Simax85353’s BodyBlog

GREEN TEA EXTRACT

Widely used in the fitness community for increase in metabolism, the active ingredient EGCG is a naturally occurring antioxidant as well. This author has personally lost over 10 pounds by taking 2 grams of green tea extract twice daily. Additionally, I have used green tea extract as an anti-inflammatory agent.

In a study reported on in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that green tea extract resulted in a significant increase in energy expenditure (a measure of metabolism), plus also had a significant effect on fat oxidation. While some of the effects were originally theorized to be due to the caffeine content of green tea, the researchers discovered that the tea actually has properties that go beyond those that would be explained by the caffeine.

Take 2 grams of green tea extract twice daily.

7-KETO

This compound is a metabolite of DHEA, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in both men and women. As we age, our levels of DHEA decline significantly, causing a reduction in metabolism. 7-Keto is not a steroid and cannot be converted to testosterone or estrogen. In recent studies, subjects who received 200 mg a day of 7-Keto saw a significant weight loss versus the placebo group over an eight-week period. This author has seen a significant rise in the use of 7-Keto among bodybuilders in the Southern California area.

Take 100 mg of 7-Keto twice daily.

CLA

Conjugated Linoleic Acid has been heavily researched since the late 1980’s as an anti-tumor and antioxidant compound. CLA is actually a trans fat, but it is not deemed harmful because of its molecular structure- a conjugated type. The highest concentrations of CLA are in meat and dairy products, which are usually eliminated when dieting down because of the excess fat content. While there should be more research of CLA done on humans, there is no denying that athletes and others looking to lose fat have benefited greatly from CLA supplementation. CLA is sold in many supplement stores as a fat loss agent, but the best deal is available by clicking on the link below. Take 2 grams of CLA twice a day and once before bedtime.

Took an involuntary break from Training and blogging for a while back at it full tilt had a good workout today in the home gym 20min on the Tread Climber and then a nioce upper body workout on the Bio Force feeling good gonna do all over again tomorrow =)

“BREAK-IN” TRAINING

Extreme degrees of muscular soreness can be — and should be — avoided  by following a carefully outlined "break-in" program of training  for at least a week; and in some cases, as much as ninety days of break-in  training may be required. Although, in such cases, prolonged break-in training  will not be required because of any considerations due to muscular soreness.

During the first week of training — if at all possible — a trainee  should exercise daily for a period of about thirty minutes; during that  first week of training, only one set of one exercise should be performed  for each of the major muscle masses of the body — and these sets should  be terminated before reaching a point of muscular failure. However, it  is necessary to work the muscles fairly hard — no amount of light movements  will prepare the muscles for the heavy workloads that will follow in the  normal course of training.

At least some degree of muscular soreness is almost unavoidable, but  it is neither necessary nor desirable to work a new trainee so hard that  he will become extremely sore; but should extreme soreness result, then  it is absolutely necessary to work the muscles quite hard until such a  time that a normal condition returns. If a muscle is worked hard enough  to produce an extreme degree of soreness within twenty-four hours, then  that muscle should be worked heavily every day until no traces of soreness  remain; if not, then the subject will probably be crippled for at least  a week.

But while that is certainly true, it is almost impossible to convince  a new trainee that he should heavily work a muscle that is already extremely  sore; he will tend to feel, rather naturally, that hard work got him into  that condition — and when you suggest even harder work as a cure, it may  appear that you are suggesting pouring gasoline on a fire as a means of  extinguishing it.

But if extreme muscular soreness results within twenty-four hours after  a workout — and if no exercise is performed on the second day — then  a literally crippling degree of soreness will result on the third day,  and the fourth day will usually be far worse.

The worst form of muscular soreness involves the attachments of the  tendons and ligaments, and in extreme cases it may be literally impossible  to straighten the arms or stand in a normal manner with your heels flat  on the floor; in such cases, more exercise — heavy exercise — is the  only possible solution. Without additional exercise, normal activity may  be impossible for as much as ten days or two weeks. But such a situation  can be — and should be — avoided; if a new trainee suffers that sort  of results from his first workout, you have probably seen the last of him  — although he might be tempted to come around a month or so later and  burn your house down, with some possible justification.

Some years ago, a man I knew suffered such a degree of muscular soreness  as a result of one hard workout that he spent the next five days in the  hospital — and was unable to resume his normal activities as a flight  instructor for a period of more than a week after he got out of the hospital;  and this man was in fairly hard muscular condition at the time of his first  workout — or at least thought he was.

But, if he had returned for a second hard workout on the following day,  then most of the prolonged effects would have been avoided — and his degree  of soreness would never have approached the point that it actually reached.  But trying to tell him that had no slightest effect — with the results  mentioned above.

Thus — since new trainees usually cannot, or will not believe that  heavy exercise is capable of reversing the effects that were caused by  previous heavy exercise — it is best to avoid any sort of training that  might produce extreme soreness.

During the first week of training, a new trainee should perform the  following basic program of exercises — every day for five consecutive  days:

1. Full squats 1 set, 20 repetitions

2. Standing press with barbell 1 set, 10 repetitions

3. Regular grip chinning on bar 1 set, 5 repetitions

4. Bench presses with barbell 1 set, 10 repetitions

5. Regular grip curls with barbell 1 set, 10 repetitions

6. Stiff-legged deadlifts 1 set, 15 repetitions

7. Calf raises on one leg 1 set, 10 repetitions

8. Sit-ups with bent knees 1 set, 10 repetitions

The actual resistance employed should be light enough to permit the  designated number of repetitions without exhausting the working muscles  — and the first week of training should be conducted under careful supervision,  in order to assure that the trainee is performing the exercises properly  and is not working to a point of exhaustion.

During the second week of break-in training, the same basic exercises  should be employed in the same order — but only three workouts should  be performed, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, and  Saturday. And two sets of each exercise should be performed during each  workout; the first set of each exercise should be performed exactly as  that exercise was performed during the first week of training — with the  resistance previously used — and the second set should employ approximately  ten percent (10%) more resistance, and should be carried almost to the  point of momentary exhaustion. The actual number of repetitions performed  during second sets of the exercises will depend upon the recovery ability  of the individual trainee — but in most cases it will be found that the  subject will be able to perform about as many repetitions during second  sets as he performed during first sets.

After two weeks of such break-in training, most subjects will be ready  for a regular training program — but exceptions will occasionally be encountered;  most such exceptions will involve trainees that are either extremely overweight  or very thin — and great care is required in the supervision of the training  of either type of individual.

While a thin individual may appear to be in good muscular condition,  such subjects will almost never have much in the way of recovery ability,  and if they are worked too heavily during the first two or three months  of training, losses in strength and muscular size may be produced; in such  cases, keep the trainee on a basic program of one set of each of ten exercises  — movements designed to involve the largest muscular masses in the body  — until such time that the subject is obviously gaining weight at a rate  of at least one pound per week.

The number of repetitions in each set should be limited to about ten  — with the exception of squats, which should be performed for twenty repetitions;  but after a normal break-in period, each set of each exercise should be  a maximum possible effort, leading to a point of momentary muscular failure.

Unless a thin subject is suffering from an undetected illness, he should  gain at least thirteen pounds during the first three months of training  — at a rate of one pound per week for thirteen weeks; and if so, then  his training program can be increased to two sets of each exercise during  each of three weekly workouts after the first three months of training.

But some thin subjects will respond to almost any sort of training in  literally spectacular manner — they may gain twenty or thirty pounds during  the first month of training; and in such cases, their program can be intensified  after they have gained twenty or more pounds of bodyweight.

With overweight subjects, the situation is very similar — with the  obvious difference of the weight problem; such individuals desperately  need to burn up as many calories as possible, but are almost never in condition  to stand much in the way of heavy exercise without a prolonged period of  break-in training.

Their diet should be reduced to the minimum point that is capable of  maintaining a reasonable level of energy — while providing daily nutritional  requirements in the way of protein, vitamins, and minerals; and they should  be encouraged to start in a daily program of jogging in addition to their  regular workouts. But nothing spectacular in the way of results should  be expected — such an individual may require a full year of regular training  to reach a condition of reasonable muscularity.

With badly overweight subjects, as many as four sets of ten basic exercises  should be practiced — as soon as they are able to perform that number  of sets without becoming totally exhausted; repetitions should be on the  high side, from fifteen to twenty in each set — and as many as fifty in  each set of squats.

CHAPTER 5

  FREQUENCY AND EXTENT OF EXERCISE

The subjects of this chapter are perhaps the most controversial issues  in the field of physical training today; while there is some agreement  on the types of exercise that are most effective, there is nothing approaching  agreement on the subject of just how much exercise is required for best  results or how frequently it should be repeated. The old expression, “A  thousand different experts, a thousand different theories,” is almost  literally true in this instance.

At least in part, this situation arises from the fact that almost any  amount of the right type of exercise can produce striking results in a  very high percentile of test subjects; thus, almost any individual will  show marked improvements in both muscular mass and strength within a short  time after being placed on a weight training program — and this result  will be produced in most cases regardless of the actual amount of exercise  employed, at least for a while.

But while this is clear evidence of the effectiveness of such methods  of exercise, in at least one important respect it is an unfortunate situation  — because it has led to a commonly practiced habit of overworking, as  opposed to proper training; “if some exercise is good, more is better”,  seems to be a common — though badly mistaken — theory.

During the Second World War, a number of very large-scale experiments  were conducted in this field, and insofar as I have been able to determine,  the results of these experiments were unanimous in at least one major conclusion;  “there is a definite limit to the ‘amount’ of exercise that will produce  beneficial results — carried beyond that point, exercise will reverse  its own previous results, leading to losses in weight, condition, and stamina.”

Yet, since then, it has been clearly shown that it is almost literally  impossible to overwork insofar as “intensity of effort” is concerned;  and to many people, these seem to be paradoxical conclusions — where,  in fact, no paradox exists. The problem apparently is one of nomenclature,  a simple — if widespread — misunderstanding of terms; “amount of  exercise” has been confused with “intensity of effort.”

And confused it has been, on an enormous scale — and thus we see thousands  of examples of individuals training as much as twenty or more hours weekly,  sometimes for periods of several years, in attempts to better their progress;  where, in fact, far better results would have been produced in the vast  majority of cases if such training had been limited to a maximum of not  more than five hours of weekly exercise. And in the author’s opinion, best  results will be produced in at least ninety percent of all cases if training  is limited to less than four hours weekly.

But — because such marathon training programs will produce a marked  degree of results if continued long enough — it is almost impossible to  convince people who have fallen into such training habits that even better  results would have been produced by a much briefer workout routine.

A recent article described the training routine that one young man has  followed for a period of seven years, four hours a day, seven days a week  — twenty-eight hours of weekly training; and his results, in the end,  have been fairly good — if not spectacular. But it is the author’s contention  that far better results would have resulted in far less time from the practice  of a training routine that required only about fifteen percent (15%) of  the weekly time that this individual spent training — and if even the  same degree of results could have been produced in one third of the elapsed  time, then it is obvious that only five percent (5%) of this subject’s  training was actually required.

The actual requirements for exercise vary on an individual basis, of  course — but do they vary on such a scale, on the order of two-thousand  percent (2,000%), as was indicated in the above example? I think not. On  the contrary, I think that this individual has merely developed a tolerance  to this amount of exercise — and I cannot believe that it is an actual  requirement.

Within the author’s own personal experience, there have been literally  hundreds of examples of individuals that have shown far better results  than those produced by the above mentioned subject — while practicing  a total of less than three percent (3%) of the number of exercise movements  that have been employed by that subject within a period of seven years.

This being true — as it is — then what is the possible excuse for  such extensive training programs? “Misdirected effort,” seems  — to the author — to be the only possible answer. Yet such misdirected  effort is being employed on a vast scale — in tens-of-thousands of cases.

But what do the results of research indicate? Twenty years ago, in the  course of experiments conducted by the author upon his own person, the  greatest degree of results came from a program limited to four hours of  weekly training — three weekly workouts of exactly; one hour and twenty  minutes each.

And while I am fully aware that the results produced by one such case  are of no real significance, this experience was at least enough to convince  me that the then most common practiced training programs would be improved  if reduced insofar as weekly training time was concerned. This conviction  was primarily based upon the fact that I had previously been training more  than twice as much, and that my progress had been at a standstill for several  weeks — but then, almost immediately after reducing my training by approximately  sixty percent (60%), I started to gain in both size and strength.

On a much reduced training program, my progress was far faster than  it had ever been previously — and I very quickly reached new levels in  both muscular size and strength, levels which I had previously considered  impossible for me as an individual.

That experience occurred at a time when I had been training for almost  ten years — during which span of years I had tried almost literally “everything”  in my attempts to better my progress. Nothing was involved except a reduction  in the amount of exercise that I was doing previously; otherwise, the training  program remained unchanged — I performed exactly the same exercises in  exactly the same way, reducing only the number of “sets” of each  exercise and the frequency of workouts.

But while one such example proves almost nothing by itself, this personal  experience was enough to trigger my thinking into a new direction; since  then, almost all of my interest has been directed towards attempts to determine  the exact length of training time that is required for the production of  best possible results in most case. Twenty years later, the weight of evidence  is simply indisputable; “in almost all cases, best results from heavy  exercise will be produced by the practice of a very limited number of compound  exercises that involve the major muscular masses of the body, and such  training should be limited to not more than five hours of weekly training  in any case and to about four hours in most cases.”

In practice, best results are usually produced by three weekly workouts  of less than one and one-half hours each.

NAUTILUS BULLETIN #1

  By Arthur Jones

  CHAPTER 5

Muscles are literally incapable of performing at a level even closely  approaching their momentary ability unless they are properly "warmed-up"  in advance by the performance of lighter, exactly similar movements; in  effect, you cannot warm-up properly for the performance of heavy bench  presses by performing standing presses — you must perform several sets  of bench presses with a resistance well below the weight you intend to  employ for a maximum attempt.

That much, at least, is clear to practically everybody engaged in weight  training; but it does not follow that warming-up procedures are properly  understood by the majority of trainees. On the contrary, training progress  is usually held well below an optimum rate by the practice of incorrect  warm-up procedures.

Warming-up for competitive lifting is one thing — but warming-up for  training purposes is an entirely different matter; and the correct procedures  have very little in common when one is compared to the other. In a weightlifting  contest, you are not concerned with trying to build size or strength as  a result of the lifts performed that day; your only concern is an attempt  to lift the maximum possible amount of weight for one repetition in good  form — thus your warm-up must prepare your muscles for a maximum-possible  single effort, while leaving them as fresh as possible.

But in training — where you are concerned with building as much size  and/or strength as possible, as a direct result of the lifts performed  that day — the correct warm-up procedure will be almost exactly opposite  to that which you should employ on the day of a weightlifting competition;  in this instance, each set of every exercise should be a maximum possible  set — and should leave your muscles totally, if momentarily exhausted.

Quite obviously, if such training is done — as it certainly should  be — then it will be literally impossible for you to lift as much for  a single attempt as you could have done if you had warmed up with lighter,  less than maximum-attempt sets. Thus many trainees avoid such a system  of training — because it prevents them from attaining a maximum level  of performance for one repetition during each workout; they feel that greater  growth stimulation has been provided by one maximum repetition — and that  the higher the resistance employed, the greater the growth stimulation.

However, in fact, quite the opposite is true; with such a system of  training, only one set of each exercise will provide any growth stimulation  at all — and that will usually be far less than maximum growth stimulation.  And the other sets have been completely wasted; worse than that, they have  exhausted part of the recovery ability while providing nothing in the way  of growth stimulation.

If, instead, two or three sets of each exercise are employed, and if  these sets employ a reasonable number of repetitions, and if each set of  each exercise is carried to the point of absolute failure — then maximum  growth stimulation will be provided, with minimum depletion of the recovery  ability. You certainly will not be able to lift as much for a single attempt  during your training workouts if this system of training is used — but  you certainly will build the maximum possible degree of both muscular mass  and strength; then, later, in a contest, your strength for a single attempt  will be greater than it would have been as a result of any other type of  training.

I am not saying — and I do not mean to imply — that maximum attempts  for a single repetition should never be attempted in training; on the contrary,  they should be — but only on a very infrequent basis, and certainly never  more often than once a week. For best results, such attempts should not  be performed more frequently than once every two or three weeks — or even  once a month.

In practice, best results are usually produced by the 10/8/6 system  of repetitions and sets; in this system, a weight is selected that will  permit not more than ten repetitions during the first set, and then the  resistance is increased for the second set, to a point that will permit  not more than eight repetitions, and in the third set the resistance is  increased to an amount that will permit six repetitions. But in all cases,  all possible repetitions are performed in each set — and the weight is  increased at the time of the next workout if it was possible to perform  the designated number of repetitions with the weight selected.

Thus, in practice, a subject usually will actually perform only about  8/6/4 repetitions –or possibly 7/5/3 repetitions; when he actually performs  10/8/6 repetitions, then the resistance is increased again.

For single attempts, however, a careful warm-up is extremely essential  for several reasons — the most important ones concerning safety; if a  maximum attempt is made with a "cold" muscle, greater danger  of injury exists. Secondly, if the resistance being employed is at or very  near the actual level of strength for one attempt, then such an attempt  will always fail — because a cold muscle cannot perform much if any above  about eight-five percent of its actual strength level.

  By Arthur Jones

  NAUTILUS BULLETIN #1

CHAPTER 18 http://timinvermont.com/fitness/b1c18.htm

Did my first full blown workout in the new home  gym I gotta say it nice just stepping out of bed and tossing on a t shirt, shorts and shoes and the fun begins.  I did 16 mins of cardio on the treadclimber I think it needs a minor adjustment . The Bioforcegym was great I tried it before i bought it, but I really was impressed with my chest workout this morning still a bit pumped so a great start to my day.  =)  Thinking about second workout we will see

Woke up this morning and hit the Treadclimber for 15min doesnt sound like much but it was a great workout once i engaged the step mechanism the sweat started pouring, later today I’ll be putting together my new home gym,  I went the bioforce 2.20, tried it out at Samsclub I liked it so cant wait to get at it. I was looking the Bowflex but the cost was too much and the feel wasnt there anyway I am officially working out at my home gym.

Well Like i said my gym (Fitness Center ) closed , so I have been looking for anew one with no luck so i have decided to create a home gym, I found a Bow flex Treadclimber TC5000 for a little less than half the cost used great deal and today Im looking for a good home gym system.  The first session on the tread climber was great so I just keep moving forward.  =)

OK its official I am beyond ticked off I go to gym (um I mean fitness center) yesterday morning and there no one there so at first i think they just didn’t open on time ( its happen far to often) then I get to the door and there a note telling the members that they have closed we are sorry blah blah and your membership will be honored at a new place.  I get there steaming a bit,  but ok  the new place new place is all teadmils with TV’s elipicals with TV’s, over the speakers there blasting Brittnay Spears someone please drop  a hundred pound plat on my head ( oh wait they dont have any ) I no0t kidding this place is joke,  so if you know of a gym and I do mean GYM you know with weights, more than two benchs, an actual SQuat rack, please please help me.

Finally got back in the gym after many obstacles, also started my first cycle of Gaspari’s  Mitotropin  should see some great results hit Quads and gluts today felt good I will going back later today to work lower back,  giving A mild dbl split a try