12/30/09

Leg Ext. 170 1:38 (pre fatigue)
Leg Press 330 1:33

Calf Raises 130 1:26

Sit ups 15 w/ 25 lb weight (decline 3rd Step)

Cardio

3:00 Jump rope
:30 Rest
3:00 Moving in a circle
:30 Rest
3:00 Jump rope
:30 Rest
3:00 Changing Levels
:30 Rest
3:00 Jump rope

12/26/09

Workout A

Fly 110 1:32 10 Reps
Bench 160 :42 4 Reps

Pullover 110 1:50 13 Reps
Pulldown 170 :53 8 Reps

Deadlifts 135 6 Reps
Leg Curl 115 :36 6 Reps

Next workout 12/30

This routine is a from Mike Mentzer which consists of 4 different workouts. Pullover and Deadlift are new exercises for me.

12/21/09

Situps 55 declined with 10 lb weight, until failure
Overhead Press 105 1:41

My overhead press was more than I normally do. I would like to break my week into two different days. Day 1, Legs, Back; Day 2 Chest

Bodyfat Skinfold 12/20 & 11/25

December 20, 2009

Weight 178

Triceps 7
Pectoral 7
Midaxilla 7
Subscapula 10.5
Abdomen 16
Suprailiac 8
Quadriceps 9.5

Density 1.077
Lean Weight 161.41
Fat Weight 16.58
% Fat 9.31

November 25, 2009

Weight 180.6

Triceps 7
Pectoral 9.5
Midaxilla 10
Subscapula 13
Abdomen 19
Suprailiac 15
Quadriceps 13

Density 1.070
Lean Weight 157.91
Fat Weight 22.68
% Fat 12.56

12/18/09

Bench 160 1:14 5 Reps
130 :30 3 Reps
Fly 105 1:16
75 :38

Leg Ext 165 1:36
Leg Curl 115 1:31
Leg Prs 325 1:34

Lat Pull 170 1:20
Row 90 1:45

I totally forgot to do overhead press. I'm going to continue to do bench press first.

12/11/09

Leg Ext 160 1:41 (+5lb + :11 sec)
Leg Curl 110 2:18 (+5lb + :48 sec)
Leg Press 320 (+5lb + :05 sec)

Fly 107.5 1:38 (+2.5lb + :10 sec)
Bench 155 :53 (+:04 sec)

Lat Pull 170 1:16 (+:03 sec)
Row 90 1:00 (+:12 sec)

Overhead 100 1:20 6 Reps (+:07 sec)

Biceps, Extremely hard to do following pulling exercises. Wasn't making any gains so I didn't record the exercise.
Triceps, Didn't bother

I used the 2.5 lb add on weight. I'm having a tough time with my bench press. Next week I'm going to do that exercise first to see if I've made any progress from 160 (1:12.) The chest fly may follow the bench press. I feel myself working back towards the Big 5. I like the additional leg exercises to make the leg press harder. At the end of the year I'm going to do the Big 5 to see where my numbers are at.

Cancer From the Kitchen?

Cancer From the Kitchen?

The debate against plastic is growing.

Cancer From the Kitchen? on NYT

12/02/09

Leg Ext 155 1:30 20 Reps
Leg Curl 100 1:30
Leg Press 315 1:34

Fly 105 1:28
Bench 155 :49 (After Fly this was tough)

Lat Pull 170 1:13 (+ :04)
Row 90 :48 (chest supported)

Overhead 100 1:13 (+:24)
Bicep 70 1:03
Tricep 65 1:04

I'm going to see if I can continue improvements with additional exercises. By adding a pre fatigue the numbers on my compound movements has gone down slightly. I'm still having problems progressing on bench press. I ordered a 2.5 lb. add on weight so I can make smaller increases in weight.

11/22/09

Leg Ext 150 1:38
Leg Press 320 1:09
Pull down 170 1:09
Bench 160 :58
Vert Press 100 :48

Corn Subsidies: How Congress is shortchanging our health

Corn Subsidies: How Congress is shortchanging our health

Great Reading

Articles from Dr. Nishant Rao

Vitamin D - A Guide for Furless Mammals
Probiotics – Extra Sauerkraut on The Hot Dog Please!
Vitamin B12 – Clarifying Some Misinformation
Go Ahead and Eat the Yolk

Myostatin is not your buddy

Gene therapy may be used to treat muscular dystrophy



Myostatin is a secreted TGF beta protein family member that inhibits muscle differentiation and growth.

11/17/09

Leg Ext. 140 1:30
Leg Press 310 1:20
Pull Down 170 1:09
Bench 165 :48
V Press 105 :50
Curls 40 x 2 1:00

Pre-Fatigue training

This is a post I found on the http://www.muscleandstrength.com/ forum.

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/forum/

Every now and then, one really needs to shock the muscles into growth, and there are a number of ways in which this can be done, including drop sets, supersets and pre-fatiguing the muscles. Drop sets and supersets are often used in workouts, but often, pre-fatigue techniques are neglected because they are not understood. ie. How would one pre-fatigue the Biceps? or the Lats? Used properly, pre-fatigue training gives awesome results, and here's how and why it works:

Pre-fatiguing the muscles

Muscles work as follows: There are two types of muscle fibres: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. Slow-twitch muscles are used for repetitive movements, and they are designed for endurance. They recover rapidly, and do not tire easily. They are always employed before the fast-twitch muscles during an exercise. However, when the weight gets too heavy, your body calls on the fast-twitch fibres to do the work. These can lift heavy loads, but tire quickly.

Example: Let's say have 100 muscle fibers in a muscle - 50 slow-twich and 50 fast-twitch. You lift a weight which requires 55 muscle fibers. Your body will call on all 50 slow-twitch and 5 fast-twich fibers to lift the weight. After one rep, your slow twitch fibers are still perfectly strong, whereas the 5 fast-twitch fibers are exhausted. Now you do a second rep. Your body uses all 50 slow-twitch muscles once again, but 5 different fast-twich fibers, because the first ones are exhausted. After 10 reps, all your fast-twich fibers are exhausted and you can no longer lift the weight. (Now you can see why you do more than one rep.)

So, what happens if you want to shock the muscles further - hit the fast-twich fibers further while they're tired. You can't do any more reps, because they're exhausted, and if you wait for them to recover before doing a new set, you're not shocking them into growth as effectively as you could. So, the following techniques are available:

1. Drop sets - give them lighter weights and your fast-twitch fibers can lift a little more while fatigued.

2. Supersets - use different muscles to assist in a lift while the fast-twitch fibers are still fatigued.

3. Pre-fatigue the muscles - this is a single-joint (rotary) exercise, followed by a compound (linear) exercise to failure. This is different to supersets in that you use heavy weights in the second exercise, and there is a short rest period in between the two exercises:

Pre-fatiguing the muscles is done by using a rotary exercise, followed by a linear exercise (heavy) after a short rest period. The rotary exercise pre-fatigues the muscles, and the fast-twich fibers are hammered in the linear exercise - shocking the muscle into growth.

OK - so here's the rotary exercises which you should do to pre-fatigue the muscle, followed by the killer linear exercise:

Pecs
Rotary: Pec Dec or fly's
Linear: Bench Press

Lats
Rotary: Pullovers
Linear: Lateral Pulldowns

Delts
Rotary: Lateral Raises
Linear: Military Press

Biceps
Rotary: Curls
Linear: Chin-ups (underhand grip)

Triceps
Rotary: Tricep extensions
Linear: Dips

Quads
Rotary: Leg Extensions
Linear: Leg Press

Hamstrings
Rotary: Lying Leg Curls
Linear: Lunges or Leg Press

Include this in your workout as an alternative to drop-sets and supersets every now and then, as a shock-technique, and your muscles will grow like weeds. Pre-fatigue training works like no other!

Enjoy!

11/12/09

Leg Press 370 lbs 1:50
Lat Pull down 160 lbs 1:33
Chest Press 160 lbs 1:12
Overhead Press 100 lbs 1:33

Chemicals in Our Food, and Bodies

Chemicals in Our Food, and Bodies

Your body is probably home to a chemical called bisphenol A, or BPA. It’s a synthetic estrogen that United States factories now use in everything from plastics to epoxies — to the tune of six pounds per American per year. That’s a lot of estrogen...

How can you generate the greatest metabolic effect?

How can you generate the greatest metabolic effect?


Copied from http://metaboliceffect.wordpress.com/

How Long does it last and how significant is it?

There are several studies that challenge the notion that EPOC is insignificant. One of the most important was published in 2002 in the European Journal of Applied Physiology. In this study Schuenke et. al. showed a circuit resistance training program utilizing heavy weights, short rest periods and lasting only thirty-one minutes was able to generate an EPOC that persisted for 48 hours (1). The results showed that metabolism 24 hours and 48 hours after the exercise session was increased by 21% and 19% respectively. The researchers point out that for a typical 180-pound individual “This equates to 773 calories expended post exercise”. This is far from insignificant and greatly exceeds the 15% number many researchers quote for EPOC. Similar findings have been shown in women using a similar resistance training protocol. In women the elevation in metabolic rate lasted 16 hours (2). Women likely have a lower response due to lower muscle mass and decreased levels of testosterone.Similar findings have been seen with interval training as well with significant EPOC values lasting up to 24 hours (3-4).

----------

Using this new understanding of exercise and following what the research says, there are 4 reliable ways to stimulate the maximum caloric burn both during and after the exercise session. We call these the “Bs” and the “Hs”, breathless, burning, heavy and heat. Each workout should work to genrate all four of these components.

1. Get Breathless - you have to be panting for breath in order to reap the full benefits of a metabolic workout. If you can talk, you are not doing metabolic conditioning. This aspect correlates with the degree of EPOC and anaerobic calorie burn. It is important to minimize pacing yourself which is why we have developed a system of exercise we call rest-based training that allows each exerciser to generate the correct intensity required for their unique metabolism to reap the rewards…hence the ME acronym.

2. You need to get Burning - You have to get to the point of “metabolic failure”. Metabolic failure is a term I use to describe the need to stop exercise because of an intense burn in the muscles, not necessarily because the weight is too heavy to lift. This is directly related to the lactate generation in a workout and how much growth hormone and testosterone you will generate from the workout (more a HGH determining factor than a testosterone one). What many people are unaware of is that lactic acid acts like a hormone and may actually cause/contribute to the release of HGH and testosterone (10-14). In other words the degree of burn in your muscles is directly correlated to the proper hormone response for increased muscle building and fat burning.

3. You need to lift heavy - if you are not incorporating heavy weighted movements into your workout you are missing a key component of the after-burn. In the 2002 research by Schuenke the weights used were very heavy (a 10 rep max) and the exercises were full body movements. Heavy barbell squats, explosive power cleans, and maximal dead lifts or similar full body exercises are key to the metabolic effect. If you don’t have access to heavy weights, then you need to use body-weight exercises and explosive movements that come close to mimicking the same effect (single leg squats, pull-ups, push-ups, explosive jumps, and other plyometrics). This one is all about the type IIb muscle fibers. Heavy weights trigger HGH and testosterone (more testosterone than HGH). This is what I call “mechanical failure”. As opposed to metabolic failure, this is when the weight just gets to heavy to overcome gravity and go no longer be lifted.

4. You need to generate heat - the final parameter is heat. One of the biggest contributors to EPOC and anaerobic energy use is heat. If you are not sweating, your body is not getting hot enough. As a matter of fact, I use the ability to sweat as a biofeedback tool into how sensitive the body is to its catecholamine response. If your not sweating in a workout, you are missing out on this heat effect and the after-burn will suffer.

Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin

Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin

"The basic problem is that while it's true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued. Exercise, in other words, isn't necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder."

I hope everyone gets to read this article.

11/02/09

Leg Press 350 2:09
Pull Down 155 1:51
Chest 155 1:14
Vertical Press 95 1:24

My knee was sore 2 weeks ago and i took a couple weeks off of the leg press. With the extra time off my leg press came back much stronger than where I left it. I'm going to take 10 days off until my next strength day. I've been at a sticky point with my Bench Press at 145, I tried to increase the weight 10 lbs to see what my time would be.

I've been on my current program for 3 months. I've went from 184, to 174.

Nautilus Bulletin #1

http://www.timinvermont.com/fitness/bul1toc.htm

10/29/09

10/29/09
Leg Press 340 2:20
Chest 145 1:40
Vertical Press 90 1:40
Pull down 145 2:00

9/26/09
Leg Press 310, 2:10
Chest 140, 1:44
Vertical Press 75, 1:58
Pull down 145, 1:46

My days of easy gains are over. My chest press has been stuck at 145, 1:40 for 3 weeks now.

Naked Mole Rats

The Life Span of a Rodent May Aid Human Health

I like mole rats, they don't feel pain and live extremely long compared to other rodents.

The Human Body Is Built for Distance ?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html

I'm not sure I agree with this article.

65/25/15

Each calorie can be broken into Grams
Protein = 4 calories
Carbs = 4 calories
Fat = 9 calories

60% carbs, 25% protein, and 15% fat is an ideal ratio suggested by Mike Mentzer.

2300 Calories, Weight gaining calorie intake. This is my BMI plus activity calories, plus 300 calories for weight gain.

Carb 2300 *.65=1,495
Protein 2300*.25=575
Fat 2300*.15=345

Carb 1495/4 = 374 Grams
Protein 575/4 = 144 Grams
Fat 345/9 = 38 Grams

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.

Heavy Duty Articles

Mike Mentzer - Articles

Quoted from the article: How Protein Initiates Muscle Growth.

Q. How many grams of protein do I require daily?

A. In my liberal example, a person engaging in high intensity training or Dr. Layman's long distance running example may need between 1.6 to 2.0 grams per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight, while a couch potato may only require 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Q. Shouldn't protein intake vary per person depending on body size?

A. The more you weigh, as a result of training, the more protein you will require. For example, using 2.0 grams per kilogram of bodyweight for an individual weighing 175 pounds (80 kilograms) would require they consume about 160 grams of protein daily. However, after gaining ten pounds of muscle, resulting in a weight of 185 pounds (84 kilograms), that same person would need 168 grams of protein daily.

Q. Should I be eating every 2 hours (6 meals a day) with each meal having protein?

A. Let me answer the last part of this question first. Each meal should have some protein, because protein helps regulate blood glucose and provides satiety (fullness or satisfaction). I would recommend 3 meals and a snack daily and not to let more than 4-5 hours go by without eating. This will help you have control over your Calorie intake and meet requirements from other food groups.

Q. How do I measure protein in grams?

A. 1. One ounce of meat, fish, poultry, or lean pork contains 7 grams of Protein.
2. One egg, two tablespoons of natural peanut butter, or ½ cup of dried beans, peas, or lentils each provide 7 grams of protein.
3. ½ cup of cooked vegetables or 1 cup of leafy greens provides 5 grams of protein.
4. 1 cup of milk or yogurt, or 1 ounce of natural cheese typically provides 8 grams of protein.
5. Typically, one serving of grains (either 1 slice of bread, or ½ cup of rice, or ½ cup of pasta, or ½ cup of cereal provides 3 grams of protein-amount of protein varies on brand of cereal).
6. Always read the Nutrition Facts panel on food packaging that tells you the serving size and how many macronutrients are in each serving. If you do not have a calorie booklet that breaks down the food into Carbs, Protein, and Fats, I recommend you purchase one.

Alternate-day fasting and chronic disease prevention

Alternate-day fasting and chronic disease prevention: a review of human and animal trials

Is Intermittent Fasting Healthy?

Is Intermittent Fasting Healthy?

Great Article...

Modern man a wimp, says anthropologist Peter McAllister in 'Manthropology

Modern man a wimp, says anthropologist Peter McAllister in 'Manthropology

According to anthropologist Peter McAllister, modern men are the 'sorriest cohort of masculine Homo sapiens to ever walk the planet.'...

10/21/09

Chest, 145 1:40, +:01
CRow, 165 1:44, +:08
Vertical Press, 90 1:27, 5 lbs -:15
Pulldown, 150 1:22, +:42
Leg Press, Machine Down

I'm starting to hit a point where I can't maintain big weekly increases, except for the overhead press which is starting to get better. I'm thinking about modifying my routine at the end of the month.

I'm not sure if I should increase my weight and shorten my exercises.

Prejudice Is Hard-wired Into The Human Brain

Prejudice Is Hard-wired Into The Human Brain

Contrary to what most people believe, the tendency to be prejudiced is a form of common sense, hard-wired into the human brain through evolution as an adaptive response to protect our prehistoric ancestors from danger...

Japanese man in mystery survival

Japanese man in mystery survival

A Japanese man has survived for 24 days in cold weather and without food and water by falling into a state of "hibernation", his doctor has said....

Hard Facts about Soft Tissue

Hard Facts about Soft Tissue

"The bottom line for fat loss is as follows: 1) Build some calorie burning muscle through proper exercise. 2) Create a modest calorie deficit through dietary restraint. 3) Superhydration. 4) Get some extra sleep. 5) Avoid overactivity or steady-state activities that are popularly thought to "burn calories". If you have the discipline, these simple steps will prove successful beyond your expectations."

10/11/09

Chest 145 lbs +:09
C Row 165 lbs +:04
V Press 85 lbs -:06
Pulldown 150 lbs -:59
Leg Press 340 lbs -:22

I fell asleep late last night and woke up early. I was totally tired and didn't get enough sleep. This was also my second week where I boxed on Saturday. After boxing my biceps, shoulders and back are slightly sore. I think it was the lack of sleep that caused this workout to be so shitty. Regardless, I'm going to try moving my weights to Wednesday.

Avoid Plastic

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326100714.htm

Jumping Rope

Jumping Rope
10/8/09

Time Speed Heart Rate
0 Starting 60 bpm
3 Moderate 120 bpm
1 Sprint 152 bpm
1:30 Rest 88 bpm
-----
3 Moderate 136 bpm
1 Sprint 164 bpm
1 Rest 108 bpm
-----
3 Moderate 136 bpm
1 Sprint 164 bpm
:30 Rest 124 bpm * Best Rest Time
-----
3 Moderate 144 bpm
1 Sprint 168 bpm
:30 Rest xxx
-----
1 Stairs 172 bpm
1 Stairs 180 bpm

Evolutionary Fitness

http://www.arthurdevany.com/

Interesting take on nutrition.

Safe Water Bottles

http://trusted.md/blog/vreni_gurd/2007/03/29/plastic_water_bottles


Choose your water bottles very carefully in order to prevent chemicals in the plastic from leaching into your water.

Plastic water bottles are very convenient for carting water around when we are on the go, as they don't break if we drop them. However, it is worth paying attention to the type of plastic your water bottle is made of, to ensure that the chemicals in the plastic do not leach into the water. If you taste plastic, you are drinking it, so get yourself another bottle.

To be certain that you are choosing a bottle that does not leach, check the recycling symbol on your bottle. If it is a #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), or a #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), or a #5 PP (polypropylene), your bottle is fine. The type of plastic bottle in which water is usually sold is usually a #1, and is only recommended for one time use. Do not refill it. Better to use a reusable water bottle, and fill it with your own filtered water from home and keep these single-use bottles out of the landfill.

Unfortunately, those fabulous colourful hard plastic lexan bottles made with polycarbonate plastics and identified by the #7 recycling symbol, may leach BPA. Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. For more of the science on the effects of BPA on our endocrine system etc. see these studies: Environmental Health Perspectives Journal. Nalgene, the company that manufactures the lexan water bottles also makes #2 HDPE bottles in the same sizes and shapes, so we have a viable alternative. Order one at Nalgene.

Unfortunately, most plastic baby bottles and drinking cups are made with plastics containing Bisphenol A. In 2006 Europe banned all products made for children under age 3 containing BPA, and as of Dec. 2006 the city of San Franscisco followed suit. In March 2007 a billion-dollar class action suit was commenced against Gerber, Playtex, Evenflo, Avent, and Dr. Brown's in Los Angeles superior court for harm done to babies caused by drinking out of baby bottles and sippy cups containing BPA. So, to be certain that your baby is not exposed, use glass bottles.

Check the recycling numbers on all your plastic food containers as well, and gradually move to storing all food in glass or ceramic.

Store water in glass or brass if possible, and out of direct sunlight.

Plastic Recycling Symbols
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321

Body By Science

Body By Science, Articles

http://www.bodybyscience.net/

Great website with a ton of info.

10/04/09

10/04/09
Compound Row 165, 1:32, 18% Gain
Bench Press 145, 1:30, 21% Gain
Pull down 150, 1:39, 20% Gain
Overhead Press 80, 1:48, 14% Gain
Leg Press 330, 1:52, 14% Gain

8/30/09
Compound Row 140 lbs 2:02, 12% Gain from 7/28
Bench Press 120 lbs 1:48, 26% Gain from 7/28
Pull down 125 lbs 1:52, 31% Gain from 7/28
Overhead Press 70 lbs 1:34, 40% Gain from 7/28
Leg Press 290 lbs 1:58, 26% Gain from 7/28

7/28/09
Compound Row 125 lbs
Bench Press 95 lbs
Pull down 95 lbs
Overhead Press 50 lbs
Leg Press 230 lbs

Tomorrow isn't promised Today

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2009/10/02/majority-of-babies-will-live-to-100-how-will-they-do-it.html

Wednesday Jump Rope

Starting Heart Rate 68

3:00 124 bpm
1:00 164 bpm
-----
2:00 Rest 100 bpm
-----
3:00 140 bpm
1:00 160 bpm
-----
2:00 Rest 96 bpm
-----
3:00 132 bpm
1:00 168 bpm
-----
2:00 Rest 108bpm
-----
3:00 136 bpm
1:00 168 bpm
-----
1:30 Rest 112 bpm
-----
3:00 144 bpm
1:00 172 bpm (85% MAXhr)
-----
1:30 Rest 116 bpm (45% MAXhr)
-----
1:00 Sprint 152 bpm

Notes: 2:00 rest is too long, next time I'm going shorten it to 1:30

ADDITIONAL INFO
To calculate the calories burned based on the METS, use this formula:
Weight (in kg, kg = lbs/2.2) * METS = Calories Burned per hour

METS
12.0 sports rope jumping, fast
10.0 sports rope jumping, moderate, general
8.0 sports rope jumping, slow

81.8 * 12 = 972/60 = 16.2 Cals/Min
81.8 * 10 = 818/60 = 13.6 Cals/Min

Estimated Calories Burned 21 Min of Jumping Rope, 301 Calories

Football player drops bar on neck while Benching!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/09/usc-stafon-johnson-weightlifting-accident.html

Free weights are dangerous!

Raw Milk

http://thepauperedchef.com/2007/08/raw-milk-in-mai.html

Interest in farmers markets is growing

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2009-09-27-farmers-markets_N.htm

09/26/09

Leg Press 310, 2:10
Chest 140, 1:44
Hammer Row 160, 2:03 (I didn't like this machine)
Vertical Press 75, 1:58
Pull down 145, 1:46

A Survival Guide to Eating Chicken you Can Feel Good About

A Survival Guide to Eating Chicken you Can Feel Good About

I'm starting to get concerned with the industrial production of chicken and what they are fed. This article outlines some suggestions for getting better chicken. As far as getting vegetables is concerned. This looks like a good option, http://www.localharvest.org/

Then it lead me to this doctor, Preston Maring

Another story, Hospital farmers' market offers the right prescription for health

And this farm, http://www.happyboyfarms.com/

Daily Reading

Low-intensity exercise: Is it the best way to burn fat?

The Truth About the Fat Burning Zone

Time to bust some health myths

How serious is over training syndrome?

Body By Science

http://www.youtube.com/user/bodybyscience

A bunch of videos to supplement the book.

Key found to muscle loss as we age

Key found to muscle loss as we age


It’s a sad fact that muscles shrink as adults age. But new studies are starting to unravel how this happens — and what to do about it.

Past research has shown that the bodies of older people build muscle from food less efficiently than young people. Now researchers at the University of Nottingham in England have also found that a mechanism that prevents muscle breakdown works less effectively in people over the age of 65, resulting in a “double whammy” effect.

For the elderly, less muscle mass means not only a loss of strength, but also increases the likelihood of injuries from falling. However, the new research suggests weight training may help older people retain muscle.

The study, detailed in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, compared the effects of insulin (a hormone released to slow muscle breakdown after eating) on a group of people in their late 60s to a group of 25-year-olds.

The subjects were examined before breakfast and then re-examined after they were given a small amount of insulin to raise the hormone to a level similar to having ate a bowl of cornflakes or a croissant.

To calculate how much “wasting” was happening in the leg muscles of both groups, the researchers tagged an amino acid (a building block of muscle protein) and performed blood analysis to determine how much of the amino acid was delivered to the leg and how much was leaving it.

“The results were clear,” explained Michael Rennie, a professor of clinical physiology at the University of Nottingham. “The younger people’s muscles were able to use insulin we gave to stop the muscle breakdown, which had increased during the night. The muscles in the older people could not.”
The researchers also noticed during the course of the study that the blood flow in the leg was greater in the younger people than the older people. This suggests that the supply rate of nutrients and hormones is lower in the older people and may explain why muscle wasting occurs, says Rennie.

In a follow-up study, the research team found that three exercise sessions a week over 20 weeks was enough to reverse muscle wasting by increasing blood flow to the legs of older people to a level identical to the younger group.

“I am extremely pleased with progress,” Rennie said. “It looks like we have good clues about how to lessen it with weight training and possibly other ways to increase blood flow.”

9/13/09

Seated Row 155, 1:33
Chest 130, 1:47
Pull down 145, :58
Vertical Press 70, 1:23
Leg Press Skipped

I had some raging stomach flu on Thursday morning. Which made it impossible to eat that whole day and it also made me massively fatigued. I'm still trying to get back to normal.

Endurance athletes don't suffer enough

Endurance athletes don't suffer enough


"Very few endurance athletes think of themselves as avoiding suffering in their training, but in my experience most do," says Matt Fitzgerald, author of eight books about endurance training, including Brain Training for Runners and Triathlete Magazine's Essential Week-by-Week Training Guide. Fitzgerald explains that endurance athletes are willing to push the discomfort envelope when it comes to high-volume training, but they rarely simulate race-specific intensity in training.

Fitzgerald is co-authoring a book with Stephen McGregor, PhD, an exercise physiologist who trains elite British endurance athletes with the English Institute of Sport. An integral part of McGregor's programs for endurance athletes is to break them of the habit of always staying in their comfort zones. According to Fitzgerald and McGregor, even elite athletes are reluctant to do gut-busting efforts intense enough to push their discomfort level. The reason athletes need to train until they feel like they're going to puke, according to a study by Bertrand Baron at the Université de la Reunion in France cited by Fitzgerald, is that that pain threshold is trainable just like a lactate threshold. If athletes rarely mimic the intesity race pace in training, then they will have trouble pacing themselves in races. Perhaps they push too hard and blow up, or perhaps they don't push themselves as hard as they could have.

According to McGregor, athletes tend to make great gains in the first few weeks of training, but then their gains level off as they develop a comfort zone. They find an intensity or rate of perceived exertion that works for them and they stay there, freezing gains. McGregor includes high-intensity workouts in elite athletes' training programs to push them out of that rut. Many non-elite endurance athletes avoid high-intensity training because they fear that it increases the risk of injury (or that it will develop too many fast-twitch muscle fibers, there are a million excuses), but Fitzgerald says that this is all a bunch of hogwash. "Yeah, right," he says. "Having been an endurance athlete since 1983... I have simply been around the block too many times to live in denial of its effectiveness." Fitzgerald suggests incorporating race-intensity suffering into your training about two times per week through track repeats, hill repetitions, tempo runs, or anything that hurts like mad.

What's Really in Supplements?

What's Really in Supplements?

With age muscle deteriorates... Article

With age muscle deteriorates and fat accumulation rises

The exciting news and opportunity here is that muscle deterioration preventation and reversal can be experienced at any age, man or woman, through regular strength training and nutrition.

At age 25 your muscles start to deteriorate. Women, you have it worse because you begin muscle deterioration right after puberty. Right up to that point your body is still growing. Muscle is still being built on your frame but after puberty your essential muscle growth is over and your muscles begin deteriorating through every stage of life till death. The only way to stop this, and even reverse this, is to regularly condition your body for strength. If you don't use your muscles you will loose them. Resistance training can actually re build your lost muscles making you strong again and more youthful! Lean muscle burns fat and lean muscle is the bodies natural fountain of youth!

Many women in our society believe that if they lift weights they will bulk up and look scary. This entirely false belief adds to the epidemic like lack of knowledge in our society. Men have a much higher propensity to keep building muscle than women largely because of testosterone production differences. Ladies, You cannot bulk like a man. Lifting weights will not increase your muscle size much, just your muscular density and strength. Forget about your fears of bulking and lift some weights instead of eating less and focusing on aerobic exercise. Adding lean muscle is how women get smaller, not bulky. Dieting and aerobic exercise without strength conditioning causes muscle loss, making it easier to gain fat and exacerbates the affects of aging.

9/6/09

Seated Row 155, 1:45
Chest 125, 1:56
Pulldown 130, 2:20
V Press 70, 1:48
Leg Press 300, 1:42

Time

"Lost time is never found again." Ben Franklin

One of the keys to losing weight is finding a reasonable diet that you can maintain, hopefully forever.

This is an article I found about Calorie Deficit...


Losing weight is made possible through a simple equation. The calories you burn must be greater than the calories you eat. (Calories burned > calories eaten). When you are on a diet that follows this equation, you will lose weight.

A calorie deficit is the difference between what you burn and what you eat. If you eat 2,000 calories and burn 2,500 today, you calorie deficit is 500. It is important because the size of your calorie deficit will determine how much weight you lose each week. Creating a calorie deficit forces your body to use stored energy which will cause the weight loss.

The general rule is that you have to burn 3,500 calories more than you eat to lose one pound. Since you cannot do all of that in one day, you spread it out over a greater period of time: a week. To lose one pound in a week, you need to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories during the week. Since a week has seven days, you divide 3,500 calculatorcalories by seven and get 500.

Five hundred is the calorie deficit you need to create each day in order to lose one pound per week. This means that you need to burn 500 calories more than you eat everyday for a week to lose one pound.

If you want to lose two pounds per week, you need to double your calorie deficit to 7,000 calories per week or 1,000 per day. You can use the calorie calculator to get an estimate of how many calories you burn each day.

Goals for Exercise

Leg-Press 2.25 Times Your Weight, 400 lbs
Bench 1.5 Times Your Body Weight, 270 lbs

Metabolism Myths

http://www.foxnews.com/

You’re not going to achieve optimal fat loss without putting in a good effort. That being said, you’ve likely read about various fat loss principles that you can use to speed your progress.

Mixed in with the useful information there’s a good chance you’ve come across at least a couple of metabolism myths that could be sending you down the wrong path. By getting it straight from the start, you put yourself in a better position to see results.
Here are some of the main metabolism myths you should know about.

1. Eating Before Bed Will Lead to Fat Gain
The first metabolic myth that many people fall for is that foods eaten before bed will automatically turn to body fat. The truth is that it’s the total calorie intake over the course of the day that determines whether a food will turn to body fat or not. It doesn’t matter when the calories are eaten, just that they don’t put you over your total daily calorie intake.
Spreading your calories out evenly throughout the day will help maintain a stabilized energy level, but from a fat gaining perspective, eating before bed won’t cause weight gain in and of itself.

2. Eating More Frequently Will Speed Up Your Metabolism
Another common myth is that eating more frequent meals will boost your metabolism. If you’ve ever heard someone tell you that you should eat six times a day for a faster metabolism, you’re being given misinformation.
The point to remember here is that each time you eat a meal, your metabolism increases. This increase is impacted by how large the meals higher in carbohydrates and fats).
Assuming total macronutrient composition and calorie intake stays the same over two different diets, one consisting of three meals and one of six, both diets will experience the same metabolic increases. The only difference is the individual eating six meals a day will have smaller increases six times while the other individual will have larger increases three times a day.

3. No-Carb Diets Cause Faster Fat Loss
When you start up on a very low carbohydrate diet such as Atkins or a Ketogenic diet, you enter into what is referred to as ketosis, where your body switches from running on carbohydrates as fuel to using a source called ketones. Many individuals believe that there is something special about being in ketosis that speeds up the rate of fat loss you experience.
This is not the case. Low carb diets offer the benefit of hunger control, but in terms of actually changing the rate of the metabolism, they’re not going to have any influence. In fact, if you go without carbohydrates for too long, your metabolism could decrease because carbohydrates are the main macronutrient that influences the thyroid gland.

4. You Shouldn’t Eat Carbohydrates and Fats Together
Individuals who follow food-combining diets tend to fall for this myth time and time again. They believe that in order to lose weight effectively, they should avoid eating carbohydrates and dietary fats together.
This belief stems from the fact that since carbohydrates are used for energy, if fats are consumed at the same time they will immediately get turned to body fat. Likewise, since the body can also use fats as fuel (it’s just not preferred), if you are eating fat in your meal, you should avoid carbohydrates.
The truth is that the body is more concerned with total energy balance. If you eat a meal and your body needs fuel, it will use whatever fuel is available to it — carbohydrates or fats. It’s true that carbohydrates will be used first, but if the carbohydrates do not meet the full energy needs, dietary fat is used as well.
The only time in the day when you really want to avoid eating fats with your carbohydrates is immediately before or after a workout since having fat in the body will slow down digestion, decreasing the uptake of the carbohydrates by the muscle cells.

5. Metabolism Slows Automatically as You Get Older
Finally, the last myth is that the metabolism will slow down with age. The primary reason the metabolism slows as you grow older is because you lose muscle mass. If you continue with your weight training you will largely prevent this, warding off weight gain. You may see a small drop as time goes on, but if you’re weight training and eating properly, it will hardly be noticeable in terms of weight gain.
So, be sure you don’t fall for any of these metabolic myths. Choosing to believe them could lead you to select a diet that isn’t ideal for you and doesn’t offer any additional fat loss benefits.

Progress with my workout

On July 21st I started a new workout plan timing my exercises and only working out once a week. I go to the gym on Sunday and do the "Big 5" exercises which consist of; Compound Row, Bench Press, Pull down, Overhead Press, Leg Press.

Halfway through the plan I started adding a 2nd day on Wednesday which I worked on; Curls, Abs and Adduction. All my exercises are done on Nautilus machines except for Leg Press and Adduction.

My cardio exercise comes from jumping rope once a week at home for about 20 min.

So here are some of the changes I experienced in roughly one month...

I went from 184 to 180 lbs.

7/28/09
Compound Row 125 lbs
Bench Press 95 lbs
Pull down 95 lbs
Overhead Press 50 lbs
Leg Press 230 lbs

8/30/09
Compound Row 140 lbs 2:02, 12% Gain
Bench Press 120 lbs 1:48, 26% Gain
Pull down 125 lbs 1:52, 31% Gain
Overhead Press 70 lbs 1:34, 40% Gain
Leg Press 290 lbs 1:58, 26% Gain

Average Gain 27%

I think some of these gains came from the trial and error of finding my proper weight for each exercise. I'm really curious to see where the next month goes. The largest reward came when I realized that this is a totally sustainable plan. It's a very easy schedule to maintain and towards the middle of the week I look forward to working out. When I know I only have one day to make my exercise count, It gives me additional motivation to try harder.



As far as the work out on Wednesday, There will be some changes in which exercises I do.

If are afraid of getting big from lifting weights...

"Only 1/10 of 1% of the population can build exceedingly large muscles naturally.

Muscle is metabolic currency,it is the greatest predictor of metabolic rate, hormonal regulation, glucose economy, functional ability, bone density, vitality and even mortality in elderly populations. Muscle is also the only tissue that we have volitional control over, that we can control and command its state and its the window to all of our other supportive subsystems, all systems up regulate to support muscular function and effort.

In my opinion something can only be called exercise if it is intense enough to evoke an adaptive response, hence high intensity muscular contractions are required. Everything else is just activity and should be considered as much for a mental and emotional outlet, these people that try to convince themselves that their leisure/enjoyable activity is enhancing their well being are in fantasy land. In many case not only are these activities not enhancing their well being but they are accelerating the degenerative aging process."
- Josh

Back

I'm back! I got a gym membership at Gold's Gym.

Pushups

16
16
15
14
20

Total 81

Goal

My goal is to weight 169 by June.

I need to lose .8 LBS a week. In the past I can get to 175. But to make it to 169 might be difficult.

If you are trying to lose weight. I think 1 LB a week is a modest, sustainable goal. So I try to time it for that.

Running

I'm running again. Trying to get back to my old pace.

Date Distance Time Pace Best Mile
Jan 4, 2009 1:10 pm 2.00 miles 16:50 8:25 / mi 8:11
Jan 3, 2009 11:40 am 2.01 miles 17:29 8:42 / mi 8:40
Jan 1, 2009 4:04 pm 2.00 miles 18:02 9:01 / mi 8:53

I got all this info using Fitnio on my Iphone.

The Riddle of Snacks

I am trying to get a consistent ratio of Protein/Carbs/Fat. I'm not really sure how people go about finding which ratio is best for them.

You first need to figure out what your daily calorie needs are. If you need 2,000 calories a day it would look something like this for a 40/40/20 Ratio.

Each calorie can be broken into Grams
Protein = 4 calories
Carbs = 4 calories
Fat = 9 calories

Protein = 2000*.4= 800 Cals
Carbs = 2000*.4= 800 Cals
Fat = 2000*.2= 400 Cals

Protein = 800 / 4 = 200 Grams
Carbs = 800 / 4 = 200 Grams
Fat = 400 / 9 = 44.5 Grams

Grams are something you can read and track found in the Nutritional Content.

You get fat from excess calories. Calories from Fat are a necessity. There are bad fats like Saturated Fats and Trans Fats.


My Ratio is around 49/33/17, This is probably going to change as a I learn more.

Fat 296.5 / 9 = 33, 17%
Protein 593 / 4 = 148 33%
Carbs 889.5 / 4 = 222 49%

Iphone Apps

Live Strong
This is good for tracking your calories throughout the day.
http://www.livestrong.com/

Fitnio
This app can track your time & distance for running or biking. Also gives you your best times & averages.
http://www.fitnio.com/