Maple Syrup? The next superfood

Believe it or not maple syrup there has been a study done by the University of Rhode Island that shows that maple syrup has tons of great antioxidants.  54 to be exact.  These antioxidants help fight against cancer and diabetes.  This is interesting because this is twice the amount that was previously thought to be in maple syrup.    Maple syrup is now known to be nearly as beneficial as some foods such as berries, tea, flaxseed, and redwine.

So the next time you reach for some agave nectar or splenda to put on your pancakes, STOP.  Put on some good nutritious maple syrup to your pancakes.  Not only will they taste a whole lot better, but you will be helping your health as well.

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3 Ways to Bust Through Any Plateu

Many people come to me and ask me, "Mark!  I've been  working out for awhile, and I am just not seeing the gains that I used to when I first started lifting, how can I get those gains back?"  Well while you probably wont see those gains that you did because of the law of diminishing returns, which pretty much means our bodies can only handle so much.  You can only weigh so much, or you can only lose so much weight, their is a limit.  But, if you haven't reached your limit yet, there are some things that you can do.

1.  Change up your supplements/start taking supplements
While many people are taking supplements, they sometimes take the same thing for too long.  If you are still taking that same fat burner that you used 5 years ago or that same pre-workout, it may be time for a change.  Change to products with different active ingredients, and vary what you take.  Or if you don't take any supplements START!  They can really help you take your workouts to the next level.

2.  Change up your workout
There are so many people who do the same thing day in and day out.  They had the same workout split for years.  They would do the same exercise on the same days for so long.  This is not how you build muscle.  I personally never do the same workout twice in a row.  I haven't actually done the exact same workout in over a year.  It is important to vary your rep range and set range and exercises to continually keep the body guessing.

3.  Watch what you eat
Many people ask "Mark I just cant put on size"  or "I just can't lose the fat that I want".  While both these people spend all the time that they need in the gym they don't eat right.  If you are eating not enough/too much food no matter how much you workout, you will not gain size/lose weight.

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How to Really Lose Weight

Ok, there are so many diet crazes, weight watchers, atkins, the keto diet, south beach, and the list goes on and on.  However, I am willing to sum all of them up into one sentence

"Eat less; do more"

If you want to lose weight, all you have to do is eat at a calorie deficit.  What this means is you need to find out how many calories you normally use per day, which is about 

your body weight * 15 = Base Metabolic Rate (BMR)

*Note this number is higher if you are more active and lower if you are sedentary

  or your maintenance calories.  If you want to lose about a pound per week you would lower your calories about 600 below your BMR. Now if you want to eat more you can increase your BMR by doing more (running, swimming, etc.)  It does not matter what you eat when it comes to weight loss.  However, it is much easier to get fuller off of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables than it is candy bars.  But, it is possible to lose weight eating twinkies all day.  Although, you would have other health problems. If you want to find out more accurately how to calculate your BMR you can go here http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_BMR.php where they go in depth to calculate your calories.  That's it!  That is the secret to losing weight.

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Astral projection

Astral Projection is an out of body experience that occurs when you are asleep.  It is kind of like lucid dreaming which is controlling your actions and being aware of yourself when you are dreaming.  However, astral projection is taking lucid dreaming to the next level.  It is where you literally have an out of body experience.  You can literally see yourself coming out of your body, and you can do whatever you want.  You can fly to mars, be a pirate, mess with your friends.  It's like your dreaming, but it's more realistic.

People who have said to experience astral projection say it is different than anything they have ever experienced.  One person said that it was like she was having a war between her physical self and her spiritual self trying to escape.  While this may seem scary, actually it is a really good thing to do.  It helps you to be able to control how you relax.  There have also been claims of people in groups astral projecting together and going on glorious adventures.

Here are some tips to do astral projection if you so choose.

1. Relax.  Make your whole body still.  Don't move a muscle.  Don't even move your eyes.  You need to keep still until you feel shaking, or a warm tingling.
2. Release yourself. One you finally feel a warm tingling or a shaking, imagine that there is a rope over you and that you are pulling yourself out with a rope.  
3. Enjoy.  Once you have released yourself from your body, enjoy your out of body experience.

Tips

• Don't Freak out!  Whatever you do don't be scared.  If anything bad happens use your mind to will the bad away and only think good.
• Use music.  There is some music like  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDgTWoe9KGg, which can aid in astral projection

Overall, this is a really good technique that you can use to relax, and it can be a fun technique to learn because you never know what kind of adventures you can go on.

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The Ketogenic Weight Loss Diet

With so many diets going around it is difficult to keep the facts straight.  The keto diet or ketogenic weight loss diet is a high fat low carb diet that is gaining a lot of popularity.  In this article I don't intend to go to in depth, but I will give you the general pro's and cons of such a diet.

In a nutshell the idea behind the keto diet is that if you eat mostly fat and little to no carbs, your body will use fat as its main source of energy instead of carbohydrates.  When this happens there is an excess amount of ketones in the blood, thus being called ketosis.

The pro's of keto

• Main source of energy comes from fat.  So the fat is easily lost
• It is safe.  It is even used to treat seizures in children
• It is filling.  As opposed to other calorie deficient diets that are low in fat, fatty foods are extremely filling
• It is muscle sparing

Sound's great right!  In the ketogenic weight loss diet your muscles are spared as long as you have adequate protein (about 1 gram for every pound of lean body mass).  Also eating the foods on keto (eggs, meat, cheese, etc. ) is extremely filling, and you have no problems losing weight.  However, there are some downsides to keto.

Cons

• Being tired.  Fat is a really bad way for the body to produce energy.  The result is feeling lethargic.
• Bad breath.  There is mainly only anecdotal evidence that it causes bad breath, but eating lots of meat and cheese can't be too great for the kisser.
• Not getting enough nutrients.  The sad fact that there just isn't as many micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in meat and cheese as there is in vegetables and fruit, which are strictly banned.

So while the ketogenic weight loss diet definitely has its benefits, the decrease in energy really makes the diet not as fun as one would think.  It is really only fun the first couple of days when you get to eat ton's of fatty foods, but it quickly turns into a difficult diet.  But it is really up to you.  The fact is that this diet works.  You can work around the con's by taking vitamins, brushing your teeth, and taking caffeine or sleeping.  I would suggest that you try the ketogenic weight loss diet if you want to lose fat and preserve muscle.  If it fails you can always try another diet.  

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10 Things You Didn't Know About Your Brain

1.  The brain holds between 3-1,000 terabyte of information
This is pretty impressive seeing that a movie is only a couple of gigabytes, or that the National Archives of Britain with 900 years of history only has about 70 terabytes of information.
2.  The brain is 80% Water
The brain is soft and spongy, and water really helps it perform better.  So the next time you feel dehydrated drink some water, and you will help out your brain function.
3.  The brain itself can't feel pain
But don't worry if you hit your head, you will still pain.  Even though the brain can't feel pain, it is surrounded by bone and tissue that can feel pain.  So that's why you still get headaches.
4. The Higher your IQ the more you dream

Courtesy of Mateu from DeviantArt

While this is true, don't feel bad about not remembering your dreams.  The average dream only lasts about 2-3 seconds, which is barely fast enough to register.
5.  The brain generates as much energy as a 10 watt lightbulb
I don't think any computer has as much memory as the brain, but they all use a lot more energy than the 10 watt lightbulb.  We should study the brain and see how it utilizes power, and maybe we can build a computer closer to it.
6.  Your brain is more active when you sleep
While you would think that day to day life would be a lot more active for your brain, the opposite turns out to be true.  While scientists don't know the exact reason why your brain is more active, you can thank your active brain for tons of interesting dreams while you sleep.
7. The brain is always changing
One study found that learning to juggle changed the structure of the brain in just 7 days.  This goes to prove that the brain learns very quickly.
8. Information can be processed as fast as 268 mph
This explains why your reactions can be really fast.  For example pulling your hand away from a fire.  On the other hand, don't rely on your reactions too much because some information can be processed as slow as 0.5 m/s
9. People who eat lunch did better on IQ tests
Studies show that people who eat lunch score an average of 14 points higher on an IQ test.  So when you are given the option of skipping lunch, don't.  You will be eating to a healthier brain.
10.  The brain uses 20% of the oxygen from your body
While the brain only weighs 3 lbs, your brain takes up about 1/5 of your body's total oxygen.  That's a lot of air!

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The Truth About Sleep

I know, I know, you probably think this article is about how you should get 8 hours of sleep per night, and that if you don't you will be tired and lethargic throughout the day, and that sleep is super important.  Well while this may be true on an average day, I am here to tell you a little bit about how sleep actually works.

Sleep consists of 5 stages (theta waves, sleep spindles, delta waves, delta sleep, Rapid Eye Movement or (REM sleep))  lasting about 90 minutes.  If you wake up at the end of a cycle you will feel refreshed and energized and ready to tackle the day.  On the other hand if you are woken up in the middle of the cycle, due to outside factors (having to pee, alarm clock, someone waking you up, etc.) you will feel groggy and tired.

So here's the point.  If you wake up after just 1 sleep cycle, you should feel great!  But, even though you will feel great be wary because despite feeling good, you need some sleep to recover your body.  But, you might need less sleep than 8 hours.  Some people need only 4 or 5 sleep cycles.  So if you wake up after 4 cycles or 6 hours, you will feel brilliant.  There is nothing wrong with you, and you can enjoy your longer day!  But it is different for everyone.  Some people only need 5, 6, 7 hours or so. So find out for yourself how much sleep you really need you might be shocked.


Now there are some other shocking things about sleep.  In addition to not only needing 8 hours, it is possible to skip the 5 stages of sleep, and go straight to REM sleep.  It is actually possible to sleep for only 2 hours per day, and be fine.  This is called the Uberman sleeping schedule which consists of six twenty-minute naps every 4 hours.  While this would be nice, most of us who live in the real world, this is impractical.  People cant just sleep for 20 minutes every 4 hours with work, and other commitments.  But, there are lots of other different sleep cycles that you could choose from in the list below.

Name	Total sleeping time	Method
Monophasic	≈8.0 h	8 hours major sleep episode.
Biphasic	≈6.3 h	6 hours major sleep episode and one twenty-minute power nap.
Biphasic (90-minute nap)	6 h	4.5 hours major sleep episode and one ninety-minute nap.
Everyman (with 2 naps)	5.2 h	4.5 hours major sleep episode and two twenty-minute power naps.
Everyman (with 3 naps)	4 h	3 hours major sleep episode and three twenty-minute power naps.
Everyman (with 4 - 5 naps)	≈3 h	1.5 hours major sleep episode and four to five twenty-minute power naps.
Dymaxion	2 h	Four 30-minute naps (every 6 hours).
Uberman	2 h	Six twenty-minute naps (every 4 hours).

So, you might really not need as much sleep as you think.  I encourage everyone who reads this to look at this list, and try and figure out something that will fit with your day, and make you more productive.  Because we don't all need to get the typical 8 hours of sleep a night.  We really only need 2 hours of sleep per day to function.



sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/165/3892/513.short

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protein pineapple upside down cake

Ingredients:
1 Can of cubed pineapple
1 cup of oats
3 scoops of protein
3 whole eggs
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp nutella (optional)
A sprinkling of cinnamon

1. Coat bottom of microwave safe cake pan with pineapple and coats. Spread evenly.
2. Mix eggs, protein, peanut butter, nutella, and cinnamon into a bowl. Until batter-like consistency is achieved.
3. Cover pineapple and oats with mixture evenly.
4. Put pan into microwave for 2-4 minutes.
5. Plate and Enjoy! 

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Cottage Cheese Protein Parfait

Ingredients:
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tbsp sugar/splenda
1 scoop of protein
Ice
Blackberries or any fruit
oats
A sprinkling of cinnamon

1. Mix cottage cheese, ice, sugar, cinnamon, and protein all in a blender. Add water as needed for consistency. Blend

2. Put yogurt into a cup with oats and blackberries or fruit as desired. Enjoy!

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High Protein Low Carb Strawberry Peanut Butter Protein Cake in 60 seconds

Ingredients:
2tbsp peanut butter
1 egg
1 scoop of protein

Finished Brownie

A sprinkling of cinnamon

1. Mix egg, protein, cinnamon, and peanut butter in a mug. Mix until you have a batter-like consistency. Add water as needed.

2. Once desired consistency is reached put it in the microwave for approximately 60 seconds. Be careful that you don't put it in too long, or it will dry out.

3. Remove from microwave and enjoy!

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Why You Should Start Eating More Nuts

Yes, I know the title of this article can have lots of different meanings; however, I am here to talk about the nutritional value of the ever popular nuts: the walnut, peanut, almond, and hazelnuts.  While some people tend to not eat nuts because of their high calorie and fat levels, this is actually OK because nuts are nutritionally dense, and they have good mono and unsaturated fats.  Plus it is only necessary to eat nuts in small amounts to get their nutritional benefits.

Walnuts
Walnuts come in at the top of my list of important nuts, because of their many nutritional qualities.  Walnuts have an extremely high concentration of omega-3's, and ton's of other healthy fats.  They are also great sources of manganese and copper.  However, the greatest part about walnuts is you only need to eat 28 grams of them a day to get the omega 3's that you need.

Almonds
Almonds are another nutritionally dense nut.  I really like them because you only need 28 grams of them per serving, which is about 20 nuts or so, and those nuts will really fill you up because of their high fat content.  They also contain vitamin E, vitamin B2, manganese, magnesium, and copper.  These nutrients can help fend off different diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, and asthma.  In addition they have calcium which will help keep your bones and teeth strong, and they have protein for your muscles.  In all almonds are a great super food that really pack a punch in nutrition.

Peanuts
Peanuts are another extremely nutritionally concentrated food and are a good source of monounsaturated fats.    They also have a lot of vitamin B3, manganese, copper, and are high in antioxidants.  I really like them because they are cheap, and they are a great snack.  But BEWARE!  While peanuts are great in small quantities, they contain a lot of omega 6's, which should not be consumed too much.  Plus when they are salted, and covered in different flavors, that takes away from some of the nutritional content.  So while peanuts are a great healthy snack, they should only be enjoyed in moderation.

Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts contain many nutrients, including vitamin B1, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.  Also they can help fight against neurological diseases.

All of these nuts are extremely nutritionally dense, and they can be used, sparingly, in a healthy diet.  So the next time you are at a grocery store, pick up some nuts, and the gift of better health awaits.

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The Goji Berry a Nutritionally Dense Super Food

The Goji berry or wolfberry as it is sometimes called comes from the mountainous regions of Asia.  This little elliptical shaped red berries really pack a nutritional punch.  They have 18 amino acids, 21 minerals, and more beta-carotene than any other food on earth.  A polysaccharide that is found in the Goji berry is one of the same that is used to secrete human growth hormone, with makes the Goji berry truly a gift of youth.  In addition to all this they have exorbitant amounts of vitamin C, and have the most antioxidants of any other food on this planet.

The benefits of this berry are immense, including but not limited to:  weight loss, aiding in eye sight, lowering cholesterol, having a stronger immune system, lowering blood-pressure, and blood sugar, and more.  While many of these claims are anecdotal and have yet to be proved by science, there have been tests with Lycium Barbarum, the scientific name of the Goji Berry, on animals.  These tests found that there may have been some anti-cancer, anti macular degeneration effects, improvement in inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases.  There even is stories about a man from Asia who lived to be 252 years old from the Goji Berry.

So the next time you go to a nutrition store, give Goji berries a try.  There are nature's next super food, and who knows how many more benefits they could have.

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The Importance of Drinking Water

Thanks altriar from DeviantArt

It has been another tough workout. Why does that sip of water feel so satisfying and why is water so important anyway?

Claude Bernard, a 19th century physiologist, was the first to state that living organisms live in an external environment (air and water) but the cells that make up the organism live in an internal liquid environment (Rhoades and Tanner 2003). So what exactly does water do? This folding is dictated by the water that surrounds it (Fersht 1999). Improper folding means a non-functioning protein.

Protein:

Moving up to the cellular level, with fully functioning proteins, cells work hard to maintain their volume. To overcome all of the osmotic forces, water is channeled into and out of the cell to maintain volume (Strange 2004). Water is so important to the body that two organ systems, the kidney and lower GI tract, function almost exclusively to ensure excess water is not lost.


The Kidney & Lower GI Tract Function
To Ensure Excess Water Is Not Loss.

Water sure does a lot, which is why when the body has too little water the effects are devastating. Water loss, dehydration, occurs when the loss of body fluids exceeds the amount that is taken in. With dehydration, more water is moving out of our cells and then out of our bodies than the amount of water we take in through drinking.

The symptoms of dehydration are varied but include increased thirst (your brain telling you your body needs water), dry mouth and dry nasal passages, weakness, dizziness, palpitations (due to the subsequent electrolyte imbalance dehydration causes), confusion, inability to sweat, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and if ignored long enough, death (www.webmd.com).

The reason why that first sip of water after your workout feels so satisfying is because at the most fundamental molecular level, you need water.


Importance
Why Is It So Important For Bodybuilders To Consume Water?



Physical activity, such as bodybuilding, exposes people to a variety of influences that can lead to water loss. Additionally, the individual's physical characteristics such as body weight, gender, age andmetabolic efficiency also influence water loss.

Since the body prefers to maintain a certain core temperature, this excess heat must be dissipated to the external environment. The loss of water through sweating can lead to changes in plasma volume resulting in the impaired ability to evacuate heat, increases in body temperature and decreased cardiac output (Ritz et al. 2003) In terms of the workout, dehydration results in a decrease in aerobic power and physical work capacity (Sawka and Montain 2000).


To maintain proper hydration, the individual bodybuilder must consider their own water balance defined as how much fluid is consumed versus how much is lost. Exactly how much water is required to maintain the proper balance is the subject of debate.

During your workout, the goal should be to prevent excessive dehydration. Unfortunately, no one-size-fits all amount of water to consume can be recommended. Post workout, the goal is to fully replace any fluids. If time permits, consumption of meals and beverages will restore the proper fluid balance.
Alternatives
Are There Any Alternatives For The People Who Refuse To Drink Water?


What do you do if you don't like carrying around the 'ole tasteless water bottle? Maintaining the proper fluid balance, for most people, is relatively simple. Eating fresh fruits and vegetablescontributes to your water intake. Drinking milk, fruit juices and caffeine-free teas and coffees are also good alternatives to plain tap water.

Caffeine is adiuretic and promotes water loss. For the exercise types, sports drinks are great both during and after the workout. Numerous companies also market and sell individual pour-in flavoring packs to add to your plain ol' bottle of water.

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9 Rules to Follow for that 6-Pack of your dreams

Male or female, our eyes are drawn to a person's abdominals ... or gut.

1. FOLLOW A HIGH-PROTEIN, LOWER-CARB DIET. Your diet is essential in building a lean physique. It is important to consume 4- to-6 small meals per day; this helps to speed up your metabolism at an incredibly rapid rate. Although there are many different theories on meal frequencies, eating smaller meals more often will help the average person avoid overeating and will curb hunger.

2. FOLLOW A CONSISTENT WEIGHT-TRAINING AND

CARDIO REGIMEN. This will allow you to burn fat through
the day. Weight training helps you to burn calories after the
workout and throughout the day while cardio burns calories
during the workout. A combination of cardio and weight training
will give you the optimal fat burning rate you need to stay lean.

3. DRINK A LOT OF WATER. If you're completely
hydrated, your fat-burning rate will be optimum. Remember: the less water you drink, the slower your metabolism will be; the more water you drink, the faster your metabolism will be.

4. MODIFY YOUR ABS ROUTINE. There isn't a specific abs routine that will work better than all others, but changing your abs routine will maximize the results. Some of the common ab moves like crunches, old-fashioned sit-ups, hanging leg raises, broom twists and sprinting, are great for building abdominal muscle. It's important to remember that your abs will show the most development through change and confusion as opposed to stagnation.

5. UNDERSTAND THE TRUTHS AND MYTHS ABOUT ABDOMINALS. We all have abs. Unfortunately, some of us have to work harder than others to attain visible ones. Doing 1,000 sit-ups per day is not going to make your abs just magically pop out, but getting your body-fat levels very low will allow your abs to appear. For a male to able to be see his abs, he has to be roughly at 12 percent body-fat and lower. If you can get your body-fat to those levels, you will start to see your abs.

6. ALWAYS EAT BREAKFAST. A healthy breakfast is the most important meal for a reason - it jumpstarts your metabolism for the entire day. Unless you want a muffin top, skip the muffins and opt for protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. Emphasis on the protein.

7. BE COGNIZANT OF THE FREQUENCY OF YOUR ABS TRAINING. It is important to train your abs at least three times per week for a beginner and intermediate fitness enthusiast. For the advanced gym guru, train your abs about every other day to build them properly. I would implement at least 3-or-4 different abs exercises every other day for 25-to-30 reps per set. You'll really feel the burn with this minimal rest. If not, you aren't working the exercise properly. Muscle grows when you apply shock to that body-part.

8. DON'T GET SMACKED BY SUGAR, STARCH AND SALT. Also, stay away from foods that are high in unhealthy fat and high in carbs.

9. IMPLEMENT A VARIETY OF
CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISES.
Cardio helps you lose fat. There is a
variety of different cardiovascular exercises you can implement. Long-distance running, sprinting, swimming, climbing stairs, cycling, elliptical, treadmill, etc.

.

Your mind will help guide your fitness goals and if that goal is to attain great abs, then, provided you do the necessary work, it will happen for you.

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Deadlift Guide

This Deadlift guide will show you how to perform conventional Deadlifts with safe and proper technique if you're a beginner. You will also discover strategies for experienced Deadlifters to bust through any plateau, increase your Deadlift,boost your grip strength, eliminate lower back pain, and much more.

Deadlifts by Franco Columbo, Arnold's lifelong trainingpartner.

How to Deadlift.  proper technique is absolutely crucial for Deadlifting big weights and eliminating lower back pain.

Here's how to Deadlift in 5 easy steps:

1. with the bar above the center of your feet - your stance should be a bit more narrow than shoulder-width to give your arms room.

2. the bar overhand so your arms are vertical to the floor - if your hamstrings are tight, do Squat 2 stands to boost your hip flexibility.

3. Bend through your knees until your shins hit the bar which must remain above the middle of your feet. Shoulder-blades directly over the bar.

4. Lift your chest but don't squeeze your shoulder-blades like on Squats.

5. Pull - keep the bar close to your body, roll it over your knees and thighs until your hips and knees are locked. Lower the bar by pushing your hips back first, and then bend your knees once the bar reaches knee level (NOT before otherwise the bar will hit your knees). 

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How to do the "Perfect Bench"

The Flat Barbell Bench Press is one of the most popular exercises in the gym, yet how many people know the most important techniques for maximizing strength and power during each rep?

STEP ONE

________________________________________

HANDSPACING

The perfect bench press rep starts without any weight on the bar. Why no weight? Lie down on the bench and unrack the bar as you normally would. Lower the bar to your chest and have a partner take note of the orientation of your forearms. The reason for this is simple: if your hands are placed wider, some of your pushing power will be expended pushing outwards rather than upwards. If your hands are placed closer, power is expended pushing inwards. When your forearms are vertical, the vast majority of your power goes to pushing the bar directly up.

STEP TWO

________________________________________

LOCKING DOWN

Now that you have your grip properly positioned, put some weight on the bar. Lay back on the bench and plant your feet firmly on the floor. DO NOT place your feet up on the bench. You will lose stability and potential power by doing this. Place your hands on the bar in the grip width that you determined previously.

A technique that I like to use to lock my shoulders into the position for maximum strength and stability is as follows:

Instead of placing your palms on the bottom of the bar, place them on the back of the bar. Now, without removing your grip, rotate the bar down so that your palms are now directly under the bar. As you are rotating the bar and locking down your shoulders, lift your torso slightly off the bench and force your shoulder blades together tightly underneath your torso. STEP THREE

________________________________________

LOWERING THE BAR

Remove the bar from the racks and tighten up the muscles of your torso. Begin lowering the bar under complete control to a point at the bottom of your sternum (about even with the bottom of your sternum, a.k.a. the breastbone).

Inhale as you lower the bar and feel it tightening up your chest.

Lightly touch the weight to your chest. DO NOT bounce the weight off your chest! STEP FOUR

________________________________________

DRIVE WITH THE LEGS

As you start to change the direction of the bar and begin the press up, drive with the legs. It's strange to think about it but your leg power can actually help you bench press more weight!

This technique should be practiced with an empty bar before attempting it during a regular set. Start by planting your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent about 80 degrees. Lower the empty bar to your chest. The moment you start to push the bar back up, push hard with your legs as though you are trying to slide your body up the bench.

When you have a loaded bar, however, the weight will keep you from sliding and the pushing power from your legs will get transferred through your body and into pushing the bar up. STEP FIVE

________________________________________

RAISING THE BAR

If you have a tendency to shift your feet around, try placing 2.5 pound plates on your feet. If a plate falls, your foot has moved. FINISHING AND COMPLETING

Power the weight up to lockout.

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The Benefits of Creatine

Creatine is actually a nutrient that is formed naturally in the body. Creatine is present in the highest amounts in red meat.

Once your body gets creatine from meat or other sources it converts it into phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine is important because it is used to store energy in your muscle. Creatineis considered quite safe and is classed by the FDA as a food supplement.

Some people have said that creatine is the most legitimate sports supplement available today, largely because there has been so much research done with creatine compared to other sports supplements. Creatine is used extensively, mostly by those athlete's who can bebefit from increased strength such as weightlifters, bodybuilders, wrestlers and even sprinters. All of these sports require sudden bursts of strength (or energy) for short periods of time and that is exactly what phosphocreatine provides to them.

Thanks to GNC 

Creatine is safe even if massive doses are taken because the body will only store so much and the rest is expelled as waste through the kidneys. An additional benefit of creatine supplementation is that it can supercharge the body with much higher levels of creatine than normal diet alone. Phosphocreatine is known to bond with water so this creates an increase in weight that is also beneficial to most strength athletes.

Creatine is almost without side effects. Some people will experience cramps when they begin to take creatine, but this is almost always because they are not taking in enough water with their creatine. Dosages of creatine should be 3-5 grams of creatine per day. Each gram should be taken with 8 ounces of water to avoid cramping and to help superhydrate the muscles. Some people have suggested a pre-loading phase with super high levels ofcreatine being ingested, but this is really not necessary as your body will get to it's maximum creatine levels within a week or two anyway.





Creatine is available in several forms with the most popular being creatine monohydrate. Usually this type of creatine is combined with glucose or another simple sugar to create an insulin spike and increase absorbtion of the creatine.

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The Truth about Fat Burners

Thanks to Victorian-Sentiments from DeviantArt

Fat burners can help enhance fat loss, but they're only going to do so if a proper diet is in place. Fat burners work in a variety of ways. Take a hard look at your diet and determine if it fits your fat loss goal. Some people believe that if they're using a fat burner, they should be able to melt pounds of fat off each week. Remember: A safe rate of fat loss is 1 to 3 pounds a week for average, healthy individuals. Eventually, your body will hit a plateau and fat loss will slow.

If you're dropping weight too quickly, on a fat burner or not, you could be losing lean muscle mass. With the help of a fat burner, your fat loss will stay on track.

Fat burners are designed specifically to give you the proper doses of various ingredients to support fat loss. Most fat burners, unless directly specified, contain caffeine or a caffeine-like substance, a stimulant. Either switch to decaf coffee while using the fat burners, or at the very least, use decaf around the same time when you take the fat burner. To tie it all together, if you stick to a fat-loss diet and exercise plan, write out your fat loss expectations (remember to be realistic!), take a fat burner according to directions, don't overdo the stimulants, and measure your progress-you'll find that supplements to support fat loss can keep their promises. It takes some research and shopping around to decide on a fat burner. 

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How to Do the "Perfect Squat"

Squatting in gyms today is one of the most elusive exercises to get right.  I see people doing all types of things.  There is the people who don't go low, they kind of bend their knees with 600lbs on their back, wobble a little bit, and call that a rep.  Or there are the people who are a little better and they go almost to parallel, but they just aren't quite there.  Then there are people who's form is just atrocious.  But, then there are a few people who get it right.  To do the "perfect squat"

1. Get your feet slightly wider than shoulder width

Credit Goes to Men's Health

Start with your feet about shoulder width, and the widen them slightly until you get into a position that is comfortable.
2.  Put a reasonable amount of weight on the bar
Ok let's face it.  I love squatting, and I love doing a lot of weight.  However, if you have 600lbs on your back and you have horrible form, it doesn't matter how much weight you have, you will end up hurting yourself.
3. Move down with all of your weight on the heels.
Once you put the bar on your back with the bar resting on your traps go down slowly with all your weight on your heels.  Don't put any weight on your toes (except maybe when racking the weight)
4.  Go down to at least 90 degrees
Now here comes the most important part.  You need to go through the whole range of motion to make the squat count.  You need your legs to go at least 90 degrees or lower.  I like to go as low as I possibly can to get the most out of the squat. Just remember that you need to go "ass to grass".
5. Stand up straight
Well that's it once you go down, stand up straight, and you just completed the "perfect squat"

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Banana Protein Muffins

- Calories: 425
- Protein: 44g
- Carbs: 43g
- Fat: 9g


Recipe:
- 110g (1/2 cup) of FFGY
- 1 Scoop (39g) Vanilla Whey
- 1 Large Egg
- 20g Oatmeal (grind it up a little bit, and let it sit in a little hot water for about 5 minutes before adding)
- 8g Jello Banana Cream Inst. Pud. Mix
- 1 tsp Banana Extract
- 1/2-1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
- Some Splenda/cinnamon to taste of course. (I also added nutmeg)

Mix it up, throw it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Most important thing to do is look for the goldening of the top of the muffins. When they look more golden brown, do the toothpick test. If that works, turn off the oven - but leave them in the oven for another 10 minutes or so. Then take out and wait for them to cool almost completely before trying to rip then out of the forms. That's it.

credit goes to HunterCML from bodybuilding.com

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Cinnacottage Cheese

Cinnacottage Cheese

Half Cup Cottage Cheese(I use nonfat)
Teaspoon Cinnamon
Half Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Tablespoon Splenda(or two packets)
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein

Mix everything up, and boom your done. This stuff is DELICIOUS, its like desert. I couldn't stand cottage cheese before this recipe, now I look forward to it.

Gives you about: 210 calories, 38g protein, 11g carbs

credit to King_Madness  from bodybuilding.com

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Blueberry Pancakes

2 eggs or 1 cup egg whites
2 scoops of vanilla/unflavored whey
2 packets of splenda
4 tbsp of pancake mix or 1/4 cup of oats

Mix it all up in a bowl
if its too thick add a little skim milk or water
if its too watery add a little more pancake mix/oats or whey

Spray a frying pan with some Pam and put it on medium heat

pour the pancake mix in after about a minute top the uncooked side with blueberries and give it another minute to let them settle in. Than flip the pancake and let it finish cooking.

Top it with smart balance butter and sugar free syrup.

Calories: 520 calories- 35g carbs, 65g protein
with egg whites: 500 calories- 35g carbs, 75g protein

syrup and butter adds about 50-75 calories depending on how much you use.


Credit to Nab0610 from bodybuilding.com

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Whey Protein BarRecipe:

1 1/2 cups Whey protein
3/4 cup Skim Milk
1/2 cup Natty PB
1/3 cup Oatmeal
50 Crushed Peanuts

Mix thoroughly, then freeze for 2-3 hours in a rectangular pan lined with wax paper. Cut into 10 bars. Enjoy.

Nutrition:
Serving Size: 1 Bar
Per Serving-
Calories: 150
Protein: 14g
Carbs: 11g
Fat: 7g


Credit to Robbie_Vlad from bodybuilding.com

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Turkey Meatloaf

Turkey Meatloaf


Ingredients-

1lb Ground turkey
1 cup green pepper
1 cup white onion
2 carrots
1/4 tsp Tuscan spices

Directions-

Dice the green pepper and white onion; grate the 2 carrots. Ground the turkey meat. Mix well with 1/4 teaspoon Tuscan spices. Spray loaf pan with Pam, Pack turkey loaf mixture in pan, bake at 350 till crisp.

Makes 4 servings: 295 calories, 32g protein, 7g carbs, 15g fat per serving (good source of Vitamin A). 
If that is too large a serving, you can cut each in half and get 8 servings: 148calories, 16g protein, 3.5g carbs, 7.5g fat per serving.


Credit to robbie_vlad from bodybuilding.com

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Quick Healthy Popcorn

This is one of the simplest recipes ever, but your mind will be blown.  Once you read this you will never spend money on microwave popcorn again.

1. Buy Plain Popcorn Seeds
You can go to your local supermarket and just buy some plain popcorn seeds.  These are low in fat, low in calories, and they don't have any preservatives like your regular microwave popcorn.  Plus you can get massive 12lb tubs of popcorn that will make hundreds of servings at places like Costco or Sam's Club.
2. Put Seeds into Brown Lunch Bag

Go and put your desired amount of seeds into just a regular bag.  Make sure that you don't fill up the bag too full, or the popcorn may spill out.
3.  Roll Edges of Bag
Seal the end of the bag, by rolling the edge a couple of times.  It doesn't need to be perfect, the bag will not open.
4. Put Bag With Popcorn in Microwave
Now here comes the part that will blow your mind.  If you put the sealed bag with the popcorn in the microwave either on your "popcorn" setting, or for a minute or two in your microwave, the popcorn will pop.
5.  Enjoy Your Popcorn
Now when you finally hear the popping come to a stop, take out your popcorn and enjoy.  This is a quick and easy way to make popcorn that will literally cost you pennies.  Also if you want a "0" calorie option to put onto the popcorn, I like using PAM baking spray.  I spray a little bit of non-stick spray onto the popcorn, and I sprinkle some sea-salt or some garlic salt onto it.  It tasted just like movie theater popcorn, just without all the calories.  Also if you have a little bit of popcorn left over that didn't pop, you can stick it right back in the microwave, and you should be able to pop the rest.

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