Testosterone Not Just a Male Hormone

July 16, 2009 by Mitchell Matez · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Miscellaneous 

Testosterone, which declines with age, is one of the key hormones. Testosterone is important for bone building and/or prevention of bone loss, libido (sex drive), energy levels, cognition, memory, and heart health. It is also beneficial in lipid (cholesterol) and blood sugar control. Recent research has shown that testosterone deficiencies are common in diabetics and men admitted to hospitals with “heart attacks” 

The necessity of testosterone in men is fairly well known and it is generally considered a “male” hormone. This is clearly a myth. Testosterone is present in women also and equally as important in women for the functions listed above. Women also decline in testosterone as they age. It is particularly important in women (and men) for bone, heart, and sexual health. 

In addition to the benefits I have already described testosterone is an anabolic hormone. Along with appropriate diet and exercise testosterone aids in the conversion of total body fat into lean muscle mass. The “spare tire” or mid- abdominal fat seen commonly in middle age is linked to declining hormone levels, particularly testosterone. 

As with the other hormones testosterone is available for replacement in both synthetic and “natural” (bioidentical) forms. The synthetic forms carry a much greater risk of liver and or adrenal abnormalities, and potentially increased risk of certain cancers. Bioidentical testosterone has been used in men and women both here and in Europe for over 60 years with an excellent success rate and 

limited side effects. As with any hormone, testosterone replacement should only be done under the direct supervision of a licensed, trained physician after appropriate diagnostic testing.

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Asana and Alignment

July 10, 2009 by Ken Schwartz · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Yoga Core Pilates 

Yoga postures are based on ancient geometrical shapes. When performed with attention to alignment, the asanas redesign the body.

Muscles are trained to lengthen out of their habitual tense, shortnened holding patterns. Sometimes a tight area of the body is compensating for another weaker area. The area of higher tension can finally lessen this protective holding as the weaker zone strengthens. Even bones can, and do, change shape over time. Bone cells are constantly broken down and new cells develop where they will best sustain the force of the most common daily impacts.

Often we are not fully aware of how we hold and carry ourselves. To help undo less than optimal holding patterns, you should try to attend classes with an experienced teacher who can give you the necessary feedback on your alignment.

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Alcohol Contributes to Belly Fat

July 9, 2009 by Jen Rendfrey · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Miscellaneous, Nutrition, Women's Fitness, mens-fitness 

By understanding what happens when you drink, you can make your own judgment calls as to whether or not alcohol should be included in your workout and muscle-building (dieting) plan. Yes, muscle building…Remember muscle speeds your metabolism!

Alcohol and growth hormones
One major issue with the consumption of alcohol has to do with its effects on the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone is the substance in the body that plays a very large role when it comes to building muscle, stimulating other cell growth and development, and promoting optimal bone growth. When this hormone is low, you aren’t going to get the same amount of muscle development as you would when it’s at an optimal level.

Growth hormone is predominately secreted during the early sleeping hours of the night and becausealcohol tends to disrupt the natural sleep rhythms that occur, it will decrease the amount of growth hormone released. This decrease can be up to as much as 70%, so it will really short-circuit the progress you are able to make.

Alcohol and recovery (Alcohol is a TOXIN to the body)
Another area that alcohol affects when it comes to muscle building is your ability to recover. Since alcoholis a toxin to the body, energy is going to have to be expended in order to remove it from the system and to recover from any negative effects it has had on the tissues.

Since this takes time and energy reserves, you won’t have as much energy in store to recover from your workouts, therefore you will not be as fresh when you return for your next gym session.

Alcohol and muscles don’t usually get along, so consume with care:)

Alcohol and dehydration
Dehydration is another issue you have to watch out for if you choose to drink alcohol while trying to build muscle and work out. Since alcohol acts as a diuretic in the body, unless you are sure to replace the extra fluid with water or another non-alcoholic beverage that doesn’t contain caffeine, your natural water balance will be disrupted.

Dehydration has a number of negative effects on the body, from inducing feelings of fatigue to causing low physical performance, making you feel hungrier (which is especially problematic while dieting), and disrupting the ability of the muscle cells to produce ATP — which is your primary source of muscular energy.

Alcohol and glycogen synthesis
Aside from ATP, the next source for muscular work is stored muscle glycogen. Unfortunately, though, when you consume alcoholic beverages, alcohol synthesis will take precedence over glycogen synthesis, resulting in decreased stores in the muscle cells.

When you go to do your next workout, your body will have less energy to run on, causing fatigue to set in early. (NOTE: this is the perfect setting for injury and another reason to avoid alcohol)

When your workouts are ended prematurely , you won’t derive as many benefits in terms of increases in strength since the necessary overloading stimulus (which is partly defined through volume of weights lifted) will not be increased.

Alcohol and aerobic ability
Even when it comes to aerobic activities, alcohol affects performance.

In this scenario, alcohol can cause an increase in blood pressure throughout the body and a corresponding increase in heart rate.

Since your heart will already be working at an increased rate during aerobic activities, the additional stress from the alcohol will only amplify the heart rate and make the exercise feel harder than it should. 

I know what you are thinking…NO drinking alcohol is not good stress on the heart! So increasing your heart rate through drinking isn’t the same as hitting the treadmill.

Alcohol and body fat
Finally, the last issue surrounding alcohol consumption is that it contains calories, and these do add up quickly. At seven calories per gram, after three or four drinks, these calories would equal a good-sized meal. Unless you are going to cut down on food intake in order to make room for these calories (which is rare, as usually you’ll actually find yourself snacking on high-calorie items such as nuts, pizza, wings or nachos), fat gain will result.

So, next time you’re contemplating whether or not you should have that drink, keep these factors in mind. Definitely, alcohol and muscle building are not a good pair, as stated by all the above points!

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Super Sets, Giant Sets, Drop Sets

July 9, 2009 by John Cummings · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Weight Training 
Looking for a way to spice up your workout and get some intensity back into your program?  Give Drop Sets, Giant Sets and Super Sets a try and you’ll jump start your metabolism, muscle growth and fat loss.  These are also a big help if you’re working out alone and finding it difficult to really “finish” that set without a spot.
 
If you’re new to weight training, you may not be familiar with these terms so lets start with a brief explanation of why you would want to consider a different kind of “set” in the first place. 
 
Sets:  Most people are aware that resistance training with weights is performed by doing sets of an exercise consisting of a specific number of repetitions.  For example, pressing the barbell 10 times (10 repetitions) without stopping is considered a “set” of 10 repetitions.   That’s the no-brainer.  Some of us will do 3 sets like that, with a minute or two rest in between, and then move on to another exercise.
 
For muscle growth to occur, it is advisable to bring the muscle or muscle group to temporary failure (”I can’t do another repetition!”).  For this reason, it makes sense to work on one or two body parts (chest and triceps, for example), to do so to failure and to rest that body part completely for 3-5 days or even a week to encourage recovery and muscle growth.
 
Because it is difficult to push yourself to failure and fully exhaust the muscles, thereby maximizing the muscle growth after recovery, we use many techniques to reach failure:  a partner to push you, drop sets, supersets and even giant sets.  Lets look at each: 
 
1: DROP SETS
The simplest method for achieving total temporary failure on on set of one exercise is a drop set.  Don’t drop the weights. “Drop” refers to lowering the amount of weight you are using while you’re still on the same set.  This works great with or without a partner but is an ideal way to get more out of a set when there is no one there to spot you.
 
Perform a set for as many reps as you are able at a given weight.  For example, you might be doing a barbell bench press at 185 pounds.  If your goal was to finish 10 reps of that weight but you find yourself struggling to get the 9th and 10th rep, rack the bar, drop the weight by 20 to 40 pounds and complete not only the 2 reps you missed but as many as you can to failure. You can double drop if needed to really get it done.  You can do this on every set or just on the final set of a particular exercise.  You’ll really feel the pump.  
 
2:  SUPER SETS
These are as cool as they sound.  Unlike drop sets, you’ll actually do two different exercises for the same body part.  To do a superset for one body part (chest, for example), pick an exercise that you want to start with like a bench press, and work to failure (don’t be afraid to do a drop set to get to failure).  Then, without resting, pick up dumbbells and do chest flyes to failure. 
 
That’s a super set.  By exhausting the overall chest on the bench press and then performing the flye without rest, you recruit other muscle fibers and really get a great workout for that muscle. Try doing three supersets instead of doing 2 exercises that you would just perform three ses of separately.
 
3: GIANT SETS
GIant sets are just a step up from Super Sets.  Instead of doing 2 exercises for a body part back to back, you do 3 or even 4 exercises, to failure on each set without resting.  
 
This is not a technique for the beginner.  If you have not worked out for several weeks or months and gotten totally familiar with your own strengths and weaknesses on each exercise, you’re not ready for Giant Sets.  
 
Here’s a sample Giant Set workout for legs:
 
Giant Set 1:   
 
Barbell Squats:  Use a weight that brings you to failure at 10-12 reps.  Without resting, move to:
Walking Lunges:  Use a weight that brings you to failure after 10-12 steps each leg.  Without resting, move to:
Leg Extensions:  Use a weight that brings you to failure after 10-12 reps.  Without resting, move to:
Leg Curls:  Use a weight that brings you to failure after 10-12 reps.
Rest for 3-4 minutes.
 
That is a giant set.  Two of those will usually seal the deal for your upper legs.  Be sure to warm up first.
 
So, give these “change it up” combos a try and see how they change your muscle growth
Use the MyBodySite.com workout creator to create and log your own workouts.  

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