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Get Absolutely Shredded

Get Absolutely Shredded with these tips!

Most of us love to Rock a Shredded Bod, With 6 pack abs, Vascular Arms and a Lean Body! For some it may seem near Impossible, mostly due to lack of direction in Diet and Workout, Some people try years of training and end with no results whatsoever. Why? Because Getting Shredded means losing fat, and losing fat doesn’t come through doing countless reps in your workouts, Losing fat is through 70% of Consistent dieting with a smart and efficient Diet Plan!

Today we at Strong.lk will be giving you a Guide and Tips on how to Shred OFF that Stubborn Fat and Build Some Quality Lean Muscle!

Most of you who have worked out regularly are aware of the best foods to eat in order to gain muscle:

  • Smaller meals should be consumed every 2.5 to 3 hours.
  • At least 30 grams of protein should be consumed with each meal.
  • Don’t disregard your consumption of fats! Make sure healthy fats account for 20 to 30 percent of your daily caloric intake.
  • Focus on high-quality sources of carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and other meals high in complex carbohydrates.

These guidelines are outdated. You have used them, and they are effective. But you now have new objectives. It’s time to lose the weight, sculpt your body, and flaunt your six-pack.

Lets Take into Considering the NO 1 Priority – YOUR DIET. Try to follow these tips :

Calculate Your Calorie Needs

fat loss diet

So how much should you be eating?

Determining calorie count is very individual, and will vary based on height, weight, age, daily activity level, body composition, weight-loss, or gain goals.

“As a quick rule of thumb, you could take your goal weight and add a zero, and then factor your physical activity.” (More active, add a couple hundred calories.)

A more detailed way to determine a baseline calorie need is with this formula: (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) + 5, then multiply by an activity-level value from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extremely active)

Set a protein target 

high protein diet sri lanka

Aim for 1.2g per pound of bodyweight for men.
Aim for 1g per pound of bodyweight for women.

Include plenty of green, leafy vegetables in all of your meals.
Consider spinach, kale, and broccoli

Include wholesome fats in each meal.
* Aiming for 0.5g per pound of bodyweight is wise.
Think salmon, walnuts, and avocados

Don’t Skip Carbs Entirely

healthy fat loss diet

No carbs at all means no ready energy. Therefore, increase carbs slightly on hard workout days.

“The less impactful carbs that are found in sweet potatoes may be eaten one to two per week and post-workout,” Limit it to a small portion, though, such as half a sweet potato or a half-cup of quinoa or red rice.

After your last training session (Wednesday, in this example, two full days before Saturday’s event), eat two to three grams of carbs per pound of body weight for the rest of the day. If you train at night and it’s hard to eat enough carbs before bed, you can split up the total and eat the rest of the carbs on Thursday night. Insulin sensitivity remains high for 48 hours post- workout, so glycogen will still go to your muscles. Otherwise, on Thursday, go back on the diet prescribed in Step 2.

Improved Insulin Sensitivity

Short periods of low carb eating can have a beneficial impact on insulin sensitivity so that when we do re-introduce carbs (which we will) later in the diet, we can handle them more efficiently.

Carbs aren’t the enemy, but if you’ve been following a typical Western diet, you’ve likely been eating far too many carbs that a little ‘reset’ would be beneficial.

Once your muscle glycogen stores are full, they’ll remain this way for days, as long as no other strength training is performed (because muscle glycogen is burned only during high- intensity exercise). Carbing up on Wednesday also gives you time to make adjustments. If you feel you look flat and small on Thursday or Friday, increase your carbs a bit. Bloated and soft? Cut them back a bit. Make adjustments by 25–50 grams at a time.

Don’t Skip Meals

fat loss diet sri lanka

When looking to lose, people sometimes think skipping meals is the way to “save up” calories.

“The body doesn’t work like that: It needs food to burn more calories, “If you skip meals, it thinks it’s starving, and the liver starts to produce more glucose and this results in insulin resistance. This is all a recipe for more fat storage when you do eat.”

Keep drinking water

In an effort to look even dryer on game day, some guys will drastically cut their water intake. This only causes the body to react the opposite way, causing you to retain more water to avoid dehydration.

Drink your normal amount of water up until the night before the target day, at which point you should cut it back. The day of your event, halve your water intake until you’re ready to party. This will help you appear a little tighter without giving the body time to react negatively to water restriction.

Diet is Crucial, With a weak Diet. You would be seeing No results, even if you’re working out consistently, So make sure to allocate a good diet plan that will help you fuel through your workouts and provide the necessary nutrition.

To those looking for a customized Program to cater to your specified Body Goals, We would Recommend our Online Coaching Programs. Where we Cater customized workout and diet plans allocated to your Goal.

Get an Additional 10% OFF on Both Programs when you Register today!

Online Coaching Sri lanka

Last But Not least, Move Some Iron!

Build muscle lose fat

 

Forget about training light. Switching to high rep sets and a lighter weight when trying to get shredded is a recipe for disaster. Heavy weight encourages your body to maintain its existing muscle mass. On the other hand, if you stop pushing yourself when trying to shed fat, you send a signal to your body that the extra muscle mass you’ve built isn’t needed any longer.

 

 

 

How healthy is our sri lankan diet?

How healthy is our sri lankan diet?

Our very own Sri Lankan Cultural Foods bring out a diverse taste with its many nutritional benfits that is very underrated, with the many types of vegetables we carry, witn Rice being a pre dominant staple meal in our country, and also overly eaten which leads to weight gain, when utilized and controlled well, Our local diet will help build some great Lean Muscle Gains and maintain overall health levels.

 

Breaking down the Nutrition

build muscle sri lanka

“A traditional Sri Lankan dish is primarily pescatarian, with a plant-based approach.” These, together with healthy fats from coconuts and 100% grass-fed cow/buffalo ghee, are essential for lowering inflammatory processes in the body and achieving the appropriate body fat percentage. The deliberate use of their superior spices elevates the meal to new heights.

We Carry a lot of healthy based vegetables that offer a tremendous level of health benifits, low in calories and can be cooked to a tasty and flavorful dish, added to our day to day lifestyle.

Here are a few common ones to name :

Karawila (Bittergourd)

BITTER GOURD (කරවිල) - 250g | Lassana.com Online Shop

Bitter melon has a low calorie content, with only 17 calories per 100 g. Despite this, the pods are high in phytonutrients like as dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins, and anti-oxidants.

Bitter melon is high in polypeptide-P, a phytonutrient that has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels. In addition, it contains charantin, a hypoglycemic agent. In the cells of the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue, charantin enhances glucose absorption and glycogen production. These chemicals may have been hypothesized to be involved for lowering blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetic patients.

Curry Leaf

 

What are Curry Leaves, Anyway? | Bon Appétit

Curry leaves are rich in protective plant substances, such as alkaloids, glycosides, and phenolic compounds, that give this fragrant herb potent health benefits.

Research has shown that curry leaves contain many compounds, including linalool, alpha-terpinene, myrcene, mahanimbine, caryophyllene, murrayanol, and alpha-pinene

Many of these compounds function as antioxidants in your body. Antioxidants play an essential role in keeping your body healthy and free from disease.

They scavenge potentially harmful compounds known as free radicals and suppress oxidative stress, a condition that’s associated with chronic disease development

Curry leaf extract has been shown to provide potent antioxidant effects in several studies.

For example, a study in rats demonstrated that oral treatment with antioxidant-rich curry leaf extract protected against medication-induced stomach damage and reduced markers of oxidative stress, compared with a placebo groups.

Other animal studies have shown that curry leaf extract may help protect against induced oxidative damage of the nervous system, heart, brain, and kidneys

Keep in mind that human research on the antioxidant effects of curry leaves is lacking. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that curry leaves are packed with plant compounds that may help promote overall health by providing powerful antioxidant protection.

Polos curry, or curried delicate jackfruit

 

Polos Curry (Sri Lankan Baby Jackfruit Curry) - Food Corner

Jackfruit is a vegan favorite that is high in fiber and vitamins A and C Jack fruit. Jackfruits contain simple sugars like fructose and sucrose. These sugars are absorbed readily and easily by our bodies and so eating a small serving of this fruit will give you an immediate energy boost. You can have a bowl of refrigerated jackfruit as a post-workout snack to help you recover quicker.

 

 

 

 

Gotu kola sambal 

 

Gotu kola sambol recipe - BBC FoodCentella asiatica (Gotu Kola) provides numerous health benefits. It is utilized in traditional Ayurvedic medicine in Sri Lanka. It is primarily beneficial to memory and cognition. Aside from that, it is beneficial to the eyes, hair, blood vessels, and skin, among other things. Simply Google “Gotu Kola.” You may amaze with its super health benefits.

 

 

 

 

 

Plate wisely!

 

sri lanka healthy diet planWith the various amounts of healthy foods our country offers, where we tend to go wrong is when we overload on the wrong ones, specially as mentioned before with rice being a pre dominant carbohydrate in our day to day diet, it is also a simple sugar when overly consumed daily could lead to weight gain and diabetes.

Try to always follow a method of keeping the plate Prioritizing more vegetables, Protein based Meats, and keeping the carbohydrates to a minimum. Remember to stack up on high fiber based vegetables as mentioned above, not only are they healthy but will also help you stay fuller throughout the day.

Hulk

HULK STRENGTH – Workout Plan

This program is dedicated to those who Chase nothing but pure strength, HULK LIKE STRENGTH.

The Hulk Workout | Athletix Edge

Strength GAINS are maintained through consistency, Nutrition and a well structured program, Different people have different Body types so note that this program is just for the purpose of understanding how a strength based program should look like. For custom based workouts , we would recommend you to Register for our online coaching Programs where we make customized programs focusing on your ideal body goal.

For this program, We shall be taking the top compound movements for each major muscle group and focus on strength based reps and sets. SPECIAL NOTICE – You need to have a good years of experience of lifting to follow this program, since your body needs to handle all the heavy weight, if you are a newbie or beginner we wouldn’t recommend to attempt this program.

The 3-Phase Plan to Get 25% Stronger in 12 Weeks | Muscle & Fitness

For the first week, lets follow this.

 DAY 1, DAY 3, Day 5 – Full Body 5rm – This method of lifting is a common lifting technique, one of the best to build a mind muscle strength connection, 1 week of this same training patter.

Exercise Sets Reps
Barbell Squats 5 5
Barbell Bench Press 5 5
Deadlift 5 5
Military Press 5 5
Tricep close grips 5 5
Bicep Barbell Curls 5 5

For the 2nd week, lets follow this.

DAY 1, DAY 3, Day 5 – Full Body Hypertrophy reps  The second week, you’d notice a shift in the exercises, from barbells to dumbbells, This is because dumbbells are significantly important when it comes to strength building, it builds an overall balance, and the reps increase to Hypertrophy levels, to make sure muscle growth is maintained throughout. Remember MORE Muscle MORE GAINS = STRENGTH

Exercise Sets Reps
Barbell Front Squats 3 12,10,10
Dumbell Bench Press 3 12,10,10
Barbell Rows 3 10,10,10
Dumbell Shoulder Press 3 10,8,8
Tricep Weighted Dips 3 12,10,10
Dumbell Curls 3 12,12,10

WEEK 3 – Repeat Week 1

Week 4 – Repeat Week 2.

 

For the 5th week, lets follow this.

DAY 1, DAY 3, Day 5 – Full Body 3rm  This is when we reach to the point where we test your peak strength levels and you push your limits, The rep ranges are low, but you push your very best. Note – We would recommend to have a solid warm up exercise for every muscle group, before starting the heavy reps.

Exercise Sets Reps
Barbell Squats 4 3
Dumbell Bench Press 4 3
Barbell Rows 4 3
Dumbell Shoulder Press 4 3
Tricep Overhead Dumbells 4 3
Bicep Barbell Curls 4 3

For the 6th week, lets follow this.

DAY 1, DAY 3, Day 5 – Full Body Hypertrophy.The second week, you’d notice a shift in the exercises, from barbells to dumbbells, This is because dumbbells are significantly important when it comes to strength building, it builds an overall balance, and the reps increase to Hypertrophy levels, to make sure muscle growth is maintained throughout. Remember MORE Muscle MORE GAINS = STRENGTH

Exercise Sets Reps
Leg Press 3 12,10,10
Cable Chest Flyes 3 12,10,10
Laptpull downs 3 10,10,10
Dumbbell Front Raises 3 10,8,8
Tricep Weighted Dips 3 12,10,10
Dumbbell Hammer Curls 3 12,12,10

For the 7th week, and FINAL WEEK lets follow this.

DAY 1, DAY 3, Day 5 – 1/2rpm – The final week where all your Best Compound movements are tested, lets make sure to get a good warm up for each muscle group, and then move onto 1-2 RPM for each exercise. This is when you go all out, stack up your very best and push by yourself for a clean 1 to 2 reps, Do keep a spotter next to you to be safe and dont ego lift. Listen to your mind.

Exercise Sets Reps
Barbell Squats 1/2 1 – 2
Barbell Bench Press / Dumbell Bench Press 1/2 1 -2
Barbell Deadlifts 1/2 1 – 2
Dumbell Shoulder Press / Barbell Military Press 1/2 1 – 2
Tricep Close grips 1/2 1 – 2
Bicep Barbell Curls 1/2 1 – 2
how does fat leave

Burn Fat by Exhaling! Yes Science proved

Ever wondered where & how body fat leaves your body? Most commonly, we exercise and diet but what is the actual scientific process of FAT LOSS?

Fat 'breathed out' of body via lungs, say scientists - BBC News

 

Even the 150 doctors, dietitians and personal trainers we surveyed shared this surprising gap in their health literacy. The most common misconception by far, was that fat is converted to energy. The problem with this theory is that it violates the law of conservation of matter, which all chemical reactions obey.
Some respondents thought fat turns into muscle, which is impossible, and others assumed it escapes via the colon. Only three of our respondents gave the right answer, which means 98% of the health professionals in our survey could not explain how weight loss works.
So if not energy, muscles or the loo, where does fat go?

The correct answer is that fat is converted to carbon dioxide and water. You exhale the carbon dioxide and the water mixes into your circulation until it’s lost as urine or sweat.

Majority of weight loss occurs 'via breathing'

If you lose 10 pounds of fat, precisely 8.4 pounds comes out through your lungs and the remaining 1.6 pounds turns into water. In other words, nearly all the weight we lose is exhaled.
This surprises just about everyone, but actually, almost everything we eat comes back out via the lungs. Every carbohydrate you digest and nearly all the fats are converted to carbon dioxide and water. The same goes for alcohol.

Exercise to Boost Fat Metabolism

Fat-Loss Workouts: Five Circuits To Build Muscle | Coach

They estimate that an average person loses at least 200g of carbon every day and roughly a third of that occurs as we sleep.

Replacing one hour of rest with moderate intensity exercise, such as jogging, removes an additional 40g of carbon from the body, raising the total by about a fifth to 240g.

So to keep weight off you need to balance what you eat against what you burn off and exhale.

“Losing weight requires unlocking the carbon stored in fat cells, thus reinforcing that often-heard refrain of ‘eat less, move more,'” say the researchers.

Duane Mellor of the British Dietetics Association likened fat metabolism to burning petrol in a car – it makes heat and drives movement, but also creates and releases waste.

“The atoms left after breaking down fat for energy are like the exhaust fumes,” he said.

Dr Tom Barber, associate professor of endocrinology at Warwick University and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, said the work was interesting and novel, and busted the misperception that fat is simply burned off as energy – something that even many doctors think.

“But it does not change the health message that we need to do exercise to keep fat off,” he said.

We put on weight when excess carbohydrates and proteins that we’ve eaten are converted into triglycerides (compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen) and are then stored in lipid droplets inside fat cells.

To lose weight, you need to break down those triglycerides to access their carbon.

The results showed that in order to completely breakdown 22 pounds (10 kg) of human fat, we need to inhale 64 pounds (29 kg) of oxygen (and somewhere along the way, burn 94,000 calories). This reaction produces 62 pounds (28 kg) of CO2 and 24 pounds (11 kg) of water

Source : bbc

Exhaling doesnt mean you lose weight

Anxiety and Hyperventilation - Explained! plus tips on how to deal with it - YouTube

Do note this doesn’t mean that simply breathing deeply will help us lose weight – we still need to do the exercise to unlock the carbon and break down the fat in the first place.

“You can only breathe so many times a day; on a day of rest, you breathe around 12 times a minute so 17,280 times you’ll breathe in a day and each one takes 10 milligrams of carbon with it, roughly,” Meerman told ABC Science. “So there’s your limit on how much you’re going to lose in a day with no exercise.”

To get a full on knowledge on Fat loss, Do Join our Online coaching programs where we make customized programs and also aware you with the right knowledge.

 

household

Household items you can use to make Gains

MAKE GAINS WITH THESE HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

 

Sri lankan home workout

YES, We are serious! There are a wide range of household items present RIGHT NOW in your house you can use to get in a good effective workout in! We know not everyone has weights , so here are some household items you can use to get a great workout in.

 

Although we want to warn you to let your parents know, We dont want to take blame in case you break anything LOL.

 

  1. Towel

A Full-Body Workout You Can Do With a Towel

 

Yes a towel, it could easily be the same towel you use for the workout, we hope you use a towel for the workout.. In all seriousness a towel can help you get in a decent muscle tension. While a hand towel might not sound like it adds much resistance, it takes muscle power to hold it taut above your head in a lunge, or to stay stable while it’s under your feet in a plank. Sure, your own body weight is an excellent tool on its own, but a towel can put a challenging twist on classic exercises.

A Full-Body Workout You Can Do With a Towel
  • Glute Bridge Hold with Skull Crusher. Lay on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
  • Squat Hold with Overhead Pass. 
  • V-Sit with Row. 
  • Bulgarian Split Squat with Biceps Curl. 
  • ​Single-Leg Deadlift with Bent-Over Row.

2. A Broomstick

5-Minute Fitness: Broomstick Balance Builder | The Saturday Evening Post

Yep the same broomstick you use to clean your room and house, we hope… Broomsticks can help greatly with mobility and improve pain-free range of motion

  1. Shoulder Flexion. Hold the stick in both hands with your knuckles facing forwards. …
  2. Shoulder Extension.
  3. Shoulder Abduction/Adduction. 
  4. Shoulder Internal Rotation. 
  5. Shoulder External Rotation.

You can also do some weight training variations with a Broomstick, for example :

  1. Grab a broom stick along with a back pack or shopping back. Throw some house hold items in the bag like water bottles or water jug to add weight to the bag.

  2. Loop the bag around the middle of the broom stick and grab outside of the bag around shoulder width apart and perform a bicep curl

You could also incorporate a resistance band , by handing it to the broomstick and do various workouts like bicep curls, Rows…etc

Dont have a resistance band? Shop here.

3. Heavy Backpack

How to use your backpack to build strength for your next trip

This is an item most will find in there household, load it up with anything you can and hit some heavy movements.

Exercises for example could be :

  1. Bear Crawl. Put on your backpack and pull the chest and hip straps tight. 
  2. Squat Press. Hold your backpack straps at your shoulders with the pack positioned behind you. 
  3. Lateral Plank Walks. 
  4. Deadlift Row. 
  5. Step Ups. 
  6. Pushup to Side Plank. 
  7. Lateral Lunge and Curl. 
  8. Oblique Twists.

More Household items include

  • Gas Cylinders : (PLEASE MAKE SURE ITS AN EMPTY GAS CYLINDER, LAST THING WE WANT IS AN EXPLOSION)
  • Gallon water bottles

There are soo many options you have available right next to you, its up to you to incorporate them and form a good overall workout program.

Check out our FREE home workout plan here.

Reasons Why your Biceps arent Growing

Have you ever felt that no matter how much you trained your biceps you’re left saying… “My Biceps STILL Aren’t Growing?”

biceps muscle anatomy including long head, short head and brachialis

1: OVERTRAINING IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK…

A common mistake with is to think that more is better when it comes to building bigger biceps. However that’s not the case, especially since it is such a small muscle group. 

Many people’s mistake is often to continue to add more and more frequency when you are trying to build bigger arms.  The right thing to do is to first step back, take away some volume and frequency and monitor how your body responds.

It’s not about protein synthesis every 48 hours!

It’s about giving that muscle group a chance to recover so that you can stimulate it again in a meaningful way. You don’t want to just coast through another half-assed workout, but actually hit it in a way that leads to progressive overload.

2. Wrong Form/Posture 

Image result for biceps not growing

First things first, check you posture. You can do mammoth sets with mammoth reps but if your form isn’t right, your guns won’t grow. Biceps are the easiest muscle group to target, and hence, it’s easier to stress.

3. Obey the Speed Limit

One of the keys to growing the biceps (or any muscle for that matter) is progressive overload.

Usually this comes in the form of adding weight to the arm exercises that you are doing, and increasing that weight over time.

Progressive overload is the gradual increase of stress placed upon a muscle during training in order to achieve growth.

Some people try to add more and more biceps exercises as a form of stimulus overload to build bigger arms.

But with the biceps this just doesn’t work!

When we’re trying to progressively overload the biceps, it’s important we remember that they are limited in their function.

5. Doing The Same Exercise Over And Over Again

Always remember, your muscles get accustomed to a certain exercise. You don’t have to work the same grips, angles or planes of motion over and over. Divide you bicep workout –  use a close, medium and wide grip bar. Also, pull from lower pulley and also from the upper pulley.

6. Don’t Stop Short

The way to force the most muscle fibers into exhaustion is by moving them through their full range of motion. Start every rep with the biceps fully lengthened to get the most out of every set and to take advantage of the growth-inducing effects directly initiated by stretching a muscle under tension, which include satellite cell activation and local IGF-1 release.

6 .The Main Squeeze

Just like getting a good stretch is vitally important for inducing hypertrophy, so is a strong peak contraction at the top of any kind of curl. If you take a moment to flex and squeeze the biceps hard when at the full contraction point of every rep you will create greater blood flow, fire off more muscle fibers, and increase lactic acid burn – all of which will increase the possibility of adding inches to your arms.

7. Not Letting Them Rest

Image result for biceps not growingAdequate rest is the key to size gain. The muscle essentially breaks when you work it out. It only gains size and strength while repairing when you give it rest. So don’t hammer your biceps every day. Dedicate days to bicep workout.

Steroids in the eyes of Bodybuilding

Steroids in the eyes of Bodybuilding

“Anabolic steroids are used for some medical conditions, but people also use them illegally in some sports settings. They use them to boost muscle mass, performance, and endurance and to shorten recovery time between workouts”

What are Anabolic Steroids?

Illegal sale of dangerous steroids in France halted; 24 arrests | Eurojust | European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation

AASs are synthetic versions of the primary male hormone, testosterone. They affect many parts of the body, including the muscles, bones, hair follicles, liver, kidneys, blood, immune system, reproductive system and the central nervous system.

During puberty, increases in testosterone levels enable the development of characteristics such as facial and body hair growth, increased height and muscle mass, a deepening voice, and the sex drive.

Testosterone can also contribute to competitiveness, self-esteem, and aggressiveness.

The definition of steroids is, “man-made derivatives of testosterone, the male hormone. They synthesize protein and help promote muscle growth”.4 Types of steroids include anabolic and growth hormones.

The definition of an anabolic steroid is, “Any drug or harmful substance, chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone (other than estrogen, progestins, and corticostoroids) that promotes muscle growth, any drug or hormonal substance that stimulates the endogenous production of steroids in the human body which acts in the same manner”

2 Types of anabolic steroids include oral and intramuscular injection. Steroids taken orally have a half-life of several hours, while injected steroids have a half-life of several days.2 Steroids taken orally usually come on the form of a pill. It takes these water-soluble pills three to four weeks to clear the body.

The oil-based injections take six to eight months to leave the body.1 After steroids are taken, the steroid molecule bonds to cell receptor sites. Now the steroid molecule can increase protein synthesis, increase nitrogen retention, make metabolic changes, and increase size and strength of skeletal muscle cells.

There are up to 32 types of anabolic steroid listed on commercial websites

Who Uses Steroids?

The public is under the belief that taking steroids will automatically make the user become built and muscular, which is not so. While using steroids, the user must still exercise.

Some people also believe that the only way to achieve a muscular build is by using steroids, yet again, this is wrong. Many people who work hard achieve an excellent physique naturally.

Male bodybuilders and athletes make up most of the steroid users in the U.S.; female athletes and teenaged athletes use steroids as well.

One of the most famous steroid users is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger has held the title of Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia. He used steroids before the health risks were known and before they were illegal.

Another famous steroid user is Sergio Olivia. Olivia was also a bodybuilder and competed against Schwarzenegger. Both men no longer use steroids. They realized their health was more important then rapid muscle growth.

ADVERSE EFFECTS OF STEROID USE

Using anabolic steroids harms your health and social image

The adverse effects of AAS use depend on the product, the age and sex of the user, how much they use, and for how long.

AAS use comes with several risks, making them potentially dangerous for most people. While certain methods can minimize some of these risks, they cannot be fully avoided.

Frequent blood work is important

AAS use can affect several lab values, making frequent blood work important to avoid major complications. Steroid use can affect the following lab values

  • Can increase hemoglobin and hematocrit. These blood markers play an important role in oxygen delivery throughout your body. Increased levels can thicken your blood and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
  • Can reduce HDL (good) cholesterol and raise LDL (bad) cholesterol. HDL and LDL cholesterol should be within healthy ranges. Lower HDL and higher LDL levels may increase heart disease risk.
  • Can increase liver markers. AAS use has been associated with increased aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT), two markers of liver function. Elevated levels may indicate liver dysfunction.

You should consult your medical provider before beginning a regimen that alters your body’s natural hormone levels.

Legally prescribed normal-dose anabolic steroids may have the following side effects:

  • acne
  • fluid retention
  • difficulty or pain when urinating
  • enlarged male breasts, known as gynecomastia
  • increased red cell count
  • lower levels of “good” HDL cholesterol and higher levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol
  • hair growth or loss
  • low sperm count and infertility
  • changes in libido

THE BOTTOM LINE

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are a synthetic form of testosterone used to increase muscle mass and strength.

While their health risks vary by the type and amount taken, they can be dangerous and cause side effects at any dose. Plus, they’re illegal in most places.

Using AAS is a very serious decision, and the risks generally outweigh any benefits.

 

Do Bodyweight Exercises Build Muscle?

Can bodyweight exercises build muscle?

How to Build Muscle at Home With No Equipment | by Dhimant Indrayan | Better Humans | Medium

Yes, bodyweight exercises can build muscle if you use the following principles: increase reps, decrease rest times, perform variations, train to failure, increase time under tension, and implement mechanical drop sets.

 

Muscle Building 101

 

How Long Does it Take to Build Muscles?

Let’s quickly cover what it takes to build muscle. Building muscle primarily comes down to 3 factors:

1. Mechanical Tension

This is primarily what happens when you lift heavy things. If you’ve ever tried lifting a heavy barbell off the ground that weighs more than you do, this is mechanical tension at work. You’re working your hardest to keep your shoulders packed, spine neutral, and core tight. When muscles are exposed to lots of mechanical tension, they respond by growing.

2. Metabolic Stress

This is the burning sensation that you get when muscles are fatigued. It’s also known as the “pump” in the bodybuilding world, as muscles engorge with blood which can make them look swollen and vascular.

3. Muscle Damage

This is the muscular soreness that you feel 24-48 hours after a workout. While you don’t need to feel soreness to build muscle, it is generally a good sign that local muscles are being repaired and getting stronger.

There’s more that goes into the science of muscle growth, but we’re going to leave it at the basics. As long as you have significant mechanical tension and metabolic stress (muscle damage plays a smaller role), you will build muscle.

In real world terms, you can fulfill these requirements through a variety of different training methods.

Of course, traditional weight lifting is an effective means of building muscle. Resistance bands can also build muscle. Even just tensing muscles in what’s called isometric contractions can build muscle.

The big question for this article is whether the resistance of your bodyweight is enough to stimulate muscle growth?

Try one or all six of these tactics in your next workout and see what tests your muscles the most:

At-Home Workout With Spartan's Director of Training | Spartan Race

 

1 . Increase reps and sets; decrease rest time. The more you do an exercise, the more you’ll increase the metabolic stress you put on your muscles. Do more reps and sets of bodyweight exercises than you’d typically do at the gym with weights for similar results. You also want to limit breaks between those reps and sets, too, without sacrificing proper form. This puts more stress on the muscle, promoting growth. In fact, research shows that low-load resistance training (with a light weight or bodyweight) combined with little rest may enhance metabolic stress and increase muscle size even more than lifting heavy weights and taking longer breaks. If you typically lift weights for about eight reps in the gym, try doing that same move for 20 reps at home with just your body.

2. Change the angle or tempo of the exercise. To increase microtrauma, try taking your lunges for a walk or stepping out on a diagonal. Or add an incline or decline to your push-ups, suggests Galbraith. Changing the angle can both incorporate other muscles into the move, but also work different parts of the same muscle group. It’s also a good idea to slow down the eccentric or downward phase of an exercise (like when you lower to the bottom of a deadlift) and then explode up (quickly moving up from a deadlift or hinged position). Another option: Slow down the entire exercise. For example, lower into a squat on a count of three, holding at the bottom for three, then stand up on another count of three. This increases the time your muscle is under tension, meaning you’re more likely to create microtraumas within your slow-twitch muscle fibers, which have more endurance capacity than fast-twitch fibers.

3. Add some holds and half-reps. This can add more metabolic stress to the muscles, thus resulting in more gains. For example, if lunges feel easy, hold the bottom of the movement (both knees bent 90 degrees) for a few seconds before standing up. Or, step back into your lunge, lift halfway up, then drop back down before you come back up to standing. Also, try stopping short of standing all the way up from a squat or lunge, or stop short of lowering all the way down in a glute bridge. This works because you’re putting the muscle under tension for a longer period of time, or eliminating any points in the movement where the working muscle gets a break.

4. Do more plyometrics. Plyometric Training — Q&A : SimplyGym To increase the tension on your muscles, add some explosiveness to your moves. Squat jumps, lunge jumps, hinge jumps, burpees—they all count toward more muscle building. When a muscle is stretched, it leads to nerve firing that signals a concentric contraction (shortening of the muscle). A quicker stretch (like what happens during the explosive portion of a plyometric exercise) leads to a stronger nerve firing and greater resulting contraction of the muscle. That stronger contraction means your muscle is working harder, and will likely result in more microtrauma and thus more gains. One study on young soccer players found that those who performed plyometric moves had similar muscle gains to those who did resistance training.

5. Perform single-sided exercises. Switch your typical bilateral (or two-sided) exercises to unilateral (or one-sided) movements. That means turning a squat to a pistol squat, making your glute bridge a single-leg bridge, or turning your plank into a single arm (and/or leg) plank. These simple switches can increase the microtrauma to a muscle, as well as add more tension or load to that muscle, says Galbraith. Think about it: One side is handling all the weight rather than splitting it.

6. Focus on the eccentric (or lowering) part of the exercise. For example, the eccentric part of a push-up is when you lower yourself from the top of the push-up to the ground. For a squat, the downward motion as you sit down is the eccentric movement. Training the eccentric will lead to more muscle damage.

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IN TERMS OF NUTRITION CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING :

 

CALORIE SURPLUS

 

Not everything you do to build muscle happens in the gym. 

In fact, a lot of the hard work comes in the kitchen. To adequately build muscle, you need to be eating in a caloric surplus. This means that you need to be eating more calories than what your body burns on a daily basis and it is these added calories that will give you the extra energy your body needs to build muscle. You might know this as bulking.

For example, let’s just say your maintenance calories is 2000 calories per day. That’s how much you have to eat so that your weight remains the same—you won’t gain weight and you won’t lose any either. To put you in a caloric surplus to build muscle, while minimizing as much fat gain as possible, try adding an extra 200-500 calories. This will make your daily calorie goal around 2200-2500 per day.

This is just an example caloric surplus as it’s a number that definitely varies depending on the individual. Some people might find that they are rapidly gaining too much fat eating at this caloric surplus, so they may need to lower the number of excessive calories they’re eating. If you find that you want to eat at a larger surplus or a smaller one, then simply adjust your calories to suit your needs.

EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN

What Are The BEST Protein Sources to Build Muscle? (Eat These!) - YouTube

The building blocks for muscles is protein. This is why it’s pivotal to ensure that you’re eating enough protein in your diet to encourage that muscle growth. Combined with your strength training, whether that’s in the gym or using bodyweight exercises, you can stimulate muscle growth and see the gains you want to see.

Never Stop Progressing

As with any type of exercise, there’s always a risk of hitting a plateau if you keep doing it over and over again without playing around with any variables or continuing to test your muscles in new ways. That’s why it’s important to progress your program, adding variations to the exercises and increasing the challenge on moves with the methods Galbraith mentions above—that’s how muscle building continues to happen.

 

 

How to stay fit and motivated during the curfew?

How to stay fit and motivated during the curfew?

It was just a minute ago, when you thought everything was getting back to normal, Those Home workouts were almost coming to an end, when you thought it was time to hang up the resistance bands, when we all were getting ready to get back to our daily lifestyle…. Till the second wave hit. Now, we cant go back to square one and let all our hard work just get dusted off can we?

Here are some ways to stay Motivated and Maintain fitness levels till the situation gets back to normal.

Find a routine

How to Find a Workout Routine You Love - 131 Method

Find a routine that you feel COMFORTABLE, something you know yu can consistently peform for a period of time, the key thing is to stick with it. The NHS recommends that adults aged 19 to 64 need to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week. This includes being active every day and doing strengthening activities at least twice a week.

So, what does ‘moderate-intensity activity’ look like? Well, things like brisk walking, riding a bike, dancing, and rollerblading all count. You can try and beat your daily steps target, follow a daily exercise YouTube channel.

Resistance exercises can also help strengthen your muscles and improve your mobility. Some of these exercises can be performed using weights or resistance bands, but if you don’t have access to them, that shouldn’t stop you. Squats or sit-to-stands from a sturdy chair, push-ups against a wall or the kitchen counter, and lunges or single-leg step-ups on stairs are all great for those new to these kinds of exercises. 25 Best Resistance Bands to Use for Your Whole Body Workouts

Got 15 Minutes And A Bag Of Rice? Try This Beginner-Friendly Strength Workout! - Fitbit Blog

you could even put your tins of baked beans, bags of rice, bottled water or flour to good use. They make great dumbbell substitutes or, if you tie them up in a carrier bag, you have an improvised kettlebell, Gas cylinders, Any weight that is comfortable for you to put in a good workout.

Diet is also key when you are trying to stay fit, of course indulge in a few cheat meals here and there, but 80% of the time focus on clean foods and hydrate well. One you get in the zone, your body and mind will adapt to the nature of your eating habits.

Consistency and Motivation

Music and Exercise: How Music Affects Exercise Motivation

No matter how many workouts you do a day, there is no point in hoping for progress if you aren’t consistent, and for consistency you need to master Motivation.

For motivation, we recommend Music, watching motivational YouTube videos, listening to podcasts, reading… etc anything that will keep you going.

Tracking your progress every 2 days, or end of every week is also a great tactic to keep motivated, the more you see your progress, the more you will want to keep going.

Stay in control, don’t overdo it and not enjoy the process.

YOU GOT THIS.

 

Everything to know about "creatine"

Everything to know about “Creatine”

 

Creatine is a natural substance that turns into creatine phosphate in the body. Creatine phosphate helps make a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP provides the energy for muscle contractions.

The body produces some of the creatine it uses. It also comes from protein-rich foods such as meat or fish.

Creatine supplementation boosts the natural creatine stores in your body. Your muscle tissue stores creatine as phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine synthesizes during high-intensity exercises, such as lifting weights, to provide your muscles with extra energy. Creatine pulls water into your muscle cells, increasing protein synthesis. Creatine can be utilized by your body as a quick form of energy during high intensity, short-burst activities such as lifting a heavy weight or breaking into a sprint.

 

 

How Is Creatine Used?

 

Back in the 1970s, scientists discovered that taking creatine in supplement form might enhance physical performance. In the 1990s, athletes started to catch on, and creatine became a popular sports supplement. According to studies, 8% of adolescents take creatine. The supplement is particularly popular among high school, college, and professional athletes, especially football and hockey players, wrestlers, and gymnasts. An estimated 40% of college athletes and up to half of professional athletes say they use creatine supplements.

Creatine is thought to improve strength, increase lean muscle mass, and help the muscles recover more quickly during exercise. This muscular boost may help athletes achieve bursts of speed and energy, especially during short bouts of high-intensity activities such as weight lifting or sprinting. However, scientific research on creatine has been mixed. Although some studies have found that it does help improve performance during short periods of athletic activity, there is no evidence that creatine helps with endurance sports. Research also shows that not everyone’s muscles respond to creatine; some people who use it see no benefit.

 

 

 

BENEFITS OF CREATINE

 

HIGH INTENSITY WORK

Creatine enhances the body’s capacity to perform high intensity work (and assists greater muscle size and performance gains as a result).

Creatine phosphate (creatines high energy molecule form, stored within cells) is used to supply the type 11b muscle fibers (fast-twitch high-glycolytic; the ones that get largest in size) with immediate energy, ensuring these muscles do not prematurely fatigue

CREATINE ENHANCES RECOVERY

In recent years creatine has been studied for its post-exercise muscle regeneration properties. Findings have been very promising. In 2004, Santos and colleagues studied the effects of creatine supplementation on muscle cell damage in experienced endurance athletes running a 30-kilometre race12.

Closely monitoring several markers of cell damage (including creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, prostaglandin-E and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) in their sample of 18 male athletes (who used 20 grams of creatine monohydrate per day for five days, mixed with 60 grams of maltodextrine), the researchers found levels of these markers were reduced after the race, compared to 16 control subjects who took only the maltodextrine.

CREATINE ENHANCES MUSCLE VOLUMIZATION

Another important benefit for bodybuilders and strength athletes is creatines muscle volumizing effect . Creatine has a property that causes muscle cells to inflate, which produces a more heavily muscled appearance, and, more importantly, serves as a stimulus for protein synthesis.

Up to six pounds of added bodyweight in the first few weeks is commonly reported in those who begin creatine supplementation (a process primarily accounted for by water moving rapidly from the bloodstream to the muscle).

CREATINE ENHANCES BRAIN FUNCTION

Widely known for it muscle-building benefits, creatine, it appears, has much more to offer than its erogenic properties. Researchers Wyss and Schulze looked at the broader health implications of creatine as they tried to determine its value in treat[ing] several neurodegenerative, vascular and muscular disorders

CREATINE IMPROVES BONE HEALING

Gerbin and co-researchers at the Institute of cell biology in Switzerland found creatine could be used successfully as an adjuvant therapy for bone fracture healing or for the treatment of osteoporosis . Based on their in-vivo study, they concluded that creatine significantly enhanced the activity of alkaline phosphate (ALP; an important marker for bone growth).

WHO COULD BENEFIT FROM CREATINE?

In light of the above benefits, populations most likely to experience creatines positive effects are:

 

  • Bodybuilders and strength athletes.
  • The aging population.
  • Sufferers of neurodegenerative disease.
  • Those with naturally lower levels of creatine (people, such as vegetarians, who have a lower base level of creatine)

 

WHICH TYPE SHOULD I BUY?

As mentioned, the type of creatine one uses will usually determine the results they get. With more brands hitting the market every year, it is often confusing for the athlete who seeks the very best product. The main types of creatine product – and their differences – follow.

CREATINE MONOHYDRATE

Creatine monohydrate is the most common form of this supplement – the one most scientific studies and research use. It is bound with water to provide 88% pure creatine per molecule. In other words, one gram of creatine monohydrate will supply 4.40 grams of active product to the body.

Despite the newer creatine products to have hit the market as of late, monohydrate remains the most used from of creatine (400 million in annual sales in the US alone).

MICRONIZED CREATINE

Micronized Creatine is essentially creatine monohydrate, but with much smaller molecules (this creatine has been micronized, which means its molecules have been cut up or divided). This dividing or cutting reduced the surface area of the creatine, making it easier to absorb and lessening any potential stomach discomfort.

It also reduces the unwanted bloating effect – one of monohydrates drawbacks. It is also thought to be purer to monohydrate and more effective as a result (it goes through more processes).

CREATINE PHOSPHATE

As mentioned earlier, for creatine to be effective is first has to bond with a phosphate group to become creatine phosphate. It would then follow that taking a creatine phosphate supplement would giver better results than the monohydrate form, right? Probably not: the reality is, creatine phosphate has only 62.3% creatine per molecule as opposed to monohydrate, which has 88%. As well, creatine phosphate has never been shown to be more effective than monohydrate, and it is more expensive to buy.

CREATINE CITRATE

This is essentially regular creatine bonded with special molecules to increase absorption. This type of creatine mixes extremely well but has only 400 milligrams of active creatine per gram. Also, it is very expensive. However, it does cause less stomach discomfort in those susceptible.

 

When is the best time to take creatine?

Research shows that intense exercise increases anabolic hormone release. Ingesting carbohydrate and protein or essential amino acids following intense exercise may accelerate glycogen resynthesis as well as promote protein synthesis. Since insulin levels enhance creatine uptake, taking creatine after exercise with a carbohydrate and/or protein supplement may be an effective way to increase and/or maintain muscle creatine stores.

 

Are there any side effects to creatine?

The only significant side effect that has been consistently reported in scientific and medical literature has been weight gain. However, there have been a number of reported side effects such as stomach problems, muscle cramping, dehydration, and increased risk of muscle strains/pulls. There has also been concern that short and/or long-term creatine supplementation may increase renal (kidney) stress.

Over the last few years a number of studies have indicated that creatine is not associated with any of these reported problems. In fact, there is recent evidence that creatine may lessen heat stress and reduce the susceptibility to musculoskeletal injuries among training athletes.

While people who take creatine may experience some of these problems, incidences in creatine users aren’t greater than subjects who take placebos and in some cases are less, and the best way to avoid any of the side effects is to drink plenty of water, since any supplementation requires proper hydration.

In conclusion, Bodybuilding and strength athletes to improve size and strength have over the past decade or so popularly used creatine as a supplement. As this article has shown, creatines applications stretch too many other populations: older adults, sufferers of neurodegenerative disease, and those with naturally lower levels of creatine being but three.

after the first week, you will see improvements in your strength. If you’re looking for instant results, it is not a pre-workout supplement that you will get quick results from, but a longer game in which you saturate your muscles with reserves to help your lifts and workouts going forwards. This means taking it every day.

Additionally, creatine has been scientifically shown to be safe for a majority of users. Creatine supplements come in many different types, all with their pros and cons.

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