THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF WEIGHT TRAINING

 

 

A little weight training may go a long way toward helping improve the heart health of black men, new research suggests.  Just six weeks of resistance exercise appears to have a positive impact on the blood levels of key indicators for inflammation, immune response and/or artery shape among black men. Such indicators, or “markers,” are known to rise in conjunction with tissue damage, infection and stress. But after weight training, levels of two of the markers dropped in these patients.

 

If you are venturing into the gym after a long hiatus, here are a few simple tips to help your return to activity be a safe and injury-free one.

 

 1. Have a goal and a plan.

 2. Remember to start slow and expect soreness, not pain.

 3. In the first two weeks back to the gym, walk away from the table hungry. That means to leave the  workout knowing you could have done more, but don’t.

 4. Drink plenty of water throughout the day 

 5. Give yourself a few minutes a day to perform some light stretching.

 

Initially, your muscles and tendons will stiffen in the early weeks of exercise.

 

DISCOVERING YOUR FITNESS POTENTIAL

 

The goal of fitness is getting yourself to your maximum physical potential. Consequently, you should be focused on pushing the limits of how far your body can go in terms of fitness. Unfortunately, lots of people focus more on the aesthetic part of fitness as opposed to the performance aspect. This leads to erroneous beliefs such as spot toning, and exercises which focus on a particular body part to the exclusion of others.

 

By working out every single part of the body, you will remain athletic and be able to put your muscles to good use. You will also look much better and not seem out of proportion.

 

 

 



HOW TO STRIP FAT AND GAIN MUSCLE

 

A common misconception is that you can hit the gym, pile up the weight and create the body you want. You'll need to combine healthy eating with fat-burning aerobic exercise and muscle-building strength training to get solid, lasting results.

 

Here are steps to Stripping that unwanted fat and revealing the smooth, hard muscle mass underneath.

 

 

 

• Ditch liquid calories that come from soda, alcohol, specialty coffees, energy drinks and sugary juices. Replace with water and fresh fruit juices.
 
• Eat nutrient dense foods which are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants without the added fat, calories and sugar. These food sources are plentiful in Nigeria and include corn, beef, leafy vegetables and tubers.
 
• Eat a lot of protein,
 
• Build muscle with strength-training two to four times a week. You can focus on two or three muscle groups per day or alternate between upper body and lower body workouts. Let your muscles rest for at least 48 hours before training the same muscle group to avoid injury.
 
• Use weights that challenge your body for muscle growth. You should be using a weight with which you can complete at least six repetitions but no more than 12. If you are not able to tire out your muscles within 90 seconds, increase the amount of weight you are using.
 
• Perform at least 150 minutes of cardio exercise each week. Split this time up over several days a week. You can work at a moderate pace for longer periods of time.

LEAN MUSCLE DIET: EAT LIKE AN OLYMPIAN

 

It's no secret that your fitness is directly tied to what you eat. A lean muscle diet consists of quality protein, carbs and essential fats. Protein is used to repair muscle fibers that have been broken down during workouts, carbs are used for energy and essential fats are used to boost testosterone levels. Testosterone is a muscle-building hormone.

 

Here are some foods that support the development of strong, lean, muscle mass.

 

Spinach

 

There is some truth behind Popeye’s love for the green stuff, despite the fact that it decreases to about 1/8 of its original size when it’s cooked. Spinach is a great source of amino acids and glutamine, essential nutrients for the growth of lean muscle.

Beef

 

You can’t go wrong with a good bit of beef. It might have become fairly expensive in recent years but it’s an important lean-muscle building food due to its sky-high protein, zinc, B vitamins and iron content.

 

 

 

Apples

 

It might come as a surprise to many, but apples help to prevent muscle fatigue and increase muscle strength due to the specific polyphenols that they contain. Recent research has also suggested that apples speed up the fat burning process, making them an ideal pre-workout snack.

 

 

Sweet potatoes

 

Although they are full of carbs, sweet potatoes are great for building lean muscle. The carbs contained in sweet potatoes keep your glucose stable, a key element in burning fat and preserving muscle. They are a unique carb that actually aid weight loss due to their high fibre content, but they actually keep you fuller for longer than most other starchy vegetables.

 

 

 

Eggs

 

Often described as ‘the perfect protein’, eggs are your best friend when it comes to boosting lean muscle growth and strength gains, but this isn’t just down to the protein alone; the cholesterol found in the yolk is also a contributing factor.

 

 

Sun Secrets Revealed: How to protect your skin from the sun.

Culled from Military fitness

 

 

 Yesterday I spoke with my friend Louise and found out that she just celebrated her 90th birthday by zip lining in South America! When she was 79 she realized that she felt old and didn’t like it so she decided to make some changes. By 80, she had taken up jogging again after a 40 year hiatus. At 85, she started a lecture series and wrote a book. It’s no surprise that everyone wants to know her secret to living such a long, youthful and energetic life. Our conversation got me thinking about the choices we make every day, both good and bad, and how the accumulation of those choices will dramatically affect us in the future. I know it feels lame for some to talk about prevention, but stick with me. You may learn a thing or two that will help you keep pace with Louise…that is, if you can catch her!

Alarm to Awareness

Since we’re having a conversation about summer sun, it’s important to know that every year, there are nearly one million skin cancers detected. While I’m not advocating that you shun the sun altogether, it is important to take the simple steps to protect yourself.

 

Now that you are properly prepped, there are some potent skin protecting nutrients that may hold the secret to heathy skin and skin cancer prevention. Let’s start by reviewing some familiar friends in the nutrition world:

 

Vitamin C — found in the dermis and epidermis layers of the skin. Too much exposure to UV rays diminishes the concentration of Vit C and it’s antioxidant protection leaving your skin and your organs more vulnerable to free radical damage. It is also essential for collagen production which is the foundation of our skin, cartilage, ligaments and blood vessels. A minimum recommendation is 75mg/​d for women and 90 mg/​d for men.

 

Zinc — an essential trace mineral, mostly found in our muscles and bones but also found in skin tissue, it helps to stabilize skin cell membranes and protects against something called reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can damage our DNA. Zinc also protects the skin from bacterial toxins. The reason you often find Zinc in sunscreens is due to its ability to absorb well and reflects UV rays. Women need 8mg and men need 11mg per day. Pumpkin seeds, cashews and cacao beans are all good plant sources while oysters, beef, crab and lobster are good protein sources.

Nice Reflection

Your skin, nails, hair and eyes are an outward reflection of inner health and vitality. Eating a clean diet, relatively free of junk, processed foods and chemicals, reflect in your skin by its pallor, suppleness and elasticity. You can also gain a double benefit from internal nutrients that can be used externally as well. Here are my two favorite topical treatments that may be the two best kept secrets to superior skin health:

Pycnogenol® — a naturally occurring super-​​antioxidant found most concentrated in the bark of French maritime pine trees. According to the National Institutes for Health (NIH) in studies of cell cultures, it has been shown to inhibit damage caused by UV radiation. It also acts as a very effective anti-​​inflammatory. If you supplement with pycnogenol, I highly recommend a balanced, comprehensive source like Reliv Now® with LunaRich® and Glucaffect® with LunaRich. (See below for more product info).

Topically, Pycnogenol provides excellent skin soothing and protective benefits like:

• Boosting collagen renewal
• Improving skin elasticity
• Reducing wrinkles
• Promoting healing
• Improving acne
• Preventing UV damage

It’s anti-​​inflammatory properties help calm skin and it has been clinically shown to reduce sun damage-​​induced hyper-​​pigmentation — darkening or freckling of the skin caused by excess melanin. I use Reliv’s r-​​collection which contains a host of natural skin-​​loving nutrients in formulas that absorb effectively unlike most skin care products on the market today that remain on the surface of the skin.

Retinoids — compounds in the Vitamin A family that work to regulate skin cell function and growth. Within your dermis and epidermis, there are proteins and receptors that are extremely responsive to retinoids. Too much sun exposure destroys Vitamin A so replenishing it both internally and externally is key to cellular health. Topically, retinoids have been found to unclog pores which can be helpful in acne treatment and prevention. Additional benefits include:

• Minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Improving cellular replacement rate of the skin
• Reducing dry skin and acne

Good food sources include sweet potatoes, raw carrots, spinach, broccoli, cod liver oil, eggs and other dairy products.

 

WORKOUT OF THE WEEK

Every week, I formulate and test a total body workout to increase your arsenal of exercises. This week's workout is designed to work multiple muscle groups including your triceps, biceps, deltoids, trapezius, chest, hip flexors, abdominal, glutes(butt), quadriceps (thigh) and hamstrings.

 

The workout is designed to be executed in giant set fashion, you are meant to continue to the next workout with as little rest as possible.

 

• Rowing Machine (row 5000m as fast as possible)
• 25 Pull ups
• 25 Tricep Dips
• 4 sets of 10 Bench Presses
• 4 Sets of 10 Goblet Squats
• 4 sets of 10 Bicep Curls
• 50 Ab rollouts, using an ab roller or a barbell
• 50 Push ups
• Stretch for 5 minutes

 

Ensure that you keep yourself hydrated throughout the workout and take some rest when you feel tired. The aim of the workout is to push you to your limits, not kill you.

 

SUPER SOLDIER TRAINING

I have long wondered what it would take to build yourself into a super soldier, an individual with superior mental and physical capabilities operating well beyond what is considered humanly possible. A person with immense strength and endurance, supplemented with impressive fighting skills. I have studied the training styles of warrior civilizations whose status as Super soldiers have been respected by their bitter enemies. Civilizations such as the Zulu, Spartans, the Vikings and the Ninja (arguably the best warriors of all).

I have been working on developing the super human endurance and strength of a super soldier whilst retaining superior mental alertness.

 

Stamina

The Supersoldier needs a very high level of stamina to perform at an optimal operational level, as they are constantly on the move and must have an unending supply of energy. A shoulder should be able to march for hours and still retain the strength to deliver a good fight when he confronts his enemy.

 

Stamina can be built in two ways, by rowing and by walking. Rowing exercises in addition to working your heart and lungs, require you to pull with your arms and drive with your feet, thereby building your biceps, trapezius, hip flexors, quadriceps and calves. Try rowing 10,000 meters in 20 minutes, and I can assure you that every muscle in your body and mind will scream for respite within the first 5 minutes.

 

Brisk walking helps you build the cardiovascular and muscular endurance required to build a super soldier constitution.

 

 

 

Strength

 

 

The kind of strength required by a super soldier is not built through conventional bodybuilding. He has to haul heavy equipment for miles, whilst ensuring that it does not impede his combat abilities. His physical strength does not stand alone, it walks side by side with mental toughness.

 

You will be training 4 times per week, focusing on one of the following lifts each day: squat, deadlift, bench press and overhead press (military press or seated Behind the neck press). Other important lifts include barbell rows, pullups, Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, front squats, barbell curls and the close grip bench press. Keep rest periods very short.

 

Becoming a super soldier is not a day's job, you've got to place one foot in front of the other and give 110% ON EACH REP. Within a few weeks, your hard work will manifest in a high performance body.