National Athlete of the Month | Jason Gunter | December 2009

On August 15, 1992 Gunter was involved in a severe boating accident in the Gulf of Mexico near Matlacha, Florida. The collision caused the amputation of his left leg, below the knee, and his right hand. Gunter, 44, was forced to cancel his career as a firefighter for the City of Cape Coral, but was named Firefighter of the Year for the State of Florida in 1993. He went on to acquire his law degree from Nova Southeastern School of Law.

After qualifying at the Ironman 70.3 Florida, Gunter competed as a double-amputee in the Ford Ironman World Championship, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 10, 2009. He would have been the first upper- and lower-extremity amputee athlete to complete the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run, but his dream was cut short on the 23rd mile of the race's marathon, as his back seized and caused Gunter to collapse.

Exercise of the Month | Single Leg Squat | December 2009

The Single Leg Squat is an excellent exercise to work the lower extremity and core. Keeping your head straight ahead and maintaining an erect torso lower your body into the squat position extending your non-weight-bearing leg in front of you. As your thigh becomes parallel with the ground, slowly push yourself back up to the starting position. To increase the difficulty, barbells may be held in each hand while performing the exercise.

Major Muscles Involved: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Gluteals, Hip adductors, Hip abductors

Weekly Training Article | Stay Fit From the Comforts of Your Home | 12/28/09-1/3/10

By Brooke Hayles

Modern lifestyle has made us lead a stressful life. With busy schedules and stretched jobs, we hardly get any time for daily exercises. Hence, obesity, diabetes and various fitness disorders have become very common problems.

Need for a home gym

When you find no time to go out for exercises, having a home gym is a great relief. By using it, you can exercise and stay fit without having to go to a gym. You can workout whenever you feel like it and when you are extremely tired, you can even relieve stress by gentle workouts on your gym. You can improve your body-line without having to regularly go out to the gym.

Why is a home gym better than a regular gym?

There can be no better place than one's own home. That is the place where we have complete privacy. Having a home gym, you can workout with comfort and ease. It occupies less space than you'd think and you can always choose what equipment you would like to have. Home gyms offer all types of exercises that you find at regular gyms.

With your home gym nearby, you have absolutely no reason to skip your exercises. Commercial gyms are often overcrowded and you may hardly get your chance at the machine you need. At home, you will definitely not have to wait until someone else completes their turn.

What equipment is needed in a home gym?

You may like to exercise for different purposes, such as weight loss, muscle building, body toning or fitness. You need to choose the equipment according to your needs.

You should have cardiovascular equipment, such as a treadmill, stationary bike or a rowing machine to achieve fitness. Muscle building will require you to have dumbbells, an Olympic barbell set and adjustable bench with a leg extension or leg curl attachment. You will probably also need an exercise mat.

Plan your equipment according to your budget and do take into consideration the space you can allot for your gym.

Installation of a home gym

Installation requires a proper floor plan. Floor plans help you in placing your fitness equipment in a proper place and position, and will help you with optimum utilization of space. Some equipment can be placed under staircases if they fit well. Make floor plans according to dimensions and ceiling heights.

Dimensions of equipment when you are on the equipment should be considered to make a comfortable placement. Also, check the power requirements. The equipment may be self powered or may require 110v or 220v dedicated outlets. If you don't have an outlet that suits the power requirements of the equipment, you may have to get one installed.

Benefits/Cost savings of a home gym

Instead of taking a membership every year at a gym center, buying a home gym can save you a lot of money. Cost saving is always an important factor to be considered. You can plan it even at the lowest budget. Some companies also offer special discounts in some special seasons.

Source: www.articlecircle.com

Weekly Training Article | How to Build a Massive Pair of Arms | 12/21/09-12/27/09

By Sean Nalewanyj

It's no secret that every serious lifter out there desires an impressive pair of strong, muscular arms. Who wouldn't be happy with tall, peaking biceps sitting on top of rock-hard, horse-shoe-shaped triceps? Who wouldn't love to have a pair of ripped, well-developed guns forcefully bursting through the sleeves of their shirt? While developing muscular arms is usually at the top of many peoples' agenda, the reality is that the majority of lifters out there have a very poor understanding of how to properly train their arms for maximum gains. In order to gain the proper insight into effectively stimulating arm growth, we must first recognize three basic truths:

1) Relatively speaking, the biceps and triceps are small muscle groups.

2) The biceps receive heavy stimulation during all basic pulling movements for the back.

3) The triceps receive heavy stimulation during all basic pressing movements for the chest and shoulders.

What do these 3 points tell us about effective arm training? The most important thing for you to realize is this:

For maximum gains in muscle size and strength, the biceps and triceps require only a very small amount of direct stimulation!

So why is it that every time I enter the gym I see the same misinformed people, week in and week out, slaving away on endless sets of bicep curls and tricep extensions?

It's very important to understand that the biceps and triceps receive a very large amount of stimulation from all of your chest and back training. In fact, a lot of the time when you reach muscular failure on a chest or back movement, it is actually your biceps or triceps that give out first! Couple this with the fact that your biceps and triceps are already small muscle groups to begin with and it becomes quite clear that direct arm training is of minor importance.

Remember, your muscles do not grow in the gym. The work that you accomplish as you train with weights is merely the "spark" that sets the wheels of the muscle growth process into motion. The real magic takes place out of the gym while you are resting and eating, as this is the time when your body will actually be synthesizing new muscle tissue. Because of this, it is vital that you do not overtrain your muscles. You must always make sure to provide them with sufficient recovery time if you want to see impressive results. Overtraining can actually make your muscles smaller and weaker.

If you're looking to achieve serious arm growth, you must stop placing so much emphasis on direct arm movements. Forget about performing endless sets of concentration curls and tricep pressdowns. Strong, muscular arms are mostly a product of heavy chest and back training. If you are able to accept this basic truth and place the majority of your focus on building up the muscle size and strength in your major muscle groups, you will prevent yourself from overtraining your arms and will therefore yield greater overall gains in bicep and tricep size.

This is not to say that no direct arm training is necessary, just not very much. Here is a sample arm routine that you can use as a part of your program:

Barbell Curls - 2 sets of 5-7 reps

Standing Dumbbell Curls - 1 set of 5-7 reps

Close-Grip Bench Press - 2 sets of 5-7 reps

Standing Cable Pushdowns - 1 set of 5-7 reps

Take all sets to complete muscular failure and focus on progressing each week by using slightly more weight or performing an extra rep or 2.

If you can incorporate this way of thinking into your arm training, you will achieve arm size beyond anything you previously thought possible!

Source: www.articlecircle.com

Sean Nalewanyj is a bodybuilding expert, fitness author and writer of the top-selling Internet Bodybuilding E-Book: The Truth About Building Muscle. You can learn more by visiting his website: www.musclegaintruth.com.

Weekly Training Article | Exercise Nutrition: How to Eat for Energy | 12/14/09-12/20/09

By Kathryn O'Neill

How many times has this happened to you?

- You psych yourself up mentally (you are GOING to do it!)

- You don the outfit (you can practically feel the energy flowing through your veins!)

- You lace up the running shoes (Nike: Just Do It -- that's you.)

- You grab your towel (because ANYONE SERIOUS needs a towel).

Then it's time. It's time to sweat. It's time to burn the evil fat from your body. You face the treadmill (or stair climber, or rowing machine, or exercise video with the perky aerobics instructor on it).

And you start. You warm up, and start moving faster and faster. The sweat starts to pour. The blood is pumping. Man, you are burning! That size two exercise instructor is going to look like a whale compared to you when you get through!

The adrenaline hits your blood and you feel GREAT! You could exercise forever! In fact, maybe you will exercise forever!

Your time winds down. OK, maybe you should slow down, no sense in going TOO crazy here. The cool down sure feels good. You turn off the treadmill, or the exercise video and head to the shower.

Then it hits you. -- EXERCISE REPERCUSSION. You feel like you want to die, or at least sleep for about 12 hours. You go through the day craving anything you can easily grab: anything edible or, depending on how good it looks, anything at all. Nutritional value? Who cares!

But nothing seems to satisfy you, and you could swear that you've just eaten all the calories you burned during exercise ... PLUS more!

What was the point in exercising at all if you go through your day tired and eating everything in sight? It was just a waste of your time and a stress on your body for nothing, right?

Well, not necessarily ... not if you can learn from it. Here's how to avoid the above experience when exercising:

1) Check Your Hydration Levels (I know, not really exciting, but it will do wonders!)

The average adult loses 10-12 cups of water a day (that's not including water we lose from exercise, caffeine, etc).

It's estimated that approx 75% of North Americans are chronically dehydrated. And even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

And here's the key: Lack of water is the No. 1 trigger of daytime fatigue! Unfortunately, this fatigue often gets mistaken for hunger and we eat more than we need in a desperate effort to get that water back into our bodies.

What can you do?

Before your workout: drink 1-2 glasses of water.

During your workout: Have about 1 cup of water for every 20 minutes of exercise.

After your workout: Have at least 3 cups of water in the hour after you exercise.

2) Check Your Pre-workout Nutrition:

Since you want energy over the long haul, your best bet is to try having some complex carbs before you exercise (like oatmeal, whole wheat toast, or whole wheat crackers).

Some people prefer to get their carbohydrates from fruit, but it depends on what works for you.

Try to combine this with a little bit of protein (like peanut butter on your whole wheat toast, or a couple slices of cheese with your apple). Try different combos and see what gives you the most energy.

3) During Your Workout:

If your workout is under an hour: Make sure you keep drinking water and continue to listen to your body.

If you want to go more than an hour you should try eating 25 to 30 grams of carbohydrates every half hour (i.e. From sports bars, fruits or whole grains).

If you are exercising for more than 3 hours you should consider sipping a sports drink to replace lost electrolytes. Both sports drinks and energy bars help to maintain your blood sugar levels and prevent muscle glycogen (energy) depletion.

4) After Exercise:

Keep drinking water! You also want to refuel with carbohydrates as soon as you can after exercise (toast, bagel, fruits, oatmeal, etc.)

Your body not only needs to refuel but it also needs to rebuild with some protein since intense exercise involves the breakdown of muscle tissue.

Some possible snacks are: Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat toast, cottage cheese mixed with fruit, or scrambled eggs with whole wheat toast.

The most important thing is to pay attention to your body and feel what works for you as you exercise. If you feel light-headed or dizzy, or in pain at any time during exercise ... stop! Respect your body and what it tells you.

Hopefully the next time you decide to face the treadmill (or the exercise video) you'll be able to feel great both during AND after you exercise. You'll be able to feel as if you've made your body better and stronger, by feeding it and exercising it, and keeping that energy up!

Source: www.articlecircle.com

Kathryn O'Neill is a contributing writer to Diet and Weight Loss Reviews (www.Freetobethin.com). For more free weight loss tips and diet reviews, visit www.freetobethin.com.

Weekly Training Article | Staying Healthy During the 'Off-Season' | 12/7/09-12/13/09

By Brian T. Dessart, CSCS

With the winter months upon us, it’s important to remember that as the weather cools so does body metabolism. For many people, the fall and winter seasons are times of decreased exercise, increased eating habits and the addition of unwanted body weight.

During the spring and summer months exercise activity for many people is either voluntarily or involuntarily increased. Besides the normal benefits of exercise, such as a decrease in overall body fat, lower blood pressure, decreased heart rate and a drop in cholesterol levels, there is also a bodily change that help keeps weight manageable. Exercise will help to raise the body’s resting metabolic rate (RMR). The RMR is also known as a person’s ability to burn calories while sedentary, such as watching television or sleeping. Vice versa, a decrease in activity will contribute to the return of a lower, pre-exercise routine RMR.

During the cooler months, it’s important to keep a strong lock on a decent exercise routine and a diet low in fats, especially saturated fats, which have absolutely no nutritional value. Learn to read labels and get the saturated fat content on each serving to zero or as close to zero as possible. Less than 30-percent of the daily diet should be in fats, with less than 10-percent in saturated fats. Keep in mind: every gram of fat is equal to nine calories. If exercise decreases and unhealthy eating increases, which it does tend to do during the fall and winter, any shed summer pounds are virtually a lock for regaining.

With a high degree of heart disease and stroke running rapid throughout society, it is essential we all make an effort to help keep our health in check. Risk factors such as high blood pressure (consistently >135/85), high cholesterol (>200), older age, cigarette smoking and a chronic sedentary lifestyle greatly increase our risks of suffering from heart disease or stroke. The more risk factors combined will lead to a greater chance of suffering from one of these severe medical conditions. High blood pressure may be a direct result of hereditary but there is also a possibility it can be controlled with an alteration in diet and exercise, and the same can be said for high cholesterol, which has seen decreases of 15-percent with adequate lifestyle changes. Good blood pressure is no longer seen as 120/80. While this may still be considered normal, a good level should be viewed as 110/70-118/78.

Be cautious. There's nothing wrong with a splurge every now and then, especially during the holidays, but overall healthy consistency is key.

Brian T. Dessart is the Founder & President of StrengthUSA.com.

Weekly Training Article | Top 7 Tips to Improve Your Back, Hip and Leg Flexibility | 12/1/09-12/6/09

By Raymond Lee

How much time should you spend stretching? This is up to you. To do all the repetitions of all exercises in the following would take at least 30 minutes. It is encouraged to try all the stretches and then decide what works best for you. You may choose to do only a few exercises that seem most helpful for your back condition. Or you may decide to do fewer repetitions of each exercise. Or you may do everything. You are the best person to decide what works for you. The exercises do not all have to be done at once. You can do a little here and there over the course of your day. Here are some of the tips that you can consider to adopt.

1. Trunk Rotation

Lie on your back with your arms out to your sides. Bend your knees and either place your feet flat on the floor or pull your knees up toward your chest. Roll your legs to one side and then the other. Experiment with leg positions to find the one that is most comfortable for you. Move from side to side 20 times. Hold the last stretch to each side for 20 seconds while you relax and breathe easily.

2. Knees To Chest

While lying on your back, pull one leg at a time up to your chest. Then raise your knees and pull both toward your chest at the same time. Do 20 repetitions of each motion, holding the last repetition for 20 seconds.

3. Hamstring Stretch

Lie flat on your back in the neutral position. Keeping your left leg straight, bend your right leg, at a 90-degree angle so that the lower right leg is parallel to the ground. Clasp your hands behind your right knee, and begin to straighten your right leg. Do a gradual stretch three to five times, holding it for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat the stretch with the opposite leg.

4. Hip Flexor Stretch

Kneel down on your right knee. Make sure that your upper body is straight and that your left leg is bent a 90-degree angle. Keeping your hips square and your upper body perpendicular to the ground, drive your hips forward. As you move forward, you should feel the stretch in your right hip. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat three to five times. Repeat with the other leg.

5. Quadriceps Stretch

While standing, reach back and grab your right foot or ankle with your right hand. Pull your foot up toward your buttock to stretch the muscles on the front of your thigh. Keep your knee pointing down and next to the other knee. Be sure to stand up straight and avoid twisting. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat three to five times. Repeat with the opposite leg.

6. Calf Stretch

Stand with one foot in front of the other or with your feet together. Keep your toes pointing forward and your heels on the floor. Lean forward to feel a stretch at the back of your ankle and calf. Hold it for 20 to 30 seconds. Relax and repeat three to five times.

7. Gluteal Stretch

Lie on your back with both legs flat on the floor. Grab your knee and ankle with your hands and pull it toward the opposite shoulder. Hold it for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat three to five times. Repeat with the other leg.

Source: www.articlecircle.com

Raymond Lee is one of the foremost experts in the health and fitness industry, and is the Founder of Bodyfixes Group, specializing in body health, muscle development and dieting. He is currently the author of the latest edition of "Neck Exercises and Workouts."

National Athlete of the Month | Sheila Isaacs | November 2009

On October 16, 2004, Isaacs, then 67, completed the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in 16 hours 54 minutes 55 seconds -- beating the 17-hour cutoff time -- making her the first known athlete to complete a triathlon in all 50 states. This was also her 100th triathlon. Isaacs finished the grueling 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile marathon after falling in the run's 17th mile, fracturing her pinkie, and bruising her left knee and shoulder. Isaacs, now 72, followed-up her Ironman performance with completions in the 2005 Honolulu ITU Age Group Triathlon World Championships, 2007 Hamburg BG Triathlon World Championships, 2008 Vancouver BG World Championships and 2008 ING New York City Marathon.

Weekly Training Article | Maximizing Your Chest Gains | 11/1/09-11/30/09

By Sean Nalewanyj

Everyone wants a huge chest, plain and simple. It is all too common to see inexperienced lifters slaving away on endless sets of bench presses and cable crossovers in search of full, thick pecs. The reality is that there is nothing complicated about building an impressive chest. The bottom line for huge chest gains is consistency, effort and steady progression in weight and repetitions.

The chest is made up of two main heads, the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor. To stimulate the chest using weights you will be using one of two motions: a press or a flye. If you want the greatest bang for your buck from your chest workouts, the true gains lie in your pressing movements. Flyes may have their place from time to time, but nothing can compare to the overall anabolic effect of high intensity pressing movements. I'm talking about the basic, bread-and-butter lifts such as heavy barbell presses, dumbbell presses and wide-grip dips.

Like I said before, building a thick and well-developed chest is fairly simple. There are no secrets, magic formulas or killer techniques that will "shock" your chest into massive growth. Stick to your basic presses, focus on overload and progression, and I promise that you will see impressive gains. Here are the most effective lifts for packing muscle onto the chest:

Flat/Incline/Decline Barbell Bench Press:

A standard barbell press is the meat and potatoes of any effective chest routine. This basic compound movement will allow you to handle the most weight through the given range of motion. The incline press will shift more of the stress to the upper region of the chest while the decline does the opposite, targeting the lower/outer region. The flat bench press works the upper and lower regions equally. I highly recommend a standard barbell press as a basic component of your chest routine.

Flat/Incline/Decline Dumbbell Press:

Dumbbell presses are another basic and highly effective movement for stimulating chest development. The main advantage that they have over the barbell is that they allow you to move through a more natural range of motion, helping to prevent shoulder injuries. They also prevent strength imbalances from occurring since one arm can't cheat for the other. The only drawback is that you are not able to handle as much weight. Overall, a standard dumbbell press is an awesome movement that allows for great chest stimulation.

Wide-Grip Dips:

An amazing movement for the chest that is often overlooked. Make sure to use a wider grip and lean forward to shift the stress from the triceps onto the pectorals. If pressing your own body weight is not sufficient then you can always add weight using a weight belt. Dips are an excellent compound movement for overall chest development.

Here are a couple sample chest routines:

1) Flat Barbell Bench Press: 2 x 5-7

Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 x 5-7

Wide-Grip Dips: 2 x 5-7

2) Incline Barbell Bench Press: 2 x 5-7

Wide-Grip Dips: 2 x 5-7

Flat Dumbbell Press: 2 x 5-7

All sets should stay within the 5-7 rep range and should be taken to complete muscular failure. Write down the details of each workout you perform and focus on progressing in either weight or reps from week to week. There is nothing more to it than that. Good luck!

Source: www.articlecircle.com

Sean Nalewanyj is a bodybuilding expert and writer of top-selling Internet Bodybuilding E-Book: The Truth About Building Muscle.

Exercise of the Month | Latissimus Pulldown | November 2009

The "Lat Pulldown" is a phenomenal compound exercise for the back. It is performed by grasping the bar, a little bit further than shoulder-width apart, with either a pronated or supinated grip. ... Studies have shown that a supinated grip could possibly provide a more beneficial muscle load. Maintain an erect torso, with a slight backward lean, and pull the bar to (and slightly touching) the upper chest. While maintaining the same torso position, slowly extend the arms back to the starting position.

Major muscles involved: Latissimus dorsi, Teres major, Middle trapezius, Rhomboids