myself, I have seen how quickly a MRSA or a staph infection can spread through a group of people, the best practice is to shower immediately after training, or if you live very close to the gym, right when you get home.

This is what a serious staph infection looks like, shower after class to avoid getting something like this!

Rule #3. Wear deodorant (not antiperspirant) Men (and women) have different sweat glands in their pubic areas and under your arms, these glands produce a much stronger smelling musty sweat. This is typically the sweat that cause people to stink, as normal sweat glands produce less pungent smelling sweat. This has lead to the development of stronger and stronger antiperspirants. Although at the surface antiperspirants sound like a good idea they come with a hidden danger, their active ingredient is aluminum. Aluminum is a heavy metal and is absolutely not something you want to put into your body, especially since the primary way for the body to excrete heavy metals is by sweating them out. The sweat glands become clogged with aluminum with antiperspirants and it becomes impossible for your body to rid itself of the heavy metal. I suggest getting regular deodorant, it still smells nice and covers the sweat smell but, it is less likely to cause you serious problems like cancer or Alzheimer's disease. Be sure to check the label and buy something that says deodorant and not antiperspirant.

Rule #4. Clean your mouth. Before a BJJ class its a good idea to drink a lot of water, this can help keep you hydrated and also keep your mouth clean. On top of drinking water everyone knows you should brush your teeth at a bare minimum of once per day. Hey we all forget sometimes, I won't judge you, but you can still grab some gum, grab some mouthwash, or worst case scenario brush your teeth with your finger and rinse for 30 seconds with water. All these things will help keep the bacteria at bay and your breath smelling better. We have to be in close proximity to other peoples faces in BJJ and no one likes talking to someone who's breath smells like a dogs mouth.

Now these tips aren't really to chastise anyone, we have all forgotten to brush our teeth, had to leave the gym in pinch, or forgot to put on deodorant, but if everyone tries to follow these guidelines everyone can have a better (and better smelling) BJJ experience.

Building muscle on a budget- Potatoes

2012-01-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

Potatoes can be your best friend if you are looking to bulk up and add muscle to your frame. Foods that would normally be eliminated from your diet (like white potatoes), can help you add carbs and serious calories to feed your growing muscles. Here are some the benefits that make white potatoes an excellent food for those looking to get jacked!

1). Price. Potatoes are cheap, you can pick up a 5lb bag of organic russet/red/or Yukon gold potatoes for around $5 at most stores. When I am looking to bulk up I usually buy a bag per week and shoot to eat 1-2 servings everyday.

2). Calorie dense. Potatoes are very calorie dense. One large potato packs 280 calories and 58 grams of impact carbs. Adding just two large potatoes per day to your diet can add 600 calories to your diet, and 120 grams of quality carbohydrates that will fuel muscle growth.

3). Nutrient dense. Not only do potatoes pack a calorie punch, but a nutritional punch as well. Potatoes are loaded with B vitamins, contain around four times as much potassium as a banana, about 50% of your RDA of Vitamin C, and are high in magnesium, fiber, iron, and phosphorous, and that's not all either!

4). Taste. Ah, I have always heard the things that taste the best are the worst for you, but it's not always the case. Like I mentioned earlier, potatoes are actually very nutritious (as long as they aren't cooked 3 times and deep fried like french fries are). Although they aren't a good choice if you are looking to lose weight they are great for gaining it.

5). Insulin response. Potatoes (white potatoes), can cause a significant insulin response, this triggers growth hormone and IGF-1 release in return. These three powerful hormones can increase protein synthesis, stimulate muscle growth and recovery, and raise energy levels drastically. Make a white potato part of your post workout meal and you will begin to see some serious results! You can read more here http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-carbohydrates-affect-your-body-part_08.html

Please if you haven't added chasing the dream on facebook, make sure to like to the right of this post, feel free to leave any comments if you have questions about gaining muscle mass.

Are you journaling towards your BJJ goals?

2012-01-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

I'd like to cover one one of the tricks I have been using over the last few months to really help my Jiu-Jitsu progress more quickly. I have had several of the world champions at my gym tell me about the benefits of journaling for BJJ gains, including multiple world and pan american champions Jonathan Thomas, and Jordon Schultz (you can check out his website at jordonbjj.com). Both of these top level competitors have told me personally about the benefits of journaling, and I have also heard many other superstars in the sport recommend journaling to speed progression. First I will tell you about some of my own experiences with journaling, then I will explain how to organize it for maximum gains, and lastly I will give you a great resource to journal with especially if you are new to BJJ.

Since I have begun journaling I have experienced a good amount of success. I have done journaling before, earlier in my BJJ journey, but because I did not know what I was doing I was not able to reap measurable results from doing so. Since giving it another shot I have made some changes that have made a huge difference in the results I receive from journaling.

When I journal the format is something like this. First I cover any problems that I had during sparring, I try to be as specific as possible and completely describe the position, whether I was submitted, couldn't finish a move, or got hit with someone Else's move I try to recreate the situation as vividly as possible. Next I look at the roll more generally and try to look at other issues I may have had during class that aren't as specific such as, I didn't push the wrist across when going for omoplatas or I turtled several times and gave up my back. These things fall under the need to work on category, I read these things before the next class and remind myself not to turtle, or to push the wrist across. So I end with two categories, specific "problems", and things to remember "work on".

Next I take everything that fell into the "problems" category and add them into a large master list I entitle problems. Each time I encounter a specific problem I add it to the master list. Over time you will begin to see trends in your rolling, maybe you got hit with 7 armbars in one week, from one specific position. After you have identified a trend, you can now begin to solve the problem, this will make your game much tighter and you will begin to see less and less of that problem as you begin to learn what you are doing and how to stop it. The easiest ways to figure out how to solve these problems is to: ask a higher level belt or your instructor about the problem, take private lessons (highly effective, and very easy), or watch competition videos and try to see what top level athletes do in that position.

Now, for the "work on" section, I basically just refresh my memory before class on what I need to do or not to do. I'll tell myself before every class don't turtle no matter what, or don't accept half guard, or be more aggressive with submissions, etc...

After you have identified problems in your game, and have found a way to solve the issue it is important to drill the solutions at least a few times a week until it becomes like second nature. If you can't set aside time for drilling grab a buddy before or after class and just run through some reps for 10 or 15 minutes. This will help your body become used to doing or not doing what ever it is you need it to do or not to do.

If you follow this system I promise you will be able to identify problems, strengths, and weaknesses in your game and begin to strengthen them all into strengths. You can learn a lot about your game from this form of training and you will see excellent gains in the process.

Lastly I would like to mention a book I learned about during the 2011 Miami Open. I met with the creator of this book, and spoke with him for a while after I had finished competing. I think this book is an excellent resource for a white-blue belt student, and even for purple-brown if you don't journal already. Please check out the book and order one if you want to see the power of journaling for yourself. Please feel free to like their facebook page as well. http://www.facebook.com/bjjnotebook

Make sure to check out the BJJ notebook a great new book for students of the game!

Please like chasing the dream on facebook if you haven't already, and may all your BJJ dreams come true!

Pan seared lodon broil with sweet potato and greenbeans.

2012-01-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

Time to prepare about 5 minutes, time to cook about 5 minutes.

What you will need:
4 oz of grass fed London broil
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen green beans
1 medium sweet potato
8-10 grape tomatoes
Olive oil or organic canola oil
Himalayan pink salt or non refined sea salt
pepper
cinnamon

This recipe will produce a steak that is around medium rare depending on thickness of the meat, if you would like your steak more well done you should add about 15-90 seconds on each side as desired.

Prep:
First take about a 4 oz serving of London broil out of the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Next, place a pan on the stove top on medium-high heat without any oil. Quickly wash off the sweet potato making sure to scrub off as much visible dirty as possible, poke five sets of holes in the potato on both sides and place in the microwave on high for 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Your pan should be hot now, so while your potato is cooking, lightly salt and pepper your steak and throw it in the pan. The pan should be very hot and there may be some smoke while your steak cooks (this is normal just turn on a fan). Let your steak cook for 1 minute and 30 seconds on one side making sure not to move it until the timer goes off.

Quickly put some olive oil in a pan and set it to medium heat and allow the pan to heat up.

Your timers should be going off now so flip your steak over to the other side and set the timer for another 1 minute and 30 seconds. Then flip over your sweat potato, lightly cover in some oil and put back in the microwave for an additional 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Your second pan should be hot now, so add the green beans to the pan with the oil. Lightly season the beans with some salt and pepper and stir them occasionally with a spoon or spatula.

After your steak has cooked for 1 minute and 30 seconds on each side place it on a plate to rest for five minutes and place the sweet potato on the plate next to your steak when they are both done cooking.

After cooking your green beans for 3-4 minutes add the grape tomatoes to the pan along with a small amount of additional salt, pepper, and oil; and cook for another 1-2 minutes as needed. When they are finished place the green beans on the plate with your potato and steak.

Before eating your London broil cut it in thin strips with a serrated knife going with the marbling of the meat.
Put a cut down the middle of your potato and add cinnamon and a little organic butter if desired.

You have here a quick, simple, and healthy meal. This meal is loaded with: fiber, healthy fats, protein, complex carbohydrates, and nutrients. For more healthy 10 minute meals, make sure to follow Chasing the Dream on facebook or subscribe for email updates!

Power lifting for women? You must be crazy... right?

2012-01-08T17:38:00.000-08:00

Barbie Barbell is a multiple time world champion power lifter and fitness celebrity.

Today I'd like to talk about something that might make you uncomfortable, especially if you are a woman. Today I want to talk about something the mainstream fitness world is completely wrong about, women lifting weights. I want to show you how you can get the toned and sexy body you have always wanted, (and men, this is the secret to getting your girl to look like a fitness model), become stronger and more confident, and feel good about yourself everyday. To your surprise it doesn't involve endless cardio on a treadmill, or sets of 50 repetitions with a 2lb dumbbell, it involves one main thing... HEAVY WEIGHT TRAINING. Read on and I will prove to you that most of the things you know about weight lifting for women are a lie. I believe in heavy lifting enough to recommend it for my own wife, and she has seen some seriously positive results since switching up from high rep, low weight workouts.

I would like to start off by telling you ten reasons why lifting heavy weights will NOT make you bulky (like most trainers would tell you it will), but instead tone, and give you your dream body.
1) Women do NOT have the levels of testosterone that men do. Unless women have an abnormally high level of testosterone (naturally or from steroid use), they will NOT gain muscle mass like a man will. It just isn't in a women's genetic code to be 180lbs of solid muscle.
2) The women body builders you see on magazine use testosterone, this is the only reason they are as big as they are. You can tell that their levels of testosterone have been modified just by looking at them, evidence of this can be found in: increased muscle mass, deepened voice, increased hair growth, and acne.
3) Toning is developed through strength training. Toning essentially means that as a muscle becomes trained to handle higher loads it becomes denser and more easily excitable at rest, this causes muscles to look more defined and causes your body to have a more desirable shape.
4) High volume exercise causes muscle gain, not heavy weights. Reps in the range of 8-20 (what most trainers would recommend for a female looking to "tone up"), are actually what cause muscle growth (hypertrophy), for instance a body builder will typically use 3 sets of 8-12, with about four exercises per body part, this type of training causes significant micro trauma and as a result, bigger muscles.
5) Heavy weights promote strength not bulk. Lifting heavy weights within 20% of your one rep max primarily works thorough training the Central Nervous System, this leads your muscles to be able to perform more weight and stay more "tense" during rest leading to increased strength and muscle tone, without significant muscle gain.
6) Your personal trainer probably is not your friend! Most personal trainers are frauds, yes complete frauds! Trainers have been taught to make you sweat, make you sore, and most of all make you come back for more! There whole program revolves around pushing you, but not too hard so that you stay happy and keep coming back. Let's face it, heavy weights are tough, especially when you aren't used to them, most people won't actually do what will help if it's "too hard", but a true friend will tell you truth whether it pisses you off or not, that's why I am telling you not to always trust what your trainer says, ultimately they want your money not your satisfaction.
7) Getting huge muscles takes time. Getting "huge" isn't an overnight process, it takes many men months just to add 5-10lbs of lean muscle to their frame, even if you somehow start getting bulky it won't be irreversible and it takes time for it to happen.
8) Bulking up is dependent upon calorie intake. If you eat more calories than you burn you will gain weight, if you lift heavy weights and eat more than you burn you will gain weight, if you do high reps and eat more than you burn you will gain weight. If you are lifting heavy weights and "bulking up" it is because you are eating too much (unless you are looking to get bigger). Eat less, eat a better diet, or add some cardio to your training and you'll stop gaining weight. If you want a great looking body you are going to have to work for it, a small and lucky group of people look great without exercise or diet, but for the rest of us the path is hard but the reward is great!

Heavy lifting will help tone your muscles, make you stronger, and make you feel better, but it won't magically melt fat away. Unfortunately for women, one of the side effects of having high estrogen levels is fat storage. If you have extra body fat, you will need to take in less calories than you burn. The most effective way of doing this (in my opinion) is not calorie restriction but through the metabolic diet, and restricting carbohydrates. You can read more about the diet and carbohydrate intake here>http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-carbohydrates-affect-your-body-part_04.html

If you have extra body fat you want to lose, I recommend doing heavy weight training for 6-12 weeks with a mild calorie restriction and some light cardio a few days per week. Gaining strength and subsequent muscle tone will be easier to achieve without a strict diet change. After you have begun to see the results of your hard work (more toned muscle, more shapely curves, and some fat loss), you will be more motivated than ever to stick to a diet and really dig deep and work hard in the gym. Depending upon how much extra fat you have to lose, you can begin to see significant changes in your body in 3-6 months by following the strong lifts lifting program, changing up your diet, modifying your carbohydrate intake, and adding some cardiovascular training, you will be well on your way to getting the body of you (and every guys) dreams. Make sure and check the link below to another post in my blog to help you plan out your lifting schedule. http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/beginners-guide-to-power-lifting.html

Lastly I'd like to add a few pictures of women who used power lifting to get their bodies into a shape that any girl would be jealous of. Just some inspiration if you are still on the fence.

Jean Fry 415lb Squat, 375lb Deadlift, 250lb bench press at 123lbs bodyweight.

Simitah Sing, mother and powerlifter

If you still don't believe me then check out the links below on three different (very attractive) females (pictured above) who use heavy weight training/power lifting in their fitness routines both to look good, and in two of their cases to actually compete in power lifting.

http://www.syattfitness.com/making-powerlifting-more-approachable-an-interview-with-female-powerlifter-jean-fry/

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/BarbieBarbell/

http://phitzone.com/index.php/2011/03/training-like-a-powerlifter/

Building muscle on a budget- Chocolate Milk

2012-01-05T16:44:00.000-08:00

Horizon organic chocolate milk is my choice for post workout for price, convenience, and taste!

Chocolate milk is in many ways the perfect post workout drink, and its incredibly affordable if you are on a budget. I'll give you some of the top reasons why making chocolate milk your post workout drink is a great idea for your muscles, and for your wallet.

1) Taste Who can deny that chocolate milk tastes great? Seriously, I have never met a person who doesn't like chocolate milk (no offense if somehow you don't like the taste). I personally drink chocolate milk at the end of my weight lifting sessions, and even though it always tastes great to me, it tastes even better right after a workout when your blood sugar levels are low.

2) Price Chocolate milk is pretty cheap. Milk and eggs are about the cheapest sources of complete proteins you can buy. You can pick up a 1 gallon jug for about $3 or $6 for organic milk (which I use), both have 16 servings in a container, for less than 40 cents you can get a quality serving of carbs, protein, and healthy fats if you go with organic.

3) Protein As I stated above, chocolate milk is an excellent source of protein. Protein is important to take in post workout to help promote muscle building and repair. Working out puts stress on your body and causes an environment where fat, glucose, glycogen, and even amino acids are burned for energy. As muscle breaks down from the stress of a workout it is important to give it a serving of protein immediately after a workout to promote recovery and repair of muscle.

4) Simple Carbs Simple carbohydrates like sugar are not only good after a workout, they are ideal. As you workout (especially during weight training) your body burns blood glucose and then glycogen (your body's store of carbohydrates for energy) to fuel the work. Towards the end of a workout your glycogen stores may be completely diminished, taking in simple carbohydrates post workout can help replenish glycogen stores, provide an insulin response that can shuttle nutrients and amino acids into the muscles, and promote muscle repair and recovery.

5) Ideal protein to carb ratio There is some debate over what the "ideal" protein to carb ratio actually is, some say 2-1, 3-1, or 4-1. Whatever the ideal ratio is, most studies have shown that a ratio of carbohydrates to protein somewhere in this range promotes recovery much quicker and more effectively than consuming either carbs or protein alone. This combination also triggers a stronger insulin response and has been shown to cause up to 100% more glycogen to be retained in the muscle. A glass of chocolate milk has about 8 grams of protein to 22 grams of carbohydrates, about a 3-1 ratio.

I always recommend choosing organic foods especially when dealing with animal products like eggs, meats, and dairy, but you must weigh the costs and benefits of organic versus traditional grown food on your own. If you are interested in learning more about carbohydrates and how they affect the body check out my five part series on carbohydrates here. http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-carbohyrdrates-affect-your-body.html

Look for more articles on muscle building on a budget, and please if you haven't done so yet make sure to subscribe to my email or RSS feed, or add my page (chasing the dream) on Facebook.

The dynaflex, serious grip training for BJJ.

2012-01-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

I would like to talk a little bit about the Dynaflex. Dynaflex is a company that makes a series of gyroballs that provide a very intense hand, finger, and forearm workout. I have personally used the Dynaflex to help with my grip strength and endurance for BJJ.

The dynaflex works by using the g-forces created by a gyroscope to create a tremendous amount of torque and resistance from a relatively light object. A small ball that weighs less than a pound can create up to 60 lbs of torque (trust me it's a lot harder than it sounds).

When you first start using the dynaflex it takes a little while just to get used to it. There is technique involved that you have to figure out before you can really start improving your grips. I recommend starting out with the base model and using it for several months before moving up to the next model. You can find the best price here at amazon, the base model can be found for around $20, not much of an investment for the gains you will be able to make.

The next step up would be the premium metal series balls. These gyroballs weigh a little bit more, but provide a VERY intense grip and forearm workout. I do NOT recommend purchasing this model without first purchasing the base model I have listed above. Not only is this model more expensive, but it is probably at least three times as effective as the first model. I suggest buying the base model for around $20, using it for a few months until it becomes easy and then upgrading to the steel model. Doing it this way will allow you to build your forearm and grip strength up a little bit before you jump into the steel model, and will also PROVE to you how effective this device can be for grip and forearm strength. If you start out with the cheaper ball, you will notice very quickly how effective it is, and the steel model won't seem expensive at all.

How to fight a cold naturally.

2012-01-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

I have been sick with a pretty intense cold for about 6 days. I very rarely get sick, usually about once a year, and when I do get sick it usually doesn't last more than a day or two, so for me to be out of training, and run down for 6 days is pretty rare. I would like to share some of the things I did to relieve my symptoms and helped me stay sane without using medication.

1) Apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is something I usually drink everyday, whether I am sick or not, it has numerous health benefits and has been used for hundreds of years as a health tonic. Make sure to always buy raw, organic, and unfiltered ACV, I recommend Bragg's. When you are sick with a cold, ACV has some particular properties that are very desirable. ACV is acidic and helps to liquefy secretions (it helps break down the congestion in your chest and nose), it is highly alkalizing in the body (which helps keep the virus under control), it is good for the immune system, aids in digestion, and helps to detox the dead virus cells and toxins from your body. I normally take 2 tablespoons before bed mixed with a little bit of water, but when I am sick I usually aim for 2 tablespoons, three to four times per day. I mix the apple cider vinegar with raw organic honey, cayenne pepper, ginger, and turmeric.

2) Cayenne. Cayenne pepper and its spiciness have a handful of benefits for someone with a serious cold. Cayenne is a vasodilator (it relaxes smooth muscle, which increases circulation), it raises body heat and metabolism, it increases secretions which can help flush bacteria from the eyes, throat, and sinuses, and it also a strong immune system booster.

3) Raw honey. Honey has very strong antibacterial properties. In some studies it has been shown to be as effective as the leading treatment for people with severe burns and preventing infection in their wounds. The enzymes in honey help the body to heal and fight infection. Honey is an old time remedy for sore throat since it can help soothe the inflamed tissues. Honey has also been shown to be a strong antioxidant that can boost the immune system.

4) Turmeric. Turmeric is a powerful inflammation fighter. A not very well known fact, is that a large amount of the congestion present in a cold is from inflammation. With a cold, the nasal passages become inflamed and irritated, the mucous is then unable to drain out of the nasal passages causing congestion; often the mucous ends up backing up and running down the back of the nasal passages into the throat which cause irritation and a sore throat. By addressing the problem of inflammation the nasal passages are allowed to drain more naturally and can shorten duration of congestion.

5) Ginger. Ginger works along the same lines as turmeric. Ginger is a popular spice that promotes circulation, detox, alkalinity, and is also a strong anti-inflammatory.

6) Lemon. Lemon is packed with vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to boost the immune system and increase the white blood cell count. Lemon is also a well known food for cleanses, and lemons help to clear the build up of toxins from the cold virus.

Combine all of these ingredients into a tonic and drink it three to four times per day. Make sure to drink a lot of fluids, as water will also help to flush the virus from the body and also keep mucous thin. The next time you get a cold try these remedies and compare your results to a time where you used only medication and I bet you will be pleasantly surprised with the results. I hope you don't get sick this year (or next), but if you do, try these tips and you'll be better before you know it!

If you haven't added my page (chasing the dream) on facebook make sure to click the like button to the right.

The only muscle building supplements you will ever need.

2012-01-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

In order to cover everything sufficiently in this article, I would like to retouch upon two of the supplements I mentioned in a previous article as these supplements should be a staple in every athlete or fitness minded person's diet. Then I will cover a few supplements that I use specifically to increase muscle mass when I am looking to add lean muscle to my frame in the off season.

1). Whey Protein- Whey is basically a major building block for all forms of muscle development. It helps muscles repair and grow, provide calories, encourages muscle building and fat loss, and even helps maintain muscle mass while losing body fat simultaneously. Read more about about whey protein here http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/three-supplements-every-athlete-should.html. I recommend 1 scoop of 25 grams three times daily if you are looking to add mass.

2). Glutamine- Glutamine is another staple for anyone who is training to increase performance or build muscle. Glutamine protects your muscle mass from break down and aids in recovery after a tough workout. You can read more about Glutamine here http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/three-supplements-every-athlete-should.html as well. I recommend taking 3-5 grams three times daily.

3). Creatine. There are a variety of different forms of creatine on the market: ethyl ester, monohydrate, AKG, kre-alklyn, pills, powders, and liquids. I personally have had 0 success with any form of creatine in a pill. I have also had no success with kre-alklyn despite it's popularity. My favorite forms of creatine are either pure creatine AKG, or creatine monohydrate. I personally use creatine AKG as it comes with a little less bloating than the traditional creatine monohydrate. I have also used ethyl ester, and while it has very little associated bloating, I don't feel it was anywhere near as effective as AKG or monohydrate. I recommend taking 3 grams of Creatine AKG after weight lifting, and 3 grams in the morning on off days. http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/creatine-most-tried-and-tested.html

4). Arginine. Arginine is precursor to nitric oxide (not to be confused with nitrous oxide). Nitric oxide is a powerful compound in the body that causes smooth muscle relaxation. Smooth muscle is a type of muscle that is present in the arteries, and allows them to dilate and contract to regulate blood flow to the tissues. Arginine teams up with nitric oxide synthase to increase blood flow to the muscle, and this translates into: increased endurance, increased strength and recovery, and increased lactic threshold. Arginine can be purchased in many different forms including l-arginine, arginine AKG, arginine ethyl ester, and many others. Usually doses are around 9 grams per day, in divided doses three times daily with an empty stomach.

Taking these four supplements along with a healthy diet, heavy lifting, and a caloric excess will ensure that you are able to gain a lot of muscle and mass. The main thing you need to know if you are looking to gain muscle mass is to eat. You must eat, and eat often if you are looking to add mass. For some, it will come easily and adding a few extra foods like potatoes each day will add weight to your frame, for others, measures are more drastic. Sometimes a "hardgainer", a person who has problems gaining weight, may need to eat until they are uncomfortably full several times a day, or even drink 1 gallon of whole milk each day. Remember though, if you are not taking in more calories than you burn each day you will NOT add muscle or weight. Good luck and may 2012 give you the body you want, but only if you are willing to work for it!

Happy New Year, let's all set goals for 2012!

2012-01-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

If you haven't given any thought to what you want to achieve in 2012, do it now. I am not talking about the new years resolutions that many of us write down and forget about by the next year. Make some goals! Figure out what you want from 2012, because anything you want to get out of 2012 you can!

Happy New year again, and be sure to make 2012 everything you want it to be. There has never been a better time to take control of your life than now.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-20T18:59:00.000-08:00

I would like to let all of my readers know that I have not fallen off the earth, but I will however be taking a break from blogging until after the January 1st, 2012. I, like the rest of you, will be spending some time with family, celebrating my one year marriage anniversary, and of course training some BJJ.

Alliance ATL, will be relocating sometime in January and Lucas Lepri will soon be here teaching classes full time. More mat space, a new instructor (along with Jacare), and the same awesome environment that has made Alliance world champion team 4 years in a row will all contribute to 2012 being a big year for alliance, and for me personally. Look for big things in 2012, make your New Year's resolutions good ones, and dream big.

Happy Holidays!

Vibrations (Part 3) The law of attraction

2011-12-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

The law of attraction is simple, like attracts like. Negative thoughts attract negative results, while positive thoughts attract positive results. Life for the most part is not some random coincidence, every single day we make decisions to do or not to do things, to think or not think things, to keep going or to give up on things, all of these decisions affect our lives and our futures...Every single one of these decisions starts out as a thought. The first step to becoming rich is deciding to acquire money, the first step to being a champion is to decide to become a champion, the first step to FAILURE is deciding to quit!

Success is transient and hard to obtain in any form, success can come and go, as can opportunities to be successful, success does not usually happen by chance, it happens through sacrifice, hard work, and of course heart break. If you form and idea, think of that idea constantly, and turn it into an obsession eventually your subconscious mind will give you the plan to achieve your goal, then the rest is up to you. After all these things have come to pass you must create a plan of action for your idea, and you must follow that plan no matter how difficult it becomes; you must always continue to focus upon the end result (your success). Some people, through their personalities and how they were raised, have these qualities ingrained in them naturally, while others may need to work harder to change their thinking into a positive manner.

If you want money don't think about being poor or not having money, instead think about being rich, see yourself in possession of more money than you could ever spend. You will begin to see yourself with this money in hand and your mind will begin to generate the ideas and plans that will allow you to become rich beyond imagination. It all starts with your thoughts, if you focus on being poor you will always be poor, if you focus on being rich you will become rich. If you want success you must see yourself in possession of that success, eventually your thought will become reality.

Please ignore those that would have you believe that you cannot achieve your goals, only you can decide your future! Opinions are the most abundant resource on this planet, and most people have far too many of them they throw around at others. Learn to control your thinking, block out the naysayers, keep your eyes on the goal ahead of you, create a plan and stick to it, before you know it you will have arrived at your destination...YOUR SUCCESS.

Vibrations (Part 2) What is thought?

2011-12-14T13:07:00.000-08:00

As science has progressed we have learned more about the universe and more about ourselves. Scientists and Doctors can now measure a thought. This could only be possible if thought is an actual energy, if a thought is energy, then that means it is only a small step away from being a particle, a particle is what makes up matter. This has the greatest significance, because if a thought is energy (it is energy) the greater that energy becomes the more likely it is for that thought to become a reality. Imagine one person thinking a thought once a month, "gee it would be nice to end world hunger", that thought may never become reality, but take 1,000,000 people and have them think that thought 30 times per day every day... pretty soon a lot of people will be making strides toward ending world hunger.

Energy is a wave, a wave is a vibration, a vibration is a frequency... know this! Every single thought has a frequency and the more finely tuned you can make that thought the greater its chance at becoming reality becomes. This is how ideas became some of the greatest achievements of all time, one person had enough passion to follow an idea, to obsess over an idea until it become their single defining task in life, after enough times of failure and setback finally the idea became a reality. Simply by thinking of something enough you can make it a reality, but only if you want it enough to work for it.

The human body has an incredibly complex system called the nervous system. Tiny pulses of electricity are constantly moving from your sensory organs (skin, eyes, nose, tongue, ears, etc...) towards your brain, and they are also moving from your brain to your muscles, organs, and cells. Think about this, anytime your brain produces an idea to move, it creates energy, a tiny pulse of electricity, and that pulse travels down your spine, down your arm, and all the way to your finger, then the proper metaboliuc funtions are performed by your body to allow your finger to move. The human mind is so incredibly complex, and most people use only a fraction of it. The greatest power of the human mind, over everything else, is to literally think an idea into existence.

The last thing I would like to briefly talk about is something that my be a little bit touchy. Whether you believe in God, spirits, higher knowledge or what ever you would like to call it, it seems incredibly clear to me that there is something beyond the human world as we understand it. Napoleon Hill talks about this and often refers to it as higher intelligence or collective conciousness, the culmination of every single mind, and thought all in one very alive and very vivid collective energy. I would like you take a look at the picture below and realize the amazing simililarities between the brain and the universe. Many quantum physicists believe that the universe could not even exist without conciousness, Albert Einstein touched on this slightly in some of his work. I am not preaching any religion here, but please look around out society and see the spirit of people is very alive! People of all different: religions, languages, colors, and cultures are united in one thing... HUMANITY, we are all human. A spirit of harmony towards our fellow men and women is very necessary for ultimate success as the universe will gravitate towards an idea formed by love before it will gravitate towards an idea born of hate.

If you can come to realize that anything you want from life you can have, then nothing in this life is out of your reach!

Six benefits of raw foods.

2011-12-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

There are many benefits to eating raw foods. The majority of my diet is composed of raw fruits and vegetables and has been for several years. Ever since I began to eat this way on a daily basis, I began to experience: increased energy and recovery, eased digestion, less indigestion, and even enhanced sleep.

#1- Higher nutrient levels. Many nutrients are destroyed at the temperatures required for cooking. By cooking foods (and especially overcooking foods) many of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can be destroyed, this means less of the things you need are actually getting into your body. This is why eating a large amount of raw fruits and vegetables can contribute to a better nutrition status.

#2- Better digestion. Raw foods contain natural enzymes that allow them to be more easily broken down for the body to use. When we cook foods, the high temperatures destroy these naturally occuring enzymes. Then it is necessary for our own bodies to produce these enzymes, adding additional stress to our bodies.

#3- Better acid vs. base balance. Most raw foods are alkaline in nature. Alkaline foods are very beneficial for the body since the body's regular PH must be maintained between 7.35-7.45 to maintain life. Alkaline foods encourage the body to stay in this alkaline range, which is optimal for good health. Acidic foods like meats, dairy, and grains should be eaten sparingly as they can leech minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorous from your body.

#4- Low sodium.- Raw foods are naturally low in sodium. Over consumption of sodium can contribute to: hypertension, high cholesterol, and bloating and water retention.

#5- Easy to prepare.- Raw foods take zero prep work (other than maybe peeling a fruit or veggie). Just peel and eat, or grab and eat is all that's required to eat a raw food. Of course you can actually prepare a raw meal (raw foodism), but it definitely is not required.

#6- High fiber.- Most of the foods you eat raw (fruits and veggies), are naturally high in fiber. Fiber aids in digestion, weight loss or maintenance, decreases some cancer risks, and helps to detox the body.

If you shoot to make 75% or more of your diet raw fruits and vegetables I am positive you will be feeling better in no time, so give it a try!

Please subscribe for email updates or like Chasing the Dream on facebook to help my blog to grow. Thanks to my readers.

Vibrations (Part 1) What is matter?

2011-12-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

Everything in existence is composed of one of two things, either matter, or energy. Interestingly enough as we explore the universe (and the microverse), it is becoming increasingly more likely that even matter is created by a not completely understood form of energy. Even something as solid as steel is made up of trillions upon trillions of tiny atoms; these atoms are composed of neutrons bonded with protons (the nucleus) and surrounded by electrons which spin around the nucleus at incredibly high speeds. These protons, electrons, and neutrons are now believed to be composed of even smaller particles called quarks. These tiny particles which have properties of both energy and matter make up most of the known matter in the universe. To get back to the steel from the previous example, even though the steel is incredibly dense as far as our understanding goes, it is incredibly empty and made up of tiny moving particles with lots of space in between; amazingly these particles are moving so quickly that it creates an illusion of sorts of actually being solid.

When examining light this conundrum once again presents itself, what is matter, and what is energy? Light was once believed to be only a wave (energy), a wave is, put simply, a displacement of matter as energy tranfers through it (vibration). This theory created several problems, if space is a giant vaccum consisting of absence of any particles or mass, then how could a wave of light travel through space all the way from the sun to our distant planet, how could a strange property known as gravity allow celestial bodies to influence other bodies thousands or millions of miles away? We then were introduced to a particle called the photon (a particle of light which has no mass yet sometimes reacted as matter, yet was also was a wave). I would like to point out that it was also believed at one time that electrons had no mass, but this was later proved wrong, so it is still very possible that photons do have mass. This helped to form the theory of Wave-particle duality (which states-all particles exhibit both wave and particle properties). This again leads us to the question of what is matter, and what is energy? What really does compose our universe? My personal opinion is that everything we can: see, breathe, touch, smell, taste is all energy. Through a process we cannot completely understand everything in existence is created by energy. This is not a far stretch in my mind, consider again the hunk of steel made up of a countless number of tiny fast moving particles of something in between energy and matter. I believe that everything around us is made up of something ethereal, something pulsating and constantly vibrating at the highest frequencies! How would you feel if we someday learned that everything in our entire universe is made from only tiny vibrations and that matter is simply a state created by incredibly high and exactly tuned frequencies? Ponder this... maybe we are not as real as we think we are, or maybe our concept on what is real and what is false is based solely on what we can see with our eyes.

The whole point of this is to introduce to you the thought that maybe our perceptions can deceive us, maybe everything we see, is not really as it seems. Maybe a thought can be more powerful than a machine gun. Maybe an idea can cause more destruction than the most powerful nuclear bomb, or more good than all the worlds greatest charities. Maybe everything in your life is under your own control, and your own thoughts can influence the entire universe around you.

Creatine, the most tried and tested supplement of all time!- Part 2 (How to take it, and what to take)

2011-12-11T19:12:00.000-08:00

Doses for creatine depend on several different factors including: type of creatine, body weight, and phase of dosing. The most well known and reliable form of creatine is creatine monohydrate, but I will also talk about my favorite types of creatine, and also what I have used without any success. I will also give you some general tips on how to take creatine to receive maximal results and what to avoid with supplementation.

Creatine dosing table for creatine monohydrate. (courtesy of http://www.creatinemonohydrate.net)

Creatine AKG is my personal favorite type of creatine. Since this creatine is bonded to AKG (a well documented transporter that easily travels through the cell wall) it becomes much more potent than creatine monohydrate. Because of its efficiency, it takes much less of creatine AKG to yield the same beneficial results as creatine monohydrate. Since you don't have to use as much you have less of the negative side affects of creatine use and also less stress on the kidneys. Creatine AKG has yielded the same results for me as creatine monohydrate, but with taking much less of the supplement, and I also have a little bit less of the associated water gain. Creatine AKG is very affordable and easy to find in pure powders without fillers, artificial sweeteners, flavors, or dyes.

Creatine monohydrate is the form of creatine most often used in testing and is the most basic of all types of creatine. Creatine monohydrate is often associated with bloating (which as I mentioned in an earlier article is actually a benefit not a side effect). Creatine monohydrate is my second favorite form of creatine that I have used, right behind creatine AKG. Creatine monohydrate has been very effective for me, but does add a very high amount of water weight which isn't always preferable with BJJ training or when you do a lot of heavy cardiovascular exercise. Below is a chart showing dosing for creatine monohydrate. This is a highly recommended, highly effective, highly studied, and inexpensive form of creatine. Creatine monohydrate is also very easy to find in a pure powder without any added ingredients.

I have tried many other forms of creatine, some successfully and others without success. I had moderate success with creatine ethyl ester, this form of creatine is a very "lean" form and causes very little water gain, but as mentioned this is actually one of the benefits of creatine. I have also tried kre-alkilyn, and despite it's rising popularity I experienced ZERO results with this product (I used both capsules and liquid, neither with any results). I have NEVER experienced any noticeable benefits from any form of creatine in pill or capsule form. The most successful creatine cycles I have done involved pure powders with no other ingredients.

If you should choose to give creatine monohydrate a try then use the dosing chart above. Creatine monohydrate usually requires a five day loading phase in order to saturate muscles with creatine. For five days you take the recommended dose for your body weight divided into 4 equal doses at least five hours apart (this helps increase absorption). On the sixth day you begin taking the maintenance dose, one dose each day.

If you choose creatine AKG it does not typically require a loading phase due to it's increased absorption. I usually take 3 grams per day, everyday. After about a week I begin to notice a huge difference in my strength and endurance.

Tips

If you decide to give creatine a shot there are a few things you should know to ensure you are getting the most out of your supplementation.

1) Cycles should last no more than 4-6 weeks (some studies suggest long term supplementation may affect your body's natural production of creatine)

2) In between cycles you should take at least 4 weeks off from creatine (this is called a wash out period and allows muscle creatine levels to completely go back to normal)

3) Creatine should be taken first thing upon waking with breakfast on off days.

4) Creatine should be taken immediately post work out with a high GL carbohydrate to maximize absorption.

5) Always drink at least 8oz of water with creatine.

6) Follow dosing instructions on containers as manufacturers know best what it actually in their product.

Here is my personal favorite. It is effective, cheap, and doesn't bloat too badly.

Lucas Lepri coming to Alliance, ATL, 2012!!!

2011-12-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

If you thought Alliance in Atlanta was dead without Cobrinha, you are DEAD wrong! Join hands down one of the best gyms in the country where world champions are on the mat in every class!

Alliance lives and the level of training will only continue to grow with our new co-instructor Lucas Lepri. Look for many of our guys to be on top of the podium again this year.

Alliance

OsssssSSSS!

http://allianceatlanta.blogspot.com/

http://www.alliancebjj.com/

How carbohydrates affect your body. Part 5- Putting it all together (Building Mass)

2011-12-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

If building muscle is your primary goal then your carbohydrate plan is quite the opposite of someone who is trying to lose fat or slim down. The same hormones that are responsible for fat storage play a strong role in muscle growth.

Insulin is a powerful hormone that not only turns glucose into fat, but also turns it into glycogen (a complex form of sugar stored in your liver and muscles for energy). When your body produces insulin it also produces a hormone called insulin like growth factor one (IGF-1). IGF-1 production is also triggered by growth hormone secretion. All of these powerful hormones, along with testosterone optimization, should be used together to create a highly anabolic environment for muscle growth. Combining a caloric excess with plenty of carbohydrates, and heavy weight, high intensity, compound exercises you can being to see lean mass add up on your frame. Read more about weightlifting here>http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/strong-base.html or here>http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/beginners-guide-to-power-lifting.html

When building muscle is your primary concern you want to choose plenty of foods with high GL especially after a workout. Foods like: pasta, white bread (organic), fruit juices, white rice, and white potatoes are good choices as they lead to increased insulin, and ultimately increased GH, and IGF-1. Insulin has the powerful capability to super saturate muscles with nutrients, amino acids, and glycogen making them able to recover faster and ultimately grow through increased protein synthesis.

The most important times to eat high GL carbohydrates for muscle gain are: morning immediately after waking up, immediately post workout, and 1-2 hours post workout. I recommend a complex carbohydrate mixed with simple carbohydrate for breakfast for a spike with sustained energy; a high GI high GL carbohydrate like fruit juice, chocolate milk, sugar, white rice, or white bread immediately after your workout, and then a complex carbohydrate 1-2 hours after your workout. Basically when adding mass is your primary goal you want to eat, eat a lot, and eat often. The foods you usually want to limit during a cutting phase become your best friend during a bulking phase.

There is a fine line between a clean mass building phase and a dirty mass building phase. You can gain a lot of muscle by lifting heavy and eating McDonald's three times per day, but the proportion of fat to muscle that you will gain may be undesirable, however if you keep your diet pretty clean (still include a lot of fruits and vegetables, slightly decrease fat intake, increase healthy fats, and increase lean protein), you will be able to gain much leaner mass with a higher percentage of it being muscle as opposed to fat.

This concludes my five part series of carbohydrates. Please like my page of facebook, subscribe to my RSS feed, or subscribe for email updates if you are interested in the content I provide here in my blog. By adding my page facebook you help me to reach more people in your friends list and increase traffic to my blog! I am always more than happy to answer any questions from my readers just comment below or on the Chasing the Dream page on facebook. Thank you to all of my readers!

What's the perfect game plan to beat you? (turning weakness into strength)

2011-12-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

An extremely important part to achieving any goal is self examination. You know yourself better than anyone on this earth, if you can learn to look at yourself objectively and identify your weaknesses you can become virtually unstoppable. Pride is often a byproduct of being blinded by your own success and if you only focus winning you may forget what helped you win in the first place, or worse yet, forget what has made you lose. It seems to me that one of the best ways to improve at anything is to constantly observe areas that need improvement.

In Jiu-Jitsu I believe it is of incredible benefit to keep a journal of how your training sessions go. Lets say everyday you keep a journal and it becomes obvious after a week or two that you are constantly getting hit with armbars. Chances are there is something you are doing, or not doing that is causing you to get armbared repeatedly. You may never have realized this problem unless you took the time to journal, now that you know your weakness you can begin to solve them. In order to succeed or improve at ANYTHING in life, it is of paramount importance to realize that there is no such thing as failure unless you give up. Every time you get tapped in class be happy because now you can learn to defend that submission, every time someone passes your guard rejoice, because now you can learn to defend that pass. It is important to keep a log of all of your problems and immediately address them. Ask an upper belt how to counter your issue, watch videos of black belts competing, do drills with the position until you get it, this is how you really improve. People don't become champions by rolling to beat everyone in class all the time, they don't succeed by only doing what they are good at, you might be tall man on the totem pole in the gym, but how do you do in tournaments?

If you want to be the best at anything, you must understand your weaknesses and overcome them. If you want a promotion at work, you need to know what your strengths are, but it is most important to know your weaknesses. People will see your strengths clearly and if they must compete with you they will avoid your strength and attack your weaknesses. Your bosses know your strengths, they hired you for them, but what will really impress a boss is improvement! Maybe you know tardiness has always been your problem, you have justified it to yourself making excuses for it: I always stay late, I always pick up when they need it, I am always on call on the weekend, but trust me your boss will remember you are always tardy. If a promotion is what you are after you better start showing up on time, then it will show your employer that you are improving, and you are turning your weakness into a strength. This is one of the secrets of everyone who has truly been successful in life, being humble enough to observe yourself and find your shortcomings and turning them into strengths.

A great way to find where your game needs improvement is to pretend that you have an evil twin. They think just like you, they roll just like you, move just like you, and they know your game inside and out. What would this twin do to beat you? Would they pull guard first? Would they go for the take down? Would they play de la riva? Would they counter your spider guard? If you ask questions like these and answer them honestly you will begin to find your weaknesses, make note of your problems in every class, because this is one of the best ways to improve.

Getting back up is the number one indicator of any one's determination. Many people stay down when they fail, and so they are defeated. If you truly want to succeed you must turn failure into success, one way or another you must realize that every failure is a chance to improve, and a chance to succeed. A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins. Maybe you don't want to be a world champion, but you should know what your goals are and they should be definitive, if you don't know where you are going you will NEVER get there. Keep going, keep learning, stay positive, and keep rolling!

Creatine, the most tried and tested supplement of all time!- Part 1 (What is creatine?)

2011-12-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

What is creatine?

Creatine is one of the most popular supplements of all time. In countless studies creatine has shown the ability to increase muscle mass, increase strength and endurance, increase metabolism, decrease belly fat, and even increase testosterone. With all the benefits of creatine supplementation the only real question is why aren't you using it to help you achieve your goals?

Creatine is composed naturally in your body out of several amino acids. The main source of creatine, however is meat, especially red meat. It is worth note that in studies where vegetarians were observed they had significantly lower levels of creatine than non vegetarians, but after supplementation both groups were equal, making creatine supplementation important for vegetarians. Of all the creatine in your body over 95% is found in the skeletal muscle. Creatine is responsible for increasing production of ATP in the muscle cell (the first source of cellular energy); this leads to an immediate increase in strength and endurance once the muscle cell has been saturated with creatine. Creatine supplementation has been shown the ability to greatly increase ATP supply of the muscle cell.

A little more on creatine.

Research performed on creatine has repeatedly shown that oral doses of 5-20 grams per day are extremely safe and associated with only very minor side effects like: dry mouth, minor cramping, and stomach upset, and most of these side affects can be mitigated if you use creatine properly. Creatine should always be taken with at least 8oz of water. If you are supplementing with creatine you should drink at least 32oz of additional water per day. When you take creatine it should be COMPLETELY dissolved in water or juice, if there are visible particles of creatine then it can increase stomach upset. Creatine pulls a tremendous amount of water along with it (which is also one of its benefits), but if particles are left intact and not completely dissolved it can pull additional water into the intestines which can cause gastric upset and diarrhea.

Creatine enters the muscle under several different mechanisms. Since taking creatine orally elevates plasma levels of creatine it enters the cell through osmosis, where concentrations of less dilute composition move into more dilute areas. Creatine also enters the muscle cell via insulin transport, this is why creatine's benefits can be multiplied when taking it dissolved in juice, or taking it with a simple carbohydrate like table sugar (this stimulates insulin response and increases uptake of the creatine into the muscle cell).

How does creatine work?

As I stated before, creatine works through several mechanisms to increase: strength, endurance, and recovery. The primary effect of creatine is that it increases production of ATP (the cell's first source of energy). Creatine is converted in the body into Phosphocreatine, this allows ATP to be regenerated and recycled more efficiently. The amount of ATP in the muscle cell is the main limiting factor in muscle fatigue, since creatine extends the life of the ATP store, it can immediately increase the amount of time your muscles can perform a maximal contraction.

Creatine also contributes to a state called "muscle volumization". When a muscle cell is volumized it is super hydrated with nutrients and fluids from the blood stream. This added circulation immediately increases muscle endurance and size (this is also the thing most people complain about, claiming to feel bloated with creatine supplementation). This effect usually will contribute to somewhere between 2-6 lbs of weight gain, strictly due to the extra fluid in your muscles (this weight gain is temporary and will be lost when creatine supplementation ceases).

Creatine increases protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is the process of converting amino acids into new muscle cells. Protein synthesis will only occur in an anabolic environment. Creatine contributes to this environment through both muscle cell volumization, and also through increasing endurance which allows you to work harder and stimulate a stronger recovery response from your training.

The other effects of creatine are less widely studied, but are still believed to be a very important component of why creatine is so effective at building strength and muscle. These benefits include: increased testosterone production, increased growth hormone and insulin like growth factor, and some research has also shown that creatine is a powerful antioxidant.

In my next article I will cover some of the different types of creatine and which kinds I have used with the most success. I will also cover dosing, cycling, and ways to increase the effectiveness of creatine. Please make sure to like Chasing the Dream on facebook or sign up for email updates so you don't miss this important article!

Here is my recommended creatine. It is affordable, effective, and doesn't cause too much water gain.

How carbohydrates affect your body. Part 4- Putting it all together (Losing fat)

2011-12-04T20:38:00.000-08:00

Now that you understand a little bit on how carbohydrates affect your body let's put together a loose guideline on what to do when you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle. It is not impossible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, but it is incredibly inefficient and not very likely. If you are overweight I suggest building a solid muscle base first and then losing extra fat (this will be easier because muscle burns fat). It is nearly impossible to do both simultaneously, because burning fat requires caloric deficit while muscle building requires caloric excess, or at minimum a caloric balance. Through following the principles I have described and will describe in this article, it will become possible to gain very lean muscle and also to lose fat while maintaining your muscle mass. You can read more about weight training here http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/strong-base.html, and here http://everystepblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/beginners-guide-to-power-lifting.html
Know that weight training is incredibly important for body changes and is much more effective than cardio for changing your body composition.

1) Losing fat. When losing fat is your main concern there are several key things to consider. The goal here is to keep your glycemic load fairly low. The best way I can suggest doing this is with a diet called the metabolic diet. This consists of a low, moderate, and high carbohydrate diet that alternates each day. For example: Mon.-low carb, Tues.-moderate carb, Wed.- high carb, Thurs.- low carb, Fri.- moderate carb, Sat.- low carb, Sun.- high carb (with one all out cheat meal). The basic idea behind this idea is that you keep calorie intake relatively consistent while you switch up the amount of carbs you consume each day. By keeping the body in a state of confusion you can maintain fat burning hormones while keeping fat storing hormones like insulin low throughout the week. One day per week you allow yourself one all out cheat meal (this is especially important if you are training intensely in BJJ, doing cardio and weights, or both). There are other modifications you should make when you are looking to shed fat, but I will save those for a later post.

By using an alternating diet you can confuse your metabolism and keep your sanity at the same time. It is much easier to keep a diet where you know: you will have two days a week to have some carbs, and you'll get one cheat meal each week. It is important to make all of your carbs throughout the week quality carbs, which mean low glycemic index. On low carb days avoid all grains, limit fruit consumption, increase vegetable consumption, avoid tubers (potatoes), and increase your fat intake (omega-3s, poly and monounsaturated fats, and quality saturated fats from organic dairy, eggs, meat, or coconut oil). On moderate carb days limit grains to one serving (whole grains only), increase fruit consumption slightly, keep vegetable intake the same, one serving of sweet potato is allowable as well. On high carb days 2+ servings of grains, increase fruit intake, slightly decrease vegetable intake, sweet potatoes are acceptable, and decrease fat intake. One meal per week is to all out eat what ever you want, eat as much as you can, this will keep you sane and keep your metabolism white hot.

Try to eat 6 meals a day minimum and never eat a carbohydrate by itself. If you have bread, eat nuts or peanut butter with it, eating carbs with protein and fat slows digestion and lowers the GI, which decreases fat storage (due to decreased insulin response). A good rule of thumb is to try to consume between 0.5-1 grams of protein per lb of body weight, but this of course varies due to activity level.

I could be much more specific about this, but I would have to create a tailor made program based off your specific needs and metabolism (instead I am giving you a rough guide to follow), just be aware that dietary modifications may need to be made based off: activity level, age, sex, weight, and personal goals.

Please feel free to comment with any questions below. If you haven't liked Chasing the Dream on facebook yet please do so and help my page to grow!

Why buy organic?

2011-12-02T12:56:00.000-08:00

Organic foods have a ton of benefits to offer anyone interested in buying them. There has a been a huge surge of interest in organic foods as documentaries like Food Inc. have shown the horrors of factory farming and some of the terrible conditions our foods are grown in. Here are six quick reasons you should look to buy organic foods whenever possible.

1) Reduces toxic chemicals in the environment. This is good for: water quality, soil quality, air quality, animals, and ultimately good for you and the foods you eat.

2) Better soil. Since organic foods can't be grown in soils with artificial nutrients or fertilizers the soil is free from harmful chemicals and is more naturally full of nutrients. Farmers must use sustainable farming practices to keep soil healthy, which leads to more nutritious food as well.

3) More humane for animals. Animals raised on organic farms live much better lives than those raised on factory farms. Factory farmed animals are: raised in tight living quarters, often never see sunlight, fed hormones and antibiotics, and fed unnatural diets.

4) Free from GMOs. While still controversial GMOs are genetically engineered foods that are produced in a laboratory by mad scientists. Monsanto says that they are just as healthy and totally safe, but some independent studies have shown otherwise. Since legislation to label GMO products was struck down, the only way to be sure you aren't eating franken fish or franken beans is to buy organic (GMOs are banned).

5) Supports sustainable agriculture and small farms. Most organic foods come from small independent farms that respect nature and the earth. By buying organic you help support the farmers that create food for people while giving back to the earth instead of destroying it.

6) Organics are healthier. Not only do organics have higher nutrient values, but they are free from pesticides and other chemicals that harm your body and it's cells. Plus as foods age they often lose nutrients. Organic foods are usually sourced from local farms which makes food fresher too!

These are just some of the benefits of buying organic foods, I try to buy everything I eat organic. Start buying organic today and start eating for a healthier earth, and a better you!

How carbohydrates affect your body. Part 3- Glycemic Load

2011-12-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

Glycemic load is the combination of two factors: a food's glycemic index, and a standardized portion of 100 grams. What this means is glycemic load uses the glycemic index of a food along with the portion of carbs to create a more accurate measure of how a food will affect your blood sugar. Glycemic Load = GI x net carbs/100. Since glucose is used as the standard these equations are divided by 100 to find glycemic load.

A GL of 20 or higher is considered high, 11-19 is considered medium, and 10 or less is considered low. I do not actually take the time to measure out the glycemic load in every meal I eat, even when I am looking to lose weight, the point of this is to help you actually understand what effects the food you eat will produce so you can plan accordingly.

The main point of this article is so that you understand that a small portion of a high GI carbohydrate will produce a response equivalent to a medium or large serving of a low GI carbohydrate. This is important for several reasons; when you are trying to lose weight no one likes to starve and its not productive to do so, if you understand that 1 cup of brown rice will have the same effect as 1/2 cup of white rice, you can eat more and still maintain weight, or eat the same amount but with a lower GI food and lose weight. The main reason this works is because of the hormone insulin I mentioned early. Less insulin is produced with a lower GL food, which means less fat storage. This is how you can eat the same amount or even more and still lose weight.

The basic idea is to take a look at the nutrition labels on your food and find out how many carbohydrates are present. On the label it should list protein, fats, and carbohydrates, present in grams, in one serving of the food. The best way to gauge how many carbohydrates are actually in a serving, is to find the total carbs and then subtract fiber, which will give you the net carbs present (the carbs that will actually affect blood sugar). For example a food has 25 grams of carbohydrates in a serving with 9 grams of fiber, you subtract 9 from 25 to get 16 grams of total net (or impact) carbs. If you already know that this is a low GI food then it would be an excellent choice for a carbohydrate source. Without even thinking about it much at all you should be able to take a look at a label, look at sugar content and fiber content and tell if the carb source is a healthy one. Labels that show a lot of sugar (5 or more grams) comparitive to total carbs is usually a bad choice, while a label that lists a high amount of fiber (2-10 grams) is usually a good choice.

Glycemic Load combats the main problems with Glycemic Index. For instance, a carrot is actually a high glycemic food, however the amount of net carbs present in a serving of carrots are low so the glycemic load ends up being small as well. If you would like an excellent resource to find glycemic loads along with nutrition data check out this site. http://nutritiondata.self.com They have an extensive collection of foods with in depth nutrition data and they always show glycemic load as well. Start out looking up the foods you eat, after a while you will have a good understanding of which foods have a favorable glycemic loads and can make better choices based off that knowledge. Remember, if you are looking to lose or maintain weight, or lose extra fat always avoid processed and refined carbohydrates: white bread, white rice, white potatoes, sugars, sweets, and white pasta.

Avoid these for a smaller waist.

Now that you understand: what carbohydrates are, the types of carbohydrates, the glycemic index, glycemic load, and net carbs, I will show you how to put it all together in my next post to lose weight or build muscle.

How carbohydrates affect your body. Part 2- Glycemic Index

2011-11-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

I mention Glycemic Index fairly often when talking about nutrition and carbohydrates. Glycemic Index is also being mentioned increasingly often in the media as well, so what is glycemic index (GI) exactly?

GI is the measure of how certain foods (mainly those with high carbohydrate content) affect blood sugar levels. The basic idea is that scientists give 10 people equal portions of a food and then measure their blood glucose levels in intervals over the next two hours. Foods that create a higher blood sugar level or a spike inside the two hour window are rated with a higher GI, while foods that have minimal effect of blood sugar levels are considered low GI.

The standard accepted scale rates glucose at 100 (being pure sugar) and everything else is based off of this baseline. For example: white bread is generally rated around 70 while an apple is around 40. Foods are generally classified as either: high GI (70 and above), medium GI (56-69), and low GI (1-55).

The basic idea is that by consuming foods with a lower GI you can control your blood sugar levels which provide you with several benefits. Lower blood sugar levels means less insulin,and less insulin means less fat storage. Consistently elevated blood sugar levels also lead to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, while lower levels are associated with less frequent development of type 2 diabetes. Lower blood sugar levels are also linked with lower levels of cancer, lower cholesterol, and lower blood pressure.

There are still other factors that affect blood sugar levels such as: the time of day you eat, the amount of carbohydrates you eat (glycemic load), what you eat with the carbohydrates, and even herbs and spices can affect your blood sugar levels after a meal.

By choosing foods with a lower GI over there high GI counterparts you can control blood sugar levels and improve your health very quickly. Always choose: whole wheat over white bread, whole grain brown rice over white rice, sweet potatoes over white potatoes, and whole wheat pasta over regular white pasta. Just by making these small changes you can look and feel significantly better each day. Not all high GI foods are bad especially not in small amounts. Glycemic load is the actual amount of carbohydrates while GI is only the speed at which your body absorbs the carbohydrates. 5lbs of whole wheat pasta is just as bad as 2lbs of white pasta if losing weight is your main concern.

Carbohydrates are not the evil that most nutritionists and trainers portray them to be, but understanding carbohydrates and how they affect your metabolism and hormones is the key to controlling your weight. By using both glycemic load and glycemic index together in planning your meals you can have better control of your weight.

How carbohyrdrates affect your body. Part 1- What are carbohydrates?

2011-11-29T20:38:00.000-08:00

Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. All carbohydrates are converted into glucose which is released into the bloodstream and used readily by the body to fuel metabolism. The body can function without carbohydrates, but maintenance of bodily functions become more complex without them. When glucose is not present in the body it must convert fats and proteins into glucose, which is not as efficient as utilizing carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are typically classified as either simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates are usually either starches or sugars and are present in: fruits, fruit juices, sugar,white rice, white potatoes, and refined carbohydrates like white bread. Complex carbohydrates are found in whole grains like: rice, breads, quinoa, spelt, oatmeal, as well as in legumes and vegetables. The distinguishing factor is that simple carbohydrates are digested rapidly and hit the blood stream quickly (high GI), while complex carbohydrates are not as refined or processed and take longer for the body to break down (low GI). Unless you are looking to gain weight your goal should always be to limit simple carbs and replace them with complex carbs.

Excess carbohydrates that your body does not use get either stored as fat or stored in the muscle and liver as a complex carbohydrate called glycogen. When glucose is stored as glycogen it is basically stored in a complex form and is readily available for energy anytime your body needs it. If your blood sugar begins to get low then your body releases a hormone called glucagon which release glycogen into the blood stream as glucose. If your blood sugar levels get too high then your body releases insulin which stores the excess sugar as fat or glycogen. This is why refined and simple carbohydrates have a greater effect on weight gain, since it is in a simple form the body breaks it down quickly causing a spike of blood sugar, which the body then must store. When you consume complex carbohydrates they are absorbed more slowly keeping your blood sugar levels more steady and so you end up storing less as fat as a result.

These are basically the fundamentals and basics of carbohydrates. I will cover more in depth Glycemic index, glycemic load, and then I will summarize in my fourth post and help everyone to understand how carbohydrates are the key to controlling your weight, whether you want to gain muscle or lose fat it is all influenced by carbohydrates.