WarriorFX

Building a stronger, more muscular body requires synergy between many systems. Strength athletes appreciate the need to promote a strong mind-muscle connection, since a mature neuromuscular system allows enhanced motor control for intense contractions. The muscle-bone connection is less understood but equally important. Without a strong musculoskeletal system, pulling or pushing 10 pounds would be impossible – not to mention a couple hundred!

Professional arm wrestlers provide a magnificent glance into musculoskeletal demands of intense physical activities. These athletes are highly dependent on strong bones, tendons, ligaments and cartilage – to withstand the build up of internal pressure during a competition. With the roar of a cheering crowd and the lure of cash rewards, many arm wresters’ generate enough pressure to snap bones. Open fractures are not uncommon. Technique and arm strength play major rolls in winning, but frail bones can abruptly terminate a gridlock. In bodybuilding, flimsy bones can lead to premature failure during heavy exercises – perhaps severe injury. Read more

There are massive amounts of nutritional supplements marketed toward athletes today. Many magic-pill wonders quickly fade away as other fitness fads hit the market – each making a few dollars during their short shelf life. Others withstand the test of time; positively passing many scientific and anecdotal trials. Probably the most debated dietary supplement available is glutamine. It’s a non-essential amino acid, which means it can be synthesized in the body. The big question facing bodybuilders is whether exogenous use is necessary to build muscle and lose fat. Read more

For bodybuilders engaged in a progressive resistance training program, protein-rich foods are quickly identified and desired for packing on muscle. For anyone engaged in routine physical activity, protein is one of the most popular dietary supplements today, for building up the body’s force-producing abilities. Media reports have suggested that chronically high protein intake can cause unnecessary stress on the body’s filtering processes. However, these reports are often based on non-human subjects, inactive people, and persons with impaired renal function. For healthy, active men and women, an increase in dietary proteins can safely and effectively improve exercise performance by enhancing energy and increasing muscle mass. Read more

The idea of “bulking” or “cutting” are bodybuilding terms associated with contrasting periods during a training year. Bulking phases focus on overfeeding and intense training in an attempt to build the most muscle possible. Cutting contrasts the bulk by shaving off accumulated body fat with caloric deficits and frequent endurance training. When making the decision to bulk or cut – gain or lose weight – it’s important to factor in the current stage of development and body composition. These factors determine the degree of specificity a training program should embrace; as well as the body’s potential to properly partition a caloric surplus to fuel muscle growth. Read more

Resistance and endurance training are commonly seen as healthy activities to engage in – but can exhaustive exercise increase the likeliness of getting ill? The human body is a complex physical structure of organic tissue – an isolated event can affect tissues in several other locations. The immune system is an adequate ambassador of our complexity and is essential for maintaining health. Dysfunction can lead to a wide variety of diseases. A common perception by elite athletes is that frequent and intense exercise leaves the body predisposed to infections. However, an inconsistency exists when health care professionals suggest that regular exercise is beneficial to the immune system by providing some resistance to infections. So, who’s right? Read more

Carbohydrate cycling is an effective method for bodybuilders who want to lose fat while preserving a lot of muscle. Two dietary periods are used: glycogen depletion and carbohydrate loading. During carbohydrate restriction, a state of ketosis develops as stored glycogen in liver and muscle tissue depletes. This accelerates fat as a source of energy – consumed through the diet or stored within adipose tissue. I recently finished a 14-day cyclic-ketogenic diet to illustrate how this works. Prior to beginning, I did a seven-day CKD variation for a few weeks, then detrained (no training) for one week. I started at 248 pounds; target weight was 228, glycogen loaded. I ended at a hard 227, glycogen loaded and drug free. Read more

A lot of dieting strategies over recent years place less stress on fat and more on carbohydrate. Nutritional outlines by medical professionals have revealed the affect carbohydrates have on body composition and health; such as: The Zone, The Paleo Diet - the Atkin’s Diet set out to completely avoid them. Nutritional experts everywhere adopted a way to determine the quality of any carbohydrate-containing food using a Glycemic Index. The GI was introduced in 1981 to provide a ranking system for carbohydrates based on how they affect blood glucose levels. To this day, the GI usually compares, gram-for-gram, the impact of 50 grams of carbohydrate between varying foods. This is where critics rang in to dispute the usefulness of such data - introducing the Glycemic Load, comparing GI to actual portion sizes. Read more

It’s amazing when you think about it. A culture that once perished in the face of famine, is now ailing amidst overindulgence. Thousands of years ago, humans endured through a strong connection between food procurement and physical exertion. Today, physical activity is often an optional part of daily living. Modern medicine and technology has helped prolong mortality despite growing health concerns and metabolic disorders – but at what cost? Two basic variables have been neglected: balanced energy consumption and frequent physical exertion. We have become too lazy, too over-fed and frequently malnourished. Read more

There is a generalized statement floating around mainstream fitness enthusiasts regarding how many calories it takes to burn off one pound of bodyweight. Many are led to believe a loss of 3,500 calories is required to lose one pound of weight. According to recent research, it’s possible to lose much more at the same energy deficit. Although haste makes waste when it comes to muscle preservation. Read more

Cyclic ketogenic diets have been used for decades by endurance athletes and bodybuilders - but generally for different reasons. Endurance athletes typically draw on the benefits of a CKD to super compensate glycogen levels for increased athletic potential; beginning three days prior to an event. Bodybuilders, athletes depending on defined muscle presentation, employ carbohydrate cycles to maintain musculature while losing fat mass.

Carbohydrate cycling provides results for greater performance or more detailed exhibition using two dietary periods: glycogen depletion and carbohydrate loading. Bodybuilders must fully understand the stages - and the numerous numbers involved - for obtaining significant results. Read more