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Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
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Saturday, October 27, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
Dana What Gives?
Tonight's episode of the Ultimate Fighter might of been one of the worst episodes ever! The Judges gave the victory to Michael Hill after clearly losing 2 out of 3 rounds. Matt Secor got robbed!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Multi's and Bodybuilding
Vitamins and Minerals are found in many of the foods you regularly eat. But, it can be hard to make sure you are getting all the necessary vitamins in the right amounts. This can be a particular challenge for bodybuilders trying to build muscle. A deficiency of these nutrients can impede the growth of new muscle.
Multivitamin Content
Multivitamins contain both vitamins and minerals in varying combinations. Most of the vitamins found in a multivitamin are present in quantities that meet or come close to the daily recommended intake for these nutrients. A wide variety of vitamins and minerals are mixed into these individual pills to provide your body with as many of its necessary nutrients as possible.
Vitamins and Minerals Function
Vitamins and minerals are used by the body to perform thousands of metabolic reactions and processes that occur every day, according to Bodybuilding.com. Developing a deficiency in any of these creates a breakdown of the metabolic pathway that converts nutrients into useful compounds for the body. This makes it harder for your body to efficiently take in proteins and carbohydrates and put them toward new muscle synthesis. Taking a multivitamin helps to ensure that these nutrients are present in the body.
Variance
Many multivitamins are put together to cater to a specific type of person. For example, prenatal vitamins use different combinations of vitamins and minerals to meet the specific needs of expecting mothers. Children's vitamins, men's and women's vitamins, and vitamins for the elderly are also available, as well as vitamins catering to the nutritional needs of athletes. Depending on your circumstances, you may find one of these vitamins more suitable to improving your body's ability to gain muscle mass.
Use
When taking a multivitamin, always follow the dosing guidelines on the product's packaging. Most multivitamins recommend you take one or two pills per day. Exceeding this dosing recommendation can lead to overconsumption of certain vitamins or minerals, which may cause unwanted side effects and discomfort. Additionally, some multivitamins may use recipes that can upset the stomach. If you experience this with a given multivitamin, try a different brand until you find one that works well for your stomach.
Top 10 Best Multi Vitamins for Men
Multivitamins come in a virtually limitless selection. Some are combined with minerals, others not; some are of the "mega" variety that contain several times the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA, of their constituent micronutrients, whereas others have only the minimum requirement of the most common vitamins and minerals and sometimes less. A number of these products are aimed at the specific needs of men, who differ physiologically not only from women but from each other in age and physical activity level.
Centrum Silver
This product is intended for men over 50 and contains an especially high concentration of both antioxidants and vitamin B12. It also features both lutein as a means of helping preserve eyesight and vitamin D for colon health, both being especially important in this age cohort.
Jigsaw Complete Essential Daily Packets
This preparation contains not only vitamins and minerals but essential fatty acids. The vitamins are "activated" for improved absorption, and fish oil -- widely believed to be beneficial to the human brain -- is included. Packets come in different formulations for morning and evening, with the latter consisting mainly of trace minerals.
GNC Mega Men Multivitamin
GNC Mega Men Multivitamin contains no iron, which for men can be a good thing, as iron may interfere with absorption of other nutrients. Also, most of the vitamin A is in beta-carotene form.
Kirkland Signature Mature Multi 50+
This is a comparatively inexpensive formula that has a wide range of vitamins without going overboard on any one of them. It contains 50 mcg of vitamin B12, which some older men may need in increased amounts. Members of Costco pay less than others.
One-A-Day Men's Health Formula
This vitamin -- on the market for many years in some formulation or another -- stands out for containing 150 percent of the U.S. RDA of selenium. This trace metal has been touted as a preventative agent for prostate cancer, although these claims are not medically substantiated.
Rainbow Light Men's One Multivitamin
The Rainbow Light Men's One Multivitamin contains no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives. It's more expensive than others on the list but covers all of the usual bases without some of the extras in the area of colorants and binding agents that you may wish to avoid.
Now Foods Adam Superior Men's Multiple Vitamin
This supplement contains no animal-derived products of any kind, so vegans and vegetarians can take it. It has many times the RDA of B vitamins and folic acid, but this may not be a drawback in men who don't consume meat.
Optimum Nutrition's Opti-Men
At $18.50 or so for 180 tablets, this is one of the less expensive megavitamin-type supplements. With some 40 to 50 times the RDA of thiamine and riboflavin, it is perhaps well-suited for men who have been deficient in these nutrients.
XtendlifeTotal Balance Men's
The manufacturer of this natural vitamin supplement attributes to it a host of unusual benefits, many of them centered on prostate and sexual health. Its complement of herbal extracts sets it apart, as does its price tag -- close to $50 for a one-month supply.
NatureMade Mulitvitamin for Him
This natural product addresses heart, muscular, and skeletal issues particular to males. Its emphasis on both vitamin D and antioxidant vitamins underscore its orientation to men seeking to avoid the effects of premature aging, and vitamin K is included because of its beneficial effects on the heart and blood clotting.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Google Chromebook 11.6
The new Samsung Chromebook features an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, a Samsung Exynos 5 ARM Cortex-A15 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage. It measures less than 0.7 inches thick and weighs about 2.4 pounds.
It runs Google Chrome OS, an operating system designed around the Chrome web browser. Instead of downloading and installing apps the way you would on a Windows PC or an Android tablet, Chrome OS users run web apps such as Gmail, Google Docs, or iPiccy (for editing photos).
Earlier Chromebooks had Intel x86 processors, but the new model is the first with an ARM-based chip. It’s also one of the first devices of any kind to ship with an ARM Cortex-A15 processor.
While even the latest ARM-based chips don’t have as much raw processing power as Intel’s Core Family processors, the Samsung Chromebook has been optimized to play well with the Exynos processor. It boots in 10 seconds, resumes from sleep almost instantly, gets about 6.5 hours of battery life, and feels pretty zippy when surfing the web — even with half a dozen or more browser tabs open.
In fact, I ran a few browser-based benchmarks on the Samsung Chromebook this morning, and found that it got a SunSpider score of 711 (lower is better) and a Peacekeeper score of 1095 (higher is better).
While most modern laptop and desktop computers score higher, those scores are better than I’ve seen from most phones or tablets. And they’re not that far from the scores I got with the Samsung Chromebook 550 this summer. That model has an Intel Celeron 867 processor and scored 606 on SunSpider and 1694 on Peacekeeper.
Anyway, I’ll have more results to share when the full review is ready to go, but right now I’m reasonably impressed with this $249 laptop — especially since customers get 100GB of Google Drive storage at no additional cost for 2 years. That’s a bonus worth about $120 at Google’s current rates.
Oh yeah, the new Chromebook can also run Ubuntu Linux.
A $330 model with 3G is also expected soon.
Giant Protein+Naked's Blue Machine
Blueberry fanboys, look no further. I stumbled upon something special with this combo
Blend 8 ounces of Blue Machine a splash of milk, 1 scoop of Giant protein (vanilla) and a half cup of crushed ice
Finally a true blueberries and cream shake
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Gamma Labs needs your help!
Gamma Fans we need your help
Get your friends and family members to like our page
As soon as we reach the 100,000 mark 5 random fans will receive the ultimate stack
1 tub of PTF 1 bottle of Gamma-O 1 tub of G-Fuel a shaker cup and an official fight shirt
Brewer's Yeast
Brewer's yeast is a powdery substance that is added to foods like oatmeal, cookies and yogurt for nutritional benefits. According to the University of Michigan Medical Center (UMMC), brewer's yeast actually comes from a fungus called saccharomyces cerevisiae and is rich in the mineral chromium as well as several different B vitamins. Brewer's yeast has been used for many years as a nutritional supplement because of the vitamins and minerals it contains. In addition, brewer's yeast can provide some therapeutic health benefits.
Improving Cholesterol Levels
According to the UMMC, there is some evidence that supports the use of brewer's yeast daily to lower the unhealthy LDL cholesterol while raising the healthy HDL cholesterol. The mineral chromium found in brewer's yeast helps to decrease total blood cholesterol levels. Beta-glucans, which are a type of fiber that prevents the absorption of dietary cholesterol, are also found in brewer's yeast, according to the Agriculture Business Week website.
Protecting the Immune System
Agriculture Business Week states that one of the best therapeutic uses of brewer's yeast is to protect and strengthen the immune system. Specific molecules in the brewer's yeast cell actually catch toxins and prevent infections in the body. Brewer's yeast strengthens the mucous membrane of the gut, which is the body's main barrier to stop infections from occurring.
Relieving Digestion Problems
Another therapeutic use of brewer's yeast is to improve the function of the digestive system. According to Alternative Doctor, LLC, the B vitamins found in brewer's yeast strengthen the muscles needed for digestion. Agriculture Business Week states that brewer's yeast also has probiotics, which help promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the human gut. This improves digestion and decreases gas and upset stomach.
Supporting Diabetes
Supporting the disease diabetes is a therapeutic benefit of using brewer's yeast in foods or taking brewer's yeast supplements. The UMMC explains that the high level of chromium found in brewer's yeast may be able to help control blood sugar levels in the general population and reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics, who have dangerously high blood sugar levels. The chromium in brewer's yeast may also be able to improve glucose tolerance and decrease the insulin dose that diabetics require. Alternative Doctor, LLC, also states that getting 1,000mg of chromium from brewer's yeast and other foods can boost the body's insulin levels.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Armstrong Stripped of all 7 Tour de France Titles
Cycling legend Lance Armstrong's fall from grace was completed Monday, when the sport's governing body stripped him of all seven Tour de France titles and banned him for life on the heels of a damning report from U.S. officials that concluded he cheated throughout his career.
The 41-year-old cancer survivor's unprecedented dominance in the grueling sport can now be stricken from the record books, though Armstrong continues to insist he never cheated. The announcement came Monday morning, and was based on a report from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that accused Armstrong of leading a massive doping program on his teams.
The report included testimony from several former teammates who competed alongside Armstrong as he won the sport's most coveted title every year from 1999 to 2005. Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has said the race will have no official winners for those years.
USADA said Armstrong should be banned and stripped of his Tour titles for "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen" within his U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams. International Cycling Union President Pat McQuaid announced that the federation accepted the USADA's report on Armstrong and would not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
The 6 Rules of Gaining Muscle Mass
Here's the frustrating truth: Most guys spend their entire life going to gyms, performing endless reps and sets, and never gaining more than a few pounds of muscle. You sacrifice sweat, invest in hustle, and for what? Yeah, good health - that's great. But if you're like me, you also want results you can see.
Eventually many guys end up wondering, "Is my body just not designed to add size?"
That very question is why teamed up with two LIVESTRONG.COM advisors--nutritionist Dr. John Berardi and fitness expert Martin Rooney. Together with their help, I tried my own personal experiment - which I detailed in my free book Bigger Smaller Bigger – to build as much mass as possible in one month. The result: I gained 20 pounds in 28 days.
I learned what it takes to add size – no drugs, no cheating, no gimmicks.
I did this to help all the average guys out there. Guys just like me. The ones that are tired of being frustrated, misled, and unable to make any changes that they can see. And as a former skinny guy, it was further retribution that anyone--with enough patience and effort--can change their body.
If you want to add some mass to your body, or just make sure that you're not wasting your time with your training and diet plan, here are 6 lessons that will help you avoid your common frustrations.
RULE #1: Eat more calories than you burn
This might seem obvious, but when you're trying to add mass you need to eat more. And if there's a consistent theme in the struggle to gain weight, most people just don't eat enough. Keep in mind that everyone's body is different. So there's no hard and simple rule on just how much you need to eat. But most people eat for the body they currently have. And when they eat "a lot" that is just compared to their current weight. If you want to gain more size, you have to be thinking about what it would take to fuel the body you desire.
So eating "a lot" for your size will undoubtedly leave you at your size. You need to push the limits and find ways to take in more calories. Remember, you're trying to change the way you look and push past a weight that is easy for you body to maintain. What's more, you're trying to add muscle that might be stubbornly resisting all your efforts.
The best approach is finding an eating strategy that makes it easier to take in more calories. This might mean eating more meals. It might mean eating less often but taking in significantly larger meals. That's what I did. I only ate 3 times per day, but I ate a lot at each meal.
Sometimes you might need some simple tricks to add calories. This could be adding 1-2 tablespoons of oils (like Udo's oil) to meals, or adding a few extra tablespoons of nut butter after you're already full. But if you're trying to gain weight and your not seeing any changes, start eating more. It's a simple idea, but one that can be difficult to achieve because it's an uncomfortable process. Hang with it, and your body will eventually adjust--both with the "ease" of eating more and the changes you'll see.
RULE #2: Double or triple your protein intake
If there's a type of food you want to eat more of, your top choice should be protein. Your muscles are made of protein. (Studies show about 25%) So if you're trying to add muscle, it makes sense to take in more protein, so that the food you're eating--whether it's chicken, steak, fish, eggs, or a shake--can turn into muscle.
But there's another reason that might surprise you. Most guys don't eat enough protein. That's because there's a variety of myths out there that will have you believe that you can only digest 20 to 30 grams of protein per serving. Or that you need to eat lots of small doses of protein 5 to 6 times per day. The result is that you feel like you're getting enough protein, but you're actually falling short of your goals.
If you want to boost how much protein you're eating, understand that you can take in more than 20 to 30 grams per serving. And then focus on eating two to three times more protein, in general. If you're already taking in about a pound per gram of your body weight, you don't need to triple that amount. But just like calories, you want to eat for the body you're trying to build. So add more protein as part of your effort.
RULE #3: Eat mostly nutrient-dense whole foods
One of the biggest mistakes when trying to gain weight is eating the wrong types of food. Gaining weight can be hard for some people. (And yes, people that struggle to lose weight do not want to hear about your "difficulties" stuffing your face, but both can be equally challenging.) When you hit that wall, your first instinct might be to eat the most calorically dense foods possible. Scarfing down pizza and donuts might help you gain weight--but not the type you want.
Remember the goal is mass, but more muscle and less fat is what you want. So you'll want to eat foods that are dense in calories--think steak and potatoes--as well as foods that have nutritional value and will help with digestion, like greens and sauerkraut.
While you will have more room to take in extra calories, if those calories are all from the bad sources you will grow...in all the wrong ways.
RULE #4: Do compound exercises in the gym
A quick look at my workout should reveal something very important: the workouts were not overly complicated. I hit the exercises that worked the greatest number of muscles. Moves like squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, and rows. Add in some "isolation" exercises to train your vanity muscles, and you have the perfect plan.
Don't over-complicate your training with endless exercise changes. The fastest way to gain size is to become better at a few exercise and lift more weight. Your body will grow. Trust me. Which brings up another important rule.
RULE #5: Lift heavier weights
There is a place for higher reps in any program. In fact, I incorporated some on my "conditioning" days. But training heavy plays an important role in your ability to grow. That's because focusing on heavier weight increases your strength. And as you increase your strength, you can use more weight for more reps. And as your total work capacity increases (amount of weight you use multiplied by the number of reps you perform), you are able to add more mass.
You'll want to be smart about your approach. The downside of heavier lifting is that it can put you at a greater likelihood of injury. So doing a proper and thorough warmup, as well as several work-up sets, will ensure that you body--and your muscles, tendons, and ligaments--are prepared to add more weight, become stronger, and stay injury free.
RULE #6: Get 7+ hours of sleep every night
Two simple reasons why you want to make sure to prioritize sleep.
1) Sleeping enough helps your body build muscle
2) Not sleeping enough makes it harder to build muscle
And yes, these are two different points. When you get enough sleep, your levels of growth hormone increase. This is a natural hormone that plays an important role in muscle growth and recovery. When you don't sleep enough, another hormone--cortisol--is increased. This stress hormone makes it harder for you to gain muscle. In fact, research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that people that don't sleep enough not only lose weight, they also lose muscle.
Your goal should be to prioritize your rest just as much as your meals and workouts. It'll ensure that all your hard work won't go to waste.
By following these guidelines, you'll be avoiding some of the most common mistakes that make gaining size seem impossible. And if you want to read all about my journey to gain mass--as well as a day-by-day diary of what I experienced and tips for Dr. Berardi and Martin Rooney--you can find it all in Bigger Smaller Bigger, a book I wrote about the experience, which is available for free.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Healthy Protein Bars in 5 Easy Steps
By Anna Sward
It's a recurrent scene at health food stores worldwide: people parked on the protein bar aisle reading the ingredient list and macronutrient breakdown of protein bar after protein bar. Eventually, somebody might settle on one, but a fair amount just sigh and return the bar to its place on the shelf.
Picking out a wholesome and nutritious protein bar is no easy task. Far too many bars—the majority, in fact—contain an inordinate amount of sugar, hydrogenated oil, preservatives, and a whole list of fillers and other nutritionally-void ingredients. Despite the downsides of packaged protein bars, we continue to buy them because they contain protein, they're convenient, they're easy to carry, and they're supposed to be healthy—even though the worst bars are just glorified candy bars.
This article is designed to make the madness stop. Once you start making your own protein bars, I promise you won't ever want to step food in the protein-bar aisle again. By making your own, you'll end up with bars that are far tastier, far healthier, far easier and far, far cheaper in the long run. Plus, because you made them yourself, you'll have the added bonus of feeling oh-so-proud.
Steps to Protein-Bar Mastery
Making a protein bar at home could not be any easier. With these simple steps, anyone can master it!
Step 1 ///
Select your protein powder and add a type of flour to it. Makes sure to select a flour that can be eaten raw: coconut flour, almond flour, or a grain-based flour like oat flour or quinoa flour are all good choices.
Step 2 ///
Bind the powder and flour with milk. You can use cow's milk, coconut milk in a carton, or a tasty nut milk like almond milk. If you want, you can also add nut butter. You want to add enough liquid, (and nut butter if you like), to make the batter come together like dough. The goal is to end up with a batter that you can form into bars with your hands.
Step 3 ///
Shape The Above Batter Into Bars.If, after mixing your ingredients, your batter is too moist or sticky to mold, add a tiny bit of coconut flour or casein powder until you get the desired consistency. You want to be able to shape the bars, so getting the batter dry enough is essential.
If, after mixing your ingredients, the batter is too dry, add a bit of milk until you get the desired consistency. Don't make it too liquid-y though, or you'll have to go back to adding flour.
Step 4 ///
Melt some chocolate in a bain-marie or in a glass bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. Once it's melted, dunk the bars in the chocolate or pour it over the bars.
I like to coat my bars in 90-100% chocolate, but you can go as dark (or light) as you want. Obviously, the darker the chocolate, the less sugar and more antioxidant goodness it contains. In my experience, really bitter chocolate goes extremely well with sweet fillings. But like I say, it's up to you.
Step 5 ///
Place bars in the freezer for at least 30 minutes and BOOM! They're ready to pack up and take with you or you can eat them on the spot!
My Favorites, Bar None
Below are some of my favorite protein bar recipes. Remember, once you get the hang of this, experiment with ingredients. Set your creative, food-loving inner child loose!
Try adding nuts, flavorings, spices, seeds, or dried fruit to the batter before you shape it. You can also bind the bars with cream instead of milk and use more unusual nut and seed butters in the mix. It's also fine to tweak them so they better fit your macros. Bite into some bliss!
1/
Toasted Coconut and Vanilla Whey Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Vanilla Whey
- 1/4 cup of Flaked Coconut (try toasting your own!)
- 1/4 cup of Coconut Flour
- 1/4 cup of Milk
- 30 grams melted 85% Dark Chocolate
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size (Makes 3 medium-sized bars)
Serving Size (Makes 3 medium-sized bars)
Amount per serving
Calories 212
Total Fat13g
Total Carbs8.8g
Protein16.6g
Toasted Coconut and Vanilla Whey Protein Bars PDF (73.1 KB)
2/
Orange and Goji Berry Whey Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of Organic Unflavored or Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
- 3/4 cup of Ground Almonds
- 1/4 cup of Coconut Flour
- 3/4 cup of Goji Berries
- 1/4 cup of Coconut Milk (from the carton, not the can)
- 1 tbsp of Vanilla Essence
- 1 tbsp of grated Orange Rind (optional, but highly recommended!)
- 1 tsp of Chili Powder (optional but highly recommended; it gives the bars a really nice kick)
- 40 grams melted 85% Dark Chocolate
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size (Makes 5 small bars)
Serving Size (Makes 5 small bars)
Amount per serving
Calories 256.8
Total Fat16.5g
Total Carbs12.5g
Protein13.5g
Orange and Goji Berry Whey Protein Bars PDF (73.5 KB)
3/
The Incredible Red Velvet Pumpkin Seed Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 2 small cooked Beets
- 1/2 cup of Vanilla Whey
- 1/4 cup of Coconut Flour
- 1/4 cup of Milk (I used cartoned coconut, but any will do)
- 1 tbsp Organic Pumpkin Seed Butter (or peanut or almond butter)
- 40 grams melted 85% Dark Chocolate
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size (Makes 4 medium bars)
Serving Size (Makes 4 medium bars)
Amount per serving
Calories 200
Total Fat9.35g
Total Carbs8.7g
Protein17.5g
The Incredible Red Velvet Pumpkin Seed Protein Bars PDF (73.1 KB)
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