FITNESS REVIEWS AND IMAGES

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New Exercise and Fitness Review

The concept of making a resolution to lose weight and get fit is a great way to start the year. What could be healthier than making a promise to move more and eat better? The execution of this resolution, however, doesn’t always go as planned. In fact, the vast majority of people who make New Year’s resolutions don’t follow through.¹

In my opinion, part of the reason people struggle to maintain their weight-loss resolutions is because they start off with the mindset that numbers—like weight and body fat percentage—are the only ways to measure success. This mindset can lead to an exhausting, all-or-nothing approach that makes weight loss a never-ending battle rather than a positive process.

So this year, I challenge you to put down the calipers and put away the scale for 60 days. There are better ways to achieve your goals and measure success. I’ll show you how.

Numbers Can Lie

Sometimes, the number on the scale doesn’t actually reflect the healthy changes you’re experiencing. So, if you’re trying to get to a specific number, you may ignore some excellent markers of progress that are actually more important than your relationship with gravity.

Let me give you an example: After training hard and eating well for a few months, you really start to like the results you’ve achieved. You’ve developed some great muscle definition, your clothes fit great, and you really like how you look. Most importantly, you feel more energetic and you’re really proud of yourself for sticking to a plan and making healthy choices.

Because things are going so well, you expect to be close to that target weight goal, so you step on the scale. To your surprise, it’s higher than you expected! Your weight is actually 10 pounds away from your original goal.

Some may see that number and move on, enjoying the progress and what the mirror is telling them. Others, however, will feel deflated and no longer proud of the steps they’ve taken. Despite looking and feeling great and making tremendous progress, all some people can think about is how much further they still have to go to reach a magic number.

Your happiness and self-worth should not be dependent on reaching a number, especially when that number doesn’t have any concrete significance. How did you come up with your goal weight, anyway? Did you just choose the weight you were in high school?

If you’re not sure why you want the scale to show you a particular number, then it may be better for you to focus instead on enjoying every single day of building a strong, healthy, and functional body.

Leave the Scale, Take the Progress

Although it might be difficult, you need to let go of the thought that your weight means anything. The number on the scale does not always signify fitness, and your body fat percentage does not always indicate health.

If you love how you look when your body fat is at 19 percent, why stress about getting down to 15? If you’ve been chasing numbers for a long time, there’s a good chance you may actually like the results you achieve at a higher weight or body fat percentage than you expect.

What really matters is that you like how you look and feel, not how much skin is enfolded in a caliper. It’s also important that you work toward a physique that you can maintain.

If you’re constantly dieting for that goal body fat percentage, you might feel so discouraged and frustrated that you wind up just another depressing New Year’s resolution statistic.

If numbers cause you anxiety and stress, then stop using them. Instead, pay attention to the mirror, how your clothes fit, your energy level, and how you feel every day. Go after the lifestyle you want. Be proud of the progress you make each day.

Commit to fitness by acting consistently. Concentrate on what you doeach day, not how you will look in the future. By making action, not measurement, the most important part of your transformation, you’ll find better physical and mental health. All those great aesthetic benefits will just be frosting on the cake!

Reference

Norcross, J. C., Mrykalo, M. S., & Blagys, M. D. (2002). Auld lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self?reported outcomes of New Year’s resolvers and nonresolvers. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(4), 397-405.

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I recently received some semolina and GHRP6/GHRP2 and mixed it with the appropriate sodium water.
When I mixed it all the powder didn’t go into solution and it appeared cloudy.
I rolled it again between my hands but I could still see small particles and it was a cloudy white.
Does this mean something is wrong with the peptide?
Has anyone experienced this before and what did you do.

Thanks

World Class Bodybuilding Forum

Should peptides be cloudy when mixed

Unknown

New Exercise and Fitness Review

15 Toxic Beliefs You Should Give Up to Be Happy
The Mind Unleashed
on 29 December, 2014

There are so many limiting and toxic beliefs we hold on to, beliefs that keep us from living the happy, joyful and meaningful life we all deserve to live.

And by giving up on them, by letting go of all the extra baggage that is weighting us down, we allow ourselves to be happy. And we give life permission to shower us with the many wonderful and precious gifts it has to offer. So without further adieu, I say, give up and be happy. Let’s begin…

1. I am not enough

Give up this limiting and toxic belief of you not being enough – “good enough”, “smart enough”, “rich enough:, “beautiful enough”, etc. Remind yourself as often as possible that who you are is more than enough.

Place your hands over your heart, take a few cleansing breaths and repeat these words to yourself: “Who I am is enough. Who I am is more than enough. Not because of how my life looks externally, but because of who I truly am internally.”

2. I’ve lost my purpose in life

Your purpose isn’t something that you will ever lose since your purpose is part of who you are. Your purpose is in your heart, is within you. And as long as you will be still breathing and still living on this planet, your purpose will be living as well. So stop looking looking for your purpose out there and look for it within instead. Because that’s where you’ll find your purpose. Your purpose is where you left it.

3. Better to be one of the herd than to be called a “weirdo”

Give up the toxic belief about you having to be like everyone else, and dare to be authentically yourself. Be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else. Instead of going where everyone is going, and doing what everyone else is doing, choose to do what you know in your heart is best for you. Go where your Soul needs you to go, and not where the herd expects you to go.

4. I can’t allow myself to feel vulnerable

Give up all your masks and costumes. Tear down all the walls you have built to hide and numb yourself. Remove all the barriers between you and everyone else and allow yourself to be fully seen. Reveal yourself to those around you and allow yourself to be truly loved. Get comfortable with your perfect imperfections and never deny your vulnerability.

5. I lack the necessary formal education

Give up this limiting and toxic belief about you not being able to move forward in life because you lack the necessary formal education. Never allow the absence of a high-school, college or university degree to keep you from pursuing your dreams. If you are truly passionate about something, and if your know in your heart that you’re meant to do that work, with or without a degree, you’ll find a way to make it happen.

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” ~ Audrey Hepburn

6. I can’t be happy until I get there

How many people postpone their happiness because they wait for something magical to happen to them?

Happiness is not a destination, happiness is a journey. So give up this idea about happiness being somewhere in the future. Give up this idea about you not being able to be happy until you reach a certain destination, or until you cross all the things off your to-do list, and learn to be happy here and now.

“Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don’t put off being happy until some future date.” ~ Dale Carnegie

7. Life is hard, oh, so hard

Give up this limiting belief about life being hard, cruel and hostile, and instead embrace life as it is. Trust in the wisdom of life. Trust that maybe life knows a lot more than you do. Look beyond the surface. Seek to learn from every experience life sends your way, and trust that life will always give you the experience that’s most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness.

“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

8. My parents are to blame for everything

Give up this idea that your parents are to blame for everything that has gone wrong in your life. Stop giving your power away to forces outside of you and learn to take responsibility for your life.

“There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.” ~ J.K. Rowling

9. I don’t need anyone to help me, I can do it all by myself

Give up this limiting and toxic belief about how asking for help and opening yourself up to receiving other people’s help and assistance is a sign of weakness, something only weak people do. Drop your “I don’t need anyone to help me. I’m a strong and independent person, I can do it all by myself” attitude and learn to graciously ask for, and receive help. Not because you can’t do it on your own, but because you are wise enough to understand that asking for help is one of the bravest and most courageous things a strong and independent person can do.

“One of the greatest barriers to connection is the cultural importance we place on ‘going it alone.’ Somehow we’ve come to equate success with not needing anyone. Many of us are willing to extend a helping hand, but we’re very reluctant to reach out for help when we need it ourselves. It’s as if we’ve divided the world into ‘those who offer help’ and ‘those who need help.’” The truth is that we are both.” ~ Brené Brown

10. Love is too painful, I’m done with it

Love doesn’t hurt, expectations do. So give up the idea that love hurts and that you’re better off without it. Nobody’s better off without love, and deep down inside you know this to be true. We are all made of love and made to love. Love isn’t something you can ever give up on, since love is life and life is love. And if you give up on love, you give up on life.

11. I can’t be happy unless I’m in a relationship

Never make your happiness dependent on another person. Never use the absence of a relationship as a justification for why you can’t be happy here and now. Give up this toxic and limiting belief and learn to be happy no matter what… with or without a romantic partner.

“Happiness comes from within. It is not dependent on external things or on other people. You become vulnerable and can be easily hurt when your feelings of security and happiness depend on the behavior and actions of other people. Never give your power to anyone else.” ~ Brian L. Weiss

12. It’s too late for me to pursue my dreams

It’s never too late to reignite your passion for work, for life and for love. It’s never too late to set a new intention and dream another dream. So give up the idea of you being too old to do the things your ageless soul wants you to do, and dare to honor your inner truth. Always remember that age is nothing but “an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” ~ Mark Twain

13. I will never be a fully functioning person, not after all that I’ve been through

Give up the toxic belief that you and your past are one; give up the limiting belief that the story of your past has to be the story of your life. Be an alchemist. Look for ways to turn your wounds into wisdom and your difficulties into opportunities. Make your life story worth telling, and never allow your history keep you from creating your own destiny.

“It’s being here now that’s important. There’s no past and there’s no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can’t relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don’t know if there is one.” ~ George Harrison

14. I can’t trust anyone, not even myself

Give up this limiting and toxic belief that you can’t be trusted, that the people around you can’t be trusted, and that life itself can’t be trusted. We all make mistakes, none of us is perfect, but that doesn’t mean we can no longer trust in one another. That doesn’t mean that you yourself can’t trust yourself and that life itself can’t be trusted. Always remember that trust is the glue of life. It’s the glue that that holds us all together. And where there is no trust, there is no life.

15. I’m all alone

Give up this limiting and toxic belief of you being all alone. You are never alone. You never were and you never will be. In a world full of people, you will never be all alone, unless you choose to think otherwise.

“I am never alone wherever I am. The air itself supplies me with a century of love. When I breathe in, I am breathing in the laughter, tears, victories, passions, thoughts, memories, existence, joys, moments, and the hues of the sunlight on many tones of skin; I am breathing in the same air that was exhaled by many before me. The air that bore them life. And so how can I ever say that I am alone?” ~ C. JoyBell C.

P.S. Because of the many years of past conditioning and the intense training of holding onto things, giving up these toxic and limiting beliefs won’t happen over night, and that’s okay. Be patient and gentle with yourself while working on this process and remember to take one step at a time.
With all my love,

World Class Bodybuilding Forum

15 Toxic Beliefs You Should Give Up to Be Happy

Unknown

New Exercise and Fitness Review

Q I’ve heard the eccentric phase of a lift is really important for growth. Should I slow the eccentric portion of the lift as much as possible to increase muscle mass and bust out of my plateau?

Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve been studying skeletal muscle growth. After decade or so, a PhD, and plenty of academic studies later, I can confidently say that scientists have still only scratched the surface as to what makes this elaborate process work. Conversely, they can’t say exactly what causes it to stop working, even though you are still training like you were when it was working.

Luckily, we learn more all the time. We know more than ever about the mechanisms which seem to be responsible for causing individuals to “plateau” when they were previously able to make gains so readily. Specifically, we’re pretty sure it has a lot to do with a type of cell in our body known as satellite cells.

These little growth bombs are ready and waiting in your body right now. I’m going to tell you how you can activate them through optimal eccentric loading, but also why it’s not a good idea to make the eccentric phase of your lifts longer than just a few seconds.

The Benefits of Eccentric Training

As many of you know, there are two active parts to a lift: the concentric (or lifting) phase, and the eccentric (or lowering) phase. Both phases trigger muscle growth, but sometimes they do it through different mechanisms; I discussed the four mechanisms in my Mass Class training article.

For example, when you lift the weight concentrically, you produce greater metabolic stress, which is why I advise people to emphasize the concentric when they are using certain styles of lifting such as blood flow restriction training.¹

However, research has also shown that when you lengthen the muscle eccentrically, you can increase protein synthesis more than a concentric contraction.² Why is this the case? For one, scientists have discovered in recent years that eccentric contractions release a chemical called phosphatidic acid, which encourages protein synthesis.³

There are two active parts to a lift: the concentric (or lifting) phase, and the eccentric (or lowering) phase.

My lab group recently conducted a study where we found that simply bathing muscle cells in phosphatidic acid made them increase in protein synthesis.⁴ To answer your next question: Yes, we also found that taking supplemental phosphatidic acid increased muscle growth.

But that chemical action is only one of the ways that eccentric training works. Another, as I mentioned earlier, is through the activation of satellite cells. These unique cells are located on the outside of muscles, and they respond to damage in their vicinity by transforming into immature muscle fibers. More specifically, they move to the damaged area and fuse to muscle, becoming a part of it.⁵

The result is increased muscle fiber size and the addition of the satellite cell’s nucleus to the muscle. The latter step is critical, because the nuclei in the muscle are primarily responsible for stimulating skeletal muscle protein synthesis and growth. The more nuclei you have, the greater your growth potential.

Sounds important, right? Sure enough, research has shown that individuals who plateau in their training can’t adequately activate satellite cells.^6,7 To tap into this critical cell population for growth you have to maximize eccentric loading. So let’s get into how you can do that.

Find the Perfect Cadence

Research shows that faster speed eccentric contractions result in a release of more growth factors, more satellite cells, and greater protein synthesis than slow speed eccentric contractions.

Once people learn the growth power of eccentrics, their next step is often to slow the eccentric phase down as much as possible—sometimes 5 seconds or more—in hopes that it will lead to more growth. While this is logical, it actually doesn’t pan out.

Research shows that faster speed eccentric contractions result in a release of more growth factors, more satellite cells, and greater protein synthesis than slow speed eccentric contractions.^8,9 Seems shocking but it’s true. Let me explain.

As many of you know, muscle tension occurs when the contractile proteins myosin and actin bind to each other or form what’s known as a “cross-bridge.” The more cross-bridges you utilize, the less tension any one cross-bridge will have to bear—and the lower the muscle damage will be.

The major downfall to slowing down your contractions to emphasize the eccentric contraction is that your body has more time to form cross-bridges. The result is less damage, lower protein synthesis and ultimately growth.

Thus, my advice is to control the eccentric contraction but not to slow it down much. If you are training arms, for example, take no more than 1-3 seconds to lower the weight.

How To Use Eccentric Overload

You may have heard that you’re stronger eccentrically than you can concentrically. It’s a great principle to know. So are you putting it into action?

When studies have tested lifters’ 1RM for concentric contractions and had them lift the same weight eccentrically, they found no differences in muscle growth between the contractions. Some studies indicated an advantage for the concentric contractions under these conditions!^2,10

Thus, if you emphasize the eccentric contraction with the same weight you use for concentric contractions, you probably won’t see any added benefit over the concentric contraction. You have to go heavier!

Hamstring Curls

There are a number of ways to increase the eccentric load. The classic method is to use assisted negative reps, where you lift the weight yourself, and on the way down your partner presses down on the weight. A second way is to lift a weight with two limbs and lower it with one.

For example, if you’re doing hamstring curls with two legs on the way up, you can lower with only one leg.

Eccentric Training That Lives Up To The Hype

If all this talk about muscle damage has been enough to make you start feeling preemptive DOMS, you’re on the right track. This is advanced training material, and it’s not right for everybody. And even if it’s right for you, it’s not right all the time. So let’s recap and get your expectations in line.

A major reason plateaus are reached is because individuals no longer are able to activate satellite cells. The inability to activate satellite cells appears to be activated through overloading the eccentric portion of the lift.

In order to overload on the eccentric portion of the lift, use a controlled but relatively short eccentric phase of a lift, like 1-3 seconds maximum. Anything longer may hinder muscle damage and subsequent growth.

Finally, assisted negative repetitions can optimize protein synthesis and muscle growth. However, it’s crucial that you periodize this method, because it will lead to substantial muscle damage. Utilize it no more than once per week for the body part that needs the most work.

References

Yasuda T, et al. Effects of blood flow restricted low-intensity concentric or eccentric training on muscle size and strength. PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e52843.

Eliasson J, et al. Maximal lengthening contractions increase p70 S6 kinase phosphorylation in human skeletal muscle in the absence of nutritional supply. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Dec;291(6):E1197-205.

O’Neil TK, et al. The role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase and phosphatidic acid in the regulation of mammalian target of rapamycin following eccentric contractions. J Physiol. 2009 Jul 15;587(Pt 14):3691-701.

Joy JM, et al. Phosphatidic acid enhances mTOR signaling and resistance exercise induced hypertrophy. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2014 Jun 16;11:29.

Rosenblatt JD, et al. Satellite cell activity is required for hypertrophy of overloaded adult rat muscle. Muscle Nerve. 1994 Jun;17(6):608-13.

Bamman MM, et al. Cluster analysis tests the importance of myogenic gene expression during myofiber hypertrophy in humans. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2007 Jun;102(6):2232-9.

Petrella JK, et al. Potent myofiber hypertrophy during resistance training in humans is associated with satellite cell-mediated myonuclear addition: a cluster analysis. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2008 Jun;104(6):1736-42.

Moore DR, et al. Myofibrillar and collagen protein synthesis in human skeletal muscle in young men after maximal shortening and lengthening contractions. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Jun;288(6):E1153-9.

Shepstone TN, et al. Short-term high- vs. low-velocity isokinetic lengthening training results in greater hypertrophy of the elbow flexors in young men. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2005 May;98(5):1768-76.

Mayhew TP, et al. Muscular adaptation to concentric and eccentric exercise at equal power levels. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1995 Jun;27(6):868-73.

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About The Author

Jacob Wilson, Ph.D., CSCS

Dr. Jacob Wilson, Ph.D., CSCS*D is a professor and director of the skeletal muscle and sports nutrition laboratory at the University of Tampa.

Bodybuilding.com Articles

Ask The Muscle Prof: "How Should I Use Eccentric Training For Growth?"

FITNESS REVIEWS AND IMAGES

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Why You Should Ditch The Scale In 2015

Vital Stats

Numbers Can Lie

Leave the Scale, Take the Progress

Consistent action for progress

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Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Should peptides be cloudy when mixed

Monday, 29 December 2014

15 Toxic Beliefs You Should Give Up to Be Happy

Monday, 30 June 2014

Ask The Muscle Prof: 'How Should I Use Eccentric Training For Growth?'

Vital Stats

Q I’ve heard the eccentric phase of a lift is really important for growth. Should I slow the eccentric portion of the lift as much as possible to increase muscle mass and bust out of my plateau?

The Benefits of Eccentric Training

Find the Perfect Cadence

How To Use Eccentric Overload

Hamstring Curls

Eccentric Training That Lives Up To The Hype

References

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Mass Class Training: The Fundamentals Of Muscle Growth

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About The Author