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Fat Burning
Techniques....
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The
ability to burn fat during exercise is dependent on exercise intensity
and length of workout...
If you have 6-pack abs, you
are well aware of one basic fact: you did not obtain that anatomical
feature by employing a training technique called spot reduction. In
other words, performing just crunches or other abdominal exercises did
not reduce abdominal fat unless the exercises were part of an overall
training program. Fat is distributed in the body based on genetics,
with specific areas storing fat sooner than others.
The usage of fat follows
the same process, and the area of subcutaneous fat that covers the
stomach is not the first area used. Along the same lines, the various
exercise machines and programs presented on TV or in magazines that
claim a full aerobic and anaerobic workout in just 15 minutes per day
are also questionable. Most of you know that these claims are
unsubstantiated, but do you really understand the metabolic basis for
burning fat?
During exercise, the muscle
can use numerous fuels to supply its energy needs. The main fuel
sources are carbohydrates or fat, and their usage is set by exercise
intensity. Muscle contraction involves 2 muscle proteins called actin
and myosin, and when they interact the muscle fiber shortens and
movement is produced. The energy for this shortening process comes from
the metabolic breakdown of a cellular energy source called adenosine
triphosphate (ATP). The turnover rate (production versus usage) of ATP
is one of the primary determining factors that establishes the speed
and force of contraction (1)
your muscles can generate.
If your ability to burn fat
were dependent solely on its progression through its metabolic
pathways, 15 minutes of aerobic exercise might be adequate.
References
1. Craig,
B.W. What is the scientific basis of speed and agility?. Strength
Cond. J. 26:(3) 13-14. 2004.
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BlackAthlete.net
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about Black Athletes and Blacks in sports. |
| AGE AND BODY FAT... |
Many people, especially the
ectomorphic (fast metabolism) and ecto-mesomorphic (body turns food
into muscle), have such fast metabolisms that they can seemingly eat
anything, even high-fat and sugar junk food, without gaining a pound of
body fat.
However, even these individuals will
likely see some change in their bodies as they grow older. Studies have
shown that the adult metabolism tends to slow down by about 10 calories
per day per year after the age of thirty. Although this may not seem
like much, it does account for why many people forty and older find
themselves gaining weight even though they have made no change in their
exercise and diet habits.
This slowing of the metabolism with
age is not an adjustable obstacle. It just means watching your diet a
little more closely, and doing another 10-15 minutes a day or so of
cardiovascular training. However, one factor that contributes to a
slowing metabolism with age is slow, gradual loss of muscle tissue. So
if you continue to train hard and keep your muscles firm and strong,
this tendency to gain weight as you get older will be much less of a
problem for you.
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e Publicist |
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| WEIGHT TRAINING FOR ATHLETES.... |
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Athletes are stronger, bigger, and
faster than ever before, and records are consistently being shattered
across the world. In my opinion, one cause of this overall improvement
in athletic performance is that it's difficult to find serious athletes
in any sport who don't do at lease some kind of resistant training.
It wasn't very long ago that
coaches not only discouraged but almost forbade athletes to do any kind
of training with weights. Iron pumping, it was thought, made athletes
"muscle bound," interfering with their agility and flexibility. It was
considered somehow unnatural whereas building up your body by
straightforward hard work-on a farm or ranch, moving tractor tires,
chopping wood, something outdoors and manly-was encouraged. Think of
Sylvester Stallone training for the fight with Dolph Lundgren in Rocky
IV, running through the snow dragging a heavy log, chopping wood in
subzero weather, and you've got the picture.
Bodybuilding-type weight training
is the ideal system for controlling your body composition. This can
happen by getting bigger and more massive, getting stronger without
gaining mass, or losing excess body fat to get lean and hard. This
training should be tailored to create the kind of body best suited to
your sport. Being "too big" or "too massive" for your sport can be as
bad as not being big or strong enough.
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Excellent facility in a great location.
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.WEIGHT TRAINING FOR WOMEN....
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How different is weight
training for women than it is for men? In my opinion, not very much.
Most trainers have trouble
grasping this concept. Women are smaller. They have different hormones.
They aren't as strong.
Sure, but
muscle is muscle and a Bench Press is a Bench Press. Women have less
upper-body muscle than men do, so it normally takes them longer to
develop this area than it does the legs. They cannot normally handle
the same poundage as men. But what
differentiates a woman's training are her
goals. Most women are mainly interested in shaping and tightening their
bodies instead of building large muscles. So, even though women
commonly do the same exercises as a man (with additional exercises
thrown in to target problem areas like hips, thighs, stomach, and
triceps), their program setup will probably differ rather dramatically
from a man's program. The most likely difference will be that her
workouts consist of fewer sets per muscle group but more reps per set.
We all need to develop programs that suit our particular needs, utilize
our strengths and target our weaknesses. The goal for men and women are
the same: to create the maximum possible aesthetic development of the
physique.
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Reference: The New
Encyclopedia of modern bodysculpturing/Arnold Schwarenegger with Bill
Dobbins c 1985.
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| Spa-Gym |
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Come workout with Ricky at the Spa Gym. "It's a great facility".
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| WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GYM... |
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The first thing to consider
in choosing a gym is ascertaining what kind of equiptment and
facilities it provides:
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A gym should not be too big
or too small. If it is too small, you constantly have to wait for
equipment and you can't keep up the rhythm of your training. But if it
is huge, you can feel dwarfed by too much space, which makes it hard to
keep up your concentration.
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If you want to make the
best progress, the gym you train in has to have a full complement of
free weights and benches. It should have sets of dumb-bells heavy
enough for most intense lifts. There should be exercise machines and
cable setups that allow you to work all the major body parts.
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There should be equipment
for doing your cardiovascular training-treadmills, exercise bicycles,
steppers, aerobic classes, whatever you need for your individual
aerobic workouts.
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Some gyms have other
facilities like saunas, steamrooms, staff massage therapist, swimming
pools, and even indoor tracks, so if any of these things is important
to you check what's available before you sign up for a membership.
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| WEIGHT TRAINING AND THE ELDERLY.... |
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One of
the primary manifestations of aging is the gradual deterioration of
muscle mass. Recent research has proven that muscle doesn't have to
atrophy with age to the degree we always believed. In fact, muscle mass
can be increased to a surprising degree with proper training even in
those of advanced age. In short, scientific studies indicate that
weight training can be a fountain of youth.
Most
definitely, the older you are the more careful you have to be when you
start weight training. Consult a doctor, find a good personal trainer,
and take every precaution until your body adapts to a routine. Be
mindful; when you are older, injuries take longer to heal, so do
everything possible to avoid any problems.
The
results of a weight training program can be magnificent. A return to
more youthful level of strength, stamina, and energy while increasing
the quality of life, confidence, and independence are my goal as your
personal trainer.
Remember, much of what we consider to be inevitable aspects of aging
are really just signs of under use and neglect. You don't have to lose
muscle or bone mass as you grow older; you can keep what you have and
even build more of it.
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