Rich Fit / What You Need To Know....

PROTEIN & SUPPLEMENT STRATEGIES FOR OPTIMUM TRAINING RESULTS

This formula incorporates all the latest sports supplement research, and we reveal the reasons behind these recommendations. However, if you’re the type who hedges bets, you may be more inclined to take in only one protein shake before or after your workout. Doing so will give you a big advantage over those who forgo their workout nutrition altogether, but may provide slightly less growth than our comprehensive formulation. We recommend that you go for the full monty.

Whether you want to take a protein supplement before or after your workouts, or at both times, AbFitt gives you the perfect formula for your schedule and needs. You’ll find that your time in the gym will be better spent.

THE PERFECT WORKOUT PRESCRIPTION
To get the best results possible from your nutrition plan, you need to take in a protein shake both before and after your workout.

PREWORKOUT
Take in a preworkout meal with the following ingredients in the 30 minutes before you train. Consume all the carbs and drink about half to two-thirds of this protein shake before a workout.

40 g whey protein
40 g slow-digesting carbs such as oatmeal, fruit, whole-wheat bread or sweet potatoes
3–5 g of creatine
3–5 g arginine
5 g BCAAs
5 g glutamine
Mix with about 20–30 oz water.

DURING WORKOUT
Add 20-30 ounces of water to the remains of your protein shake, and continue to sip it between sets. Finish this drink about two-thirds of the way through your workout.

AFTER WORKOUT

Drink a protein shake with the following ingredients immediately following your workout.

40 g protein
60–80 g fast-digesting carbs (sugar)
3–5 g creatine
5 g BCAAs
5 g glutamine

SINGLE-SHAKE SUCCESS
You may not always have the time or willingness to drink protein shakes before, during and after your workouts. While you will see optimal results from doing so, you can still get impressive results from drinking one shake before or after your workout. Here are the formulas for the best preworkout and post-workout shakes when you don’t plan to drink both.

PREWORKOUT SHAKE
Take in a preworkout meal with the following ingredients in the 30 minutes before you begin your workout.

50–60 g protein
80 g slow-digesting carbs, such as oatmeal, fruit, whole-wheat bread or sweet potatoes
5 g creatine
5 g arginine
10 g BCAAs
10 g glutamine

POST-WORKOUT
If you skipped your preworkout shake, then follow these guidelines for your post-workout shake:

50–60 g protein
80 g fast-digesting carbs (sugar)
5 g creatine
10 g BCAAs
10 g glutamine

What's Shakin'?
Here’s the scoop behind what’s in your scoop of protein powder.

WHEY Whey protein (about 20% of the protein in milk) is the fastest-digesting protein, making it an excellent pre- and post-workout choice. Its amino acids hit your bloodstream quickly, helping to stop muscle breakdown during workouts and jump-start the muscle-building process that comes with recovery. Whey also has a high concentration of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) — leucine, isoleucine and valine. These aminos, especially leucine, help to stimulate physiological processes that result in muscle growth. BCAAs also spike insulin levels, and insulin is an anabolic hormone that drives amino acids and glucose to your muscles to stimulate growth and recovery.

CASEIN Casein makes up the remaining fraction of milk protein (about 80%). Casein, however, is slow-digesting, meaning that it provides a slower, steadier release of amino acids. Recent research shows that casein increases muscle protein synthesis after workouts and may be as good as, or even a better than, whey. For best results, choose a protein product that contains both whey and casein.

SLOW-DIGESTING CARBS These carbs include yams, brown rice, oatmeal, fruit and whole-grain products such as whole-grain breads and pasta. These foods are digested slowly, meaning that the carbs they contain are released into the bloodstream as glucose at a slow rate. The advantage of this is that insulin levels are kept low, helping you to maintain energy levels for a longer period of time and reduce the likelihood of storing these carbs as body fat. Slow-digesting carbs are a good choice before workouts to enhance energy and promote fat burning.

FAST-DIGESTING CARBS These carbs include sugar, sports drinks, white-flour products such as plain bagels and white bread, and white potatoes. Fast-digesting carbs enter your bloodstream quickly as glucose, spiking insulin levels. While this is an undesirable effect at most times of day, it’s important to consume fast-digesting carbs after workouts because the insulin that is released in response to them helps drive muscle growth and recovery.

GLUTAMINE This is one of the most important amino acids for supporting health, muscle growth and recovery. The digestive system has a high demand for glutamine, and if you don’t have enough available, your body will break down muscle mass to get it. Supplementing with this amino helps spare the glutamine in your muscles. Glutamine also buffers the effects of intense exercise that tear down muscles, and it boosts growth-hormone levels to support muscle growth.

BCAAs These amino acids are critical for the manufacture, maintenance and repair of muscle tissue. Research on leucine, one of the three BCAAs, demonstrates that it stimulates protein synthesis, enhancing muscle growth. The BCAAs also help boost insulin release. After your workouts, this anabolic hormone stimulates muscle growth and drives nutrients, including amino acids, glucose and creatine to your muscle cells. BCAAs also help blunt cortisol levels, the catabolic hormone that leads to muscle breakdown. While you’ll get BCAAs in your protein (especially whey), it’s a good idea to add more to shakes for the specific advantages that BCAAs provide.

CREATINE Creatine is made from three amino acids: arginine, glycine and methionine. Supplementing with creatine before your workouts helps to keep your muscles saturated with creatine, producing the rapid energy your muscles need to enhance workouts. Creatine also helps to make your muscles stronger by pulling more water into muscle cells. For best results, take a dose of creatine before and after you work out to help keep creatine levels high and to replenish them after training.

ARGININE This amino acid is readily converted to nitric oxide (NO) in your body. NO is involved in numerous bodily functions that support muscle growth. The most important of these is vasodilation. Arginine supplementation helps to increase the diameter of blood vessels, resulting in an increase in blood flow to your muscles. This allows for a greater delivery of nutrients, oxygen and anabolic hormones to the muscle you’re working. It also creates a bigger pump during the workout. Finally, arginine also boosts growth-hormone levels. All of these effects are critical for muscle growth.

10 Packaged Foods You Shouldn't Buy

1. Canned soup: This typically contains large amounts of processed salt, additives, MSG, and genetically engineered ingredients. Many companies also still use cans with bisphenol-A (BPA) in the lining. This plastic chemical has been identified as a potent endocrine disruptor, which means it mimics or interferes with your body's hormones and "disrupts" your endocrine system.
Fortunately, making home-made soup is easy to learn and ensures you know exactly what's in it.
tips:

1. "Sign up for a CSA [local community supported agriculture] box and you'll have lots of crazy fruits and vegetables on hand to make soup.
2. Invest in a hand blender... we use ours every single day and it's so much easier to blend the soup right in the pot.
3. Make your own stock!" 
2. Stock and Bouillon: Making stock is even easier than making soup. Instead of composting potato peels, onion skins, leek tops, eggplant stems and whatever else you happen to be left with, freeze them and make stock when you have enough to make a batch of vegetable stock.



3. Canned Beans: Just like soup, beans taste better and fresher, and are better for you, if you buy them dried and prepare them at home -- and again, this way you'll ensure your beans aren't laced with BPA. CookingManager.com offers all sorts of cooking tips, including how to prepare dried beans from scratch.³ Commercially prepared beans are also typically cooked at very high heat for short periods of time, which is not as good as cooking them longer at lower temperatures.
When foods are cooked at high temperatures, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are produced. These compounds, which stimulate cells to produce proteins that cause inflammation, can be toxic to the body. AGEs are normally produced at a slow rate, but the rate increases when food is highly heated. There is also a substantial body of evidence supporting the notion that heat treatment of food alters, damages or destroys many nutrients in the food.
Think dried beans are too time consuming?


"In reality, it takes around three minutes to put the beans in some water, another minute to change that water during soaking, and then about five more minutes to put them on the stove. All the beans you'll eat all week in less than 10 minutes."


4. Hummus: Making your own hummus using fresh chickpeas takes just minutes once you get the hang of it, and gives you the freedom to season it to taste. 
5.  
6. Cereal: Most cereal is a combination of high-fructose corn syrup and GM corn, and cereals marketed to children are the worst offenders. According to one 2008 study, one serving of cereal equated to 11 percent of the daily limit of added sugar for active boys aged 14 to 18 years old, and an astounding 92 percent of the daily sugar intake for sedentary girls aged 9 to 13.⁴
Reducing sugar intake should be on the top of your list regardless of whether you or your child is currently overweight, because it's been proven over and over that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging, and more.
While the featured article points out that you can make muesli in a matter of minutes, sans added sugars, I don't recommend eating grain carbs for breakfast, even if it doesn't have any added sugars. Instead, I recommend focusing on protein for breakfast, such as easily-digested whey protein.
Look for high quality whey protein derived from grass-fed, non-hormonally treated cows that's been minimally processed. This ensures it still contains beneficial immuno components, including immunoglobins, bovine serum albumin, and lactoferins, in addition to all the key amino acids and other beneficial nutrients you typically get from a high quality whey protein. Organic, pastured eggs are another excellent breakfast food, as long as it's consumed as close to raw as possible. Avoid scrambled eggs, as cooking destroys many of the beneficial nutrients.


7. Microwave popcorn: Perfluoroalkyls — chemicals used to keep grease from leaking through fast food wrappers — are being ingested by people through their food and showing up as contaminants in their blood. One common source of these hazardous chemicals is — you guessed it — microwave popcorn bags...
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been linked to infertility and a slew of other health problems. For example, these "gender-bending" chemicals can disrupt your endocrine system and affect your sex hormones, but they've also been linked to thyroid disease, cancer, immune system problems, and increased LDL cholesterol levels.
Popping popcorn "from scratch" on the stove is simple, and gives you the option to salt and season to taste. I recommend using tasty and nutritious Himalayan Pink salt instead of processed table salt. Microwave popcorn typically contains harmful trans fats (although some brands will use the healthier palm oil rather than canola or soybean oil). If you choose to consume popcorn (it is not the healthiest food out there) you can at least use organic corn and a far healthier oil like organic virgin coconut oil and smoother it with raw grass-fed organic butter.


8. Bottled water and "functional" waters: Plain, pure water is by far the most healthful beverage you can conceive of, and you need water to survive. However, slick marketing campaigns have managed to turn an essential part of your diet into a pure disaster... We now have an ever-widening array of flavored water, "zero calorie" water, and so-called "enhanced" or "functional" water products on the market.
Avoid them all.
Typically, they will add artificial sweeteners and dyes, listed in virtually microscopic four-point font hidden on the bottom or side of the bottle. These enhanced water products can also contain enormous amounts of sugar and fructose, adding to the numerous health problems caused by both excessive fructose consumption and genetically engineered ingredients (as an unknown amount of high fructose corn syrup is made from genetically engineered corn). Clearly, any type of water other than purified water is NOT going to improve your health, and should be avoided entirely.
Additionally, plastic chemicals can leach out of the bottles and contaminate the water, like phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA). Then there's the issue with all that plastic trash being generated, which is wreaking havoc on our environment. Your best bet for clean, pure water is to simply install a high quality water filter for your tap, or entire home.


9. Fruit and vegetable juices: Fruit juices are far worse then vegetable juices and should be avoided as it is far better to have the whole unprocessed fruit. While labels promise the contents are "100 percent juice," there's virtually no such thing when you're buying commercial juice. Not only does the flavor come courtesy of professional flavor and fragrance chemists, fruit juice is also notoriously high in fructose, whether it's from added high fructose corn syrup or naturally-occurring fructose in the fruit.
You're better off juicing vegetables at home to boost the nutrition of your overall diet. Raw vegetable juice teems with valuable and sensitive micronutrients that become damaged or destroyed when the juice is pasteurized, so avoid the store-bought versions and juice your own from scratch instead. Raw juice can be likened to a "living broth." It is the closest transfer of solar energy (biophotons) directly to you that we know of. Additionally, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes can be rapidly absorbed. The benefits of raw organic vegetable juice are numerous. For example, it can help:

• Promote weight loss.
• Boost your immune system by supercharging it with concentrated phytochemicals.
• Increase energy. When your body has an abundance of the nutrients it needs, and your pH is optimally balanced, you feel energized. Since it can be utilized by your body immediately, those who juice report feeling the "kick" of energy almost instantly.
• Support brain health. People who drank juices (fruit and vegetable) more than three times per week, compared to less than once a week, were 76 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to the Kame Project.⁵
 One important factor to keep in mind is that, since vegetable juice is very perishable, it's best to drink all of your juice right after you make it. However, if you're careful, you can store it for up to 24 hours with only moderate nutritional decline.
Additionally there is the concern that free methanol will be created once you process the juice and store it in a container. Methanol (wood alcohol) has been associated with autoimmune diseases like MS. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain small amounts of naturally-occurring methanol. Normally this is not a problem as the methanol is typically bound to pectin, and since your body has no enzyme to metabolize that bond, it is simply excreted in your stool and none of the methanol is absorbed into your body. However, the problem occurs when you can or bottle fruit or vegetable juice, as the methanol tends to then dissociate from the pectin into free methanol, which you do absorb.
The methanol you absorb readily passes the blood brain barrier where it can be converted to form formaldehyde, which is a potent toxin that actually causes most of the damage.


10. Yogurt: Kefir or traditionally fermented yoghurt is chock full of healthful bacteria (probiotics). In ancient times, food preservation was accomplished through lacto-fermentation, a process that adds a host of beneficial micro-organisms to food. This makes them easier to digest, and increases the healthy flora in your intestinal tract.
But don't expect to be able to pick up the real deal in your local supermarket. Pasteurized products will not provide you with these health benefits, as the pasteurization process destroys most of the precious enzymes and other nutrients.

^10. Fermented vegetables: Cultured or fermented foods have a very long history in virtually all native diets, and have always been highly prized for their health benefits. The culturing process produces beneficial microbes that are extremely important for human health as they help balance your intestinal flora, thereby boosting overall immunity. Moreover, your gut literally serves as your second brain, and even produces more of the neurotransmitter serotonin — known to have a beneficial influence on your mood — than your brain does, so maintaining a healthy gut will benefit your mind as well as your body. Fermented foods are also some of the best chelators and detox agents available, meaning they can help rid your body of a wide variety of toxins, including heavy metals.

Queens Of Lean...The Ladies Of ABFITT

(Mimi, Miami)

   
        LIKE ABFITT ON FACEBOOK

 Over the years ABFITT has featured some very special woman. These woman stand out. Having achieved success in being mom's, wives, Grandmother's and driven career oriented individuals. Passionate about life and their personal health and fitness. Today I am honored to once again visit these great gals and share with you these true examples of commitment, balance, drive, discipline and BAD ASS bodies!!

(Janet Lee, Alabama)

 Mother of seven & AbFitt favorite Janet "No excuses" Lee. (pictured right) her amazing work ethic and no nonsense approach to fitness, became an overnight favorite of AbFitt readers. Amazingly she has surpassed Trainer to the stars "Mark Twight" & the Internet darling "Chicken Tuna" as the most downloaded person from AbFitt, over 2500 hits to her picture in one week.

Hamburg Germany's, Latina Wanda

http://abfitt.blogspot.com/2010/10/want-legs-like-this-heres-all-you-need.htm

(Melanie Townsend South Carolina)

 Melanie Townsend, age 45, (pictured right) "I’ve always been kind of active with tennis, rollerblading, and running. Never lifted weights. I mean I played around with some 5 and 10 lb dumbbells, but that was it. I only started lifting heavy in June 2010".
" I had gained some weight last year, I was up to 155 lbs, which at 5’9” isn’t that bad, but I decided to lose 20 lbs by June, when my husband and I were going on a cruise to the Bahamas. I accomplished this, and just kept feeling better. My husband lifts weights, and he was always trying to get me to lift heavy, but I wasn’t sure it was for me..now I know that it is, I’ve never felt better in my life, FULL of energy. I feel better than I did at my age, than I did at 25, AND I look better! (No kidding!)"
http://abfitt.blogspot.com/2010/09/not-so-average-jill-melanie-townsend.html

(Kim Seymour, PA)

Trishann Green
(left)

Kim Seymour, (pictured left) 32 year old professional, spends 5 to 6 days per week in the gym. Kim prepares her food in advance and supplements to support her training and her bodies needs. Kim believes in split training as well as full body routines. "You have to keep your body guessing so you keep your body changing".

(Sandy Urland, PA)

 Working out has always been a part of my life. I don't ever want to be fat and out of shape...it's one of my biggest fears but I do like my sweets and this is how I can enjoy them and not feel so guilty.

Working out makes me feel good, wakes me up in the morning, keeps me strong and tone, keeps me younger and healthier. There is nothing bad about it.

I work out at home because it's convenient, inexpensive and I can do it on my time and not have to worry about driving anywhere. The key to working out at home though is variety. I have all kinds of workout videos/dvds from kickboxing, pilates, weight training, step aeorbics, dance, and cardio plus I run on a treadmill and ride bike (indoor and out). I sometimes do 10-15 minutes of each that way I don't get bored. I workout for at least 60-90 minutes 5 times a week. I used to work out 7 days a week but that was when all I believed in was cardio. Over time I have learned that you must weight train also. It's good for your muscles and helps you burn fat faster! My husband used to always tell me this and I would never listen to him but then I started reading Women's Health Magazines and found out that he was right!

(Kimmie PKFITNESSFORLIFE, Mass)
http://abfitt.blogspot.com/2012/12/introducing-pk-fitnessforlife.html
 Guest writer & model PK Fitnessforlife.

45 year old Facebook Sensation & inspiration to many, spreading her daily dose of self worth, kindness towards others and achieving personal empowerment through health/fitness of both body and mind. ABFITT would like to introduce you to Kimmie PK Fitnessforlife.

Mother to her 8 year old Little Boy & lifelong resident of Western Massachusetts, upon overcoming an abusive marriage (6 years ago) sought personal empowerment in the gym and developing a personal mental conditioning strategy that is offered to clients through her PK Fitnessforlife program

 

http://www.facebook.com/platinumkimmie

Nancy Reinhardt, Atlanta GA 

(Julie Mertz Fry)

  

Introducing PK Fitnessforlife ...

 Today Guest writer & model PK Fitnessforlife.

 

Facebook Sensation & inspiration to many, spreading her daily dose of self worth, kindness towards others and achieving personal empowerment through health/fitness of both body and mind. ABFITT would like to introduce you to Kimmie PK Fitnessforlife. Enjoy and be inspired!

Mother to her 8 year old Little Boy & lifelong resident of Western Massachusetts (born in 1967)
upon overcoming an abusive marriage (6 years ago) sought personal empowerment in the gym and developing a personal mental conditioning strategy that is offered to clients through her PK Fitnessforlife program

           http://www.facebook.com/platinumkimmie

 

PK:   Optimum health and fitness is only achieved when every aspect of who (mind & body) you are, is called into play and exercised.  There is not much point in buffing the chasse and shining the wheels of that high performance sports car if you later fill it with inferior fuel and park it in a land mine field.  Far too many people work tirelessly on building there muscles yet undermine their efforts with hyper-self criticism.  Have you ever talked with someone at the Gym who shares their frustration at never skipping a workout and eating clean yet not seeing the results they feel their efforts warrant? 

 The emotional and psychological self can undermine the physical self when not trained equally.  It is said that we can only achieve that which we believe and I passionately endorse this and live my life by this code.  Believing in who we are resides in the emotional and psychological self and is the inner fuel that feeds the physical self to grow and improve.  Finding the discipline to consistently go and train at the Gym is also pulled from this part of who we are.  I have found countless people are reluctant to exercise their “self-worth” muscles in fear it is both weak and vein and these are the people I work with.  I remind these individuals that looking inward and working on becoming stronger within takes courage and only achieved by the strong.  If you truly want to grow, improve and strengthen completely you need to perform regular “check-ups from the neck-up”.  Blame, anger, self-pity and avoidance are characteristics of the mentally weak, as well as self deprecation. 

 When we enter this World as newborn infants we have only love and hopeful optimism in our hearts.  The World around us and the life experiences contained within have yet to erode our hope and belief in who we are and what feel we can accomplish.  If only there was curriculum within the school systems to stimulate and strengthen self image and esteem we wouldn’t see so many unhappy adults.  This work is ours and ours alone and there is a wonderful empowerment to be gained in performing the work.  You have already demonstrated that you are a person of discipline and action by walking your talk at the Gym so you are half way there.  First you should smile and become excited because it’s easier then it seems as it is the one and only true area of total control you have in your Life. 

 We Human Beings love control and all too often seek it in every area outside of our attainment.  You can go to the Gym and lift 50 pounds only to be mocked by the person next to you who is lifting 100, you have no control over the level of maturity or decency that person extends to you; but you have 100% control over the reaction you give back.  Never losing sight of your being a total success each and every day you make the effort regardless of how far you progressed, focusing on that single step having propelled you ever forward.  So I applaud and encourage you to continue to fuel your body with clean foods and exercise your muscles with sweating at the Gym but don’t grow mentally lazy and ignore who you are while focused solely on what you do.  Be good to yourself, you are perfect because you are you and if this Planet lived on another 100 trillion years there will never be another you; if that doesn’t demonstrate your perfection I’m not sure what would.  God Bless.

                                                   LIKE US ON FACEBOOK ....ABFITT

The Top Muscle Building Exercises Explained

        Top 7 Muscle Builders 

 

Squats. Squats are the king of all muscle and strength building exercises. No workout should be without deep squats. They are performed with a barbell, generally in a squat rack. Squats not only build massive legs, but also stress most of the upper body. They are like a hormonal nuclear bomb – destroying the entire body, forcing it to get bigger and stronger with ever rep.

Deadlifts. Second only to squats in effectiveness (and a very close second at that), deadlifts are another manmaker that will pack on slabs of muscle mass while helping you become as strong as a bear. Like squats, deadlifts are a barbell only exercise.

Dips. Dips are often called the upper body squat, and for good reason. Dips work the shoulders, chest and triceps very hard, and are a great overall exercises for building a beefy upper body. Dips should be performed at a parallel bar dipping station.

Pull Ups. It seems that even the strongest and most fit lifters can barely squeak out more than a few pull ups. The pull up is an excellent exercise for building the back and biceps, and should be used instead of inferior exercises such as the lat pull down when possible.

Bench Press. The bench press is an upper body staple. There are several highly effective variations including the flat bench barbell press, flat bench dumbbell bench press, incline bench barbell press and incline dumbbell bench press.

Overhead Press. As with the bench press, there are numerous quality variations of the overhead press that can be used. Nearly all seated and standing dumbbell and barbell overhead presses are solid choices. You may also use the Arnold dumbbell press, and behind the neck overhead presses. Another popular press variation is the standing push press.

Rows. Both barbell and dumbbell rows are tremendous upper back exercises. Old school barbell T-bar rows are also a solid choice. While cable and machine lifts are generally sub-par, seated cable rows can be very challenging and effective.

Developing abs is difficult. However, it’s not complicated. There’s a huge difference!

There are really only two questions to be asked then answered when it comes to abdominal development: First, how do you develop your abs? Second, once you have put the work in, how can you get those suckers to actually show themselves?

 To answer the first question, you need to do weighted abdominal  work. That's right I mean using resistance with ab training, just like you do with your other body-part exercises.
As far as resistance goes, crunches just won't cut it, I’m afraid.
To answer the second question, you need to reduce the amount of body fat covering your abs. This you do through cardio and a healthy diet. See, it wasn’t so hard now was it?

Your nutrition:

You’ll need to put some real thought and work into your food intake during the next three weeks, but after that, eating clean will become routine.
Well, most days, anyway. An ab friendly diet can come in various forms, but basic rules apply pretty much across the board:

1. Eat smaller healthy meals and snacks 6 to 8 times a day.
2. Focus on a high protein intake.
3. Eat LOTS of vegetables (if you think you already eat a lot, eat more).
4. Never ever miss breakfast or pre- and post workout meals.
5. Stay away from anything containing sugar.
6. Don’t eat carbs in the evening unless you need to reload after a heavy workout.
7. Drink lots of cold water throughout the whole day.
8. Incorporate high-intensity interval training into your cardio regimen.

 Training:

To start  I suggest combining several weighted ab exercises into an abs super set circuit. (EX: Rope cable crunch, plate seated twist, medicine side to side bounce)

Along with being a major time saver, ab circuits are cardiovascular, which over time will allow you to see those abs being built by the weighted ab  exercises.

When your body becomes accustom to this new work load get creative and pick five exercises that will develop all the muscles in the abdominal wall and do 8 to 12 reps of each, one exercise after the other, until the circuit is complete. Then rest and do them all over again.

 ( Special thanks to guest models, Husband & wife Dan and Julie Frey )

 

 

12 More Tips to Boost Testosterone and Growth Hormone

1. Eat a small meal about 1-2 hours before workouts and again immediately after your workouts.
2. Supplement amino acids (glutamine, BCAAs, arginine) before, during and after workouts ( I love using Jack3d before and X-tend before, during and after).
3. Do high repetition training with shorts breaks.
4. Do maximum intensity training, such as sprints (the very best fat burning exercise there is).
5. Avoid alcohol.
6. Get your body-fat % down because it causes the body to produce more estrogen (sprints plus OxyElite Pro plus CLA plus low carb diet equals my cutting routine).
7. Take short 30 minute naps during the day.
8. Have sex.
9. Don’t over-train (seriously, it’s more important than you might think).
10. Eat a healthy diet high in vegetables and unsaturated fats and take your multivitamin.
11. Don’t forget your supplements!

The Rise To Greatness...Sergio " Maravilla" Martinez

Maravilla.....Sergio Martinez Rise To Greatness.

Middleweight champion of the world Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez returns to action this coming Saturday night September15th in Las Vegas to recapture what was rightfully his. The WBC Middleweight belt that was stripped from him and hand delivered to Chavez Jr. This is a remarkable story of a man's rise to boxing greatness and to the second best pound for pound fighter in the world. From poor and humble beginnings...a gentleman with a soft spoken unassuming demeanor, who in the ring transforms into a relentless knockout artist........ 

The more one thinks about it, the more remarkable Martinez's rise in the last few years seems. Let's take a look back at the emergence of Sergio Martinez.

  A closer Look!

Martinez, 37, turned pro in 1997, and toiled in relative obscurity for years. In 2000, still a welterweight, he was beaten down by Antonio Margarito, after which he went on a tear, winning 27 straight fights before he finally got a shot on HBO in October 2008, facing Alex Bunema.

To say he hit HBO with a splash would be an understatement. Bunema was no top contender, but a quality fighter, and the slick southpaw Martinez made mincemeat of him. Here's what I said at the time:

I've seen Martinez fight a fair amount of times before last night, and he never impressed me. I thought Bunema had a great shot at beating him, because Martinez seemed to be a creation -- a guy with a great-looking record in black-and-white terms, but without much in the way of good wins.

... Martinez was sensational in a one-sided beatdown of Bunema. At age 33, he looks like he's peaking. ... Martinez had Bunema totally off-balance all night, beating him to the punch with ease, popping his jab out at will, and essentially doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He was exceptionally loose in the ring, confident and even cocky at times, holding his hands low, and Bunema could do nothing about it.

It was a star-making performance. Martinez isn't about to headline his own big card or anything, and nobody likes fighting a slick southpaw, but they'll be looking for the biggest possible fights. And with this performance, Martinez deserves it. I've gone from doubter to fan in one fight.

The honeymoon was over just one fight after, when Martinez met former welterweight titlist Kermit Cintron on the Nate Campbell-Ali Fuenka undercard in Florida:

Sergio Martinez and Kermit Cintron went to a majority draw in a fight I thought Martinez clearly won. The fight was plagued by a strange seventh round incident. Cintron went down from a left hand he genuinely believed he was a headbutt, and referee Frank Santore counted him out, and appeared to have called the fight off. Replays showed that Cintron had made it to his feet before the count of ten, and he was incensed that it was (1) called a knockdown, and he was wrong there, and (2) that he appeared to have been counted out, which he was right about.

The fight, which had been an ugly clash of styles before the incident, picked up after it was surprisingly restarted. The draw, I feel, robs Martinez of a win, but neither man exactly made an entertaining fight. Bad Left Hook scored it 117-109 for Martinez. The official judges' scores were 113-113 twice and 116-110 for Martinez.

Though Martinez deserved a win (two, actually), the star quality wasn't there from him on that night. But that was a blip.

Eight months later, Martinez was in his first HBO main event, substituting for middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik, who fell out of a handful of dates with Paul Williams, leaving Williams with no choice but to find a late replacement opponent. It was a marvelous fight, with Martinez going up to 160 for the first time and immediately engaging in a war with "The Punisher":

On paper, it would be a tactical, lefty-versus-lefty affair, probably not very explosive, but a good substitute fight for sure.

It took less than a round for this to turn into a stunningly savage bout. Williams clipped Martinez for a knockdown in the opening round, but just before the end of the frame, Martinez drilled Williams and put him on the canvas. Williams was hurt.

And Williams seemed to fight much of the rest of the bout hurt, too. By the end of it (a decision win for Tall Paul), he seemed to be going purely on instinct. Martinez was able to neutralize Williams with a right hook early that landed at will, and later a straight left hand that kept getting through. But Williams was there, and at some points, he dominated the fight, making exceptional mid-fight changes in his gameplan and going toe-to-toe with Martinez.

It was a fight we just didn't expect to see, and a reminder that a great, great fight can happen when nobody sees one coming. Both of them upped their stock greatly with this outstanding brawl, a must-see fight that turned very good boxers into pure warriors, at least for one night.

Staying at middleweight for his next fight, Martinez was called upon by Pavlik, still the middleweight champ, to be his next challenger. Martinez had physical disadvantages going in -- name, Pavlik was taller and just plain bigger than him, a proven middleweight, even with his then-recent troubles. We know now that Pavlik had done his first rehab stint just before facing Martinez, but both fought well, and Sergio was simply the better fighter.

It was a terrific tactical fight, with some great back-and-forth momentum. Martinez dominated the early portion of the fight, but Pavlik (36-2, 32 KO) charged back in the middle rounds, knocking down Martinez and taking a lead on our card through eight rounds.

But then, it was the Sergio Martinez show. Martinez cut Pavlik up, had him bleeding profusely, and took the fight for the rest of the time left, winning what I felt was a clear and solid decision.

... The times changed tonight, folks. New middleweight champion of the world: Sergio Martinez.

Seven months later, Martinez repaid the favor that Paul Williams did for him the year before, giving him a shot at the middleweight championship. The rematch was highly anticipated. And though it lasted all of four minutes and 10 seconds, no one was disappointed.

This raises Martinez's stock even more. He said that Williams left himself open enough, and that the fight went how he expected it would. Both fighters were throwing punches again, coming out aggressively, though there was more holding in this one than last year.

If only there was much more to say about this one, but there really isn't. After all, not much to report. But it's a can't-miss knockout, and Sergio Martinez is legit as the middleweight champ.

That ended the rise, though: In 2011, Martinez fought Serhiy Dzinziruk and Darren Barker, winning handily both times out as well as destroying #1 contender Mathew Macklin in 11 rounds. Now Sergio at last will get the main stream recognition he so rightly has both earned and deserves. A win over the son of a boxing icon Julio Cesar Chaves Jr and reclaiming his Middleweight Championship that was stripped from him, will have the boxing world on notice. This Saturday in Las Vegas at the Thomas and Mack center live on HBO PPV.
RRS-

The More You Know The More You Grow. Let's Look At The Science Behind Creatine Pre Workout.

Creatine Timing

Despite a relatively long and prosperous existence, there's still considerable debate about when to take creatine. In fact, as time goes by, the subject of timing seems to get even more complicated. Some people take it only after workouts, some before workouts, while others say it doesn't matter. Let's have a quick look at the reasoning behind these ideas and hopefully put this baby to bed.

Taking creatine before a workout initially makes sense, because that way we'll have the creatine readily available during training. Of course, this novice thinking doesn't hold water because it takes a while for creatine to enter the muscle cell where it can enhance performance. In fact, it's been shown that pre-workout creatine consumption has no effect over placebo (19). What's more, we know that the anticatabolic effects of creatine are more long lived and don't suddenly take effect during a workout.

More recently, the pre-workout creatine theory got a big boost from the scientific literature. Tipton and buddies (27) showed that consuming a pre-workout meal enhanced muscle protein synthesis twice as much as the same meal consumed after a workout. This enhanced nutrient delivery and subsequent uptake could, some believe, apply to pre-workout creatine as well.

Unfortunately, we're comparing apples and oranges here. Carbohydrates stimulate blood flow and amino acids stimulate protein synthesis, but creatine does neither. We've also established that the effects of creatine occur long after the workout has occurred, while those of protein and sugars are far more acute. Sadly, the theory of a pre-workout creatine advantage doesn't seem to hold water any way you look at it.

As much as we love complicated scientific theories behind our practices, the post-workout creatine logic is quite simple: workouts deplete creatine, so post-workout we fill it back up. We can also take advantage of our post-workout insulin spike to drive the creatine into our muscles.

Perhaps the most important determinant of when to take creatine is the overwhelming mass of data available from the scientific literature. We have numerous studies showing that post-workout creatine consumption is effective, while the only study for pre-workout intake showed no acute effect.

Bottom Line: We have no scientific data to support pre-workout creatine use, but also none to suggest it's harmful. I'd stick with the tried and true method until evidence to the contrary arrives.

Rich Fit / Nutrition 101

 You probably know the basic principles of building muscle and losing fat. Lift heavy, eat right and get plenty of rest if you want to succeed in this game called fitness. Sometimes, however, people tend to forget basic things that can make them successful athletes and stand out from the crowd. They say that bodybuilding is 70 percent nutrition, so here is a list of useful nutrition reminders to help you build the body of your dreams.

  1. Protein is the base. Your muscles are made of protein and this makes protein the essential macro nutrient you have to consume in order to build muscle mass. You need to consume at least 1.5 - 2.0 grams of protein per pound of your weight every day. This is a must if you plan to actually build muscle instead maintaining it. Good sources of protein include meats like chicken and turkey, eggs, fish - tuna, salmon, talapia and cottage cheese.

  3. Complex carbohydrates throughout the day - oatmeal, brown , potatoes,  pasta etc. and fast carbs right after the workout. Complex carbs will ensure stable insulin levels during the day, they will give you more energy for intensive weight training sessions, while fast carbs will reload the depleted glycogen faster after training.

  4. Eat essential fatty acids. Healthy fats are crucial for numerous body functions such as proper brain and heart activity, hormone regulation and control of energy levels. Great sources of EFAs are nuts and seeds, fish, fish oil, some fruits like avocado and papaya.

  5. Eat your vegetables. Vegetables are a great source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Fiber provides bulk to foods, therefore making you feel fuller longer. It also keeps the the insulin levels and blood sugar levels steady by making the food digest longer.

   6. Don't overeat. If you want to build muscle it's necessary to eat more calories than you burn daily. This, however doesn't mean that you are free to eat tons of calories. Eat only 400-500 calories more than you need to maintain your muscle mass. It's always better to gain slowly but and stay lean, than to gain high percentage of body fat and then cut it down. Calculate your protein needs per meal and try to fulfill your protein needs first. Complete your calorie needs with carbs and then add some fiber.

  7. Don't drop your calories too low. This one applies when you are trying to drop weight. A 400-500 calorie decrease is all that is needed for your body to start burning fat for fuel. Lowering your calories too low for longer periods can cause muscle breakdown for energy. I'm talking about fasting for days here, not hours.

  8. Protein for breakfast. There are studies that say the best breakfast for athletes is a pure protein one. Research has shown that starting your day with a protein food will normalize blood sugar, increase the metabolism and increase the production of anabolic hormones like the growth hormone.

  9. BCAAs pre workout. BCAA will spare your muscles during and help you recover after an intense workout. Try taking a larger amount (10-20 grams) of branched chain amino acids before the workout.

 10. Large amount of carbs after training. Try to eat around 70-80% of your total carbs after the workout. Simple sugars will enter the muscle cells at a quick rate and will react with certain hormones to start the rebuilding process. Try to eat about 50 grams of fast carbs immediately after the workout together with a 30-50 gram whey protein shake. The rest of the carbs should be complex and you should eat them 1 to 2 hours later along with another 50-70 grams of protein.

  11. Rotate the carbs (and calories): The body is a well tuned machine and soon it will adapt to the constant amount of calories. This is why carb cycling will keep the body guessing and help you continue your progress. Try to eat the maintenance amount of calories for a couple of days, followed by a high calorie day and then a low calorie day.

  12. Have a cheat day once per week. Pick a day of the week when you can enjoy your favorite food. After you fulfill your protein needs you can eat whatever you want. This will increase levels  of leptin and help you burn fat and build muscle. Just remember to go back to your diet the next day.


 facebook.com/Abfitt-Building-Better-Bodies