Thousands of companies battle over the $20-billion U.S. dietary supplement industry every day, trying to turn profit by selling vitamins, minerals, botanicals, meal replacement supplements and various sports nutrition products. With all the money exchanging hands, from research and development to overly hyped-up advertising, it’s often hard for the average bodybuilder to separate fact from fiction. Looking at clinical evidence, conclusions based on scientific observation, as well as anecdotal reports from trained athletes, two over-the-counter supplements consistently come ahead of all others: creatine and caffeine. (Read More »)
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Loading ...People engaged in resistance training programs often seek out exercise machines that isolate individual muscles. While the intention is usually to train more effectively or safely, committed bodybuilders must resist a natural human urge to travel the easiest route. This instinctual reaction helped prehistoric populations survive during widespread periods of famine. However, procuring food is far less of a concern in modern societies and taking easy routes often leads to embracing nothing more than complete laziness. Today, we exist in a world surrounded by automation – technology set on minimizing physical exertion from daily existence. Societies have replaced hunting and gathering provisions with fast-food restaurants and quick-stop markets. Community activities are becoming exceedingly rare; exchanged for convenient Internet-hosted real-time chat rooms, topic-based forums and robust e-mail systems. In line with their genetic programming to limit energy output, modern man is accustomed to seeking out mechanical assistance at all cost. (Read More »)
(6 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...What keeps bodybuilders and powerlifters interested in training for years on end? Mainstream opinion is that bodybuilders are too absorbed in personal appearances, while powerlifters are too preoccupied with feats of merciless strength. Some clinicians suggest they are prone to body dysmorphia and obsessive compulsive disorders; most recently suggesting a psychiatric condition called reverse anorexia. Building the body’s muscular systems is an obsessive and habitual endeavor dependent on continuous progression. In many ways, it’s analogous to the emotional energy an entrepreneur feels when motivated by a budding business plan. Resistance training is an emotional conduit that gives participants a means to vent a lifetime of stress as motivational fuel for extreme fitness goals. (Read More »)
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...Setting a long-term bodybuilding goal is a serious commitment toward athletic advancement – a pledge to put up with aches, pains and adversity. Stages of physical and mental development must be conquered before any significant results can be seen – nobody but Bruce Banner blows up overnight! Four major adaptive responses are mandatory for a more muscular body: first, develop the motivation for routine exercise; second, strengthen connective tissue, cartilage and bone; third, increase mind-muscle coordination to effectively execute movements; lastly, encourage enhanced mental toughness for increasingly intense workouts. (Read More »)
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Loading ...10Endless sit-ups
Many New Year trainees erroneously believe sit-ups will target excess abdominal fat – zapping away unwanted deposits like a game of Space Invaders. Despite their modest efforts, while hording sit-up benches for hours, continuing to overeat will always retain the holiday chub.
9Invisible Lat Syndrome
New Year trainees are at risk for Invisible Lat Syndrome, a deformity that limits an individual’s ability to hang their arms perpendicular to the floor. An unseen latissimus dorsi of gigantic proportions limits upper-arm mobility and often infects individuals with egos that far exceed actual muscular development. (Read More »)
(7 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...Since prehistoric times, bird eggs have played an important part in the human diet. They are rich in taste, highly nutritious and easy to prepare. The protein found in eggs is more complete than meats and fish. It contains all essential amino acids in ratios that yield a high biological value, needed to maximize muscle growth and fuel an energetic nervous system. Ancient Roman gladiators had to be strong and healthy to survive intense battles – and many early Romans reportedly started meals with a course of eggs. Today, eggs remain a well established dietary addition for strength athletes. It’s not unreasonable to expect a carton of eggs (or six!) in the refrigerators of bodybuilders and powerlifters. As we bask in a society ravaged by health complications and obesity, eggs are receiving a lot of blame for increases in heart disease due to their high cholesterol content. People are led to believe it’s healthier to discard yolks, in favor for whites, or eliminate them from their diet all together. The vilification of eggs continues to pass on like a bad rumor; despite several recent scientific studies demonstrating that healthy adults can safely enjoy eggs everyday, without any negative affects on their health. (Read More »)
(7 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...Power is the capacity to bring about change. In society, powerful people influence populations through dynamic dialogue and confident communication. In general physics terms, powerful objects have a high capacity to transfer energy, or an average amount of work done per unit of time. Powerlifting is a sport of attempting great feats of limit and relative strength, in order to surpass previous performance records in major lifts. Bodybuilding is the application of training sciences to enhance musculature through tension and improve physical appearance. Although bodybuilders often dismiss any need to train like a powerlifter, the underlying concepts must not be ignored when attempting to maximize muscular proportions. Powerbuilding maximizes muscle size by training the human body to evolve into a more powerful entity. (Read More »)
(9 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore,” said Andre Paul Guillaume Gide (1869-1951), a French writer and critic. Many years have passed but Gide’s wisdom is timeless and applies to individuals training for greater levels of physical conditioning. Reaching new levels of performance requires a deep inner desire to exceed current fitness thresholds. Eventually plateaus in progression call for athletes to distance themselves from comfort zones; in order to become leaner, stronger or more muscular. (Read More »)
(8 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...“Muscle maturity” is often mentioned when comparing bodybuilders competing on stage. Typically, the term is used to explain why a young bodybuilder has a harder time reaching the hard and grainy look of someone older, or otherwise much more experienced. Preaching the possibility of gaining muscle maturity is often an effort to reassure a new bodybuilder of future potential. However, actually defining muscle maturity is quite debatable – exactly what it is depends on whom you ask. (Read More »)
