Tag: bodybuilding

Fitness

Exercise of the Week: Tire Flip

Miranda

The tire flip is a part of strongman training (ak.a functional training). It improves strength, power development and conditioning.

The flip looks simple but don’t get fooled by the size of this tire – it is relatively heavy!!!
The movement should be generated from the lower body. Your arms should be slightly bent in a comfortable position, feet wide apart. Lower your bum similarly to a hack squat position, keep your chest lifted. Lock down your upper body and drive from the legs. When your hips, knees and ankles are extending flip the tire simultaneously upward and forward.

“The tire flip has become a fad exercise, unfortunately. You see coaches allowing people to flip tires using rounded backs and poor technique. The tire flip is an exercise one must earn.

What does that mean? First, you need to get strong in all areas of your body. You can approach this a number of ways, but you definitely need to be proficient at these exercises:

  • Deadlift (conventional, sumo, trap bar)
  • Clean and press (barbell, kettlebells, dumbbell, sandbag)
  • Pull-ups

Now, don’t let that list lead you to believe that you deadlift the tire to flip it, or that you use your biceps to curl it up. Neither approach will generate enough power to get a decent-sized tire up on its side. As I discuss in the video, a tire isn’t like other weights. You have to drive through it, not lift it.

Before you get excited and run outside to hunt down some rubber, understand that there are some dangers behind the tire flip. Your back and arms are at the greatest risk of injury, so keep these two tips in mind:

  • Relax your biceps to avoid curling the tire.
  • Keep your back tight to avoid rounding of the back, especially your lower back.”

From bodybuilding.com

 

Fitness

Do yoga and squats tone your body?

Miranda

This week we answer a question from Uganda. PT Kim will answer Ingrid’s questions below:

Question: Is basic yoga just stretching or does it do something to your body like tone you? And do squats really make your butt bigger and tighter?

What the expert says:

Hi Ingrid,
Thanks for your two questions on yoga and squats.
Is basic yoga just stretching or does it do something to your body, like tone you.
Yoga has historically been a practice used for uniting the mind, body and spirit. Many people use this practice to still the mind from day to day disturbances. Although yoga is great for improving your flexibility, posture and balance it is unlikely that basic yoga will yield results as quickly as other strength training.
Don’t get me wrong, yoga can be used for strengthening muscles/toning however it does not stress the muscle enough over time for someone looking to bulk up or add more muscle mass. Most forms of yoga use mainly body weight sequences and well toned people may find that this alone is not enough to reach their fitness goals. The practice is usually not fast enough to provide high intensity cardio therefore it won’t help greatly in improving your cardiovascular health. In addition, those who want to obtain muscle definition from yoga would need to practice a more advanced form several times a week.
Dependant on what you want out of your yoga practice and if your fitness goals are to tone up – I would say that basic yoga would be a good addition to your fitness regime rather than the core of it.  
Do squats make your butt bigger and tighter?
In short the answer is yes however there are a lot of other contributing factors like genetics that play a part. Look at people like Jennifer Lopez or Kim Kardashian whose body shape is initially down to their genetics.
Squatting can make your butt bigger or smaller depending on your starting point. What I mean is if you have body fat to lose then squatting will make your butt get initially smaller but more tight and toned. If however you are already lean then you can create a bigger butt through strength training. Whichever boat you are in though it is sure to say that squats do shape up your glutes making them feel and look tighter.
The great thing about squatting is that it is an entire lower body workout, working your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. Squats are a great way to build muscle which in turn is a great way to reduce body fat and increase your overall metabolism. There are many variations of the squat that can be used to target different areas. If your goal is to build a bigger butt then performing weighted squats two to three times a week will aid in doing so.
To perform a standard squat you should start with your feet shoulder width apart and toes pointing slightly outwards. Keep the back straight and sit down as if sitting in a chair. You want to concentrate on keeping your weight in your heels and aiming to bring your thighs parallel to the floor. Many people can find getting a deep squat difficult due to ankle mobility, if you have this issue then try squatting with small weight plates (1-2kg) under each heel which compensates for reduced ankle mobility.
Hope that helps and happy squatting!!
Fitness

Exercise of the week: Walking Cable Squats

Miranda

The walking squat will prepare your legs and core for a typical “leg routine”. This exercise is perfect for the start of your leg workout and a warm up for squats as well as a great finisher during a quad session. The idea here is to go heavy and stay low in the squat position making small steps back and forth. You should be feeling the burn in your quads!

Here’s how to do it:
1. Set up the cable machine waist high and hold the straight bar attachment with your arms extended in front.

2. Keeping your chest up, drop to a squat position (little more than 90 degrees)

3. Make a small steps back (staying in the squat position) 6-8 and repeat 3-5 times. Thats one set 😜

Fitness

Debunking Popular Health & Fitness Myths – Part 2

Miranda

By Adrianna McDonald

MYTH #1 I DON’T WANT TO GET BIG.

This is a big misconception amongst the ladies. I say it over and over again: lifting weights to build muscles is a long, hard journey, which requires lots of discipline. Weight training is by far the best way to increase lean muscle mass, speed up your metabolism, lower your body fat, and most importantly improve overall health.  Women do not produce enough testosterone to suddenly turn into HULK! At least, not naturally.

Trust me, I’ve been lifting, for more than 10 years, regularly! Women on average have about one tenth the testosterone of men, the level of testosterone varies greatly and influences women’s strength development more than is typical in men. What’s more magical about lifting iron is that it improves confidence, self-esteem and increases libido. So, step off the treadmill or stepper and start lifting! Stop being “afraid” and embrace weights to build and sculpt the body you want.

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MYTH #2 – I WORKED OUT TODAY, SO I CAN EAT WHATEVER I WANT

Even though you’ve worked out and raised your metabolic rate, the caloric deficit may not be enough (and in most cases never is) to be able to eat whatever you want. You can’t out train a bad diet! It’s still calories in vs calories out. This is most likely why you are not seeing any progress in the gym. Be smart!

MYTH #3 LOW WEIGHTS WITH HIGH REPS WILL GIVE YOU DEFINITION

Believe it or not this type of training on its own will only increase your muscle endurance. It for sure has it’s place in a weight training program and in bodybuilding it has its purpose at the very end of the comp prep. However, the definition and shape of your muscles is defined by a mix of muscle mass and body fat. The bigger the muscle and the less fat, the better the definition (genetics do help as well).

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MYTH #4 NO SORENESS NO GROWTH

Muscle soreness (DOMS) becomes evident six-to- eight hours following activity, peaking around 24 to 48 hours post-training and it simply is an ‘inflammation’. DOMS is most pronounced when you introduce a new activity, increased intensity or volume or if you are a total beginner to physical activity. Your body is making adaptations to better prepare your muscles to do that activity again.

You may not get soreness all the time since your body will be able to withstand a bit more after every training session, especially if you are working out regularly. But stop for a week or more and you will get sore again. The strength and size gains will still happen providing you target the muscles with the right stimulus.

MYTH #5 THE FITTER YOU ARE THE LESS SUSCEPTIBLE YOU ARE TO DOMS

As stated above, truth is that you will feel less sore as your body adapts to your workouts and learns to distribute the workload across your muscle fibers more effectively. That is why you should regularly change your workout routine (2-3 weeks). But genetics play a major role to how sensitive we are to pain and soreness. People have different pain-threshold (i.e. no-responders, low-responders or high-responders to soreness). If you’re a high-responder, you will experience DOMS more acutely than someone who is a no- or low-responder when given the same training load.

Fitness

Exercise of the week: Cable Reverse Flyes

Miranda

The rear delts function like a back muscle – they help you pull your arms downwards and/or backwards.

They get quite involved in your back training but it’s important to add in at least one isolation exercise in your shoulder program to strengthen them.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Facing the pulley machine bend over until you are parallel to the floor.
  2. Hold each cable with the opposite hand.
  3. Create tension as you slightly pull your arms away from your side – about 30-45 degrees.
  4. Pause on the top and slowly bring your arms down to starting position.

Key points to remember:

  • Avoid retracting your shoulder blades so that you isolate the rear delt.
  • Make sure the pinky (outer palm) side of your hand is leading the way.
  • Keep elbows up high to avoid using your back muscles.
Nutrition

Reblog: Protein Powders 101

Miranda

A lot of you may be wondering about protein powders… Should I be taking them? Which one should I buy? How often? And so on.

Read a summary of fellow blogger Deniza’s guide to protein powders to help you make the right decision.

 

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Guide to Protein Powders: Which kind is best for what?

Which protein powder is best to build muscle, lose weight, boost immune system and more? This guide explains the different kinds of protein supplements, choose the one that fits your lifestyle best!

– Whey Protein Concentrate
This is the most basic form of protein. It is oftentimes cheaper compared to the other kinds of protein powders and best suited for those starting out.

Make sure to choose a protein that comes from grass-fed cows. Otherwise, your body will not be able to use all those amino acids to build and repair muscle tissue.

– Whey Isolate

Whey Isolate is one of the quickest absorbing proteins. This kind of protein is best for those dieting. As Whey Protein Isolate contains the highest amount of BCAA’s (branched chain amino acids), it will help you sleep better, recover quickly and reduce appetite as well.

– Casein
Casein-rich protein is most found in all kinds of dairy products. It is broken down very slowly, over the course of several hours. It is great to reduce hunger when taken either at night or in the morning for breakfast.

– Milk Protein Isolate
This kind of protein is a blend of both casein and whey protein. It is typically a little bit pricey, but worth the money. Again, opt for grass-fed kinds to get all health benefits.

– Egg White Powder
Along with Whey Protein, Egg White Protein is the best way to get in as many essential amino acids as possible. Egg albumin is an excellent supplement to reduce muscle soreness, boost immune system, prevent I nsulin resistance and improve sleep.

– Brown rice protein
Brown rice protein is a good source of complex carbohydrates, vitamin B, and fiber. However, make sure to use rice protein from a brand whose products are laboratory-tested, as most rice proteins contain pesticides. These induce cancer and speed up the aging process of our cells.

In addition to that, rice protein does not contain all essential amino acids, thus it is not suited for those looking to get complete protein by using this supplement.

– Pea protein
Pea protein comes from the yellow split pea and is very popular among vegetarians and vegans. Pea protein is hypoallergenic and is a great whole-food source. However, again, it is not a complete source of protein, as most plant-based proteins.

– Hemp protein
Hemp protein is derived from the seeds of the cannabis plant. It is one of the only plant-based proteins containing all 21 essential amino acids. It is vegan-friendly and hypoallergenic as well. It is higher in calories compared to the other protein sources, but well worth it.

– Almond flour/ protein
Almond flour or protein is not a complete source of protein. However, just as hemp protein, it contains a high amount of essential fatty acids and calcium.

– Soy Protein
Soy protein is a good source of protein as well. It contains all essential amino acids and is loaded with glutamine, arginine (helps dilate blood vessels and allows for quicker digestion of nutrients) and BCAA’s.

However, I never recommend anyone to use soy products. I just want you to know that it is nearly impossible to buy truly organic soy protein products nowadays. Most of them are loaded with additional growth hormones, which increases the phytoestrogen content. This is a plant-based form of estrogen. Too much of this has shown to contribute to breast cancer in women, as well as colon cancer.

– Sweet lupine flour
Sweet lupine is not well-known, but it is actually a complete source of protein. In addition to its high protein content, it contains complex carbohydrates as well. Thus, it is not suited to be used alone as a protein supplement.

People allergic to peanuts could have problems digesting this kind of protein though, so be careful at first.

Read Deniza’s full post on choosing protein powders here: http://fitwithdeniza.com/guide-to-protein-powders/

Fitness

Exercise of the week: Front to Lateral Raise Combo

Miranda

The Front to Lateral Raise Combo is a great shoulder exercise. This combination can recruit and develop the anterior and lateral deltoid muscles. It’s great as a part of a warm up or superset.

 

 

Here’s how to do it:

  • Stand straight holding dumbbells or small weight plates in each hand.
  • Keeping your elbows slightly bent, raise the weights directly in front of you to shoulder height, avoiding any swinging.
  • Pause before moving the weights laterally to your sides.
  • Slowly lower them down to your thighs.
Nutrition

Flexible Dieting or If It Fits Your Macros

Miranda

This week we hear from trigger point master trainer and level 3 certified PT Alan Bichara about flexible dieting and interval training.

“Being professionally certified for the past 5 years and personally practicing different methods of fitness for the last 10years, I have simplified my craft to be very effective and efficient. My job as a coach does not end at the gym, I will be constantly striving to help people become a better version of themselves.”

I’m pretty sure if you read online articles about fitness and health or follow specific fitness personalities on social media you have run across the terms “flexible dieting” aka “IIFYM”, but what does IIFYM mean?

Wouldn’t it be great to have a small treat in the middle of your day or week and not feel guilty about it? Well IIFYM will help you make your “strict” diet be more interesting, and it will still help you achieve your goal, be it losing body weight, losing fat or gaining lean mass.

IIFYM means If It Fits Your Macros, it’s basically a nutrition system that requires you to break down and track your diet into 3 categories, your macros, which are Protein, Fat, and Carbs.

What are MACROS?

Macros or macronutrients are your Proteins, Fats, and Carbs. Every day we eat a specific amount of calories, and your calories are made up of your macros. Each macro is measured in grams (g) which is converted by our body into calories (kcal).

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

How are they calculated?

In this article I will help you to track your macros, but first we need to know how much calories you need to consume.

We need to know your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).

To compute for your BMR just press here.

Now that you have your BMR, we need to know your TDEE. To find your TDEE, we need your BMR and use the equation below.

Sedentary = BMR x 1.2 (little to No activity)

Lightly Active = BMR x 1.375 (1-3 days/week of activity or exercise)

Moderate Active = BMR x 1.55 (3-5 days/week of activity or exercise)

Very Active = BMR x 1.725 (5-6 days/week high intensity workout or activity)

Extremely Active = BMR x 1.9 (Daily high intensity workout and activity)

Take note with deciding what formula to use, don’t just consider your workout but your work as well – are you a labourer/carpenter or someone who walks a lot for work or someone who sits down all day?

Now that we know our TDEE, we make our goal, do we want to lose weight or gain lean mass?

Lose Weight: TDEE – 500kcals/day

Gain weight: TDEE + 200kcals/day

So finally we have your calories on point, we now have to break it down, to know our “budget” and how we can spend it.

We will break down your TDEE into your macros.

Protein = 1g protein per 1 pound of body weight or bodyweight in kgs x 2.2

Fat = 30% of TDEE divided by 9

Carbs = {TDEE – (protein intake + fat intake)} divided by 4

What does this mean?

As you can see in this equation, the only thing constant is your protein which is adjusted with your ideal bodyweight. Fat and carbs depend on how much calories you consume, so we only decrease or increase carbs/fat according to your goal.

I’m pretty sure a lot of people hate maths and this might seem like too much computation so I really recommend, and personally use, myfitnesspal.

But once you get the hang of it, it can be very beneficial to achieve your goals.

A practical example 

Now let’s get you started, having a weighing scale is optional. Most things you buy that come in packages come with nutritional facts and you can see your macros directly.

Let me show you an example of a 40-year old, 55kg female, 165cm tall, moderate activity, and works out 3 x/wk.

BMR = 1220kcals x 1.55 (moderate activity) = 1891kcals

Goal (lose weight) = 1891(TDEE) – 500kcals = 1391 daily calories needed

Macros:

Protein = 55kgs x 2.2 = 121grams of protein x 4 = 484kcals

Fat = 1391x.30 = 417kcals/9 = 46g

Carbs = 1391 – [484(protein requirement) + 417(fat requirement)] =490kcals/4= 123g

Knowing your macros will help you make up your meal plan, it doesn’t have to be the same boring food every day, although it helps to make the counting easier.

Remember it will take a while before you get used to adjusting and knowing how your body reacts, the best thing to do is stay consistent and never stress about it.

Fitness

Exercise of the week: Face Pull

Miranda

Face pulls are one of the most underrated upper body exercises. We seem to forget that they not only lead to size gains but also strengthen your rhomboids, traps, and external rotators.

This exercise also acts as a corrective movement to fix issues caused by “bad benching” (bench pressing) and bad posture due to the long hours spent working seated at a desk.

 

 

Face Pull With a Pause (variation):

Holding the peak contraction will “teach” the low and mid-trap fibers to stabilize the scapula (shoulder blades). Pull to the forehead to target a slightly different area of your upper back (compared to pulling to the neck).

You can perform this exercise seated or standing. You can also change grip to overhand grip or neutral grip.

In the video Miranda is performing high face pull to the neck:

  1. Stand facing the cable machine and grab the rope with an overhand grip
  2. Pull through the elbows, moving the middle of the rope in a straight line towards the neck.
  3. Make sure you fully retract the shoulder blades at the midpoint, squeeze, and then return to the starting position
Fitness

The Pros and Cons of Cardio

Miranda

By Laura Smith

Love it or hate it, why do we do it? We hate it, moan about it, cut it short or even avoid it. Which begs the question, why?

Firstly, let’s look at the benefits of cardio, and there is no better place to start than the heart. One of the first adaptations to occur is a reduction in resting heart rate, which enables the heart to pump more blood with each single beat, allowing more oxygenated blood to reach your brain and muscles with less effort. What it really means is more oxygen is available and more calories can be burnt.

Leading on to fat burning… Firstly, you get an increase in fat burning enzymes, then there is an increase in blood flow to muscles, allowing them to use stored fat for energy and lastly, you make your body more sensitive to hormones that increase fat burning.

Let’s look at a some more benefits of cardio.

# Pros

For the love of it

Truth is some people really love it, it’s that simple. You know the people, the ones that go for a 10k run to relax. Why for me, it’s not my preferred way to relax, however I get it, I truly do. In this crazy, non-stop world that we live in, people love to use cardio to de-stress and wind down.

Sociable butterfly

How many times have you been in a gym and seen a group on the treadmill incline walking, or sat on a bike talking? Let’s be honest, it’s highly likely they aren’t putting the world to rights, but more likely to be discussing a new diet, training program or the latest cinema release. It is during these times that “gym buddy” friendships strike up. Therefore making you more sociable, improving your mood. However, make sure you still get the work done, don’t stop exercising.

Walk it off

Steady state cardio gets the blood pumping again, driving oxygen around the body as well as nutrients. We have all heard the phrase, “walk it out”, well this literally means that. Walking after intense bouts of weight training has been shown to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness.

But there are some disadvantages too…


#Cons

Gains Gone

Some people think that all exercise, no matter what the form it takes, will increase lean mass. I am sorry to burst the bubble but this is sadly not the case. Over a long period of time, if cardio is your sole form of exercise, lean muscle mass will be depleted and used for energy. This loss of muscle mass therefore reduces the amount of calories burned by the body which can lead to an increase in body fat percentage, as well as conditions such as diabetes.

Makes you Fat

Ok ok, this is not directly true, but an increase in appetite has been known to happen after cardio, this is due to a trigger caused by cardio that increases hormones that make you hungry. So if you are running all day long to lose weight, but making yourself more and more hungry, the purpose has been defeated, resulting in no results, sadly. So, not only can individuals become hungry after cardio, they can also become disheartened.

Compensation

Well, we are funny creatures after all, and the truth is, we like to reward ourselves. So, we run 5k, which equals the reward of 1 chocolate bar. Not only does this result in no body fat reduction but more often than not, an increase in body fat.

 

So what is my advice and take home message on cardio? Yes include it, fasted steady state cardio, or even high intensity intervals, but use it as an additional tool for fat loss and body composition changes alongside weight training. Prioritize diet, weight lifting, and stress management for fat loss. Added cardio will help, but don’t rely solely on cardio to achieve the body you want.