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10 Reasons to Get Ripped

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Ask most people and they will agree that they would like to be “shredded” or “ripped” like the people on the fitness magazine covers. I am not talking about bodybuilding magazines, I am speaking of magazines like Shape or Men's Fitness. There are 10 great reasons why you should get ripped and I am going to share those with you today!

  1. You will have healthier internal organs. Fat can cause all kinds of problems in people. I personally know someone who recently passed away from cihrrosis of the liver and this was directly related to the fact that he had a ton of fat around his mid-section. The fat choked off his liver. Getting ripped will mean you eliminate the fat and that will help your internal organs stay healthy.
  2. You will fit better in your clothing. A pound of fat takes up 18% more space than a pound of muscle. Replacing fat with muscle will make your clothing fit better.
  3. You will look better naked. Yes, to some people this is a very important consideration. A nice tight body looks better sans clothing. It is just a fact.
  4. You will be able to tie your shoes without losing your breath. Let's face it…I big gut gets in the way of tying your shoes. You bend over to tie them and you're out of breath before you're done. Getting ripped fixes that.
  5. You will find that people want to touch you. People love to see muscles no matter what they say to the contrary. In fact, when you are ripped people come up and want to touch you. It is an interesting thing to say the least. Who knows what will happen as a result?
  6. Your ego will be stroked. People will be looking at you everywhere you go. That's going to stroke your ego and God knows we all need that from time to time.
  7. Your knees will thank you. By decreasing the fat you carry around you will put less stress on the lower half of your body. Your knees will say thank you.
  8. You will eat better. Because you are in better shape you will want to stay that way. This means you will pay more attention to what you eat.
  9. You will have more confidence. People who are physically fit tend to have more confidence. They carry themselves differently. It is just a fact of life.
  10. You will be more attractive to the opposite sex. It is true. Man and women are attracted to people who are in great shape. Men especially are so visual that a nice tight body is going to attract their attention. Women claim to be turned off by muscles but their actions betray that statement.

Please note that some of these reasons are dead serious while others are all in fun. Now get busy getting shredded.

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5 Reasons to Lift Weights

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Lifting weights is something that many people look on with scorn and disdain. I generally hear things like “I don't want to get big and disgusting like the bodybuilders in the magazines!” or “All I want to do is lose some fat!” or “I only want to be leaner.” When I hear these objections to lifting weights I think of my 5 reasons to lift weights.

  1. You will lose more fat by lifting weights. Most people think that cardio is the ticket to burning fat. Penn State University did a study. They put people into three “dieter” groups: (1) no exercise; (2) cardio only; (3) cardio and weight training. All 3 groups lost about 21 pounds. The group that lifted weights along with the cardio lost 6 lbs more fat than those who did not push the weights around. The reason is that the lifters lost almost pure fat while the others lost a combination of fat and muscle. Further research showed that those who don't lift lose 75% fat and 25% muscle. This makes it more likely that you will gain the weight back. Weight training while also incorporating cardio will protect your muscle while helping torch the fat.
  2. You will burn more calories.  Weight training increases the number of calories you burn while at rest. This happens because your body will burn calories as it repairs the damage done from weight training. Researchers have shown that people who do 3 full body workouts with just 3 big muscle moves have an increased metabolism 39 hours later.
  3. You will build stronger bones. As you age your bone mass decreases. Lifting for 16 weeks will help increase your bone mass by 19 percent. This will help you avoid a debilitating hip fracture later in life.
  4. You will have a healthier heart. Research has shown that weight training will reduce your blood pressure over time. It can reduce your diastolic blood pressure by 8 points. This is enough to reduce the risk of stroke by 40% and the chance of heart attack by 15%.
  5. You will have better fitting clothes. Muscle takes up less space than fat. In fact 1 lb. of fat takes up 18% more space than 1 lb. of muscle. When you add muscle and burn fat you will look better in your clothing. You will turn heads because of how good you will look. Who doesn't check out the tight body of someone walking by who is in great shape?

If you are one of the people with the objections I already mentioned, perhaps it is time for you to rethink your objections. Weight training is essential to get into the best shape possible. If you have any other reasons why someone should lift weight please share with us in the comments area.

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Desk Work – Dangerous to Your Health

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Desk Work = Sore Neck

 

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Who would have thought that office jobs could be hazardous to your health?  A person in a job that requires long hours of sitting in just as at risk for health problems as those individuals doing manual labor or heavy lifting in their jobs.

Some of the risks associated with desk jobs are:

  • chronic low back pain
  • weak abdominal muscles possibly leading to back problems
  • repetitive use injury such as carpal tunnel syndrome
  • weak gluteal muscles leading to low back pain, associated knee pain

Two of the best exercises you can do to help alleviate chronic neck and shoulder pain are listed below.  Upper crossed syndrome (tight chest muscles; weak back muscles) accounts for a host of symptoms from neck pain, headaches to shoulder pain and even numbness in hands and fingers.  Just by taking a few minutes throughout the day to do these two simple exercises will go a long way to restoring your posture and alleviating chronic symptoms.

Exercise #1 – Scapular Activation

 

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The scapula or shoulder blade is host to a group of muscles that help maintain overall shoulder position and health.  Shrugging shoulders and scooped neck positions cause a lot of problems with today's office workers. To perform:

Stand with arms at side; shoulders and head back.  Raise arms out in front so just above shoulder height, with hands in a fist position.  Bring elbows back keeping hands even with shoulders.  Squeeze elbows together.  “Stuff elbows into back pocket.  Relax and repeat 3 times.  Perform every couple of hours through out the day.

 

 

Exercise #2 – Cervical Alignment

 

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One problem that arises when sitting at a desk or computer for long periods of time is a forward head posture.  The chin moves forward as we look over paper work or the computer screen.  This causes problems with cervical vertebrae and will lead to neck stiffness and pain.  One way to overcome this is to restore the neck to its proper position by realigning the muscles.  To perform:

Start with hands at side.  Stand tall.  Bring arms out from side to shoulder height.  Allowing elbows to bend, bring back of hand to shoulders.  Allow arm to drop back to side.  Relax and repeat 3 times.  Perform every couple of hours throughout the day

 

Performing these two simple exercises a few times throughout your day will take 1-2 minutes but will alleviate a host of problems either already present or lurking in the background.

 

Till next time,

Narina

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How Does an Old Guy Get Lean?

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When you go over the age of 40 building muscle and losing fat becomes more difficult if it hasn't already become a lifestyle for you. Testosterone levels are down and cortisol levels are up. These things conspire against you to keep the fat on your body. The fact that it is difficult to gain muscle at this age also contributes to the fat loss quandry.

Following an 5 step process will get you there.

  1. Use the IIFYM approach to eating. IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) is a very popular method of eating. It allows you to choose how many meals a day you will eat and the macronutrient ratios you want to hit and then you are able to eat things you normally wouldn't eat while trying to lose fat “if it fits your macros.” Make sure to aim for high protein intake. It is an amazing approach to eating that I have just begun to explore. I have an article planned soon regarding this eating program.
  2. Weight train daily. You need to do some pretty intense weight training when you are over the age of 40. You need to follow strict form to avoid injuries, but you should lift heavy and lift often. The intensity will spur on muscle growth by increasing the levels of testosterone and growth hormone in your system. Muscle helps to burn fat and that is why it is so essential to build and maintain muscle.
  3. Do cardio 4 times a week. To help keep fat loss moving forward do a cardio session 4 times a week. Do not over do the cardio. Keep the sessions under 30 minutes if possible. Use the HIIT method whenever possible as it continues to burn fat well into the future beyond the training session itself.
  4. Get enough sleep. Sleep is an essential element of your program. As we get older we tend to need less sleep. Please be sure to get lots of rest regardless of what you think you need. Not getting enough sleep has been tied to increase in fat.
  5. Drink lots of water. I recommend drinking at least 1 gallon of water a day. I personally aim for 2 gallons. It is a big commitment but it is extremely useful. Be careful to spread your water intake out over the course of a day. The water will help you burn fat and will keep your muscles full and powerful.

If you stick religiously to the five steps above and are consistent you will see changes in your body. It is hard work after the age of 40, but do not give up. Push yourself and the results you get will make you very happy.

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Do You Even Lift?

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So many people have seen memes like the one to the left. “Do you even lift?” is the question to be answered. It got me to thinking about the topic of lifting and what that means. I know that the memes approach it from many different angles, but I came up with one angle and one angle only and I discuss that in a brief video.

Lifting means you go to the gym consistently and make progress. What kind of progress? Well, if youu are squatting 135 lbs. today you should see that number go up week after week. It is really that simple.  If you are not seeing that than you don't lift. I am a big believer in progression. I am sure you are as well and my comment probably seems stupid, but look around the gym. You will see the same people training with the same weights for years. That's not lifting.

I laugh when I hear people say they go to the gym regularly as though it is a badge of honor only to find out that they also lift the same weight at every workout. Have a listen to my video rant below.

[pro-player type='video']http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSs9o5_eS9Y[/pro-player]

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