7 superfood swaps every man shoud know
http://ift.tt/2DMoyFt Between training hard in the gym, busting your ass at work, and everything else the daily grind throws at you, it’s all too easy to fall into a meal-planning rut. We repeatedly hear the same dietary suggestions: grilled chicken, kale, spinach, almonds, Greek yogurt. And while we know how good those foods are, they can get old after a while. “Most people tend to eat the same 200 foods over and over throughout their lifespan,” says Natalie Stephens, lead dietitian at the Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. And that can often be the case for fit guys, who are extra choosy about their meals. [RELATED1] But with a few tweaks and replacements, eating healthy can be refreshing again. Here are seven swaps to add into your regular routine. Fitness via Men's Fitness http://ift.tt/2u0SmvI January 29, 2018 at 01:49PM
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20 inspiring women at the 2018 Grammys
http://ift.tt/2njNWvQ The 60th annual Grammy Awards commenced on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. Eye-catching performances—both bold and brave—were broadcast live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. [RELATED1] Similar to the sea of black at this year's Golden Globes, stars showed their solidarity in the #TimesUp movement against sexual harassment by wearing white roses. Click through for photos of some of the empowering women who attended and performed. Fitness via Men's Fitness http://ift.tt/2u0SmvI January 29, 2018 at 01:42PM
Photos: First look at Brie Larson’s ‘Captain Marvel’ costume
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Matthew JussimToday
Brie Larson is ready for takeoff. With the cinematic premieres of Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War just around the corner, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is preparing for one of its most anticipated movies yet: 2019’s Captain Marvel. [RELATED1] Larson is starring as Carol Danvers, an Air Force pilot who becomes one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel universe when her DNA gets fused with an alien's during an accidental explosion. Finding herself with powers of flight, super-strength, energy projection, and enhanced speed, Danvers takes the mantle of Captain Marvel. Larson teased a look at Danvers on Instagram in her Air Force flight suit: The 1990s-set film will be the first for Marvel with a female lead, and will co-star Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Jude Law, and Ben Mendelsohn. [RELATED2] Larson was spotted on set in her Captain Marvel costume, but for many fans it was a surprise. The black and green color scheme looked very different from the usual red, blue, and yellow that Danvers wears in the comic books. If anyone’s worried that Larson’s costume doesn’t look that great on set, don't fret. Twitter user @grantlewis pointed out that Black Panther’s costume didn’t look great the first time it was revealed on set either. Remember how that turned out? Pretty well:
Here’s the first look at Larson in Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, is set for release on March 8, 2019. [RELATED3] Fitness via Men's Fitness http://ift.tt/2u0SmvI January 29, 2018 at 12:24PM
Photo: Bryce Harper’s extreme cupping therapy is puke-inducing
http://ift.tt/2BBfW2u Washington Nationals All-Star Bryce Harper has been know to train for power with intense and gritty workouts. On the flip side, when you max-out at the gym, you have to give as much effort to your recovery as well. ABC Sports reporter Scott Abraham gave us a glimpse of how the outfielder takes cupping therapy to the next level. [RELATED1] Take a look for yourself:
Cupping has been around for hundreds of years, but has recently seen a resurgence among athletes with Michael Phelps and James Harrison leading the way. Not all trainers agree with the method; though in theory it can relieve sore muscles, increase range-of-motion, and even combat chest congestion. The Nats' first spring training game is set for February 23, and it looks like Harper has been feasting in the gym waiting on the season to come. [RELATED2] Fitness via Men's Fitness http://ift.tt/2u0SmvI January 29, 2018 at 11:27AM
Curcumin may boost brain power, lessen the effects of depression
http://ift.tt/2BBS5jd Certain spices have long been known to promote better health because they're packed with phenolic acids and flavonoids—antioxidants that help scrub harmful free radicals from your blood cells and keep inflammation in check. Indian food staple spice turmeric and its main ingredient, curcumin, have both shown to be powerful antioxidants tied to numerous health benefits. But curcumin has now been found to improve memory and lessen the effects of depression, says a new study from UCLA. [RELATED1] For the research, scientists gathered 40 older adults with some memory issues and gave them either 90mg of curcumin or a placebo twice a day for 18 months. At the start of the study, they gave all subjects a cognitive assessment test and checked levels of curcumin, which they also repeated at the conclusion. They discovered that those who took the curry spice had significant improvements in memory and attention compared to the placebo folks—about a 28% improvement over the study period. "Exactly how curcumin exerts its effects is not certain, but it may be due to its ability to reduce brain inflammation, which has been linked to both Alzheimer's disease and major depression," said study head Gary Small, M.D., director of geriatric psychiatry at UCLA's Longevity Center and of the geriatric psychiatry division at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. "These results suggest that taking this relatively safe form of curcumin could provide meaningful cognitive benefits over the years.” [RELATED2] Fitness via Men's Fitness http://ift.tt/2u0SmvI January 29, 2018 at 11:13AM
The Benefit of Increasing Training Volume for Hypertrophy
http://ift.tt/2GqRULf In a previous article, I said that an effective training program should tax, stimulate, and overload the underlying systems of the adaptations you’re trying to elicit. When increased hypertrophy is the goal, that means the focus of progressive overload should be on increasing training volume over time.
Training volume has a dose-response relationship with hypertrophy. More training volume equals more muscle (assuming you don’t exceed your ability to recover). So, if your primary focus is on building muscle, then your training should be structured to have you gradually performing more volume next week, next month, and next year. Over the long haul you should plan on doing a lot more training than you are currently doing to keep disrupting homeostasis, thus causing adaptation.
The principle of progressive overload governs effective training and states that you must continually provide an overload to the system to bring about positive adaptations. The progressive element states that this stimulus must get progressively greater to continue to represent an overload. After all, squatting 315 lbs for 10 reps might be an overload now, but once you’ve done it you need to increase to 320 lbs or to do 11 reps for it to continue to be an overload.
How to Focus on VolumeTraining volume is your total workload per exercise, session, and week. A simple way to track it is the following equation:
You can use this equation to track progress throughout a mesocycle. To compare volume from mesocycle to mesocycle where different exercises might be used (e.g., back squats in mesocycle 1 and front squats in mesocycle 2) I suggest you track the number of work sets done per body part.
While training for hypertrophy has both an intensity (as % of 1 rep max) and volume component, it appears that volume is the more important variable. Research shows that you can gain muscle across a wide spectrum of intensities. As such, lifting super heavy isn’t required to build muscle. In fact, it might be counter-productive because it limits total training volume. A clear dose-response relationship between volume and hypertrophy has been established. In fact, assuming that an intensity threshold of >60% of 1 rep max is met, it appears that volume is the key determinant of success when it comes to gaining muscle mass.
For trained individuals performing multiple sets which result in a greater total volume are superior to single sets. It has been found that multiple sets are associated with a 40% greater effect size than single sets. Why is this?
Honestly, we don’t know with 100% certainty, but researchers believe that higher volumes of training may be more effective than low volume training because of the longer duration of tensile force placed upon the muscle. A greater time under tension increases the potential for micro trauma and the ability to fatigue the full spectrum of muscle fibers. In layman’s terms, the muscles have to do more work, which creates more disruption. Thus, adaptation is greater.
More Is Better, Up to a PointAll the research showing that training volume has led some people to think that more is better. They try to train with Herculean levels of training volume, thinking it will improve their results. I admire their mindset, and they are not entirely wrong. More is better, until you exceed your capacity to recover. Work capacity is trainable and will increase across your training career if you are smart with your programming. With that in mind, the more is better approach is slightly misguided. A more effective strategy is better.
To achieve “better” you shouldn’t dive into training volumes far higher than you are used to. Just because a high training volume is good doesn’t mean you have to go crazy. Muscle gain is a slow process. It is like watching paint dry. Patience is definitely a muscle building virtue and in your haste to pack on size you shouldn’t get carried away chasing epic training volumes. Instead you should gradually and incrementally increase them over the long term.
Think of it this way, if you do too much now you will over-train in the short term. Long term, this also leaves you with little scope for adding more volume. If you are training seven days a week, two hours a day, how can you add more? If you cannot add more then you cannot progressively overload via volume. An inability to overload via volume will drastically limit your ability to build muscle. So, if four 60 minute sessions a week delivers results, do that. Just know that in time it might have to become 5 or 6 sessions a week. Or those four sessions might have to take 75-90 minutes to allow you to perform more work. Make every extra set count, and don’t do junk volume. You need to milk the gains you can make in the long run. There is only so much muscle you can build this month. Don’t limit your most muscular potential by overdoing the volume in the here and now.
Use a Sensible ScheduleSo, how do you set up a sensible and gradual increase in training volume?
A few simple strategies are:
All of these are pretty self-explanatory, but to beat the topic to death this might look like:
Strategy 1:
Strategy 2:
Strategy 3:
While all of the above are good strategies, you can only do each for so long before you hit a plateau. That’s why I like to combine all three into my client’s progression scheme. A practical approach to increasing your training volume across a mesocycle would look like this:
Fitness via Breaking Muscle http://ift.tt/1GxgPEe January 29, 2018 at 08:58AM
Subversive Fitness: Day 290 Of 360
http://ift.tt/2rR71Ky Day 290 Of 3605 rounds of:
10 Bench press @ (up to) 60% of 2RM 5L, 5R Kettlebell row @ (up to) 75% of above 10 Kettlebell “Short swing” @ (minimum) 1/2 BW (Up to) 2 minutes rest
If sets at chosen weight require interruption, make a minor adjustment and perform the next uninterrupted. Reminder: Position and range of motion always govern weight.
“Short swing” simply denotes a heavy, short-range kettlebell swing with the intent of safely driving as much weight as structurally possible to just below chin height. Today, use weight designated above.
Then, 5 minutes of:
2 Pull-up :15 sec. rest
Choose most challenging variation possible in each round, and be ready to move when rest clock ends; Hustle, work hard and get out what you put in.
Advanced pull-up suggestions include: Weighted, L-pull-up, chest-to-bar, negative. No kip, no butterfly.
Then, choose either
50 reps or 1 Tabata interval (:20 sec. work /: 10 sec. rest x 8) to: Band crawl (Minimum 12ft. distance @ 2 x 1″ band W, 3 x 1″ band M)
50 reps are to be completed as quickly as possible- ideally, inside the 3-minute mark.
Tabata interval: Count reps in all rounds– keep effort high and pace strong, and attempt to match reps throughout- ideally, totaling over 50.
And then, “Time under tension”:
25 Mace Good Morning @ self-scaled + 50 1-arm kettlebell swing @ 25lb. W, 35lb. M (cool-down weight)
Switch arms in 5-rep sets; If designated weight is not a cool-down weight, adjust accordingly. Basic, important. Simple, not easy…
Fitness via Breaking Muscle http://ift.tt/1GxgPEe January 29, 2018 at 08:58AM
20 Ways to Prepare Poultry: Kung Pao Chicken
http://ift.tt/2GtbruC Chicken and turkey are popular for being high in protein and low in saturated fats making a mealtime staple for athletes as well as in many healthy eating households. Falling back on the same old recipes starts to become mundane and a little too routine. Finding new ways to cook up the standard bird and keep it interesting (and keep your taste buds dancing) is time-consuming but in this series of recipes, I will highlight many different ways to prepare your poultry so your meal rotation is anything but boring. So whaddya say? Let’s play chicken!
Sichuanese chicken dishes such as an authentic Kung Pao Chicken are known for their spicy kick bite after bite. I’ve tamed this one down a bit by using chili paste rather than Sichuan peppercorns. Common as a take-out dish, this version of Kung Pao subs in a few healthier ingredients like a lower sodium tamari and honey rather than sugar. Toasted cashews are also included in place of the more traditional peanuts and this variation uses spinach as the main vegetable component.
Stir-fry style meals are typically served with rice or noodles to complete the dish. I recently discovered a unique par-cooked dried ramen style noodle that is perfect for using as a base with Kung Pao Chicken. Par-cooked noodles like these create result in a quick to prepare side for Asian dishes in particular. Ramen has been given a bad rap mostly due to the infamous instant ramen popularly (and embarrassingly) used for “meals” in my college years. This, however, is not the same ramen. These long lanky noodles are a two ingredient mixture of organic brown rice and millet so they are a great gluten-free alternative to Japanese wheat noodles. Brown rice and millet ramen gives this meal a slight nuttiness that is a perfect partner to the savory flavors present in this Sichuan style sauce.
Kung Pao ChickenCalories 489, Protein 35g, Carbs 41g, Fat 19g
Prep time: 15 min plus marinating time Cook time: 20 min Serves: 4
Marinade Ingredients:
Kung Pao Ingredients:
2 tablespoons coconut oil 1 can sliced water chestnuts 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon low sodium tamari soy sauce 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine (or mirin or sake) 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon ginger, minced 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (chili paste) or more to taste 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar 1/4 cup chicken broth 2 cups baby spinach leaves 1/2 cup toasted cashews 1 green onion, chopped 2 pieces organic brown rice and millet ramen noodles
Preparation Instructions:
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Fitness via Breaking Muscle http://ift.tt/1GxgPEe January 29, 2018 at 08:58AM
The Science of Strength for Every Athlete
http://ift.tt/2rNny2f What are the stories you’ve always told yourself about your body? If you’re like most people, you either believe you were born strong, or you weren’t. The role of genetics in body type, physical capacity, and longevity has been emphasized for so long in the scientific literature and pop culture alike, that a whole lot of people have subconsciously resigned themselves to what they believe is their fate.
But CJ Gotcher never bought into that. After he discovered weight training through his experience with CrossFit at the Naval Academy, he embarked on a mission to find out just how strong he could make his 165lb frame. His exploration of his own performance potential eventually led him to Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength system, and CJ fell in love.
He sat down with me to explore some of the ideas he recently presented in a talk at the Starting Strength Coach’s Conference, including what the interference effect is, and how to mitigate it in your training. We also cover how people mangle the idea of sport-specific training, and why strength is your best defense against the effects of aging.
Fitness via Breaking Muscle http://ift.tt/1hdUh1E January 29, 2018 at 08:01AM
25 strength-training exercises for the best upper-body workout of all time
http://ift.tt/2ndiG4h People throw around a number of different words they think are "synonyms" when it comes to strength training: weight lifting, resistance training... the list goes on. But really the term "strength training" incorporates body weight exercises, bands, machines, weighted equipment, and essentially anything that isn’t running, swimming, jump roping, or flexibility training (like stretching), according to Men's Fitness' Group Training Director Sean Hyson, C.S.C.S. So it's not synonomous with weight lifting—it's an umbrella term that includes it. And while weight lifting is great, there are tons of other strength-training moves that don't include actual weights that can help you sculpt a strong, muscular upper body. In fact, the most effective strategy is to integrate a combination of compound exercises into your routine. Some of those will include barbells and dumbells and machines, yes, but others just require your own body weight and some call for resistance bands. [RELATED1] Here, we combed through our database of upper body exercises and Hyson narrowed it down to the top 25 strength-training moves, which will target and trigger muscle growth in your back, biceps, triceps, chest, forearms, and shoulders. Most of these exercises can be modified, too. (I. e. one-arm row can be done with either a cable or a dumbbell, and a face pull can be done with either a band, TRX, or cable.) So, mix up the variations by using either your body weight, a resistance band, dumbbell, or a suspension trainer, depending on your personal fitness goals and the readily available equipment you have. [RELATED2] Not only will these moves increase your overall strength, but they will decrease your risk of injury, create a more symmetrical build, and will naturally improve your core strength for everyday functional fitness. Fitness via Men's Fitness http://ift.tt/2u0SmvI January 28, 2018 at 07:37PM |
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