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
No Comments »

I’m going to start a series of posts about the importance of knowing what you’re doing.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to know what exercise you’re doing, how to do it, why you’re doing it, and what muscles you’re working.

That final point is what we’re going to focus on today;  Knowing what muscles are being worked during an exercise.  In most cases, this seems pretty straightforward, but there are exercises where they obvious answer is. . .  Well, it’s not the right answer.  Here’s an exercise that is often misunderstood:

Pop Quiz: What muscle does this target?

I once overheard a guy telling his friend that this would make his calves “look jacked.”  Here’s the problem:  In a few different places on your body, you have a set of muscles that complete a movement–  Some of those muscles are aesthetic and functional, while some are only functional.  Let’s look at your lower leg for a second.  There are three major muscles (and only four total) in your lower leg:  The Tibialis Anterior (Over your shin), Soleus (Within your calves), and Gastrocnemius (Your calves).  When people are looking for aesthetics with their calves, there’s only one muscle that plays into this:  The Gastrocnemius.  So, why won’t your calves get “jacked” by doing the seated calf raise?  Because that exercise targets your Soleus only.

This isn’t the only situation where there’s a lot of misconceptions about what’s being worked.  I watched a guy doing Hammer Curls, and somebody asked him what he was working.  His response:  “My outer biceps, bro.” Actually, the hammer curl is a grip exercise, targeting your brachioradialis, which is an important muscle and also happens to have the coolest sounding name.

One last example:

I’ve seen entire routines centered around Preacher Curls, and yet, no one knows what they target.

If you think this will make your biceps “jacked,” you would be wrong.  If you think this targets your biceps, you would be wrong.  The preacher curl is like the seated calf raise–  It targets an important muscle that is all about function and not about aesthetics.  It targets your Brachialis, the muscle underneath your biceps.

I’m not telling you to stop doing seated calf raises, hammer curls, or preacher curls–  Every muscle in your body needs to be worked. . .  But, before you start doing exercises, learn about them, and figure out if they actually fit in with your goals.  While working at a sporting goods store, I had someone buy an expensive bench because it had a “Preacher Curl Pad.”  All he wanted to train was biceps.  I told him that he would save a lot of money, and would actually be training what he wanted to train if he went with an EZ bar and plates.  Instead, he was sold on the idea of the preacher curl and spent too much money for a workout that is not nearly as effective for what he wanted.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »

Once upon a time, we discussed HIIT–  High Intensity Interval Training.  We discussed why it’s so great, and different ideas for a HIIT routine.

Since then we have learned a lot more, and have discovered a fantastic HIIT routine that I would call a definite a** kicker;  I would also call it the most effective cardio I’ve done.  For the record, we did not come up with this. . .  This is actually recommended by Lyle McDonald as part of his “Stubborn Fat Protocol.”   There’s is an accompanying  supplement stack that you take with his program, and while it’s ridiculously effective for fat loss, it’s not necessary, nor recommended in some cases–  We will mention it in this post, though.  Anyway. . .  The workout requires you to go to the gym first thing in the morning, without eating, and to get on a treadmill:

You start with a brief warmup–  We go to a gym that requires a lot of walking to get to, so that’s considered part of the warm up.  We continue with 3 minutes of walking on the treadmill at a speed of 4.  (15 min / mi pace)  Officially, the warm up is to be 3 – 5 minutes.

Your first round of HIIT:  You have to sprint as hard as you can in order for this to be as effective as possible.  You go 30 seconds of sprinting, and 30 seconds of walking or complete rest.  (After two or three intervals, I start jumping on and off the treadmill for my breaks, but slowing down the treadmill so your rest periods consist of walking is just fine as well.)  It’s worth noting that by “Sprinting,” I mean going at a pace that is hard to sprint continuously for 30 seconds.

If I could keep that up, I would be running a 4:17 mile, which is insane for me.

Be careful, though. . .  Most treadmills can’t handle certain speeds, so if you’re a fan of pushing yourself, or are really fast, you’ll probably need to do this workout outside in order for it to be most effective.  Otherwise. . .

I have discovered that Precor Treadmills break every time you go at a 4:17 (14) or better pace. . . So I save that sprint for the very end.

After you finish you first round of HIIT, you sit down.  You can also stretch, and get water, but make sure you sit down and rest for 5 minutes.

Now comes the steady state.  Go to your favorite cardio machine  (We’re a fan of the elliptical, but you can also use the stairmaster or treadmill), and go moderate intensity for 25 – 40 minutes.  When you’re through there, you rest again for five minutes.

And then the second round of HIIT, which is a strange thing–  At this point my legs are so tired from the first round that they don’t want to go again, but they’re so warm, and I feel so good that they will just fly.  Either way, you do between 5 and 10 minutes of HIIT this second time–  Whatever you are physically capable of.  I have trouble finishing 6 minutes, so I usually stick with that.

When you’re through, do whatever you need to do to cool down and hope your stomach isn’t turning too much.  Wait an hour and then have a small protein meal (Whatever that means to you–  The point is no carbs and little to no fat. . .  We opt for a scoop of protein powder with 1/2C almond milk);  Wait two hours after that and eat as you normally would.

And that’s it!  Anyone can do that and you will see fantastic results!

There is also the supplement stack that is only recommended if you’ve lost a significant amount of body fat, or if you already have a decently low body fat percentage.  This should be taken 30 – 45 minutes before your workout, and never done more than 3 times per week (Though we stick to 2):

200mg Caffeine;  2g Vitamin C;  2 – 3g L-Tyrosine;  and 0.2mg / kg bodyweight of Yohimbine HCl.

So why this stack?  To avoid an overly scientific answer, the Caffeine and Vitamin C boost your metabolism;  The L-Tyrosine improves fat mobilization / lipolysis;  And Yohimbine also helps with fat mobilization  and lipolysis, but has the added bonus of targeting alpha receptors in stubborn fat areas of the body. (Hence the name of Lyle McDonald’s program, and why the supplement stack is really only recommended for those who are trying to cut down even more.)

Supplements or not, this is a fantastic option for cardio!

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »

Testosterone is a hormone that all bodybuilders strive to elevate, and keep elevated.  Testosterone is 100% necessary to build and maintain muscle mass, whereas it’s counterpart Estrogen can, and will, prevent the development of muscle mass.  In the broadest terms possible, hormonally, men are dominated by Testosterone, and women are dominated by Estrogen.  There are plenty of other hormones, and there are actually two different measures of testosterone levels, but for the sake of this article, we’re only going to talk about them in broad terms.  So, we want to build muscle;  This means that we need to get our Testosterone levels higher. . .  But how do you do this naturally?  Well, here are 9 of the most effective (and 1 that’s fun but not very effective) natural methods for boosting testosterone levels:

1)  Do compound lifts.  In my current workout plan, I don’t have a “leg day,” because I start every workout with either Deadlifts, Squats, or a variant.  Studies have shown that compound movements, such as Deads, Squats, Bench Press, Military Press, Pull Ups, and others, dramatically increase testosterone levels when done with a weight that keeps you in the 5 rep area.  This is why Deadlifts are regularly done in a 1X5 fashion, and Squats in the 3X5 or 5X5.

2)  Supplement with Zinc.  A Zinc deficiency can hinder Testosterone Production, and Zinc is also capable of converting Estrogen into Testosterone.  The best way to ensure healthy Zinc levels is through diet and supplementation of Zinc, specifically ZMA.  ZMA is a fantastic Zinc supplement that is also chock full of Magnesium and B6, and I take it nightly.  (It’s worth noting that ZMA is claimed to be a sleep aid, as well.  See #5)  Great places to get it from food:  Shellfish, poultry, and most nuts and seeds.

3)  Get your Vitamin D.  Whether through fun in the sun or supplements, make sure you get plenty of Vitamin D.  Again, RDI is 400 – 800 IU, but levels necessary to dramatically increase testosterone levels are closer to 3,000 IU.  In addition to helping regulate testosterone levels, Vitamin D can also reduce the concentration of the “Aromatase” enzyme.

4)  Limit (or eliminate) alcohol consumption.  We’ve mentioned what happens internally when you drink alcohol, but alcohol consumption directly affects testosterone levels by halting testosterone production, depleting Zinc levels, and making it difficult for your body to breakdown estrogen in the liver.

5)  Lose body fat.  Body fat contains an enzyme called “Aromatase” that is known to convert testosterone into estrogen.  The higher your body fat percentage, the higher concentration of this enzyme, thus, a higher estrogen level.

6)  Rest harder than you train on a daily basis.  A study by the University of Chicago showed that men who got little sleep had significantly lower testosterone levels than those who got 6 – 8 hours;  A separate study showed that testosterone levels could drop as much as 40% with lack of sleep.   Your body produced most of your daily testosterone while you sleep, which is why it’s imperative you get adequate rest–  Couple that with the fact that sleep time is when your muscles rebuild and grow shows just how important daily rest is.

7)  Stop stressing out!  Stress releases the “stress hormone” cortisol, which can shut down testosterone production, and is proven to store fat.  This can lead to a vicious cycle since (As we saw in #4) body fat can lead to lower testosterone levels and higher estrogen levels.  So try and relax more often, or consider a cortisol blocker, such as. . .

8)  Supplement with Vitamin C.  Our Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of Vitamin C is only 75 mg, which is enough to function, but Vitamin C in high doses can help you in many ways:  Vitamin C in the 1,000 to 2,000 mg range can be an effective cortisol blocker;  and Vitamin C in the 1,000 to 2,000 range can also reduce the concentration of the enzyme, “Aromatase.”

9)  Talk to women.  Studies have shown that a five minute conversation with an “attractive female” can affect testosterone levels–  Not as much as anything else on this list, but it’s still worth mentioning!

10)  Become aroused as often as possible.  Yes, it may seem strange, but sexual arousal heightens testosterone levels immensely.  One study even found that watching just four minutes of erotica enhances performance on a 3 rep squat.  (Powerlifting, basically.)  Even better, it was previously believed that achieving sexual climax would adversely affect testosterone levels, however, emerging studies are showing this may not be the case  (Or if it is, it’s a negligible amount).  Have an issue with this?  Increasing testosterone levels naturally (Through the steps on this page) will lead to an increase in libido which will increase chances of arousal, thus, boosting testosterone!

We hope these all help you!  Think of it like this:  There’s a faucet that’s always running–  One knob controls testosterone, and the other estrogen–  Only one side can be opened at once. . .  Which do you want flowing?

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »

No long post today, just a few pointers for the start to 2013 regarding New Year Resolutions.

Seriously. Brace Yourselves.

If you’re a regular gym goer, be patient.  Every year, the month of January turns the gym into a mad house;  What’s especially frustrating is watching people take up equipment and knowing that you’ll only see them during the month of January.  If you’re an impatient person, now is the time to hone your skills and become patient, especially if you have a training day scheduled for the first of the year.  (As we do. . .  I try to plan maintenance weeks around the beginning of the year, but this year it didn’t line up.)

If you’re one of the “New Year Resolution Gym Members,” don’t be.  A healthy lifestyle is just that–  A lifestyle.  Resolving to go the gym all year “as my next year resolution” won’t cut it, nor will creating a resolution simply from pressure by others;  The desire to change has to be present, otherwise you’ll only ever know the gym during January.

If you are making health, fitness, nutrition, or all of the above a part of your new year resolutions, be realistic.  I’ve read countless articles about the reason resolutions fail, and in most cases, it’s because unrealistic resolutions were decided on.  Start small, and allow your goals to evolve as you reach certain benchmarks, or stick with it long enough.  Everything in life can be looked at as a staircase;  You can try to jump from the floor to the sixth step, but failure is very likely. . .  It’s best to look at the path ahead and take it one step at a time.  (Even if your resolutions have nothing to with health or fitness, that still applies!)

Regarding my health / fitness goals, I only really have two, and both are within my grasp since I’ve been working toward them for some time:  The first is to finally deadlift four plates (405 lbs. 1 X 5);  I’ve been working on this for over a year and am at 395 lbs. currently.  My second goal is to continue on the path I’m on and compete in a natural physique competition this summer.

We just survived the “Apocalypse,” so let’s make 2013 a great year!

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »

I wanted to take a little time today to debunk a major myth among women. Women shouldn’t do heavy weight lifting. For some reason as a society we have trained ourselves to think that it is just fine for men to lift heavy in the gym, but that women should only lift light weights and do more reps of the exercise.

Women have a fear that if they start to lift heavy they will get huge and bulky muscle, this is only a concern if that woman is taking steroids. The female body doesn’t produce enough testosterone to build muscle like that. All that will happen when a woman lifts heavy is that she will start to build some muscle  burn more fat, and look leaner and more toned.

I recently told another lady how much weight I can deadlift (195lbs) and her response was hysterical to me. She said “lifting weight that is heavier than you can’t be good for your body.” I am not sure how she even decided that in her head because I can see absolutely no reason that could possibly be bad for you. If you train with correct posture and know how lifting heavy will never hurt you.

I can’t even begin to describe how much my body has changed for the good since I really started lifting heavy. I look better, I feel confident in my abilities and my appearance, and I know that I can handle anything that comes my way physically.

If you are a woman, do yourself a favor… start lifting heavier weights. You won’t believe how quickly your body will transform and how much stronger you will become.

If you do it right you will only gain benefits!

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »

What is the purpose of a weight belt?  I think that may be the easiest question I ask throughout the course of this article.  Everyone can agree that a weight belt is used to prevent injury, right?  Do you know how a weight belt prevents injury?  I’ll admit, when I first purchased my weight belt, I had no idea how it really worked, or why I should choose a particular belt over a different one.  So, I chose one that looked like it provided plenty of back support.

This looks. . . Supportive. I think.

I’m about to tell you that you probably don’t know the main purpose of a weight belt.  There are two ways that your weight belt prevents injury.  Somewhere along the way, people stopped understanding the mechanics of the body while lifting;  Instead, people focus only on the secondary method of injury prevention that the belt offers  (And even then, people don’t use it properly / know what’s going on);  This, incidentally, is not nearly as important, or employed nearly as often.

Think about it. . .  When you look at a weight belt, most of the time, the backside of the belt is larger than the rest of the belt.  In reality, though, I would be better off wearing my weight belt backward.

Why is this?  How can we be so wrong about weight belts?  Well, here’s how it actually works, and to demonstrate, we’ll talk about a hypothetical dead lift.  You approach the bar, and put your weight belt on and make sure it is strapped ultra tight;  It should also be strapped across your “gut,” not below it. You take a deep breath and flex your abs, pushing your abs hard against the weight belt.  You then perform your lift, and when finished, immediately unstrap your belt.

Let’s deconstruct that.  The belt needs to be strapped ultra tight, and (specifically) across your gut because that is how it works.  The weight belt helps to brace your back internally.

Internally!?  What does that mean?  Basically, you need to support your lower back by increasing “Intra-Abdominal Pressure.” (IAP)  During your lift, by increasing the pressure inside your abdominal cavity, you’re putting immense support in front of your lower back.  By bracing your lower back from the font, you’re deflecting strain from your Erector Spinae, which would otherwise be unsupported.  In addition, an increase in IAP helps decrease lower back compression, which some people may experience during heavy lifting.

That is the main purpose of a weight belt–  It gives your abs something to push against in order to dramatically increase your IAP, in addition to physically compressing the contents of the abdominal cavity, thus also increasing IAP. (It’s for this reason that, if a belt is worn properly, which is really tight, you shouldn’t wear it for extended periods, and typically, will need to take it off [or loosen it] directly after your lift.)

If all of that seemed a bit wordy, here’s a sentence from one of my sources: “In a nutshell, a lifting belt provides a wall for your abs to push against.” – Matt Biss

So, what is the secondary method of injury prevention?  Well, a proper weight belt will be the same width all the way around, made of a very rigid material (such as leather), and ideally 3 – 4 inches wide.  When worn over your stomach in the proper fashion, this will create a sort of rigid cage that will keep you from hyper extending your back by connecting your ribcage to your hips.  This is only really necessary with overhead lifts and overhead squats, as the load above you can cause you to bend or twist in a way that could cause injury if you’re not in complete control through the lift.

When should weight belts be worn?  Well, when you look around your gym, I’m sure you’ll see some crazy people using them for Bicep Curls, Bench Presses, and other exercises, but the list of exercises where it will do any good is very small:  Squats (and all squat variations), Good Mornings, Deadlifts, and Military Press.  That’s about it.  If you’re wearing it during any other exercise, you’re just showing people that you don’t know what you’re doing, and you can’t claim ignorance now that you’ve read this article.  You’re welcome.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »

Every so often, I read an article, or see a post somewhere with information that is either wrong, misleading, or entirely dependent on your goals.  Alissa and I constantly have to preface statements and new ideas with “For my goals,” because all of us want to achieve something different.  I’m looking to get to a certain level of muscularity, and plan to maintain 7 – 8% body fat.  In stark contrast, Alissa is also looking for a level of muscularity (significantly less than mine, which makes good sense), and is looking to maintain 18% body fat.  So, because of this, even though we workout together, and cook together, almost everything about our programs is different.  This is important, because a lot of the time, you will read “tips” or “guides,” they usually don’t define who the tips are for.  So, here’s a breakdown, and my thoughts, on an article I read called “10 Rules of Good Nutrition.”

Rule #1: Never Skip Breakfast.  We actually firmly believed in this idea until we discovered carbohydrate backloading.  In the plan, John Kiefer recommends either a late breakfast, or skipping it all together.  (Mostly relevant if you eat carbs for breakfast)  He’s not just throwing that out there for the sake of saying so, though. . .  Based on what your body is doing hormonally (Specifically in regard to Cortisol), your body is actually primed to burn body fat for fuel in the morning, and eating will reverse this.  The alternative:  Eat a breakfast with no carbs–  Carbs will reverse the fat burning state, protein and fats won’t;  Also, carbs will likely produce an insulin response, which will prime your body for fat storage all day.

New slogan: “The breakfast for fat storage!”

Rule #2:  Eat Every 3 to 4 Hours!  Yeah, we eat every two, and I fully support this.  Not only does it keep you full throughout the day, but it does keep your metabolism chugging along–  Just be careful.  If every 2 – 3 hours you’re having high GI carbs, you will be priming your body for fat storage all day, giving your body no choice but to eat muscle for fuel.  Choose low GI carbs, nuts, proteins, etc.

Rule #3: Always Eat a Carbohydrate with a Protein!  I agree with this–  I never recommend eating carbs alone.  If you group carbs with fats or proteins, it lessens the effects, if any, the meal will have on blood sugar, thus preventing an insulin response.  Here is a part I don’t agree with, though:  They point out that the RDA for woman under 140 lbs. is 50g of protein.  Our current macro nutrient RDAs are severely messed up, and are not optimal for healthy, fit bodies.  I recommend everyone eat at least one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, as this is an accepted standard in bodybuilding.  (For the record, there are numerous studies that have been done regarding protein intake, and we plan on doing an entire post on the subject.  For now, I would point you to a very credible 2011 study that says .82g / lb. body weight)

Rule #4:  Double Your Fiber!  Do it!  Fiber is great for your digestive system, and because of how your body digests fiber, it doesn’t count toward your net carbs for the day.  Plus, fiber comes from great sources, like Almonds / Nuts, Vegetables, Whole Grains, etc.  For the record, the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance / Intake) is between 25g and 35g of fiber a day, and I highly recommend having at least 20g.

Rule #5:  Trim the Fat From Your Diet!  This, I don’t agree with.  Fat, as a macro nutrient, has a bad reputation for no reason.  A lot of people think, “A low fat diet means I won’t gain fat!”  Well, that’s 100% wrong.  Carbohydrates are the macro nutrient most responsible for fat storage;  And on top of that, low fat alternatives to typically have high fat foods often have an insane amount of added sugar.  A great example?  Look at low fat peanut butter.

What’s supposed to be a decent protein source that keeps you full and has a glycemic load of zero can now affect your blood sugar and make you hungrier. Great job!  (For those who don’t have the nutrition facts memorized, sugar free peanut butter has half of the calories, twice as many carbs, and half the protein.  The fat content is lower, though.

That stuff is terrible for you, and at the end of the day, the increase in sugar consumption will lead to fat gain over consumption of dietary fat.  Plus, because fat takes a while for your body to digest, you can effectively make something that’s High GI have less of an impact on blood sugar. . . On top of all of that, if your Carb Backloading, Carb Cycling, or doing Carb Nite, you’re converting your body’s energy source to dietary and body fat.

Just limit your trans fat and saturated fat intake–  Unsaturated fats are good, while saturated fat needs to be limited.  (As a side note, though, higher fat foods typically have more calories, so you do need to be careful with fat consumption.)

Rule #6:  Eat Your Vegetables!  Seriously.  Eat as many as you can.  Most cruciferous vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, etc.) have great cortisol blocking properties, too.  (Cortisol, a stress hormone, can promote fat storage and prevent your body from oxidizing fat for fuel.)

Rule #7: Get Your Vitamins and Minerals from Food, not Pills!  No way.  This is something I can’t agree with at all.  I wish I still had the source, but I once read that only 10% of the world population gets all of their micro nutrients from food sources.  Here’s my stance:  A good multivitamin is a supplement;  A supplement is meant to supplement a healthy diet with the micro nutrients that may be lacking.  Of course you should try and eat as healthy as possible, consume as many micro nutrients through food as possible, but you should always take a good multi too.  (I do realize that the author of the article admits to using a multi, and even recommends one, but I can’t agree with the way the “Rule” is stated.)

Rule #8:  Drink 8 – 10 Glasses of Water a Day!  Yes.  Drink more, even.

Rule #9:  Consume Minimum Amounts of Sugar, Salt, Caffeine, and Alcohol!  I agree with all three of this, except for the Caffeine, and I’ll be honest, this is purely subjective.  Every month, another study comes out either for, or against coffee consumption;  At the end of the day, I love coffee, and you will have to make up your own mind about it.  Caffeine, as a stimulant, is also a great metabolism booster, and can be found in many other sources outside of coffee, like green tea, a popular “Weight loss” supplement.  As far as limiting Sugar and Alcohol, these are topics we’ve definitely discussed here before;  Salt is something else to watch, as high sodium intake with a sedentary lifestyle can lead to high blood pressure.  (It’s worth noting that a lot of different factors go into this, though.)

Rule #10:  Never go on a Fad Diet!  I 100% agree, and I agree with the reason listed:  Fad diets give you a finish line, when health and nutrition are, and should always remain lifelong lifestyle choices.  We even wrote a post about it.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »

We’re bringing you this bonus post this week because this past weekend was the biggest weekend in Professional Bodybuilding. . .  Joe Weider’s “Mr. Olympia” Competition.  This is where the top bodybuilders that compete year round take the stage for the most prestigious title in bodybuilding: To be crowned “Mr. Olympia.”  So, in case you’re wondering who won, it was Phil Heath.  There are also other main events in addition, including four women’s events, such as the Ms. Olympia, Fitness Olympia, Figure Olympia, and Bikini Olympia.  In that order, they go from the most intense event (Ms. Olympia) down to the least intense (Bikini Olympia), which is still incredibly intense and takes plenty of work.

The winners of 5 / 6 categories: Fitness Olympia, Figure Olympia, Bikini Olympia, Mr. Olympia (pictured second from left), and 212 Showdown (A second male category).

On a slightly related note, I often use the phrase “Natural Bodybuilder” when referring to my hobby because I don’t want to be compared to our modern day competitors–  Even the physiques that are visually appealing are much larger than I ever want to be.  Let me explain. . .

There’s terminology occasionally thrown around in bodybuilding that describes the different “aesthetics” of bodybuilders–  These also coincide with “eras.”  While I respect the hard work that modern era, or “X Aesthetic” bodybuilders, put in to their training and nutrition, I don’t appreciate the overall aesthetic of their body.  They look overly muscular to me;  However, “Y Aesthetic” bodybuilders (Also known as the “Golden Era”) have a much more appealing body.  While I never plan to get anywhere near that size, I can appreciate both the hard work, and the aesthetic of the bodies from the “Golden Era.”  For a visual example:

A show of Olympia “Dynasties” through the years.

And of course, another reason I refer to myself as “natural,” is because Alissa and I only take natural supplements;  We also don’t take anything that is a banned substance as defined by the USADA, and / or the International Natural Bodybuilding Association.  For the sake of disclosure, we would like to point out that the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness does have an anti-doping policy.

Regardless, congratulations to everyone who competed at the Olympia, and to those who didn’t place as well as they wanted, remember: “Without sports, there is no ‘next year.'”

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »

Have you ever give much thought to what type of shoe you’re wearing while working out?  For weight lifting, you have a lot of different options for footwear.  Actually, you could wear almost any style of shoe, with one huge exception:  Running shoes.

Fantastic for running. . . Slightly dangerous for lifting.

Running shoes are built to give support while cushioning the impact of your stride, and this cushioning is horrible for weight lifting;  Also, running shoes typically contour to your foot, and thus aren’t flat–  Most of the time, this is to keep your feet from pronating, or under pronating.  This creates an unstable base for your lift, which could potentially be hazardous.  I experienced this first hand when doing “Good Mornings” in running shoes–  I kept shifting about while trying to keep steady.  (I immediately went out and bought what I currently wear for weight lifting.)  Just think about it–  Running shoes are meant to help while you run, not stand in place holding a lot of weight.  (We’ll get into running footwear in a separate post.)

So, if you shouldn’t wear running shoes for weight lifting, what do you wear?  Literally, almost anything else.  There is only one distinction:  If you’re doing Olympic style lifts, you will want an actual weight lifting shoe, as these have a moderate heel built in that forces your body into a more engaging starting position.  They run anywhere from $80 to $300.

If you’re not training for the Olympics, then most shoes fall into one of three categories:  Training, Flat, and Barefoot.  I use a training shoe now because I was in need of stability while squatting and doing good mornings.  A training shoe is typically all leather (or synthetic leather), which helps keep your foot steady as there’s no mesh in it that flexes.  There’s also a very solid, mostly flat sole with a slight heel which will help to keep your feet planted and stable during dead lifts, squats, and good mornings.

An excellent option for a training shoe.

And then there is the “flat shoe” option.  If stability is not an issue for you, or you’ve developed stability and proper form through the use of training shoes, you should optimally weight lift in a flat shoe.  The most famous weight lifting shoe in this category, of course, is the Chuck Taylor All Star.  You will see this shoe often in old photos of bodybuilders.  To get maximum engagement from your muscles, you should have a completely flat base that you’re lifting off of, and flat shoes offer just that as all the shoe is doing is keeping your foot safe from the ground.  Other examples of these shoes would be indoor soccer shoes, wrestling shoes, skate shoes, and many varieties of tennis court shoes.

And last, but not least, is the barefoot option.

I wish my gym would allow this.

Barefoot is the best way to lift, but most gyms won’t allow that.  For that reason, we have the new line of barefoot shoes that most manufacturers are now making.  Now that I’ve gained stability with my training shoes, I plan on switching to a pair of barefoot shoes.  There is one thing to make sure of, though. . .  When selecting a barefoot shoe, do not pick out the running variety.  A perfect example would be with Fila Skeletoes:  There is a normal option, and then there is the running variety, and the running variety has the same drawbacks as a normal running shoe.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »