Switch the Roles
“Men train for aesthetics, where as women train for application. This statement is bold, but is saturated with truth,” says Jay Cardiello, certified strength and conditioning coach and the creator of JCORE, www.jcorebody.com. Before you think this takes your chest press exercise too far, think twice. When was the last time you really worked out...
Popular Fitness Advice—Debunked, Part 1
“Burn more than 1,000 calories by doing this group fitness class.” “Maximize fat burning with high intensity interval training.” “Yoga can cure almost everything!” We come across headlines like these everywhere from magazines to blogs to twitter. But should we heed to all this advice? Many popular fitness practices often come from studies and/or research...
Get a Leg Up on H:Q (Hamstring/Quads) Ratio
The squat is the gold standard leg exercise either done with weights, no weights, tubing, and/or weighted balls. The benefits are many—from sports skills improvements to maximize caloric expenditure. However, if you don’t see muscular or well-defined legs after doing plenty of squats, or worse, have some knee and hamstrings aches, you may be over...
Are Low Health Numbers Really Good?
Blood pressure 10/55 mmg. Heart rate 47 bpm. “Are you okay?” the nursed asked me. I smile and explained how active I am, which is why my levels were so low. We are used to hearing about high blood pressure, high resting heart rate, and high cholesterol, among many other cardiovascular risk markers, but what...
Ups and Downs of Your Favorite Drinks
You ran into work with your tall latte in hand. Around mid-morning you pop a vending machine soda. At lunch, you can’t resist a Nestea. The day is only half over and you have already consumed around 400 calories from beverages! That is a 6 oz. lean sirloin steak with 100 calories to spare. But...
Better Memory: What Food is on Your Plate?
My mom still does the newspaper crossword puzzle. I don’t think she enjoys it, but she’s fully convinced that by crossing words in her mind will keep her brain sharp. She sometimes struggles to find the right words while she eats a familiar Venezuela food: tequeno—fried dough with cheese. Of course, I am shocked looking...
Time Off From Bilateral Exercises
The fitness world has moved to circuit training (eight to 10 exercises performed one after another without rest); high intensity training (short burst of maximal intensity followed by recovery periods at low intensity); and multi-joint exercises (exercises that use more than one joint/muscle at a time). What do all these exercise approaches have in common?...
Can Your Diet Boost Aerobic Capacity?
If your goal is to finish a marathon you think carbohydrates. If your goal is to increase body mass then lean protein rich food sources and healthy fats come to mind. But is there a diet that specifically boosts aerobic capacity? Improving your aerobic capacity means greater oxygen delivery to your muscles, which translates to...
Lose That Bloating Feeling
We’ve all gone through stomach problems at one time—that fullness sensation accompanied by a gaseous feeling, the need to burp and/or pass gas, or even an abdominal distension known as a hard stomach. It’s commonly referred to as “feeling bloated,” and it is more common than you might think. Up to 35 percent of the...
Feeling Hot? Trying a Cooling Workout
Never too old or too young to feel hot, right? Sure if it wasn’t the other kind of hotness—the type that wakes you up in the night with your all crazy frizzy with your pajamas soaked like you just worked out, and your sheets, well let’s just say it reminds you of a kid who...
Complex Exercises Done Easy
Everyone has his or her favorite exercises. Either because you perform them like a pro, or you think they are the best exercise to work a trouble zone. Nothing wrong with this; however, your muscles eventually will get so used to them if you never change the routine. It is always good to shake up...
Powerful Proteins: Are They All the Same?
For many, eating chicken, beef, eggs, cheese, and soy is all the same. After all they are all protein-rich food sources. Yes, but just as fats and carbohydrates have gone through a further classification—making some options better than others—not all protein food sources are created equal to build strong muscles and maximize a lean body...