Franco Columbu

Franco Columbu is another one of my favorite "golden era" bodybuilders.  I first saw him in Arnold Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding.  Columbu's strength was awesome--he could deadlift over 700 pounds. 

Columbu managed to win Mr Olympia twice in spite of his height disadvantage (he is only 5 feet 5 inches tall). 

Here's Columbu's official website: http://www.columbu.com

Lyle McDonald Books

As you know, I am very picky about the products I advertise/endorse on this website.  I'm happy to endorse Lyle McDonald's books.  I bought The Ketogenic Diet about ten years ago when I first became interested in low-carb dieting.  I still use it as a reference book to this day.  Lyle does really good research and gives practical guidelines for accomplishing your fitness goals.  Everything he sells comes with a legitimate money-back guarantee. 

You can visit his book store here:  Body Recomposition.

World's Smallest Bodybuilder--Aditya "Romeo" Dev

Aditya "Romeo" Dev is officially recognized as the world's smallest bodybuilder. Training has completely changed his life, turning him into a celebrity. Check out his story:



You can watch a more recent video on ABC News.

There's something important I don't want you to overlook. Some people are afraid to join a gym because they are too fat, too skinny, too weak, etc. But folks in the gym can be some of the most supportive people you'll meet anywhere.

Weightlifting Gloves

As I've mentioned before, I usually lift bare-handed and just use chalk to keep a good grip.  But there's nothing wrong with using weightlifting gloves when you train.   If you want to avoid callous hands (for the sake of your profession, love life, etc), weightlifting gloves are one of your best options.

You may also be interested in GRIPAD--a good alternative to gloves (click the banner for details).


Some of the gloves below can be washed--this is a big advantage considering the perspiration involved with hard training! 

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Coffee Linked to Reduced Stroke Risk

More good news for those of us who love the bean!

Sweating and Fat Loss

I think there's much confusion about the role of perspiration/sweat in fat loss.  This has lead to several products (personal saunas, sauna suits, etc) which promise to help you "sweat off the pounds." 

Here's the truth:  weight loss caused by sweating is only temporary water loss.  As soon as you drink water, the weight you lost through sweating comes right back.

Boxers and wrestlers often wear plastic bags or sauna suits to make a specfic weight class.  The reason is simple:  dropping water weight is the quickest way to lose weight.  But there's only so much weight you can safely lose through prespiration--dehydration can be extremely dangerous.  Most boxers/wrestlers start drinking water/Gatorade immediately after their weigh-in so they can be hydrated before the match. 

Don't wear plastic or other products designed to induce sweat.  It does nothing to help with fat loss and only dehydrates you. 

Does Eating Before Sleep Make You Fat?

We've all heard that eating after a certain time in the evening will make you fatter.  Is this true or it is a fitness myth?   

We know, for example, that Sumo wrestlers eat big meals before they sleep.  But there are other factors influencing their huge girth (the massive caloric intake, etc).

Weight loss or weight gain is ultimately determined by overall calorie balance, regardless of what time you eat.  As far as I know,  there's nothing (metabolically) about sleep itself that causes you to store more fat.


The primary danger of late-night eating seems to be related to overall caloric excess.  In other words, it's our tendency to sit around eating ice cream in front of the TV.

You may also want to check out my article on eating carbs at night. 

Fiber and Fat Loss

We all know that fiber is good for cholesterol, regularity, etc.  But fiber can also play a crucial role in fat loss.  It does so in two ways:

1.  Fiber is filling.
Fiber helps you fill satiated (full). 

2.  Fiber helps stabilize blood sugar. 
Fiber slows digestion, giving you more stable blood sugar and energy levels (see also:  Blood Sugar, Insulin, and Fat Loss).  

Some fibrous vegetables (like like Broccoli) ad lots of fiber without adding many calories.  Use these foods to your advantage!

UFC 97 Redemption: Match Results and Recap

UFC 97 Redemption Match Results

Fight 1: Steve Cantwell vs Luiz Cane (3 round match)

Result: Luiz Cane won by unanimous decision after three rounds.

Cane's power was the decisive factor--great fight, but Cane clearly did more damage.

Fight 2: Antoni Hardonk vs. Cheick Kongo  (3 round match)

Result: Kongo won by TKO in the second round.

Kongo's vicious ground-and-pound neutralized Hardonk's stand up ability.

Fight 3: Brian Stann vs. Krzysztof Soszynski  (3 round match)

Result: Soszynski won by submission (kimora) in the first round.

Soszynski once again uses his favorite submission to finish off his opponent.

Fight 4: Mauricio Shogun Rua vs. Chuck Liddell (3 round match)

Result: Rua won by TKO in the first round.

Rua put Liddell down with a left hook then followed up with hammer fist.  Liddell seemed to be out of it for a few seconds.  Will this be his last UFC fight?

Update: Dana White has basically said Liddell will not be back in the ring.

Fight 5:  Matt Wiman vs Sam Stout  (3 round match)

Result: Stout won by unanimous decision after three rounds.

This was an exciting, back-and-forth fight.  Close one.

Fight 6: Thales Leites vs. Anderson Silva (5 round match; middleweight championship)

Result: Silva won by unanimous decision after five rounds.

Silva set af UFC victory with a ninth consecutive win.  He was in complete control, turning the heat up each round.  Thales was simply outclassed and survived by avoiding Silva. 

UFC Vidoes. . .

More MMA Videos . . .

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We'll see what happens in UFC 98 . . .

Fitness Supplements and Pseudoscience

Fitness products use a lot of nonsense terminology to make their products sound legit.  Here are some of the catch phrases you will hear:

“Clinically Proven”
“Scientifically Designed”
 “All Natural”
“Developed in High-Tech Labratories”

These terms are essentially meaningless.  When a supplement claims to be “clinically proven,” for example, there’s really no way of knowing what that means.  How was it proven?

If you really want a reliable standard, look for this phrase: double blind, placebo-controlled study.
Here’s what it means:

Placebo-controlled means one group did not get the supplement being tested—they were instead taking a placebo (a fake).

Double blind means those doing the actual measurements don’t know who got the placebo and who got the actual supplement.  This insures they are not biased in collecting information.

This kind of scientific experiment produces reliable results—you end up with an accurate comparison of the placebo group and the supplement group.

If you want to research a supplement, look for this kind of test.  But most of the junk being sold has no such research to back it up.  The supplement companies instead rely on the before-mentioned catch phrases, paid testimonials, and buyer gullibility.

Yohimbine HCL and Stubborn Fat

Yohimbine HCL and Stubborn Fat/Fat Loss


I have mentioned fasted cardio (cardio before breakfast) in a previous article. More recently I wrote an article on fasted training. 

There's a supplement that can help you get rid of that stubborn fat (usually lower abdomen/lower back for men, hips and thighs for women) when you do fasted cardio/training (or when using a low carb diet).

Before I get started, let me explain something:  I think this supplement would be most valuable for those who are already fairly lean.  In other words, yohimbine hcl is something you'd want to use to get rid of those final "problem areas."

So how does yohimbine hcl work?  Well, one reason certain areas are stubborn is alpha 2 receptor sites.  These sites (within the fat tissue) basically "tell" the fat cells not to break down.  Stubborn fat areas tend to have more alpha receptor sites than non-stubborn areas.  Yohimbine hcl temporarily "turns off" alpha receptors, thus helping you to get rid of the stubborn fat.

Yohimbine hcl also helps with blood circulation (which is why it is touted as a "male enhancement" supplement).  This is another helpful property, since stubborn fat areas often have relatively poor circulation.

The correct dosage for yohimbine hcl is .2mg/kg (example: 20mg for a 220lb person (0.09 mg/lb of body weight).  It is better to take yohimbine hcl, not yohimbe.  Yohimbe is the herbal form--you'll never be sure you are getting the correct dosage with herbal forms.

Yohimbine hcl could be taken with coffee/caffeine, which has it's own fat burning properties.  I usually have it with a cup of coffee.  This combination also suppresses my appetite.

A few more considerations:

Insulin completely blunts the effectiveness of yohimbine hcl.  This is why you need to take it in some form of fasted state or while blood sugar is low.  Here are a few options:

*First thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

*Several hours after your last meal (for those practicing intermittent fasting).

*Another option would be to take yohimbine at some point after a weight training session has started (let's say 20-40 minutes).   Your blood sugar should be low enough by that point for the Yohimbine to take effect (unless you ate right before you trained or insist on drinking Gatorade while you train).   You could follow this up with some steady-state cardio (treadmill, etc) to burn the fat you've just liberated from the stubborn cells. 

Some cannot tolerate yohimbine's stimulant properties.  You may want to test a half dosage initially to see if you can tolerate it.  It doesn't bother me at all, but my body just loves stimulants. 

It is not wise to stack yohimbine hcl with the eca stack.  Here's the problem:  the eca stack works by stimulating beta-receptor sites, and yohimbine works by suppressing alpha-receptor sites.  It isn't just fat cells that have these receptor sites--your heart does too.   If you take these supplements at the same time, you are sort of pushing the gas and the brake at the same time (as Lyle McDonald has put it).  Your heartrate and blood pressure could skyrocket.

But you could try using yohimbine in the morning, followed by the eca stack 4 hours later.  You'd have to experiment and see what works for you.

Looking for a fat loss program?

For men I'd recommend 24/7 Fat Loss.

For women I'd recommend Flavia Del Monte's Full-Body-Licious.


You may also be interested in buying Lyle McDonald's book entiled The Stubborn Fat Solution

You can buy Yohimbine HCL by clicking the image below (bodybuilding.com):

Integrating Cardiovascular Training

Most of good bodybuilding programs integrate cardiovascular training.  Cardio work has benefits:
*As the name implies, it trains your cardiovascular system.
*It burns calories.
*If done in moderation, it should not interfere with building strength and muscle.

Most well-designed fitness programs include both resistance training and cardio work.  I’d recommend you do 2-3, 30-45 minute cardio sessions per week (unless you are skinny and really struggling to build mass).  Here are some suggestions for integrating cardio work:

1. Do your cardio on days you don’t lift.  I think this is the ideal scenario—you’ll burn some extra calories on non-lifting days.

2. Fasted cardio (in the mornings, before breakfast).  This one is controversial, but here’s the idea: doing cardio first thing in the morning (before breakfast) forces you to tap into fat resources more quickly since your body doesn’t have any fuel (food) in it.  Here’s why it’s controversial—the same conditions which make it good for fat burning could put you at risk for burning muscle.

I’ve seen this debated back and forth.  Here’s my opinion: I think fasted cardio is beneficial if the intensity is kept low and the sessions aren’t too long.  Sessions of 30-40 minutes of low-moderate intensity (enough to get the blood pumping but not enough to have you gasping for breath) probably won’t hurt muscle gains for most trainees.  The exception would be those (ectomorphs) who are naturally lean and struggle to put on mass (but these people should be doing minimal cardio work anyway).

There’s a supplement that can help with fasted cardio—yohimbine.  I’ll talk about it in my next article.

3. Cardio after weight training.  I’m not crazy about this one, but it may be one of the only options if your time in the gym is limited.  The advantage is you’d start your cardio after already lowering your blood sugar (through weight training).  Like fasted cardio, this could cause you to tap into fat resources more quickly.  But I’d much rather drink a protein shake and rest my muscles after weight training. 

4. Cardio before weight training.  This is my least favorite approach.  Lyle McDonald has argued that a light session (20 minutes, low-moderate intensity) would act like more of an extended warm-up.  I won’t argue with that—Lyle knows his stuff.  But I would rather go straight to my main lift for the day. 

Final Thoughts:

Your individual goals and training environment should dictate the way you design your program. 

For example:  I train in a tropical climate (the Philippines) without air conditioning.  I drink lots of water, but an hour is about my limit for the gym—after that I feel completely exhausted.  This is one reason I don’t try to do cardio on the same days I lift. 

In the same way, you’ll have to assess your own priorities (muscle gain vs fat loss) and see what works best for you. 

Note: for the pursposes of this article, I'm primarily using "cardio" to refer to steady, aerobic-type training (such as one would do on a treadmill, stationary bike, etc).

The Face Pull for Rear Deltoid, Upper Back

Here's a good video of the face pull:



The face pull is a great exercise for rear deltoids (shoulders) and upper back.  There are two reasons you should do this exercise:

1.  Your shoulders will look better if you develop the rear deltoids.

2.  This exercise helps prevent strength imbalances in the shoulder.  In other words, we often do so much pushing in the gym (bench press, etc) that the front deltoid becomes much stronger than the rear.  Such imbalances put you at risk for shoulder injury.
 

Prison Weightlifting

Here's a pretty impressive video of prison weightlifting (though I can't say the same about their singing). 

Note: if you are interested in gaining muscle, I recommend a program like Jason Ferruggia's Muscle Gaining Secrets.

Lifting in prison
Uploaded by Tech9. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.

As I mentioned before, supplements are not the most important factor in getting big and strong.  Do you think these guys have a GNC store in prison?

Serge Nubret

I think Serge Nubret (aka "The Black Panther") had one of the best physiques of all time.  His symmetry, leanness, and muscularity were just awesome.

Nubret's contest weight was only around 200 lb.  He epitomized the "golden era" emphasis on aesthetics over mass.  This is one of the few pro bodybuilders with a physique I'd love to emulate.

Nubret was known for high rep, high volume training.  He won the following titles:
1958 - Mr. Guadeloupe
1960 - IFBB World Most Muscular Man
1970 - NABBA Mister Univers 2nd
1970 - IFBB Mr. Europe (Tall)
1972 - IFBB Mr. Olympia (3rd place)
1974 - IFBB Mr. Olympia (2nd place)
1975 - IFBB Mr. Olympia (2nd place)
1976 - NABBA Pro Mr. Universe
1976 - WBBG Mr. World (2nd place)
1977 - WBBG Mr. World
1977 - WBBG Mr. Olympus
1981 - WABBA Pro World Champ.

Here's Nubret's website (I'll forgive him for the corny music):  http://sergenubret.com/

Blood Sugar, Insulin, and Fat Loss

I want to explain blood sugar and insulin in simple terms. As this illustration shows, our body has a system for balancing our blood sugar levels.  Here’s how the system works:

1.  The carbohydrates we eat are broken down into glucose, which is absorbed into the bloodstream.

2. The body detects the glucose and releases insulin.  This hormone (which comes from the pancreas) transports the glucose into our cells.

3.  This process is a constant balancing act—for non-diabetics, the body naturally keeps blood sugar from getting too high or two low (either extreme can be dangerous). 

You may think this only concerns diabetics.  But this process has multiple implications for fat loss and health.   Most well designed diets (the Zone, for example) take this into account. 

Stabilizing Blood Sugar

Sudden “spikes” in blood sugar are not good for fat loss.*  Let’s say I have an empty stomach and I drink a large soft drink.  The sugar (a simple carbohydrate) from the drink rapidly converts to blood glucose, and the body responds by releasing insulin. 

Here’s the problem: our bodies were not really made for refined sugar.  So the pancreas often overcompensates and floods our bloodstream with insulin.  Our blood sugar is lowered a bit too much, and end result is a “crash” in energy.  This is one reason we get sleepy after a big meal.

The health problems go far beyond the temporary crash.  Blood sugar/insulin spikes also tend to cause fat gain.  As I mentioned earlier, insulin transports glucose into our cells.  One of the primary destinations for glucose is fat cells. 

There’s another issue.  This blood sugar/insulin roller coaster can damage the body’s ability to effectively use its own insulin.  The end result is called insulin resistance, and it is a precursor to diabetes (by the way, exercise helps prevent insulin insensitivity). 

Here are some practical suggestions for stable blood sugar:

1. Try to include protein, fiber, and healthy fats along with carbohydrates in your meals.   This will slow down the digestion and cause a more gradual change in blood sugar.


2.  If you really have to eat sweets (yes, it’s OK to cheat), eat them after a meal.  Mom was right—eat your dinner before dessert.  The “real food” will slow the digestion of the dessert and thus reduce the insulin response (just keep in mind your overall calorie consumption). 

3. Know thyself.  Some of us are simply more sensitive to carbohydrates.  If you don't seem to do well with low-fat approaches, consider a low carb diet. 

Try these steps.  I bet you’ll end up with more stable energy levels and better success with fat loss.   

*There’s one exception to this rule.  Insulin spikes may be beneficial immediately following weight training. 

Exercise and Addiction

No, I'm not talking about being addicted to exercise.  I'm talking about the potential for exercise to help prevent substance abuse or overcome it.  Dr. Nora Volkow, chief of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is planning to study this.  There isn't a great deal of evidence (not much research right now), but here are a few scientific clues:

*Brown University took smokers to the gym three times a week.  They found women were twice as likely to successfully quit if they went to the gym. 

*Exercise acts as a mild antidepressant and stress reliever--depression and stress are risk factors in druge abuse, alcohol abuse, and cigarette smoking.


*Rats where less likely to ingest amphetamines if they had running wheels in their cages.

The above information came from USAToday.com

My Thoughts:

I think there is potential to this research--exercise is good for the mind as well as the body. 


Related Post:  Exercise and Depression

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Here's another classic black and white shot of Arnold.

Hoodia Diet Pill Scam

Time for me to expose another supplement scam—hoodia diet pills.  The internet is flooded with hoodia products and ads.  Researching this wasn’t easy because a google search of “hoodia” produces a bunch of websites trying to sell the stuff.

Here’s the truth about Hoodia Gordoni:

Hoodia Gordoni is a very rare cactus-like plant found in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa.  Tribal people have used it for centuries as an appetite suppressant.  Researchers have isolated hoodia’s appetite suppressing ingredient—a substance called “P57.” 

Sounds great so far, right?  Not so fast—here are the problems:

*The hoodia plant is rare, fragile, and protected by conservation laws.  You can’t collect it or grow it without a special permit.

*The before-mentioned tribal people used the hoodia flower itself.  There’s no reason to believe the same appetite suppression can come from “hoodia extract” powder, especially when you consider the next fact. 

*Pharmaceutical companies (most recently Unilever and Phytopharm) have spent millions trying to effectively extract P57.  None have succeeded.  Here’s a quote from Unilever (November 2008):

“Data suggests using the extract would not meet our safety and efficacy standards,” said Unilever global media relations director, Trevor Gorin. “We have entered talks with Phytopharm to end the partnership.”
-Quote from AP-Food Technology’s Website

If millions have been spent without success, what makes you think these fly-by-night supplement companies have managed to find an effective product?

*Phytopharm/Unilever only conducted one study of Hoodia.  It was too short (15 days) and too small to (nine subjects were studied) to give us any meaningful information.

*Because these supplements are not regulated, there is absolutely no way of knowing what you are taking.  One website article suggested 2/3 of hoodia products are completely counterfeit:

As part of an ongoing investigation into Hoodia Gordonii supplements sold around the world, Truth Publishing has now learned that eleven out of seventeen brand-name hoodia supplements have failed a laboratory analysis of authenticity.
-Quote from naturalnews.com

Conclusion:

Hoodia diet pills are a complete waste of money.  Even if you find a pill with genuine extract, there’s no reason to believe it would be effective.  One more thing: NEVER give your credit card information for one of those "free money-back trials."  You'll find out just how "free" it is when they send you products you didn't order and bill you.  

I'd recommend a good diet and exercise program if you want to lose fat.  Check out 24/7 Fat Loss if you are serious about finding a good plan.

PS--Contrary to what many websites claim, hoodia was never endorsed by Oprah Winfrey or her magazine.

Related Post:  Do Diet Pills Really Work?

Dieting and Diving: an Analogy

I think there’s a major understanding regarding the nature of diets and how they work.  Here’s what I mean: dieting (calorie restriction) is kind of like holding your breath—you can only do it for so long.  You should only do it for so long. 

In other words, perfect adherence to calorie restriction isn’t necessary to get results.  Think in terms of consistency, not perfection.

Let’s use a diving analogy.  Imagine I want to go check out some coral reefs.  I’ll be underwater most of the time—otherwise I’m not really diving.  But I don’t plan to spend an hour underwater without coming up for air--that's just not realistic.


In other words, successful dieting includes flexibility and/or planned “cheats.”  I didn’t understand this when I first started trying to get lean.  My progress suffered as a result.

Consider these facts:

*Weight loss and fat loss don’t happen overnight, but fat gain also doesn’t happen overnight.  In other words, you can’t gain pounds of fat from one meal.  The body simply can’t synthesize that much fat tissue in such a short amount of time.  Overnight weight gain/loss is more likely due to water loss or retention.

*Cheating on your diet gives you some much-needed psychological relief and helps keep you going until your next cheat.   

*An occasional increase in calories actually helps your metabolism.  It activates a hormone called leptin, which tells your body you aren’t starving and encourages it to keep burning fat resources.

*Truly effective diets intentionally fluctuate caloric intake to keep the body from rebelling against low calories and going into starvation mode.

Possible scenarios:

Scenario #1 I want to lose some fat, but I have one food I just can’t live without (mine is pizza).   I can approach this craving two ways:  I can let myself have pizza every week or two, or I can plan to do without it for three months.  Which one am I more likely to do? 

Scenario #2 The holidays are coming up.  I can begrudgingly stare at the goodies, or I can plan to eat whatever I want for one meal (or one evening).   Which seems more enjoyable and realistic?

If I give myself some flexibility, I can enjoy a high calorie meal (or day), give my mind/body a little boost, and get back on track again the next day.  But if I’m too rigid, I may see one cheat as a complete failure and give up altogether.

This is one thing I don’t understand about the Biggest Loser show.  They’ll take the contestants out to a restaurant after a hard week of training, then act as though one dessert will undo 6 days of hard training and dieting—nonsense!  I understand they are trying to train the contestants in making healthy eating choices, but they should explain “good cheating.”

How often should you cheat?  This depends, but most well designed diet plans include a half-day (or maybe a whole day) of high calories every week.  Low carb diets often allow you to eat lots of carbs every weekend to replenish your body’s glycogen stores (glycogen is the stored energy in the muscles/liver).

Conclusion:

Don’t think successful dieting means you have to completely give up on your favorite high-calorie foods.  You simply need to use some strategy in when and how often you eat them.  Don’t think an occasional cheat ruins your diet.  If done properly, it does just the opposite.

Body Image: Women vs Men

I think there might be some truth to this . . .

The Wood Chop Exercise for Abdominal and Oblique Muscles

I think one key to training abdominal/oblique muscles is to ad some variety.  Here's an exercise you can try called the wood chop (also called wood chopper; cable chop).  The clips below show a few variations.

Diagonal Cable Chop



Diagonal Cable Chop (with no bending at the waist)



Horizontal Cable Chop



Reverse Cable Chop