NEW YEAR CHEERS LEADS TO BEER BELLY TEARS!

No matter what end of year religious holiday you celebrated, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, or any other, a lot of eating was involved, especially all the holiday treats. But they are coming to an end and you are trying to recover in one week, for that last drinking binge to celebrate the end of the year, and a beginning of a new year with maybe goals of becoming more fit and getting those results that have been put off for a long time, how much damage to your metabolism do you think you have already done? Or maybe one of your New Year resolution is to stop drinking, and think that one last large binge will put you off alcohol for time planned to get the results. How will that affect your results in the future? Do you really know what are the effects of alcohol on your body’s metabolism especially after binge drinking? Does it affect your training? Do you know how it can affect your body and your training?

If you were smart, you followed some of the tips given by last week’s Blog (Custom Fitness). But first of all you have to understand how the production of energy occurs in the body and how the body uses it. The metabolism is a series of chemical reactions inside our body, produces energy through Anabolism, building stones and the breakdown, Catabolism. Weightlifters mostly use the anaerobic systems (which doesn’t use oxygen) to produce energy, which mostly consists of the breakdown of glucose (product from the digestion of carbs). This is part of the anabolic process, and re-using stores (glycogen) from muscles or liver, in Glycolysis is a catabolic process.

Energy for physical activity deriving from Glycolysis also produces pyruvate and lactate. Without the presence of oxygen (or under 2 minutes of physical activity) pyruvate is transformed into lactate, electrons (which are carried by enzymes that can be used in Aerobic production of energy) and water. We feel the effects of lactate accumulation on the muscle, when we feel the burning sensation in a certain muscle group. This occurs because there is no oxygen to carry it to be used to produce more energy. But if oxygen is present, then that lactate that also has been stored can be transformed in to pyruvate to be used for aerobic exercise.

But with the presence of alcohol (ethanol) there is an accumulation of the enzymes that carry the oxygen and prevents the reaction with lactate. It also provides the right environment for the synthesis of fatty acids causing it to accumulate. Without the transformation of lactate into pyruvate, it can’t enter the aerobic system to produce energy. This causes the accumulation of fatty acids, which means accumulation of fat over the muscles, especially in the abdominal area and resistance to insulin by the muscle (5^th Edition Biochemistry – J.M. Berg, J. L Tymoczko, L. Stryer) causing protein synthesis, and fat burning to stop. And if you think that alcohol will just go through your system, and your body will quickly return to your original metabolic state before drinking, you are fooling yourself, for it contains 6 calories/gram of metabolic energy. Consider that 1 serving of any alcoholic beverage can increase the amount of calories added to your total consumption per day. Especially at this time of year, who can say they will only have one drink?

So if you have been drinking during the whole holidays, what it has been doing directly on your workout is reducing blood flow to your muscles, and accumulating fats in the bloodstream, increases the conversion of testosterone into estrogen, and causes lack of oxygen to the brain (National Institute of Health). Physically you will feel weakness, cramping, and increased friction on joints due to dehydration, and longer to recover from the workout. Through other metabolism pathways, prolonged alcohol consumption causes the process of other enzymes (Acetyl CoA) to be blocked. This leads to the production of ketone bodies that are released in the blood causing an acidic condition. This acidic condition could cause liver failure.

So before you go out partying, think twice about how much drinking you are going to do, for it will be more effort to get back on track.

INDULGE WITHOUT BULGE

Now that the end of year celebrations have started with a lot of good food, many must give up and stop worrying about gaining the holiday weight for they think it is useless….but if you are training hard and eating right all year round is it alright to gain that weight, and forget about what you are eating? Those of you beginners and who have been trying to lose weight, and are succeeding, will it compromise the results you have already achieved?

So far this blog has mentioned little about how you should eat when training, but it will be discussed. To give a short introduction, to build muscle or to lose weight, or even just keep a healthy lifestyle it consists of dedication and discipline. And today more than ever, science is showing that the best way to keep healthy is the translation of the old phrase “you are what you eat”. So even with all those diet fads out there, which prove to give results for a short period of time, the correct way to go about your meals, is to have the right quantity of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (lipids) included throughout the day. It should give you the correct amount of vitamins and minerals, especially if you decide to make your food from raw ingredients and take in the right amount of water. And the best way to go about it is to eat every 2 or 3 hours. Of course there are ways to manipulate your meals to maximize your results, but this will be looked at another time.

So what should one do for the holiday season? Should you just forget about indulging in the goodies? Should you forget about eating and fast until party time? Well to be honest, every bodybuilder and athlete knows that if you have been training hard all year round, there is a time in the periodization, that should be separated for rest, which is called the off-season. But that doesn’t mean that all activities stop, and the athlete is allowed to eat everything that shouldn’t be eaten during the competition phase. It just means that the time is for restoring energy levels, rehabilitating your body, and giving your body rest from the hard work that is done during the year, and not just letting go. Athletes usually workout in lower intensities, and still eat healthy maintaining the level that they are in, but may ingest more carbs, proteins and fats, to help in restoration.

For people who aren’t athletes, just trying to continue building muscle or losing weight during the holidays could be equal to the off-season. It means that people should maintain the smaller meals every 2 to 3 hours a day, with the increase of the amount of protein so that when finally the time of a party comes, they won’t be indulging in all of the high-fat, high glycemic goodies. Athletes know that sometimes, the body might need some foods that are considered junk, which can be a shock to change the metabolism, in case it has stabilized and stopped producing results. But it doesn’t mean that it should be done in all meals. You can consider taking in more fiber and more water. Continuing to exercise is a must, where cardio can actually be increased, so that you can keep the shape that you’re in, or makes it easier and faster to lose that water retention after the holidays.

So during the holidays it is not useless, and keeping your body with all the indulging, as is during the year, is discipline, continued commitment and hard work. It doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy what it has to offer, it just means that you should watch what and when you eat so you won’t bulge.     

CUSTOM FITNESS

We are coming to the end of the year, and people are training hard to lose some fat and weight to enjoy the end of year celebrations, and some have just postponed working hard at their bodies because they don’t have enough time. In the New Year, this Blog will relate more to Hardcore training, the muscles, and the proper way to eat. But for now how many people out there in the gym really know what they are doing, or the muscles that they are training? Do they know that some exercises aren’t only for one specific muscle group? What about the different techniques and methods? Do people know the other factors that could intensify a workout?

The sustainability muscle groups of the body have already been discussed, and there also have been comments about, what some consider methods of jerking, bouncing and swinging. But when you are working out do you really know what muscle group is being trained? As said before, people think they are working out their six-pack when they are doing their core (Strength from the Inside Out), but now you know that is untrue. So what are you working out really when you include a certain exercise in a muscle group routine?

For example, what is the inverse peck deck used for? The muscle group back, shoulders, or both? In this case what is being worked on most depends on the height of the seat, but depending, certain muscles can aid (synergists) in movement which means they are also being worked. Some equipment present specific markings, such as the bars, such as when doing the flat bench press, people make sure that their grasp is on top of these. So is a basketball player at 7 ft tall with long arms grasping the bar in the same place as a 5.5ft person also working out their chest? A shorter grasp on any bar, where the elbows when lowered come close to the body is considered a triceps exercise. If you are not adjusting the machines and equipment to the size of your body, you might not be adequately targeting the muscle that it’s intended for, or even the right muscle. This is why you should pay attention to what you feel being worked when you are doing an exercise, and depending on the position of a certain body part or of the equipment being used, you can intensify your workout because you know where to feel it. You can maybe also change the intensity just by changing the type of grip (supinated, pronated, or alternate) or the width and position of your feet (wide, shoulder length, inward, outward) but this might jeopardize your form, and also may target other muscles of that group.

Did you know that you can change your workout routine without changing the exercises used? There are methods that a routine can be intensified such as by doing them in supersets, or even reducing or increasing the rest interval time in between sets. That is why so many when they spend hours on the gym floor complain they don’t get results. They do rest in between the sets, but each time interval is of a different time period. And there is also the fact that some take the time to socialize in between sets. This is affecting the intensity of the workout, and thus the results. If you really are paying attention to timing you should be fatigued and sore by the last rep of the last set of a muscle group. Pay attention to timing which also includes paying attention to the rest days in between muscle group workouts because you could be not giving the synergists enough rest.

Did you ever question what is better? Fast or slow movements when doing exercises? People usually speed up the exercise because they are too heavy on the weights. With this they aren’t getting the full contraction of the muscle, they aren’t keeping the right form and doing the whole ROM, which probably makes them use other muscles to perform the movement, and aren’t even feeling the workout. This is just to prove that they can train with a heavy weight. In order to work all the muscle fibers of a certain group, the slower you can go the more fibers are recruited, and if you are able to keep it continuous the intensity is higher. If you pause at the end of the concentric phase (shortening of the angle of the joint) or at the eccentric phase (increasing the joint angle) it is also considered rest. If you maintain the right tempo you will feel the workout of a muscle group more.

These are just some of the ways that a workout can have more intensity besides changing the routine. You can also add to these different methods of training, such as supersets, pyramids, opposite muscle group workouts and more. Each individual has to get to know his own body, and advance weight lifters are still always learning new things about their own bodies and the way that is best to train the different muscle groups. So don’t be a copycat. Some exercises that you see in the gym might not work for you. If you don’t know how to do something, look for professional help especially if you are not experienced. To learn about how to train properly is to maintain form, use different methods, time properly, most important of all make sure you know what muscle you are training and if you are doing it appropriately. But don’t forget not to jerk, bounce or swing.

MUSCLEHEAD READS!!!!!!!

If you are not an athlete or a fitness professional and have never hired a personal trainer where are you getting your information on how to train from? Are you training with a partner or just learning by watching others? You could research on the internet, but not all information on the internet is trustworthy. You can buy books that are used by professionals of the fitness industry. You also could also buy some manuals on how to train or even buy Weightlifting for Dummies, but a quick way to learn some tips, keep updated about what is going on with weight training at the moment, and nutrition is to buy the male bodybuilding magazines.

There are many magazines or journals to choose from, such as Flex Magazine, Muscle & Fitness Magazine, Ironman Magazine, Musclemag, Natural bodybuilding Magazine naming the most famous, and some of them separate magazines for her. But one that is starting to stand out is Muscular Development for its expanded content. Besides the common information to all Training magazines, it actually informs you, and summarizes all new scientific studies about a variety of subjects related to sculpting your body and nutrition in the articles. All the information included in the articles whether it be about how to train a muscle group, or information about increasing muscle mass and strength, weight loss and fat burning, supplements, nutrition, steroids and more, is backed up by published scientific research that the authors referred to. These are listed after each article which can be of use to you for deeper knowledge.

The bodybuilding champions are also joining in to make this one of the best magazines. Some of the best competitors of today and of the past have their own say in matters of the Bodybuilding world, and reaching out to fans in their own columns where they put their personal lives and training in writing. Of course the athletes that are still competing provide fantastic photo shoots of their own training and provide readers with their own programs and paths to the competitions that they participate in. And in all, the magazine gives the before and after overview of competitions keeping the reader informed.

The only set back of some of these magazines is that even though they do include news about the women of the bodybuilding and fitness world, or they are featured in their own female version of the magazine, the women who are really Hardcore are left out. The female magazines usually contain information about fashion, dieting and light training for a leaner body, but no real information for muscle building women to a greater extent. The bodybuilding magazines such as Muscular Development should have parts for the Hardcore women for they are also faithful followers, because they find that the information given for males, could also be useful for their training, nutrition and competitions. There are many female athletes out there, and if there was more publicity about the aspect of female muscle, then in general bodybuilding would become more popular. But as the world is progressing into gender equality, soon in bodybuilding it will happen too.