I love helping people. I always have. That is why I may open my mouth and give unsolicited health and fitness advice occasionally. It is not that I want to come across as being a know-it-all or better than anyone, I simply want to help others with the mass amount of knowledge I have gained over the last few years.

I struggle with the same issues a majority of our society does, I too have a slow metabolism and an endomorphic body type. I am predisposed to gain fat and have a very hard time losing it. I have spent countless hours trying to understand my body and know what I need to do to best work with my body to get the desired results of less fat and more muscle. That is why I want to yell out at people “stop doing more cardio and eating less.” This is the “American” way of losing weight, and you will lose weight this way…but you will lose most of it in the form of muscle loss and you will eventually plateau.

It can be hard for me to watch people make the same mistakes I was making for years, and to make it worse I know they are staving all the time and have no energy. This, in my opinion, is no way to live. What is great is that if you fix the problem and do it right you can eat a great deal of calories (the right amount to sustain your new body) and still lean out.

We have a plethora of blogs on here that give you the information you need to change your body, have more energy, and live a healthier life. I will not go into detail here…I just simply wanted to say: If I step out of line and say something to you related to health or fitness it is because I care about you. I want to help you live a happier healthier life.

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This is a purely informational article, mostly in preparation for our post next week.  Most people are well versed in what we’re going to discuss today, and it’s the method by which we move weight. Everyone knows about “Free Weights,” which are our barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, body weight exercises (Pull Ups) and weighted exercises (Weighted Pull Ups).  What is everything else called!?

Lever (Selectorized) Leg Extension

A “Lever” machine is one where the movement is restricted to a single movement of a lever;  These are what most people refer to when they’re referring to “machines.”  There are two types of lever operated machines–  Selectorized lever machines, and plate loaded lever machines.

Lever (Plate Loaded) High Row

They differ in one giant way–  How the weight is added and / or changed for the exercise.  You select which weight you want to move on a “Selectorized” machine by placing a pin in the hole of your desired resistance on the weight stack.  A plate loaded lever machine, like the name suggests, accepts traditional weight plates to change the resistance / weight moved during the exercise.  Gyms typically opt for selectorized machines over plate loaded machines because they’re more convenient for gym users, regarded as “safer,” and typically take up less space.  If a workout calls for “Plate Loaded Chest Press,” or “Selectorized Chest Press,” these are what they’re talking about.  (Pro tip:  If it only says “machine,” they mean the selectorized version 99% of the time.)

This is a Smith Machine.

The Smith Machine is a barbell with a hook & latch safety system built in so that you don’t become pinned while performing “dangerous” exercises without a spotter.  Smith Machine’s should typically be reserved for pushing yourself very hard on the bench press, but is widely used for any workout.  (At my gym, everyone uses it for shrugs and upright rows for some inexplicable reason.)  I’m not here to talk about how you should really stay away from the Smith unless you’re pushing yourself on the bench press (or variants), and how it makes every exercise insanely easier by taking most muscles out of the exercise–  That’s the subject of another post.  If a workout calls for “Smith Machine Squats,” they’re talking about this.  (While some would argue that you could use the Smith to push yourself with Squats, many would disagree.  Ask for a spot.)

“Sled” 45 Degree Leg Press

The sled is a plate loaded system where you load the weight plates onto a sled that moves along a track.  Pretty straight forward–  Typically reserved for leg press type exercises.  If a workout calls for a “Sled Hack Squat,” they’re talking about something like this.

A Cable Cross Station.

This is a cable cross station–  There are many variations of cable sytems and cable machines, but they all share something in common–  They used a “selectorized weight stack” attached to a cable and pulley system, and carabiner secured interchangeable handles.  They offer a lot of versatility when it comes to exercises, angles, and range of motion; but be careful–  Don’t opt for the multiple pulley systems when there’s a single pulley system available to use. Remember back to your middle school physics class–  Each additional pulley adds mechanical advantage and makes the work easier.  This is why I can Triceps Press the stack on a two pulley system, but am only pressing 100 lbs. on a single pulley system.  (Side note:  I know older cable systems were sometimes plate loaded, but I think the most recent evidence of one of those existing was from a picture of Arnold in the early 70s.  For that reason, I make the claim that they’re all selectorized.)

It’s worth noting that all of these have a place in your routine–  Free weights are the best, but machines and sleds have their place as well.

If you learned something today, that’s great, if not–  Good on you for reading through the end and knowing about all of these!  Like I said, this is mostly to make sure everyone knows what we’re talking about for next week’s post.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness by DeVinePhysiques
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Everyone has heard that–  “Be careful!  If you gain too much muscle, when you stop working out it will turn into fat.”

Does anyone out there believe it?  I hope not.  Before we get into where this myth came from (There is a logical explanation for why this exists), let’s look at muscles and body fat.

Muscles are responsible for causing “force and motion,” and taking care of most internal functions.  They’re composed primarily of water, and the fibers are made up of protein filaments.  There are three types of muscles in your body:  Cardiac, Smooth, and Skeletal;  Skeletal muscle being what we’re talking about today.

Body fat, also known as “Adipose Tissue,” is your body’s storage system.  Body fat is made up of fat cells (“Adipocytes”) that act as little compartments to store energy in the form of lipids.  (It’s important to note that lipids include oils, waxes, fat soluble vitamins, but no water.)  As you gain weight, your fat cells fill with lipids, and if you run out of available storage space, your body will create more fat cells.  What is equal parts fascinating and terrifying is that your body can only create new fat cells;  It has no natural way of getting rid of fat cells.  Body fat is found beneath the skin (“Subcutaneous Body Fat”), around your internal organs, in bone marrow, and in breast tissue.  Notice it’s not found within muscles.

So, we now have a slight idea of what muscle is, and what fat is. . .  Now we can address this myth:  “If you stop working out, your muscle will turn to fat.”

That’s impossible.  At the risk of making a religious joke, unless you’re a deity, you cannot turn water into oil.  Also, since these parts of your body are entirely separate, your body can’t simply transport muscle tissue into your fat cells and transform that into oil;  Your body is not capable of such sorcery.

If your body isn’t capable of doing that, though, where did this myth come from?

From health nuts, bodybuilders, and fitness gurus retiring or taking a break.  When you have more muscle than your body naturally wants, it takes a lot of work to maintain that muscle mass.  If you stop weight training, you will slowly begin to lose that muscle–  Your body will catabolize that muscle, breaking the tissue down into amino acids, which will then be used for energy.  This is done for survival purposes.  The human body is an incredibly smart and adaptable machine that will make sure it can survive;  Muscle takes a lot more energy to maintain than fat, and if you don’t give your body a reason to maintain that muscle, it makes better survival sense to hold on to the tissue that doesn’t require as much maintenance.

So what happens while your body is breaking down the muscles?  It’s in a fat sparing mode.  While it’s creating energy from amino acids and dietary intake, it is not oxidizing fat for energy.  So the amount of lean body mass goes down while the amount of fat stays the same–  Thus, you will begin to look fattier.

There’s one more important part to this equation, though.  Think of what is no longer happening to our hypothetical health nut, bodybuilder, or fitness guru.  They’re no longer being active, and the chances are, if they’re giving up that lifestyle (or taking a break from it), they are no longer watching what they eat, or working out.  So what does that do?  It leads to gains in body fat.

So, with our hypothetical person, all of this is going on:  Their body is sparing body fat while eating away muscle for energy, all while the subject is already gaining body fat.

It’s easy to see where the myth comes from, but just remember, it’s just that–  A myth.

The difference.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
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I don’t spend a lot of time on Pinterest, but I know Alissa does, and we often have a big laugh when she’s on the health and / or fitness boards.  The amount of misinformation that gets disseminated there is astounding.  It would take me a few years to refute all of the incorrect “pins,” and that’s time I just don’t have.

I do have time to take care of one right now, though. . .  This is one of the most ridiculous pins I’ve heard, and one of the most absurd claims I’ve ever heard.  I wanted to go over this one in particular because it completely disregards science, and tries to give the middle finger to how our bodies work.

Have you heard the one about how taking Honey and Cinnamon together will make you lose weight?  Here’s the claim:

“Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast and on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. When taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.”

Pictured: The alleged solution for the obesity epidemic.

This is ridiculous.  First off, there is no food that will “not allow the fat to accumulate” on the body.  Fat doesn’t accumulate–  Fat is stored.  You have an amount of fat cells in your body, and if you gain weight / fat, those fat cells fill with oil.  If you lose weight, those fat cells don’t go away. . .  They simply release and oxidize that oil.  The person that came up with this outrageous claim probably believes that eating fatty foods will lead to fat gain because fat will “accumulate” in your body, but that is a myth as well.

Weight gain and weight loss in normal, healthy individuals is a simple numbers game.  Your body expends a certain amount of energy throughout the day–  If you eat more energy (Fun fact: A calorie is a unit of energy) than you expend, you will gain weight;  If you eat less energy than you expend, you will lose weight.  If we don’t account for body types and depressed metabolisms (from Chronic Dieting), it is that simple.  So the claim that it will reduce weight even when eating a high calorie diet?  Wrong.

Also, “it reduces the weight of even the most obese person.”  What!?  So they’re claiming that this is a thermogenic (fat burning) food?  What’s interesting is that honey is comprised of 100% carbs;  Carbs are the least thermogenic of the macro nutrients.  Ridiculous.  For the record, protein is generally accepted as the most thermogenic food (Though some studies claim fat is); The one consistency to all of these studies is that carbs come in last.

So what will happen if you eat that concoction twice a day?  Nothing.  You will eat honey and cinnamon, which is more calories than you (probably) would have eaten otherwise.  If anything, if you don’t put a lot of cinnamon in this (as cinnamon can help control blood sugar), you will make your body fattier as you may be spiking your blood sugar and forcing an insulin response multiple times per day.  (Honey has a very high glycemic load;  I eat honey only when I want to spike my blood sugar.)

“But Gabriel, how do you explain my mailman’s dog’s best friend who lost weight with this LOL?”  Easy.  They made a lifestyle adjustment separate from the honey cinnamon that helped them to lose weight.  (I crafted that hypothetical rebuttal myself–  I haven’t heard of anyone even doing this.)

If anything claims you will lose weight with no effort, it lies;  If anything claims that it will drastically cut the time it takes to achieve your goals, it’s probably not going to.  If you chase after fad diets and crazy concoctions, the amount of time you spend on all of that could have been used simply changing your lifestyle, and then you would see real results.

It’s worth noting that there are many other (claimed) benefits of a Cinnamon Honey concoction–  I’m not addressing a single one of those. . .  Just the incorrect claim that it can help you lose weight.

Filed under: Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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