:BodyFitnessInfo.com BLOG

I think that this tip goes along with everything in life.  You have to keep educating yourself.  If you ever get to the point where you think you know everything about something, you’re going to fall behind really really fast.  Especially in today’s world with information flying around the globe as quickly as it does.

So what are some good ways that you can keep up to date and keep learning the best ways to exercise and stay fit?  Well, let’s say for example that you’re a woman and looking to keep up on women’s arm exercises.  You could check out some blogs and subscribe to them, read books on the topic as they come out, or join a natural bodybuilding forum to learn the new tricks and techniques.  Another great medium that has come out with the advent of YouTube are exercise videos.

I guess my point here is not to give you an all inclusive list of places to go to find information, but make sure you’re doing your best to stay up on what’s going on in the fitness world.  But also make sure you have a grounded foundation in the basics.  Yes, new fan dangled contraptions and workouts come out all the time, but a lot of times they’re no better than the tried and true.  That’s another reason to stay educated: it keeps you from being duped!

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With the internet today, there are plenty of places where you can learn how to lose weight.  It seems like everywhere you go you’re getting the latest tip or trick that is bound to help you lose weight quickly and permanently.

For those of us that try to keep a realistic look on things, please understand that losing the weight that you’ve put on over the years is going to take time to come off.  I often get annoyed at our “I want it done yesterday” society, and weight loss is one of those areas.

If you want a good list of weight loss tips, here is a list to check out: 101 Weight Loss Tips.  If you went through this list and really applied most, if not all, of these ideas, you’d be well on your way to losing weight.  You have to realize that in order to lose weight and lose it permanently you have to make some lifestyle changes.

Does weight loss come in a pill?  Well, there are supplements that can help, but you still have to be willing to do the work.  The other benefit of doing the work is that you’ll learn how to change on the inside as well so that you don’t put the weight right back on again.  But if you use supplements to help you on your way, that’s fine with me!  There are plenty that have been proven to help.  One you might check out is Lipo-6.  Use this link for some Lipo-6 reviews.

In summary, there are a lot of things to do and learn to effectively and permanently lose weight.  If you’re willing to do the work and make some chances, your chances of success are so much higher!

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I’ve always heard and read that it’s never a good idea to be drinking a lot of caffeine when you’re taking caffeine. I’m assuming most of you have read something along these lines as well. So my initial thought was that creatine has been reported to help your muscles retain water, but if you notice when you drink a lot of caffeine you have to urinate more. So at first I thought that was the reason not to mix the two.

Well, rather than relying on my own thinking, I decided to look up some information on the topic. I came across a really interesting article from CreatineMonohydrate.net, and I’ll quote from it below:

Certain wrong explanations, however, can be discounted from the start. First, the fact that caffeine is a diuretic has nothing to do with its counterproductive effect…These opposing effects of caffeine and creatine have inspired rumors that caffeine counteracts the benefits of creatine by preventing muscles from retaining fluids.

So right away I learned that my assumption was wrong. So what is the big problem anyway? Well, this article goes on to explain more:

It is thus relevant that one of PCr’s primary roles in muscle is to provide the energy to return calcium into these reservoirs. In this manner creatine (PCr) assists in muscle relaxation and enhances our athletic performance. Interestingly, caffeine has the opposite effect of allowing calcium to escape from these intracellular calcium storage sites. Caffeine would thus hamper muscle relaxation. In agreement with these findings a recent study has shown that caffeine interferes with creatine’s ability to facilitate muscle relaxation, especially during moments of fatigue. Caffeine might thusly confound the ability of PCr to store away calcium and in doing so nullify part of creatine’s benefit.

So it isn’t really about the water, it’s more about calcium!

Another interesting thing I learned from this article is that most of the problems come from continuous caffeine use. If you’re just grabbing a Coke from time to time you shouldn’t see any problems. (I’d still say to limit the Coke though! ) But if you’re doing it daily, you can expect to see less benefit from your creatine use.

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If you’re going to gain muscle, and even if you’re going to lose weight….in fact, just to be healthy you need to make sure that you’re getting enough protein in your diet.  Then the question always comes up of “What type of protein is best for me?”  Great question!  Rather than going through all the details in this post, here is a protein supplement guide that you might want to check out if you have this question.

As a side note, you might have these questions on other supplements as well.  Here’s another article you might want to check out about the top 7 bodybuilding supplements.  This site gives some pretty good info on many different supplements.

Another question that comes up a lot about protein is, “What is the best way to get protein?  Should I get it through supplements or can I just eat enough regular food?”  Well, this is a difficult question to answer, because there are so many things you need to consider for yourself.  While there are a lot of high protein foods out there, it is very difficult for most of us to get in enough meals to make that a plausible idea.  That’s where supplements come in.   Just keep in mind that supplements are meant to be supplements!  They aren’t there to replace eating regular foods entirely, but to help you reach your goals by giving you what you might not be able to get from regular foods.

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Sometimes you just don’t have time to go to the gym. So rather than making excuses, its good to have an alternative plan for getting a workout in at home. Whether you have a small collection of equipment at home or you just do bodyweight exercises, you can still get something done at home. Granted, the gym is always better, that’s why we call this plan B!

About 2 weeks ago I picked up a pair of the Perfect Pushup over at Target. I’ve seen the ads and am always very cautious with this sort of thing, but this one seemed simple enough to possibly be effective. If you haven’t seen these things, they’re basically like pushup bars but allow you to rotate your arms while doing the motion.

So far I’m impressed. I’ve been using them in the morning about 3 times a week for the last 2 weeks and they do a good job! You really get more out of your pushups this way. This is a product that I’d recommend you consider including in your arsenal for things that you can do at home!

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I think a lot of people would agree with me that when it comes to supplements, there is a lot of confusion about what to use, what actually works, etc.  So in this world of too much information (or in some cases not enough), I’d highly recommend that you always look for supplement reviews before you buy anything.

The good news is that supplement reviews are all over the place.  So the other trick comes in finding quality reviews.  I personally think that it’s a good idea to read the review, but then also look around for other reviews that backup what you’ve read on another site.  Also look for consumer reviews, individual shoppers and see what guys like you and me have to say.

For example, if you were looking for muscle milk reviews or cellmass reviews, check a few different sites to see if you can find a general consensus for what they do and how they can help you.  Then see if other consumers overall feel that its worth your time.  Doing this type of research will help you to form a more educated decision about the supplements you’re looking to use.

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Here are some recommendations from John Berardi about how to get enough fat in your diet:

Fat Recommendations - How To Meet Them
by Dr. John Berardi

So how much fat do we need and what kinds? While there’s a lot of debate nowadays, most of the real fat experts agree that a good balance of the three is the way to go if you want to give the old ticker a fighting chance. In other words, your goal is to consume 1/3 of your fat from saturated fatty acids, 1/3 from monounsaturated fatty acids, and 1/3 from polyunsaturated fatty acids. But it’s important to learn what kinds of foods contain the different types of fatty acids. So use this handy chart below to learn which fatty acids are found in a number of common foods. By learning which foods contain which fatty acids, a balanced fat approach should be a snap.

Food % Saturated Fat % Monounsaturated Fat % Polyunsaturated Fat

Almonds 10% 68% 22%
Beef 55% 40% 4%
Brazil Nuts 26% 36% 38%
Canola Oil 5% 57% 38%
Cashews 20% 62% 18%
Cheese 67% 26% 7%
Chicken 31% 49% 20%
Coconut Oil 86% 9% 5%
Duck 35% 52% 13%
Eggs 39% 43% 18%
Flax Seed Oil 8% 18% 74%
Hazelnuts 8% 82% 10%
Herring 22% 55% 18%
Macadamia Nuts 16% 82% 2%
Milk 67% 26% 7%
Olive Oil 13% 75% 12%
Palm Oil 50% 41% 9%
Peanuts 15% 51% 34%
Pecans 8% 66% 26%
Pine Nuts 15% 40% 45%
Pistachios 13% 72% 15%
Pork / Lard 40% 48% 12%
Salmon 20% 30% 40%
Sesame Oil 15% 42% 43%
Walnuts 10% 24% 66%

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I think we all know that if you really want to make improvements in your physique, you’re going to have to do some weight training.  In fact, just the other day I was with my wife at her sister’s house and she shared something interesting but not surprising.

She has been training for a half marathon with some of the other ladies in the area, and if I remember right she will be running it in the next few weeks.  But the thing that she was surprised about was that with all this running she hasn’t lost a lot of weight, at least not as much as she would have expected.  Then she was the first to admit that she would lose more if she’d do more weight training with her running.

So true!

It’s important to understand that you’re more likely to lose weight with weights than without them.  Plan on developing a full training program rather than just one aspect of it.

It’s also important to use proper nutrition.  A great way to get the nutrition that you need is to use workout shakes, especially  when working out.  If you’d like some opinions on the best post workout shake, check out Real Weight Training Blog.  He has some really good tips on this subject.

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I just came across this ad for MRI’s 8-FX and it’s pretty darn funny. They’re making fun of some of the gym stereotypes, but the sad thing is that I know I’ve seen each one of these at my local gym. Here’s the video:

Can you relate? I got a pretty good laugh out of this!

As for 8-FX, looks to be a pretty good product. I really like it when companies try to take a more complete approach to a supplement, but especially when they do it in a way that makes sense. Granted, I’m not a scientist that would be able to break the ingredients down that way, but this one might be worth a shot!

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I’ve always thought that having large forearms really helped make for an impressive physique. I mean, when the forearms are a good size you have to admit that it’s a good thing!

But how many of you have noticed that the forearms are one of the harder muscles to fully develop? It seems like the number of exercises to isolate them are few, and then there’s the motivation to exercise such a small muscle group.

Well, Tom Venuto wrote a blog post on this topic that is worth your consideration if you are the type that would like to know more about developing big and strong forearms. Here’s a link to the article: The Forearm Secret of Old Time Strongmen.

He hits on this article about the fact that it does take longer to develop forearms, mainly because they seem to be less responsive to stimulation than other muscle groups. Then he gives some really good alternatives you can do in your workout to help build better forearms. Check it out!

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