Smoothie bowls are popular breakfast items that have been sweeping the nation.
Smoothie bowls can be either healthy breakfasts or quick and easy afternoon snacks that are packed full of nutrients and are sure to keep you energized all day long. Smoothie bowls are essentially smoothies that are placed into a bowl and then eaten with a spoon. These smoothie bowls often have healthy, tasty, and super satisfying toppings such as various fruits, grains, and granolas as well.
Along with being absolutely delicious, smoothie bowls can be an opportunity to create extremely healthy breakfasts and bring your creativity into the mix as well. Whether you end up pairing your smoothies with green veggies and embrace the bitterness, or whether you end up going with a sweeter bowl with berries or chocolate, the possibilities and options for your smoothie bowls are endless.
This article is a compilation of our favorite smoothie bowl variations that you are free to steal or remix as your own. For all of these recipes, youre going to need a blender, and if you want to make it even easier, pick up a scoopie as well for the ones that have protein powder. If the mixture ends up getting stuck in the blender, stop the blender entirely, shake it, or use a soon and mix it around if needed.
You can also add additional liquid to the mix if the smoothie begins getting to thick to move properly and freely. If youre mixture is too thin, you can also add additional ice cubes to the mix that will make the texture much thicker than it was originally. You will learn that when made properly, these smoothie bowls are very filling and will satisfy your sweet needs.
Acai Smoothie Bowl
Try this recipe: Acai Smoothie Bowl
This recipe, when followed to a T, will yield about 2 and a half to 3 cups of smoothie which will be sufficient for both one meal or two snacks. When the smoothie bowl is made, feel free to to the smoothie bowl with fresh fruit or granola for added flavor and crunch.
Ingredients: Medium-sized frozen banana, frozen berries, frozen chopped spinach, almond milk, almond butter, acai powder, ground flaxseed, maple syrup, salt
Peach-Raspberry Smoothie Bowl
Try the recipe: Peach-Raspberry Smoothie Bowl
This smoothie bowl combines delicious frozen peaches and raspberries to give you a blast of flavor like none you have tasted before. The summer flavors will take you right back to when you were a kid, and the heartiness of the meal will keep you full and focused for hours on end.
Ingredients: Frozen raspberries, frozen peach slices, plain whole-milk yogurt, medium zucchini, ground flaxseed, raw honey, vanilla extract, pinch of salt, toppings of your choice
Calories: 141
Super-Green Smoothie Bowl
Try this recipe: Super-Green Smoothie Bowl
With bananas and hempseeds working together in perfect unison, this smoothie bowl has a creamy texture that is sure to leave you wanting to make another day, after day, after day. But not only does this smoothie bowl taste fantastic, but its also filled with highly nutritious foods such as spinach, kiwis, and fresh ginger
Ingredients: Ripe banana, frozen chopped spinach, fresh pineapple cubes, coconut water, kiwis, hempseed, salt, fresh ginger, raw honey, toppings of your choice.
Calories: 230
Acai Bowl With Berries and Banana
Try this recipe: Superfood Smoothie Bowl
this smoothie bowl was created by an australian nutritionist named lola berry, and yes, that is her real name. In lolas energy packed bowl, youre going to be munching on things like blueberries, chia seeds, acai, banana, and much more. One thing to keep in mind is that the more chia seeds you eat, the thicker the smoothie is going to be. Chia seeds tend to absorb a lot of water compared to their size and turn foods into a thicker, more jelly like substance.
Ingredients: Frozen blueberries, frozen banana, unsweetened acai powder, almond milk, chia seeds, fresh strawberries for topping (optional), granola for topping (optional), raw honey for topping (optional)
From The Happy Cookbook, Copyright 2016 by Lola Berry, reprinted with permission of St. Martin’s Press, LLC.
Chocolate-Strawberry Smoothie Bowl
Try this recipe: Chocolate-Strawberry Smoothie Bowl
Up until this point we have been focusing on smoothies with sweet ingredients or accessory ingredients that work well with smoothie ingredients. This smoothie is a surprise. One of the ingredients in this smoothie is believe it or not, cauliflower.
When blended into smoothie bowls, the cauliflower goes unnoticed while adding some helpful texture and blasting the smoothie with tons of fiber, vitamins, and C and K as well.
Ingredients: Banana, frozen cauliflower florets, strawberries, well-shaken canned coconut milk, coconut water, raw cacao powder, almond butter, pinch of salt, raw honey, toppings of your choice
Calories: 288
Chocolate-Cherry Smoothie Bowl
For all of you chocolate addicts out there, this is the smoothie bowl that you have been waiting for on this list. if youve been waiting for an excuse to sneak a little chocolate into your breakfast every morning, then this is it. If youd like to enhance the flavor of this dish as well, dont be afraid to add a couple inches of salt to bring to life the flavors that are currently inside of the dish.
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen sweet cherries
2 Tbsp. flax-chia blend
1 Tbsp. MCT oil
2 Tbsp. raw cacao powder
Top with hemp seeds and dark chocolate
Green Monster Smoothie Bowl
For a massive energy blast, eat a smoothie bowl that contains a large amiunt of veggies. paired with MCT oil, this veggie packed, oil infused smoothie bowl is sure to give you energy and focus for hours on end. If you do not have any mct oil on you, which is derived from coconuts, you can also use coconut oil, nut butter, avocado, or another type of oil as a substitute.
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
1 lightly packed cup torn greens (such as spinach or kale)
2 oz. chopped pineapple, fresh or frozen (or 1/2 cup frozen mango chunks)
1 Tbsp honey.
1 tsp. greens powder, optional (such as Sunfood Sun Is Shining powder; $35, amazon.com)
2 Tbsp. hemp seeds
1 Tbsp. MCT oil
Top with diced pineapple
Banana-Nut Smoothie Bowl
if you tend to love banana nut muffins and banana bread but find yourself feeling guilt with all the gluten and sugar inside of them, then youre going to love this smoothie bowl recipe. Although we recommend adding nut milk to this recipe, feel free to either use regular milk or substitute with your own nut milk as well.
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
2 Tbsp. almond butter
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Top with a few slices of fresh banana and granola or nuts
Berry Good Smoothie Bowl
MCT oil ($20, amazon.com) is the same source of fat that goes into another trendy item: Bulletproof coffee. You need fat in your smoothie bowl to boost both flavor and satiety, and help with nutrient absorption. You can toss in MCT or coconut oil, but nut butter and avocado are also great choices.
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
2 Tbsp. hemp seeds
1 Tbsp. MCT oil
1 tsp. honey
Top with berries
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Pina Colada Smoothie Bowl
Aside from being one of the worlds most renowned superfoods known for their hyper nutritious qualities, hem seeds also have the power to make smoothie bowls super creamy without needing to use any milk at all. This is also a smoothie bowl that you can throw protein powder if you so lease. Be warned that when adding some type of vegan protein powder, the texture of the smoothie may change depending on how much protein powder you throw in there.
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen mango chunks
2 oz. pineapple, chopped (frozen or fresh)
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 Tbsp. hemp seeds
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. honey
Top with unsweetened coconut
When many people think about engaging in cardio activities, running on a treadmill is often the first thing that comes to mind. This image can hurt cardio’s reputation because there are so many more cardio activities than simply running on a treadmill for hours on end, and cardio can actually be done in small spaces when those spaces are utilized effectively.
The key here is understanding that cardio can be done in so many more ways than just running outside or on a treadmill. Even if you have limited time, you can get a great cardio exercise in even if you have a limited amount of time and space. The large array of exercises covered in this post will help you find an exercise that will be the most fun for you to engage in.
Because cardio can be such a grind, it is important that you can find a type of cardio you genuinely enjoy, or at a bare minimum, tolerate for a couple weeks until you gain familiarity with it and then it becomes enjoyable. It is also important to keep in mind that there is going to be whats called a familiarity period in which your mind and body will reject the act of doing cardio if you're not one hundred percent in love with it. During this period, the act of doing cardio will be very hard at first, but then day by day will get just a little bit easier.
These exercises will raise your heart rate, boost your metabolism, and improve your cardio endurance all at the same time. Doing these exercises regularly and eating whole foods will help you maintain a weightloss routine that you can stick to without burning yourself out. One thing you will notice when doing these routines continuously is that they will get progressively easier over time. When you first begin, you may find it difficult to do shorter 1 minute cardio exercises. But with sustained effort and consistency, you'll soon fin that 1 minutes of working out will become easy and will force you to lengthen your workouts in order to grow.
The butt kick is one of the simple exercises that will strengthen your glutes and hamstrings while also giving you a great cardio workout as well. To do this exercise, simply stand and begin running in place while bringing your heals as far back towards your glutes as possible. You should feel this exercise most in your hamstrings if you are doing it correctly.
Burpess are an intense full body workout that were created to get your body into shape quickly. Along with raising your heart rate and being a fantastic cardio exercise that you can do at home, burpees will also strengthen your arms, core, chest and legs as well. To do a burpee, start by jumping into the air with your hands above your head. Once you land, immediately place yourself on the ground in a pushup position. Once there, do a pushup and then bring your legs up to your wrists, stand back up while transition into a jump, and then repeat. Aim for 10 to 20 reps the first time you do these exercises.
Jumping rope is one of the most underrated cardio exercises out there. Not only will cardio raise your heart rate in an extremely efficient way, but you will also get in one of the best calve exercises of your life. When first starting out, you may want to ease your way into longer jump roping sessions because of the fact that it can be very hard on calves, and may extend the amount of recovery time you need.
This playground classic can be used as either a core or warmup exercise for cardio and weight loss. Because of the popularity of jumping jacks, we do not need to explain how to do this exercises. Aim for 1 minute of continual jumping jacks at first and once mastered, move on to 2 minutes. Much like jump roping, you will also get a great calve exercises doing these things as well.
A mountain climber is basically like you're climbing a mountain on the ground. Mountain climbers are a great way to work your core out while also getting an efficient cardio exercise in as well. To do a mountain climber, start with your hands and knees with a slight bend in your back. Bring your foot near your chest and then alternate feet. Aim for 3 reps each foot and then increase as necessary. Much like how jumping rope will effect your calves, these exercises will tire out your core fairly quickly.
Step ups are another exercise that work the booty and legs along with giving you a great cardio exercise in as well. To do this activity, you're going to need an elevated surface like a bench, box, or rock and then put your foot on it. Once your foot is on it, simply step u onto it and then lower yourself down, switch legs, and repeat.
The tuck jump is another full body workout that is going to melt fat away when done correctly and consistently. All you need to do with the tuck jump is jump in the air while bringing your knees u to your chest. Once you hit the ground, immediately explode up again and repeat for 30-40 reps.
The plank to push up is a killer ab workout that will also build up your shoulders and chest while raising your heat rate and building up your cardio endurance. To do this exercise, first start in the plank position and hold it fonr3 seconds to get a little fatigue going. Once you’ve been in this posiiton or 3 seconds, raise yourself u into the pushup position and do 5 pushups. Once completed, drop back to the plank position and hold it for another 10 to 20 seconds.
The squat jump is like a burpee, but instead puts the focus on the lower body instead of the upper body. The squat jump is a great way (along with the jump rope to build up your vertical jumping abilities or strengthen your lower body in an even and complete way. To do a squat jump, do a regular bodyweight squat and get as low as possible. Once you're at the bottom of your squat, explode up and jump into the air as high as you possibly can, raising your arms up into the air as you do so. If you want to make this exercise even more intense, you can slow down the squat as needed to increase the time under tension of the movement. Slowing down the movement will also eliminate any momentum that is contributing the movement an therefore making it a little eaiser on yourself.
The flutter kick has been one of the go to ab exercises for a long period of time. Similar to the bicycle, the flutter kick is powerful exercise that combines both cardio and ab exercises into one very efficient workout. One of the cool things about the flutter exercise is that you can moderate it to hit the elusive lower abs, and will give you an ab workout like one you’ve never had before.
To do this exercise, simply lay on your back with your alms facing the floor. Once you're on your back, raise your heels about 6 inches off he ground and begin kicking up and down, alternating feet. If you're doing this correctly, your abs should be burning immediately.
To make this exercise harder, you can flip your hands over so that your alms are facing up. When your arms are facing down, you will notice that you will often be leveraging your hands to make the exercises a little easier by taking the pressure off of your core. With your hands facing up, though, you will not be able to use your hands as leverage and will bear the entire burden of the workout on your mid to lower abs. If you want that summer 6 pack, this exercise combined with a great diet regiment is a great way to head towards that direction.
The purpose of this article was to demonstrate that cardio doesn’t have to consist of only long, boring treadmill sessions that seem to drag on forever and ever. With so many different options available, many people find that after a little bit of experimentation, they are able to find a cardio exercise that they genuinely enjoy and look forward to every single day. Or, as mentioned before, at the very least find something that they can tolerate that allows them to stick to it long enough to achieve the weight loss goals that they set for themselves.
When it comes to figuring out how often and how long you should be doing your workouts, you will want to begin doing timed and calculated workouts before you will be able to work out strictly by feel.
Once you first begin sticking to a consistent cardio routine, you will begin learning how to push your body and how your body will react to workouts. Once you get a better idea of how to push your body and how your body will react to various workouts, you will then be able to switch over to workouts that are not bound by time but instead by how you feel.
The way you feel in your body is the greatest tell if workout was too much or too little, and by learning to feel your body correctly, you will be able to progress and grow in your workouts without damaging your body or injuring yourself in any way.
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HIIT workouts are known to be an excellent way to burn fat in a short period of time and to help improve the physical performance of athletes of all kinds.
The reason HIIT workouts are so effective at burning calories is because of what is commonly referred to as the “after burn” effect. The after burn effect is when the body utilizes it’s natural ability to burn calories continuously throughout the day, even when the workout is over. And for that reason alone, many people have been switching over to HIIT workouts from steady state cardio and seeing much better results.
For the majority of people, the fact that calories get burned even after the workout ends is one of the biggest motivational factors for them to participate in.
Essentially, high-intensity interval training is a type of exercise that involves repeated short bouts of high-intensity, burst-like explosions of work as opposed to longer, slower versions of work like steady-state cardio. These hyper-intense mini-exercises are then performed for 1-2 minutes before you rest and then repeat. A workout will usually consist of about 20 of these intervals.
One of the best things about HIIT is the fact that you can get a seriously intense and high-quality workout in in such a short amount of time. Many people use time as an excuse not to make themselves healthier, and whether that excuse is real or imagined, HIIT will allow that same person to believe that they will be able to get a great workout in in a short amount of time.
For example, there was a recent study that compared the impact of two different types of exercise training and their effects on body fat and muscle metabolism. The two types of exercise were HIIT workouts and steady state.
The study investigated the different effects of calorie expenditure and fat loss in young adults. The study found that although HIIT workouts actually burned fewer calories during the actual "workout' than did steady-state cardio exercise - likely due to the fact that the HIIT workout is about 1/3 the length of a regular steady-state exercise... Overall, the HIIT program produced more total fat loss than steady-state exercise did overall.
Additionally, the study also concluded that the HIIT workout actively helped build muscle while the steady state exercise actually broke muscle down to use as fuel. Which, in summary, means that HIIT is a more anabolic (muscle-building) exercise than steady-state cardio.
One of the reasons HIIT is so cool is because it doesn’t matter what type of exercise you do. What matters is the intensity at which you do the chosen exercise. When it comes to HIIT workouts, some people will choose swimming while others choose sprinting. Some will choose lifting while others will want to do biking.
One of the most popular HIIT workouts involves running on a treadmill. When people do HIIT on the treadmill, they use alternate between periods of light jogging and all-out sprinting. To do this, simply turn the treadmill up to a safe sprinting speed and sprint for 30 seconds to a minute. After that minute is up, turn the treadmill back down to jogging / walking speed and do that for another 2 minutes. Then repeat.
Steady-state exercises, on the other hand, usually stay within the same type of “work” zone over time, with the amount of effort needed remaining consistent.
HIIT workouts have the ability to transform your body quickly and effectively by influencing three major areas within the body. These areas are
Studies have shown that resistance-based interval training specifically benefits blood flow and blood vessel dilation. A study, published in the American Journal of Physiology — Heart and Circulatory Physiology, found that resistance-based interval exercising improved endothelial function in individuals that previously exercised, those that didn’t and those with type 2 diabetes.
When researchers measured blood flow before, immediately following and at one and two hours after working out, participants with type 2 diabetes saw improvements at each time. The other two participant groups experienced improvements one and/or two hours after exercising.
Many studies are now showing that internal training — including HIIT workouts — promote greater improvements in VO2max and general fitness abilities than steady-state exercises do.
In fact, VO2max is considered the best indicator of cardiovascular endurance. This is the measurement most commonly used in fitness studies to show the effects that the exercise is having on the body. VO2 max is sometimes also called “max oxygen uptake” or “max aerobic activity” and is used to measure how well the body can use oxygen for energy.
Specifically, VO2max is defined as the maximum amount of oxygen (in milliliters) that a person can use in one minute per kilogram of their body weight. This measurement is important because the amount of oxygen that a person can utilize within one minute is an indicator of their overall fitness level and also their lung and heart health.
Due to the expansion of blood volume, the heart will undergo enlarging, or “hypertrophy,” during HIIT type of endurance exercises in order to allow the heart muscle to become bigger and stronger.
By participating in HIIT workouts that cause higher spikes in heart rates than traditional steady-state cardio, you’ll be able increase the strength of your cardiovascular ability and heart as well. Once you start doing HIIT workouts, you’ll noticed that at first, they’ll be extremely hard. But over time, you will notice that your ability to function at high levels of exercises will become better and better, allowing you to push yourself further and further.
Performing short recovery segments in between the intervals where you’re working harder has the benefit of allowing you to keep the overall workout intensity high while still maintaining form.
While it’s hard to work very hard and maintain a high heart rate for an extended period of time because your body isn’t able to bring in enough oxygen, the rest/recovery periods of interval training allow you to catch your breath and for your heart rate to come down momentarily.
Knowing your VO2 max can help you to establish fitness goals to work towards and gives you a starting point as to how capable you are of maintaining a high level of effort over a period of time.
On top of the calories burned during the actual workout, HIIT exercises also trigger something that is the reason for the “after burn” effect called post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. EPOC is essentially when your body uses an increased rate of oxygen following an intense workout.
Your body uses more oxygen than it normally would after intense workouts because it’s making up for the “oxygen deficit” that you created during the burst periods of the workout. This oxygen deficit causes you body to compensate, resulting in EPOC, which then forces the body into a recovery phase. During this recovery phase when your body is circulating with a higher level of oxygen, your body is actively repairing your hormone level, refueling your glucose levels, and repairing your muscle tissues and other fibers in the body.
The best part about EPOC, though, is that it’s accompanied by an elevated need for your body to find and use fuel. In order to get the oxygen necessary for the recovery phase, the body will then result in breaking down fat stores (which get oxidized) which means greater fat burned for the workout you’re in.
As your body uses more and more oxygen to recover fully, more and more calories get burned, even after the exercises has ended. This means that een after the workout is over, you will continue to experience the fat loss benefits for the rest of your day following one of your HIIT workouts. ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is how your body uses energy at the cellular level, is also created after the HIIT workouts.
Lactic acid is formed during exercise and is responsible for giving you the “burning” feeling in your muscles when they are working hard.
Lactic acid travels via the bloodstream to the kidneys, cardiac muscle and liver during workouts; then an increased amount of oxygen is necessary to convert the lactic acid back to pyruvic acid so that your pain subsides and body enters a resting state.
Yet another use of EPOC is to fuel the body’s increased metabolism that results from the increase in body temperature experienced during exercise. Due to all of these vital tasks that the body must undergo during a period of EPOC, you can see why HIIT workouts have such a huge effect on your strength, stamina and health.
Intense interval training circuits also stimulate muscle-building hormones while simultaneously using up calories and burning fat. The body produces the growth hormone known as IGF-1 during HIIT, for example, which allows the body to build lean mass muscle.
Certain studies have shown that high-intensity exercise can be potentially unsafe for sedentary middle-aged adults. It’s best performed by those who are already somewhat active and have a healthy cardiovascular system.
That being said, anyone can work towards practicing HIIT workouts for their multiple benefits. However, if you aren’t already exercising, then it’s best to start slowly to avoid injury or more serious problems.
In conclusion, an exercise plan that includes consistent high-intensity interval exercise has been shown to improve body composition, boost cardio-metabolic health, lessen the risk for heart disease, and help improve exercise tolerance, even in obese and overweight participants.
Research has shown that HIIT workouts are safe, efficient, well-tolerated and could help to improve adherence to exercise training given the limited time commitment that they require.
As long as you practice HIIT workouts responsibly and ease your way into a HIIT program, you can experience great results using HIIT workouts in combination with other forms of exercise that you enjoy.
No matter what your exercise preference is — whether running, biking, swimming or lifting weights, for example — you can practice HIIT workouts to improve your abilities. Even seasoned athletes use HIIT workouts to gain stamina and bust through plateaus that they are experiencing after practicing one particular type of exercise for a long time.
HIIT workouts are a great way to “shock” your muscles and to kick your body into high gear, allowing you to continue experiencing results and improvements after your body has gotten accustomed to your usual workout routine.
According to studies, it’s believed that an optimal HIIT workout produces maximum cardiovascular benefits when athletes spend at least several minutes per session in their “red zone” — yhis generally means reaching at least 90 percent of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max).
In order to estimate when you are working at 90 percent of your VO2max, you can think about your level of perceived effort on a 1–10 scale; you should be aiming to give it “your all” and reach a score of nine out of a possible 10 for at least a few minutes during a 20–30 minute HIIT workout.
In addition to focusing on your perceived level of effort and targeting a high VO2max, there are also other variables to consider.
The longer you spend in your intense zone, the more of an effect the exercise will have. Start off with shorter bursts of intense periods and increase the duration as you build strength and stamina.
You will likely notice that you need less time to recover as your body adapts to HIIT workouts. Pay attention to how long of rests you are taking and aim to shorten the restful period duration as your abilities improve.
Instead of aiming to improve the duration of time you spend in an intense interval, you can also focus on how many reps you are able to do in a row, for example, or your speed of work.
You will likely notice your ability to do reps quickly improves as you become accustomed to HIIT workouts and that you need less recovery time in between sets. You may also notice that your sprints get quicker or your cycling pace gets faster if you choose to run or bike during your HIIT workout.
It’s a good idea to start out with about 15–20 minutes of HIIT intervals and work your way up to 25–30 minutes if you’d like. The more your body gets used to the intensity, the more series you’ll be able to perform and your total workout length will increase.
Most experts recommend practicing HIIT workouts 2–3 times per week, but not much more than this. The body needs an adequate break period between HIIT workouts to fully repair and grow stronger.
In fact, this is just as important as the workout itself and if you fail to properly give yourself enough rest, you miss out on some of the benefits of HIIT.
That being said, you will improve your ability to practice HIIT workouts closer to each other as your recovery periods become shorter. Even after you’ve seen great improvements, it’s still best to allow 48 hours in between HIIT workouts and avoid practicing them multiple days in a row.
Keeping all of the above factors in mind, you can start practicing HIIT workouts using one of these example plans:
Treadmill Running HIIT Workout
Cycling HIIT Workout
This cycling interval workout is based on the “tabata” style of exercise, which usually consists of 20 seconds of hard work followed by 10 seconds of rest. In order to do interval training, this same ratio can be used in any other form of exercise as well.
Overall, HIIT exercises can be a great way to get a killer workout in without spending hours in the gym. If you're finding yourself crunched on time, create a quick HIIT workout and finish it up before lunch.
]]>Building up your back has many more benefits than just looking more aesthetic. Once your back workouts start taking full effect, your posture will improve, your desk hunch will begin to see improvement, and your long-ignored back muscles will begin to grow.
What not many beginning lifters are aware of is that your back muscles can play a huge role in boosting the strength of many of the other lifts you're going to be doing in the gym. One of these lifts, as counterintuitive as it may sound, is the bench press. The muscles in both your upper and mid back will help stabilize your shoulders and joints. And the stronger and more stable your back and shoulders are, the more power you'll be able to generate in both upper body and lower body movements.
Since a large majority of back exercises require you to use your arms and shoulders for pulls and rows, you may see your biceps and real delts getting larger and larger as your back journey begins.
Along with bicep and rear delt increases, back exercises will also get you that V taper that so many guys (and girls) strive for. The reason the V taper is so sought after is because it can give your waist the appearance of being slimmed without having you to actually lose weight or get a smaller waist. The bigger your lats are in comparison to your waist and hips, the more dramatic the V taper will be.
The row is one of the core back exercises that will get you to where you want to be. To get into the row game, you can begin by using resistance bands instead of actual weights to make sure that you get your form down perfectly, or to simply warm up before you start hitting the bigger weights. The best part about the bands is that they will allow you to work through the range of motion without needing to put high stress on any joints while still being able to function correctly.
To do resistance band rows, grab a fairly low resistance band and wrap it around a tree or a post that is solidified into the ground. Make sure whatever is being wrapped around is solid so you can avoid dealing with any injuries that may happen if your anchor comes out. You can also simply place the band on the ground and step on it as well, if you don't have anything that you can wrap the band around.
Once you have the band anchored, grab it with an overhand grip and focus on pulling your elbows behind your back. A good image to keep in mind is that you have a quarter between your shoulders, and you are attempting to pinch the quarter between your back as opposed to simply using your arms to pull the band behind you. Make sure your back is not rounded.
Once you're at the top of the movement, your hands should be at the sides of your chest. once there, pause for a moment to build up some TOT (time under tension) and then let your hands fall back to the starting position slowly, while keeping some resistance on the weights.
The renegade row is all about maximizing the efficiency of the workout and the workout space that you're in. The renegade row combines a back exercise, a plank, and a pushup and gives you a full body workout that you'll never forget. Remember to use the lighter dumbbell for this exercise because keeping your spine straight is just as important as perfect row form.
DO THIS: Grab a pair of light dumbbells and about as much space as you would need to perform pushups. Get in a plank position with your feet spread wide, gripping the dumbbells with your palms facing parallel to each other. Squeeze your glutes and core to maintain a strong spinal alignment, looking at the floor ahead of you.
Use your lats to row one of the dumbbells to chest height, then return the weight to the ground, keeping the rest of your body balanced in its position. Control the load up and down the movement — if you have to contort your body and shift your back to lift the dumbbells, drop down to a lower weight. Perform a pushup, maintaining spinal alignment, and repeat the motion with the opposite arm.
For bench rows, one dumbbell is all you need. To begin, place one knee on the bench with the dumbbell on the floor. Reach down and pick it up with a straight back, making sure you are using your lower back and arms more than your upper back. Incorrect form when picking things up can lead to injury, even when picking up something as light as 10-25 lbs.
Once you have the dumbbell on your in your hand, pull the dumbbell to the side of your torso without rotating your shoulders or falling off balance. Keep your core tight, and make sure that you pause at the top of the lift to ensure that you're once again maximizing that TOT.
If you struggle keeping your back straight and your core engaged when doing bent-over type row exercises, then you'll be able to supplement those lifts with a move closer to this one. This lift will be especially beneficial if it feels like you are "throwing" the weight around, as opposed to lifting in a more controlled fashion.
Sit on an incline bench with your chest forward, resting on the support. Grab dumbbells with a neutral grip, keeping your chest strong and allowing your arms to hang.
To complete this exercise, sit on a bench with your chest facing forward, resting on a bench or something firm. Once situated, grab your dumbbells with a neutral grip and let your arms hang down to complete the exercise. Make sure that you are squeezing your back to get a full extension towards your hips, and keep it squeezed until you let the weight back down to the starting point.
You can also do the inverted row using TRX straps, but for this example, we're going to be laying out a smith machine or power rack situation.
Begin by placing a bar at about hip height in a power rack, about where you'd place it like you're going in for a bench press. While lying underneath the bar, grab it with an overhand grip and extend the rest of your body. Once extended, you will be able to adjust the width of your hands as well as the positioning of your body to make the exercise more or less harder. Going through the awkward phase of finding the right spot is inevitable for getting the most out of this lift.
To do this exercise, grab a pair of dumbbells and bend over at the hips and knees. Once your torso is almost parallel to the floor, make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart and that your back has a nice, natural arch to it. The biggest key is not to round your shoulders or lower back.
Compared to other variations of the row — like the single-arm dumbbell row — the barbell version allows you to use more weight. Rowing with heavier loads elicits more muscle growth in your middle and lower traps, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, upper traps, rear deltoids, and rotator cuff muscles.
When compared to other variations of rows mentioned in this article - like the single-arm row - the barbell version of the row game will allow you to lift much more weight then you normally would when sticking to dumbbells. Which, if we're being honest, can feel pretty great.
To do the barbell row, grab the barbell with an overhand grip while your hands are slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Bend at the knees and hinge your hips so that your upper body is almost parallel to the floor. Once there, keep a nice, natural arch in your back while you pull the bar to your upper abs, squeezing your shoulders when you get to the top of the lift. Pause at the top, then slowly let the weight back down while keeping tension going in your muscles.
DO THIS: Grab a barbell with an underhand grip that’s just beyond shoulder width, and hold it at arm’s length. Lower your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor, and bend at your hips and knees. Let the bar hang at arm’s length. Pull the bar to your upper abs as you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Pause, and slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
To do this lift, grab a barbell with an underhand grip so that your hands are just beyond your shoulders, and hold the bar steady at around arm's length. Once situated, lower your body down until you are almost parallel to the floor, but make sure you keep your bend so that you are still in an athletic stance. Once there, pull the bar to your upper abs (much like the last lift) and focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together while pausing at the top. After that, let the weight down while still keeping the tension.
Once you've attached a straight bar to the cable station in your gym, position yourself on the machine with your feet slightly bent. Once there, grab the bar using an overhead, shoulder-width grip, and sit upright so that you feel comfortable and strong. Grab the bar, bring it to your upper abs, pause at the peak of the lift for around three seconds, and then let it move away from you while still keeping tension. One of the biggest keys for this lift is to not lean either forward or back, but to keep yourself strong and situated.
Once you begin burning more calories than you take in through eating food, your body will compensate for the lack of calories by using your fat for energy. Because after all, fat is simply stored energy.
But in order to consume less calories than you burn, you’re going to have to make sure that you’re reducing the amount of calories you eat. Usually by about 500-1000 from how many you normally eat. If you currently have no idea how to do this, don't worry. We will cover that shortly.
When you first begin your weight loss journey, it is likely that you will have no idea how many calories are in various foods that you eat. And that is okay. Using apps like Myfitnesspal will help you begin to learn how many calories are in the foods you eat, and will help you begin to understand how much food and the types of food you can eat on a daily basis that will allow you to lose weight.No matter what method of calorie reduction you choose, I would still recommend at least testing out myfitnesspal so you can learn to estimate roughly how many calories are in what you eat.
Some people will go the extra mile and measure out everything they are eating to the exact gram of weight, but that is only for people of certain personality types. For the average person who has no wish to compete in fitness competitions, simply estimating how many calories you’re eating and then adjusting as you go will be a great start to understanding how many calories you eat on a daily basis.
But, if you don’t want to use myfitnesspal and refuse to count calories by all means necessary, you do have more options for reducing your calories.
When it comes to losing weight, you have two options. Counting calories and not counting calories. If you decide to count calories, your progress may be quicker, but you also may experience "weight-loss neuroticism" depending on your personality type. This manifests in constantly thinking about how you're going to fit a certain number of calories into your day, and stressing over things like parties and gatherings because the foods included "are too many calories". But if you're more of the analytical type, by all means go for it.
Alternatively, if you don't want to count calories, here are 4 methods for reducing your calories without counting them that have been proven to work over and over again.
One of the easiest ways to lose weight is to begin eating healthier foods. For the sake of this article, healthier is going to be defined as less calorically dense. This means replacing foods like sweets, pizza, pasta, chips, and other carbs with foods like meat, sweet potatoes, eggs, vegetables, etc. Losing weight this way will allow you to simply eat until you are satisfied without having to worry about eating access calories.
If switching up your foods and diet isn’t your style, a simple switch you can make to your diet to begin losing weight is simply reducing your portion sizes. In a nut shell, this means becoming aware of how much food your normally eat and then adjusting that amount by about 20% less. An easy way to do this is by only eating to about 80% of your usual fullness.
If you’re not into counting calories, intermittent fasting is a great way to begin losing weight without the need of counting every single calorie. Essentially, intermittent fasting is just going through periods of “mini fasts” and then feasting at certain times of the day. This means that instead of eating breakfast in the morning, you would sip on 0-calorie drinks (such as tea, coffee, or water) and eat your first meal 16 hours after you’ve eaten your last one. Many people stop eating at 9pm and then eat their next meal at 1pm. Condensing your calories into a small window like this has many health benefits beyond just losing weight.
It is recommended that you consult a professional before you begin attempting full-day fasts.
Full day fasts are a great tool to use if you want to lose weight. Basically, a full-day fast consists of eating no food for 24 hours. But this can include sleep hours as well.
Meaning, you can eat your last meal at 6pm, go to sleep, and then eat your next meal at 6pm the next day. Many people have lost large amounts of weight simply by doing full-day fasts 1 or 2 days a week. Full-day fasts are great because there is no calorie counting involved, and you can eat how you normally eat the remaining days of the week. The reason full-day fasts work is because the amount of calories you eat over the course of the week will be reduced by anywhere from 1000-2000 calories for each of the full-day fasts, depending on how much food you normally eat. This will allow you to plan out your fasts beforehand and make sure that you are fasting on days where you don’t have to exert yourself physically very much.
If you want to successfully lose weight, incorporating exercise into your daily routine will fastpass your weight loss tremendously. When you exercise, you burn more calories than your body normally would otherwise. These additional calories burned will cause your body (if you’re in a caloric deficit) to pull from your fat reserves to full your body, which means less fat for you.
Most people who begin working out approach it incorrectly. Some people either walk into the gym without a plan or end up going way too hard for way too long. And both ways will end up causing more harm than good.
Having a plan when you step into the gym is one of the most important aspects of a successful weight loss plan for many reasons. The first reason why creating and implementing a weight loss plan is so important is because it begins the process of you training yourself to create plans and execute them. To learn how to imagine a future reality and then actually turn that vision into a reality through focused persistence. The second reason having a plan is so important is because it allows you to track what you’re doing in the gym, allowing you to see growth and make adjustments.
Many people who begin their weight loss journey don’t know if they should be doing cardio or weights or both. The truth is, doing both cardio and weight training throughout the week is going to be the best formula to maximize weight loss. To avoid overtraining (feeling perpetually tired and or unmotivated), it is recommended that you do not do excessive amounts of cardio or lift the heaviest you possibly can every single day. Although there is no perfect workout formula, many people enjoy lifting 3x a week and doing cardio only the other two days.
Alternating the days you lift and do cardio will allow your body to recover sufficiently and avoid overtraining.
It is important to “accept where you are” when it comes to losing weight.
This means that although you do have a goal to weigh a certain amount or look a certain way, you must always remember to love yourself in the moment and keep your self-talk positive. Many times, people withhold love from themselves until certain conditions are met, like hitting a specific number on the scale. Meaning, until they hit that specific number on the scale, they will be feeling tired, unmotivated and sad because their thoughts are sapping all of their life’s energy from them.
Instead of withholding love from yourself because you don’t feel you are worthy of it until you attain a certain level of desired perfection, which robs you of your vitality and personal power in the moment, give yourself full, unconditional love and work towards your goals from a place of power and abundance. Doing this will help you avoid the “F it” mentality, which is where so many people slip up when it comes to losing weight
The “f it” mentality is that state of mind when we feel like we have already made a few mistakes so why not make a few more. When it comes to dieting, the “f it” mentality manifests itself as binge eating and periods of eating insane amounts of food while disregarding the body’s fullness or caring about what one is putting into one’s body.
When people begin dieting, they may sometimes restrict their calories to a point that is simply unsustainable. When they do this, they will set extremely strict diet standards for themselves and if they end up slipping up just a little bit, they will say “f it” and eat everything in sight, because of the lack of nuance. This means that what would have been a smaller 500-1000 calorie mistake (something that will have virtually no impact on one’s body composition in the long run) turns into something like a 5000-6000 calorie mistake which will definitely cause a problem for your weight loss journey.
Keeping your calories low and staying consistent with your exercise are the keys to sustainable weight loss. Whether you're new to fitness or are a seasoned vet, these fundamental tips will be sure to boost your weight loss and improve the quality of your life.
]]>The bench press is a unique lift because it doesn't only work the chest, but also the other push muscles like the shoulders and triceps. Many lifters aren't aware that while getting stronger at the bench press, and having your chest grow because of it, your shoulders and triceps will grow as well.
The first thing you're going to need to do is make sure that you can get the bar up without any additional weight on it. The usual barbell found in most weight rooms will be close to 45 lbs, so first testing out and getting a feel for that weight will help you gauge weather or not you're ready for the bench press. If you're finding the bar too difficult, then it is recommended that you first start with press ups, and then work your way up to the bench press.
Before we talk about improving your form or making adjustments to your movement patterns, we're first going to cover the basics.
Sadly, it can be fairly easy to tear a shoulder muscle if you begin benching too aggressively without utilizing perfect form. Please take the time necessary to master the fundamental form of the bench press before adding weight that is difficult for you to manage. Learning proper form before you go too heavy will minimize the chances of you injuring yourself in the future.
It is important to note that there are many variations of the bench press. When first starting out, it may be tempting to jump in and try all of the variations out right away. From incline, to decline, to everything in between, the European Journal of Sports Science has stated that muscle stimulation was greatest when someone was benching from a flat position. But variations do have their place. Once you gain some solid experience with the flat bench, and have developed a strong mind-muscle connection, feel free to safely incorporate variations as necessary.
Your hands should be gripping the bar about shoulder-width apart. If your grip is too wide, you risk injuring your shoulders. And if your grip is too narrow, you may injure your elbows.
When benching, you're going to want to press your feet hard into the floor while flexing your quads. Doing so will allow you to create tension throughout your entire body, allowing your muscles to recruit and fire off fibers most effectively.
Maintaining a strong arch in your lower back as you lift the weight off your chest and put it back down is essential in proper bench form. You want to make sure that your glutes stay touching the bench, but that they are flexed enough so that you can use your lower back and abs for leverage, making sure they don't move during the lift. Pulling your shoulders down onto the bench will also create more tension throughout your body, helping you push a little bit harder and lift a little bit more weight during your bench press.
When benching, you want to make sure you keep your elbows as close to your body as possible. The weight should feel like it's being pushed out from the inside out instead of the outside in. Keeping your elbows properly tucked will also ensure that you hit the correct part of the chest.
One of the biggest mistakes beginning benchers make is lfiting their head off of the bench when they lift. Not only will lifting your head off the bench set into motion a chain reaction that will make your body slightly more unstable, but you also risk neck injuries from the sudden movement of the head. Keeping your head resting softly on the bench will be your best bet for avoiding neck injures while benching.
Once you've mastered correct form on the bench press, you're going to want to take your bench press journey to the next level by strengthening some of the key supporting muscles that work alongside the chest during the bench press. Strengthening these muscles will allow you to lift with more stability and push more weight.
Benching with a narrow grip shifts the emphasis to your triceps while safeguarding your shoulders. It’s a good way to work on weaknesses in your regular bench press, or just get a bit more work in on arms day. Grip the bar with your hands roughly shoulder-width apart, then bring it down to your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in to your sides. Pause, then press it back to the starting position.
Once you've mastered the form of the flat bench, begin working in some incline presses. Bench pressing on an incline shifts the emphasis towards the upper pec as opposed to the lower pec. It is likely that you will not be able to lift as much on the incline bench press as you can during the flat bench press, so adjust your weights accordingly. When the weight comes down, it should touch your chest softly, right above your nipples.
The main function of the pecs in pressing moves is to bring the arms towards the center of your body. While doing a barbell bench press, that "move towards the center of the body" motion gets reduced because of the fact your hands are static. With dumbbells, you'll be able to push the weight up as well as inward to fully activate the pectoral muscles.
According to the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research, doing press-ups on a suspension trainer increases muscle activation in the chest, shoulder and abs muscles. Start with your feet on the floor, holding the TRX handles. Brace your core and glutes to keep your body in a straight line. Bend your elbows to lower your chest, then press back up to the start.
Doing press ups on a TRX is great for your chest because it recruits all of the chest's stabilizer muscles as well. For a proper TRX press up, start with your feet on the floor and grip the TRX handles. Once you have the handles in your hand, tighten up your body so it stays straight, then do a pushup.
In any big lift you’re only ever as strong as your weakest link, and neglecting your triceps can severely hamper your big bench aspirations. Start with light dumbbells and master the full movement range, then increase the weight.
Triceps are big supporters of the bench press, especially during the last few inches of the extension. Begin your tricep extension journey using light weight, slowly increasing as you gain strength and stability.
The fly is one of the few lifts that truly isolates the chest muscles, and puts all of the lifting force onto them. Doing regular flye exercises will help you build up your mind muscle connection while getting a feel for how different angles affect different parts of the chest.
If you're worried about injuring your shoulders while bench pressing, or have suspicions that bench pressing is currently damaging your shoulders, then keep reading.
One of the most effective ways to prevent injuring your shoulders while performing pushing movements is to simply do more pulling movements. Face pulls and resistance band pulls are especially effective. These exercises will also help your posture straighten up if you feel yourself beginning to hunch from weaker back and overactive chest muscles.
When benching, you're going to want to make sure that your elbows aren't too wide, but aren't too close either. Keeping your elbows at the proper angle will make a huge difference in your ability to perform the bench press as well as how well you'll be able to activate your chest during the lift. In short, elbows that are too wide can cause straining on the shoulder joint and rotator cuff. And if they are too narrow, your triceps will tend to take over, leaving you with less chest activation and therefore less gains. Usually, people will have more problems flaring their elbows out too much than keeping them too close, so it could be beneficial for you to have someone who knows what they're doing spot your form the first few times you do it.
If you need to bounce the barbell off of your chest, then the weight you're lifting may be too heavy for you. If you can't control the speed of the rep, assuming you're not going for a PR, then you may actually benefit going lighter, because you are using a bunch of different muscles alongside the chest. Springing the bar up too quickly off the middle of your chest can also cause injuries in a variety of places.
It is beneficial to get into the habit of going through a few checkpoints when you first lie down on the bench. You want to make sure that your glutes, shoulders, and head are all touching the bench. But, as we mentioned before, you also want to make sure that there is a small gap between your lower back and the bench, to make sure that you are creating enough tension within your body to enhance the lift.
Without the proper grip, you can use parts of your body that may not be prepared for the explosive lift, which may lead to strains and injuries in your wrists, shoulders, or elbows. As a general rule of thumb, your grip should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart, with your thumbs wrapped around the bar. Wrapping your thumb around the bar, and avoiding the "open hand" grip, will help you avoid dropping the bar on your chest accidentally at any point during the execution of the bench press.
When bench pressing, you're going to want to make sure that your feet are always flat on the ground. If you learn to bench with your feet flat on the ground, you will also learn how to generate some tension and power using your hips and core. The problem with raising your feet off of the ground while bench pressing is that is destabilizes your body and puts you at risk from injury. If you're unable to lift the amount of weight that you're currently doing without keeping your feet flat on the floor, then it will be more beneficial for you to simply use lighter weight.
If you find bruises on your chest area, it’s likely because of a bench press gone wrong. You’re controlling the weight improperly from start to finish. “Oftentimes I see people in the gym load the bar up with tons of weight and just drop it on their chest in order to gain momentum for the push,” says Whitney Reid, National Sales Manager of BPI Sports. “The proper way to lower the bar is to … [pull] the bar down to your chest, pause at your chest for a second, and explode back to the top.”
If you're finding bruises all over your chest from bench pressing, it is likely because you aren't lowering the weight properly when you bring it down on your chest. Often times, people who bounce the weight off of their chest will find themselves with bruises because of the force in which they generate by bouncing the bar off of themselves. To avoid getting bruises while benching, it is recommended that you gently lower the bar down and explode up once it touches.
Air is energy. And breathing properly will allow your muscles to fully activate and function at their highest level. An easy tip to remember is that generally, people breathe in when they are preparing for the main, explosive part of the lift. And they breathe out when they execute it. Proper breathing will allow you to exert more control over your movements while generating more power.
The world's strongest benchers were once people that had never bench pressed once. As the old Chinese proverb goes... "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today". Getting into the weight room and working on your bench press form with a friend is the quickest way to a bigger chest and a stronger bench press. And even though the bench press may seem intimidating, once mastered, it will become your best friend.
If you’ve been looking for the best tricep exercises to do at home, then you’ve come to the right place. Many people aren't aware that the triceps actually make up 2/3 of your arm. So if you want bigger arms, get bigger triceps.
Here we’re going to list off the 7 best trice workouts that don’t require a gym membership (or any equipment) to do.
All you need is a little bit of space, a chair / platform, and a can-do attitude.
Sadly, a lot of people believe the myth that a great workout can’t be achieved at home. This is extremely not true. With the right attitude and commitment to getting a great workout in, you an easily get a better workout in AT HOME than 90% of people do at the gym.
Getting a great workout isn’t about location or fancy machines, it’s about pushing yourself to your limits and then going a little bit further.
If you really want to take your workouts to the next level, try performing each exercise listed below as slow as you possibly can. Slowing down the tricep movements will force your muscles to work extra hard while also recruiting the smaller, stabilizer muscles that often get neglected when sticking to the more isolated movements.
Learning how to perform home tricep workouts slowly and effectively has the potential to yield more gains than lifting heavy in a gym setting, when done correctly.
Note: all exercises will either be done 3 sets to failure or 5 x 10, depending on your skill level.
The close grip pushup is one of the most powerful home tricep exercises you can do. And when done slowly and in a controlled fashion, the close grip pushup is also be a great core workout as well.
The key to the close grip pushup is to keep your hands close enough so you are using more tricep than chest, but far enough away that you aren’t going to injure either your wrists or elbows from pushing off the ground.
A good rule of thumb is that if your wrists are feeling like they are straining too much to maintain your body weight, simply spread your hands apart until you can do the pushups without wrist or elbow pain.
For the chair dip, you are going to need a chair. The illustration contains a platform, but we understand that not everyone has a large box platform in their house. It is recommended that you use a chair that won’t slide around when pushed upon, or you could be risking an injury.
If you do not have a chair laying around, you may also be also to do these on a staircase by finding the stair that is the appropriate height. Usually, there will be enough room for you to complete a dip movement on the staircase and to slow the movement down to really feel the burn.
To do the chair dip, simply face the chair towards you and then turn around. Once you are facing away from the chair, put your hands down at your side, face your palms toward the chair, and then grab the chair on the sides of you, slightly behind your back.
Once in that position, you are going to want to lower yourself down until either your butt or lower back hits the chair, and then gently bring yourself back up again. This is one dip. Depending on the speed in which you do the dip, you should be able to get anywhere from 5-20 in before needing to rest.
It is important to remember that when it comes to home tricep workouts, quality is much more important than quality. Meaning, you will be better served only being able to get 5 reps with perfect form than 20 reps with horrible form.
The reason for this is because one of the biggest factors to gaining muscle is building up your mind-muscle connection, and being able to feel when you’re hitting the muscle that you want to hit while leaving out the other muscles that you’d rather hit with a different exercise. Building up a powerful mind muscle connection will allow you to get creative with your routine because you’ll be able to tell whether the new exercise you are doing will be effective for you personally, because everyone is different.
The overhead pushup is another great exercise to target your triceps at home. To do the overhead pushup, you’re going to need to either push your chair up against the wall (to make sure it doesn’t slide) or use a staircase or countertop.
To do the overhead pushup, all you’re going to do is bend over and then pretend like you’re going to dive onto the chair / counter / staircase. Once you’re touching the counter from a bent over position with your arms reached out, you’re going to do a modified pushup, bending your arms at the top but keeping some resistance. After doing this a few times, you should be able to feel your triceps being targeted which will help you adjust your movements even further and better target the part of the tricep that you’re aiming for.
In a gym setting, these muscles would be the same ones that would be target when doing overhead extensions. The idea is the same, but instead of pulling something down, you’re going to be pushing yourself up.
For the reverse pushup, all you’re going to need is your bodyweight. The reverse pushup is one of the more advanced exercises, and may not be possible for those who are just getting into doing any type of body weight exercises.
To do the reverse pushup, you’re going to lay flat on the ground and put your arms by your side with your palms facing the ground. From this point, all you’re going to do is push yourself up off the ground using your hands in a reverse fashion. If you feel strain on your wrists, then you’re going to want to move your hands farther apart or attempt a different exercise.
Inner-handed pushups are an at-home tricep exercise that virtually anybody can do (assuming they can already do a pushup).
For the inner-handed pushup, you’re going to get into a standard pushup position and turn your wrists inward to face each other. Depending on your wrist flexibility, you may need to put your hands farther in front of your head, allowing your wrists to have more natural bend. It is recommended that you stretch your wrists before all of the at-home tricep workouts listed in this article.
The triangle pushup is essentially a step up from the close-grip pushup. Instead of simply keeping your hands close together, with the triangle pushup, you’re actually going to touch your thumbs together on the ground and then make a triangle between your hands. This will force you to work your triceps extra hard because your hands are so close together.
Body Extensions
To do this exercise, simply lay on your side in a relaxed position, resting on one arm with your arm at 90 degrees. When you are ready, you are going to create some momentum and push yourself up into an extended arm position with the tricep that is currently resting on the ground. Doing this will cause you to be holding yourself up on your side with a single arm, in which you can then go back to a resting position.
The triceps are one of those tricky muscles that not many people include in their home workouts. Even though it may seem difficult to include tricep exercises into your home workouts at first, it is actually fairly simple. And doing these workouts 3x a week is all you need to see results. Also, depending on your currently level of fitness, you may need to increase the amount of sets and reps you do because of quick adaptability. A good rule of thumb is to go hard enough so that you're pushing yourself, but not too hard to injure yourself. Regularly including these at-home tricep workouts will ensure that your arms are bigger and stronger than ever before.
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But even though they CAN be delicious, doesn't mean that they WILL be delicious. Unless you use one of the recipes listed below, of course.
Here are 56 delicious, easy-to-make protein shakes that will take your tastebuds to tastytown.
Note: If you find one you like, share it with a friend!
It’s kind of like your cup of coffee with too much vanilla creamer. Except healthier.
Does oatmeal taste good? Nope. But does it taste good in this shake? Oh yes.
I’m not sure who the first person to combined nuts with bananas was… but I love that person. And you’ll love this shake.
A little chocolatey goodness to get your day started of right. Why isn’t chocolate for breakfast a holiday?
All the fun of an orange, but without the peel.
Remember those orange creamiscles you used to eat as a kid? Well, this doesn’t taste like that. But it does have orange juice. And it’s still really tasty.
Mint chocolate deliciousness while still staying thin. Could also be called the win-win shake.
Amazing berry flavor with a little bit of vanilla sass.
The sweet-tart-tart’ness of strawberry blends seamlessly with a sharp Vanilla punch.
All the decadence in your favorite piece of cheesecake. But with 30gs more protein.
The guilt-free version of binging on peanut butter cups. This one is better with a sweeter protein powder.
Double chocolate decadence that is sure to give you a unique flavor like you’ve never experienced before.
Freshness to the max. Perfect for someone that isn’t afraid of big, bold, fruity flavors.
Quick note: you will most likely taste more blueberry than both the mango or vanilla protein powder. Blueberries have the amazing talent of overpowering all other flavors they come into contact with.
More micronutrients than you’ll ever know what to do with. If you want to feel ridiculously healthy, this shake is for you.
It's like an oatmeal cookie. But in liquid form.
If your mother made you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a kid, then this shake will take you back. If your mother was like mine and sent you off which bologna and mayo sandwiches, then this shake will still taste pretty good.
A delicious, earthy flavor. If you aren’t sure what Matcha is, don’t worry. I wasn’t sure either before finding this recipe.
Another fruit and nut combination. Very tasty. Still trying to figure out who started the trend…
My personal favorite. Honey is like Robin to Banana’s Batman.
If Carrotopia was a real place, this is what it would taste like.
All the flavor of the Florida keys, right in your kitchen.
Peaches and oatmeal dancing together on your taste buds.
Chai will give your tastebuds a one-way ticket to flavortown.
Delicious apple pie flavor without being disappointed by the quality of the crust.
Sweet and cinnamony. Exactly how you want it.
Delicious Island flavor with enough protein to feed your gains.
Been dying for a cookie lately? This snickerdoodle shake will take your hand, and walk you right into snickerdoodle heaven.
If you’re like me, you enjoy the cookie dough more than the actual cookies. With this shake, you’ll be able to enjoy all the cookie dough flavor you want, guilt-free.
This shake will end the age old debate of “center piece” or “edge piece” when it comes to brownies. Next time someone asks you your preference, simply pull down your stunna shades and say “Smoothie piece”. Then walk away like a legend.
Who needs beaches when you have something to drink.
Too many berries. Wait, no. Not enough berries.
If you're an apple over PC person, you'll love this one.
Chocolate and peanut butter. Not really anything else to say here.
Surprise your friends with a dash of hidden spinach.
12 oz water, milk, or yogurt
2 scoops vanilla or strawberry flavored protein powder
1 banana
1 cup of frozen strawberries
1 cup of spinach
2 tbsp of ground flax
If cherries weren't enough. We've added chocolate for this one.
Why wait until Thanksgiving to enjoy pumpkin pie? Just chef this baby up and indulge.
Does your apple even blaze, bro?
Planning on going to Hawaii soon? Don't. Just throw this in your shaker cup and get a great chest workout in.
There wasn't a more appropriate name. Drink this baby and you'll feel like you have literal superpowers.
No idea who Wade Carlson is. But if he had a breakfast shake, you better believe this is what it would be.
I needed another CH word.
Coconuts and real nuts battling it out for your tastebud's favorite. Who's the official winner? I'll let you decide.
And they said nothing rhymes with orange. Get woke.
A standard shake consisting of both strawbs and nans. A true classic.
Water as needed
1 cup plain low-fat kefir
2 tbsp walnuts
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 banana
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
We only recommend 1 tbsp of peanut butter, but feel free to add 9-13 if that's how you identify.
It's called the blueberry boss shake because blueberries are the boss of flavor. When you add blueberries, you're gonna taste blueberries.
Deliciously healthy micronutrients with some protein.
Maybe it's freezing in your house right now. When you drink this, at least your soul will be warm.
So much matcha goodness, you may not know what to do with yourself.
Blueberries take over everything.
I once had a crush on a nice orange-haired girl.
Basically a PB & J sando in your blender.
A peary surprise for the more refined tastebuds.
Never put a sweet potato in a protein shake? Try it out.
Make it as cheesy as you'd like.
Know about any great protein shakes? Let us know in the comments below!
]]>But, if you’re someone who is eating well, lifting heavy weights 3-5x a week, and getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night, then supplements can be a great way to ‘go that extra mile’ and pile on a few extra pounds of muscle mass. These supplements will be listed in order from the most important, foundational supplements to the less crucial but still worth-the-money supplements.
Note: If you’re someone who is currently working under a tight budget, you’ll want to make sure that the supplement purchases you make are closer to the beginning of the list as opposed to the end. But if money is no object, then by all means, load your pantry up with some of the best supplements the industry has to offer.
If you want to build muscle, you’re going to want to maximize protein synthesis within your body and increase the amount of protein you consume on a daily basis. One of the best ways to push protein synthesis within your body is by supplementing with whey protein powder. The reason whey protein powder is so effective is because it digests quickly and begins repairing damaged muscles quicker than other forms of protein like meat or casein powder. On top of that, it also contains high levels of branched-chain amino acids (also knows as BCAA’s) as well as peptides that increase blood flow to the muscles and drive muscle growth. If you haven’t yet began taking supplements and aren’t sure what type of supplement to go with first, you can’t go wrong with whey protein (unless you have a dairy allergy).
Additionally, many people with smaller appetites use whey protein supplements to get in their required amount of protein without needing to eat copious amounts of meat. Overall, whey protein is a foundational supplement that many bodybuilders credit as key to their success.
How to use it: Depending on your body size, take 20-60 grams of whey protein powder immediately after working out. To maximize it’s effects, also consider taking 20-60 grams of protein powder upon waking up to ensure that your body will have all the protein it needs to continue the muscle building process. If you’re someone who has a hard time hitting their daily caloric requirement, then you may need to consume more than the average amount of protein powder, but it would be best to first consult a healthcare professional.
Pro Tip: if you’re someone who hates inefficiency, consider using The Scoopie to make scooping the correct amount of protein powder (and getting it into your shaker bottle) quicker and easier than ever before.
Casein is another milk protein that ranks just under whey because of its slower digestion rate. But a slower digestion rate doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worse.
Because of its slower digestion rate, many bodybuilders use casein as a slow-releasing, pre-bedtime snack that helps avoid any type of catabolism while sleeping. And although it doesn’t get absorbed as quickly as whey does, casein is still a great supplement for putting inside of a post-workout shake or eating right before bed. Additionally, some studies have shown that protein shakes using both whey and casein – as opposed to whey or casein alone – have been more effective for athletes than any other previously used combination.
How to use it: It is recommended that you choose a casein protein that contains what is known as micellar casein, which is the slowest-digesting version of casein available on the market. Taking 10-50 grams of casein protein after a workout or as a pre-bedtime snack can be a great way to utilize its slower absorption tendencies.
In order to move, you need to first create energy in the form of ATP. Creatine makes more ATP available for your muscles, allowing you to lift a little more and get in a few extra reps during each set. Over the course of a year, these extra reps will have added up to a few solid pounds of muscle mass gained. Creatine also draws water into your muscle cells and places a stretch on the cell that encourages long-term growth and adaptation. Many people who begin using creatine for the first time in combination with drinking copious amounts of water realize that they begin to appear more “bulky” because of the increased water retention, which leads to a bigger pump in the gym. Which then leads to better selfies. Some studies have also shown that creatine increases levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-) which is crucial for the muscle-building process and looking like the Hulk.
How to use it: The recommended type of creatine to take would be creatine monohydrate. Place 2-5 grams of creatine monohydrate into your protein shake before your workouts. Taking the creatine beforehand will keep the creatine flowing inside of your body for the remainder of your workout, ensuring that you will stay high on energy endurance. The 2-5g serving should be taken every single day, whether you work out or not. And no, there is no need to go through a creatine “loading” phase.
Branched-chain amino acids are essential for repairing and rebuilding muscle tissue. In most BCAA supplements you’ll find some type of proprietary blend of leucine, valine, and isoleucine because these are the 3 most important amino acids when it comes to building muscle. Leucine is thought by the scientific community to be the most important of the 3 because it has been shown to have the capabilities to stimulate protein synthesis independently. Along with aiding the processes of protein synthesis, BCAA supplements also blunt cortisol (the catabolic hormone that promotes muscle breakdown) and boot energy during tough workouts. BCAA’s can be a great little kicker when you’ve been going HAM for weeks on end.
How to use it: Take 5-10 grams of BCAA’s with breakfast or in one of your protein shakes. We recommend mixing it into a protein shake because BCAA’s usually taste terrible on their own. The best BCAA’s have double the amount of leucine as they do isoleucine or valine. This means that if you’re taking 5g’s of BCAA’s, 2.5g of that scoop should be leucine.
When beta-alanine enters the body, it pairs up with another one of its amino bros called histidine to form carnosine. There has been research that has shown a correlation between higher levels of carnosine with higher levels of strength and endurance in high-performing athletes. The research has also shown that a group of people who took beta-alanine along with creatine lost more bodyfat and gained more muscle mass than people who took creatine alone. Carnosine appears to increase the muscle’s ability to generate more power for longer periods of time, which is exactly what you want if you’re pumping iron harder than Arnold.
How to use it: Take 1g (or 2 if you’re feeling wild) of beta-alanine immediately before and after your workouts in combination with your creatine and protein shakes. Just like creatine, it is recommended that you keep the dosage the same on both workout and non-workout days.
Nitric oxide (also referred to as NO) is a compound that is already present in the body in certain amounts and is involved in a variety of different processes. When it comes to supplements, bodybuilders will often use nitric oxide for it’s blood dilating effects, allowing more blood to flow into the muscles hence more oxygen, nutrients, and water. With effects similar to drinking caffeine, NO will give you more energy during your workout and is often used as a pre-workout for people looking for a boost of energy before they hit the gym. On top of the energetic effects, NO will also give you a better muscle pump and speed up the amount of time it takes your muscles to recover from your workout.
How to use it: Take one serving of NO before and after your workout and consider taking it with vitamin C. Vitamin C has been shown to keep levels of NO higher in the body for longer.
Glutamine is an amino acid that has been a staple in bodybuilder’s diets ever since it began to gain popularity in the days of Arnold. Being one of the most abundant amino acids in the human body, glutamine is essential for proper muscle function and aids in the human immune a system as well, ensuring your missed workouts because of illness are kept to a minimum. Because of it’s importance as an amino acid, glutamine is often sold in isolation (as opposed to other branched-chain amino acids) and is usually taken either before or after a workout in a post-workout shake.
How to use it: Take 5-10 grams of glutamine in the morning with breakfast and in your post-workout shake.
Fish oil is a fantastic supplement that supports all-around heart and joint health. One of the nutrients that the average person in the western word lacks is long chain omega 3 fats – the ones that are found naturally in oily fish like krill or salmon. Because we cannot produce these fats in our bodies naturally, it is essential that we receive them through external sources like diet or supplementation. The best fish oils to choose form are the ones with high concentrations of EPA and DHA and ones that have purity and sustainability certifications. Cod liver oil tablets or krill oil tablets are both great options.
How to use it: The best way to consume fish oil is by taking one supplement capsule at the same time every day. Most people prefer to take it in the mornings either before or with their first meal.
Magnesium is essential in aiding the production and utilization of ATP, which is the primary energy carrier in all organisms on earth. Although usually recommended by physicians to patients experiencing stress or sleep-related issues, many athletes who supplement with magnesium for a 3-month time period report feeling like they have more energy. One of the reasons for this is because magnesium helps the body behave more efficiently, and helps smoothen out the workload that the body routinely goes through. One 3-month study including 10 women concluded that for a given workload, peak oxygen uptake, total net oxygen utilization, and average heart rate all increased significantly during the period in which magnesium was restricted. This means that a magnesium deficiency made the metabolism and heart work harder. Something which someone who trains a lot definitely does not want.
How to use it: Take one capsule of magnesium in the morning with breakfast.
Even though carnitine is a popularly used fat loss supplement, that isn’t all it is. Recent clinical research has shown that carnitine has a number of muscle enhancing capabilities that can be leveraged by bodybuilders looking to gain a competitive edge, or just look better in their post-workout selfies. One of these muscle enhancing capabilities is carnitine’s ability to increase blood flow to the muscles, similar to what nitric oxide does. On top of that, carnitine has been shown to actually increase the amount of testosterone following a workout by increasing the amount of T receptor cells in the body. This means that muscle cells are getting more “fire power” when it comes to building the actual muscle tissue inside of the body. This increase in T receptors also leads to increases in IGF-1, which is an essential component in all-around muscle growth.
How to use it: Take 1-3 grams of carnitine with both your pre and post workout meals.
In cloudy locations, many people use vitamin D to ward off seasonal depression, also referred to as SAD. But it has many more benefits than just making people feel better during a string of cloudy days. An important vitamin for building strong bones, muscular tissue, and an overall healthy body, vitamin D is a fat soluble nutrient that is one of the 24 micronutrients essential for human survival. Although many people will get all the vitamin D they need from the sun, people living in cloudier locations may want to test out the effects of vitamin D for themselves. Many people also report that their skin pores shrink and their skin complexion increases.
How To Use it: One of the most common ways people consume vitamin D is in capsule form, usually with 5000 IU capsules. Like most other supplements, it is most effective when taken in the morning or night at the same time every day.
Once you’ve disciplined yourself enough to master the 3 most important components of building muscle – diet, working out, and sleeping for 7-8 hours – supplements can be a great way to boost your gains by an additional 10-20%, when used correctly. Although nothing can replace working out, eating right and sleeping well, supplements are great for people that want to take their training to the next level or are having a hard time getting their nutrients from food alone. These people may want to take supplements – especially whey protein - because they have a hard time eating enough protein in the form of meat, while others may want to supplement with micronutrients because they are unable to eat vegetables for a variety of reasons. No matter your situation, using the right supplements at the right time can improve your fitness results while helping you achieve your health and fitness goals quicker than ever before.
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In a nut shell, intermittent fasting is going through periods of actively avoiding eating – usually in timed intervals. The great thing about intermittent fasting is that there’s a large variety of different ways you can go about it, making it easy to find a method of fasting that works for both your schedule and lifestyle.
The 16:8 fast
One of the most common forms of intermittent fasting is what’s called the 16:8. During the 16:8, someone will consolidate all of the calories they consume for the day into an 8-hour window, while consuming nothing but water, black coffee, and other 0 calorie beverages for the remaining 16 hours.
The 18:6 Fast
Another version of intermittent fasting is referred to as the 18:6 - which is what the bulletproof diet is based on. During the 18:6, someone will skip breakfast in the morning and replace their breakfast with coffee mixed with some type of fat like butter or coconut oil. Doing this allows the body to burn more fat throughout the day while simultaneously pushing the first meal back, allowing people to larger portions while consuming less total calories.
The Whole-Day Fast
An additional but less-popular version of intermittent fasting involves fasting for 1-2 days out of the week and then eating normally for the remainder of it. This would involve someone eating nothing for 24 hours (such as from 7pm on Tuesday to 7pm on Wednesday) and then continuing to eat their normal diet the remaining days of the week. Some people (who are trying to lose weight aggressively) will also mix the 16:8 with the whole-day fasts as well. It is important to keep in mind that before starting any type of fasting diet, it would be beneficial to consult a health professional to make sure you will be able to do it safely.
Intermittent fasting is one of the most effective ways to lose weight because it involves periods and intervals of discipline as opposed to continual, 24/7 willpower. This makes it the preferred method of losing weight for a large number of people.
When someone who usually eats breakfast first begins intermittent fasting, they will notice that they will be hungry in the mornings. This is completely normal. After a period of about 9 days, the body will fully adjust to your newly-forged eating schedule and you will notice that you will no longer be hungry in the morning. The moment the body adapts to your new way of eating is the moment that losing weight becomes effortless, because you’ve just created a habit that is in line with your goals.
When you’re in the fasted state, your body drains itself of it’s glucose reserves, which is the stuff your body converts into energy from carbs. Without any glucose left in the body, your body will stop burning glucose and will then switch over to burning fat as fuel throughout the day. That is, until you eat more carbs. Then it will switch back to glucose. This switching over to running strictly off fats is one of the reasons intermittent fasting is so effective for dropping those pesky pounds.
But intermittent fasting is useful for so much more than just losing weight alone. Here are 6 powerful benefits of intermittent fasting that aren't about burning fat.
As you get older, the effects of aging start taking a toll on your brain. Some of these effects include decreased blood flow, a shrinking of neurons and brain volume, and reduction of connective pathways between different parts of the brain. Intermittent fasting has been shown to slow down the rate at which these processes affect us, allowing us to ward off the effects of aging just a little bit longer. Intermittent fasting:
1) Improves memory
A 2009 study of 50 elderly adults found that three months of caloric restriction boosted their ability to recall words using only memory.
2) Puts Depression At Ease
Intermittent fasting can also help with mood disorders such as depression. A study conducted in 2013 found that depressed people who underwent some type of fasting regiment reported improvements in their mood, peace of mind, and overall mental alertness.
3) Protects Neurons From Degeneration
Intermittent fasting helps protect cells from unnecessary degeneration. One of the reasons why it does this is because when the body enters a fasted state, it prefers to use damaged cells over healthy cells so it can cleanse the body of any harmful free radicals that may be floating around in the bloodstream. This process is known as autophagy and is essential in preventing chronic diseases and keeping your immune system working efficiently. A study conducted in 2003 found that intermittent fasting aided in the process of guarding neurons from excitoxic stress (also known as neural death).
Although fasting has been used as a longevity tool by humans for thousands of years, it has only been within the last few decades that scientific research has been conducted on the relationship between fasting and longevity. Here are a few benefits that intermittent fasting has in regards to overall health and longevity.
4) Slows Down Growth Of Tumor Cells
When utilized with chemotherapy procedures, intermittent fasting has the potential to reduce the speed and growth of tumors in patients experiencing both breast cancer and skin cancer. It does this by increasing the number of lymphocytes in the body. Lymphocytes are cells that the body sends to combat the growth of tumors inside of the body.
5) Lowers Cholesterol
Studies have shown that adhering to a regular fasting schedule can reduce a number of different risk markers when it comes to health. A 2010 study of overweight women concluded that intermittent fasting reduced insulin resistance, lowered both blood pressure and cholesterol, and improved a variety of markers that are measured in the progression of chronic disease.
6) Keeps Your Cells Strong
A 2017 study from Harvard University found that regular fasting helped keep mitochondrial networks working together effectively. As the primary driver of energy in the body, properly-functioning mitochondrial networks are essential for feeling energetic and aging effeciently.
Along with being an excellent resource for losing weight, gaining muscle, and adjusting your all-around body composition, intermittent fasting has powerful health benefits that aren’t strictly aesthetic-related. From maintaining a healthy brain to keeping your cells strong and youthful, intermittent fasting is a fantastic tool that can be included in virtually anybody’s diet, and adjusted as necessary to meet your specific needs.
]]>1. Formulife Inc
http://www.formulifesupplements.com/
Formulife is home to some of the most well known supplement products on the market today. They specialize in flavoring, lead time processes to ensure on-time product delivery and brand development worthy of any shelf.
FDA Approved Facility
GMP Approved Facility
NSF Registered Facility by NSF
NSF Certified Gluten-Free
Natural Products Association Member
United Natural Products Alliance Member
Address: 1253 Andrews Parkway
Allen, Texas 75002
Phone: 214-221-4911
Email: info@formulifesupplements.com
2. Rival Labs
With over 50 years combined experience in the Nutraceutical market, Rival seconds no one with their relentless pursuit of bringing the customer exactly what they need.
Address: 13611 Neutron Rd
Dallas, TX 75244
Allen, Texas 75002
Phone: 214-221-4911
Email: info@formulifesupplements.com
3. JW Nutritional
With 120,000 Square Feet and 2 locations, JW is quickly becoming one of the leaders within the supplement market. They specialize in providing every aspect of product creation in one location, which greatly increases the ability for the client to focus on growing their brands.
FDA Approved Facility
GMP Approved Facility
NSF Registered Facility by NSF
NSF Certified Gluten-Free
Address: 601 Century Parkway Suite 300
Allen, TX 75013
Phone: 214-221-0404
Email: info@jwnutritional.com
4. Protec Labs
https://www.proteclaboratory.com/
One of the OGs of the supplement market, Protec has a state of the art facility that produces some of the biggest brands on the market. They thrive on customer service and experience.
Address: 4300 FM 2225
Quitman, TX 75783
Phone: 903-878-7513
Email: info@proteclab.com
5. Mastery Blendz
One of the new kids on the block but come packed with tons of experience and punch. Master Blendz smartly decided to build their facility in one of the fastest growing cities in the world, Houston, Texas and has been dominating the market. With their determination and drive for consumer excellence, they are definitely one to keep in eye on.
Email: brody@masterblendz.com
6. Uniwell Labs
UniWell is a full-service cGMP manufacturing and packaging facility for nutraceuticals, OTC pharmaceuticals, and dietary supplements. They offer complete turnkey solutions for contract manufacturing and have the formulation expertise to develop white label products that can enhance your existing product line.
Address: 14801 Sovereign Rd
Fort Worth, TX 76155
Phone: 817-510-1850
Email: info@uniwelllabs.com
7. Nutribiotech USA, Inc
http://www.nutribiotechusa.com/about-us/
Nutribiotech USA is a dietary supplement manufacturing business that believes in creating market advantages for customers that choose them to create their supplements. From their global presence to the packaging options that are available to customers, a choice to work with Nutribiotech USA is a choice to market a successful product.
Address: 3366 Miller Park South
Garland, TX 75041
Phone: 833-298-2200
Email: sales@nutribiotechusa.com
8. Accelerated Genetix LLC
AG has been in business since 2014 and has grown rapidly each year; from capsules, powders & tablets, were ready to serve you. High quality sports nutrition products, low lead times, and attention to quality assurance has made it possible for AG to expand into a 30,000 square foot FDA Registered manufacturing facility. Advanced formulation concepts for brands, a strong grasp on product innovation and a transparent business module; Accelerated Genetix, LLC is your one stop shop for contract sports supplement manufacturing.
Address: 344 McDonnell St
Lewisville, TX 75057
Phone: 940-584-0575
Email: info@agenetix.com
9. Progressive Laboratories, Inc
http://www.progressivelabs.com/index.php
Progressive Laboratories was founded in 1972 by a nutritionist passionate about serving and expanding his patients ability to optimize health. Since then, their mission has always been clearly defined: we strive to help patients maximize their potential for health through the science-based use of targeted nutraceutical products. Their mission, their passionate commitment, is to apply the growing body of nutrition science as it applies to health and wellness to produce the finest targeted nutrient and botanical formulations in the world.
Address: 3131 Story Road West
Irving, TX 75038-7962
Phone: 800-527-9512
Email: sales@progressivelabs.com
10. Aegle Nutrition
AEGLE Nutrition is a U.S. based manufacturer of nutritional supplements and nutraceuticals founded in 2013 with top industry professionals who recognized a need to provide a different standard of customer service and expertise. AEGLE Nutrition’s facility is located in Carrollton, Texas and is a state-of-the-art certified GMP and FDA registered facility built to exceed all quality and safety standards.
Address: 1300 Hutton Dr Suite 110
Carrollton, TX 75006
Phone: 800-815-9354
Email: info@aeglenutrition.com
]]>The only problem is, there’s a lot of them out there. And choosing the right one – the one that goes with your personality like PB goes with Jelly - can often leave you with feelings of both overwhelm and FOMO. And nobody likes FOMO.
Here’s a quick list of the 6 best workout logs on Amazon:
Starting off our list of the 6 best workout logs on Amazon is the Peak Performance workout planner.
What separates this workout log from most other workout logs is its inclusion of artistic illustrations that add an element of entertainment and education to your daily grind. It also includes mini workout plans that can serve as a spark to your motivation when you find yourself running low.
Customers praise it for its durability and educational information.
Despite its potentially confusing name, the Fitness and Food workout log puts exercise first.
If you’re someone who’s into daily reflections and tracking your progress over time using graphs and other various tools, then the fitness and food workout log is a great option for you.
Customers praise the fitness and food workout log for its size and added fitness tools.
The Gympad fitness book is a full-color workout log that is perfect for people who enjoy a splash of color in their daily workout log. This workout log is Perfect for people who rebel against tradition and are tired of writing on pages that are only black and white. Unlike most workout logs, the Gympad also comes with a unique motivational quote on every page. So if you’re someone who finds yourself getting inspired by quotes and color, then the Gympad workout log was destined to be yours.
The Fitness logbook is great for lifters with fitness-related OCD. Although it provides its own specific categories and for you to track and manage, it simultaneously provides you with enough open space to get creative with how you want to track your workouts.
Customers praise it for ease-of-use and overall durability.
The Portage fitness and workout notebook is a workout log that takes pride in giving users large writing blocks that allow for writing down all of the specifics of your workout. While some workout logs may be too narrow for the average person to write in, Portage’s workout logs ensure that an average person can record various details of their workout in blocks that aren’t too big, yet aren’t too small.
Some would say they are just right.
Customers praise it for its convenient on-the-go size as well as its simplicity and design.
The Chiefs & Tribes fitness planner is a workout log created to minimize distractions. With an extremely simple design, you can be sure that nothing will distract you from recording workouts into your workout log in an extremely efficient way.
One thing to note about the Chief And Tribes fitness planner is that it’s fairly small. So if you’re someone who prefers to record their progress with larger handwriting, then this workout log may not be for you.
With so many workout logs available on the market, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t choose one that fits your personality perfectly. From overly simplistic to a splash of color on every page, our list of the 6 best workout logs on Amazon covers a wide range of planners that was created to give you a feel for what the market is currently offering. If you’re looking to showcase your personality, improve your discipline, or simply hold yourself accountable…
A workout log can be that “missing piece” in your gym bag that will help you smash your fitness goals.
Want more content like this? Check Out https://bit.ly/2rPY4yj
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1. Muscle will turn to fat when I am inactive
Muscle and fat are two separate things made up of different organic materials. Unless you're an alchemist, your muscle isn't going to transform into to mass amounts of fat after any period of inactivity. However, it is worth noting that having muscle will help you burn fat. So if your muscle mass is decreasing, the amount of calories that you're burning is also decreasing.
2. I will automatically bulk up with weight lifting
This is a myth that is particularly harmful to women who are looking to get into weight lifting. A lot of women are intimidated by weight lifting and believe that they will get too bulky looking. That's far from the truth! Getting bulky is a result of a combination of things in addition to lifting including an extremely high calorie diet, timing, and training. If you're a woman looking to make the most out of your fitness regimen, be sure to check out this weight lifting belt for women.
3. I should focus on working on one muscle area per day
We've all heard people talking about it being leg day! This is really only beneficial to professional body builders who are trying to maximize growth of a specific muscle. If you're simply trying to improve your overall strength and fitness, it's a good idea to focus on a well balanced work out. You're much less likely to reach a plateau by doing thing and switching up your routine.
4. Weight lifting over a period of time is bad for my joints
When you're using proper form, weight lifting is beneficial to the strength of your joints. Weight lifting increases lubrication (or synovial fluid) of the joints which allows them to work better and even reduces joint pain in some cases.
5. Working with a machine is better than using free weights
Free weights are actually the most beneficial, and this is because they closely resemble natural and fluid movements as opposed to a machine. When you're using a machine, you're often working out a single part of the body, whereas free weights move multiple muscle groups.
To read more from this Blogger, Check out Weight Lifting Belt for Women
]]>The health, fitness and beauty benefits of hydrogen-infused water have been touted lately by celebrities like Zac Efron, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds as well as by skin care gurus like Dr. Nicholas Perricone, who now has his own hydrogen water line.
Specific benefits cited include increased energy, boosted athletic performance and shorter recovery times after workouts, along with other benefits like better skin and relief of headaches and hangovers.
Skeptics mock it as marketing hype or a “celebrity trend.”
“There really isn’t enough scientific evidence to support the claims that hydrogen water has any benefits over plain tap water,” says Sonya Angelone, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
But scientific studies do back some of these claims.
For instance, a 2012 study on hydrogen water, published in Medical Gas Research showed this latest health tonic reduced blood lactate levels and improved exercise-induced decline of muscle function. A 2011 study, published by the same medical journal, showed that the antioxidant properties in hydrogen water also reduced radiation symptoms in cancer patients. The research also cited studies showing similar benefits for several other medical conditions, including atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cognitive impairment during aging and in Parkinson's disease.
So what exactly IS hydrogen water? How much does it cost? And where do you get it?
Hydrogen water is basically purified tap water with molecular hydrogen gas added.
And it isn’t cheap. It’s about $3 per 11-ounce container, about $1 per table that can hydrogenize a 16-ounce glass of water, $25 plus tax and shipping for the hydrogen water stick (which needs to be replaced every six months) and about $500 and up for hydrogen water making machine.
Pre-made hydrogen water can be found at most grocery stores and vitamin shops. One popular brand, HFactor, allows you to type in your zip code to find the closest store. The other products can all be found on Amazon.
Once the drink is open or made, drink it fast! Premade hydrogen-infused water comes in non-permeable aluminum cans or pouches so the hydrogen doesn’t escape. But once the containers are opened and exposed to air, the amount of molecular hydrogen in the water will immediately start to dissipate into the air until the water returns to the hydrogen concentration of regular water.
Have you tried hydrogen water? Does it work for you? Write a comment and let us know!
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Plyometrics are explosive compound movements, commonly done with your own body weight or very light loads such as plyo pushups, box jumps and jump squats. The goal is to train for maximum force production in the smallest amount of time, so reps are kept low and intensity and effort levels are high.
So how do plyometrics - known for increasing agility and speed - really help when it comes to weightlifting?
They do this by increasing the strength and efficiency of the fast-twitch muscle fibers. The fast-twitch fibers are the largest, strongest fibers in our body - trained through heavy lifting, anaerobic efforts and explosive movements. This is contrary to their slow-twitch counterparts, which are typically geared toward endurance and aren’t as high in absolute strength.
Plyometric training increases the strength and efficiency of the fast-twitch fibers by optimizing what’s called the “stretch-shortening cycle.” This cycle occurs when you change directions in a hurry, such as when landing from a jump and jumping up again, or quickly making a cut to change directions. It's a three-step process in which your muscles slow down your body's momentum, hold on to the energy for a tiny fraction of a second and then convert that energy into forceful movement.
During the first phase – lengthen - your muscles get longer to slow your body down. They do this whenever you need to absorb impact, such as when your feet hit the ground after a jump. Your muscles, such as your glutes, quads and hamstrings, stretch and create tension until your body is no longer moving. Just like a stretched rubber band, your muscles now contain elastic energy.
The second phase – load – is the shortest, but most important. Ideally, this phase takes only 15 to 20 milliseconds (any longer, and you lose the stored energy). If you load fast enough, the body takes that energy and channels it into your next movement.
In the final phase – fire - your muscles contract quickly and forcefully to produce a powerful movement, like a jump.
Plyometric exercises maximize the force created by this cycle, activating more muscle fibers, thus building more muscle. That, coupled with the ballistic style of the exercise cause a high muscle tear rate. When the torn muscles heal, they heal bigger and stronger.
In fact, plyometrics are so effective at tearing muscles that they shouldn’t be used on a daily basis. If you’re new to plyo, start with two to four times per week, with 48 to 72 hours rest in between. But even plyo training just twice a week is effective in producing power and strength gains, according to one study.
Here are three good plyometrics exercises from Greatist.com you can start off with to help with your weightlifting routine.
The moves should focus on good form and all-out effort. That's why it's best to do these at the start of a workout before muscles fatigue and performance slows.
Start with three to four moves at the start of your workout (after a warmup); two to three sets; three to five reps per set. Take at least 90 seconds to recover between each set.
Plyo Push-Ups
Begin in push-up position with hands on the floor, placed slightly wider than shoulder width apart and your feet together. Keeping your back flat, slowly lower your body toward the ground. In one explosive movement, push up and away from the floor as quickly as possible, bringing your hands off the floor.
To make it easier, drop to your knees and practice pushing up with a clap before you move to your toes. To make it harder, turn it into a full-body plyometric pushup. From a high plank position, lower into the bottom of your push up with elbows wide and at a 90-degree angle. Explosively push through the hands and keep an extremely tight core so that your entire body momentarily floats off the floor. Keep your core tight upon landing so that your hips don't drop toward the floor, and you land in a high plank. Move right into the next rep.
Squat thrusts
From a high plank position, jump feet forward into a wide squat and bring hands off the ground either into a prayer position or in front of your chest. Keep your back straight, shoulders down, and chest out while in the low squat. Pause for a second, then place hands on the ground and jump feet back into a high plank position. Repeat as quickly as possible.
Reverse lunge with knee up
Stand with feet hip-width apart and step your right foot back, coming into a low reverse lunge. Shift all your weight to your left foot, engage your glutes, brace your core. Bring your right foot forward and simultaneously jump off your left foot, bringing right knee to your chest. Land softly on your left foot, and immediately step back into a low lunge to repeat.
]]>And while there’s no doubt these bodies look hot, here’s the deal – achieving these looks is often highly dependent on a woman’s genetics, plastic surgery and/or heavy photo editing. They can also be downright unhealthy - physically and mentally.
So here’s what you need to know about these fads before you try to achieve them by working out.
The ab crack
In a way, “ab crack” is funny ‘cause it kind of sounds like “ass crack.” But there’s a not-so-funny side to this body image ideal.
An “ab crack,” for the uninitiated, is a line that runs down the middle of your torso. It’s often seen on very thin models like Bella Hadid, fitness gurus like Jen Setler and celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski. It’s the result of a low body fat level plus muscular abdominal muscles, says gastroenterologist Nitin Jumar – but only if you have a genetic predisposition to forming this line.
“Anatomically speaking, the ab crack—aka your linea alba—is a fibrous structure of connective tissue that runs down the midline of the abdomen,” says Dr. Mary Pritchard, Ph.D., psychology professor at Boise State in this Fitness magazine article “Why Ab Cracks Don’t Mean You’re In Better Shape. “It is formed by the way your body fused the right and left side of your abdominal wall together before birth.”
In other words – you may never get that ab crack you’re after – even if you do ab exercises all day long.
Some fitness experts even take it a step further.
“If the ab muscles are underdeveloped, then the crack becomes much more prominent when the person is lean,” says sports-medicine certified personal trainer Rui Li on Healthyway.com’s post “8 Disturbing Fitness Trends That Keep Gaining Traction.”
“If you look at bodybuilders who are in competition,” she says, “they are extremely lean, often dropping to 4 percent body fat, but they don’t have a bizarre crack in their abdominal midline because they strength train to develop bulk in their abdominal muscles.”
In fact, she says, the “ab crack” can be a sign of a condition called diastasis recti, which often affects people who have lifted heavy items without building up adequate core strength.
The thigh gap
Ah, the beloved thigh gap – when you’re thin enough to have a clear gap between your thighs when you stand up – and its new little sister, #tobleronetunnel (when you have a triangular gap at the top of your thighs about the shape and size of a Toblerone candy bar).
“The biggest factor in determining whether you have a thigh gap,” says Li, “is how your thighs sit in relation to each other. “That’s largely determined by your bone structure—you can burn all the fat you want, but you can’t magically change the positioning of your hips.” If your body doesn’t naturally form a thigh gap when you’re fit, says Li, achieving one requires a dangerously low level of body fat and a decrease in muscle mass.
For those unwilling or unable to take it that far – well, that’s where Photoshop comes in for many on Instagram. Or thigh liposuction or CoolSculpting (freezing the fat cells to death). So if you’re trying to achieve the same results through workouts alone, the odds aren’t exactly in your favor.
You can still make your inner thighs toned without bulking them up, though. Try UpcomingHealth.com’s article “5 Supermodel Exercises to Get that Luscious Thigh Gap,” which include the scissors walk, the dumbbell pile squat and row or dumbbell shoulder raise lunges. And remember – you can’t spot-reduce, so just working on your inner thighs isn’t going to go very far. Instead, go for total body workouts that balance cardio and strength building.
The perfect waist-to-hip ratio
Curvy hips and a small waist have a long history as the feminine ideal, but now it’s 2018’s hottest body trend, with Instagram babes like Amanda Lee, Emily Ratajkowski and Christina Milian sporting super high-cut, “hip cleavage” and the Kardashian girls wearing “waist training” corsets.
Those wanting to achieve this look through exercise are being advised to lose weight all over and pump up the glutes and hip flexors with deadlifts, squats, kettlebells, lunges and other weight-related exercises.
Again, however, that classic hourglass shape is elusive – unless you’re one of the very few born with it. So in addition to the corset wearing (which can cause damage to your organs and hinder bloodflow and breathing) other shortcuts have emerged, like “hourglass” plastic surgery that moves fat from the abdomen and waist to the hips.
“I am all for you wanting to lead a healthy lifestyle,” says Fitness magazine’s Dr. Mary Pritchard. “Weight-bearing activity and cardiovascular activity are both healthy and good for you, if not done to excess. But using a physical measure, like the thigh gap or the ab crack, as a sign that you are athletic enough, pretty enough, [insert desired word] enough concerns me. You don't need to attain someone else's definition of beauty, athleticism, or fitness. By all means eat right and exercise. But more importantly, be healthy—and happy.”
]]>After all – music is the ultimate workout enhancer. It distracts people from pain and fatigue, elevates mood, increases endurance, reduces perceived effort and may even promote metabolic efficiency.
When listening to music, people lift more, run farther and bike longer than usual — often without even realizing it.
So pump up your workout with these celebrity workout playlists, or check out PopSugar’s “Best Workout Songs of 2018.”
Then, leave a comment – what are your favorite workout songs – or even one song that’s your anthem, and why?
We’ll list your picks in a blog post next week. Whoever gives us the most awesome selection wins a 4-pack Scoopie set (value: $14.99).
Until then, here’s your superstar-inspired motivation for the gym.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
This heavyweight favorite just released a special Spotify play list to celebrate the launch of his new headphones collaboration with Under Armour and JBL. Titled “Iron Paradise Airwaves,” the curated list includes more than 30 iron-crushing anthems, such as Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”and Nicki Minaj’s “Chun-Li.”
"Every day is a day to build,” reads his caption on the playlist. “No shortcuts. No B.S. These are the beats that motivate me through the grind."
“The training session jams definitely match his intensity,” reads the Billboard.com article on Dwayne John’s workout playlist. “With everyone from Migos to Tech N9ne on the playlist, it's sure to hype up anyone in the gym gearing up for a triathlon, karate-chopping blocks of wood or flipping giant tires.”
Khloe Kardashian
In celebration of the second season of her show Revenge Body, Khloé Kardashian took over Spotify’s Workout playlist, putting together more than 50 of her favorite workout songs.
Picks include Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” and G-Eazy’s “No Limit” and Kanye West’s “Stronger.”
"Being pregnant, it's a whole different type of self-care,” she said of her workout regimen during and post pregnancy. “I still exercise to maintain my sanity and also to feel good about myself, but my workouts are not as intense as they once were.”
Carson Wentz and Russell Wilson
Want to work out like a winner? Then check out these Spotify workout playlists of these NFL quarterbacks who have Super Bowl rings to show for their efforts.
Venus Williams
“Venus Williams knows a little something about making the most of her workouts,” read the May 21, 2018 People.com article revealing the tennis star’s workout playlist. “As one of the best tennis players in the world, with multiple Grand Slams to her name, she’s been dominating the game for decades – and looking good doing it.”
Picks include “Lemon” by N.E.R.D., Rihanna and Drake, and – of course – “All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled featuring T-Pain and Ludacris.
]]>What is it? It’s cryotherapy – the use of ultra-cold temperatures on the whole body for benefits such as reduced pain and swelling, quicker recovery times between training sessions and less delayed-onset muscle soreness and spasms.
Sure, we all know an ice pack helps stop pain and swelling. And we’ve all seen the clips of pro athletes in ice baths. But now people – especially those who work out intensely on a regular basis - are turning to special cryotherapy chambers that spew out super-cooled nitrogen as cold as -270 degrees Fahrenheit.
Proponents say cryotherapy sessions take less time than applying ice or full immersion in an ice bath, aren’t as exhausting, and allow people to return to activity the same day. Cryotherapy is also said to have other positive effects on the body, like increased collagen production, a metabolism boost and even better management over obesity and metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes.
Plus – you get a super rush for a few hours.
“It makes you feel really alive afterward,” says 38-year-old Al Katawazi of Gilbert, Arizona. However, he notes, “it was cold as hell. It’s comparable to jumping into a really cold pool.”
Does it really work – and how?
Recent cryotherapy studies have yielded proof of the benefits of whole-body cryotherapy.
First of all, it has long been documented that cold stops the conductivity of nerve signals, creating that numbing effect that takes away pain. It also constricts blood vessels, which reduce swelling – also reducing pain. This is the idea behind putting ice on an injury.
But ice baths and cryotherapy apply very low temperatures to the whole body, telling it it’s freezing and triggering a survival response. The nervous system sends out a system-wide message telling the body to constrict all blood vessels. As a result, blood gets pulled from the periphery of the body to the vital organs, undergoing a detoxification process that also increases its oxygen and nutrients. The idea is to give the organs get the most oxygen and nutrients they can to survive.
When tissues re-warm, the brain then sends a system-wide message to return the ultra-nutricious blood around the organs back out to its peripheral systems, which then in turn supplies the entire body with blood that is high in oxygen, nutrients, collagen, endorphins and other good stuff (collagen, in fact, is produced at an accelerated rate during cryotherapy).
Cryotherapy chambers supposedly offer all the benefits of whole-body cold treatment without any of the drawbacks.
Twenty minutes into an ice bath, for instance, soft tissue and muscle deep in the body begin to freeze and lose their capacity. Meanwhile, the body is faced with the unrelenting process of warming the blood in the body’s core back to normal. This takes an immense amount of energy and, if not done right, hypothermia and death can result. After the ice bath, a certain amount of time is then needed for the muscles to return to full function. So an individual must rest and cannot return to activity until the next day at the earliest. In an ice bath, oxygen supply to the skin and surface tissue is also halted, which can trigger skin damage and disease if the procedure is repeated.
A cryotherapy chamber, in contrast, does not actually freeze the muscle tissue — your body’s nervous system just thinks it’s freezing and the same survival response occurs. After 3 to 5 minutes, the cold therapy stops and the nervous system immediately senses a return to normal temperatures. The person can return to activity the same day with more energy and ability than before the treatment.
Take the proper precautions
Just because cold has some health and fitness benefits doesn’t mean it’s a DIY kind of thing you can do at home. Sitting too long in a cold bath may cause you problems with your internal organs and a large drop in blood pressure.
That’s why ice baths are usually conducted with supervision and participants often wear protective gear like neoprene pants, wetsuit booties, winter hats and fleece vests.
An ice bath, by the way, should be limited to 6 to 8 minutes – or, if you’re supervised and have experienced with ice baths, 10 minutes tops.
Afterwards, you also need to allow your body to re-warm. Five minutes of cold applied to skin, for instance, requires you wait at least 15 minutes after you remove the cold from your skin to be able to contract your muscles at the same speed again.
Precautions must be taken with cryotherapy chambers, too. A 24-year-old woman who worked at a cryohealth center in Las Vegas was found dead after using a cryo chamber at work. American sprinter Justin Gatlin went into one without dry socks and got frostbite on his feet. The same thing happened to two Missouri State men’s basketball players.
After his cryo-chamber treatment, Katawazi was even required to wait for his body to warm up and was shown a series of exercises to get the blood flowing again.
Remember, burning, aching and analgesia are typical sensations in response to cryotherapy. But any other sensation, except intense cold, should be carefully monitored. Make sure the cryotherapy facility you are using is state-licensed, that you wear protective gloves and socks, you only stay in the chamber for 2 to 3 minutes and that they have an oxygen monitor (the gaseous nitrogen creates an oxygen-depleted environment).
]]>Sure – we’re all aware of the typical stereotypes – men as loud, grunting meatheads only interested in bulk, and women just making sure they look good in the mirror.
But does any of this typecasting really hold up?
Some of it, yeah …. But some of it’s overblown, with each gender closing the gaps from each side.
Motivation is a big difference.
According to this WebMD article on gender differences in the gym, men like working out because it’s a sport, it’s fun, it’s competitive or it’s just something they’ve always done. Sure, they also work out to improve their appearance – but the focus is more on getting bigger and bulkier.
Women, the article says, work out mostly to look good. They see the Instagram pictures of models and celebrities and feel the pressure to keep up.
Indeed, according to a 2014 study on gender differences in the gym, women reported exercising for weight loss and toning more than men, whereas men reported exercising for enjoyment more than women.
But not all reports corroborate. A 2001 study by St. John Fisher College on gender differences in fitness motivation said appearance was the top motivator for both sexes.
And more women are working to define success in the gym according to their own standards and not society’s.
“My fitness ideal comes from myself,” explains one woman in this “A Sweat Life” blog post on gender perspectives on fitness. “When I feel strong and energetic from maintaining a positive, well-rounded lifestyle, my whole perspective improves. I know what it takes to feel that great, and it isn’t easy, but it is worth it.”
“My fitness ideal is looking bomb in some of my favorite outfits,” says another. “But I know I could look bomb at 10 lbs. over what the Insta models say I should be.”
Upper body vs. lower body
“Men typically work out the upper part of their body more,” says Hayden Franks, a Houston-area gym-goer. “Women focus more on the lower half.”
And research does seem to back this up. In one gender differences-in-exercise study by L. Mealey (1997) and a 2010 follow-up study by PK Jonason, the males focused their energy on making themselves look larger, focusing on building their upper body, while women focused more on losing weight, with an emphasis on the lower body. The biological/evolutionary reason, researchers theorized, was competition within each gender for a mate.
Biological differences may also have something to do with men and women targeting different areas. Women, for instance, store fat differently in their body than men. They have more subcutaneous fat (between the muscle and skin) with more of it settling in the lower half of their body – especially on the butt, hips and thighs. Men, in contrast, have more visceral fat - the fat that collects around the organs, higher up. This gives rise to the classic female “pear shape” of weight gain versus more of an “apple shape” in men.
Women are more polite – maybe too polite
When it comes to the gym, one recent study says women are inclined to avoid encroaching on men’s time and space – and it the process, often conceding what’s rightfully theirs.
At least that’s according to Stephanie Coen, a postdoctoral associate in geography at the University of Western Ontario, who interviewed 52 gym-goers of both genders from the same city.
"What was so embedded in the environment of the gym,” says Coen of her 2017 study on gender differences in the gym, “was a lot of women talked about ways they would minimize their consumption of time and space; they didn't want to 'get in the way of someone else.'"
One woman told Coen, for instance, she couldn't be authoritative in asserting her place and using the equipment because she might be perceived negatively. But she felt like if a man were to do that, it would be acceptable.
Men care less about how they look
“Is it possible that men may be less concerned about their physical appearance when they work out?” asks Chuck Sawyer, a Rochester, NY gym-goer. “Or is it just me?”
Nope, it’s not just you, Chuck. Apparently, men aren’t as concerned with how they look when exercising as women.
“Women think everyone else is looking at them so they're afraid to put on workout clothes or get out there in public with their cellulite jiggling,” says Pamela Peeke, MD, author of Body-for-LIFE for Women: A Woman's Plan for Physical and Mental Transformation. “Do men care what they look like when they're working out? Of course not!”
“All I know is, walking into the gym I sucked my stomach and butt in to try to look good working out,” says Virginia Beach gym-goer Sue Van Goidsnoven. “I probably have more muscles in those areas due to that. I didn’t want to look heavy”
Other differences
Here are some other differences we found. Do they hold true or not? You be the judge.
You See, pre-workout supplements aren’t as regulated by the FDA the way pharmaceutical medicines are. That means, while supplement companies can test ingredients to prove that they effective, there are still many concerns over the quality and effect these ingredients can have on the body, if not taken in proper doses. That’s why the workout community depends on its own members to share any reviews, information and experiences they have.
So here are our seven tried-and-tested pre-workout supplements. Links to ingredients and buying info can be found at the end of each section. You can also check out this ranked list of pre-workout supplements by SupplementReviews.com.
PRE Stim-Free by Nutrabio
Why we like it. It’s a stimulant-free pre-workout alternative for those sensitive to ingredients like caffeine or who hit the gym late at night. We like that there are no proprietary blends and that there’s full label disclosure. There’s also more of a focus on hydration, with the added electrolytes, so you won’t find yourself having to hit the water bottle so often.
What’s in it: https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/nutrabio/pre-stim-free.html
VaporX5™ Next Gen by Muscletech
Why we like it. Affordable and effective, with no under dosed ingredients or fillers. A very noticeable increase in strength and energy. Gives you long-lasting, solid energy, which makes it great for morning or lunchtime workouts. Little to no tolerance buildup.
What’s in it: https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/muscletech/vapor-x5-next-gen-pre-workout.html
Pre-Kaged™ by Kaged Muscle
Why we like it. Pre-Kaged targets the mind-to-muscle connection, energizing your brain and shocking your muscles into anabolic overdrive to help you crush personal records and workout plateaus. We also like the full label disclosure, free of banned substances, no artificial flavors or colors (yet all four natural fruit flavors are awesome). It’s also third-party tested to guarantee that what’s on the label is in the bottle.
What’s in it: https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/kaged-muscle/pre-kaged.html
Total War by Redcon1
Why we like it. The new Total War formula, without the DMHA, keeps the caffeine and higenamine the same, ups the Eria jarensis, adds naringin, replaces alpha Yohimbine with regular Yohimbine and also adds n-coumaroyl dopamine. It gives you a great blend of razor-sharp focus, almost-immediate, hard-hitting energy and pump with no vicious crashes. It also helps you get through high-intensity workouts with shorter rest periods in between. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for the serious athlete or gym goer who expects to perform at the highest level.
What’s in it: https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/redcon1/total-war.html
Outlift® Amped by Nutrex Research
Why we like it. There are several improvements over the original Outlift® and it offers more stims. The MagnaPower™ creatine magnesium chelate adds magnesium – which aids in 325 enzymatic reactions, including the synthesis of fat, protein and nucleic acids, neurological activity, muscular contraction and relaxation, cardiac activity and bone metabolism. The creatine magnesium chelate also doesn’t give you the bloating some people experience with creatine monohydrate, which was in the original Outlift. Another addition, Kaff2 Citrate 50.2% (yielding 200 mg of caffeine), is an additional source of caffeine over the original – but one that burns slower, so you don’t amp up all at once and then crash. Another addition is theacrine (as TeaCrine®), a stimulant with a mood-boosting, soreness-reducing effect. Finally, the addition of rauwoiscine enhances blood pressure control, thermogenesis and fat utilization.
What’s in it: https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/nutrex/outlift.html
Pre F0 by Magnum Nutraceuticals
Why we like it. The pumps on this are awesome. Plus, the dosing and mixture of ingredients is powerful, so you don’t need to increase your dosing after just one day. It also doesn’t make you crash or make you drowsy before that second lift or cardio session.
What’s in it: https://www.supplements.co.nz/products/magnum-pre4-50-servings
Loco by Myoblox
Why we like it. Allows you to get fired up and hammer out some tough workouts, while keeping you buzzing and not letting you crash. Consistent energy and kick to help you make the most out of your workouts.
What’s in it: https://suppz.com/loco-myoblox.html
]]>
Burpees and powerlifting? That’s so 2017!
Now there’s a new way to burn fat and stay strong! It’s Trump Fit – and it’s taking the world by storm!
This hot, new training regimen – a circuit of high-powered, functional moves regularly performed by the president – is blowing up on social media. With exercises like “Build The Wall,” “The Combover” and “The Golf Swing,” celebrities and fitness gurus swear by the system. And the POTUS’ own results can’t be denied. He says so himself. On Twitter. Every day.
“There’s no one bigger or better than I am at Trump Fit. Period. End of Story,” Trump just tweeted yesterday. “I have so many Trumpcercises. I have the best Trumpcercises. Believe me.”
What are these Trumpcercises? Here’s a roundup – with tips to maximize your performance.
Build the wall
This trademark drill is the hallmark of Cross Fit. In the time allotted, pile as many weighted bricks as you can on top of one another, in an effort to shut down illegal immigration.
Get Handsy
No, not THAT kind of handsy – although Trump’s version of this exercise reportedly has a few variations. We’re talking serious mass-building exercises for ridiculously small hands:
Face time
As you might imagine, Trump Fit is full of exercises for the face:
The “response to criticism.”
The “watching a White House intern.”
And the always-effective “on the attack.”
The Comb-over
What would a Trump Fit workout be without the classic combover? Side lunge to the right, putting about 70 percent of your weight on your right foot, meanwhile pulling an imaginary comb over your head from left to right. Resistance bands and/or hand weights increase the intensity! After 8 to 10 reps, repeat on the other side.
The golf swing
Time to pretend you’re out on the golf course again – for the 110th time after taking office. Just grab a medicine ball, plant your feet shoulder’s width apart and hold the ball straight down in front of you. The strap-on gut simulator, while optional, is highly recommended for strengthening your back. Now swing your arms out to the side, up, and over the opposite shoulder. Swing your arms back down to the starting position. Then, have the limo driver hand you a Big Mac.
Article Brought to you by Thescoopie.com
]]>After all, the search phrase “keto diet” showed the highest growth in 2017 (300 percent!), according to the Google Trends tool. It’s also being touted by celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Halle Berry as a way to lose fat, boost energy and improve mental clarity without being hungry. Meanwhile, social media is abuzz with before-and-after keto photos, the latest ketone drinks and Pinterest boards full of keto-friendly recipes (antipasto skewers, anyone?)
But before you reach for the grass-fed butter, here are seven things to know about this diet du jour.
Watch the protein shakes. A keto diet is a low-carb, moderate protein and high-fat diet designed to put your body into a state called ketosis. Ketosis occurs when your blood sugar is low but there’s too little stored glucose in your body to burn as fuel, so your liver burns stored body fat to produce ketones. These ketones are then used as energy instead of glucose from carbohydrates.
Some protein shakes contain too many carbs – especially whey protein ones used by bodybuilders for massive gains. Other protein shakes don’t contain enough fat – and you’ll need to add the fat you need to burn on a ketogenic diet.
The key here is to read your labels and measure accurately. This is where the cubic centimeter/milliliter measurements on The Scoopie portable scoop-and-funnel combo are helpful.
There are alcoholic drinks that won’t ruin your diet. Of course, if you’re on the ketogenic diet for pure health reasons, alcohol should be an occasional treat at best. However, if you like to have a drink or find yourself in a social drinking situation, it’s safest to stick with pure spirits like whiskey, brandy, cognac, vodka and tequila. They all contain no carbs. A dry martini or gin or vodka with soda water and a twist of lemon of lime also won’t throw you out of ketosis.
Ketosis can reduce inflammation and kill bacterial infections. According to National Institute of Health reports, ketosis fights inflammation by lowering the sugars that are directly correlated with inflammation in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis. The NIH also says it’s linked with the suppression of bacterial infections without the use of antibiotics.
Both findings are why Al Katawazi, 38, of Gilbert, Arizona turned to the diet to cope with the symptoms of Lyme Disease. “I noticed the elimination of pain from systemwide inflammation I deal with on a semi-regular basis,” he says. Ketogenic diets also increase levels of glutathione, which helps detoxify your body (people with autoimmune disease are typically low in glutathione).
You can get the “keto flu!” Also known as the “carb flu,” the keto flu is a natural reaction from the body when it switches to burning fat instead of sugar (glucose). For a few days to a week, some people on the ketogenic diet experience flu-like symptoms such as nausea, drowsiness and body aches. Some even liken it to withdrawal from an addictive substance. To help reduce or eliminate these symptoms, take a daily electrolyte supplement specifically designed for ketogenic diets (many electrolyte sports drinks like Gatorade can contain tons of sugar, which will throw you out of ketosis). Many of these supplements come in powdered form, have to be added to water, and need to be taken after a workout, so again, a portable scoop and funnel like The Scoopie can be your friend when it comes to gym prep. You can also make your own keto-friendly electrolyte drink (sometimes called “KetoRade”) with a cup of water, a teaspoon of mineral sea salt and freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (there are tons of recipes out there – just pick your favorite!)
Keto sharpens mental clarity and focus. That’s because it produces more fatty acids, which are good for your brain. Ketones – the acids that build up in your body while in ketosis – have also been shown to suppress brain glucose consumption, which boosts mental sharpness. “I’ve personally noticed significant boosts in cognitive function on the keto diet,” says Katwazi.
The keto diet can be difficult to sustain. At least that was Katawazi’s experience. “This is a crazy hard diet to maintain and runs the risk of depleting nutrients you body needs to survive and thrive on,” he says. “Also, obtaining the high fat content without taking in too much protein is difficult.” After all, ketosis in and of itself is not healthy – unless you’re making sure you’re getting the right amount of micro and macronutrients. That’s where taking ketogenic diet supplements can help, taking a lot of the guesswork out of the equation. Here’s a great article on ketogenic diet supplements that tells you exactly what you need. In addition to the electrolyte supplements mentioned above, there are some products, like Perfect Keto Base, that help boost ketone levels and put you back in ketosis.
High-fat doesn’t mean any fat. Yes, keto requires you to consume a higher-than-normal amount of fats, but you need to make sure you’re choosing the right ones. Artificial trans fats like the ones in many processed vegetable oils are a no-no, as are the hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils found in processed products like fast food, margarine, cookies and crackers. Instead, make sure you’re eating monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and naturally occurring saturated and trans fats. You can find these “good fats” in butter (grass-fed is preferred), eggs, avocados, fish oil and nuts (pecans, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts and walnuts and coconut are the lowest on carbs – all 2 grams or less per ounce).
]]>Perhaps you’re stuck in a cramped airplane seat. Maybe you’re in a hotel room, suffering from jet lag. Or maybe, the buffets and booze are calling – threatening to undo any gains you’ve made.
Here’s where a little planning and creativity come in handy. With a few fitness hacks for summertime travelers, you can stay on track while taking that trip:
Create an “anywhere exercise” routine. Even if you’re a bodybuilder without your weights, specialized equipment or favorite gym, body resistance exercises can go a long way. Go for the tried-and-true sit ups, Burpees, pushups, crunches and planks, or check out Greatist.com’s 50 Bodyweight Moves You Can Do Anywhere. If you’ve got a bench or step nearby, do some triceps dips. Resistance bands, which won’t add more bulk to your luggage, can help you improve your flexibility and tone.
Drink smarter, not harder. Alcohol seems to be everywhere at summer events, vacations or even work trips involving cocktails with clients. In addition to packing on tons of extra calories, drinking can leave you dehydrated or hung over – not a great state to be in before a workout.
One trick? Limit the size of your drink – to about 8 oz. – and the number of drinks to one, if possible. Another smart idea - limit your consumption to one shot per drink (multi-shot cocktails are often full of sugar and calories). And watch the mixers – they’re often sugary juices or syrups that pile on the carbs. Also, use seltzer or soda water instead of tonic water, which adds a whopping 30.5 grams of sodium and carbs per fluid ounce. For a low-carb sweetener, try a twist of citrus. For added fiber, add a whole piece of fresh fruit.
Don’t forget about water and nutrition. Even if you’re not drinking alcohol, travel can leave you dehydrated or without the proper nutrients for an optimal workout. If you regularly take supplements, keep on taking them, with the idea that everything now needs to travel well. If you’re using protein or other powders and want to add them to bottled water or a shaker bottle while in transit, use a portable measuring scoop and funnel device like The Scoopie to prevent messes and wasted product. Drink water throughout your trip as well, and definitely avoid alcohol before workouts.
Take the stairs. Can’t work up the motivation for your usual fitness routine on vacation? Incorporate exercise into everyday activities. Park farther away. Skip the hotel elevator. Carry your own luggage. Put your kids on your shoulders as you walk around.
Do fun, physical local activities. Even if you’re on a business trip, many local activities are fun and fitness-friendly. Go to some nightclubs and dance the night away. Participate in a local run, biking or walking tour. Rent a bike and check out the scenery.
Avoid temptation by planning ahead. Use “request upon arrival” hotel services to have pre-ordered, healthy food brought to your room after check-in. Or make sure you have a healthy, satisfying snack – such as a handful of nuts, on you when you get there, so you’re not starving and tempted by all the fat bombs on the hotel menu. If you’re going to be out for the day, pack your own nutritious snacks and plenty of water.
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Natural Products Association Member
United Natural Products Alliance Member
Address: 70 Carolyn Boulevard
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Phone: 855-492-7388
Email: info@nutrasciencelabs.com
2. ABH Nature
ABH Nature's has been around since 1995 and has grown to 100,000 Square Feet do to their relentless pursuit of product quality and excellence. They offer an incredibly wide range of products and services that can be viewed at https://www.abhnatures.com/about-us/
FDA Approved Facility
GMP Approved Facility
Address: 131 Heartland's Boulevard
Edgewood, NY 11717
Phone: 855-875-2220
Email: sales@abhnatures.com
3. Custom Nutraceuticals
http://www.customnutraceuticals.net
Custom Nutra has had an incredible rise due to their 24/7 hustle and precision for quality. Known as a flavor God, they have come to known as a manufacturer that truly understands the market for their clients.
FDA Approved Facility
GMP Approved Facility
Address: 80 Orville Drive, Suite 112
Bohemia, NY 11716
Phone: 631-883-4444
Email: sales@customnutraceuticals.net
4. Vitamix Labs
Globally recognized with 27 brands in 9 countries, Vitamix Labs is all about helping you build a brand. They know the importance of not only a quality good yet also the importance of making sure you have all the tools you require to excel on the open market.
FDA Approved Facility
GMP Approved Facility
Address: 69 Mall Drive
Commack, NY 11725
Phone: 866-976-0004
Email: info@vitamixlabs.com
5. Bactolac Pharmaceuticals
With a 350,000 Square Foot facility, it is easy to see that Bactolac provides superior products. Providing a full turn-key facility, Bactolac has the capabilities of providing your brand with any type of product you need.
FDA Approved Facility
GMP Approved Facility
NSF Approved Facility
Address: 7 Oser Avenue
Hauppauge, NY 11788-3808
Phone: 631-951-4908
Email: sales@bactolac.com
6. Makers Nutrition
https://www.makersnutrition.com/
Makers provides one of the most state of the art facilities decked out with high capacity output machines. New isn't always better yet having the latest technology and machinery allows Makers to provide services that many others cannot.
FDA Approved Facility
GMP Approved Facility
NSF Approved Facility
Address: 315 Oser Ave
Hauppauge, NY 11788
Phone: 1-844-215-3863
Email: sales@makersnutrition.com
7. NutraBio
If you don't know who Mark Glazier is, than you should Google him immediately. Known as one of the most knowledgeable and outspoken members of the supplement community, Mark and NutraBio, live, breath, eat and sleep quality over everything. If you don't believe it, just take a look at their website and various articles all across the web of all of the amazing Awards and the lengths they will go to ensure top notch goods, each and every time.
FDA Approved Facility
GMP Approved Facility
Orthodox Union Kosher Certification
Address: 564 Lincoln Boulevard
Middlesex, NJ 08846
Phone: 888-688-7224
Email: customercare@nutrabio.com
8. Command Nutritionals
http://www.commandnutritionals.com
Command has silently launched some of the biggest brands on the market since 1972. They continue to excel at the creation of some of the most cutting edge products used today.
FDA Approved Facility
GMP Approved Facility
Address: 10 Washington Avenue
Fairfield, NJ 07004
Phone: 973-227-8210
Email: info@commandnutritionals.com
9. SDC Nutrition
Having some of the fastest turnaround times on the market definitely makes SDC one of the go to supplement manufacturer's in 2018. They also provide Free Formulations and an insane 24 Hour Quote, Guaranteed. When you don't have time to waste, who you gonna call? SDC Nutrition, Baby!
FDA Approved Facility
GMP Approved Facility
Address: 170 Industry Drive
Pittsburg, PA 15275
Phone: 412-275-3351
Email: info@sdcnutrition.com
The Scoopie is a packaging supplier, manufacturer and distributor of their patented scoop and funnel. It is the easiest way to take your supplements while avoiding unnecessary messes and spills. Simply Scoop, Snap, Flip and Pour.
]]>1. Do your research, always! - Whether its asking a friend, reading reviews or Googling the information yourself, make sure you are receiving top quality products from top quality brands. Many products don't always live up to the label and sometimes friends can be biased towards a brand based on affiliations, so proper research can the difference between reaching those goals and being disappointed in your choice of product. Each person's body is different so take that into account as well.
2. Make sure you take the right amount at the right time. - It's important to not under do it or overdo and supplement product. If you weight 185 pounds, typically, your body typically requires 185+ grams of protein to build muscle and grow, so taking less than that would defeat the purpose. The same can be said for taking too much protein or too much pre-workout, which can lead to heart issues due to the caffeine intake. So please be careful, read the labels and know your body.
3. Have the proper tools to transport powder from container to container. - Making sure you don't spill powder or have it clump, is very important as well. wasting expensive product is the last thing you want to do with your hard earned dollars. So prepare yourself with tools like The Scoopie or a Shaker Bottle to ready the potential risk of spilling powder everywhere.
Reference From - https://www.instagram.com/p/BfJlnDYhA9T/?taken-by=thescoopie
]]>A dosage of 8 g of hydrolyzed collagen as a daily supplementation is recommended for at least 4 – 12 weeks has been shown to bring about improvement in metabolism thus adding lean muscle mass and in the formation of muscle tissue thus recommended for post workout.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a protein made of a triple helix that consists of two similar chains and another chain that is different in its chemical composition. The composition of amino acid in collagen is unlike that of most proteins due to its high hydroxyproline content. Glycine-X-hydroxyproline and glycine-proline-X are the commonest motifs in the sequence of amino acids of collagen. X is normally any other amino acid other than hydroxyproline, proline, or glycine.
It is the major building block of connective tissues, joints, and bones. Dietary sources of collagen include foods like collagen-rich animal organs, bones, fatty cuts of meat, and skin. Connective tissues form the second largest organ and mass of the body and form a large part of tendons, ligaments, bones, cartilage, and muscles are made up of mostly collagen.
It is worth noting that there are different types of collagen and each has its unique benefits.
Type 1: This the most abundant and usually considered the strongest since it is made up of eosinophilic fibers It aids in bone formation and in holding together tissue thus preventing tearing.
Type 2: Majorly helps in the formation of cartilage primarily found in connective tissue. The wellbeing of our joint is dependent on cartilage formed out of type 2 collagen.
Type 3: This is made of reticular fibers and is majorly found in the extracellular matrix of internal organs and skin. It is normally found with type 1 and aids in giving the skin its firmness and elasticity.
Other types include Type 4, 5 and 10 which are found in lower quantities in the body and play a minor role in the general health of a person.
Chronic, strenuous exercises, as well as the aging process, leads to collagen degeneration. However, the degradation occurs slowly over a long period of time and progressive development of symptoms such as pain occur only in advanced stages. This is why as a fitness enthusiast there is need to consume collagen throughout your training especially for post workout.
Recommended Dosages and Side Effects
There is currently no standardized recommended dosage for collagen supplements from the FDA, thus, users should actively consult with a doctor and closely review the manufacturer's recommended dose information prior to taking products that have collagen.
However, most trusted sources recommend 400 mg capsules, to be taken three times daily. While doing so it is recommended that you drink at least 1.5 liters of water daily in a bid to get the maximum benefits out of the ingested collagen especially when it for post workout.
Supplementation with high doses of collagen has been found to bring about some side effects one of them being hypercalcemia which is simply high levels of calcium in the body as documented by MedlinePlus a website associated with the National Institute of Health. Consequently, bring about complications such as bone pain, constipation, nausea, and vomiting. Other side effects include hypersensitivity reactions and bad taste in the mouth.
Products That Contain Collagen
Collagen is readily available from retailers that specialize in natural supplements as well as drug stores. Some of the products containing collagen include:
Pure Marine Collagen Peptide Powder - packed with 30 servings of 6.6 gm of collagen
Collagen Advanced Formula – 18 amino acids and 6 gm of collagen per serving
Super Collagen + C – 6 gm of collagen per serving
Neocell Super Powder Collagen - 30 servings of 6.6 gm per container, and is gluten and soy free
Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptides - 41 servings of 11 gm per container and is paleo-friendly, gluten and soy free.
Youtheory Collagen Advanced Formula – 6 gm per serving, hydrolyzed and gluten, dairy and soy free.
https://www.cognitune.com/collagen-powder-benefits/]]>
Beta-alanine is a naturally-occurring beta-amino acid that shares a similar chemical structure with both GABA and L-glycine. It helps to stimulate the production of carnosine by mixing with the essential acid L-histamine, which in turn works to moderate levels of acidity (pH) in muscle tissues, allowing athletes to delay the onset and severity of muscle fatigue during high-intensity activities.
According to a study by the the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) "daily supplementation with 4 to 6 g of beta-alanine for at least 2 to 4 weeks has been shown to improve exercise performance", and that "beta-alanine attenuates neuromuscular fatigue....and may improve tactical performance".
What Is Beta-Alanine?
Beta-alanine, also known as 3-aminoproplonic acid, is known as a non-essential amino acid because it can be naturally produced within the body. Beta-alanine can also be derived from dietary sources such as beef, chicken, pork, and seafod, and through supplementation.
Beta-alanine works by bonding with histidine, another amino acid, to produce carnosine (also known as L-carnosine), a dipeptide molecule that's found in high concentrations throughout the tissues of the brain and muscles. Carnosine has been shown to act as a neurotransmitter, helping to improve cognitive functioning by reducing oxidization within the brain.
When consumed as a dietary supplement, beta-alanine is absorbed into skeletal muscle via the bloodstream, where it then binds with L-histidine to form carnosine.
As people age, naturally-occurring levels of beta-alanine and other non-essential amino acids within the body begin to decline, which some researchers believe is linked to age-related muscle degeneration, fatigue, and dementia.
A study on the effect of beta-alanine supplementation on muscle fatigue in participants aged 55-92 years old concluded that "BA supplementation....improves muscle endurance in the elderly" as a result of improved "intracellular pH control", which in turn may "have importance in the prevention of falls" among older adults.
Researchers are also reviewing reports that beta-alanine may have a positive impact of children with autism following unconfirmed reports that supplementation with beta-alanine improves neurotransmitter functioning among children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Recommended Dosages and Side Effects
There are currently no standardized recommended dosages for beta-alanine supplementation available from the FDA, therefore, users should consult with their doctor and review manufacturers' recommended dose information before taking products containing beta-alanine.
Studies of beta-alanine supplementation use daily dosages ranging from 2400 mg (800 mg x 3 daily) up to 4.8 grams per day.
Supplementation with moderate dosages of beta-alanine is considered to be safe, and the only reported side effect is the development of acute paresthesia - an uncomfortable burning, itching, or hot flush sensation that manifests on the scaple, ears, and/or face. Parasthesia related to beta-alanine supplementation tends to disappate within about 60-90 minutes of onset, and the risk of suffering from "pins and needles" sensations can be reduced by cutting back on the dosage of beta-alanine.
Products That Contain Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is readily available from drug stores other retailers who specialize in natural supplements. It can be found in a variety of products, including:
Now Sports Beta-Alanine Powder - 2,000 mg (2g) beta-alanine per serving
Optimum Nutrition Threshold (Powder) - 1.6 g beta-alanine per serving; also contains L-Histidine, Silicon Dioxide, DiMagnesium Phosphate
Prolab Nutrition Beta-Alanine Extreme - 800 mg beta-alanine per 2-capsule serving; also contains 75 mg L-Histidine per serving
GNC Pro Performance Beta-Alanine - 3200 mg beta-alanine per 4-tablet serving; also contains cellulose, mica, caramel color
]]>Alpha-GPC is a water-soluble, all-natural compound that is found both within the human body and a number of foods and plants, such as milk, organ meats, wheat germ, and soy. University studies have demonstrated that supplementation with A-GPC can give athletes a powerful boost in their isometric strength, and in Europe, high doses of prescription-strength Alpha-GPC is often used to treat patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
What Is Alpha-GPC?
Alpha-GPC, also known as alpha-glycerophosphocholine, A-GPC, or glycerophosphocholine is a natural compound known as a nootropic - a.k.a. a 'smart drug'.
Nootropics are synthetic drugs and naturally-occurring compounds that have been shown to improve cognitive functioning by enhancing the amount of Choline in the brain. Choline is converted into a neurotransmitter known as acetycholine, which is critical for cognitive functions related to memory.
As people age, Choline stores are depleted - this results in a natural deterioration of cognitive skills. Alpha-GPC supplements may help to replace diminishing levels of Choline in the brain, helping to both prevent the onset of age-related cognitive decline and treat conditions that are linked to low Choline levels.
Alpha-GPC also stimulates the natural production of human growth hormone, and some users report feeling more mentally alert while taking Alpha-GPC products.
Recommended Dosages and Side Effects
There are currently no standardized recommended dosages available from the FDA or any other government agency, therefore, people who are interested in taking Alpha-GPC should consult with their doctor and follow the dosage directions provided by the supplement manufacturer.
Generally speaking, most Alpha-GPC producers recommend that healthy adults take 250mg to 600 mg per day, however, some users report taking 1000mg or more daily, especially when combining Alpha-GPC in a 'nootropic stack' - a combination of compounds designed to enhance the positive effects of each specific ingredient.
In Europe, Alpha-GPC is sold as a prescription medication in both oral tablets and injectibles, with doses of 1200 mg daily used to treat Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and dementia.
It's important to note that because Alpha-GPC impacts neurotransmitters, it's effects may be heightened, diminished, or otherwise altered when taken in combination with other medications that have a similar effect on the brain and nervous system.
There are reports that the anti-nausea prescription drug Scopolamine (Transderm Scop) can act against the primary action of Alpha-GPC; this is due to the fact that Scopolamine works by blocking the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine, thereby counter-acting the Acetylcholine-boosting properties of A-GPC. As a result, taking Alpha-GPC while using Scopolamine may diminish the desired effects of both substances.
At this time, there is no research available to demonstrate whether or not Alpha-GPC is safe for use during pregnancy.
Products That Contain Alpha-GPC
A number of Alpha-GPC products are available in a variety of forms, including vegetarian-friendly capsules, softgels, and powders, including:
Double Wood Supplements Alpha-GPC - 300 mg capsules (made in the USA)
Life Extension Cognitex (with 600 mg Alpha-GPC per 3 capsule dose) - Softgels (also contains Gastrodin, Phosphatidylserine, Grape seed extract, and Vinpocetine
Powder City 50% Alpha-GPC Powder - 300 mg Alpha-GPC per serving (contains Silicon Dioxide)
Now Foods Alpha GCP - 300 mg veg capsules (also contains Soy, silica, stearic acid)
VitaMonk Alpha GCP - 325 mg capsules (also contains rice flour, vegetable cellulose, talc, silicon dioxide)
]]>When it comes to popular all-natural supplements, Huperzine-A is a quickly gaining attention among fitness buffs, weightlifters, and even mainstream medical practitioners. It's been used to treat everything from muscle strains to schizophrenia, and it's even showing promise for patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
What Is Huperzine-A?
Huperzine-A is a compound that's derived from a plant known as Chinese club moss, a.k.a. firmoss or Huperzia serrata - a native plant of Southeast Asia. In China, the plant is also called Qian Ceng Ta, and it's been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to help relax muscles and tendons, decrease bruising, and boost blood circulation.
Huperzine-A is a highly purified extract that works as a cholinesterase inhibitor - a compound that helps to boost levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, which in turn may assist with cognitive functioning and the prevention of cognitive decline. It has been shown to help increase levels of acetylcholine, a chemical that's contained within nerves to facilitate neuro-transmission between the brain, muscles, and other tissues in the body.
Studies in China have found that Huperzine-A supplements improved the memory of middle-school students who claimed to have memory issues, although a clinical trial of Huperzine-A on early-stage Alzheimer's patients showed no benefit. By contrast, a similar study conducted in China by scientists at Zhejiany Medical University found that Huperzine-A produced positive results in the memory, cognitive functioning, and behavior of Alzheimer's patients, with no severe side effects reported.
Recommended Dosages and Side Effects
At this time, there are no standardized recommended dosages for the use of Huperzine-A available from the FDA or any other government agency; therefore, people who are interested in taking Huperzine-A should consult with their medical provider and follow the dosage directions provided by the manufacturer.
Most research studies using Huperzine-A have used daily doses ranging for 50 mcg twice daily up to 200 mcg twice daily.
It's important to note that because Huperzine-A contains a chemical that impacts neurotransmitters, it may have an adverse effect if taken in combination with other medications that have a similar effect on the brain and nervous system.
Reported side effects from Huperzine-A users include nausea, diarrhea, sweating, and restlessness; as well as cramping, urinary incontinence, elevated blood pressure, and decreased heart rate.
Products That Contain Huperzine-A
A growing number of bodybuilding and alternative health products now contain Huperzine-A, including:
Source Naturals - Huperzine-A - 200 mcg tablets
Absorb Health - Huperzine-A - 200 mcg capsules (contain maltodextrin, silica)
GNC Herbal Plus Huperzine-A 50 mcg (contains Dicalcium Phosphate, Cellulose) - Vegetable Cellulose Capsule
Life Extension Huperzine-A 200 mcg - Vegetarian capsules, includes maltodextrin, microcrystalline cellulose, stearic acid, silica
Solaray Huperzine-A 50 mcg gelatin capsules (contain silica magnesium, stearate, gotu kola, and lecithin)
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