Gym Basics - What Are Straps, Chalk and Weightlifting Belts For?

There are many different types of lifting aids used within the gym environment. You may have seen various muscle bound gym-goers using Figure 6's, Figure 8's and chalk to assist in lifting heavy weights? Have you ever wondered what each one is designed for? What do they do and which ones would suit you and your type of training?

Straps: 
The 2 most common straps used in the gym are the figure 6's and figure 8's.

When training muscles such as back or traps the forearm muscles play a vital role in being able to grip or hang onto a barbell or dumbbell. But in some cases halfway through a session the forearms become so pumped resulting in the fingers not being able hold onto a barbell or dumbbell.

When training with straps the load is reduced considerably because instead of the forearms taking all the weight it is distributed through the strap and wrist resulting in your forearms not getting fatigued as quickly.

Exercises where Figure 6's and figure 8's are needed are exercises such as farmers walk, chin ups, dead-lifts, rows and shrugs.

There are two distinct differences with the 6's and 8's.

Figure 6's are designed so that you not only use more of your forearm muscles, but if the weight is too heavy and you must drop it, the weight will slide out from the strap. On the other hand when using figure 8's you stimulate even less forearm strength and rely on the figure 8 strap to hold the weight. Not only this but if you drop the weight, the strap will remain leaving your arm connected to whatever it was you were lifting. This can become dangerous if performing some exercises.

I recommend using figure 6's for all lift but if you like using figure 8's do not use them with dead-lifts and rows, in case you drop the weight.

Chalk: 
Chalk is used mostly by powerlifters and weightlifters. A lot of gyms don't allow the use of chalk because it can cause quite a mess on the floor as well as get all over the weight plates and barbells.

Chalk is mainly used on rope climbing, deadlifts, power cleans, snatch and squats. Its main role is for the trainer to be able to grip as easily as possible while still using natural grip strength.

The benefit with using chalk is that the trainer can lift heavy weights (mostly on deadlifts) and continue to use the muscles in the fingers and forearms without having to rely on straps (which tend to take a lot of the load off the grip.)

Knee wraps: 
Knee wraps are designed to push your patella down firmly making it easier to glide up and down. Power-lifters believe by doing this they will be able to lift more weight when squatting. Knee wraps also help you at the bottom of the squat by causing a 'bounce' out of the bottom position, which to some is the hardest position.

I recommend to be careful with using knee wraps because if you use them too much they can cause slight tears beneath the kneecap on the patella tendon.

In conclusion, most trainers do not need to use lifting aides. These will help you lift a little bit more weight but this is not necessarily a good thing. Superior technique and good nutrition is the best way to not only achieve your strength and fitness goals, but also live a healthy lifestyle.

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Sleep and Loss of Muscle Mass in Weight Loss

Having the ability to build muscle mass is an asset in this world of worship and beauty that is that of our society. Whether you want to have the appearance of Brad Pitt or Megan Fox, good muscle mass is essential for an impeccable appearance. Many people, not to target women, do not understand, or just do not want to understand, that more importantly in proportion is your lean mass ("muscle"), the lower your percentage of fat.

Low% fat = beautiful body composition = "Nice shape"

So muscle hypertrophy (increase) = decrease in fat% = "Nice shape"

And yes, even for women! And you will not look like HULK, do not worry.

It goes without saying that to maintain our muscle mass is excessively important. This is what raised a very interesting question in me:

Does sleep have an impact on muscle mass?

In recent years, we have seen a decrease in sleep time and an increase in obesity in North America. A link has indeed been drawn between these two variables. However, we can say that lack of sleep creates, as it were, a loss of muscle mass. Of course not. This is only a correlation link.

However, a very recent study has shown that a lack of sleep has a considerable impact on the loss of muscle mass and on the reduction of fat oxidation. This study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (October 2010) compared two groups to assess the impact of a decrease in sleep time (8.5 hours vs. 5.5 hours) on body composition.

"We examine the effect of sleep restriction, designed to approximate the short sleep times of a society, and may compromise the effect of reduced-calorie diets on excess adiposity [... ]. The combination of energy and sleep restriction in overweight adults resulted in a modified state of negative energy balance by a decreased loss of fat and considerably increased loss of fat-free body mass. Our experimental data show that sleep plays an important role in the preservation of human fat-free body mass during periods of reduced caloric intake."

The scientific community has clearly demonstrated the correlation between sleep deprivation and weight loss. A lack of sleep makes weight loss very difficult to achieve, since it has a direct impact on two hormones related to the regulation of appetite. In the occurrence leptin and ghrelin. (If you would like to have more information on the subject, please let me know in the comment section that follows the article).

What makes the study so interesting is that it demonstrates a direct link between lack of sleep and loss of lean mass in a caloric restriction situation.

Thus, it would seem that during a period of caloric restriction, a lack of sleep would cause a metabolic, neuro-endocrine and behavioral reaction that would make your attempts at weight loss excessively difficult.

In clearer terms:

A lack of sleep makes weight loss difficult.

But a lack of sleep during periods of caloric restriction makes a loss EXCESSIVELY difficult.

So keep in mind that it's not all about numbers. It is not so simple to lose weight that you spend more calories than you ingest. Several variables have a very important impact on the possibility of oxidizing as much fat as possible. That's fine weight loss, but what we're aiming for is no more a loss of fat in order to get a body composition worthy of your dreams. For this you need your MUSCLE MASS.

That's why your healthcare professionals such as your kinesiologist, nutritionist or doctor are constantly talking about having a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some factors that will have similar effects to lack of sleep:

1. Stress

2. Poor nutrition (quality)

3. Lack of recovery from your workouts

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4 Common Myths About Your Abs

Virtually everyone who starts going to the gym wants a perfect set of defined abs; however, what they don't realize is that getting a nice six pack is harder than it seems. Many people associate having great abs with fitness obsessed individuals who spend more time in the gym than they do on anything else. That's simply not true because everyone has a set of abs underneath all that fat covering them. To help you along your journey, I have complied 4 common myths that you can do away with in order to be better focused on building stronger and better abs.

Myth 1: Avoid Crunches

Recently, a lot of people started avoiding crunches due to fitness experts and rehab professionals speaking out against the exercise. The theory is that crunches require you to flex and bend your spine which could negatively impact your spinal discs by pushing them too far out and causing herniated discs. However, the truth is that this issue is still highly debated. Others researchers state that your body position does not have any responsibility in putting pressure on your spinal discs, but the fact of how tightly you compress your muscles that impacts it. In addition, others note that a person's spinal discs can actually realign themselves during crunches instead of pushing them too far out. In the end, if you do have any spinal injuries, you should not be doing crunches. Otherwise, doing a couple of proper sets can only benefit you in the end.

Myth 2: Your Abs Serve No Purpose Outside Of Looking Good

This one I hear a lot from my various clients. However, saying that their only purpose is for looking good is ignorant. Firstly, your abs are great stabilizers. When you contract your abs it helps you stiffen you mid section and stabilize the entire body, especially when doing exercises such as deadlifts and squats. If you don't have a strong core, you will never be able to deadlift or squat a lot of weight. Secondly, the abs allows us to slow down rotations around your body and for hyperextension of the back.

Myth 3: You Have To Do Only "Abs Exercises" To Build Your Abs

Popular to contrary belief, you don't necessarily have to do abs specific exercises in order to build your abs. Exercises such as deadlifts and squats still work your abs due to them being engaged in order to stabilize the muscles during the lift. In addition to these exercises, even something as simple as a push up can force your abs to work indirectly. Think of the push ups as a plank position except made more difficult by the motion of pushing up and down and you'll get the idea. Therefore, you do not have to directly do abs exercises for your abdominal muscles to still get a solid workout.

Myth 4: You Don't Need To Do Any "Abs Exercises" To Build Your Abs

As I stated above, you don't necessarily just have to focus on doing abs exercises in order to get a nice set of six pack abs, but you still have to do abs specific exercises in order to strengthen your midsection completely. While doing deadlifts and squats will help in improving core strength and stability indirectly, doing exercises such as the Swiss - Ball Pike Rollouts can effectively and directly hit your upper abs, lower abs, and oblique's all at once.

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Why You Need Creatine and Why You Need It Now

Some people look at creatine as some sort of steroid. They see it as an unnatural substance and if one uses it they look at them as cheaters. When in fact the people who are using creatine are not cheaters but smart people who want to look and be at their best. Also, Creatine as a substance is actually more natural to the human body than processed grains or sugars. Supplementation with creatine will not only increase lean muscle mass but will also increase testosterone levels as well. So take a step back and watch and learn why you need creatine and why you need it now!

What is Creatine:

Creatine is a natural substance that is present in almost all vertebrates. Creatine is a very important key component in skeletal muscle metabolism. Not to mention creatine has many scientific studies behind it meaning that it is proven to work and it is one of the most researched and respected bodybuilding supplement right after protein powder.

How Creatine Works and Why You Need It:

Creatine works immediately right after digestion. Right away it binds to a phosphate molecule to form creatine phosphate and this acts as storage reservoir for regenerating ATP. ATP is the chemical source of energy for all muscles in terms of muscle contraction and quick short bursts of energy. Creatine phosphate is an important source of ATP energy in muscle tissues and countless studies have shown that creatine works too.

If you're a bodybuilder, sprinter or any kind of athlete you will need creatine because it increases the power output of short bursts. Also, like I said in the above paragraph creatine will increase lean muscle mass and increase protein synthesis.

Creatine and Testosterone:

You will also need creatine because it is proven to increase testosterone levels. It does this by converting into dihydro-testosterone. Now, dihydro-testosterone is the strongest known androgen known to man and as a bonus it won't even convert into estrogen.

Don't believe me well check this out a recent study done in 2010 on rugby players showed that creatine increased dihydro-testosterone by a whopping 56%. Thats not to bad, and remember this, the more testosterone flowing through your veins the merrier!

Get Your Creatine Online:

- Creatine comes in two forms, it can either come as capsules that you consume once a day or you can have it as a powder that you mix with water.

- This link is the creatine capsules that we recommend

- This link in the creatine powder that we recommend 

Get your creatine online because buying creatine online is cheaper than buying from your local health store. Not to mention you will have a larger variety of different types of it online than in your local health store.

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Intermittent Fasting And Bodybuilding: How to Make It Work for You

Is it just a flash in the pan or is it here to stay? Intermittent fasting seems to have come out of nowhere in the past few months. It has been popularised by the likes of Brad Pilon, Dr. John Berardi, the Hodge Twins and Martin Berkhan but in actual fact, intermittent fasting has been around a lot longer than that. Intermittent fasting which is actually a pretty fancy (sometimes off putting) phrase for what is essentially two windows - a window when to eat and a window when not to eat.

Intermittent fasting and bodybuilding can work for you if your goal is to build muscle and to get lean and here are 3 reasons why.

1. Recent studies have shown that it is in actual fact total macros and the total amount of daily calories that account for muscle growth and not the amount of meals and the timing of them. Essentially what this is saying is that as long as you get the required amount of calories in the 24 hour period it doesn't matter when you get them. So as long as you get you required amount of calories (a surplus of your TDEE is needed in combination with a progressive training routine) in your eating window you will gain muscle.

2. One facet of intermittent fasting bodybuilding that people complain about is the amount of food and calories that need to be consumed within the eaten window. Although you most likely will need to adjust if you are currently eating 6-8 small meals a day, over a period of a couple of weeks you stomach will adjust to eating larger meals. I found it very difficult to eat large meals in the beginning but with in a week or so I adjusted and now I have no problems putting away large amounts of food in one sitting. Take your time with the adjustment period and don't expect to be able to switch over night.

3. Remember, like everything else intermittent fasting isn't an exact science and if you need to extend our eating window from say an eight hour eating window to a nine hour window to accommodate your total calories and meal requirements, that's fine go ahead and do so. Like any program it's important to find what works for you. Intermittent fasting, bodybuilding and building muscle can work together and the beauty of it is if you find that sweet spot that works for you you'll get the benefits of intermittent fasting while maintaining or building your physique to a bodybuilding level.

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Side Effects of Steroids - Be in The Know!

There are so many side effects of steroid use, but some people do not understand just how serious the side effects of steroids are.

Here are some things that you have to know about the negative effects of steroid use:

The body wants to successfully maintain a hormonal balance, but when you take steroids, you are automatically sending a signal to the body to shutdown its natural production of hormones. Though, the level of hormone inhibition actually varies depending on the type of hormone taken.

Orally ingested steroids may affect the activity of the liver. Research has shown that the level of liver enzymes increases after taking oral steroids. Some professionals say that this is a symptom of possible damage to the liver.

One of the common side effects of steroids is increased levels of "bad cholesterol" in the body and decreased levels of "good cholesterol". Many so-called "safe steroids" actually increase the level of estrogen in the body which can cause female-like breast tissue in male steroid users. Female steroid users may develop masculine deep voices, enlarged clitoris and growth of body hair.

Athletes who make use of steroids may end up experiencing increased nasty oozy-puss-filled acne! Another common effects of using steroids is increased aggressiveness. Though this particular effect is more likely to affect steroid users who are known to be quite aggressive; there are even some steroids that are known to stop the growth of people who use them before they have even finished growing! The person will never grow an inch taller! This condition is irreversible!

Sterility in male and females is also a side effect of steroid use. This is because the body's hormones are altered during the use of these steroids. Although, there are Alternatives to Avoid Side Effects of Steroid use, as mentioned above, some effects are simply irreversible no matter how hard one tries.

Other effects of steroid use include high blood pressure, changes in the body's immune system, enlarged prostates, kidney problems and so on.

Alternatives to Avoid Side Effects of Steroid

1. Do not use steroids...at all!

2. Getting involved in extra curricular activities one way to avoid the effects of steroid use, this is because exercise cleanses the body of harmful toxins and keeps the body in really great shape.

3. Search for safe alternatives that will help you to enhance your performance and appearance. There are many supplements on the market that contain safe and natural ingredients to help you achieve your goal of having lean muscle.

4. Develop will power to steer clear of steroids no matter how tempted you are to use it. Remember, there is no such thing as a "good steroid". Many steroid manufacturers tell outright lies to get people to purchase their products - do not be fooled!

It is important to always keep in mind that the negative effect of steroids is no child's play. People who use steroids have experienced horrible effects, so it is better to be safe than sorry.

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Cranking The Intensity Up On Your Muscle Building Shoulder Workout

If you want to experience explosive muscle growth from your muscle building shoulder workout program, there's one thing that you must always be going for - intensity.

By far, one of the biggest reasons that many guys are not seeing the results that they're going for with their workout program is simply because they are not performing their workouts with enough intensity that will generate more lean muscle mass building.

Those who are just going about their workouts, doing the actions but never really putting forth that high level of drive that's necessary to take the body to a new level are going to be highly disappointed in their results. Often, what you think is an in 'intense' workout isn't even close to what you could potentially do and it's only when you really get yourself on a program that was designed with intensity in mind that you really see what this factor of your workout program is all about.

Let's take a quick look right now at a few of the methods that you can use to crank up the intensity of your shoulder workouts. If you are sure to implement one of these into your program plan, you can be certain that you're going to be on the road to size gains.

Decrease Your Rest Periods

The first method that you can use to boost up the overall level of intensity is to decrease the amount of rest you're taking. While you can make no mistake about the fact that if you want to lift heavy you need to be using more rest than if you were lifting lighter, this does not mean your rest periods need to be 3-4 minutes long.

That's a high amount of overkill and is just going to kill your results dead. Instead, keep your rest periods to about a minute. Force your muscles to recover faster and hit them again with that heavy weight. This is a very quick way to directly boost the intensity and help your body deal with fatigue.

Consider Drop Sets

Second, another great way to boost the intensity on your muscle building shoulder workout is to consider adding some drop sets to the mix. Drop sets will be where you perform one set at the weight that you would normally lift and then immediately after that set is completed, you'd drop the weight down by five or ten pounds and then crank out a second set.

Doing it in this manner is a great way to challenge the muscles and help get past any strength plateau you're experiencing.

Just do note that you should never perform every exercise in your workout with drop sets as that's far too much for the CNS to handle.

Pair Shoulder Movements With Leg Movements

Third, you may also want to consider pairing together your shoulder exercises with some lower body movements as well. This upper/lower superset fashion will keep the heart rate higher and keep you moving along without having to actually stop and take complete rest.

Your shoulder muscles will still get a chance to recover though as you do the lower body exercise, so you won't see a hindrance in how much you can lift.

Instead, you'll get a nice spike to your testosterone levels due to the ongoing nature of this protocol.

Start With Isolation and Move To Compound

Finally, the last thing to consider doing if you want to push the intensity of your muscle building shoulder workouts to a new level is to start with an isolation exercise and then move to a compound one. This is precisely opposite of what most people will do and will quickly bring about strength and size gains.

Again, don't do this every single workout, but on workouts where you need a change of pace, it's definitely something to consider.

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