Tuscan Salmon and Arugula Salad
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Sam Kaplan
Chef's Tip: Steam asparagus before adding it to your salad if you prefer it on the softer side.
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Directions:
Rehydrate sun-dried tomatoes, if necessary, by placing them in a small saucepan and covering with water. Place pan over high heat and boil tomatoes until soft, about 6 minutes. Drain and run tomatoes under cold water, then chop into small pieces.
In a large bowl, add arugula, asparagus, mozzarella, roasted red pepper, and sun-dried tomatoes. Add dressing and toss. Top with salmon.
Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz July 30, 2018 at 11:55AM
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Thai Shrimp Salad
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Sam Kaplan
Mung bean sprouts are high in vitamin K, which strengthens bones and lowers risk of cardiovascular disease. Throw in extras like chia and hemp seeds to add omega-3 fats and protein.
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Directions:
In a large bowl, add cabbages, green onions, and sprouts. Add dressing and toss. Top with shrimp and peanuts.
Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz July 30, 2018 at 11:48AM
Karrueche Tran on Cheat Meals and Building a Booty
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Daniel Zuchnik / Getty
M&F: The first season of Claws was a big hit, but plenty of folks still haven't seen it. What would you tell guys who are hesitant to dial it up? K.T.: Men seem to think that because it revolves around women in a nail salon, Claws is only for females. But they don’t realize there’s drugs, crime, sex, and all this crazy stuff going on. Your character is a former stripper who is fond of pink fur coats, thigh-high boots, and lollipops. Would she ever set foot in a gym? Virginia would enter a gym just to do some squats for her booty. That’s probably the only reason. And her gym outfit would be absolutely ridiculous. Her hair would be done, her makeup would be done, her nails would be done. She’ll make sure she looks cute first, and then she’ll worry about the workout. Is that how you are at the gym? No. I always want to make sure my eyebrows and my eyelashes are on. But I don’t like to have heavy makeup or anything like that. When you’re sweating, that makeup goes into your face. I do like to wear cute little gym outfits. Not like Virginia, though. How often do you train? At least three times a week. I do hot yoga and barre classes. Barre is good for the thighs and the booty, and I’m all about the booty. I also work with a trainer in the gym. I use machines. I do squats and sumo squats with the bar on my shoulders, and lunges with dumbbells. I’m tiny, so I don’t want to use too much weight. I don’t want to be a little stick with muscle. [RELATED1] Sounds like a solid regimen. Yeah, I’m trying to take care of the mind, body, and soul. What's your diet like? I cut out red meat and pork. I want to be slim thick: slim but still kind of thick at the same time. Because if I go on a strict diet, I become too thin, and I lose all the fat in my body. I’ve been eating more vegetables. I love kale now. Oh, and I drink lots of water. Water’s like my best friend. Got a favorite cheat meal? In-N-Out Burger used to be my cheat meal. I love In-N-Out, but I don’t eat red meat anymore, so I’ll get the grilled cheese. It isn’t as good as a cheeseburger, but it’ll do for now. You were once a celebrity stylist. Do you have any style tips for guys at the gym? Try to wear something that matches. A nice pair of shorts and a tank top or T-shirt. How do you feel about dudes wearing compression pants with no shorts? To each his own. If you want to show off the booty, why not? [RELATED2]
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz July 30, 2018 at 11:41AM
Use Shrugs to Promote Back Health
https://ift.tt/2LZRmhH The barbell shrug is a very misunderstood movement, a commonly passed over exercise, and often an incorrectly executed one.
As a primitive or primal movement, the shrug is as commonplace as flexing your hand to coerce someone to hurry up. Second nature to us, this movement works some finer muscles of the back and the shoulder girdle. Specifically, the levator scapula, serratus anterior, rhomboids, and latissimus dorsi.
The Role of the TrapeziusThis behemoth muscle stands at a height of vertebrae C1-T12 with a width of the acromion, clavicle, and spine of the scapula combined. Weighing in at approximately 2lbs to a 10lb maximum (on your average person), the trapezius is responsible for postural balance, specializing in elevating the pectoral girdle, retracting the scapula, depressing the shoulders, and rotating the scapula upwards while extending the neck.
The trapezius muscle, on a functional level, is a postural and active movement muscle used to tilt and turn the head and neck, shrug, stabilize the shoulders, and twist the arms. While it is commonly referred to as one muscle, the trapezius has three parts: the superior, middle, and inferior portions located on the dorsal or posterior side of the neck to the middle of the back.
Why Is Shrugging Important?There are myriad of reasons shrugging is a basic movement but the most important aspects are:
In Dr. Parikh’s and Shah’s research, myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) common within the trapezius can be alleviated with proper exercise—in addition to dry needling in order to relieve pain and restore range of motion and function. These trigger points are usually caused by emotional stress, poor posture, smartphone use in excess, and heavy handbag carrying.
How to Train Your TrapsShrugs should be done ideally in concert with shoulders training or on the tail end of a back workout. This is because when working the shoulders, it’s important to work external and internal rotation, anterior and posterior deltoids, as well as the supporting musculature of the rotator cuff. Due to working around the scapula, the trapezius will indirectly be stimulated.
The trapezius, especially the middle and lower traps, is severely underworked in general and thus shoulder work (i.e. military presses) suffer. By working them in concert versus individually, their importance as synergists is reinforced when active and antagonists when choosing to inhibit a range of motion (i.e. hyperextension of the neck during a heavy set of pressing).
On a pull day, movements such as deadlifting, rack pulls, pull ups, and rowing require the trapezius to act both a stabilizer as well as an active mover depending on things such as angle and time under tension.
The upper traps should be trained with a greater time under tension according to the work of Hagg and Ojok. Ideally, stimulating the upper traps for three seconds on the loading phase and then holding for 3 seconds on the isometric phase prior to a 1 second descent or controlled relaxation phase.
The Barbell ShrugWhen lifting maximal loads consider two approaches: deadlifting the weight or using a rack.
When using 50 to 60% maximal loads consider using a preloaded barbell and sitting with the weight behind your legs. For all intents and purposes, I’ll be demonstrating a maximal load barbell deadlift and you’ll see the engagement of primarily the upper part of the trapezius, the teres major, and teres minor, respectively.
Make Shrugging a Regular Part of Your TrainingShrugging needn’t be a fight with your trapezius muscles and your rotator cuff. It shouldn’t be a chore during your training, but through training, we can re-educate this massive muscle to be the most effective and efficient it can be.
Fitness via Breaking Muscle https://ift.tt/1GxgPEe July 30, 2018 at 08:36AM
The 4 Best Squat Alternatives
https://ift.tt/2mW4tpb The squat is often referred to as "the king of the gym lifts"—for good reason, too. A correctly performed barbell squat utilizes virtually every muscle in the body.1 If you want to get stronger, squats will help. If you want to get bigger, squats will help. If you want to lose weight, squats will help. As such, most good programs will include the squat.
So why would anyone need an alternative to the barbell squat? Well, there are a couple of reasons. You may have noticed previously that I referenced "a correctly performed barbell squat." A quarter squat in a Smith machine does not fit this description, sorry. As important as the squat is as an exercise and movement pattern, no other exercise is performed as badly by so many.
The squat requires movement at the hip, knee, and ankle at the same time.2 Anybody with movement restrictions at any of these joints will have a tough time squatting correctly and adding load in this instance is not a good idea. The priority should always be on movement mastery before increasing load.
Injury is another instance where the squat may not be the appropriate movement. A back, knee, ankle, or hip injury often results in pain during the squat—even a shoulder injury makes holding the bar problematic for many. In this case, the available options are to push through the pain which I certainly do not advise, or to seek alternative exercises.
If you are unable to squat due to a movement restriction or injury, you still need a degree of leg volume to drive progress.3 The best exercises to consider are exercises that mimic either the joint action or muscle groups involved in the squat. These two are of course often two in the same. As previously stated, the squat involves the hip, knee, and ankle. Specifically, in the concentric phase of a squat the joint actions are; hip extension, knee extension, and plantar flexion at the foot. Our primary muscle groups are the glutes, quads, and calves.4
To find the best alternative exercises we simply need to find exercises that involve these joints in order to work these muscles:
The Bulgarian Split SquatIf you have never tried this exercise, you should. They are brutally hard, and as such are a fantastic exercise for leg hypertrophy. Simply place your rear foot on an object behind you (a foam box, bench, barbell in a rack, etc.) and have your front leg at a 90 degree bend. The key is not to move forward in each rep, rather straight up and down.
Many people with hip injuries are able to perform the BSS pain free, due to it being a unilateral exercise (single leg) meaning the hip is able to move more freely than in a standard squat.
The LungeLunges are one the best exercises you can perform in the gym, period. What I love about them most is their versatility. They also involve the hip, knee, and ankle and as such are a perfect alternative to the squat. As is the case with the BSS, the lunge allows many people with a hip or back injury to perform the exercise pain free.
For anyone experiencing knee pain, the lunge is a fantastic exercise. If performing a lunge still causes pain in the knee, simply perform reverse lunges. Reverse lunges are seriously underrated as builders of leg strength.
The DeadliftWhile the deadlift is not a squat (it’s a hinge), and so it isn’t truly a squat replacement, it is an exercise you should absolutely continue doing if you can. Why? Because as fantastic as lunges and split squats are, they cannot compete with the deadlift for building explosive full body strength.
Many with ankle, knee, and hip injuries are able to deadlift heavy weight without pain, and continued, careful exposure to these loads even while injured means the return to training is much less troublesome than taking a complete layoff.
Sled PushThe sled is one of the greatest training innovations, ever. It’s brutally hard, nearly impossible to do wrong, and it doesn’t cause much lasting soreness. Sleds are loved by coaches and hated by athletes all over the world, and if used correctly are a fantastic way to increase your lower body training volume without squatting. Consider the absolute load on the sled, then multiply it by each step you take, that volume starts to add up quickly.
References: 1. Dahlkvist, N. J., P. Mayo, and B. B. Seedhom. "Forces during Squatting and Rising from a Deep Squat." Engineering in Medicine 11, no. 2 (1982): 69-76. doi:10.1243/emed_jour_1982_011_019_02. 2. Schoenfeld, Brad J. "Squatting Kinematics and Kinetics and Their Application to Exercise Performance." Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research24, no. 12 (2010): 3497-506. doi:10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181bac2d7. 3. Schoenfeld, Brad J. "The Mechanisms of Muscle Hypertrophy and Their Application to Resistance Training." Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research24, no. 10 (2010): 2857-872. doi:10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181e840f3. 4. Isear, Jerome A., Jeff C. Erickson, and Teddy W. Worrell. "EMG Analysis of Lower Extremity Muscle Recruitment Patterns during an Unloaded Squat." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise29, no. 4 (1997): 532-39. doi:10.1097/00005768-199704000-00016.
Fitness via Breaking Muscle https://ift.tt/1GxgPEe July 30, 2018 at 07:46AM
Saving the World, One Chicken Leg at a Time
https://ift.tt/2OnCPhG My friend's wife recently grimaced in pain while we were out to dinner. She seemed very uncomfortable, and when I asked what was wrong, she told me that she had recently started training at a gym, one of the usual suspects in globo gym chans, and that she had hurt her back. I can't comment on the details of what happened, I wasn't there, but from what I could figure out based on the story I heard, some personal trainer in the gym had put this woman through a series of exercises and she was now in pain. No matter how you slice it, that's not good.
So, I went and got a day pass to the same gym. More out of curiosity than anything else. I can't do much about what happened to my friend's wife, but I wanted to satisfy myself about how she got there. The first thing that I noticed was that most of the staff were trying to sell memberships. So, I didn't really get anything remotely related to fitness out of them other than the usual boring stuff about, you got to work out for your health, you want to sign up a bunch of forms, and we have some really great membership offers right now.
The No Staff Fully Staffed GymThe next thing I noticed was that there were a number of gym staff on the training floor, roaming around, not sure why but, they weren't correcting anyone's form or getting involved with the members. Everyone was kind of doing their own thing.
There was one female, wearing the gym staff colors, and she was, I assumed, a trainer because she was working with some lady over by the dumbbell rack. The lady was large. She looked like she hadn't worked out in a long time, if ever. She was lying on a medicine ball, doing dumbbell flys with a very light set of weights. And she looked uncomfortable.
The Bro Kings of Globo GymsOver by one of the three squat racks that were available, one guy was doing a reverse barbell curl using a barbell and 25 lbs plates. Why he needed to take up the squat rack, I don't know. There was a whole bunch of fixed weights, up to 120 lbs, that he could have been using to curl with. And, the clincher? Chicken legs. I don't really want to sound like I am being down on the guy but, hell he had giant biceps and the legs of a flamingo, and he was taking up space on a perfectly good squat rack to do curls.
For full disclosure: the last time I was in a globo gym was while I was on vacation about 6 years ago and it was the only gym within walking distance of the hotel. It was a franchise or a chain, just a local gym, and there were some serious lifters in there who had their own corner, which was grittier than the main floor. I wasn't really paying that much attention to anyone there.
No Coaching HereThere were lots of other things going on in this visit, though, that made me want to write this. There was the guy doing a dumbbell row on a bench with a weight that was obviously way too heavy and was making him twist in ways that made me cringe. There was the woman who put a yoga mat down next to the bench press machine who was using a barbell placed on top of another folder yoga mat on her hips, to do hip thrusters. There were the two older guys who took turns doing calf raises on a seated calf raise machine, practically no weight on there, and all while they happily talked about some real estate stuff. Out of maybe 120 people in that space, that day, I saw two who seemed like they had some idea of what they were doing and why.
I got to admit that I don't blame anyone for having a globo gym membership. You can get one for about $20 a month. Go to any of 6 CrossFit affiliates around where I live and they'll charge from $90-250 a month. We forget that not everyone can afford those prices. For some people, even $20 a month can be a burden. I think that we, the fitness industry, do a great disservice to the people who need us most because we are just such a mess when it comes to being organized and, yeah, even regulated. Anyone can open a gym, and anyone can become a trainer. It's not that difficult and you can see that for yourself in all but a handful of places in your own towns and cities.
Good Coaching is EverythingAnd right there is where the real problem exists. Coaching, good coaching, is hard enough to find. You can't just rely on someone's certification. Ask anyone who has had a bad experience at a CrossFit. No two CrossFit coaches are alike. No two kettlebell coaches are alike. Personal trainers vary hugely in terms of the quality of their coaching. You can be paying the same price for a guy who just got certified, which doesn't mean much in and by itself, and someone who has been doing it for 20 years.
Now, throw into the mix, people who would rather do things their way because they don't want to be told what to do or they don't, or can't, pay for coaching, or they just don't like the idea that someone is going to push in directions that they are uncomfortable. In other words, globo gyms are a great place to avoid being coached and if you end up standing in front of the mirror and only keep looking up, you'll probably be great just doing curls and bench and some lateral shoulder raises. You don't even see the chicken legs. That's all I saw on my visit to a globo gym and I kept thinking to myself, are squats and legwork that bad?
No, what we need is to get people to accept good coaching, to demand it, to look for it aggressively. Local, independent gyms, CrossFit gyms, weightlifting gyms, the box gyms that pop up everywhere, they all have a coaching model that does more than any globo gym can ever do even if only because the coach is right there with you and his programming doesn't work if you can't do all the movements.
Yeah, we still have to figure out how you resolve $20 a month against $200, but there are ways. A coach with his own box gym could set aside an hour a week, maybe on a Saturday, to welcome globo gym trainees. Give them some technique pointers, maybe even some realistic programming, and then follow up with them every Saturday. A limited package that doesn't cost $200, and lets the globo gym trainee find their own way to the independent gym. Maybe they'll adjust their budgets when they see the return on their investment in terms of better fitness and health. Maybe, they'll keep making the tradeoff, a paid plan with a good coach, and an affordable membership at the globo gym. This isn't impossible to figure out. We're just not doing enough to make it happen as coaches and trainees.
So, is intervention the best way to save someone from a life of chicken legs? I don't know but you can start with the people you know and help edge them towards good coaches. For my friend's wife, I recommended a local lady who is a very capable lifter and certified yoga instructor. She specializes in treating people who are coming out of injury or trauma. I don't want to use anyone's names because I haven't asked for the permission to do so and, frankly, I am not sure it is good for all parties involved. It then becomes a blame game. In reality, all I want is to find a way to get better coaching into the lives of as many people as possible. That's all it might take for us to change the balance of power in the fitness industry in favor of the good guys and not the marketing folks.
Fitness via Breaking Muscle https://ift.tt/1hdUh1E July 27, 2018 at 08:59PM
Olympia Legend: Chris Dickerson
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Mike Neveux
From 1981 to 1983, three men held the title of greatest bodybuilder in the world for a single year. The middle man in that span was Chris Dickerson, possibly the least-talked-about Mr. O in history, but not for lack of achievement. Dickerson began a competitive career that started in 1965 and ended in 1994. Along the way he won 24 contests (11 in the IFBB). He won the Sandow at age 43 and remains the oldest Mr. Olympia of all time. Retiring briefly after his win, Dickerson returned in 1984, and his last open pro show was the 1990 Arnold Classic, where the 51-year-old placed an astonishing eighth. Still not finished, Dickerson donned the posing trunks for a final time in 1994, placing fourth at the Masters Olympia. The man known for his diamond calves and elegant posing was also an accomplished opera singer and remains an active part of the bodybuilding industry. CHRIS DICKERSON SNAPSHOT
"As a competitive bodybuilder, I would only add eight to 12 pounds onto my body during the offseason. While my fast metabolism allowed me to stay relatively lean year-round, I simply didn’t like the extra pounds around my waist. Interesting, I think, how your body looks bigger when you weigh less. Besides, a lot of added pounds during the offseason have to be shed anyway in getting back into shape. So, why put all that stress on the heart by adding 40 or 50 pounds, only to take it off again, and have your weight fluctuate up and down like a yo-yo?" ~ Chris Dickerson Chris Dickerson was probably the most assiduous student of back development out of any of his peers. He had to be, he explains, because, “I had certain natural talents for bodybuilding, but the ability to develop an Olympia-sized back was not among them.” With concerted attention to long stretches and strenuous squeezes at the top of his pullups, as well as full extensions and peak contractions during various rowing movements, he completed his package and left no room for doubt in claiming the Sandow. DICKERSON TALKS BACK
CHRIS DICKERSON BACK WORKOUT
* The last two or three sets are weighted. **These are performed every other week.
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz July 27, 2018 at 01:13PM
Low-Carb Diets Effect Men and Women Differently
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Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine recently found1 that while men may lose more weight on low-carb diets, women actually see better improvements in artery flexibility. It's a finding that may help pre-diabetic women reduce their risk for heart disease through a low-carb diet.
"Previous research has shown that as women age, their blood vessels stiffen more so than men, putting them at an increased risk of heart disease," said Elizabeth Parks, PhD, professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at MU. "Contrary to what you may think, you actually don't want stiff blood vessels. Rather, you want flexible vessels that expand slowly as the blood flows through them. Our study found that low-carb diets helped reduce the stiffness of arteries in women, which can, in turn, reduce their risk of developing serious heart conditions."
To illustrate this, Parks compares good vessels to be like a rubber hose and aging causing vessels to become stiff, similar to a plastic pipe. When you pour water through a rubber hose, the hose bends and flexes as the water makes its way through. When you pour water through a solid pipe, the water travels through the pipe quickly. In the human body, for good health, we want flexible, pliable, resilient arteries.
As part of the study, 20 middle-aged, pre-diabetic men and women were given carb-restricted meals provided by the MU Nutrition Center for Health for two weeks and were supplied meal planning instructions for an additional two weeks. Over the four-week period, the men in the study lost 6.3 percent of their body weight, while women lost 4.4 percent. However, using an arterial stiffness measurement called pulse wave velocity, the women showed reduced blood flow speeds of 1 meter per second, while men showed no changes in blood flow speed.
"Vascular stiffness is a natural process of aging that can be accelerated by obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome," said Parks, who also serves as associate director of the MU Clinical Research Center. "Our study is the first to demonstrate that weight loss can reduce arterial stiffness in as little as four weeks and that dietary carbohydrate restriction may be an effective treatment for reducing aortic stiffness in women."
Reference: 1. Majid M. Syed-Abdul, Qiong Hu, Miriam Jacome-Sosa, Jaume Padilla, Camila Manrique-Acevedo, Colette Heimowitz, Elizabeth J Parks. Effect of carbohydrate restriction-induced weight loss on aortic pulse wave velocity in overweight men and women. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2018.
Fitness via Breaking Muscle https://ift.tt/1hdUh1E July 27, 2018 at 12:49PM
6 Things to Know About Cupping Therapy
https://ift.tt/2LWH0z8 Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz July 27, 2018 at 11:47AM
10 Minutes to a Happier Neck
https://ift.tt/2Ah6YMC Do you work in an office? If so, chances are you have neck and upper back pain. Do you get massages and shoulder rubs which temporarily relieve your pain, only to revert back a couple of days later?
I don’t know your situation, but I do know that as a trainer and a massage therapist, approximately 80% of my clients complain of tension in their necks and upper backs. Many of these clients work office jobs and suffer from the dreaded “tech neck,” and many of them receive upper back and neck massages to no avail.
This happens because while the upper back and neck are taking the hit for our poor posture, they are usually not the root cause of our issues. In order to relieve tension and pain in the upper back, shoulders, and neck, we’ve got to hit the muscles in the front of our body as well as the back. Try the sequence below, switching movements after 1-2 minutes each.
Massage Your PecsWorking on your own pectoral muscles is a little awkward. In the pictures below, I demonstrate some of the movements using a lacrosse ball, but you can get the same benefit by using your fingers or a soft fist.
There are a lot of nerves that run through this area, so please remember that any tingling down the arm/pins and needles/fingers falling asleep should prompt you to move the lacrosse ball off of the spot that it’s on. An inch to the left/right/up/down normally does the trick.
Stretch Your PecsThe goal with any pec stretch is to lengthen the muscles in the chest, so we place our hand or arm against an anchored surface and turn the chest away from that surface, relaxing the shoulder so that we can pull the front of the shoulder away from the midline.
To target the different fibers in the pecs, perform this stretch with the arm:
Stretch Your Lats
Stretch Your Upper Traps
The goal is to create as much space as possible between the ear and the shoulder.
Relax Your SuboccipitalsHaving a strong finger position is essential for this technique.
Please note: this routine is not guaranteed to yield results. I am not a medical professional, and I cannot diagnose, treat, nor prescribe. My advice should not replace the advice of your medical team. Do not do these drills if you suspect that they will exacerbate your pain. Fitness via Breaking Muscle https://ift.tt/1hdUh1E July 27, 2018 at 11:10AM |
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