MAX.MAREK 
"current it's time to recover mentally during this offseason."
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| Created: | 04/03/2009 |
| Total Visits: | 45 |
| Total Blog Entries: | 6 |
| Total Comments: | 6 |
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April 8, 2009
Fitness Quest - Food Myths & Training
4 MYTHS ABOUT FOOD.Our society is full of urban legends, myths, and other lore that is mostly viewed as harmless entertainment; their origins oftentimes every bit as humorous as their content. But myths can also contribute to skewed thinking and practices that mislead at least and devastate at best.
Just because a myth seems far-reaching and nonsensical doesn’t mean it isn’t perpetuated. After all, how could myths be passed down as fact over the course of decades if no one believed them true?
Four myths that just might surprise you:
Myth 1: Eating pasta makes you fat
Truth: Over-eating makes you fat. Pasta can’t single-handedly take you from thin to fat overnight. That takes diligence and practice over-eating many different types of foods.
Myth 2: Eating after 7pm makes you fat.
Truth: Calorie content is the same at any time of day. You may find, however, that you actually consume more calories at night.
Myth 3: Drinking water with meals makes you retain fluid and become bloated.
Truth: When we drink water is of no consequence. Not drinking water causes fluid retention.
Myth 4: Our diets should contain no fat.
Truth: Cutting all fat can cause serious illness. There are good and bad fats. Choose unsaturated fats for good health.
HOW MUCH TRAINING IS ENOUGH?
Do you want to become a top athlete or just participate in recreational pursuits? Are individual goals like strength, muscle growth, stamina increase, fat loss, or rehabilitation, a priority? If increased stamina, fat loss, body toning and an overall increase in your good health is what drives you, you must determine how much time you’ll want to invest in your training in order to achieve your goals.
A combination of strength and stamina training always makes sense. Try doing two to three training sessions per week of resistance exercise, and three sessions of cardiovascular work. If you are interested in a more serious pursuit of athletics, you might be advised to work with a specialist who can get you there.
However, you should build a base with a “recreational” type workout first and go from there.
A training session should always be built the following way: After a warm up do the power (or strength) training and then the stamina (cardio) training.
Another important rule of thumb?
Never Exercise The Same Muscle On 2 Consecutive Days
Divide your sessions” equally among the days of the week, so you get at least a day’s break. After one day of total exertion of the muscles in question, a 48-hour recovery period should follow. Muscles don’t adjust to the training when they are under strain, but rather when they are recovering.
Jogging remains a very popular means of getting fit. Most importantly, it is an excellent way of improving cardiovascular fitness.
If you’re considering embarking on a regular program of jogging, consider the following:
1. Warm up first – before ever running, do at least two minutes of warm-up stretches or take a brisk walk. This reduces the risk of muscle injury.. 2. Run at your own pace - never attempt to keep pace with anyone else. You should feel comfortable when running, breathing regularly without muscle spasm or pain.
3. Run with a good posture - your trunk should be vertical with no leaning. Run with arms bent at the elbow and swinging in an easy backwards/forwards motion. Hands should be relaxed at all times.
4. Keep to the soft - run only on soft surfaces such as grass, sand or cinder track. Hard surfaces jar joints, increasing risk of injury.
5. Cool down - after jogging take time for your cardiovascular system to return to normal. Walk around and relax your muscles from head to toe. Breathe deeply initially and gradually reduce your breathing rate back to normal. Never crouch or bend over (reduces airflow to the lungs); or sit/lie down (increases risk of cramps).
Posted in Training
April 8, 2009
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By Lola Runn
Myth 1
Skipping Meals Helps You to Lose Weight
Skipping meals is something most girls do in junior high or high school to lose those extra 5 pounds before prom night. But skipping meals sets the body up for a fall in metabolic effectiveness. Each time you skip a meal, the body goes into a state of crisis. It begins to wonder where its next meal is going to come from, and therefore, begins to slightly conserve energy. If it misses more than one meal per day, or misses one meal per day, every day, your metabolic pace will slow down further. Soon, the body’s basal metabolic rate (BMR) slows down and the body burns less calories at rest than it did prior. For a few days, the body will lose weight (mostly water) but will then begin to conserve stored calories and not let go of them. When food intake is resumed, it’s possible that the body will hoard however many calories the body is taking in, and store them as fat. This sets the person up for a roller-coaster ride of constant weight gain and loss.
Myth 2
Processed Food is Less Nutritious than Raw Foods
No one is going to defend Hostess snack cakes or potato chips, or something so full of fake ingredients that it bears more of a resemblance to a lab experiment than an actual food, but some food processing actually makes sense. Take raw milk, for example. Raw milk is processed through pasteurization (heating), which kills a variety of organisms that would be hazardous to our health. It is further processed by the addition of vitamin D. However, that is beneficial to health also. It may also be skimmed of its fat, to produce skim milk. This is also something that many people find attractive. Heating, canning drying and a host of other processes to alter food can often be beneficial and better than eating it in its raw form.
Myth 3
Carbohydrates are More Important Than Protein
It was believed for many years that carbohydrate rich diets were the be-all/ end-all of dietary bliss. But in recent years, and with the popularity of diets such as “The Zone”, many discovered that large amounts of carbohydrates weren’t beneficial to weight loss, nor necessary for overall good health and well being. Carbohydrates are needed as brain food and to maintain certain functions of the body. . However, protein is necessary for just as much, if not more, than carbohydrates, and promotes the regeneration of cells as well as helping the body to maintain its lean mass; a factor that is crucial to a healthy metabolism. Also, as people (women in particular) get older, they tend to become more intolerant to starch and sugar (both carbohydrates), and require less overall carbohydrate unless they are overly active.
Myth 4
Overeating Sugar is Better Than Overeating Fat
Overeating sugar is actually worse than overeating fat because overeating sugar can cause blood sugar imbalances, and eventually, if it is abused enough, it can cause adult onset diabetes. Saturated fats can most certainly cause heart disease over time, but remember, that’s only half the story. Monounsaturated fats are necessary and healthy for bodily functions. Eating fats such as flax seed oil, walnuts, almonds and avocado, is good for the body. We need fat to survive and remain healthy. We don’t need table sugar for any reason. However, keep in mind that the body turns all carbohydrates into glucose (sugar) in order to digest it and feed the body. Sucrose, on the other hand, or high fructose corn syrup, along with dextrose, are never necessary for the body and only end up raising blood sugar levels, and wreaking havoc on the pancreas. Put your money on fat, not sugar, as the winner of the two.
Myth 5
Vitamins and Minerals are Natural Substances, So They Are Completely Safe
Vitamins are natural substances, but depending on the actual vitamin, they can become toxic in large amounts if care is not taken to stay within recommended daily allowances (RDA). There are two types of vitamins: Fat-soluble and water-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins are vitamins that, if taken in abundance, we flush out on a daily basis. Vitamins C and B are good examples of this. Take 10 times the daily dose and you’ll only excrete what you don’t use. However, fat-soluble vitamins are a bit dicey. These are vitamins A and E and, if taken in copious amounts, can build up to toxic levels because our bodies store these in fatty deposits. They are not excreted daily. A good example of toxicity is an excess of Vitamin A: Skin color actually turns orange and eyesight (the very thing that vitamin A nurtures) can be impaired. Best to stay within the recommended daily allowances.
Myth 6
You Can’t Digest More Than One Food at a Time
Humans, unlike animals, are omnivores (omini=all; voro= eat). We have a medium length gut that can handle eating a hamburger on a bun and digest every bit of it. Sheep, cow and other herbivores (plant eaters), on the other hand, have multiple stomachs that digest different nutrients from different plants. Mammals like lions and tigers are carnivores (meat eaters) with a short gut and have trouble digesting plant substances. Our digestive system is much more evolved than any other animal, so we are able to tolerate many different categories of foods. In my opinion, diets that suggest we cannot eat more than one category of food (protein, carbohydrate, or fat) in one meal, are ludicrous! Humans are built to tolerate a wide variety of macronutrients and types of food at one sitting.
Myth 7
You Should Stay Away From “White Foods” Because They are Constipating
Because foods like white rice and white bread have less fiber, many people assume that all “white foods” are lower in nutritive value. And while more processed foods are lower in food value, not all white foods should be singled out. Foods like white potatoes, white navy beans, white whole grain oatmeal and white barley are very high in fiber and nutritive value. So the correct answer is that foods that are processed less and are not stripped of their fiber are the ones that are high in nutritional value. The color doesn’t matter.
Myth 8
You Need More Food in Cold Weather Than in Hot Weather
This is a big fallacy and one that keeps a great number of people in cold climates, heavy. Actually, as the thermometer rises, your appetite is likely to go the other direction, and fall. But even if you don’t feel hungry in hotter climates, you still need the same energy to perspire as you do to keep warm in colder weather. If you’re active and play tennis, golf, or swim in hot weather, you may actually need more calories than when it’s cold; unless you ski or are involved in winter sports. The point is, your activity level determines your daily caloric needs, not the thermometer!
Myth 9
High Cholesterol Means that I am at Total Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke
Cholesterol is one of the most misunderstood substances and readings in the human body. Extrapolating information based on high cholesterol counts can be difficult because cholesterol is such a transient reading. One week cholesterol counts can read in the high range, and with a slight change of diet, the next week can read much lower. Blanket cholesterol readings are also deceiving because a general reading does not account for the differences in cholesterol. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, for example cholesterol garnered from plant sources is most always good. This is a simplified explanation, but nonetheless should help put to rest some of the mystery behind the statement “Your cholesterol is reading in the high range.”
Myth 10
The Best Way to Reduce Cholesterol is to Avoid Eating Meat
Actually, the facts tell a different story. A 3 oz. serving of white chicken breast has 73 mg. of cholesterol, a 3 oz. serving of flounder has 60 mg., and a 3 oz. serving of lean eye of round, roasted, has only 56 mg. of cholesterol. So while many people want to scapegoat red meat as the responsible culprit of heart disease and other maladies, the fact is, it is the cut of meat that is important. Red meat provides a great deal of benefit to the diet and body and should not be excluded unless ethical, religious, or personal issues are involved with its consumption.
Myth 11
All Preservatives Are Bad For You
Actually, Vitamin C is a preservative. So is Vitamin E. These antioxidant substances prevent spoilage such as rancidity that can occur naturally when food is exposed to air. Preservatives such as antibacterial nitrates and nitrites are used to protect meats from food poisoning and bacteria that causes botulism. Preservatives also protect against certain cancers by killing off potentially carcinogenic molds in grain products and other foods. In fact, preservatives that kill molds are responsible for lowering stomach cancer in the U.S. So even though your mother meant well by telling you that preservatives were bad for your health, she wasn’t exactly correct. Preservatives are why we can eat a variety of foods and stay healthy.
Posted in Training
April 8, 2009
Chocolate Banana Protein Bars - 8 Bars
INGREDIENTS
300 g raw banana
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large chicken egg whites raw
4 oz non fat milk
200g 100% whole grain old fashioned oatmeal
1/3 cup splenda
1 tbsp Udo’s choice oil blend
60 g Designer Whey Chocolate flavor ( or equivalent
brand)
DIRECTIONS
Mix ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour into non stick
cake pan. Bake at 300 for 25 minutes or until firm, leave
until cooled slightly then cut to size. We have made these
into 8 small bars, but you could easily make into 4 larger
ones, with double the protein , so around 23g protein per
bar. If you don’t want the fat replace the Udo’s oil with
unsweetened applesauce. It will taste just as good and still
retain the moist but firm texture.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (PER SERVING)
Calories (Per bar) : 188.32
Protein (g) : 11.05
Carbohydrates (g) : 27.94
Fat (g) : 4.56
Carb - Protein - Fat % Ratio: 57-22-21
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Quick Power Yogurt
8oz. Fat free plain yogurt
2oz. low fat flavored yogurt (your choice of flavor)
1/2 cup of whole raw oats
1/4 cup of blueberries
totals
57 carbs
21gs of protein
340 calories
3.2gs fat
this is perfect you want a quick snack for some good energy. without the blueberries, it will taste a little bitter, so they help with that. Enjoy!
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Protein Pancakes
1/2 cup raw oats (uncooked)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
5 egg whites (or 2 wholes + 1 white if you want to start adding mass)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
cinnamon (to taste)
2 packs of Sweet ‘N Lo
for extra goodness, add some blueberries or whatnot to the mix 
Mix ‘em all up in your blender and cook them in a pan using Pam non-stick cooking spray(just like normal pancakes). Flip ‘em when they get a littly bubbly.
Nutritional Value with 5 egg whites:
320 Calories
3g Fat
33 Carbohydrates
38g Protein
Nutritional Value with 2whole eggs + 1 egg white
390 Calories
13.9g Fat
33.4 Carbohydrates
35.6g Protein
Nutritional facts reference:
http://www.thedailyplate.com/
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Chicken Eggs!
6 Egg Whites
2oz of grilled chicken breast
1cup of fresh spinach leafs (torn/cut up)
1-2tspn of black pepper
Nutritional Facts:
167 Calories
1g Fat
34mg Cholest
58mg sodium
1g Carb
0g Sugar
1g Fiber
44g Protein
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Protein Muffins
Makes 5 cups worth of batter…
- 1.5 cups of Raw Oats
- 4-5 servings of Protein powder (vanilla, banana or chocolate), in this case were using MAX MUSCLE MAX PRO Banana (5 scoops)
- 8 egg whites
- 1.5 cups of fat free cottage cheese
you can add: vanilla extract, walnuts, and or sweetener to add a little more flavor.
- blend all together
- cook for 20min at 350 degrees in the oven.
serving size per muffin is a 1/4 cup. so youll get 20 muffins out of this!
nutritional facts for each muffin
calories: 89
fat: 1g
choles: 5mg
sodium: 70mg
carbs: 9g
sugar: 1g
fiber: 1g
protein: 13g
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Protein Cookies
Ingredients
6 egg whites
1 3/4 cups Oatmeal
2 tsp Splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup un-sweetened apple sauce
4 scoops whey powder (can use any flavor)
1 tsp virgin olive oil
1/2 cup raisins
Steps
1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Mix all the ingredients together.
3. Bake for 20 minutes.
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Protein Waffles
• 3 egg whites
• 2 scoops of oatmeal (the scoop from your protein)
• 1 scoop of protein powder. (Maxmuscle MAX PRO used in this case, 30g per scoop)
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
• Splenda for taste
Mix all together. Makes 1 Waffle. Takes about 3 minutes on a waffle iron.
Nutritional Facts
Calories: 310
Fat: 4g
Cholest: 23mg
Sodium: 31mg
Carbs: 29g
Sugar: 3g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 45g
you can also add nuts, and or berries to the mix to add some more excitement! haha
Posted in Training
April 8, 2009
Ingredients
7 egg whites
1 3/4 cups Oatmeal
2 tsp Stevia
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely diced skinless apples
1/2 banana; finely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
4 scoops Allmax Allwhey Protein powder
1 tsp virgin olive oil
Steps
1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Mix all the ingredients together.
3. Bake for 20 minutes.
To make it a little more moist, you can add some low sugar vanilla yogurt to the mix. or even a little more olive oil.
other items that you can try to add into this is, organic unsalted peanut butter, even organic "no sugar added" chocolate chips from wholefoods. ill be trying both of these additions as well. healthy cheat foods!
Posted in Training
April 8, 2009
My journey starts off at the very beginning of 2006, January 1st to be exact. At the time, I was going through many hardships in life; marriage separation, job layoff, and a 1 year old baby-girl to try and take care of. I was living in Monterey, CA, but due to my job and marriage situation, I resided back to the San Francisco Bay Area, where I was originally from.
During that time, I was battling depression, stress, and lots anxiety from all my current life stresses, not to mention i was 245lbs, overweight, out of shape, self conscience, and had a very low self-esteem. Since I entered college in 1999, I pretty much stopped most of my physical activity, and took the college-life into full effect; drinking, partying, staying up late, BAD diet routines, laziness, etc. This lifestyle pretty much continued from the point I started college, till I graduated in 2004, but once I got married in 2004, I didn’t really start the healthy lifestyle that I should have.
I worked in Monterey for the entire time I was living in the area (1999-2005), then I got a position in San Jose, CA, so at that point the only choice I had was to commute 1-1.5hours each way to work, each day; that meant ‘no time to workout’. Once I got home, I had to take care of the family, and especially my young baby-girl. Bad eating habits, no motivation, depression, all continued and got worse. If I remember correctly, the heaviest I got was 245lbs, and that was around the end of 2005, which is where my personal marriage issues started to really heat up.
On January 1st, 2006, the wife I had and I separated, and it really never healed into what a marriage should have. It really hit me hard, and I took it very serious, somewhat like "my worst nightmare, the thing I never wanted to ever happen in my life…just happened."
So, on January 2nd, 2006, I decided to start making a positive change in my life, start going to the gym. My father and I got memberships to 24hour Fitness in San Carlos, California, and that’s when I decided to get back into shape.
As time went on, I started getting more involved into supplements and training routines, as the Max Muscle Franchise in San Mateo, California (which is where I learned about ALLMAX Nutrition) were very kind to start me off on the right foot on many supplements and nutritional guidelines.
For a time, I was really interested in training for a strongman competition, cause I loved lifting heavy weights; as I did have the size for it. But as time went on, I felt really burned out on lifting as heavy as I could, cause I didn’t see the physically appealing results that I was looking for; I was really intrigued by the Arnold Schwarzenegger (one of my childhood/current icons) look/figure. So, during mid 2007, I decided to take up more of a bodybuilding approach to my training, lower the weights a little, get more reps, keep it intense, use the ‘pyramid’ method, burn fat, eat right, more water, and push the intensity up!
Soon enough, I started to see physical results come faster and faster. My weight was going down, but my muscle mass was noticeably increasing, as well as my strength, stamina and intensity. In September of 2007, I weighed my lowest I ever had since I went to college in 1999 at 202.5lbs. So my motivation jumped even more to get more muscle, and shred the fat off. There wasn’t anything stopping me at that point, even my current divorce and daily-life drama.
During January of 2008, I was pushed into maybe competing in an actual bodybuilding show, which I have been very interested in doing one day anyways; so, I decided to take up my first show in October of 2008. I kept watching Jay Cutler DVD’s to pickup any information I could on dieting and contest prep, read bodybuilding books (Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger), watched Pumping Iron, read magazines, started eating a variety of foods to see what they did to my body and how I reacted to each of them, trial and error with various supplements, etc. I tried to do all the research I could to make this goal come out as best as I could the first time out. I even planned my own 16 week pre-contest diet, and followed it to the ‘T’, implemented many things I caught from the Jay Cutler DVD’s (mainly training techniques and foods). I ate every 2-3 hours, implemented proper nutrition into every meal, drank tons of water, cycled my supplements properly, and listened and learned from others that competed before or had past related experience.
So, from the support of my family/friends/ALLMAX Nutrition (all my strongest supporters), Max Muscle San Mateo, TF Supplements and Bon Vivant Tea, I competed in my first bodybuilding show in October 2008 with the WBFA (World Bodybuilding & Fitness Association). I Placed 2nd in Men’s Middleweight Novice, and 3rd in Men’s Middleweight OPEN. The heaviest I weighed during my pre-contest 16 week diet was 223lbs 10% bf, and I shredded down to 176.5lbs ~5% bf at contest time.
I have to say the whole experience on-stage was probably one of the greatest experiences I’ve done in my entire life. Seeing the crowd, music, lights, camera’s, cheers, everything! I couldn’t get enough. I seriously had a permanent smile on during the whole show, even though I was dying for some water. I seriously cannot wait to get back on-stage, as I plan on doing 3 to 4 shows in the 2009 season.
With all the things I’ve learned, and experimented with, during my transformation, I’ve been inspired to help others and share my knowledge. I am currently submitting my tests to become a certified ISSA Personal Trainer, have plans on becoming a supplement distributor for a variety of supplement manufacturers, fitness clothing, fitness modeling, and even do fitness seminars, expos and travel-training.
I have definitely been bit by the bodybuilding bug, and I don’t think I’m gonna look back! This is a lifestyle that is definitely appealing to me, and the best part is that my experience is inspiring others to try the same.
Posted in Training
April 8, 2009
There are probably tons of articles out there that refer to different methods of losing body-fat and water weight. Experimenting with numerous methods is always a great way to seeing how your body reacts to those methods. But, over my days of attempting such techniques, here are the ones that I found most common, and the ones that provide the best benefits and results:
1. Drink Lots of Water. 1-2 gallons per day of fresh spring water (distilled water only during the final week before competition though). The more water you drink, the more gets flushed out of your system. Weird concept, I know.
2. High-Protein Diet. Keep your daily protein intake to about 1-2g’s of protein per body pound per day. spread between 5-6 mildly portioned meals.
3. Carbohydrate Intake. If your not out there to gain massive size, there is no need to over do your carb intake. keep relative to around 0.75-1g per body pound per day. Keep the majority of your carb intake for early in the morning, or around training time. Carbs are your energy, so eliminating carbs completely won’t do you any good in the "daily functionality" department. Just ask as bodybuilder who cuts out starchy carbs during the final stages of pre-contest preparation.
4. Fat Intake. fat should never be really scared about. The body needs fats. Fats are using for energy, absorption, and transportation of nutrients. Transfats, however, are something that SHOULD be carefully watched. CLA, EFA and Fish Oils are essential supplements that should be implemented into your daily lifestyle.
5. Protein-Carb-Fat Ratios? your percentage ratios for these should be 40%-40%-20%, for a normal healthy diet. These percentages, or course, change week-to-week during per-contest diet preparation.
6. Meal Times? I suggest eat every 2-3 hours. Every meals has a mix of proteins, carbs and essential fats.
7. Supplements? Supplements should be implemented into anyones routine for better results. Fish Oils, Vitamin C, Multi-Vitamin, CLA, R-ALA, Ginseng, Green Tea Extract, ZMA, Protein powders. These specific supplements will help build muscle, as well as cut down on body-fat.
8. Training. To burn more fat, I suggest implementing supersets into your workouts. Supersets are exercises that you perform right after you finish a pervious one, with little or no rest/recover time.
9. Cardio? When you do cardio, do it AFTER your weight training session. People need to understand that, weight training is what builds muscle. Weight training utilizes fat as energy to build muscle. Cardio is mainly for speeding up your metabolism, and not to build muscle. So, keep your energy high for the fat utilizing workout of WEIGHT TRAINING, then hit the cardio machines for 15-25min to speed up that metabolism.
10. After Training? Consume 20-40g of fast absorbing protein (whey protein), and about 20-30 fast absorb. insulin boosting, carbohydrates (sugar, white bread, white rice). There are plenty of protein powder supplements that are designed for POST-Training. They carry all you need for after training recovery. Then about 30-45min after your post-training shake, have a whole food meal.
11. Before Bed? I slow digesting protein is highly recommended before bed time (casein protein). If you sleep 8 hours, that means your body isnt going to intake any food or nutrients during that time. So, the body will start to go into, what is called, the catabolic state. The body will start feeding off muscle for energy. So, intaking a slow digesting protein will help stop that from happening. 20-40gs of slow digesting protein before bed is recommended.
12. First Thing in the Morning? Right when you wake up, intake 20-30gs of fast absorbing protein, this is what I call the PRE-BREAKFAST Meal. This will HALT any catabolic (muscle eating) state almost instantly. Then 30min after that or so, you can consume your normal breakfast meal. Also, sometimes you can go for a lite jog in the morning to keep your bodies metabolism high during the entire day, but do this before breakfast, on mainly a empty stomach.
Posted in Training
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