To live long and stay strong you have to pay attention to your inner workings. Here's a quick and easy look at the male machine, and how you can do some tinkering to make sure it's purring like it should.
...
Here it is! The perfect program! Just kidding. But it caught your attention, didn't it? The fact is, too many people spend their time searching for 'the perfect program.' You might hear about it from a beefy guy at the gym. You might see it on an infomercial. Perhaps you'll get it from a product label or nutrition store.
Your best bet in finding the 'perfect' exercise program is to understand the nature of the word. "It's a process rather than something that falls out of the sky," says Chip Harrison, C.S.C.S., head strength and conditioning coach at Penn State University, University Park, Penn.
...
Every few years, a dietary supplement hits the market and gains popularity. More importantly, if this dietary supplement products effects that can be felt almost instantaneously, it becomes exceedingly popular and then it hits mainstream. Once in the mainstream, these supplements hit a much larger audience and get into the hands of the supplement naive. The supplement naive are those who don't really understand that "more" doesn't mean "better." They take dietary supplements in excess, like the other foods that they ate to become overweight. They do this in hopes of getting a quick fix, just as fast as they got out of shape by gorging their faces with processed foods.
...
Powerful and thick thighs require gut-busting exercises like squats and leg presses. However, once you have acquired adequate thigh mass and strength, you should consider adding some balance and sharpness to the muscle bellies in your thighs.
...
It happens to just about everyone. They hop on the treadmill, elliptical or stair climber, ready for an invigorating aerobic bout but before the machine even gets warmed up, the would-be calorie cruncher is faced with that same old cardio menu option— "Intervals" or "Fat Burning?" Which one to choose? For some it's a bigger dilemma than "paper or plastic."
...
Scientific research reveals the importance of proper training in order to obtain the most beneficial results. Basically, in order utilize our body's own hormone systems, we need to exercise differently than previously thought.
Endurance, muscle development, fat loss, and improved training are largely a result of increased base levels of human growth hormone (HGH). Athletes and scientists alike have found that the use of HGH generates leaner and stronger competitors. Artificial HGH use has been banned since the 1970s, but new studies suggest you can naturally increase HGH release though improved training methods.
...
HEADLINE GRABBER:
Performance-enhancing drug use rampant!
Minor player comes clean on GH use for competitive edge!1
After all the high-level athletes who have been busted for anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, the public may idly wonder which baseball player, cyclist or football star has "come clean"The vast majority seems to be reaching the point of scandal fatigue in sports. Does anyone care anymore about how these highly paid, supremely talented individuals manage to transcend? For most spectators, professional and collegiate sports are just entertainment— so bring on the games!Yet, the public demands absolute integrity— or so the media suggests, as any moral or ethical transgression by a major athlete becomes the coup de grace to his/her career and any endorsements.
...
Spring is a great time to take stock of how your winter diet and training have progressed. Perhaps your self-examination will reveal that your thighs, calves and buttocks are softer and sagging a bit more than you want. Even if this is the case today, a tighter diet and focused attack on the lower body will turn things around rather quickly. Squat jumps are a great way to start this lower body evolution.
...
A recent survey showed that most young and middle-aged men felt self-conscious about poor muscle mass in their chest, shoulders and abs. They wanted to look muscular and fit but really didn't know how to achieve it. FitnessRx for Men has the answer. Time under tension is the key to building muscle and promoting muscle protein synthesis. Do 1 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions to failure at 50 to 80 percent of maximum strength (1-RM) two times a week if you want to build muscle mass and strength. This method is safe, effective and fast.
...
It can sound like a loud pop or a gun shot, or you can just feel a snap. You can have sudden and severe pain, followed by swelling and bruising. It doesn't matter if you're a novice or a pro with years of hardcore training under your belt. You can tear or "rupture" a tendon.
Your tendons connect muscles to bones, so that your bones can be bent (like in a biceps curl) or straightened (like in a triceps extension) at a joint.
...
Omega-3 fatty acidsfound in fatty fish, such as salmon and sardines, reduce the risk of coronary artery disease by lowering dangerous blood fats. Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline is marketing a prescription omega-3 drug called Lovaza, with sales that approached $1 billion last year. The drug costs consumers $400 per month, which is considerably higher than over-the-counter omega-3s available in any grocery store.
...
Few things taste as good as a barbecued steak or burger. Unfortunately, grilling meats— particularly well done— produces compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that increase the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. The smoke that flares back on the meat when the fat hits the coals produces other cancer-causing substances called PAHs. Scientists from the American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR) suggest barbecuing vegetables and fruits as an alternative.
...
Testosterone levels drop dramatically after men have children and assume the responsibility of raising a family— according to a study from Northwestern University. Testosterone drives men to chase women and have sex. Researchers studied testosterone levels in more than 600 single, non-fathers in 2005 and again 4.5 years later after they became fathers. Fatherhood decreased testosterone levels by 26 percent during the day and 34 percent at night. Men who spent more time with their child had lower testosterone levels than men not involved in child care.
...
Obesity Reduces GH and Increases Heart Attack Risk
Growth hormone increases fat breakdown and use in adults and children. Obesity decreases growth hormone (GH) levels, which makes it difficult to reduce body fat. A Harvard Medical School study showed that lower growth hormone levels were associated with reduced densities of LDL and HDL cholesterol, which increase the risk of heart disease.
...
Prolonged muscle contraction is the most important stimulus for increasing muscle size— according to researchers from McMaster University in Canada. They studied the effect of a single workout using either slow reps (6 seconds up and 6 seconds down) or fast reps (1 second up and 1 second down).
...
Nutritionis arguably the most important component of an athlete or bodybuilder's training regimen. A precise and effective nutritional diet plan produces a biochemical environment that promotes the most efficient muscular adaptations to resistance or endurance exercise.
...
Last month, I purported that melatonin should be a part of any bodybuilder's supplement armamentarium. It has effects on the IGF-1 axis, anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant effects and improves sleep. Melatonin is a compound with a wide range of antioxidant properties, including direct free radical scavenging and indirect antioxidant stimulatory actions, which regulate the activity of antioxidant enzymes.
...
Since anabolic steroids mimic the muscle-building effects of natural testosterone so efficiently, finding alternate steroid sources with potent anabolic properties and minimal side effects has been of great interest to bodybuilders and athletes alike.
...
It does not seem fair, but the genetic gift of calf structure seems to have been distributed to only a few lucky people— and the gene pool seems a bit thin in this area for the rest of us.
...
Sections
Categories
Poll
Recent Forum Posts
just do it! be consistent and vary your workout so you don't get bored-
Hire a personal trainer! for accountabililty and to get you on the right
My best work out advice!
tozymy Yesterday, 07:08 PM