A Little off Topic, But Still Wellness...

Reading the paper this morning, an article about how the top income earners are pissed about the tax increases on the wealthy. The top tax rate went from 35% to 39.6%, compared to 60-78% from years before. Response by a CEO at Cognex Corp., "The reason this is happening is very clear: there are more 'takers' than 'makers' in our society and this is leading directly to the decline of free enterprise and capitalism".

What a selfish, uninformed, elitist, smug asshole. Yep buddy, god damn welfare and immigrant junkies are destroying our economy and lives, nothing to do with free-market capitalism, corporate de-regulation, or the top 10% free-for-all. God damn 3 point tax hike on my $1million+ income. I am starving!! Can't even afford to pay 3 of of 5 car payments. 

I feel sorry for you. There is nothing wrong with making a large income, but don't let money blind your view of reality and the rest of the human race. The problem is the focus of much of humanity has shifted from peaceful survival to greed and hatred. And your comment made me vomit at how unbelievably distorted it is.

Want to burn fat? Then you need to understand Insulin:

When you eat simple carbs or high glycemic foods like sugars, you spike your blood glycogen or blood sugar. This is spiking your Insulin levels.

This triggers your body to stop burning fats so it can focus on burning sugars to lower your blood sugar back to normal or a state of homeostasis.

This can be helpful if you use simple carbs or sugars before, during and immediately after working out. It allows your body to burn carbs for a surplus of energy to get you through your workouts. It also helps your body to uptake any vitamins and minerals for protein synthesis to recover faster.

If you spike your insulin at night it inhibits growth hormones, which are secreted most abundantly during NREM sleep.

If you want to make your body run on fat more, you need to limit carb intake the later it gets in the day and the longer it has been since you worked out. This will train your body to burn fats due to the low level of carbs available. It will want to maintain the little carbs it has for basic energy processes, and switch to reserves (FAT!).

Protein can assist with this process as protein is broken down into amino acids and then sent to areas of the body that need new proteins. If you consume more proteins than you demand your body to need, they can however be used for energy rather than protein synthesis, or even worse, stored as fat.

Now go get a six-pack !!!! It just takes discipline and time.

Make Your Own Program

REPETITIONS

- Reps between 3-6 generally focus on strength.

            - Increasing the actual density of muscle.

- Reps between 6-12 generally focus on size/hypertrophy.

            - Increasing the size of cells and bigger muscles.

- Reps over 10-12 generally focus on endurance.

            - Don’t increase strength or size much or at all.

- You should keep repetitions in the same range for all sets.

            - Don’t do 6-8 reps your first set and then do 10-12 reps for the next set. Your body will lose focus trying to make too many adaptations for multiple goals. Lift in the same rep range for a full workout, and change the rep range the next session or two down the road to mix it up.

- Don’t stick with the exact same rep range for more than a few workouts at most.

            - Mix it up to keep your body guessing and to make sure you are progressing every aspect of your fitness and not plateauing. Use the 4-6 range for a couple workouts, then the 8-10 for a couple, and so on.

SETS


- Generally 3-4 sets per body part are shown to be best for the general population.
           - Doing one set will show results, but your body can tell you how many sets to do. If you can not reach your rep range on your 3rd set with a clean and controlled movement, then you are done.

- Try sticking with 2-4 sets per body part, unless you are a body builder.
           - Too many sets can be a waste of time achieving no more muscle breakdown, or actually inhibit results during rest. More is not better.




WEIGHT

- The weight you use should allow you to reach the low end of your rep range but not surpass the high end before “technical failure”.

            - If you are doing 6-8 reps, pick a weight that allows you to cleanly get at least 6 reps with good form, but not more than 8. Ideally you want to start to lose form, and reach “technical failure” on the high end of your rep range; so 8 in this scenario.

            - Sacrificing form and continuing to get one more rep is detrimental to your recovery. It requires your muscles and central nervous system to adapt to stimuli outside of your goal. It also increases your chances of getting hurt.

- You should use a weight that is challenging, but never makes you reach technical failure in your first set.

- You HAVE TO progress to continue to make gains.
            - That means more weight for the same reps, or more reps with the same weight. If you don't progress your volume of work, you will not progress your results, you will simply be in a maintenance phase.

REST

- Your muscles ideally need 48-72 hours of rest between sessions.

            - Longer than this is actually not good either. You don’t want to train your arms once a week, - you want to train them every 48-72 hours, so every 2-3 days.

            - Train Upper one day then lower the next and rest. Then repeat. Or train full body every other day and cardio between and weekends. 



NOW GO MAKE YOUR OWN PROGRAM!!! Or Email me and I will send you the three month home workout I created and use to build muscle and burn fat. And I know it works, because it has helped me shave inches off my waist and put inches on my biceps. 

Nutrient Timing Outline

Outline of the book The Future of Sports Nutrition: Nutrient Timing by Ivy & Portman Ph.D. All information is based on scientific research and experiments. Highly informative for anyone who wants to be healthy, lose weight, gain weight, or build muscle and/or strength.

 3 Phases:

            Energy Phase (10 mins prior to and during a workout)

                        - During your workout when muscles need to release sufficient energy

                        to drive muscle contraction.

                        - Need carbohydrates during this phase, as well as protein, amino

                        acids, and vitamins

            Anabolic Phase (Within 45 minutes after a workout)

                        - 45 minute window following a workout in which muscle initiates

                        the repair of muscle protein and replenishes muscle glycogen.

                        - Muscles are sensitive to insulin during this time, but become insulin

                        resistant more and more over time.

            Growth Phase (First 4 hours and 16-18 hours after a workout)

                        - First 4 hours after a workout is Rapid segment where you maintain

                        increased insulin (fights cortisol) sensitivity and anabolic state.

                        - Up to 16-18 hours after is Sustained Segment where you maintain

                        positive nitrogen balance and stimulate protein synthesis, as well as

                        promote protein turnover and muscle development.

- End of the anabolic phase until beginning of next workout

                        - Muscle enzymes are involved in increasing proteins and size of

                        muscle fibers, as well as fully replenishing glycogen stores.

                        - Protein and carbohydrates are important during this phase.

Energy Systems and Macronutrients

            Anaerobic Energy Systems: Phosphagen and Glycolisis

                        - Get ATP for muscle contraction by converting glycogen (stored carb)

                        into ATP through glycolysis or the breakdown of creatine phosphate

                        - Two systems, Phosphagen and Glycolisis. Glycolysis produces lactic

                        acid as a by-product.

                        - Provides energy for short bursts, high intensity

            Aerobic Energy System

                        - Produces energy for long periods of work, low intensity.

                        - Breaks down carbs, fats, and finally proteins when needed for energy

                        - Slower than anaerobic and takes place in the mitochondria

            Carbohydrates

                        - Come from muscle glycogen stores and blood glucose

                        - Stored in muscle and liver, some in the blood

            Fats

                        - Mostly stored in adipose tissue, not readily available

                        - Must be broken down into fatty acids and transported to muscles

                        and further through the plasma membrane to mitochondria.

            Proteins

                        - Made of amino acids, used when carbs are low

                        - When glycogen stores of liver and muscles are low, muscle proteins

                        are broken down into amino acids and released into the blood.

                        - This is how you lose muscle mass if no glycogen stores available

Hormones:

            Catabolic

                        - Major ones are glucagon, epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol.

                        - Break down fuel stores like fat and glycogen, and protein if cortisol

                        - Glucagon increases breakdown of fat, released by the pancreas when

                        low blood glucose to try to raise blood glucose level by increasing

                        release of glucose from liver and activating gluconeogenesis.

                        - Cortisol breaks down muscle proteins along with fat and carbs

            Anabolic

                        - Mainly testosterone, growth hormone, IGF-1, insulin.

                        - Testosterone blocks cortisol and stimulates protein synthesis

                        - Growth hormone stimulates bone and cartilage growth and protein

                        synthesis.

                        - IGF-1 stimulates growth of bone, cartilage, and muscle

                        - Insulin effects muscle synthesis, degradation, and glycogen

                        replenishment

                                                                 

ENRGY PHASE (4 Main Goals):

           

(1) Increase nutrient delivery to muscles and spare muscle glycogen and protein.           

            -Consume a protein and carb drink right before and/or during exercise to

            help maintain muscle glycogen and remain strong throughout training.

                       

(2) Limit Immune system suppression

            - Supplement carb (sugar) drink to decrease cortisol by as much as 80%, and

            help fight against its effects of suppressing the immune system as well as

            its catabolic effects on muscle tissue.

(3) Minimize muscle damage

            - Vitamins C and E and antioxidants may help minimize muscle damage if

            taken during exercise. They have been shown to reduce levels of CPK, an

            important marker of muscle damage.

(4) Set the nutritional stage for a faster recovery after your workout

            - Consume a drink before and during exercise that contains about 25-30g of

            high glycemic carbs like dextrose or sucrose, 15g whey protein, 1g leucine,

            vitamins C and E, 150-250mg sodium, 100mg potassium, 100mg magnesium.

ANABOLIC PHASE: (5 Main Goals):

(1) Shift metabolic machinery from a catabolic state to an anabolic state

            - A recovery drink containing both protein and high-glycemic carbs has the

            greatest effect on raising insulin levels; more than either nutrient alone.

            - This sets the stage for an anabolic state and nutrient uptake opportunity

(2) Speed the elimination of metabolic waste by increasing muscle blood flow

            - When lactic acid levels are high it takes longer for creatine phosphate CP

            to be restored.

            - Insulin has been shown to increase nitrous oxide (NO) production in the

            body (more than 30g arginine supplemented showed), which helps improve

            blood flow for nutrient delivery.

(3) Replenish muscle glycogen stores

            - Studies show the higher the insulin response post exercise the higher the

            rate of glycogen storage. Protein and carbs supplemented together showed

            a much greater increase in storage than either nutrient alone.

            - Better glycogen storage results in faster recovery & better future workouts

            - 45 minutes immediately following exercise. Body has depleted many

            essential amino acids, BCAA’s, and glutamine.

(4) Initiate tissue repair and set the stage for muscle growth

            - Studies show that a carbohydrate/protein supplement after exercise shows

            a 38% more effective response for protein synthesis than amino acids or

            carbs alone.

            - It also suppresses 3-methylhistidine, an indicator of muscle fiber damage

(5) Reduce muscle damage and bolster the immune system

            - Using a protein/carb recovery drink with glutamine and vitamins C and E

            added showed a great reduction in free-radical formations and CPK levels

            - A 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of carbs:protein has been shown to be best. So for every

            gram of protein, consume 3 to 4 grams of simple carbs.

GROWTH PHASE

RAPID SEGMENT: Up to four hours after workout (2 Main Goals):

(1) Maintain increased insulin sensitivity

            - Further consumption of a lower supplementation of carbs with protein is

            needed after anabolic phase supplementation to keep blood insulin levels

            elevated, & completely recover glycogen

- A drink containing about 15g whey, 5g casein, 3g leucine, 1g glutamine,

and 2-4g high-glycemic carbs work well 3-4 hours after workout

(2) Maintain the anabolic state

            - Consuming a high carb and protein meal or supplement two hours after

            exercise and then again four hours after exercise can keep insulin levels

            spiked to their max potential for protein synthesis.

            - Leucine has shown to help maintain a high anabolic state during this time

GROWTH PHASE

SUSTAINED SEGMENT: After Rapid Segment until next workout (2 Main Goals):

(1) Maintain positive nitrogen balance and stimulate protein synthesis

            - Numerous studies show if training intensely you should consume .9-1.25g

            of protein per pound of body weight to maintain a positive nitrogen balance

            and negative fat balance, and maximize protein synthesis.

            - Consuming 1.4g protein per kilogram body weight showed a greater

            increase in protein synthesis than consuming .9g/kg, but consuming

             2.4g/kg body weight showed no further increase.

(2) Promote protein turnover and muscle development

            - Consuming all your protein in a large meal may be less effective at

            stimulating protein synthesis than consuming a normal meal and snacking

            - You must consume more calories than you expend to maximize muscle gain

            - Diet is most important during this phase, proper balance of macronutrients

            for your goal is key during this time.

Nutrients and Sports Supplements:

            Carbohydrates

                        - Strongly stimulate insulin, which stimulates the transport of amino

                           acids into the muscle, as well as activates protein synthesis.

                        - Research has shown that a supplement with carbs and protein after

                           exercise results in 38% faster rate of protein synthesis than protein

                           alone.

            Arginine

                        -  Important in helping muscles to manufacture other amino acids

                        - Excellent stimulator of insulin and can increase blood-flow

                        - The production of nitric oxide requires arginine

            Glutamine

                        - Most abundant amino acid in the blood and muscle cells, but can be

                           depleted through strenuous exercise or injury

                        - Promotes protein synthesis and helps to maintain a positive nitrogen

                           balance, and prevents muscle breakdown.

                        - Supports a healthy immune system

            BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids)

                        - Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. Help prevent muscle degradation

            Creatine

                        - Can increase strength and muscle mass gains, necessary for creatine

                           phosphate (CP) production which rapidly resynthesizes ATP

Supplement Bible

Wake-Up / Pre-Workout:

- Green Tea Extract – Caffeine to stimulate and sharpen, plus tea’s health benefits.

- Fat Burner –Stimulate and thermo-effects (optional, not all safe) or 6oz. coffee

- Multi-vitamin – Try not to get more than 100% anything, especially A, D, E, or K

        which are fat-soluble vitamins and can build up over time.

- Beta-Alanine – 4g total, 2g before workout to fight lactic acid and allow greater

          strength. Boosts muscular anaerobic endurance and aerobic endurance.

 - 5g Creatine – Energy, water retention.

- 16 oz. water

-60-90 minutes before workout: Oatmeal and banana w/ eggs whites (no fats before

        workout, will sit in stomach)

            and/or

18-20g Whey protein within 30 minutes of starting workout (Optimal amount)

During Workout:

- 7-10oz. water every 15-20mins.

- If working over an hour drink some electrolytes

- If working over 90 minutes drink carbs and electrolytes (Gatorade, Accelerade)

Post-Workout:

- Whey proteins blend with: 10-12g whey & 10g weight gainer (Or just 20g protein,

      which is optimal amount for recovery. Over 20g can hinder muscle growth)

            - Ground Flaxseed – Fiber and digestion (Optional)

            - Spirulina – All amino acids for protein synthesis (Optional)

            - BCAA – For protein synthesis

            - Creatine Monohydrate – Recovery (May be in your whey already)

            - Chia seed– Cleanse and fiber (Optional)

            - Beta-Alanine – 2g (Should break up 4g daily dose into two servings) 

- 70-90g of carbs and 20g protein in a meal – Ideal for protein synthesis

– 4:1 ratio carbs:protein is optimal. Consume .5-.8g protein/lb. body weight

     total in a day, depending on level of activity. .9g/lb BW upper limit)

- Replace weight lost in water (So if sweat 1.5lbs. drink 24oz. water)

Before Bed:

- ZMA – Deeper sleep and testosterone booster for recovery.

- Glutamine – 5g can boost growth hormone levels.

- Casein Protein – about 12g to provide steady flow of protein for muscle recovery

   and prevent breakdown of muscles while fasting during sleep. (Cottage Cheese is

   casein also)

Stretching for Dummies: The Science and the Obvious.

Static Stretching

First off, NEVER do static stretching before you workout, it can restrict blood-flow to the muscles and turn off the central nervous response making you more susceptible to injury. This is meant to be post-workout to improve recovery and flexibility. It is a myth that you should do this before workouts, and is no longer accepted by those who do their research. The first 7-10 seconds that you stretch a muscle to tension you are not actually stretching anything. The muscle you brings to tension has a neurological response to contract for the first few seconds. In order to get an actual stretch you need to hold it to tension the first 7-10 seconds, at which point the central nervous system basically turns off for that area, and then breath in deeply and stretch it further as you exhale. Hold it to this new point of tension for 15-60 secs to achieve flexibility benefits. Research does not yet show too much difference between holding it 15 or 60 secs after you shut the central nervous system off, so it is up to you. However, research does show you need to repeat this at least 4 reps. 

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (P.N.F.)

This is better than static stretching, but requires another person to do some stretches, or at least something to provide tension. For this you pull the muscle you are targeting to tension for 7-10 secs, again to shut off the central nervous system response, then push against the stretch with about a 5-6 out of 10 effort for 6-15 secs. (Ex: have someone push your knee into your chest while you push it back towards them, or you can use a belt) After the 6-15 secs stop resisting and you will be able to breath out and stretch further to a new point of tension. You can hold it at this new point of tension and repeat the process as many times as you see improvement. This is also typically meant for post-workout to improve recovery and flexibility.

Dynamic Movement

This is really a movement, not a stretch, and is meant to be done before you workout to warm up the muscles and turn on the central nervous system to the appropriate areas. Some people call it Dynamic stretching or ballistic stretching however. Ballistic is a more explosive form of dynamic movements, and is intended for those who are at an excellent fitness level. Dynamic movements are for those who have a decent fitness, and are more controlled and slower paced movements that mimic those you will be using in the activity you are about to perform. So if you are going to be running, maybe do some trunk twists and lunges. If you are going to be playing basketball then maybe do some jump rope and some arm circles. You want to think of what movements you will be making and mimic movements that will activate the central nervous system in those areas and get blood flowing there.

Micro Fascial Release

Your body has a thin layer of what is kind of like a shrink wrap over your entire body. It is one connected piece, and if it is tight in one area it can pull the micro fascia from another area tight as well and cause tightness, knots, or pain. Research is showing that these knots that we typically thought were in the muscle are actually in this micro fascia layer, where the it has been "knotted" up. By using something like a foam roller or other available tools to roll over these areas, you release them back to their normal shape and essentially can remove tight spots, reduce pain and soreness, and most importantly prevent injury. To do this you simply roll a foam roller or hard ball like a trigger point ball over the areas you find sore for 30-45 secs with a 3-6" movement. This is more important than people realize and can help solve many problems if done on a regular basis. It will help with recovery, relief muscle soreness, improve flexibility, and help prevent injury. Yoga is good at helping to stretch out the micro fascia to gain some of these benefits also. 

Conclusion

Stretching is extremely important, and there are certain types required for certain times and for specific fitness levels. If you do not stretch you will naturally not gain better flexibility, and you will actually lose what you have now. It is the simple principle of use it or lose it. If you sit in a chair 12 hours a day and don't even stretch your hip muscles will shorten and you will develop bad skeletal posture and a whole host of other problems. Stretching is an important part of any fitness routine, so integrate these different techniques into your program and you will see great benefits.

Burning Legs and Vomit

If you ever wondered why your muscles begin to burn when you workout hard, today is the day you find out! When you exercise your body gets the energy from carbs by breaking the chemical bonds of glucose molecules. The result of breaking these bonds is energy as well as free floating hydrogen ions left over. These hydrogen ions build up in your muscle, and so something needs to remove them so you don't have a build up of lactic acid and get that burning or tingling sensation. The hydrogen ions attach to pyruvate and are then pulled into the blood to buy your muscles some time. Lactic acid is not garbage however, it can be converted back to glucose and used as a source of energy for your body. Your blood can only handle so much, so when it is full and can't keep up with the amount of free hydrogen ions you are releasing into the muscle, you get the burning sensation. This is also why you may vomit when you work out hard. Your blood can only handle taking in so much of this lactic acid, and then your body reacts by inducing vomiting. In order to improve your ability to manage lactic acid you have to train your body to take in more oxygen to your muscles and blood - you need to increase your VO2 max. You do this through cardio training. You focus on your aerobic system, not your anaerobic system. Now you know why your legs burn and you just vomited!