Natural Muscle May 2008
Transcription
Natural Muscle May 2008
Natural Muscle May 2008 Q A Is it true that women store fat differently than men? Yes, it’s a scientific fact that women store fat predominantly in their hips, thighs and of course, their buttocks. This is because these female “problem” areas contain tiny signaling centers called “alpha receptors”. These nasty receptors create a type of metabolic roadblock for the fat-loss hormones in our body. This “roadblock” prevents fat-loss signals from reaching these problematic fat storing areas where women need them most. Even with diet and exercise you can still have a tough time quickly losing weight in these areas unless you correctly stimulate the “alpha” receptors in the lower body. MELTDOWN deactivates these receptors to activate site-specific fat loss in the hips, thighs and butt! Q A How does MELTDOWN® target women’s problem areas? If you’re reading this magazine, then you’ve probably heard of Yohimbine. Yohimbine is what scientists call an “alpha antagonist”, which simply means it binds to and deactivates specific “alpha receptors” found in the hips, thighs and butt. This action is critical because it increases blood flow to the fat cells causing stubborn fat to be released into the bloodstream allowing it to be burned. Yohimbine is one of the only substances that has this targeted fat burning effect in the body. What’s even more amazing is that MELTDOWN contains two NEW forms of Yohimbine that you won’t find in any other fat burner! One is called “Alpha Yohimbine” and the other is called “11-Hydroxy Yohimbine”. Together these two new substances exert a fat-burning effect for up to 8 hours! Imagine a supplement that burns fat up to 8 hours — MELTDOWN really is THAT powerful! Natural Muscle May 2008 Q A How long does it take for MELTDOWN to work? You will notice MELTDOWN’s effects immediately because it comes in a pharmaceutically-inspired BIOLIQUID® capsule. This allows Meltdown to be absorbed within seconds and to continue to burn fat for up to 8 hours! Women often notice an overall “thermogenic” effect in as little as 15 minutes after taking MELTDOWN. Add this to a strict diet and a solid exercise program and there simply is no faster way to lose fat. MELTDOWN Designed to target women’s problem areas! The strongest fat burner of its kind! BIOLIQUID® delivery means fast results! FREE MELTDOWN! Don’t just take our word for it. The researchers that developed MELTDOWN are so confident that it is the best fat burner in existence that they’re offering Natural Muscle readers the chance to try it for FREE! Be one of the first 500 callers between May 26th through May 30th between the hours of 9 AM - 2 PM (EST) and you will receive your FREE MELTDOWN sample. Call (954) 641-0570 Ext. 231 VPXSPORTS.COM *When combined with increased exercise and a reduced calorie diet. Use only as a dietary supplement. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Natural Muscle May 2008 THE SHAPE OF A LIFETIME! THE ONLY SUPPLEMENTS INDEPENDENTLY TESTED TO OUTPERFORM THE COMPETITION. IT’S A FACT. SO WHY TAKE CHANCES? NO OTHER SUPPLEMENT COMPANY shows, through unbiased independent clinical research performed at some of the country’s most prestigious universities and scientific testing laboratories, that their products work better than anything else on the market. THE NAME YOU TRUST. THE BRAND THAT WORKS. While other companies make up outlandish claims out of thin air or use hardcore photos and catchy one liners to sell their products, Gaspari products are about PROOF. We take the guesswork out of looking and feeling incredible so you get it right the 1st time. Ask any experienced athlete what they think about any Gaspari product and you’ll get the same answer again and again, “NOTHING WORKS LIKE GASPARI!” Try any Gaspari product alone or in combination and you will see and feel, once and for all, what everyone else is talking about –Gaspari products get you bigger, stronger, leaner, and performing better than anything else on the market... period. GASPARI NUTRITION. No hype. No tall tales. Just real science and incredible results... Every time. ONLY FROM GASPARI NUTRITION! LET THE SCIENCE SPEAK FOR ITSELF SuperPump250™ – Potent Anabolic High Performance Stimulant Cocktail The Reigning KING of Dramatic Effects in the Pre-Workout Category Results of the 2 Independent Clinical Trials Conducted at Ohio Research Group1 and The Center for Applied Health Science Research2: THE SINGLE DOSE STUDY 1: Subjects using SuperPump250 ™ added an average of 2 1/2 times more lean mass to their arms in a single dose than subjects that didn’t take the supplement, while simultaneously causing a significant decrease in their percentage of body fat –all in a single dose. THE 30 DAY STUDY 2: In the recent double-blind, placebo controlled study using 30 trained athletes, subjects using SuperPump250 ™ for 30 days (compared to placebo group) showed a 947% greater increase in lean mass (with a remarkable 25.5 times greater increase in the lean mass of the arms!), a 234% greater increase in muscle performance, and a strong trend toward a decrease in body fat compared to the placebo group. Novedex XT® – The Undisputed #1 Testosterone Booster - 3 Times Tested! More Muscle in the Gym AND in the Bedroom than Any Other Testosterone Booster in History –No Other Supplement on the Market Even Comes Close! Results of the Independent Clinical Trial Conducted at Baylor University and published in the 2007 Int’l Journal of Sports Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism:† • Increased Natural (Free) Testosterone an Average of 600% • Up to a 600% Increase in Testosterone to Estrogen Ratio • Returns to Baseline Within 3 Weeks of Stopping Novedex XT • Rock Solid Safety Data SizeOn™ – The Intelligent Choice For Increasing Muscle Cell Volume, Mass, Endurance & Performance. Destroyed Both The Top Selling Creatine and Arginine in a Head to Head Independent Clinical Trial For Both Muscle Size AND Strength!!! Results of The 30-Day Independent Clinical Trial Conducted At Ohio Research Group:* SizeOn™ Increased Muscle Mass: • 180% more than Creatine Ethyl Ester • 1400% more than Arginine Alphaketoglutarate SizeOn™ Increased Strength: • 322% more than Creatine Ethyl Ester • 776% more than Arginine Alphaketoglutarate Photo by Alex Ardenti Available at health and vitamin stores, gyms and select retailers around the world. † Willoughby D. S., & Wilborn C. Eight weeks of aromatase inhibition using the nutritional supplement Novedex XT: Effects on serum steroid hormones, body composition, and clinical safety markers in young, eugonadal males. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2007, 17, 92-108 © 2007 Human Kinetics, Inc. 1). Mendel, R., Ziegenfuss, T. and J. Hofheins. Effects of Acute SuperPump250 Administration and Resistance Exercise on DEXA-estimated Changes in Lean Mass: A Pilot Study, 2005. 2.) Ziegenfuss T.N., Hofheins J.E., and R. Lemieux. (2008). Four weeks of Supplementation with SuperPump250 Increases Lean Mass and Muscular Performance in Resistance Trained Men. The Center for Applied Health Science Research. Fairlawn, OH 44333. *Ziegenfuss T.N., Mendel R.W., and Hofheins J.E. Comparison of Purported Anabolic Supplements on Body Composition and Muscular Performance. Ohio Research Group. Wadsworth, Ohio 44281, USA. - Presented at the ISSN Convention in June 2006, Las Vegas, NV. (Neither the research team or The Ohio Research Group received any financial compensation from Gaspari Nutrition, nor do they endorse this, or any other Gaspari Nutrition product.) Visit www.gasparinutrition.com for all pertinent study data. Natural Muscle May 2008 Manufactured for Gaspari Nutrition • 501 Prospect St., Suite 107, Lakewood, NJ 08701 • Distributors Call 1.732.364.3777 These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 2008 )LUVW JHW WKLV RQH IDFW VWUDLJKW ,QVXOLQ LV WKH PRVW$QDEROLF 0XVFOH %XLOGLQJ RI DOO KRUPRQHV,QIDFWLQVXOLQFDXVHVPRUHOHDQPXVFOHJURZWKWKDQ7HVWRVWHURQH$QDEROLF 6WHURLGV DQGRU *+ *URZWK +RUPRQH $V D IRUPHU PXOWLGLVFLSOLQH WHDFKHU RI WKH VFLHQFHVDQGFUHDWRURIRYHUDGR]HQVXSSOHPHQWVWKDWVROGLQWRWKHWHQVRIPLOOLRQVRI GROODUVSOHDVHDOORZPHWRVKDUHVRPHDPD]LQJQHZVFLHQFHEDFNHGELRFKHPLVWU\WR KHOS\RXJDLQOHDQPXVFOHIDVW -DFN2ZRF·V5HVHDUFK3URYHQ&RPSRXQG3URWRFRO WR,JQLWH6\QWKHVLVRI/HDQ0XVFOH :KH\ DQG &DVHLQ 3URWHLQ +\GURO\VDWHV WKHVH H[WUDRUGLQDU\ SURWHLQV LQFUHDVHLQVXOLQSURGXFWLRQE\JUHDWHUWKDQFDUEVDORQHDQGLQFUHDVHJO\FRJHQ V\QWKHVLVE\:KH\DQG&DVHLQ3URWHLQ+\GURO\VDWHVDUHIDUVXSHULRUWRLQWDFW SURWHLQVVXFKDVZKH\FDVHLQDQGHJJIRUSURPRWLQJQLWURJHQXWLOL]DWLRQDQGPXVFOH JURZWK 7KH SRZHUIXO OHDQ PXVFOH EXLOGLQJ HIIHFW RFFXUV DIWHU FRQVXPLQJ 3URWHLQ +\GURO\VDWHV SULRU WR GXULQJ DQG DIWHU WUDLQLQJ 7KHVH VSHFLDOL]HG SHSWLGHV GXPS LQWRWKHEORRGUDSLGO\FDXVLQJVXSHUKLJKEORRGOHYHOVRIDPLQRDFLGVDQGLQFUHDVHG SURGXFWLRQRIWKHSRZHUIXODQDEROLFKRUPRQHLQVXOLQ7KHVHWZRSK\VLRORJLFDOHYHQWV UHVXOW LQ D SRWHQW DQDEROLF PXVFOH EXLOGLQJ UHVSRQVH LQ WKH ERG\ 6KRWJXQ DQG 6\QWKH6L]HERWKFRQWDLQFRSLRXVDPRXQWVRI:KH\DQG&DVHLQ3URWHLQ+\GURO\VDWHV 7KHVHSRWHQWSURWHLQIUDFWLRQVDUHFRPSULVHGRI*OXWDPLQH3HSWLGHWRWDO SHSWLGH ERQGHG (VVHQWLDO $PLQR $FLGV ($$¶V DQG SHSWLGH ERQGHG %&$$¶V %UDQFKHG &KDLQ$PLQR$FLGV7KLV LV LPSRUWDQW EHFDXVH PXVFOH FRQVLVWV RI JOXWDPLQH ZKLOH %&$$¶V DQG ($$¶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¿UVWWRWKHPDUNHWE\93;:HNQRZWKDW FUHDWLQHLVWKHPRVWSURYHQDQGSRWHQWVXSSOHPHQWWRLQFUHDVHOHDQPXVFOHPDVVDQG VWUHQJWK DQG WKH VSHFL¿F ³&(;´ IRUP WDNHV FUHDWLQH WR D ZKROH QHZ OHYHO &(; LV D PHPEUDQHSHUPHDEOHIRUPRIFUHDWLQHHWK\OHVWHUWKDWFDQHQWHUPXVFOHFHOOVZLWKRXW ERWKHULQJZLWKWKHUHJXODUFUHDWLQHWUDQVSRUWHUVOLNHVXJDUHWF7KLVPHDQVXSWR FDQ HQWHUWKH PXVFOHFRPSDUHGWRUHJXODU FUHDWLQH ZKHUH RQO\PDNHVLW LQWRWKH PXVFOH &(; GRHV QRW FDXVH EORDWLQJ FUDPSLQJ RU VWRPDFK GLVFRPIRUW EHFDXVH LW GRHVQ¶WVLWLQWKHVWRPDFKLWJHWVLQWRPXVFOHWLVVXHIDVWWRVXSSRUWPRUHSURGXFWLRQ RI$73IRUPDVVLYHLQWUDFHOOXODUYROXPL]DWLRQPXVFOHVL]HSRZHUDQGVWUHQJWK:H¶OO FRQWLQXHWRH[SORUHRXULQQRYDWLYH&RPSRXQG3URWRFROPDWUL[EXW¿UVWLWLVLPSRUWDQW WKDW\RXEHFRPHIDPLOLDUZLWKWKHVFLHQFHRIH[SRQHQWLDOPXVFOHJURZWKLQUHJDUGWR WUDLQLQJDQGVXSSOHPHQWDWLRQ %HWD$ODQLQH(WK\O(VWHU+&O²$QRWKHUFRPSRXQGIRXQGRQO\LQ126KRWJXQ DQG 6\QWKH6L]H 7KLV EHWD DPLQR DFLG LV DOVR VRPHWLPHV UHIHUUHG WR DV FDUQRVLQH 5HVHDUFK VKRZV WKDW LW VXSSRUWV OHDQ PXVFOH PDVV DQG FDQ HQKDQFH PXVFOH ¿EHU V\QWKHVLV7KLVQXWULHQWDFWXDOO\KHOSVFUHDWHFDUQRVLQHLQPXVFOHWLVVXH&DUQRVLQHLV PDLQO\IRXQGLQPXVFOHWLVVXHDQGFDQKHOSEXIIHU+QRUPDOL]LQJ3+VRZHFDQH[HUFLVH ORQJHUDQGKDUGHUEDVLFDOO\LWKHOSVGHOD\IDWLJXH5HVHDUFKVKRZVWKDWWKHKLJKHUWKH FDUQRVLQHOHYHOVLQPXVFOHWKHJUHDWHUWKHSRZHU5HJXODUFDUQRVLQHLVQRWDEVRUEHG ZHOOVRWKH%HWD$ODQLQHLVXVHGWRPD[LPL]HFDUQRVLQHSURGXFWLRQLQPXVFOHWLVVXH $UHFHQWVWXG\VKRZHGWKDWMXVWZHHNVRI%HWD$ODQLQHVXSSOHPHQWDWLRQVLJQL¿FDQWO\ LQFUHDVHGOHDQPXVFOHPDVV0RUHUHSVDQGOHVVIDWLJXHHTXDOPXVFOHJURZWK0RVW LPSRUWDQWO\%HWD$ODQLQHUDGLFDOO\LPSURYHVZKROHERG\&UHDWLQHUHWHQWLRQDQGPXVFOH &DUQRVLQH FRQVHTXHQWO\ YDVWO\ LPSURYLQJ VWUHQJWK UHSHWLWLRQ FDSDELOLW\ HQGXUDQFH DQG OHDQ PXVFOH JURZWK 7KH V\QHUJ\ RI LQWHUPL[LQJ 3URWHLQ +\GURO\VDWHV /HXFLQH &UHDWLQHDQG%HWD$ODQLQHDORQJZLWKUHVLVWDQFHWUDLQLQJUHVXOWVLQH[SORVLYHPXVFOH JURZWK %HWD$ODQLQH LV VR SRZHUIXO \RX FDQ DFWXDOO\ IHHO LW ZRUNLQJ ZLWKLQ VHFRQGV EHFDXVHRIWKHXQLTXHSDUDVDOV\VDFWLRQRIWKHPXVFOHVDQGVNLQ&XWWLQJ(GJH%HWD $ODQLQH 5HVHDUFK DODQLQH VWDQGV XS WR HYHQ WKH PRVW VWULQJHQW VFLHQWL¿F FULWHULD EHFDXVHLWLVEDFNHGE\UHVHDUFKDQGDOVRVXSSRUWHGE\UHDOZRUOGUHVXOWVLQWKHJ\P 0DQ\WLPHVVXSSOHPHQWVPD\PHHWUHVHDUFKFULWHULDEXWIDLOWRZRUNLQWKHUHDOZRUOG VHWWLQJRIDKDUGFRUHJ\P 9) It contains dextrose, sugar and/or maltodextrin and large amounts of sodium that make you fat & bloated! 8) It contains Arginine AKG which has proven to be 100% ineffective in three Baylor University Studies! 7) It contains NO Casein and Whey Protein Hydrolysates which are the most anabolic protein fractions on Earth! 6) It contains NO powerful fat burning and mind-altering Meltdown® matrix! 5) It contains NO Redline energy technology to fuel episodes of psychotic physical and mental intensity! 4) It contains NO insulinogenic compounds and is not sophisticated enough to jack your most anabolic hormone (insulin) through the roof without using carbs or sugar. 3) Requires more than one scoop per serving to fit so much sugar & maltodextrin. 2) Contains NO new age Creatine Taurinate, BPOV, GBBEE, L-Carnitine Arginine HCl, etc.... 1) Has you stuck in the bloated, fat promoting hell of yesterday’s old school sugar & maltodextrin-laden Nitric Oxide products. *When combined with increased exercise and a low calorie diet. Results are not typical. Use only as a dietary supplemen supplement. nnt. These statements not been evaluated the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any ny disease. Naturalhave Muscle Mayby2008 %329ELV3LFROLQDWH2[R9DQDGLXPLQFUHDVHVWKHEHWDFHOO¶VVHQVLWLYLW\DQG UHVSRQVLYHQHVV WRLQVXOLQ7KLV LVKXJHO\ LPSRUWDQW EHFDXVH WKH NLQHWLFV DQG G\QDPLFV RILQVXOLQGLFWDWHWKDWLWLVQRWKRZPXFK\RXSURGXFHEXWPRUHLPSRUWDQWO\KRZ³LQVXOLQ UHVSRQVLYH´RUHI¿FLHQW\RXUERG\XWLOL]HVLQVXOLQWRVKXWWOH&UHDWLQH%HWDDODQLQH/HXFLQH DQGRWKHUPXVFOHHQHUJHWLFFRPSRXQGVLQWRWKHPXVFOHFHOOWRPDQXIDFWXUHPRUHOHDQ PXVFOH 6L[W\ VHYHQ SHUFHQW RI$PHULFDQV DUH LQVXOLQ UHVLVWDQW WR VRPH GHJUHH ,I\RXKDYHDQ\GHJUHHRILQVXOLQUHVLVWDQFH\RXUDELOLW\WRXVHLQVXOLQLVFRPSURPLVHG 7KHUHIRUH LW GRHVQ¶W UHDOO\ PDWWHU KRZ PXFK LQVXOLQ \RXU ERG\ UHOHDVHV EHFDXVH \RX DUH³UHVLVWDQW´WRLQVXOLQ¶VDELOLW\WREXLOGPXVFOHDQDEROLVP/HVVRYHUDOOFDUERK\GUDWH FRQVXPSWLRQJO\FHPLFORDGDQGHOLPLQDWLRQRIKLJKJO\FHPLFLQGH[GLHWDU\FDUEVDORQJ ZLWK KLJKHU SURWHLQ LQWDNH %329 VXSSOHPHQWDWLRQ DQG LQFUHDVLQJ PXVFOH PDVV YLD UHVLVWDQFHWUDLQLQJDUHDOOIDFWRUVWKDWLQFUHDVHLQVXOLQVHQVLWLYLW\DQGXWLOL]DWLRQ $UJLQLQH (WK\O (VWHU +&O RU $(; PHFKDQLVPRIDFWLRQLVERRVWLQJQLWULF R[LGH 12SURGXFWLRQ ZKLFKDPSOL¿HV WKH HIIHFWV RIDOO PXVFOHEXLOGLQJFRPSRXQGV %RRVWLQJ QLWULF R[LGH LQ PXVFOH WLVVXH FDQ KDYH PDQ\ DQDEROLF HIIHFWV LQFOXGLQJ LQFUHDVHG QXWULHQW WUDQVSRUW DQG YDVRGLODWLRQ LQFUHDVHG EORRG ÀRZ ZKLFK OHDGV WR PDVVLYH PXVFOH SXPSV $UJLQLQH FDQ HYHQ ERRVW QDWXUDO *URZWK +RUPRQH *+ OHYHOV DV VHHQ LQ D VWXG\ SXEOLVKHG LQ WKH MRXUQDO 0HGLFLQH DQG 6FLHQFH LQ 6SRUWV DQG([HUFLVH$SXEOLVKHGVWXG\FRQGXFWHGDW6LQDL+RVSLWDOLQ%DOWLPRUHVKRZHGWKDW WZRZHHNVRIDUJLQLQHVXSSOHPHQWDWLRQLQKHDOWK\ROGHULQGLYLGXDOVLQFUHDVHGVHUXP ,*)LQVXOLQOLNHJURZWKIDFWRUOHYHOVDQGFUHDWHGDQLPSURYHGDQGSRVLWLYHQLWURJHQ EDODQFH FUHDWLQJ D PRUH DQDEROLF VWDWH IRU JURZWK '21¶7 %( )22/(' 7+,6 ,6 127 $ 6,03/( &+(0,&$/ 6$/7 /,.( ³2/' 6&+22/´ $5*,1,1( $.* WKLV LV D SRZHUIXOVWDELOL]HG$UJLQLQH(VWHUWKDWLVKLJKO\ELRDFWLYH 12 3XPSLQJ $JHQWV )LQDOO\ ZH DGGHG VRPH UDGLFDO QHZ FRPSRXQGV WR LQGXFH D VHULRXV 1LWULF 2[LGH 3XPS 7KH 1LWULF 2[LGH 5HOHDVLQJ )DFWRU *%%(( *DPPD%XW\UREHWDLQH (WK\O (VWHU ZDV FRPELQHG DORQJ ZLWK WKH PRVW SRZHUIXO 12LQGXFLQJ$UJLQLQH NQRZQ WR VFLHQFH FDOOHG $/&$ $FHW\O/&DUQLWLQH $UJLQLQH +&O PDNLQJ DOO RWKHU IRUPV RI$UJLQLQH REVROHWH 1LWULF 2[LGH 12 LV WKH PRWKHU RI DOO FRPSRXQGV DW ¿OOLQJ WKH PXVFOH DQG RWKHU ERG\ SDUWV ZLWK QXWULHQW GHQVH EORRGHQJRUJHG KDUG GHQVH SXPSV 6SLNLQJ WKH 3XPS HYHQ IXUWKHU ³07% 3XPS´ 0DJQHVLXP7DVKLQRDWH % ZDV FRPELQHG ZLWK WKH SRZHUIXO FRPSRXQG %329 QRWHG IRULQVXOLQLQGXFHGSXPSVDQGPXVFOHIXOOQHVV$QGRIFRXUVHDOORIWKHVHFXWWLQJHGJH QXWULHQWVDQGFRPSRXQGVZRUNLQFRQFHUWWRVHWRIIDELRFKHPLFDOFKDLQRIHYHQWVWKDW DLGLQUDSLGPXVFOHUHFXSHUDWLRQ 5('/,1(·V8QSDUDOOHOHG(QHUJ\7HFKQRORJ\7KHUH¶VDUHDVRQ5HGOLQH LVLQ*1&LQ%DOO\¶V7RWDO)LWQHVVDQG9LWDPLQ6KRSSH±,WNLFNVVHULRXV# 5HGOLQH¶V WKH FDWDO\VW WKDW IXHOV HSLVRGHV RI SV\FKRWLF SK\VLFDO LQWHQVLW\ DQG DOVR SURPRWHVUDSLGIDWORVV$QG126KRWJXQFRQWDLQV5HGOLQH¶VSRWHQWHQHUJ\WHFKQRORJ\ ZKLFKLVWKHGULYLQJIRUFHEHKLQGWKHLQWHQVLW\\RXQHHGWRWULJJHUPXVFOHJURZWK,¶OO JHWUHDOZLWK\RXZLWKRXWLQVDQHO\DWWDFNLQJWKHZHLJKWVQHZPXVFOHJURZWKMXVWLVQ¶W JRLQJWRRFFXU5HGOLQHLVWKHQHXURHQHUJHWLFFDWDO\VWWKDWIXHOVHSLVRGHVRISV\FKRWLF SK\VLFDO DQG PHQWDO LQWHQVLW\ QHFHVVDU\ WR VWLPXODWH QHZ PXVFOH WLVVXH WR IRUP 6\QWKH6L]H GRHV 127 FRQWDLQ 5HGOLQH¶V XQSDUDOOHOHG HQHUJ\ WHFKQRORJ\ EHFDXVH LW¶V D SRVW ZRUNRXW PDWUL[ WKDW FDQ DOVR EH XVHG LQ WKH HYHQLQJ ZKHQ VWLPXODQWV DUH XQGHVLUDEOH 6\QWKH6L]H LV DOVR LGHDO IRU LQGLYLGXDOV ZDQWLQJ WR HOLPLQDWH VWLPXODQWV IURP WKHLU GLHW )XUWKHU WKH 5HGOLQH FRPSRXQGV FRQWDLQHG LQ 126KRWJXQ ZHUH DOVR GHVLJQHGWREXUQIDWDWDQXQSUHFHGHQWHGUDWH)DWORVVUHFRUGVWRWDOLQJDDQG SRXQGV GV KDYH EHHQ VHW XVLQJ 5HGOLQH IRU MXVW ZHHNV 6HH 5HGOLQH5XVKFRP DQG D ]LGLHWFRPIRUDPD]LQJWUDQVIRUPDWLRQGHWDLOV FRPIRUDPD]LQJWUDQVIRUPDWLRQGHWDLOV %&$$(;%UDQFKHG&KDLQ$PLQR$FLG(WK\O(VWHU0DWUL[²$QRWKHU ¿UVWLQWKHH[FOXVLYHDUUD\RIFRPSRXQGVIRXQGLQ126KRWJXQ6\QWKH6L]HWKH(WK\O (VWHUYHUVLRQRIWKHVHNH\PXVFOHSURWHLQV\QWKHVL]LQJDPLQRDFLGV%&$$¶VKDYHEHHQ VKRZQ WR SURPRWH OHDQ PXVFOH PDVV E\ LQFUHDVLQJ SURWHLQ V\QWKHVLV DQG QLWURJHQ UHWHQWLRQ LQ PXVFOH WLVVXH 6WXGLHV KDYH VKRZQ WKDW VXEMHFWV ZKR FRQVXPH %&$$¶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t contains NO Beta Alanine and NO Beta Alanine Ethyl Ester! JO\FRJHQUHV\QWKHVLV1HZUHVHDUFKVKRZVJOXWDPLQHLVKLJKO\FRUUHODWHGZLWKJOXWDWKLRQH WKH PXVFOHV PRVW SRZHUIXO DQWLR[LGDQW DQG FDQ KHOS SURWHFW PXVFOHV IURP GDPDJH $FFRUGLQJWRVRPHYHU\LQWHUHVWLQJUHVHDUFKRXWRIWKH6ZHGLVK8QLYHUVLW\RI$JULFXOWXUDO 6FLHQFHVJOXWDPLQHFRQFHQWUDWLRQLVKLJKHULQW\SH,,PXVFOH¿EHUVYV9$,¿EHUV 7\SH,,PXVFOH¿EHUVKDYHDODUJHGLVSRVLWLRQIRUJURZWKDQGDUHXVHGPDLQO\LQZHLJKW WUDLQLQJ$IWHUH[HUFLVHWKHVDPHUHVHDUFKHUVVKRZHGDGHFUHDVHLQJOXWDPLQHLQ ERWK¿EHUW\SHV7KLVLVZK\GLDQGWULSHSWLGHERQGHG*OXWDPLQHLVFULWLFDOIRUOHDQPXVFOH JURZWKDQGVHULRXVSXPSV 3HSWLGH%RQGHG*OXWDPLQH7KLVSRZHUIXODPLQRDFLGLVWKHPRVWDEXQGDQW DPLQRDFLGIRXQGLQKXPDQPXVFOHDQGSODVPDWKXVDGGUHVVLQJWKHPDMRU*OXWDPLQH DEVRUSWLRQSUREOHPE\DOORZLQJLWWREHPD[LPDOO\DEVRUEHGDVPXFKDVRIUHJXODU /JOXWDPLQH FDQQRW EH DEVRUEHG E\ WKH JXW /JOXWDPLQH FDQ KHOS LQFUHDVH PXVFOH ³IXOOQHVV´LQFUHDVHSURWHLQV\QWKHVLVWKHPDNLQJRIPXVFOHDQGGHFUHDVHFDWDEROLVP WKHEUHDNGRZQRISURWHLQ,WFDQDOVRERRVWLPPXQHIXQFWLRQERRVW*+OHYHOVHQKDQFH Natural Muscle May 2008 contents May 2008 IN EVERY ISSUE TRAINING Core Strength by: 14 Rock hard Abs by: Anthony Catanzaro 24 Joint Health by: Hugo Rivera 56 HEALTHY RECIPES The Fit Gourmet by Danielle Nagel-Singh 26 The MUSCLE Chef by Mark Alvisi 36 MOTIVATION Unparalleled Pre-workout Strength inducing formula for maximizing weight and endurance.* Maximizes Intracellular Muscle Cell Uptake of Glycogen.* Supersaturates Vascular Fluid Levels and Nitric Oxide Release.* Contains Unparalleled 4-Stage Sustained Release SuperCarb Matrix for boundless (and lasting) energy supplies.* Optimizes Muscle ATP Regeneration and Assimilation.* Fitness for Her by Kristal Richardson 28 Sherry’s Fitness Formula-Massage by: Sherry Goggin 34 Evaporates Lactic Acid and Ammonia. Animal Barbell Club by: Brenda Kelly 40 Scientifically Proven Ingredients With Precise Dosage Levels.* Pz’s Perspective by Pz Hopkins 46 Welcome to my World by Coach A 50 Radically Alters Body Composition and Well Being. * Optimizes Glucose and Insulin Delivery for Maximum Effects.* Excellent Post Workout Recovery Aid that Drastically Shortens Recuperation Time.* Increases Oxygen & Nutrient Delivery.* BODYBUILDING DIET ON A BUDGET 32 the 30 minute body shaper 38 JOINT HEALTH 56 10 Natural Muscle May 2008 888.519.9300 Int: 805.988.0640 SANN.NET *These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Some of these studies were performed at a different dosage than that in our product. The efficacy of this ingredient at the dosage level in our product has not been established in a clinical study and may not be equivalent.. Natural Muscle May 200811 Emphasized Muscles: Heavy Use: Lateral and Medial head Moderate Use: Long head Muscle Position and Execution: Kelly Croyle Photos by StevenMartine.com • Place arms shoulder width apart • Place your heels on bench in front of you • Bend knees slightly • Have someone place weight on top of Quads * Beginners should not use any weight* • Keep lower back fairly close to the bench behind you • Lower your body until the arms reach a 90-degree angle, then push back up to starting position Tips and Form: • Always start with a weight light enough to control • Do movement in a controlled fashion • Lock out the arms at the top of the movement bench dips • Use slow and controlled movements when lowering your body Muscleology: The triceps brachia (“tri” meaning three) have three distinct heads that are elbow extensor muscles. All three parts of the triceps (long head, medial head, lateral head) blend into one common tendon and the insertion is collated on the upper end of the olecranon process of the ulna. Muscle Anatomy: The lateral head is the first part of the tricep that you would see if you were looking at your own arm. Lateral head arises from the posterior part of the humerus and the fibers converge toward the common tendon of insertion. Long head of the triceps originates on the scapula, just beneath the shoulder joint. The muscle fibers run downward between two other muscle portions. The medial head covers a wide area - nearly two-thirds the length of the humerus bone on the lower part of the arm. Some of the fibers run downward and others converge to the common tendon of insertion. 12 Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 200813 CORE TRAINING By: Kevin Lucas TO IMPROVE OVERALL STRENGTH In the last few years it has become evident that there is a relationship between the body’s muscle support structure and its larger muscle groups. Most Professional sports teams have embraced core training as a way to prevent injuries in their respective sports To visualize this support structure the term core was invented and is now used. The “core” is defined in many different ways by many different people. In my opinion the body’s core starts below the neck at your trapezius and radiates out to the supporting muscles of the deltoids and ends at the gluteus. In order for the body to adapt to the stresses of resistance training and or athletic activity the core must be solid. It doesn’t matter how large the major muscle groups are, if there’s weakness in the support structure at some point an injury is going to occur. Stabilizing the core will lead to increases in overall strength since the major groups have increased assistance from the support groups. The methods to train the core are endless. They include but are not limited to Swiss balls, medicine balls, Stabilization balls and platforms as well as bodyweight exercises. Core training can be performed on flat surfaces or for the more advanced practitioner on unstable surfaces. All of the exercises force the body to stabilize itself through the core in order to perform them correctly. As a test stand up straight and lift your left or right foot so that it’s a few inches off the ground. Now try to touch the ground in front of you with the opposite hand while balancing on that one leg (picture). Its not easy for someone who has a weak core structure. Now to make it a little more difficult, stand up while still balancing on that leg and raise hand you bent over with over your head. Now to REALLY make it difficult bend over and touch the ground in front of you, then raise your hand over head. Not only are the muscles of the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteus firing to keep you balanced, but your abdominals, shoulder and back muscles are all firing to keep the weight above your head from tipping you over or crashing down on your head. This instability forces the body to 14 Natural Muscle May 2008 adapt to the stress by strengthening the stabilizing muscles attached to the larger muscle group which is being stressed. In this article I will show you some of my favorite core exercises. First is the medicine ball rotation. This is excellent for stretching and strengthening the support structure of the shoulders, as well as the obliques abdominals and hip flexors. Start by holding a medicine ball waist level and rotate the ball from side to side while walking forward. The ball should always be rotated to the leg you’re stepping with (picture). This exercise can be performed with wide rotations or tight rotations Start off with sets of 10 rotations each side and progress to 20 rotations Second is the Swiss ball push up. It’s important to note on this exercise that the further the ball is placed away from your hands the more difficult the exercise becomes. I suggest starting in a pushup position and your shins on the top of the ball (picture). While keeping your back as flat as possible perform a pushup bringing your elbows to a 90 degree and then pushing back up to the start. By the way you also have to keep the ball stabilized while you’re doing your pushup as well. Start with 3 sets of 15 repititions and progress to 30. Swiss ball push up the Plank The last exercise is called the Plank. The plank is performed by first lying on the floor on your stomach. You then come up on your elbows while keeping the rest of your body straight and hold the position. As you hold the position you’ll notice your abdominals and lower back will start to fatigue. Start out with 3 sets of 15 sec with 10 sec rest in between and work your way up to 45 seconds. There is also the Side Plank which is a variation of the standard Plank (picture). You can perform these exercises before your workout as a warm up, after as a cool down or depending on your time constraints you can make this into a work out. Hopefully this will give you an idea of the various exercises that can help to make you a better and stronger athlete. Natural Muscle May 200815 CIRCULATION Natural Muscle Magazine is distributed to select gyms and health related businesses throughout the USA. If you would like to carry the magazine at your location please call 813961-4806, email [email protected], fax 813-354-2460, or order online at www.naturalmuscle.net. There is a one time fee for this. Natural Muscle Magazine is available free of charge at select locations, limited to one copy per reader. No person, without written permission, may take more than one copy of each issue. DISCLAIMER Natural Muscle Magazine does not necessarily agree with the views in articles and assumes no responsibility for any claims or representations contained in this magazine or in any advertisement. Copyright © 2008 Natural Muscle Magazine, Inc., all rights reserved. Readers are advised to consult their physician before starting a diet or exercise program. On the cover: Ashley King Photo by walt ostarly designed by axis design my two cents Publisher/Editor Debbie Baigrie [email protected] Debbie Baigrie Art Director Alex Gonzalez Web SITE Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah’s Ark... Shelly Dickson Contributing Writers Mark Alvisi Dr. John Atherton Sherry Goggin Eric Hoult Pz Hopkins Brenda Kelly Skip Lacour Richard Nannis Danielle Nagel Gina Ostarly Kristal Richardson Hugo Rivera photographers John Atherton Debbie Baigrie Alex Gonzalez Walt Ostarly Gordon Smith ONE: Don’t miss the boat. TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat. THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark. FOUR: Stay fit. When you’re 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. FIVE: Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. SIX: Build your future on high ground. SEVEN: For safety’s sake, travel in pairs. EIGHT: Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. NINE: When you’re stressed, float awhile. TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. ELEVEN: No matter the storm, have faith ... there’s always a rainbow waiting. Measure Body Fat By Yourself… …with the FatTrack® GOLD Digital Body Fat Caliper and Accu-Measure® Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester ENDO RSED BY: • Gold Standard Accuracy • Instructions Included • Measurement Info FREEpe® MyoTeaach in ® GOLD ck FatTraackage. p Super-Accurate Measurement of ANY BODY PART Track your body measurements and progress as your muscles grow and unwanted fat goes away! Also available at: 16 Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 200817 Frugal Headache Remedy HULA your way to better abs! Don’t exercise. That’s right. You heard me. Have fun, instead! If you focus on finding a physical activity that brings you joy, it won’t matter that you are exercising. You will be more likely to continue engaging in that particular activity because you are having a wonderful time. Do you remember playing with a hula hoop when you were a kid? Just about everybody has memories of swirling a plastic hoop around his or her hips. Some of us got pretty good at it too. If you’ve tried using a plastic kid hoop lately, you probably weren’t able to keep it from immediately falling down to the ground.t. It’s not your fault. As I said before, those hoops were designed for kids-not for adults. Adults are too tall and heavy to use the traditional hula hoop. But today there are weighted hula hoops created for adults who want to get a good workout and have fun at the same time. Weighted hoops come in weights ranging from 3 to 5 pounds. Since the hoops are larger and heavier, it is much easier to keep them revolving around your body. Weighted hoops can also be a fantastic way to lose weight. Ten minutes of daily hooping with a weighted hoop can help you burn 100 calories . According to libertyfitness.com , you can trim 2 inches from your waist within a month! And let’s face it. Twirling a hula hoop around your waist beats the heck out of walking on a treadmill. Even the most uncoordinated person can learn to hoop it. It’s fun, it’s liberating, and it makes you feel like a kid again. Where do you find these hoops? Do a basic google search and you’ll find inexpensive hoops in cool neon colors through online merchants or your neighborhood fitness store. Online stores offer plenty of weighted hoop instructional or fitness DVDs available for purchase. Finding time to workout with your weighted hoop is easy to accomplish. You can work out in your living room while you watch your favorite TV show or when you walk around your house. If you thrive in a group environment, you can join one of the many hooping classes offered throughout the U.S. By K T Solis, Ever have a headache? Even the best of us do at times, from stress or overexertion or who knows why? If you don’t like to take pills or medicines, (or don’t like to pay for them) apple cider vinegar may be all you need to relieve it. Remember Jack and Jill, who went up the hill for water? And Jack fell down, broke his crown and mended it with vinegar and brown paper. Brown paper (brown paper bag style) soaked in apple cider vinegar and put across the forehead can often stop a headache within a few minutes. We’ve been taught that things like these are old wive’s tales, but the fact is that brown paper soaked in vinegar CAN stop a headache. Not only a “fall down” kind of headache, but a hangover kind of headache, as well as a headache brought on by allergies or viral infections can often be stopped by breathing the fumes of vinegar. Put equal parts of vinegar into hot or simmering water and carefully breathe the fumes. Don’t put your head so close that the fumes make your nose, throat or chest hurt, but be sure to breathe it in. The reason is not quite clear, but when people have headaches, their urine is more alkaline than normal, so it’s assumed that the ph balance is out of whack, and vinegar supplies the acid to rebalance the system. Just why fumes work better than imbibing, no one seems to know. With viral infections or allergies that cause mucous to thicken, the acidic fumes of vinegar work the same way that menthol does, with a mild irritation causing release of liquid and thinning mucous so that you can breathe. That’s why sinus headaches respond well to vinegar. If you suffer from migraine headaches, preventing them is the key. Again, no one seems to know just why it works, but from testimonies around the world, drinking a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar along with a tablespooon of honey in a glass of water twice a day, will stop migraines from developing. Note: Apple cider vinegar is the only vinegar with these properties and unpasteurized vinegar is best. Unpasteurized is more expensive, but for a medicine, it’s still cheap. You don’t have to use it for everything as cheap, pasteurized vinegar works for other household uses. by Pat Veretto from Pat Veretto’s Frugal Living Blog In your one human lifetime: 3 Your eyes will blink 450 million times, 3 you will breathe 650 million times, 3 you will grow 1,000 layers of skin, 3 your nails will grow 7 feet, 3 you will lose 70 miles of hair from your head... 3 And your heart will beat 2,500,000,000 times! 18 Natural Muscle May 2008 'LVWULEXWHGE\ $YDLODEOHDW Select WWW.BODYWELLNUTRITION.COM ©Bodywell Nutrition LLC 2007. For best results, use Tight Curves in conjunction with a sensible diet and exercise program. Consult with your physician before starting any diet or exercise program. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Natural Muscle May 200819 LESLIE LANCASTER BABES OF BATON ROUGE KATIE UTER BABES of BATON ROUGE KATIE UTER….. My host for the trip and subject of this month’s MY WORLD. She has won everything and is still going strong. Will be married this month to Todd. Katie is a class act and worth of imitation. LYANN WARE…. You would never know it - this was LyAnn’s first shoot. This mom and real estate agent is working on her first competition Coach Savage says she is a real comer and I agree. I am sure you we will see more of her…. LESLIE LANCASTER….Another first timer to shooting.Leslie is also competing in Fitness Atlantic with Team Savage. It will also be her first show. I think she will do well. Another quiet beauty….. CAROLYN FAVORITE…. Carolyn also is firstTONI SCHEXNAYDER time competitor. She is a mom and has loads of potential. Watch for her rise in the ranks…. TONI SCHEXNAYDER…. Toni was my Make Last month I was invite to Katie Uter Fitness Camp. While there I have the opportunity to shoot the Babes of Baton Rouge. Hope you enjoy enjoy the results. The last time I was in Baton Rouge was during college when the University of North Carolina played LSU. It was a long day for the Tarheels. I enjoy the southern hospitality and food much more this trip and I am looking forward to returning to shoot some more Southern Belles! photos by Coach Atherton SHELLY BEALL Up Artist and Hair Stylist. “T” looks looks great in front of the camera and is a Louisiana Bikini Champion. She will be in Miami at Fitness doing hair and make up. If you are there, look her up, she is a good one! SHELLY BEALL….Shelly is Katie’s big sister and you can believe how much fun it was shooting both of them together. Talk about Sassy Sister! Shelly has 2 beautiful daughters. Both Had to be included in the Babes category. They are going to break some hearts… CAROLYN FAVORITE LONDYN BEALL…Great smile with Mom’s eyes. Londyn is a quiet beauty…. with still waters that run deep! BRIANNA BEALL… Brianna smiled and I almost dropped the camera. Guess being the Father of 3 daughters made me smile. Brianna lit up the camera…Dad’s got his hands filled BROOKE UTER… Last but certainly not least, Brooke, Katie’s daughter. I have never seen anyone who can lit up the place more than Brooke. She teaches all of us some valuable lessons. LYANN WARE 20 20 Natural Muscle Muscle May May 2008 2008 Natural BROOKE UTER BRIANNA BEALL LONDYN BEALL NaturalMuscle Muscle Natural May2008 2008 May 21 21 the animal barbell club By: Brenda Kelly By Brenda Kelly T he Animal Barbell Club (ABC) has the fastest growing Bodybuilding and Powerlifting events with chapters all around the country and now even the world! The base of this hardcore industry meet on The Universal Nutrition website at: www.AnimalPak.com in the forums. These men and women share not only a love of the sport; they live it to the max. They go to events at local gyms to meet each other and train together in an energetic atmosphere for a few hours. On March 22, it was a HUGE day at Strong and Shapely Gym owned by Bob Bonham in East Rutherford, NJ for the North New Jersey Animal Club. People came from all over the Tri-State area to experience a true animal workout. Everyone arrived, checked in with gym manger Nicole and Universal Rep. Alex and immediately went off for an animal-style workout in the amazing and famous gym. Hosting the event was Vinnie Galanti who shared nutrition tips and the basics of Bodybuilding in a seminar after the workout. The record amount of members for one of these events was 49 in South Jersey and about the same amount turned up at this year’s ABBC event at the Arnold Classic. This record was shattered at the Strong and Shapely event with over 72 people! Some well known industry names showed up to support the Strong and Shapely event including Muscular Development Columnist Gregg Valentino, 2007 National Champion Evan Centopani, up and coming National Competitors PJ Bruan and Super Heavyweight Competitor Al Fortney, Muscle Mag photographer Tony Monchinski, Beautifit owner Kenny Kassel and Fitness Model and writer Brenda Kelly. Beautifit owner Kenny Kassel Strong and Shapely owner Bob Bonham had this to say. “Universal over the years has been very good to my gym and me. Sponsoring shows, doing shoots here, etc. One of their print ads used in major magazines for months even had a huge plug for my gym in it! I was very happy to host the event and make every thing perfect that day - as well as shattering the record worldwide!” 22 Natural Muscle May 2008 To contact Strong and Shapely Gym Email: [email protected] or go to: www.strong-and-shapely.com. For The USA Animal Barbell Club event information in your area log onto: www.AnimalPak.com. Go to the Livin’ section in the forum, introduce yourself and make contact. Natural Muscle May 2008 23 I ROCK HARD By Anthony Catanzaro F I irst off, let me introduce myself my name is Anthony Catanzaro. I’m am natural bodybuilding and fitness celebrity. I’m also an actor and have appeared in many TV shows, commercials, calendars, as well as romance and fitness covers worldwide. I am 100% natural. I have never taken steroids or growth hormones of any kind ever in my life and that’s what I’m most proud of is to help others understand the importance of building a beautiful well symmetrical drug free body! I know a lot of you have read article after article on how to achieve a great six pack, but I can assure you that after reading this, you will no longer search for the answer to that awesome mid-section. What your about to read will change the way you feel about your abs forever. Let me show you how to achieve the real deal ABS OF STEEL! To achieve abs of steel you’re going to have to follow these 3 easy steps! Step 1: Visualization: Without the right visualization on how you want your abs to look, you’re not going to get anywhere. Anything and everything starts with an idea. You have to first see in your mind the way you want your abs to look like you have to complete have 100% faith in your goal and be willing to work as hard as you have to. Remember, nothing in life comes easy you have to work hard for the things that are most important to you. I know first hand that I would have never achieved the body I have if it wasn’t for visualization. I remember being a kid and looking in the mirror and looking at my body as if it was made of clay I would tell myself what I needed more and less of and that’s how it’s done. You can’t just train and then hope you get the body you want you have to customize your workouts to achieve what you’re looking for. As I grew up I still practiced the same theory. I continue to make gains this very day. I am now 37 years old and still growing. This is all due to proper visualization and knowing that hard work does pay off. 24 24 Natural Natural Muscle Muscle May May 2008 2008 ABS by summer By: Anthony Catanzaro Step 2: Exercises: I always see people doing the craziest things for abs their not sure of how many reps or how much weight to use. So I see them struggling and desperate to achieve results only to give up frustrated. Remember, your abdominals are muscles and everyone’s abs are shaped differently just like biceps, back or shoulders. Everyone has their own shape so understand that the exercises you choose should be the ones that are best suitable for your gains. So that means just because someone does 300 crunches non stop and has great abs, that doesn’t mean if you do the same you will have great abs too. You have to choose exercises that are best for you. If you need your ab muscles to stick out a little more you need to do more resistance work like decline sit-ups with a 10lb plate held on your chest, hanging knee raises, reverse crunches, kneeling rope extensions. If you need to loose the body fat around your abs floor crunches at higher reps work well, broom stick twists, and bicycles crunches! As always, you need to practice good form with all of these exercises. Another great tip is to work your abdominal muscles every other day this way they have a day to recover! body will store fat and lose muscle in order to survive. If you don’t eat you will lose muscle and that’s the truth! This is why anorexic people are so thin it’s because they have no muscle mass due to starving themselves. Building a great six pack takes more than just good genetics, it’s something we all could achieve if we stay focused to our goals! Remember, it’s not about how many sit ups we do, it’s a combination of these 3 steps that will help you achieve those Abs of Steel! I create diets for people all over the world all you have to do is go to http://www.anthonycatanzaro. com/dietplans.html Just fill out the form and I will personally create a diet to help you get those abs of steel by the summer! Step 3: Diet Now diet is without question the most important step of all! You’re not going to be able to see your abdominal muscles if you have layer after layer of fat covering them. This is where eating the right foods come into play. Avoid foods that are high in sugar and salt. Also eliminate processed foods and try to eat everything fresh not from a can or box those of you who know me know my “eating clean to be lean” philosophy. Choose lean meat, poultry and fish for proteins and eat clean low glycemic carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal and whole grain bread. Also eat small meals throughout the day usually every 3 hours. Your goal here is to speed up your metabolism so that whatever you eat will be burnt off. Otherwise, your Natural Muscle May 2008 25 the fit gourmet SpringVegetable Lasagna Delicious, easy and filling lasagna which is actually good for you too. A perfect comfort food and easy to freeze and save for a time when you can’t be bothered cooking. Great on the second day, too! By Danielle Nagel, APCA Nutrition & Natural Health Consultant www.fitandbeyond.com Ingredients: Cooking spray 8 cups torn Swiss chard (about 3/4 pound) 1 cup yellow squash, chopped 1 cup zucchini, chopped 1 cup onion , chopped 1 cup red bell pepper , chopped 1 cup carrot , shredded 1/2 tsp. salt 1 T. butter 4 garlic cloves, crushed 2 T. whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk 6 T. (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese 1 cup (4 ounces) grated Asiago cheese, divided 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked & drained Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chard, squash, zucchini, onion, bell pepper, carrot, and salt; saute 10 minutes or until tender. 2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add flour, and cook 1 minute. Stir constantly with a whisk. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook until thick (for about 4 minutes). Remove from heat; add 1/4 cup Parmesan. Stir until cheese melts. 3. In a small bowl combine ricotta, cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Asiago, and oregano; set aside. 4. Spread 2 tablespoons milk mixture in the bottom of an 8 x 12 inch oblong baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over milk mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture, half of vegetable mixture, and 1/2 cup milk mixture. Repeat layers two more times, ending with noodles. Spread remaining milk mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Asiago cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. So delicious thst even non-vegetarians won’t miss the meat!! 26 Natural Muscle May 2008 Career Opportunities Available Now! -Marketing -Graphics -Sales Now available at all Texas Nutrition Depot loca- *Because this lasagna is packed with fresh vegetables, there may be extra moisture in the bottom of the dish after it bakes. Natural Muscle May 2008 27 fitness for her kristal richardson IFBB pro THEN STAND UP AND ... READ! k Stretches for Your Wrists and Arms Wrist Stretch: Extend arm in front, palm up and grab fingers with other hand. Gently pull hand down to stretch the forearm. Repeat other side. Wrist & Forearm: Press hands together in front of chest, elbows bent and parallel to the floor. Gently bend wrists to the right and left. Back Twist: Sit upright in chair and place left arm behind left hip. Twist to the left and hold, repeating on other side. Leg Extension, Hip Flexion and Inner Thigh Leg Extension: Sit in chair, abs in. Extend left leg until level with hip. Hold for 2 seconds, repeat other side. Hip Flexion: Sitting in chair, lift left foot off the floor a few inches, knee bent. Hold 2 seconds and repeat other side. Inner Thigh: Place full water bottle between knees and, keeping abs in, squeeze bottle gently. Repeat. Chair Squat and Tricep Dips Chair Squat: Periodically while sitting, lift butt off the seat and hover over chair for 2-3 seconds. Stand up and repeat. Dips: Make sure chair is stable and place hands next to hips. Move hips in front of chair and bend elbows, lowering body until elbows are at 90 degrees. Repeat. walt ostarly photo Cory Sorenson photo Does it seem that all that gym time just isn’t paying off? Office Workout Standing Leg Exercises G et away from your office desk or jump up off the couch from in front of your ultrawide, flat screen TV and head to your local book store to start stimulating your body’s enzymes and your brain’s cells with some good, solid non-fiction about something you’ve never studied before. Those are recommendations that come from a couple of unique new sources. Sure, we all know that couch-potato-ing is unhealthy….but now comes a report showing that so many people are overweight because they’re just sitting too much. Apparently, exercise alone is not enough to work off added pounds. It turns out that when we sit, the enzymes responsible for burning fat are turned off, according to Dr. Marc Hamilton, associate professor of biomedical sciences at the University of MissouriColumbia and leader of the research team. In fact, sitting affects a variety of cellular enzymes. One of those is an enzyme in muscles – the only enzyme that gets fat out of the bloodstream and which is critical for cholesterol regulation. In fact, in a rat study, small amounts of fat were injected into the animals’ blood vessels that pass through the muscles where it could be burned. In animals that were sitting, the fat did not remain in the blood vessels that pass through the muscles where it could be burned. Instead, it was captured by adipose tissue – where fat globules are stored. After animals had been sitting for several hours, lipase, an enzyme that is critical to the body’s ability to break down fat was suppressed to 10 percent of its normal levels – a 90 percent drop. 28 Natural Muscle May 2008 The same effect was found in studies of sedentary humans – lipase levels dropped through the floor, resulting in fat retention, lower HDL (“good cholesterol”), and a slower metabolic rate. The research was published in the November 2007 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes. The researchers argue that it isn’t just what you’re doing at the gym or on the track or treadmill but what you’re doing at home and in the office – at least if you’re sitting down. Remember, the big muscles, the ones that are so critical to burning fat, are located in our legs – probably 20 pounds of muscle in each leg - and back. While researchers aren’t yet able to tell us precisely when the negative effects of sitting kick in or how long they last, it’s pretty clear that regularly getting up and moving around – even the proverbial walk to the water cooler – can play an important role in avoiding “couch potatoitis.” This research may provide a new stimulus to the old practice of taking a lunchtime walk around the office building or a mid-afternoon stroll instead of a coffee break. Isn’t that why God created protein shakes and protein bars. And, of course, if you’re going to work at being physically fit well into your “senior years,” you want to make certain that you’re mentally fit enough to be able to enjoy them. Norman Doidge, a research psychiatrist and psychoanalyst on the faculty at the Columbia University Psychoanalytic Centre in New York and the University of Toronto, has demonstrated that the longer you keep challenging your brain – with new ideas, learning a new language, mastering a new musical instrument, or taking college courses just for the fun of it – the healthier your brain will be. In fact, Doidge (The Brain That Changes Itself – 2007) argues that new developments in technology actually make it possible to reverse the brain’s aging process well into our 60s and 70s. Doidge is especially keen on the work of the folks at Posit Science (www.positscience.com) for shaping and changing our brain’s anatomy and the ways we think and function. After reading his chapter on “Redesigning the Brain,” I’ve already begun to look into Posit Science and similar programs. But, I’m not just going to read their material. I’m going to stand up and walk around while I’m reading and thinking about it. In coming months, I’ll let you know what I discover and what I recommend. Standing Hip Flexion: Stand with abs in, spine straight. Lift leg up until level with hip. Hold for 2 seconds, repeat other side. Leg Lift: In same starting position as above, lift left leg straight out to the side a few inches off the floor. Hold for 2 seconds, repeat on the other side. Front Raise, Overhead Press and Bicep Curl Front Raise: Sit in chair, abs in and spine straight. Hold water bottle in right hand and raise arm up to shoulder level. Hold 2 seconds and repeat other side. Overhead Press: Hold water bottle in right hand, elbow bent, and extend arm overhead. Repeat other side. Bicep Curl: Hold water bottle in right hand and, with abs in and spine straight, curl bottle towards shoulder. Repeat other side. Abs Abs: Sit on the edge of chair, arms extending in front. Keeping back straight, contract the abs and slowly lower torso towards back of chair. Hold 2-3 seconds and repeat. Curls: Cross arms over chest and sit up straight. Contract abs and curl shoulder towards hips, pulling abs in. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat. Stairs at your home or office can provide you with a great no-gym workout. And it is a workout that you can easily fit into your home or office routine. Climbing the stairs can improve your cardiovascular health, provide weight-bearing exercise for healthier bones, and help you burn calories. A 150-pound person can burn 10 calories a minute climbing stairs according to the Calorie Control Council (CCC). That may not sound like much, but it starts to add up as you climb stairs throughout your day. An hour of stair climbing would burn 600 calories. Natural Muscle May 2008 29 Do YOU train hard enough to reach your size potenetial? Train Harder Longer! Feel Bigger Pumps Faster! Feel Focus & Energy for Hours! C an you push past the pain to get to true muscle failure in each set? A great bodybuilder once said that anyone can do 12 reps, but true champions push for 14, 15, 16 reps. True champions can push past the pain to get every ounce out of their muscles. Most of us can’t withstand the pain brought on by mountains of lactic acid attacking our muscles while training! with all new betaNOX you will! ALL NEW! BetaNOX pre workout intensity drink quickly buffers lactic acid, preventing the normal pain associated with intense training. At the same time BetaNOX spikes Nitric Oxide levels in the blood helping to increase blood flow to working muscles creating Flash Pumps! Engorging muscles and swelling every blood vessel along the way in just seconds! Stop Lactic Acid Pain! Intensity ! Mental Focus! Dramatically reduces Lactic acid build up! Boosts Muscle Performance! Spikes Nitric Oxide for tremendous “Flash Pumps” and vascularity! BetaNOX contains BETASOL, Micro Enhanced Beta Alanine which acts like a sponge to soak up the H+ ions which build up during high intensity exercise. The Hydrogen ions cause the intense pain leading to reduced performance. Recent research shows definitively that Beta Alanine quickly works to create carnosine which quite literally eliminates H+ ions! Boosting muscle performance! Induces Flash Pumps! BetaNOX combines the obvious need for intensity and mental focus with ARGISOL. In this readily absorbable liquid form, ARGISOL induces “Flash Pumps”. This means within seconds of your first exercise ARGISOL opens your blood vessels allowing a much larger volume of blood to flow to muscle group you are training. This tremendous flow of blood not only increases the muscle size but also the anabolic activity or muscle growth during the workout. With enlarged veins and swollen muscle bellies, BetaNOX delivers the feeling you are looking for and the look you are trying to achieve. By Gina Ostarly, “the NEW FORTY!” 30 Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 200831 Bodybuilding Diet On A Budget The body building diet has proven to be one of the most elusive keys to success for every natural body building enthusiast. Sure, we all know it is the most important factor in growing new muscle…but following a body building diet and STILL having enough money left over for that leopard-skin thong you’ve had your eye on can be a challenge for anyone! (Ok…I need that visual to get out of my head!). 5 POWERFUL TIPS FOR SUPPORTING YOUR DIET AND STILL HAVING ENOUGH MONEY LEFT OVER FOR YOUR 401K: Budget Tip #1: Use A Grocery List Wouldn’t it be great if your local grocery store had its very own “Bodybuilder Aisle”? Think about it…shelf after shelf of raw meat, fresh vegetables and 6-packs of testosterone! Ok…you can dream, right? But instead, go armed with a plan for HOW you will attack those grocery aisles by bringing along a list of all the foods you need to support your diet and DON’T buy on impulse…stick to your list! Budget Tip #2: Buy Carbs In Bulk Every natural bodybuilder’s pantry should be stocked with the right kind of complex carbs and fortunately you can buy potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal and beans in bulk. If the bulk bins are not available, by all means buy the larger sized containers when they’re on sale. Stock up! A full pantry loaded with the essentials is a must. Budget Tip #3: Buy Generic Shop for VALUE! Brand loyalties are a thing of the past as many store brand items are just as good as the highly marketed name brand foods…just CHEAPER! Budget Tip #4: Fruits & Veggies Are Your Friends Fresh fruits and vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals than processed foods and are a healthy and economical staple for a body building diet. Become chums with your produce expert at the local grocery and ask for the best current deals. Budget Tip #5: Shop The “Outer Ring” Remember when I said how great it would be if each grocery store had its own “Bodybuilder Aisle”? Well, guess what? It DOES! In fact, just about the entire “outer ring” of the store can be considered a “body building diet aisle”! Here’s what I mean… Think about your own local store and what’s located around the perimeter of the store. Most likely this is where you’ll find your dairy, meats, vegetables, fruit, and fresh fish…all of which are essentials of a healthy body building diet, right? Processed and “junk” foods are mainly found in the middle aisles so stick to the “outer ring” as much as possible and you can’t go wrong. About The Author: Jeff Anderson (better known in the bodybuilding community as the “Muscle Nerd”) is the creator of, Optimum Anabolics, the ground-breaking new bodybuilding program that has taken the entire industry by storm! 32 Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 200833 Just the facts! down and their head in the face cradle. That is because a lot of what has been liberated starts to drain into the sinuses. stuff you should know about .. MASSAGE by Sherry Goggin “The Cardoza Method” Sherry: Of all the fields you could have chosen why did you decided to become a massage therapist? Derek: Doing bodywork and massage was something I never expected to choose as a career for myself until about ten years ago. My girlfriend, at the time, was a hard core athlete and went regularly to get deep sports massages. (However, you know there’s that unwritten rule that one of the perks of relationships is unlimited back rubs and foot massage) She continually commented that she liked the way I worked on her better than anyone that had ever given her a massage. She insisted I had a “gift”, as she referred to it, and that I should look into formal study of massage therapy. I did some research and found that one of the best institutions in the country, South West Institute of Healing Arts, was in the same city where I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona, where I enrolled soon after. I discovered and developed my own signature style and technique, The Cardoza Method. Sherry: What makes a good therapist ? Derek: A good therapist is one who loves what they do. The best ones genuinely care about people, they take their profession seriously and have the utmost respect for it and most importantly, they LISTEN to their client. A good therapist has a dynamic understanding of the human anatomy and is able to stay focused on their client and their goal throughout the entire session. 34 Natural Muscle May 2008 Sherry: How did you develop the Cardoza Method? How is it different from traditional massages? Derek: The Cardoza Method started to take form as I realized my approach and my movements were unique. I have a long history of martial art training, specifically Wooden Monkey Kung Fu, and I incorporated my training into the way I flow around the massage table. My move- ment and strokes are fluid and full of continuity. I don’t use elbows. I am able to apply deep fluid pressure with my hands and use my “chi- energy” to pull the strength I need from my core and use my hands effectively. Each finger is independent of another and I am able to sense and feel the fibers as I am completing a stroke and I adjust pressure accordingly and hit them with more precision than an elbow. I also incorporate my martial arts background techniques into my protocol with the way I breathe and my ability to generate heat from my hands. These techniques allow me to balance the right pressure and maintain consistent stamina throughout the session, as well as stay in “tune” with the client. This background training serves as a great asset when doing more intense deep work on athletes and fitness professionals. What is intake ? One of the most important aspects of the Cardoza Method and my practice is getting the appropriate intake information from the client before the treatment begins, such as: what is the realistic goal of the session? When was the last time you were worked on? And how have they been feeling? I am able to utilize this information and assess my client before the session even begins. I also learned that even if there is something your client doesn’t tell you, their body will. I begin palpating assessment ; I start to “listen” to their body with my hands and identify where the tight or problem areas are as well as any and tender/sensitive areas and then begin to work on warming up the muscles for healing. Sherry: Why do massage therapist always recommend drinking a lot of water after a massage? Derek: It is important to drink water after a massage to assist with the body detoxing. We absorb so many toxins into our system daily; directly and indirectlythrough the air we breathe, the dead cells we digest, the processed food we consume, etc. The Lymphatic System runs 24/7. It does an amazing job of attacking the body’s invaders but unfortunately it doesn’t catch everything. There are a great amount of toxins that get locked up in are knotted tissue. With massage therapy, the practitioner loosens the connective tissue, resulting in the blood and lymphatic vessels become dilated, creating a pathway for these concentrated noxious substances to be released. Water is the vehicle and the agent to flush them out of your system. You may notice, most people start to get congested shortly after the massage especially if their laying face Sherry: I’ve heard that reflexology has a variety of health benefits but does it really work? Derek: Absolutely! Reflexology is a simple, yet dynamic approach to glowing health! We have these main circuits that run through our bodies that have on / off switches with ending points in our hands. Feet, and even our ears! These extremities are mapped out mirroring our anatomy. By rubbing, massaging and triggering specific points there is a healing life force that is delivered to each and every organ, gland and nerve in the body! Sherry: I can see how massage would help someone who is ill and or recovering but what about a person, who is healthy, trains regularly, eats well and leads an active lifestyle? Derek: The benefits for both are immeasurable both physically and emotionally. For those who are committed to a healthy lifestyle, regular massage can be a powerful ally in their training program. Massage provides relief from muscle tension, stiffness and fatigue, aids in breakdown of lactic acid and calcification, encourages faster healing and recovery time from strained muscles and sprained ligaments, calms the mind to be more focused during training and reduces spasms. Endorphins are also released through massage, which produce a sense of well being and can even work as a natural pain killer. Sherry: Is it normal to sometimes be sore after a massage? Derek: Yes. Slight soreness is normal (say, compared to that of a back workout) especially if you had deeper work done and haven’t had a massage in a while. In most cases, however, if the pressure is moderate and not to repetitive in any one area, there should be minimum to zero soreness. Many clients like the sensation when they can actually feel that their muscles got worked. They often refer to it as “Good Pain”. . Sherry: How often should someone get a massage? Derek: In a perfect world I would say everyday! Unfortunately, most of us do not have the luxury of time and the economic resources but we should all remember to be kind to ourselves when ever we can. What did you put your body through this week? How is it feeling? If you can, make room for it in your budget to receive a massage twice a month. It is no longer viewed as a luxury but a necessary instrument in prevention of “dis-ease” and longevity that is now even recognized as a health and wellness aid by many major insurance companies. Bob Hope received a massage everyday up until his passing. Owner of the Indianapolis Colts Jim Irsay gets massages daily. Might I be so bold to say…I believe massage can be a solution to world peace! By appointment or referral.Derek Cardoza The Cardoza Method - Bodywork and Massage www.derekcardoza.com 310-402-8662 Here are some tips adapted from the American Massage Therapy Association to help you enjoy your massage. * Be receptive. Don’t eat just before a massage session. * Be on time. If you arrive in a frenzied, rushed state, it will take longer to relax. * If you don’t want to remove all your clothing, discuss it with the therapist.Wear what you will be comfortable in that will allow the therapist to work on the areas of your body that need it. * Good communication is very important. Before the session, give accurate health information and let the massage therapist know what you want from the massage. During the massage session, Speak up if you have any feedback on the amount of pressure, speed of movement, room temperature, music volume, or lighting. * Some people like to talk during a massage session, while others remain silent. In general you should do whatever you feel like, and the massage therapist will follow your lead. * Breathing helps to facilitate relaxation. People often stop breathing when they feel anxious or a sensitive area is massaged. If you realize this is happening, remind yourself to breath. * Try not to tighten up during the massage. Let your massage therapist know if this is happening. They may need to adjust the massage technique being used. They may also be able to help you relax the affected area. * If you find your thoughts are racing during the massage, one way to be more “bodycentered” and to quiet the mind is to follow the hands of the massage therapist and focus on how the touch feels. * If anything happens during the massage that you dislike or seems improper, you have the right to ask the massage therapist to stop. If necessary, you also have the right to end the session. * If you are dizzy or light headed after the massage, do not get off the table too fast. * Drink extra water after a massage. * Allow for some open, quiet time after your massage session if possible. Sometimes one needs a little time to integrate or absorb the results of the massage session or needs some “re-entry” time. Remember, massage has its greatest benefits over time. The therapeutic effects of massage are cumulative, so the more often a person gets a massage, the better he or she will feel and the more quickly one’s body will respond. If you are getting massage to address chronic muscular tension or recovery from a soft tissue injury, more than one session is usually needed, so be prepared to schedule several sessions. Natural Muscle May 200835 The MUSCLE chef Mark Alvisi Crunchy romaine lettuce is topped with tender cooked chicken, juicy oranges and crispy rice noodles in this satisfying entree salad. Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad Ingredients 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice or white vinegar 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons pure vegetable oil 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce (1-inch pieces) 1 can (8 oz each) sliced water chestnuts, drained 1 small red onion, sliced thin 1 small orange, peeled and sectioned or 1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained 3 cups shredded or sliced cooked chicken 1 cup chow mein noodles 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted black pepper, optional Directions 1. Whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil and sesame oil in small bowl for the dressing; set aside. 2. Toss lettuce with water chestnuts and half of the onion; arrange on large platter. photos by Axis Design Top with remaining onion, orange sections and chicken. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with rice noodles and sesame seeds. Season with pepper, if desired. FITNESS FOOD MADE EASY! 36 Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 200837 e t u n i m 0 3 the walt ostarly photos BODY SHAPER 1 1 2 diagonal step up with medicine ball pushups with elevated feet 2 weighted raise crunch Lie faceup on a bench-feet flat. Grasping a medicine ball between your hand, extend your arms straight overhead. Contract your abs, lifting your upper back off the bench as you lift the ball straight up in the air. Slowly return to the srating position and repeat. Sets and Reps: 2 to 4 sets of 10-20 reps. Start easy and work your way up. Ashley King Pairs Shoulders with Legs and Core for a workout that delivers amazing results walt ostarly photos weighted raise crunch Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 2008 four way shoulder raise curcuit on the next page From a standing position, place your right foot on the step in front of you. Hold the medicine ball to the left with both hands, fingers toward the floor. Push up through your right foot, extending your left leg as you take the ball across the midline of your body, bringing it above your head. Keep arms straight throughout the movement. Sets and Reps: 2 to 4 sets of 10-20 reps per leg. Start easy and work your way up. pushups with elevated feet 2 1 38 38 diagonal step up with medicine ball Start by placing your hands shoulder width apart. Place your toes on a bench and form a straight line with your body. Exhale and slowly lower your toso toward the floor. Return to the start position and repeat. Sets and Reps: 2 to 4 sets of 10-20 reps. Start easy and work your way up. squat to shoulder press Stand with feet shoulder width apart, holding dumbbells at shoulder level, palms facing eachother. Bend your knees to lower yourself until quads are parallel with the floor. Then push through your heels, standing up as you raise the dumbbells above your head. Return to bent knee position. Keep your heels on the ground thoughout the entire movement. Sets and Reps: 2 to 4 sets of 10-15 reps. Start easy and work your way up. 1 3 2 squat to shoulder press NaturalMuscle Muscle Natural May200839 200839 May 2 3 4 1 In this circuit you’ll perform four exercises back to back with resting. Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 10 reps per movement, for a total of 40 reps per set! Rest two to three minutes between sets. Start easy and work your way up. 1 four way shoulder raise curcuit 7 8 5 6 40 Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 200841 Can you build an impressive chest Q: I am trying to build up my chest, but I can’t stand doing bench presses because they hurt my shoulders. Can I build an impressive chest without benching? A : For most weight trainers, it seems like the bench press is the core exercise in their chest routine. Why is this?! Why is an exercise that stresses the shoulders and the triceps (the assisting muscles) more than the chest such a popular movement? There are two possible explanations for this strange phenomenon. First, the bench press is a big ego exercise. Often, the first question asked to someone who trains regularly is, “how much can you bench?” This attitude practically ingrained the thought that you must include the bench press into your routine. Second, it seems like all of the old training articles you read include the bench press. These articles preach that you can get more out of the bench press than other chest exercises because it is a compound movement, therefore allowing you to use more weight than other chest exercises. The flaw in this reasoning is the chest is the strongest muscle in the movement, yet it gets the least amount of direct stress in the course of the movement. ALTERNATIVES TO THE BENCH PRESS My method of training a body part is to isolate and put as much stress on that muscle as possible. When training chest, try to pick movements that strictly work the chest muscle fibers. It is not to your advantage to pick exercises that stress the delts and triceps; you can train those groups by themselves on a different day. Keep in mind, however, there is no way to completely isolate any muscle group without using some assisting muscles. The key is to pick those exercises that put the most amount of stress on the area of the muscle you need to work the most. It has been my experience from training hundreds of bodybuilders that most trainees lack upper chest development. I think this is primarily due to the fact that most trainees have emphasized the bench press in their chest routine. The bench press does little to stimulate the upper pec area. The bench press is known primarily as a middle chest builder. This, most likely, is the reason I see so many trainees with good middle chest development, but having to play catch up in their upper chest development. Therefore, the emphasis in the chest routine that I recommend is on the upper chest. Not only does building a strong upper chest look impressive, but it tends to show off your middle chest development as well. I would also go as far as saying that the weight of a massive upper chest will push the pecs down so that you achieve the look of a hanging lower chest. EXERCISES TO BUILD AN IMPRESSIVE CHEST There are literally hundreds of different exercises and variations of exercises for the chest. The exercises that I recommend are not meant for every single bodybuilder. 42 Natural Muscle May 2008 These are merely exercises that I have had a lot of success with over the years. Remember, everybody’s chest has different strong points and weak points. You may need to adapt my routine to what your weaknesses might be. CABLE-CROSSOVER I usually start with the cable-crossover because it is a great way to pre-exhaust your chest. A pre-exhaust simply means to get a pump early in your chest routine to properly warm up for your heavier movements. Also, I think the cable-crossover is the best stretching exercise to get your chest ready for a grueling workout. There are several variations of this exercise. Basically, you have to determine which variation works best for you. Personally, I like to do a total of four sets of cablecrossovers. The first set is simply to stretch the pecs and get some blood flowing through your chest. This set is fairly light and there is no reason to count your reps (do this set by feel). The next three sets are where I think some variation is very beneficial. Set two should be heavier than the first set; however, on this set, step forward slightly and bring the handles from the top and together so that the handles meet at crotch level. This will stimulate the lower portion of the chest. Once again, on this set, work the chest until failure - there is no need to count reps. Next set, step forward and bring the handles from the top and together so they meet near neck or chin level for more upper-pec stimulation. Your final set will be slightly heavier (heaviest of the four), step forward and bring the handles so they meet in front of your chest. This will stimulate the middle pec area and also give the entire chest a good finishing burn. Here are a few key points to remember when doing cable-crossovers properly. First, when you bring the handles down to the finishing point in front of your body, cross them so that your forearms are almost touching. At the point your forearms are almost touching, squeeze your chest and hold it for a few seconds on every rep. Finally, make sure you stretch, squeeze, and hold on every rep. By now, your chest should be pumped and ready to move on with the workout. SLIGHT INCLINE FLAT BENCH DUMBELLS For those of you who need an “ego” movement, this is a good one to go heavy on. This is not a movement you are probably used to seeing people at your gym perform. Simply put a piece of wood, small box, or some 45lb plates under one end of a flat bench. The plates or piece of wood should be approximately 6 to 8 inches without benching? high. Your goal is to put the flat bench at approximately a 25-30 degree incline. This is a great movement to build your upper pecs, while still putting some emphasis on your middle pecs. The primary difference between this movement and a flat bench movement without an incline is this movement puts more emphasis on your upper chest. Another advantage to this movement is that it is performed with dumbbells as opposed to a barbell. The dumbbells will allow you to squeeze your chest at the top of the movement and really stretch your chest at the bottom of the movement. I usually do four sets on this exercise and only count my reps on the first set. The first set is primarily a warm-up set. Use a weight that you can get 10-12 reps. The next set, go up approximately 15lbs. per dumbbell and get as many as you can until you can no longer perform the movement without a spot. The third set should be done exactly like the second set, once again going up 15lbs. per dumbbell. On your final set, use a weight that is the heaviest weight that you can successfully perform for four reps on your own. Use a spotter to get two more reps if possible on this final set. INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS This exercise differs from the slight incline dumbbell press in that the angle or incline you are pressing from is at 45-degrees. This angle will stimulate more of the upper chest and take most, if not all, of the emphasis off of the middle chest. Most standard incline benches are at a 45-degree angle when they are in their lowest possible position. If you are unsure of the exact angle, simply put the top of the bench at a 90-degree angle and drop the bench to half of that. This movement is a fairly simple one to perfect; however, there are some details to note. First, it is important to keep your butt on the bench throughout the entire movement. If you cannot keep from pushing off with your feet, raise your feet up and this will ensure that your butt stays on the bench. Usually, it is easy to just prop your feet up on the dumbbell rack while you are performing your set. Also, it is important to stretch your pecs at the bottom of this movement. Go down as far as you possibly can, while still keeping your butt firmly in the bench. Finally, remember to go slow and control the dumbbells from start to finish. I usually do four sets of this exercise; however, I do not increase the increments of the dumbbells as heavy each set. The first set is a warm-up set, usually performed with a weight I can get 10-12 reps. I then go up about ten pounds and perform this set until I can’t get any more reps. (Notice I do not count my reps). Next set, I go up about another ten pounds and perform this set the same way I performed the second set. Finally, on my last set, I will go up about five pounds and get as many as I can with a spot. EXERCISES TO ADD VARIATION Doing the same chest routine, every chest workout tends to get boring. Not to mention, your chest will begin to adapt and not respond, unless you add some variation to your routine. Therefore, I try to finish my chest routine with a different exercise every workout. You may want to use your favorite chest exercise or use one of my suggestions. Here are some of my favorite exercises you may want to try to add some variation to your routine: INCLINE DUMBBELL FLIES The incline dumbbell fly is one of the best exercises to develop an impressive upper inner chest. As with every exercise, form is extremely important on incline flies. Use an incline bench set at a 45-degree angle, the same way you used it for incline dumbbell presses. Instead of pressing the dumbbells on this exercise, you will be doing a movement similar to the one you did on the cable- crossover. Picture the trunk of a tree lying vertically on your body while you are doing this movement. Use a fairly light dumbbell and pretend you are hugging the tree trunk as you raise the dumbbells. Keep your elbows bent as you move the dumbbells down and back until you feel maximum stretch. At the top of the movement, pause and squeeze your pecs. Try doing three sets of this exercise, using a weight heavy enough that you do not lose proper form. CROSS-BENCH DUMBBELL PULLOVERS If you are looking for more mass in your upper chest, then this is a great exercise for you. Since this exercise isn’t a pure chest exercise, I do not recommend it as one of the core chest exercises in my routine. Remember, I prefer those movements that put as much stress primarily on the pecs as possible. On this exercise, simply lie across a flat bench with your shoulder blades touching the bench and your head off the end of the bench. Now, lower a weight you can handle for about 8 - 10 reps behind your head towards the ground. Lower your hips to the ground and then allow your hips to come up as the dumbbell is brought back to the starting position. Try to get a good stretch at the bottom to emphasize more of the chest then the rib cage or triceps. Try doing three sets of this exercise and don’t be afraid to use some heavy poundage. FLAT BENCH SMITH MACHINE PRESS TO THE NECK I know most of you will say, “I thought you hated the bench press.” Well, this variation of the bench press is so far from the traditional bench press that I don’t even like to call it a bench press at all. This exercise may be one of the best for developing an impressive upper chest if you perform it correctly. The best way to perform this exercise is on a Smith Press. However if your gym does not have one, it is not necessary. Position a flat bench under the Smith Press so that the bar, when lowered, hits the middle of your neck. This positioning is the most important part of the movement. Because of the position of the bar, you will not be able to do as much weight as you are accustomed to doing on the traditional bench press. Try to do three sets, progressively moving up in weight each set. One point to keep in mind when performing this exercise is hand position. Use a fairly wide grip on the bar (slightly wider than normal bench presses). Now, instead of grasping the bar traditionally, position your hands so that your thumbs are actually facing each other, touching the bar. The bar should feel like it is supported on the palms of your hands. Natural Muscle May 200843 resistance training W hether you go to the gym and use free weights or the nautilus equipment resistance training is the best way to strengthen your muscle and improve their firmness but it also is key in burning calories and ultimately fat faster. • The Close Grip Vest is the only vest that is designed with circular insert pockets, for the purpose of inserting universal weights, that are found in all gyms, and can be sold in any sporting good store. • The vest is easy to put on. Its light weight material allows it to breath. It is durable and can be machine washed. • The vest can be worn during any activity or work out, this including walking (the fastest growing cardio vascular activity), yoga, weight training etc. • This vest enhances the burning of calories and fast, because of the added resistance to ones work out, it increases and improves all goals and end results. • It fits close to the body for comfort and support making workouts with resistance easier. • It has a sleek and complimenting look that promotes the body posture. • Extension pieces have been designed to fit larger sizes. • Pricing of The Close Grip Vest will set new standards, it competes with all the other vests in the market place and excels in its durability, comfort, aesthetic look and design. • Most importantly it is priced competitively when benchmarked against other vests, and it stands above all its competition on what you get in an overall product for its price. 44 Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 200845 pz’s perspective photo by Billy the Kid giving green a whole new meaning by: Pz T he color green: the color that best represents life. Green has been singled out and given an expanded meaning. No longer is it just the color that sits between yellow and blue on the spectrum. No longer do we merely associate it with money. Green has gone beyond those meanings. It represents a movement, a mindset, an attitude one has toward the earth. We recently celebrated Earth Day: one whole day of recognition for our beloved planet. The scientists and experts don’t agree on everything. Often they have their own selfish or slanted agenda. No matter, there is one undeniable given—our way of living is harmful to the planet. We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment. We’re headed in that direction. Human beings need to change their thinking, their attitudes, and most of all their behavior. We aren’t meant to dominate our surroundings but to live in harmony among them. We aren’t meant to take, take, take, but to take what we need. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. Earth Day can’t be thought of only on one day. It has to be in our minds and in our hearts everyday. Expanding the meaning of green is a symbolic way of putting the plight of planet Earth in the forefront of our thinking. Have you gone green? What does Green mean to you? Pz’s Pointers to creating a Green mindset. . . Seeing the planet in a more personal way—When you walk out the door of your house, condo, apartment, trailer, cabin or whatever dwelling you happen to 46 Natural Muscle May 2008 call home, remember you’re stepping into your real home. The earth is our home—yours and mine-- beyond a roof and four walls. Try and be conscious of that fact. Try and see it in a more personal fashion. Try and embrace the idea that the land and the sea and the air and the sky and all the inhabitants therein represent your extended family and are your responsibility. You have a stake in the planet and in its destruction or survival. That’s a pretty huge deal. That means you matter and how you conduct your life every single day, as you live and breathe, matters. Take ownership in the planet. It’s yours to crush or cradle. It’s your choices that come together with those of every other human being that make up the total earth consciousness. It’s time to elevate that consciousness and take it to a whole other level. not change or revamp their policies until the public shows a need or changes their practices. The consumer has the power. That means you. Paper or Plastic? How about neither, please?—The famous first words out of every cashier’s mouth, yes? Reusable Earth totes are slowly popping up everywhere. Julia Roberts says she carries a bunch of earth-friendly totes in her trunk at all times. That way she’s always prepared and doesn’t have to opt for the lose-lose option between paper and plastic when bagging her groceries. The actress, and mother of three, was inspired to go green by her children. Using the totes is something easy she can do that helps. If you buy a lot at one outing you will need a bunch like Julia. Initially, they may be a small investment on your part. They are not free. They also serve multiple purposes other than shopping. It’s a smart way for companies to advertise their logo and play a role in the solution for change. You can even buy them customized with your own personal logo. In the long run they will pay for themselves many times over. Stores will ish, and egoistic. They don’t live one with the world rather feel the world revolves around them and is there to serve their wants and whims. Human beings are a greedy lot. More is always better and we have fostered a sense of entitlement where we don’t have respect for the planet that provides us with such wonderful bounty and beauty. Adapting a Green mindset is adapting a certain philosophy on life, a certain kind of respect that one might have for the very source of things that we take for granted. Vitamin and health food companies ahead of the learning curve—The company where I purchase vitamins has had a wide array of organic vitamins, juices and green products available for some time. Their packaging materials—those peanuts that surround and protect your order-- may look like Styrofoam but they’re not. Instead of using the typical, bad enviro-culprit, the packing peanuts are made from potatoes, rice and other natural foods that dissolve on contact with water. Many other companies in the industry are following suit and offering green alternatives to many of the products we regularly use. Everything from household cleansers, to soaps, to shower filters, to corn-base water bottles—great products exist to help all of us reduce our carbon footprint and assist Mother Nature at every turn. Arrogance, Greed and Entitlement—There is certainly enough on this planet for everyone’s needs, but not for everyone’s greed. Human beings can be arrogant, self- “Out of all those millions and millions of planets floating around there in space, this is our planet, this is our little one, so we just got to be aware of it and take care of it.” ~Paul McCartney Little by little—The state the planet is in at the moment is overwhelming. The damage has been done little by little over the course of time and little by little is how we’re going to have to fix it. We have to do what we can the best we can. We can’t look at the big corporations and big government for the answers. We have to look within. Small changes can have a big impact. The planet is in desperate need of our help. We can be the one who spreads awareness and takes action. We can turn this around and transform the world. It’s a Global issue—Not only America, but nations world-wide have helped to create the problems we now face. There’s plenty of blame to go around. There are plenty of mistakes and mishaps that continue. In the real planet Earth there are no boundaries. Everything is connected to everything. Across the world, in Delphi, the Chief Minister expressed her concern for degrading environmental conditions and the vanishing sparrows. Her garden has over 80 different kinds of birds but she hasn’t seen a single sparrow in a long, long time. Where, she wonders, have they gone? (Maybe they are somewhere hanging out with our disappearing bees.) And think about the upcoming Olympics in China. The IOC awarded the Games to a country with long-standing human rights violations, questionable trade practices, and a place where athletes can’t breathe. IOC President Jacques Rogge said the pollution in Beijing will not endanger the health of the athletes although their Olympic performance might suffer. (Can you believe?) Some athletes are considering dropping out of certain events, others will wear masks to ward off bad air, and some will delay arriving until the last possible minute. The horrific air quality problems along with China’s other pressing political issues are a reality. The Olympics will go on. Hopefully the athletes will compete and not be adversely affected. Maybe placing the spotlight on such a system is the best way to destroy it. We’ll have to wait and see. Cons and scammers capitalizing on green—Be aware and be prepared. Pay close attention. There is a ton of money to be made on the green movement—and we’re only getting started. As time goes on more and more people will be using the label Green to endorse or describe their product like we once used low-carb or non-fat. Some folks will have legitimate products and services; some will be selling snake oil and envirogobbledygook. Some alarmists will attempt to capitalize on your fears or lack of knowledge. Some politicians and businessmen will have agendas that have nothing to do with saving the planet, but more with lining their pockets. Some of this has already begun. Become an informed consumer and involved citizen. This is the year to flex your activist muscle and stretch your brain power. The fitness industry is getting with the program-Many clubs are making strides to go in the direction of green. Ideas are being shared relating to environmentally-friendly policies and practices. That could mean anything as simple as installing low-energy light bulbs or recycling, to major additions like adding new energy efficient treadmills, to renovations that save on electricity bills and water usage. As a member of the club and of the larger human race, you can speak up and make your green wishes known to the owners and managers where you train. The club of the future will have green thinking at the forefront. Established clubs can and should still do their part. New clubs will have the advantage of all the knowledge going in and can plan, design and execute a facility looking through a different set of green lenses. So, you want to go green but don’t know how. What do you do? How can you take part? First, the fact you’re thinking in such terms is uplifting and a positive step. To be honest, it’s on a scale so huge that it’s mind-boggling. We’ve managed to do so many things on so many fronts in such an irresponsible, reckless manner for so long is why we’re in this mess. The good news is we know better now and knowing better gives us no excuse NOT to do better. Start on a small scale. Do small things you will repeat over and over and practices that will become givens--part of your new way of life. I call them G-givens. Recycling is a must and the place to begin. You may think recycling is being done everywhere by everyone. It’s not and there is still much in the way of participation to achieve. Make it a family affair. Live by example at home, at work, at play. Share what you know with others. Become educated and informed on the facts. Awareness holds the key. Don’t think it’s a left wing wacko conspiracy and a bunch of hogwash. It’s here and it’s real. The time is now—All we have is now. All we have is this home we call Earth. It’s ours and, at this time, it’s the only one we’ve got. We can’t move to Mars or Jupiter or another galaxy. We can’t trade it in for another model. The damage already done is done. Some of it can be undone, some even reversed. Some of it can’t. We need to begin right where we are. We can make better decisions and implement better laws NOW to prevent adding more insult to the injury. Earth is not designed to be abused like we’ve abused it. She can only take so much. We have not passed the point of no return. Not yet, but stop, look, and listen. We’re approaching it. She’s giving us all the clues in a loud, audible tone. If we remain unaltered on our present course, eventually she will cry uncle in a whimper too low to hear. There will be no boom, no sonic sound. It will sneak up on us and appear like any other day and there won’t be anything left to do. Pz is the author of Club Shattered. As a motivational writer and personal power coach, Pz specializes in the area of relationships and the human condition. Contact Pz with ideas, questions, or feedback: [email protected] Visit her website www.pzpower.com A few big facts to fathom . . . • A full tub requires about 70 gallons of water while a five-minute shower uses 10-25. • Turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth (morning and night) can save up to 8 gallons of water per day which equals 240 gallons per month. • Americans use 50 million tons of paper annually which means we consume more than 850 million trees. • We throw out 85% of the office paper we use. That equals about 4 million tons each year—enough to build a 12 ft-high wall of paper from New York to California. • Each year 27 million acres of tropical rainforest are destroyed. That’s an area the size of Ohio and equals 74,000 acres per day . . . 3,000 per hour . . . 50 acres per minute! • One gallon of used motor oil can contaminate 1 million gallons of water. • Every year we make enough plastic to shrink-wrap Texas. • The 36 billion aluminum cans land-filled last year had a scrap value of $600 million. (Some day we will be mining our landfills for the resources we’ve buried.) • Styrofoam is un-recyclable—you can’t make it into new Styrofoam. Why would you ever buy it? • The EPA estimates it takes a plastic bag 500 years to decay in a landfill. • The average person’s plastic bag legacy will be 4,175 million years. • The worldwide consumption of plastic bags is over 500 billion—over 1 million per minute. • For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death. NOW AVAILABLE AT: You’ve been hurt. Your heart has been broken. Your world is about to come unglued. WHAT DO YOU DO NOW? Circle Books Sarasota 941.388.2850 In Pz’s NEW book You’ll find the answers. Haslam’s Bookstore St. Pete 727.822.8616 pzpower .com amazon.com naturalmuscle.net jimsaminc.com Natural Muscle Cool Crystals Largo 727.559.0007 May 200847 A Look at Fat Substitutes The war on fat in the past decades drove food manufacturers to replace fat in many food items. One way is to continue providing the creamy texture and quality of fat but not its caloric content by using fat substitutes. Fat substitutes can be divided into 3 categories: Sugar-based fat substitutes: e.g. dextrins, maltodextrins, modified food starches, cellulose and various gums. They are the ancestors of fat substitutes, which entered the market in 1960s and are still the most widely used. They are able to replace fat’s bulkiness and moistness, but are unable to replace fat’s cooking qualities. While 1 gram of fat yields 9 kcal, these sugar-based substitutes only yield 1-4 kcal per gram. Protein-based fat substitutes: Simpless by NutraSweet Company They are extracted from whey protein concentrate of proteins from egg whites and milk. First appeared in the market in late 80s, protein-based substitutes yield 4 kcal per gram but are unable to withstand high heat. Fat-based fat substitutes: Olestra Olestra cannot be broken down by the body for absorption and therefore passes through the GI unaltered and provides no calories. It produces the mouthfeel of real fat and can withstand high heat. Concerns have been raised on its possible side effects and its interaction with other nutrient absorption. As it cannot be digested, Olestra can cause abdominal cramps and diarrhea. On the other, Olestra inhibits fat-soluble vitamins (Vit A, D, E and K) and carotenoids. Manufacturers promised to fortify food products with the fat-soluble vitamins. As limited studies have been conducted in children, teens and elderly on the effect of olestra, it is not recommended for consumption by these populations until more comprehensive researches have been performed. Written by Gloria Tsang, RD Does Counting Sheep Work As A Sleep Aid? by: Gary M. Miller “One sheep, two sheep, three sheep……….zzzzzzzzz.” Hey! Did someone just doze off into that grassy hillside where all those sheep like to spend their time jumping over fences? It’s true what you’ve heard. Counting sheep actually works if you want to find a method for falling asleep! This is due to a simple fact about concentration and relaxation. The mind tends to become focused and relaxed over an extended period of concentration and counting sheep tends to make a person concentrate and relax at the same time. Sleeplessness is a problem that a lot of people face when they have to finish something important or when something is bothering them. People who face difficulty concentrating or who experience memory lapses, energy loss, fatigue, lethargy or emotional instability, need to learn to focus their minds. Simple techniques like focusing the mind on something completely different can actually have a positive effect on a person’s ability to relax. Without this practice, problems like sleeplessness can affect people’s work performance or driving ability. Serious consequences like driving and workplace accidents can also occur due to severe lack of sleep. Counting sheep is actually a form of meditation that has been popularized over the centuries. 48 Natural Muscle May 2008 Heart Medication Use Skyrockets in Young Adults as Disease Mongering Continues “We were pretty surprised by the rap(NaturalNews) The use of medications id increase in a short time frame in this for heart disease-related conditions is growing far faster among young adults age group,” said Medco’s chief medical than among any other age group, ac- officer, Robert Epstein. Epstein attributed the growth, in part, cording to a study by Medco Health Solutions, Inc., a for-profit company that to the “epidemic of overweight and obesity in this country,” and people’s operates a large mail order pharmacy. increasing comfort with the concept of The study taking prescriplooked at changtion medications. es in medication “The ‘good use among varinews’ part of the ous age groups story is that prebetween the vention is really years of 2001 important,” Epand 2006. Medstein said. “It’s co’s primary not bad that peosource of inforple get these probmation was a lems controlled sample database at a younger age containing inbecause it will reformation on 2.5 duce the lifelong million of the 60 complications.” million patients But he emphawhose benefits sized that drugs the company Between the years of 2001 and 2006, are not enough, manages. among those aged 20 to 44, and that adjustAmong those ments to lifestyle aged 20 to 44, use use of cholesterol medications and diet are a of cholesterol medincreased by 68 percent. critical part of imications increased proving cardiovascular health. by 68 percent, from 2.5 million to 4.2 Medications for conditions related to million. This increase was 37 percent heart disease are usually taken for life. higher than the increase in those aged This means that as people start taking 45 to 64, and 31 percent higher than the the drugs sooner, the profits for pharmaincrease in those 65 and older. Use of blood pressure medication in- ceutical companies increase. “It’s another signal that we have an creased by 21 percent among those aged issue in this country that we have to 20 to 44, from 7 million to 8.5 million. This growth was 52 percent higher than get our arms around sooner rather than the growth in the 45 to 64 age group, later, because we are destining these young people to lifelong therapy,” Epand more than 100 percent greater than stein said. the growth in those 65 and older. Barley: An Ancient Super Food Rediscovered Barley in the most energy-efficient food available in nature, having major implications for those who are concerned with maximizing longevity, avoiding disease, increasing athletic performance, and fighting obesity. Barley is much more than a supplement found at your local health food store, it is a complete food which has been converted into a super food through an all-natural process, making it so powerful and functional that it can be used to nourish those who are struck by famine. Actually, the United Nations uses it as a relief food for those in famine-stricken countries because of its ability to support human life better than any other single food. Natural Muscle May 200849 welcome to my world Interview and photos by: Dr. “Coach” Atherton O STATS Born: Marital Status: Children: Education: Age: Height: Weight: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Engaged to Todd Daughter, Brooke, 14 B.A. in Exercise Physiology 30 5’8” 130 ver the years, I have been honored to meet and share the stories of fitness’ finest. Without exception the MY WORLD athletes have been talented, motivated (maybe even driven), beautiful and obviously, I thought their narratives merited chronicling in both prose and photography. This month’s athlete is easily at the top of Coach A’s most admired, not because she is an amazing athlete, which she is! Not because she is stunning, which she is! Not even because she has won everything, which she has! But because she belongs to a special group of individuals that God has uniquely challenged in His school of self-discovery to grow! I admire her because she didn’t quit and she is GRATEFUL! Her indomitable character is being forged in an ego melting marathon that crushes most to demand “Why me?” It has been my experience that God never waste His efforts; but tailors circumstances and situations to melt us, not to defeat us, but rather to teach and mold us to His character and image. For many years, as a coach, I knew of Katie and her athletic prowess and naturally, I wanted to meet her. So, I sent her an email and asked to shoot with me in Hollywood. From that day on, I am a fan! She invited me to shoot her camp and during those days I really found out what made Katie tick, and I wanted to share my observations. Today, when I think of Katie, I think of the person, not the athlete, and I smile, inwardly and even outwardly, and if you read on, you will smile also. This brave and determined woman was forged in fires of adversity. With great respect and admiration, I want to tell you a little her story. And incidently, if any of the readers are going thru similar related “fires,” please let Katie’s story touch your heart to be a source of encouragement and hope to you as it is to me. My Name is Coach A, Welcome to MY WORLD! KATIE UTER 50 Natural Muscle May 2008 What do you consider your greatest triumph(s) Being a single mother and balancing a successful career with doing what I love, fitness. Where did you find your determination that I have always seen in you? It is a combination of things: First of all, I had very supportive parents and family. They encouraged us to play sports. My mother ran marathons and was a very healthy person. She taught me a lot about determination. Second, I believe I am a very competitive by nature. I love competition and have never been afraid of it. I have always been pretty self-motivated when it comes to sports. Finally, support is a big element - I surround myself with positive people of the same competitive nature: my siblings, my teammates, and my fiancée, Todd - they all give me positive support! And, of course, Brooke, my daughter: She more than anyone keeps me determined to do it right! I truly want to be a good role model for her. W hy d o yo u a d m i re yo u r d a u g h t e r ? My daughter has been my primary motivation in life. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 8 months of age and our lives changed. Brooke faces so many challenges, yet has unbelievable patience and determination. Most of all she has so much love and energy for those around her. I have always been a high-energy person with a very short fuse. Patience has never been a virtue of mine. Brooke has taught me what determination really means and has gifted me with greater patience. I know these attributes have made me a better athlete and definitely a better coach. I try to be a good role model, and believe I do inspire her through my own efforts; but honestly, it is really Brooke who aspires me to be more like her! Tell me what drives you when you are down, alone in the pits and there is no place to look, but up? Being a single mom was difficult at times. Fitness competition and my training were definitely my release. Being fit and healthy is my foundation for handling such a heavy stress load all the time. I really don’t know where I would be right now without the mental focus of fitness competition. It was often my saving grace at the end of some of those tough long days as a working single mom in college. Yet, as challenging as it has been through the years, I feel very blessed. Brooke is an incredibly special and talented young lady who has taught me some wonderful life lessons. She has given me the gift of gratitude. Every day I am grateful for my abilities and try not to take it one single day for granted. Her years in therapy and treatment have also led us to many other children and families faced with various challenges. It is has been both humbling and inspirational to me. My daughter works so hard to do a task that would be very simple for you or I, yet she always has a bright smile on her face, with very little, to no complaints in her day. Most of us complain about so much in our day, when we really have so much to celebrate. Brooke defines happiness and good spirit. She brings me a lot of joy. She has a spirit and disposition that captures all those who meet her. I smile many times a day just thinking about her. There is a very strong bond between my daughter and I. Brooke has given me true meaning in life. Admittedly, it is a lot of work sometimes, but I feel proud and privileged to have her. Brooke has been and is my driving force! she keeps me grounded, and has above all she has given me HEART! How did you life story relate to you knowing that Todd was the right one for you to marry? Of course, it would take someone really special to come into our lives. As I said before Brooke and I have a very special bond. It is a unique situation that takes a lot of understanding. This has made it very hard and very easy in dating. Brooke and I come as a package. I always knew I would know right away if someone could handle us or not. It was never a question with Todd. He has been wonderful from the very beginning and has always wanted nothing more than to make both of us happier. Todd has been a great source of joy in our life. What last word of encoura g e m e n t c a n yo u o f f e r ? I want to encourage everyone, no matter where they are in life, physically or mentally, to begin today living your best life possible! Be grateful for what you do have, focus on the positive, and enjoy life. From there you can only move up and forward to a better you and a better life. What do you consider your greatest life-lesson learned? Humility, patience and determination: these attributes are directly related to my daughter Brooke. We have a lot to learn from special needs people. My daughter is such an amazing young lady with an amazing attitude about life. She works harder than anyone I know and never gives up! If there was ever a time I felt like giving up, and I have those moments) I thought of her and had no excuses. My family, close friends, Brooke, and Todd have helped through the hard times and the great times. I am very blessed with wonderful, loving people in my life! What is your latest ambition? Katie Uter’s Fitness Explosion Camps- my latest venture and long-time goal! See www.katieuterfitness. com and www.katieuter.net for more information What do you do for a living? Vice-President of SB Wellness Group (a corporate wellness company) based in Baton Rouge, LA www. SBWellness.com Who, apart from your daughter, has influenced you the most? My mother - she was an avid runner, ran marathons. She is such a strong person - inside and out. She was and still is quite a motivation! My grandfather-to me he was the perfect man Sum up your philosophy of fitness athletes in one sentence? Fitness athletes are beautiful and tough inside and out, with a strong determination to be the best possible version of themselves. To contact Coach A for fitness coaching or photography: Email: [email protected] Phone: 703 450-1658 PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTFOLIOS:DIGITAL: http:// www.onemodelplace.com/jwathertonphotography Natural Muscle May 200851 PRISTINE PROTEIN®: Nitric Oxide Boosters O ne of the latest categories of dietary supplements for athletes is nitric oxide boosters. In short, the concept is that nitric oxide helps regulate and direct muscle physiology by stimulating vasodilatation, which results in increased blood flow to working muscles. In turn, this leads to increased oxygen transport, delivery of nutrients to skeletal muscle, a reduction in blood pressure, helping to promote the repair of muscle fibers, and improvements in lactic acid clearance. So how does one boost nitric oxide levels? Arginine, A-AKG & A-KIC The amino acid l-arginine is the answer. The main importance of l-arginine is considered to be its role as a precursor (building material) for the synthesis of nitric oxide.1 Supplemental sources of l-arginine are thought to augment nitric oxide production2, with the result being a measurable increase in blood flow 3 (i.e., vasodilatation). The idea is that the beneficial results of this vasodilatation for athletes include increased oxygen transport, delivery of nutrients to skeletal muscle, muscle fiber repair, and improved endurance. Thus far, dietary supplement products that are touted to boost nitric oxide generally include arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (A-AKG) and/or arginine-ketoisocaproate (A-KIC) as sources of l-arginine. Futhermore, these products are generally marketed to bodybuilders. This gives rise to the question, “Do these nitric oxide products really have any benefit for bodybuilders?” Does it work? Honestly, I don’t know. At least I haven’t seen any studies conducted on bodybuilders (or any athletes) using l-arginine, A-AKG & A-KIC to boost nitric oxide levels, and promote muscle repair or endurance. However, the model 52 Natural Muscle May 2008 upon which these products are based makes metabolic sense. Furthermore, if it does work then the primary benefit may turn out to be improved lactic acid clearance. Any athlete can tell you that when lactic acid levels reach a critical level, muscle failure sets in, cutting your exercise session short and/or reducing your performance. Now consider that increased levels of lactic acid are present when oxygen delivery and arterial and venous oxygen contents are low.4 Furthermore, consider that improvements in nitric oxide metabolism resulted in improved lactic acid clearance.5 Of course this makes sense since nitric oxide improves blood flow, and improve blood flow brings fresh oxygen to augment lactic acid clearance. Theoretically a nitric oxide boosting supplement may help to do just that. As any athlete will acknowledge, an improvement in lactic acid clearance means an improvement in endurance. AKG & KIC In any case, AKG and KIC each have benefits independent of l-arginine and nitric oxide boosting. For example, in animal research AKG has been shown to significantly improve endurance.6 Also, human research has shown that KIC has nitrogen sparing effects 7, helping to inhibit the breakdown of muscle protein. 8 9 This anti-catabolic effect may mean that less muscle tissue is damaged, allowing for a longer exercise session and quicker recovery. Furthermore, research has also indicated that AKG decreases lactic acid in cell mitochondria by increasing levels of oxygen uptake.10 Conclusion Although the nitric oxide promoting effects of A-AKG & A-KIC supplements require research to firmly verify their Because protein is the single most important performance, appearance and lean muscle enhancing nutrient, a significant amount of research went into isolating a protein superior to those already on the market. Pushing the envelope of technology, VPX engineered a protein called PRISTINE PROTEIN® – the highest biological value, fat and carbohydrate-free, pure whey protein isolate. PRISTINE PROTEIN’S® ceramic filtered processing yields increased protein microfractions and Di, Tri and Quadrapeptide Isolates and other microfractions such as, CCK that help curb appetite. PRISTINE PROTEIN® features the world’s most exciting flavor innovations. Let the Power of “P” transform your body. For more information on this new protein supplement, visit www. vpx1.com. benefits, there is great potential for bodybuilders and endurance athletes. That potential includes increased blood flow, increased oxygen transport, delivery of nutrients to skeletal muscle, helping to generate growth of new muscle fiber, and improvements in lactic acid clearance. (Endnotes) 1 Tapiero H, Mathe G, Couvreur P, et al. I. Arginine. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie (France) 2002; 56(9):439-45. 2 Nonami Y. The role of nitric oxide in cardiac surgery. Surgery today (JAPAN) 1997; 27(7):583-92. 3 Cheng JW, Baldwin SN, Balwin SN. L-arginine in the management of cardiovascular diseases. Annals of pharmacotherapy 2001; 35(6):755-64. 4 Chiang BB, Stevens K, Etoch SW, et al. Blood lactic acid levels after artificial heart implantation. ASAIO journal 2001; 47 (6):683-5. 5 Matejovic M, Radermacher P, Tugtekin I, et al. Effects of selective iNOS inhibition on gut and liver O2-exchange and energy metabolism during hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia. Shock 2001; 16(3):203-10. 6 Kurhaliuk NM. [The effect of so- dium alpha-ketoglutarate on the physical load endurance of rats with different resistances to hypoxia] Vplyv al’faketohlutaratu natriiu na vytryvalist’ do fizychnoho navantazhennia u shchuriv z riznoiu rezystentnist’ do hipoksii. Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal (UKRAINE) 2000; 46(4):88-95. 7 Sapir DG, Stewart PM, Walser M, et al. Effects of alpha-ketoisocaproate and of leucine on nitrogen metabolism in postoperative patients. Lancet 1983; 1(8332):1010-4. 8 Francois G, Calderon A, Rose F, et al. [Inhibition of postoperative muscular proteolysis by sodium alpha-ketoisocaproate: does a dose-effect relation exist?] Inhibition de la proteolyse musculaire postoperatoire par l’alphacetoisocaproate de sodium: existe-t-il une relation doseeffet? Ann Fr Anesth Reanim (FRANCE) 1985; 4(4):351-4. 9 Stewart PM, Walser M, Drachman DB. Branched-chain ketoacids reduce muscle protein degradation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Muscle Nerve 1982; 5(3):197-201. 10 Penney DG, Cascarano J. Effects of glucose and tricarboxylic acid-cycle metabolites on metabolism and physiological performance. Biochem J 1970; 118:221-227. Natural Muscle May 200853 54 Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 200855 A Guide For Ensuring Maximum Results In The Gym Through The Proper Joint Care JOINT HEALTH Taking Care Of Your Anybody who has been in the iron game for a while knows the importance that joints have in ones ability to keep training hard. If joints are not operating at their peak, the ability to lift heavy weights and perform certain exercises becomes limited. For instance, for an exercise like the bench press you need healthy shoulders, elbows and wrists. If any of these becomes badly damaged, then there goes your ability to bench press as well as the quality of your upper body workouts. Why do joint injuries occur? For us iron warriors there can be several causes for a joint injury. That’s the bad news. The good news however, is that for the most part, we can avoid these by using the right training, nutrition, supplementation and rest/recovery tactics. 1) Excessive use of weight on an exercise coupled with bad lifting technique. In my personal opinion, this is one of the main reasons why so many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts end up with injured joints. Consistently using heavy weights and bad form invariably lead to bursitis, which is the inflammation of the bursae; small fluid filled sacks whose job is to reduce friction in the joint. Elbows and shoulders are often afflicted by this condition so all of you bench press kings please pay attention to this, as it is hard to bench with bad shoulders and elbows. Bad lifting technique too also causes tears on the tendons which can lead to tendonitis. Assuming that the lifting technique is really horrible and there is way too much weight being used as well, then this can lead to total misalignment of the joint as well. By Hugo Rivera,CFT, BSCE Photo by Lena Rivera 2) Muscle strength that increases too quickly. Certain supplements, like creatine and nitric oxide boosters for instance, can cause our muscle strength to skyrocket. While that is a great thing, in these cases, it is of utmost importance that we slowly control the rate at which we add weight to the exercises. Even if more weight can be put on the bar, it is best to oft for doing more repetitions instead. The reason for this is because muscle strength increases much quicker than joint strength. So increasing the training load too soon can easily lead to a joint injury even if the form practiced is impeccable and if the muscles can easily handle the load. This is a situation that is also very often encountered by teenagers as teens’ muscle strength quickly rises due to all the anabolic hormones been produced by the body at that age. Trust me when I say, I am well familiarized with this cause for joint injuries. 3) Lack of proper nutrition. Joints, just like muscles, require nutrition and rest. Lack of the right nutrients diminishes the body’s ability to adapt to stress. As a result, if one continues to train with poor nutrition micro tears can start occurring in the tendons as well as a deterioration of the cartilage in the joint, which will lead to more wear and tear of the joint than normal. Chronically low levels of nutrients coupled with hard training will then invariably lead to conditions like osteoarthritis (the more common form of arthritis encountered by weight lifters caused by cartilage becoming rough and thus causing more friction at the joint) and tendonitis, which we briefly discussed above, and is the inflammation of tendons due to accumulated trauma. 4) Lack of proper rest/recovery: Consistently overtraining, lack of periodization (meaning that you always train heavy), and lack of sleep all lead to joint problems. Too much training and/ or consistently training at 6 repetitions or less will cause too much trauma in the joint that will accumulate over time and result in either osteoarthritis, bursitis, tendonitis or even a full tear. Keep in mind that if the body cannot recover completely, some of the trauma caused at each training session will remain and over time accumulate. Periodization of training and full body part recovery is essential to preventing this micro trauma from accumulating. Also, lack of sufficient sleep will result in poor recovery as it is during sleep that the body produces all anabolic hormones that will be delivering the nutrients to the right places for full recovery. So sleep deprivation leads to depressed hormonal production which at the end of the day, affects your recovery. Now that we know the common causes of joint problems, here are some guidelines on what you can do to prevent them: Training Guidelines • Use The Right Training Routine: a well periodized routine that alternates between periods of higher volume/higher repetition (10-15 reps) work with periods of lower repetition/heavier weights (5-8 reps) will work best. Active recovery phases where training volume is dramatically reduced should also be incorporated. The training routine should not be more than 60 minutes long and frequency of body part training will depend upon individual recovery. Generally, teens and those in their twenties can train a bodypart every 48-72 hours (so twice a week). Thirty year olds and those in their fourties benefit more from once every five days. Fifty year old and older, once every seven days. • Use Proper Warm-Ups: warming up is extremely important, and it becomes more important as we age. While in my opinion, we only need to thoroughly warm up for the first exercise of a body part, not doing so puts you at the risk for injury. To properly warm up, if you know you will be doing 225-lbs on the incline bench for 10 repetitions, the first set I would just do 135-lbs for ten controlled slow repetitions. Then I would increase the weight to 185 for ten reps and only after that second set I would go up to 225-lbs and that would be my first work set. However, if working out on a cold climate, besides wearing warm clothing, I may ride a stationary bike first for 6-10 minutes, not in search of aerobic conditioning but with the goal of increasing my core body temperature. Advice For Teens On The Importance Of Joint Health F or those of you starting out in your teens just like I did, please start following the advice presented in this article. While it does not seem important, any joint injuries at that age will remain with you for the rest of your life and any little thing that you do will aggravate them as you get older. In addition, because your strength will increase at an incredible accelerated rate at this age, be sure to increase repetitions before deciding to increase the weight on an exercise in order to protect your joints. Keep in mind that your muscles will always grow quicker than your joints. Only when you can easily perform 15 repetitions for an exercise for all sets then should you consider slightly increasing the weight. Because your anabolic hormones are at an all time high, you will achieve great results anyways. Alternatively I’ve also used abdominal training as a way to increase my core body temperature as well. • Perform The Right Exercise Techniques With The Proper Weight: Proper execution of exercise and proper lifting speed is crucial. The exercise form should never be sacrificed in the name of adding weight. Nothing good has ever come out of that combination. In addition jerking the weight up and down not only affects how much the muscle is actually stimulated (so your muscle building results will be less) but puts much of the stress on the joints leading to unnecessary micro-trauma. So always choose a weight that allows for full control of the weight and a lifting speed that is steady and controlled on the way up and slower on the way down. Contracting the muscles at the top position also helps to provide maximum stimulation without unnecessarily having to use super heavy weights. • Ensure Rotator Cuff Health: One of the most common injuries in weight training is that of the rotator cuff. The reason for this is that as the shoulder muscle gets stronger, the rotator cuff gets weaker unless you train it directly with 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions of rotator cuff exercises. Some external rotations at the end of your chest or back workout will do the trick. Nutrition Guidelines • Having The Right Diet With Sufficient Amounts of EFAs: A balanced diet made up of 40-50% complex carbs, 40-30% lean proteins and 20% good fats with multiple small meals spaced out 2-3 hours throughout the day will prevent poor recovery due to lack of good nutrients. Of utmost importance is not to disregard the intake of good fats, emphasizing the fish and flax oils which are high on the Omega 3 essential fatty continued on the next page 56 Natural Muscle May 2008 Natural Muscle May 200857 acids (EFAs). Turns out that these fats play a huge role in anti-inflammation and also on hormonal production. Another good way to get these fats is through a serving of wild atlantic salmon a day or mackerel. • Sufficient Calories Even When Dieting: Many people cut their calories too low when embarking on a fat loss phase. This leads to loss of bone mass and also poor joint health. Therefore, when dieting, keep in mind that only a slight caloric deficit is required in order to lose body fat. (in the order of 300 calories less than one burns every day or so). Supplementation Guidelines • Take Your Multiple Vitamins/Minerals: Many trainees do not realize the importance of taking these micronutrients. However, these are essential to insure that your body will operate at maximum efficiency. Vitamins are organic compounds (produced by both animals and vegetables) whose function is to enhance the actions of proteins that cause chemical reactions such as muscle building, fat burning and energy production. Minerals are inorganic compounds (not produced by either animals or vegetables). Their main function is to make sure that your brain receives the correct signals from the body, balance of fluids, muscular contractions and energy production as well as for the building of muscle and bones. Therefore, on a very simplistic level, without vitamins and minerals it is impossible to covert the food that we eat into hormones, tissues and energy. So as a result, joint health, amongst many other things, will suffer. • Take Extra Vitamin C: Some research indicates that increased consumption of Vitamin C lowers cortisol (catabolic hormone) levels and improves joint health as Vitamin C is required for connective tissue formation. 2-3 grams of this vitamin split in 1 gram doses at different times of the day will do the trick. • Gelatin: Believe it or not, gelatin is a source of two very important amino acids that are required for collagen formation: glycine and praline. Several studies (Adem et. al. Therapiewoche, 1991) have shown gelatin providing improvements by reducing joint pain and improving cartilage health. • Glucosamine/Chondroitin Combination: In a recent review of clinical trials on glucosamine and chondroitin, researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, in Cleveland, Ohio found that of 13 studies reviewed, all were classified as demonstrating positive results. The dosages used in the studies were 1500mg of glucosamine sulfate and 1200mg of chondroitin sulfate. • MSM: At the Oregon Health Sciences Center in 1997, researchers showed that MSM provided relief equal to For Minor Injuries Use RICE RICE is an acronym that refers to the following: • Rest. This does not refer to laying in bed but instead stopping to do the activity that created the injury or at least stopping to do movements that cause pain. As a matter of fact in my personal experience and in my conversations with sports medicine doctors if you can continue training without pain the healing process will be faster. Keep in mind that the exercise promoted blood flow helps to deliver valuable nutrients to the damaged areas. The trick is to find exercises or angles of an exercise that allow for execution without pain. Dumbbell training is a valuable ally for training with injuries due to the versatility of the exercises that can be performed with them. • Ice. Using ice immediately after the injury is great for numbing the pain and reducing the swelling of the injure area. The quicker you apply this ice, the better. Apply the ice pack for 20 minutes, then remove for 20 minutes. Continue this pattern for as long as you want for 24-36 hours. For those of you who hate ice, at the very least attempt to do 20 minutes every hour for good results. 58 Natural Muscle May 2008 • Compression. Use an elastic bandage to wrap the injured area with a layer or two. You can apply the ice pack after the second layer and then continue the wrapping but make sure that you don’t wrap yourself so tight that you cut off circulation. However, make it tight enough to prevent fluid from accumulating in the injured area. This is the whole purpose of compression. • Elevation. Get the injured area elevated above your torso. While tricky, this is something that can be done when you lay at night in bed. If within 24-36 hours you don’t see any improvements, and especially, if your condition worsens, please visit your doctor immediately. If You Get An Injury That Causes Immediate Bruising Go To The Doctor Immediately. Bruising of the area with immediate swelling are signs of a serious injury; possibly in the form of a tear. Make sure that you go to the doctor immediately if this is the case! a popular non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. MSM expert and medical reviewer for the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Stanley W. Jacob, M.D., suggests that MSM actually blocks pain signals from traveling along a network of C fibers from the site of damaged tissue to the brain. MSM also appears to reduce inflammation, enhance blood flow, and reduce painful muscle spasms. • Essential Fats: As stated on the nutrition tips, if you do not consume wild atlantic salmon or mackerel, it is suggested then that you supplement your diet with 1-2 tablespoons of fish oils and/or flaxseed oil in order to get the very important essential fatty acids that your body needs. Carlson fish oils and spectrum flaxseed oil are great products to get these fats from. Rest/Recovery Guidelines • Use Periodization And Provide Enough Rest Prior To Training A Bodypart Again: As mentioned in the training guidelines, periodization and the right amount of time before training a body part again are of utmost importance to joint health and recuperation. Overtraining leads to overuse injuries. • Get Your 8 Hours Of Sleep Each Night: Sleep deprivation leads to depressed hormonal production which at the end of the day affects your recovery and prevents full recuperation from training. So make sure that you get your ZZZZZs. What To Do If You Have Done All Of The Above But Still Get A Joint Injury Sometimes, injuries still happen even when we do everything right. Life’s not fair sometimes. Dr. Raul Rivera (MD), my grandfather and orthopedic surgeon, taught me that what to do depends entirely upon the nature of the injury. Conclusion I guarantee you that if you follow all of the guidelines in this article you will greatly minimize your chances of a joint injury and as a result will have great pain free workouts for many years to come. However, if you feel pain every time you hit those weights, my advice is to try exercises that do not trigger such pain and that you visit a good doctor who can get to the cause of the pain and who refers you to a good physical therapist to start working with you on fixing it. In this case, it is more crucial than ever that you adhere to all the guidelines presented here and that you consume your nutritional supplements on a daily basis. About The Author Hugo Rivera is an ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer and best-selling fitness author of over 8 books on bodybuilding, weight loss and fitness, including “The Body Sculpting Bible for Men”, “The Body Sculpting Bible for Women”, “The Hardgainer’s Bodybuilding Handbook”, and his successful, self published e-book system, “Body Re-Engineering”. You can visit Hugo Rivera at www. bodybuilding.about.com, www.HRFit.net, and his new site www.losefatandgainmuscle.com. Natural Muscle May 200859 60 *When combined with increased exercise and a reduced calorie diet. Use only as a dietary supplement. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Natural Muscle May This product is not intended to diagnose, treat,2008 cure or prevent any disease. ©2008 VITAL PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.