Group items tagged

We know that for athletes to optimize their performance and be successful, they must consume efficient amounts of nutrients from carbohydrates... Here are a few facts and tips about carb loading, its importance, who benefits, and more. By: Chuck Rudolph, MEd, RD Nov 25, 2009 Email More Article Summary: Endurance athletes will benefit from optimizing glycogen stores. Performance athlete should keep glycogen stores packed at all times. Carbs are the primary energy source for intense endurance exercise. Performance is defined as "the execution or accomplishment of work, acts, feats, etc." Today, we know a lot about how nutrition can affect the strength, speed and performance of athletes. We also know that for athletes to optimize their performance and be successful, they must consume efficient amounts of nutrients from carbohydrates, fats and proteins throughout the day. The main question is, "How can nutrition go above and beyond for performance when taken pre, during and post intensive exercise/training?" Click Image To Enlarge. Athletes Must Consume Efficient Amounts Of Nutrients FromCarbohydrates, Fats And Proteins Throughout The Day. What Impact Does Nutrition Have On Performance? Most of us already know that carbohydrates are the most readily available nutrient for e

In fact, current research is advising endurance/intense training athletes to consume 0.5-1.0 grams of carbohydrate per minute (intensity pending) during training or competition. Trying to consume more carbohydrates has only indicated intestinal distress and it is believed that the type of carbohydrate is the limiting factor.

Warm-up sets are an important part of your bodybuilding routine regardless of your experience level. Because warm-up sets involve a relatively small amount of weight, they are a safe means for beginners to learn the correct form for an exercise.

For more advanced bodybuilders, performing either two or three warm-up sets, using progressively heavier weight, prepares the muscle for the work involved with your higher-intensity sets.

Performing a warm-up set begins the process of sending blood to the muscle you are training. A warm muscle is less susceptible to strains and pulls. During warm-up sets, your brain recognizes that resistance is being placed on your joints, and synovial fluid is released.

With all the different supplements that are available for use, many people have a tendency to get confused on which they should take. In some cases there will be one or two supplements in particular that will stand out to you and draw your attention.

One supplement to take, that often tops the list of many people, is creatine. Let's have a quick look at the top five reasons why you should consider taking creatine.

Why Should You Consider Taking Creatine?

A carbohydrate-loading diet, also called a carb-loading diet, is a strategy to increase the amount of fuel stored in your muscles to improve athletic performance. Carbohydrate loading generally involves greatly increasing the amount of carbohydrates you eat several days before a high-intensity endurance athletic event.

Your muscles normally store only small amounts of glycogen — enough to support you during recreational exercise activities. If you exercise intensely for more than 90 minutes, your muscles may run out of glycogen. At that point, you may start to become fatigued, and your performance may suffer.

But with carbohydrate loading, you may be able to store up enough energy in your muscles to give you the stamina to make it through longer endurance events without overwhelming fatigue

The time frame in which you can expect to notice muscle gain depends on several factors: your current fitness level, the intensity and consistency of your workouts and your body fat percentage.

According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine--an organization that educates personal trainers--those who are new to exercise can expect to notice muscle gain within four weeks of beginning a strength-training program.

Everyone from sedentary adults to seasoned body builders possesses skeletal muscles, the muscles that support the movement of the skeletal system. Body fat acts like a blanket covering these muscles.

What did you just say? Eat 6 times per day? Yes, that's right! Don't think that you are going to gain quality size eating 3 square meals per day. The only type of mass you will put on eating this way will be the fat type, and this is not our objective. There is no way that you can reach your caloric or your macronutrient needs eating 3 meals per day. If by some magical reason you can eat them in 3 meals, than you will be so full and bloated, you won't be able tie up your own shoes let alone pound out some heavy deadlifts.

Water is very important for many reasons. Water is good for you believe it or not. It has many health and performance benefits. It keeps your organs functioning properly, clears toxins, reduces excess sodium from your body, and it hydrates your muscle cells. It even liberates fat stores on your body so they are burned off as an energy source. Dehydration will cause a major decrement in performance. Even a 2% state of dehydration will cause your performance to go out the window

Sleep

If you were to wrap your hand around your upper arm and squeeze, you would feel various types of tissue. The soft, spongy material is fat mass, and everything else is considered lean body mass. This includes skin, bone, muscle, fluids and connective tissue. Out of all these types of tissue, fat and muscle are the only ones you have control over.

Feed your body healthy foods. Avoid foods that are deep fried, cooked in butter, smothered with gravy, doused with creamy sauces and coated with sugar. They are empty-calorie foods that offer you no nutritional value. Eat foods instead that are beneficial to muscle building such as eggs, cottage cheese, lean beef, chicken breasts, fish, beans, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and oils.

Drink water to hydrate your muscles and keep your calories under control. Avoid beverages high in calories and caffeine, such as energy drinks, lattes, soda, sweet teas, slushies and alcohol. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get approximately 2.7 liters of water a day and men get approximately 3.7 liters a day. This comes out to about 90 oz. and 120 oz., respectively.

One of the best abdominal exercises for men is the basic crunch. There are a lot of people who figure the regular crunches just do not work but in fact this is one of the best exercises you can do for toning and shaping your stomach. It is all a matter of focusing on your core and squeezing your abdominal muscles as you perform each crunch, to ensure you are working the right muscles.

This is one of the most effective abdominal exercises for men, so lets see how you should be doing it. Lie flat on your back, knees bent, and arms folded with your hands behind your head. Concentrate on your core and squeeze your ab muscles, using them to push your torso up until your head is almost at your knees.

This is a full crunch and you should include at least fifteen reps in your set, and try to do three sets minimum.

If your workout is the key to your dream physique, then your diet is the key to your most effective workout. The food you eat is directly tied to the way your body performs, and an under-performing body won't burn as many calories or build as much muscle as one that is perfectly fueled.

the most important factor is the mix of carbohydrates and protein.

No matter what volume of food you consume, dietitian Christopher Mohr recommends 5 g of carbs for every 1 g of essential amino acids -- about 1.6 g of a complete protein will provide 1 g of essential amino acids. Consuming these nutrients before your workout allows your body to take advantage of workout-induced increased blood flow to establish the amino acids in your muscles while boosting blood sugar for steady energy.

Ads 5 Foods you must not eatCut down a bit of stomach fat every day by never eating these 5 foods.Beyonddiet.com Weight Loss for WomenGet Cash Back. $10 per Pound. Weight Loss Resolution that Works!Herbalmagic.ca 50 Circuit WorkoutsBurn fat & get totally ripped with these 50 circuit workout routinesMaxWorkouts.com Sports Medicine Ads Weight Loss Exercise Weight Training Cardio Weight Lifting Exercise Ads Weight Loss TipsPurchase The Book That Will Give You The Science Of Slim Today!TheSmarterScienceOfSlim.com Build muscle, lose fatFree online workout plans 800.000 people use it already!www.virtuagym.com

What should you do first, cardiovascular endurance exercise or weight lifting? Or does this even matter? The answer really depends upon what you are trying to accomplish.

Exercise order may also matter if you are trying to achieve a specific goal, such as building muscle or improving sports skills, or if you have an extremely high level of fitness already.

Muscle definition in the abs comes from a healthy diet and regular abdominal exercises. Your abdominal workouts should target each of the three abdominal muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis and obliques. Eat a diet high in protein and low in fat to help build more defined abs.

Start with the upper abs and middle abs, which are considered part of the rectus abdominis, a lengthwise muscle that runs vertically from your sternum to pubic bone. For the lower abs, which tend to carry the most fat cells, perform stability ball knee tucks. The stability ball will strongly engage your lower abs, but also the rest of your core. Kneel with the ball in front of you. Lean over the ball and walk your hands out in front until your legs are straight with your feet on the ball. Engage your abs and pull the ball closer to your chest, lifting your hips and bending your knees. Roll the ball away until you are in a straight line again.

Work the middle abs and obliques. For these, do bicycle crunches. Begin on your back with your feet in the air, shins parallel to the ground and knees bent to 90 degrees. Interlock your hands behind your head, keeping your elbows out wide. Straighten your right leg, right foot in the air, and lift your chest and right shoulder to your left knee. Come back to the center and straighten the left leg, bringing your left shoulder toward your right knee. Keep going from side to side, keeping your chest lifted and elbows wide next to your ears.

Training for speed seems straightforward; perform your activity or sport over and over working to get faster. Training for speed requires the ability to accelerate fast from a standing position or a slow jog, according to Derek Hansen, CSCS of SPS Athletic Training Group.

Generating speed requires nerve and impulse control and strength in your muscles. Speed requires a high output of energy and strength.

Hansen recommends only training for short times because you can tax your nervous system to exhaustion quickly. Recommended training intervals shouldn't be more than 300 meters for team sports, such as football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse and track and field events.

Work your abdominals two to three days per week. Include exercises that stimulate every angle of the midsection. Perform crunches, leg raises, oblique crunches, Russian twists and v-ups for three sets of 20 repetitions.

f you want to build six-pack abs and a chiseled chest, start strength training. Resistance training at a young age has several health benefits like stronger bones, increased metabolism and improved self-esteem, according to MayoClinic.com. When strength training as a youth, it is important to pay close attention to proper form to prevent injury. Perform strength-training workouts to target your abs and chest to gain lean muscle and increase definition.

Step 1

Participants in this ongoing study were five healthy students on the Stanford University men’s and women’s swimming teams

For the first two weeks of the study, the students maintained their usual sleep-wake pattern

The athletes then extended their sleep to 10 hours per day for six to seven weeks.