Archive for the 'Strength Training' Category
The role and goal of this energy system is to maintain optimal stores before training/ intense training and help maximize resynthesis (rebuilding a damaged section) during exercise. This energy system is very important for athletes involved in strength training programs and intense sports because it helps to fuel “maximal physical effort” during the entire competitive exercise/ game – also it is near impossible to use food sources to load the phosphocreatine system, so supplementation is the best alternative. Phosphocreatine is also called creatine phosphate.
Creatine is a substance found in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle. Creatine synthesis occurs in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas from the amino acids methionine, glycine, and arginine (Sorry had to get technical). The majority of the body’s creatine resides in the skeletal muscle, which is where about 1/3 of creatine exists. Typically, the body produces about a 1 gram of creatine, obtains 1 gram from food, and loses about 2 grams. The average concentration of total creatine in skeletal muscle varies between 100 and 150 mmol/kg in average weight humans like 160-175 lbs.
See the Phosphocreatine product that I recommend
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If you’re serious about losing weight and getting fit, you need to be serious about making your home workouts count. No matter how small your apartment or home, designate a specific workout area. This will be the place you head to when it’s time for your scheduled workout. Clear the area of any clutter or distractions — including television and movies. You won’t be concentrating on your movements if you’re in the middle of watching your favorite movie or even watching your kid(s) play.
Kick Up The volume:
Music is the one distraction that can actually help you exercise better. It gets your blood pumping and boosts your enthusiasm for working out. Skip the elevator music and choose tunes with a moderate-to-fast beat to really get you moving. If the lyrics are motivating, that’s even better. In fact, create your own exercise music mix from your iTunes library.
Keep Track:
Even though you’ll be working out five days a week, it can be hard to remember exactly how much weight you used for each of the movements. So keep track by writing it down! Keeping a record of your workouts can also be quite motivating. Your Journal is a great tool to help you with this. You’ll be able to take a look back at your progress and see how much you’ve accomplished. Or perhaps if you didn’t lose the weight you wanted, it’s still fun to see how much strength you have gained.
Form Is Everything:
Pay close attention to the descriptions of the exercises and their accompanying photos. It’s okay to perform the movements slowly if you need to in order to get them right — it’s better than doing them inaccurately. Try not to use momentum or leverage to complete the moves — you’ll only be cheating yourself. If it helps you to see it on paper, remember that every exercise can be printed out.
Take A Few Seconds:
If you are feeling too wiped to complete an exercise set, take a break. Sit down on a ball and catch your breath for a few minutes, and then resume your workout where you left off. And if you have to, switch to a lighter weight to finish up the set. Be patient with yourself and allow your strength to increase gradually, and you’ll be pleased with the results you will see!
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It is extremely important for you to find an exercise plan that will help you achieve your goal weight without putting you at risk for further injury. I always suggest consulting a fitness professional to create a customized fitness plan based on your goals, injuries, and time frame.
First, it’s important to stretch before you attempt any kind of exercise. Stretching exercises will help increase the mobility and flexibility of the soft tissues that surround your spine. Focus especially on the hamstrings, in the backs of your thighs, and the gluteal muscles of your buttocks. It’s also important to increase the strength of your core muscles, which stabilize your back and abdomen. There are a number of different approaches for this that a fitness professional can teach you.
Lastly, remember that you should seek low-impact activities, such as walking, biking, and swimming. Try to avoid exercises that put undue strain on your back, like sit-ups, or those that require you to twist or use weights. Shoot for 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions for timely holds. Each repetition should be held for a minimum of 10 seconds. I always suggest doing core stability work with self myo-fascial release stretching. These approaches will help you reach your desired goal of losing weight without the risk of re-injuring your back.
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What Vitamin World is:
High-quality vitamins and supplements at unbeatable prices! The first Vitamin World store opened its doors in 1976. Headquartered in Long Island, NY, Vitamin World manufactures over 1,000 superior-quality vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other nutritional supplements in our own state-of-the-art facilities. The manufacturing facilities total over 1 million square feet and we produce supplements in every available form, including tablets, two-piece capsules, softgels, powders and liquids.
They’re high-tech laboratories are located right here in the USA, where their quality control experts can oversee every step of the manufacturing process. Their commitment to producing the highest quality products is evident in the many sophisticated tests that they perform throughout the production process. In many ways, Vitamin World has set the standard for high quality vitamin manufacturing.
The scientists and researchers in their laboratories adhere to the strictest government testing procedures to assure the potency, stability and purity of their products. Additionally, they guarantee that their vitamins and supplements are absolutely free of contaminants.
For more information please visit the Vitamin World website.
Vitamin World’s Guarantee: Vitamin World is proud of the quality of their products and want to make sure you are completely satisfied. Vitamin World guarantees every product that they sell. Vitamin World products are manufactured under even more stringent quality controls than required by federal and state agencies for food. Your satisfaction is totally guaranteed for a full year from purchase date. If you are not completely satisfied, return the unused portion with a short explanation and they will promptly refund your money for the unused portion.
Which supplements is Vitamin World designed for:
Vitamin World supplements and products are designed for toddlers to the adults. Remember, a supplement is used for exactly like it says it is, to supplement your nutrition. We use vitamins, nutrients and minerals to fill in the gaps with what we are missing from food. Taking a multivitamin, antioxidant, fat burner, muscle builder will help you to achieve your goals effectively than without.
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You don’t have to be a elite athlete to reap the benefits of efficient interval walking, in which you alternate between bursts of intensive effort and slower recovery periods. In fact, by doing effective interval walking for a mere 20 minutes every other day, you can shift your metabolism into high gear so that you burn more calories from fat in less time than if you were working out at a steady pace.
With any interval training, the higher the intensity of the exercise, the longer the EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption); that is, you will continue to burn more calories from fat even while at rest! Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your efficient interval walking workout:
- Instead of going at a steady state, warm up for five minutes. Then, walk almost as fast as you can for 3 minutes, Then do a slow down walk recovery for 1 minute. Repeat this 3-4 times pending on how your feeling that day.
- Wear shoes that will give you proper support: walking shoes, cross-training shoes, or running shoes. And choose synthetic athletic socks over cotton ones because they wick away moisture and keep your feet dry and blister-free. Here’s how to find a good investment into great workout shoes.
- Be mindful of maintaining good posture while you’re walking. Draw in your core, or simply hold your abdominal muscles in tight.
- With each step, strike the ground from heel to toe and feel your glutes (butt) contract. This will help strengthen your glutes and the backs of your legs as you walk.
- Wear a heart rate watch or carry a stopwatch to keep track of time so that you can complete the designated number of intervals per session in or under about 20 minutes.
- Remember that doing a little is better than nothing. Do what you can at first, and then gradually increase your periods of intensity and total distance.
- On the days that you’re not doing higher intensity interval training, be sure to take a recreational walk for 25 to 35 minutes.
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An exerciser or athlete’s expectations of meal replacement formula’s are often unrealistic. This is completely understandable considering the barrage of advertisements that one encounters in the popular media (magazines and television). Like in Flex magazine, Muscle and Fiction whoops I mean Muscle and Fitness and other notable popular magazines. What meal replacement formulas are, as exactly as the name implies, meals designed for a quick absorption. I created this meal replacement formulas buying guide for the understanding of the everyday exerciser and athlete.
Currently in vogue is the high protein, low carbohydrate meal replacement. The implied or stated use and its pre- and post workout aid in creating an anabolic (muscle building) environment. All sports and exercise research shows that carbohydrates are necessary in a higher proportion than protein to facilitate recovery. Carbohydrates are absolutely necessary to replace glycogen lost during high – intensity exercise.
Additionally, the presence of carbohydrates via post workout stimulates the release of insulin, which basically is a anabolic signal, starting the cascade of events leading to protein synthesis (The rate your muscles rebuild themselves after being broken down by intense training). Protein should always be present in the meal replacement formula (but shouldn’t be the highest percentage) to supply the amino acids necessary to rebuild and increase muscle. Remember the more muscle we have – the more calories we will burn at rest and will have a smaller percentage of bodyfat.
The proper ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats can also optimize the anabolic environment by supporting favorable testosterone levels. Many exercisers and athletes consume high protein diets in the hopes of stimulating muscle anabolism (the process in a plant or animal by which food is changed into living tissue) yet this will actually impair ultimate muscle growth through a reduction of serum testosterone (A testosterone test measures the amount of the male hormone, testosterone, in the blood.).
For Females:
If your a female exerciser or a athlete competitor – look for “Lite Meal Replacements Powders.” Each serving typically contain less than 200 calories with smaller amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. This still works well because it is nutritionally packed with essential amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Here are my top picks for meal replacement formula’s for the women exerciser and athlete.
Click on the following Meal Replacement Formulas image for a full description:
For Males:
If you are a male exerciser or a athlete competitor – look for “High Carbohydrate/Protein Meal Replacements Powders.” These meal replacements formulas contain the highest amounts of protein ranging from 39 grams of protein per serving up to 60 grams of protein per serving. These meal replacement formulas cater to men who also seek to elevate their protein intake and performance. Here are my top picks for meal replacement formulas for the male exerciser or a athlete competitor.
Click on the following Meal Replacement Formulas image for a full description:
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During an athletes competitive career or an average person fitness routine, an anti-oxidant formula that complements your multivitamin is paramount. The goal of taking an antioxidant is to decrease some of the deleterious oxidative effects of exercise.
We are all susceptible to harmful environmental chemicals, aging, intense exercise, and the rays of the sun on a daily basis. This increases our already delicate but normal free radical production and protection balance from increasing damage to our bodies. In other words, this will accelerate our aging process and possibly speed up the start of certain diseases.
Though moderate exercise can increase free radicals, high intensity exercise may exceed the body’s natural ability to protect against long-term damage. Many antioxidant studies on exercise focus on aerobic training (cardio). Some latest research examined weight training and antioxidant supplements, they found that the weightlifters who supplemented with vitamin E at 1200 IU/d, significantly reduced the markers for muscle damage. Also, taking vitamin C also resulted in reduction of cortisol (catabolic hormone/ natural human toxin) following training. Lastly, it increased the post-workout testosterone to cortisol ratio in weightlifters and is showed to enhance the anabolic (muscle growth) environment.
With the majority of evidence, it supports that taking vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta-carotene supplements (antioxidants) will lower your fatigue rate, and will bolster your workouts. Also, the supplementation of an antioxidant will enhance recovery, and the length of time for optimal performance (productive years of competition)!
Below, I put my recommendation of the best time release antioxidants for vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene supplements.
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