Why Your Workouts Suck: 7 Points to Ponder

From Charles Staley's site, an excellent article aimed at more serious weight trainers.

Why Your Workouts Suck: 7 Points to Ponder

Hey, if your workouts DON’T suck, great! But even the most successful athletes and gym rats have bad workouts from time to time. Here’s why...

1. You Call It A “Workout.” The language you use affects how you view the World. Think for a moment about what images you conjure up when the word “exercise” is used as opposed to “training session.” Or “diet” versus “nutrition plan.” When you use the word “workout,” you’re at a disadvantage right from the start. Now you can call it whatever you want of course, but at Staley Training Systems, we use the term “training session.” The word “training” implies a purpose... above and beyond burning calories or looking buff at the beach. It implies the acquisition of skills. So have some respect for the words you use!

2. It’s No Fun. A lot of people have a hard time with the notion that going out of your comfort zone can be “fun,” but, I believe that human beings are essentially goal-seeking creatures. We enjoy stretching ourselves in pursuit of higher achievements. We are competitive at our core, especially when we have a strong reason behind what we’re doing (see point #4 below). Many people attempt to distract themselves at the gym by listening to music, scoping out the hot chick/dude on the treadmill, or talking on the phone. What I’d suggest however, is to learn to love the process...think of every rep as an athletic performance...make it a game...fake it till ‘ya make it! Also, learn to love the process as much as, if not more than, the result.

3. You’re A Sadist. Now although it’s true you’ll need to get out of your comfort zone to make progress in any area of your life, there’s no point in seeking pain! I call this principle “The Law of Sustainable Progression.” It simply means that small but sustainable changes will ultimately result in more progress than large but non-sustainable changes. Think of it this way: you can’t lose a significant amount of strength, muscle, or any other positive fitness attribute in one day, no matter how slothful you are for that 24 hour period. This being true, it also stands that you also can’t make noticeable gains in one day, or even one week, even if you push yourself mercilessly. Dr. Steven Covey, author of the best-selling Seven Habits book series calls it “the law of the farm.” Covey likes to say that “You might be able to cram for a final exam, but you can’t cram on the farm.” He’s simply referring to the fact that in natural systems, things take time; no matter how impatient you might feel. So be patient, and again, learn to enjoy the process as much as the result.

4. You Don’t Have A Plan. Quick: What’s your primary training objective for 2006? If it took you more than 5 seconds to answer, you don’t have a plan. My second question to you is “Why not?” Isn’t it worth the time and effort to develop a clear, compelling mission? After all, when you have a strong enough “why,” the “how’s” take care of themselves. I’ve written extensively about goal-orientation in the past, and most people understand the rudimentary mechanics of setting goals. However, many people fail to set goals that are compelling (which means “to pull.”) If have a goal, great! But do you have a goal that’s pulling at you, that’s just begging to be accomplished? If not, I’d suggest you get to work…if you’re TRULY serious that is.

5. You Have No Support. I think it was Einstein who said (and I’m paraphrasing) “The moment you have a unique idea, you become a minority of one.” And guess what? The moment you start getting serious about training, you also become a minority of sorts. Your friends and family will question the sanity of your new lifestyle. People will ask you why you want “all those muscles” anyway?! They’ll warn you about the dangers of creatine while they wolf down their third Crispy Crème. They’ll talk to you about how their doctor says weight training is unhealthy. Sound familiar? You need a training partner at a minumum, or I think I recently heard something about a Distance Coaching Group somewhere didn’t I? ;-)

6. Your System Is Bad. Having a sound methodology can spell the difference between miserable and remarkable. While there are endless varieties of bad systems, most of them fall into the category of what we call “The Terrible Triad:” single-joint exercises performed slowly on machines. The “wonderful triad” then, refers to multi-joint exercises performed at an accelerated pace using free weights. Here’s why: First, multi-joint movements (squats, presses, lunges, pull ups, and so on) not only train more muscle per exercise, they also make greater demands on the stabilization function of your smaller synergistic muscles. Second, faster movement speeds result in greater muscular tensions than slower movement speeds. I bet you are thinking; “But I insist on lifting weights under complete control!” To which I respond: did I ever say you shouldn’t use complete control? Why is it that people think speed and control are mutually-exclusive ideas? And finally, if you’re a beginner, machines are OK for now. But just like you eventually shed your training wheels, I’d urge you to shed your machines as well. It doesn’t have to happen overnight, but it should happen, because muscles are meant to control resistances, not just push against them!

7. You’re Soooo Confused. It’s remarkable to see how many people fail to take action because they think they don’t know enough yet. So allow me let you in on a little secret: you know all those big dudes in the gym...those really intimidating guys lifting gargantuan weights as they yell and scream to celebrate their own beastly dominion over the weights? A lot of those guys don’t know what they’re doing either. It’s just that they don’t realize that they don’t know what they’re doing. There’s really no way to shortcut the learning process— everyone starts out not knowing, and then over time, their knowledge grows. So by all means, read, ask questions, read this newsletter, hire a trainer (be careful though), and learn as you go. You’re going to make mistakes. Then you’ll learn from those mistakes. Eventually, you’ll know so much that you’ll have a whole new set of questions!

Technorati Tags: Charles Staley, Weight Training, Program, Plan, Workouts

Would You Buy This Product?

Is offending the customer the best way to sell product?



Technorati Tags: Xenadrine, Commercial, Offensive

Reducing Carbohydrate Intake Results in Weight Loss

Here is the abstract of a recent study looking at the results of restricted carbohydrates on health. Results indicate a 30 percent reduction in calories, an increase in protein intake, a reduction in trans fatty acid consumption, a loss of weight (mostly as fat), lower LDL cholesterol, and an overall reduction of cardiovascular disease risk.

I've been a fan of a reduced-carb lifestyle for years, and this is another study in a growing pile that supports that pointof view.

Effects of a carbohydrate-restricted diet on emerging plasma markers for cardiovascular disease
Richard J. Wood , Jeff S. Volek , Steven R. Davis , Carly Dell'Ova and Maria Luz Fernandez Nutrition & Metabolism 2006, 3:19 doi:10.1186/1743-7075-3-19
Published

4 May 2006Abstract (provisional)

Background
Increasing evidence supports carbohydrate restricted diets (CRD) for weight loss and improvement in traditional markers for cardiovascular disease (CVD); less is known regarding emerging CVD risk factors. We previously reported that a weight loss intervention based on a CRD (% carbohydrate:fat:protein = 13:60:27) led to a mean weight loss of 7.5 kg and a 20% reduction of abdominal fat in 29 overweight men. This group showed reduction in plasma LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides and elevations in HDL-cholesterol as well as reductions in large and medium VLDL particles and increases in LDL particle size. In this study we report on the effect of this intervention with and without fiber supplementation on plasma homocysteine, lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)], C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).

Methods
Twenty nine overweight men [body mass index (BMI) 25-35 kg/m2] aged 20-69 years consumed an ad libitum CRD (% carbohydrate:fat:protein = 13:60:27) including a standard multivitamin every other day for 12 wk. Subjects were matched by age and BMI and randomly assigned to consume 3 g/d of either a soluble fiber supplement (n = 14) or placebo (n =15).

Results
There were no group or interaction (fiber x time) main effects, but significant time effects were observed for several variables. Energy intake was spontaneously reduced (-30.5%). This was accompanied by an increase in protein intake (96.2 29.8g/d to 107.3 29.7 g/d) and methionine intake (2.25 0.7g/d, to 2.71 0.78 g/d; P < r =" .436," r =" .385,">

Conclusions
A diet based on restricting carbohydrates leads to spontaneous caloric reduction and subsequent improvement in emerging markers of CVD in overweight/obese men who are otherwise healthy.

You can read the whole, open access article here.


Technorati Tags: Low carb diet, Carbohydrate restriction, CVD risk, Nutrition & Metabolism, Research

Fitness News You Can Use

Here are a few recent studies collected by FitBits.

Exercise ETC's Review of Exercise Related Research
Compiled by Jeannie Patton, MS, CSCS


Teach the obese that “NEATness” counts!

As obesity levels in children and adults continue to rise it is important for Fitness Professionals to understand contributing lifestyle causes and develop strategies to overcome them. To date, inactivity and excess caloric consumption are common denominators among overweight/obese adults and children. However a new line of research is starting to emerge referred to as non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) which refers to the caloric cost of posture allocation (standing, walking and fidgeting). NEAT is the energy expenditure of daily activities that are not considered “planned” physical activity. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in NEAT between inactive lean subjects and mildly obese subjects.

Twenty healthy men and women served as subjects. Five men and women had BMIs of 23 classifying them as “lean” and five men and women had BMIs of 33 classifying them as “obese.” The subjects wore sensitive monitoring equipment which collected data every half second for 10 days giving the researchers 25 million data points on movement and posture for each subject.

The results showed that the obese subjects were seated for 164 minutes longer each day than the lean subjects. The energy expenditure for the extra movement of the lean group averaged 352 calories a day, which is the equivalent of about 36 pounds in one year.

Fitness Professionals should use this information to encourage their clients to increase physical activity throughout their day. In addition to planned exercise sessions, clients can burn a significant number of calories without taking time out of their busy schedules. Fitness Professionals should develop a list of tips to incorporate movement into everyday life such as walking at every opportunity, standing versus sitting whenever possible, and instead of e-mailing a colleague walk to their desk instead.

Levine, J. A., et al. Interindividual variation in posture allocation: Possible role in human obesity. Science. 2005, 307, January 28, 584-586.


DOMS does not necessarily reduce volume of exercise

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs with unaccustomed exercise or when the volume or intensity of exercise greatly exceeds baseline levels. DOMS is related to connective and contractile tissue microtrauma, which results, from the tension and strain produced during eccentric muscle actions, as well as to inflammatory responses after the injury. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the response of the elbow flexors to a second bout of eccentric exercise performed at 80% to 100% of the initial maximal bout of exercise.

Fifty-one athletes served as subjects. Each subject performed 30 eccentric actions of the elbow flexors with 100% of their maximal isometric force. Three days later all subjects except the control group performed a second bout at intensities of 100%, 90% or 80%. The researchers measured muscle damage based on range of motion, muscle soreness, muscle proteins in the blood and other criteria.

The results showed no significant changes in any of the indicators of muscle damage. Subjects in the 80% and 90% intensity groups were able to complete the second bout of exercise as directed, however most of those in the 100% group required some spotting.

These results suggest that it is possible for athletes to complete a second strength training session three days after the first session if the intensity is reduced by 10% to 20%. This intensity should not increase muscle damage or slow down in the recovery process. Fitness Professionals should take this information with a couple of precautions: Athletes have different goals than the general population and may be more motivated to exercise even with soreness; this may not be the case for the average healthy adult. Also, keep in mind this was only done one time in this study, and for one body part. It would seem reasonable to question whether an increase in damage and or recovery time might occur if this were done on a regular basis.

Chen, Trevor, C. Responses of elbow flexors to two strenuous eccentric exercise bouts separated by three days. National Strength & Conditioning Journal. 2006, 20(1), 108-116.


Exercise vital for breast cancer survivors

Each year over a million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer. With the increasing incidence and number of survivors it is becoming evident that greater efforts must be directed toward improving the physical functioning and quality of life of this special population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an 8-week full-body resistance and aerobic exercise program in breast cancer survivors.

Thirty-four breast cancer survivors average age 57.7 served as subjects. All subjects were at least 6 months post-cancer treatment. The resistance program consisted of twice weekly strength training sessions for both upper and lower body; all exercises were performed with 8-12 repetitions. Aerobic sessions were held 3 days a week at an intensity of 65%-85% of maximal heart rate. The duration began with 15 minutes in the target heart rate zone and gradually increased to 30 minutes over the 8 weeks.

Significant reductions in skinfold measurements and waist & hip girth wee noted, as well as significant increases in both upper and lower body strength and endurance. Trunk flexibility and flexibility in both shoulders improved significantly. Quality of Life Assessment score improved significantly and no incidents of lymphedema or injury were reported.

The results of this study document the value of full-body resistance training and aerobic training in survivors of breast cancer. Clients with breast cancer whose physicians recommend exercise are significantly more active than those who receive no recommendations. Fitness Professionals should use the results of this study to promote exercise to both survivors and their physicians.

Birinder, Singh, B. Full-body exercise training improves fitness and quality of life in survivors of breast cancer. National Strength & Conditioning Journal. 2006, 20(1), 14-21.


Caffeine during exercise boosts performance

A number of investigations have reported improved performance following caffeine ingestion during exercise. Most of these studies used prolonged endurance exercise and single bouts of high-intensity exercise. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acute caffeine ingestion on prolonged intermittent sprint performance.

Ten male athletes served as subjects for this study. Each subject completed two sprint trials, 7 days apart, sixty minutes after ingesting caffeine or a placebo. The total amount of sprint work performed during the caffeine trial was 8.5% greater than that performed during the placebo trail during the first half and 7.6% greater in the second half. Mean peak power was also significantly greater in the caffeine trial compared to placebo.

The results of this study indicate that ingestion of caffeine can improve performance of intermittent sprint exercise, which is representative of the demands of many team sports. The amount of caffeine used in this study was moderate (6 mg per kilogram of body weight). In this study urinary caffeine levels 2.5 hours following ingestion ranged from 3.5 to 9.1 which is below the 12 level set by the International Olympic Committee for a positive caffeine test.

Schneiker, K.T., et al. Effects of caffeine on prolonged intermittent sprint ability in team sport athletics. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2006, 38(3), 578-585.

Technorati Tags: FitBits, Exercise ETC., Research, Studies, Fitness, Health

Coffee Counters Alchohol's Damage to Liver

Well, it's good to know that the coffee I drank to wake up each morning after a hard night of drinking (back in the day) was saving my liver from damage. Too bad it didn't save any of the brain cells that drowned.

Coffee may counteract alcohol’s poisonous effects on the liver and help prevent cirrhosis, researchers say.

In a study of more than 125,000 people, one cup of coffee per day cut the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis by 20 percent. Four cups per day reduced the risk by 80 percent. The coffee effect held true for women and men of various ethnic backgrounds.

It is unclear whether it is the caffeine or some other ingredient in coffee that provides the protection, said study co-author Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.

Of course, there is a better way to avoid alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, Klatsky said.

“The way to avoid getting ill is not to drink a lot of coffee, but to cut down on the drinking” of alcohol, he said.

The participants ranged from teetotalers, who made up 12 percent of the total, to heavy drinkers, who made up 8 percent. The researchers calculated the risk reductions rate for the whole group, not just the drinkers.

Not all heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis, an irreversible scarring of the liver that hurts the organ’s ability to filter toxins from the blood. Klatsky said the new findings may help explain why some people’s livers survive heavy alcohol use.

Hepatitis C and some inherited diseases can also cause cirrhosis. But the study found coffee did not protect the liver against those other causes of scarring.

Improved liver function
The same study found coffee drinkers had healthier results on blood tests used to measure liver function, whether or not they were heavy alcohol users. Coffee’s effect on reducing liver enzymes in the blood was more apparent among the heavy drinkers in the study.

Cirrhosis from all causes kills more than 27,000 Americans a year and sends nearly 400,000 to the hospital.

The findings, published in Monday’s Archives of Internal Medicine, build on reports that coffee also may reduce the risk of liver cancer.

The data came from members of a Northern California health plan. Their coffee consumption was noted only at the beginning of the study, which the researchers admitted was a limitation. They were followed for an average of 14 years.

The researchers found no reduced risk of cirrhosis for tea drinkers. Tea has less caffeine than coffee and there were fewer heavy tea drinkers in the study, so if caffeine is the protective ingredient, an effect may not have shown up for tea in the study, Klatsky said.

Technorati Tags: Coffee, Liver, Alcohol, Cirrhosis

Tips on Beating Emotional Eating

Jillian is the female drill sargent on The Biggest Loser, a very fit trainer with a no-nonsense approach to losing the weight. Here are her thoughts on beating emotional eating. This is good advice.

Recognize and Stop Emotional Eating
Jillian Michaels offers her advice

by Jillian Michaels

Jillian shared her steps to recognizing and overcoming emotional eating.

# When you think you're hungry, you need to stop yourself right off the bat as you're going for the fridge. Just learn to stop yourself and ask yourself in that moment, "Am I even hungry?"

# Evaluate: Is your stomach growling? Do you feel weak? Are you tired? When was the last time you ate? Was it three or four hours ago? Ask yourself those questions. The first thing to do is write down, "Okay, I'm hungry." On a scale of 1 to 10, I want you to ask yourself, "How hungry am I?" Are you a 5, are you a 1, are you a 10 (10 being the hungriest)?

# Now, next step, I want you to write down ‑- if, in fact, you're not hungry, and you've eaten an hour or two ago ‑- what's going on for you emotionally. Take a look ‑- explore yourself and your feelings. What's going on? "Well, you know what, I'm anxious, man." "We have layoffs at the office." "I'm going through a breakup." Identify the emotion and what's going on inside of you.

# The next step is, now that you've recognized it, you need to face it in order to conquer it. So now you've got to look at this and ask yourself, "Can this issue be resolved in the now?" Do you have the ability to deal with it? Did you have a fight with your mom? Can you call her and rectify it? Yet sometimes life just sucks, man. Maybe, you know, your dog died. Who knows, sometimes things just suck.

# If you're at that point where you can't resolve the issue, you need to find ways of nurturing yourself and pampering yourself that are not food related. Know yourself. Do you collect stuff? Do you like to go on eBay and thrift shop? What are your hobbies? Put together a family album. Write your memoirs. Do stuff that's incompatible with self-destruction and that will help. That's why a lot of the contestants on the ranch ‑-, when they were working out so hard and taking such good care of themselves ‑- often, I think, didn't eat enough because they begin to associate eating with being self-destructive.

# At the end of the day, here's also what I would say: Sometimes, you know what, sometimes it just doesn't work. Make a healthier choice. Have air-popped popcorn, not Cheetos. Have sugar-free Popsicles for 25 calories instead of Ben and Jerry's. When all else fails, make a healthier choice.

Jillian's diet and fitness tips for beginners
Read an excerpt from Winning by Losing

Technorati Tags: Emotional Eating, Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels, Weight loss, Diet tips

Core Training

Everything you know about core training is wrong, so says Mike Robertson, writing for T-Nation. He's a pretty smart guy, so I read the article. And I agree, it matches some research I've seen popping up here and there. Give it a read and see if it makes sense to you, too.

Here is a taste:

Let's start off with a quote from Shirley Sahrmann regarding the role of the abdominal muscles:

"The most important aspect of abdominal muscle performance is obtaining the control that is necessary to:
(1) appropriately stabilize the spine,
(2) maintain optimal alignment and movement relationships between the pelvis and spine, and
(3) prevent excessive stress and compensatory motions of the pelvis during movements of the extremities."
~ Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes, p. 69.

What Ms. Sahrmann is getting at here is when you have the right amount of abdominal or core strength, not only do you stabilize the spine optimally, but you can carry this optimal relationship over to movement (squatting, deadlifting, lunging, etc.).

While it's obvious that very few of us have an optimal relationship at rest, this is magnified more so when we're asked to perform complex or heavily weighted movements (such as squatting, deadlifting, lunging, etc.). Think about it, if you're in poor alignment when you're just standing around, how bad is it going to be when you're trying to move heavy iron?

So what happens when we have weakness of the core? I'll let Porterfield and DeRosa explain:

"Weakness of the abdominal wall results in an increase in the anterior rotary motion of the pelvis (anterior pelvic tilt). The motion increases extension and compressive loading of the lumbar facets."
~ Mechanical Low Back Pain, p. 137.

If we're looking solely at the spine, the anterior pelvic tilt produced can increase low back pain, but what else can it do? This anterior pelvic tilt puts increased stress on the anterior joint line of the knee, and also puts the hamstring in a position of constant stretch, leaving it open to strains as well.

The article has some Flash videos in it, so you'll to download a Flash Player if you don't already have one installed.


Technorati Tags: T-Nation, Mike Robertson, High Performance Core Training, Core Training, Abs

Low-Cost Introduction to Coaching

My partner, Kira, is currently completing a Life Coaching certification. She needs a certain number of hours of coaching to move to the next level. Although Kira is already a licensed therapist with seven years' experience working with people, the coaching program requires additional hours. In order to obtain the hours she needs, she is offering a special 5-session package for $100, which is quite an outstanding deal.

If you want to work on issues of weight and body image, personal boundaries, creativity, life balance, or anything else that might make you happier, healthier, and more whole, contact Kira and get an introductory session at no cost.


Technorati Tags: Life coaching, Life balance, Wholeness, Body image

Video: Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho tries on a new pair of shoes, then shoots the ball off of the crossbar 4 straight times.



Technorati Tags: Ronaldinho, Soccer, Brazil, World Cup, Nike

FDA Wants Restaurants to Cut Portion Size

From USA Today, the FDA actually makes sense. Now that is news.

A new report suggests restaurants should dish food and fight fat at the same time, meaning menus with more fruits and vegetables, smaller portions and better nutritional information.

With burgers, fries and pizza the Top 3 eating-out favorites in this country, restaurants are in prime position to help improve people's diets and combat obesity. At least that's what is recommended in a government-commissioned report being released Friday.

The report, requested and funded by the Food and Drug Administration, lays out ways to help people manage their intake of calories from the growing number of meals prepared away from home, including at the nation's nearly 900,000 restaurants and other establishments that serve food.

The 136-page report prepared by The Keystone Center, an education and public group based in Keystone, Colo., said Americans now consume fully one-third of their
daily intake of calories outside the home. And as of 2000, the average American took in 300 more calories a day than was the case 15 years earlier, according to Agriculture Department statistics cited in the report.

Today, 64% of Americans are overweight, including the 30% who are obese, according to the report. It pegs the annual medical cost of the problem at nearly $93 billion.

Consumer advocates increasingly have heaped some of the blame on restaurant chains like McDonald's, which bristles at the criticism while offering more salads and fruit. The report does not explicitly link dining out with the rising tide of obesity, but does cite numerous studies that suggest there is a connection.

The report encourages restaurants to shift the emphasis of their marketing to lower-calorie choices, and include more such options on menus. In addition, restaurants could jigger portion sizes and the variety of foods available in mixed dishes to reduce the overall number of calories taken in by diners.

Bundling meals with more fruits and vegetables also could improve nutrition. And letting consumers know how many calories are contained in a meal also could guide the choices they make, according to the report. Just over half of the nation's 287 largest restaurant chains now make at least some nutrition information available, said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

"If companies don't tell them, people have no way of knowing how many calories they are being served at restaurants. And chances are, they are being served a lot more than they realize," said Wootan, adding that Congress should give the FDA the authority to require such disclosure.

But the report notes that the laboratory work needed to calculate the calorie content of a menu item can cost $100, or anywhere from $11,500 to $46,000 to analyze an entire menu.

That cost makes it unfeasible for restaurants, especially when menus can change daily, said Sheila Cohn, director of nutrition policy for the National Restaurant Association.

Instead, restaurants increasingly are offering varied portion sizes, foods made with
whole grains, more diet drinks and entree salads to fit the dietary needs of customers, Cohn said. Still, they can't make people eat what they won't order.

"It's not really the responsibility of restaurants to restrict the foods that they offer," Cohn said.

Survey data suggest that consumers are sticking to old standbys, even when offered healthier fare.

When Americans dined out in 2005, the leading menu choices remained hamburgers, french fries and pizza, according to The NPD Group, a market research firm. The presumably healthier option of a side salad was the No. 4 choice for women, but No. 5 for men, according to the eating pattern study.

Government officials, scholars, industry representatives and consumer advocates contributed to the report.

It's rare that the FDA makes sense about anything, but in this case, they are on target. The downside is that this will never be enforced, so if you want to eat wisely when dining out, you'll need to take the iniative and do some research on your own.

Carb Health has nutrition info for some fast food restaurants.
Bodybuilding.com has a food nutrient database that is searchable.

Or go to a used bookstore and pick up a copy of Corrine Netzer's Complete Book of Food Counts, which includes restaurant foods.


Technorati Tags: Nutrition, FDA, Serving Size, Food Counts, Health, Diet

New Diet Books Hitting the Shelves Soon

This is courtesy of CalorieLab Calorie Counter News, permalink here.

New diet books in the bookshops for June

Coming off of the busy release schedule of April and May, publishers have eased off in diet-related titles for this month (but they’ve compensated with some really long book subtitles).

June 1
The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health
John Robbins (Forward), et al. (BenBella Books)

Oh, man, first it was the French, and then the Japanese. Now The China Study tells us that Chinese eat 20 percent more calories than Americans, but are one-third less fat. The claim that it’s not how much you eat, but what you eat (hint: think vegetables), is one of the convention-challenging findings in the paperback edition of last year’s book about the study that New York Times nutrition editor Jane E. Brody called “the grand prix of epidemiology.”

Secrets of Longevity
Maoashing Ni (Chronicle Books)

Acupuncturist to Hollywood celebrities, herbologist, and Tai Chi master Dr. Maoshing Ni’s latest book on living a longer, healthier life is right up to date with its recommendation to eat blueberries, but, as an Amazon reviewer notes, a little behind the times with its recommendation of “8 x 8″ glasses of water.

June 2
The Ultimate Smoothie Book: 130 Delicious Recipes for Blender Drinks, Frozen Desserts, Shakes, and More!
Cherie Calbom (Warner Wellness)

Author Calbom’s popular 2001 all-things-smoothie guide gets a facelift this month, with a new edition that includes 29 more recipes than the original offered. Self-styled “Juice Lady” Calbom even includes a few low-carb smoothie options this time for those still faithful to an Atkins approach to weight loss.

June 5
The GL Diet For Dummies
Nigel Denby, Sue Baic (John Wiley & Sons)

The glycemic index/glycemic load diet took off in Europe before it was generally known in the U.S., so it’s appropriate that the publishers of Wiley’s Dummies series tapped two English dieticians to write this new release. The authors promise “no more calorie counting” — just glycemic load counting. But since GL numbers are small, they’re easier to count, and are certainly easier than dieting using the metric system.

June 13
Real Food: What to Eat and Why
Nina Planck (Bloomsbury)

Lard and pork bellies are health food? So says farmer’s market advocate Nina Planck in this new book that maintains that much of what we’ve been eating since the end of World War II has been disastrous for our health. Ms. Planck says that she has lost 25 pounds and seen her cholesterol and lipids fall by eating her diet of animal fat-rich “real food.” What would the Chinese say to that?

June 15
The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity
Donna Gates, Linda Schatz (Body Ecology)

Do all your problems stem from yeast? Author Gates promotes this theory in the ninth edition of this somewhat disorganized but well-meaning (according to Amazon reviewers) book.

June 27
The Great American Detox Diet : Feel Better, Look Better, and Lose Weight by Cleaning Up Your Diet
Alex Jamieson (Rodale Books)

Lower price, longer subtitle, for the paperback release of last year’s vegan detox diet by “Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock’s girlfriend, vegan chef Alex Jamieson.
June 30
Slimming Secrets of the Rich & Famous
Adele Parker (John Blake)

If author Parker’s 2003 book Celebrity Slimming Secrets didn’t lead to celeb diet satiety for you, you’ll want to preorder her new book, which covers Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jennifer Aniston, among others. This time around, there’s a special emphasis on post-pregno slimming.

I don't endorse any of these books. The only two diet books I have endorsed so far are The Paleo Diet and The South Beach Diet. I think they both are sound approaches to overall nutritional health. And both favor reduced carbs -- especially grains -- and increased protein.


Technorati Tags: Diets, Nutrition, Books, South Beath Diet, Paleo Diet

Build Your Own Training Program

I favor full-body workouts for a variety of reasons, not least of which is efficiency and efficacy. I also favor multi-joint movements over isolation movements. So when I construct a program for myself, these are my primary concerns: good use of time, little or no isolation work, go heavy, use supersets, and limit use of machines if possible (this is rough in a "family gym," like Bally, that isn't designed for serious lifting).

Tony Gentilcore, writing at T-Nation, has put together an article that uses the basic theory that I favor and will help you build a solid program on your own. He also provides a sample program so you can see what it might look like.


Technorati Tags: Weight training, Program design, Bodybuilding, Workout, Program Design for Dummies, Tony Gentilcore, T-Nation