http://www.optimumnutrition.com Optimum Nutrition - The Bigger Picture en-us http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=728 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=728 Conjugated Linoleic Acid (<a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/cla-softgels-p-209.html">CLA</a>) has been called the fat that fights fat. It's found in meat and dairy foods, but not at levels high enough to promote changes in body composition. A number of studies have shown CLA can help decrease body fat and reduce inflammation. Now research published in the <em>Journal of Nutrition</em> suggests that it can help stimulate increases in muscle mass. The meta-analysis conducted by University of Wisconsin researchers determined that CLA played a small role in increasing fat-free mass, but only in certain subjects. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: The fact that CLA helped build muscle in some people but not others is not surprising. After all, you might be able to gain muscle size and strength faster than the person working out right next to you, or vice versa. Everyone's unique in the gym and at the training table. Find out what helps you achieve your goals, then refine your diet and exercise program to reach the next milestone. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=727 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=727 Treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical trainers. The fancy ones have computers that let you chose between so-called fat burning and aerobic conditioning zones. Basically, the fat-burning zone is light to moderate intensity cardio, while the aerobic conditioning zone entails a more challenging pace. The intensity of the aerobic training zone increases your heart rate and frequency of breathing. A study published in the <em>Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research</em> suggests that fat burning is optimized at 54% of maximal oxygen consumption. That benchmark allowed scientists to conclude that training at 60% to 80% of your maximum heart rate is the best compromise for simultaneously burning fat and getting fit. Anyone's theoretical maximum heart rate can be determined by subtracting your age in years from the number 220. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Because your strength, capacity for exercise and motivation change day to day and week to week, there's really no such thing as a perfect workout. You might beat your best lift one day and not be able to budge the bar the next. Giving this intensity a tryout for a couple of weeks is a great idea because it probably represents a change in your training philosophy. New and different is the key to keeping yourself motivated and achieving greater goals. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=719 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=719 Any strength training program involves employing basic exercises with a heavy enough resistance to limit the amount of repetitions performed. The basic exercises are the most effective because they rely on a number of major muscle groups pulling or pushing together to execute the movement. When these major muscle groups work in conjunction with each other, more power can be generated and greater strength developed. We're going to try and limit the number of repetitions per set to between 8 and 3 for most exercises. By the time you get to that last rep on the last set, you should be straining to complete it. This heavy resistance helps develop tendons and ligaments which, worked consistently over the weeks and months, can translate into increased strength and power on the field of play. Last month, we tackled the beginner's program. By now, you may be ready to challenge yourself with the intermediate level strength training program. It'll move your workout up a notch or two, and incorporates more volume (reps x sets = volume) for each major muscle group. Because of this extra work, you won't be able to train your whole body in a single session at the gym. There are a couple of ways you can split your training so that all your muscles get enough time to recover from each challenging workout. Some athletes choose to do pulling exercises one day, and pushing movements the next. In between you might undertake some cardio work or skills drills. We're going to take a different path and divide the workouts between upper body exercises and movements for strengthening lower body muscles. Since chest, shoulder and arm muscles all work together, it makes sense to train them all in one workout. This helps reduce the chance of overtraining because you'll be directly and indirectly working all three groups in each exercise. The extra forearm work with help you develop grip strength, which is as important during athletic contests as it is for performing barbell and dumbbell exercises. <div align="left"> <img src="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/enewsletter/onnewsoct2009/article/trainingchart.gif" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; float: none; display: block;" /></div>The exception to this upper/lower body rule will be on leg day (Workout 2, in this example). Since leg day exercises typically involve lower back muscles, training both of these muscle groups in the same workout is an effective strategy for strength and power development. Workout 2 begins with the core muscles and abdominal training, followed by the legs, the back and the lower back. The strategy for each exercise is to begin with a moderately heavy weight at a higher number of reps to warm up your muscles and tendons for the heavier load to come. For the following sets, use increasingly heavier resistance for fewer and fewer reps. This technique is designed to lead to failure. Not failure in the sense that the training won't work. You'll feel it working alright. 'Failure' in this case describes your inability to lift another pound after the exercise is completed. The best way to utilize this workout program is to train a total of 3 days each week. Do the workouts on non-consecutive days such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Or you can schedule Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday dates with the plates. The day-off staging helps assure that your aching muscles get plenty of time to rebuild. When training for strength and power, it's very important that you fully recuperate. To kick start the recovery process, mix up a shake of quickly digesting <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/100-whey-gold-standard-p-201.html">whey protein</a> and consume it within 30 minutes of competing your workout. A couple of hours later, you'll want to sit down to a whole foods meal that also provides protein in the form of lean meat, cottage cheese or whatever your favorite source might be. Then, just before going to bed, treat yourself to a thick, creamy slowly digesting casein protein shake. Since the majority of muscle recovery takes place while you're asleep, the steady flow of amino acids can go a long way toward completing the work you started in the gym. Check out our <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=720">protein timing</a> article for more suggestions. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=720 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=720 It could be argued that the two most important times to consume protein are at breakfast and within 30 minutes of completing your training. But adhering to these very basic guidelines probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense for athletes who train at 5AM. Confusion abounds when it comes to protein, and you have more than a few opinions for protein timing and selection. When it gets right down to it, there is no single answer. So we're going to break down a few logical options for some of the most popular fitness-oriented goals. Our subjects will be a bodybuilder, a broad categorization we're applying to anyone interested in building muscle mass without accumulating fat. Next comes the cover model, which we'll define as anyone who works hard at looking great in a swim suit and staying in top physical condition. Then there's our weekend warrior, who's pretty much any busy adult who plays and trains hard whenever they get the chance. Most active adults will find themselves relating to one or several of these groups. <div align="left"> <img src="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/enewsletter/onnewsoct2009/article/bodybuilderhead.gif" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; float: none; display: block;" /></div>You don't have to flex for a panel of judges to be considered a bodybuilder. Maybe you'd just enjoy building up your arms and chest. That's how it begins with lots of gym rats. The trick it to not eat yourself out of a great physique. Successful bodybuilding entails diet as much as physical labor. Generally speaking, you want to consume about a gram of protein per pound of body weight every day. Now if you weigh in at 180 pounds, that amounts to 180 grams of protein. Not all in one sitting, of course. To keep their metabolism running and amino acids from protein flowing to developing muscles, many bodybuilders consume 5 to 7 small meals spread approximately 2 to 3 hours apart. This practice helps you avoid the food coma that can set in after stuffing yourself at lunch or dinner. If you work out first thing in the morning, you might want to mix up a really fast-acting whey protein shake right after getting out of bed. It'll put those muscle building aminos right to work breaking the fast you endured while sawing logs for 7 or 8 hours. Hitting the gym on an empty stomach is the polar opposite of racing 400 meters after Thanksgiving dinner and equally unproductive. After weight training, sit down to some scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast. That'll get you through to your mid-day snack. Here's how the day stacks up. <div align="left"> <img src="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/enewsletter/onnewsoct2009/article/morningworkout.gif" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; float: none; display: block;" /></div>The micellar casein shake digests slowly, feeding rebuilding muscles with a steady stream of amino acids while you sleep. Of course, rise and shine workouts aren't for everyone. So we've put together bodybuilder protein timing suggestions for afternoon and evening training sessions. <div align="left"> <img src="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/enewsletter/onnewsoct2009/article/afternoonevening.gif" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; float: none; display: block;" /></div>You'll notice the substitution of NitroCore 24 for Gold Standard 100% Whey pre-workout. Since NitroCore 24 is a blend of 10 proteins offering fast, intermediate and slow digestive rates, it's the ideal choice for people who only want to buy one protein. More advanced athletes can oftentimes benefit from using more than one type, but it's nice to know your options. <div align="left"> <img src="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/enewsletter/onnewsoct2009/article/covermodelhead.gif" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; float: none; display: block;" /></div>Maybe you don't daydream endlessly about a modeling or an acting career. If you wouldn't mind looking like a model, then you're probably watching what you eat in much the same way as the bodybuilder we just covered. There's a lot to be gained and lost by fueling your goals with small meals every few hours. What you'll lose is belly fat. Especially when you hit the gym with determined regularly. Now when you work out at your fitness center or health club, do you ever venture into the weight room? It can be an intimidating corner of the gym, what with all the mechanical contraptions and racks of plates. Kind of like a medieval dungeon. The thing is, lifting weights benefits weight loss and maintenance efforts in a way that cardio can't. Although endless hours on a treadmill will burn fat, it can also deplete muscle tissue. Resistance training builds and tones lean mass which can increase the fat burning capacity of your metabolism. So pushing some iron can help keep you from looking like a skin-flint with bird legs and stick arms. That's definitely not the profile you're going for. Let's plan out your protein use on a typical cardio day, and then on a day when you're clanking plates with the big boys. You'll want to do cardio in between the days that you work the weights, to give your muscles time to recover and rebuild. For simplicity's sake, we'll assume that you work out mid-morning. Use the bodybuilder protein timing suggestions as a guide for rearranging these tables to fit your preferred daily training period. <div align="left"> <img src="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/enewsletter/onnewsoct2009/article/covermodelchart.gif" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; float: none; display: block;" /></div>After your cardio workout, a combination of fast carbs helps replenish spent muscle glycogen, which is the carbohydrate fuel you burn up during physical effort. The staged proteins in 2:1:1 Recovery give you a longer recovery window than a fast-acting protein provides. On the other hand, fast-acting protein after resistance training is a key element for kick-starting the recovery process, and the shakes before bed provide lasting support at a time when your body is busy rebuilding which, inconveniently enough, is also the longest stretch that your body goes without nutritional intake. <div align="left"> <img src="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/enewsletter/onnewsoct2009/article/warriorhead.gif" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; float: none; display: block;" /></div>Your protein needs are similar to the requirements of other athletes. The difference is that you're the one most likely to hurt a couple days after going at it. There are a combination of factors at work here including the intensity and infrequency of your physical effort. Supplemental nutrition can help. So can pre- and post-workout stretching. Do the static type of stretching like you did back in gym class, holding pressure against your joints, as a warm down after training or competition. Static stretching helps keep you flexible. Before hitting the field or the weight room try warming up with dynamic stretch techniques. These include arm swings, side bends, alternate toe touches and trunk rotations. You can also do ham and groin stretches using one of those boulder sized exercise balls. Performing these at a light aerobic pace for 5 to 10 minutes should help reduce tomorrow's muscle soreness. Which brings us back to sports nutrition. You're most likely engaging in friendly competitions requiring a combination of endurance and power. Flag football, softball, basketball and racquet sports can all tax your stamina and strength. If you're headed out after lunch to meet the guys for a pickup game of ball, here's how we'd recommend timing your nutrition. <div align="left"> <img src="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/enewsletter/onnewsoct2009/article/weekendchart.gif" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; float: none; display: block;" /></div>The scientifically formulated ratios of fast carbs to staged proteins should help you bounce back from all that cutting, catching, blocking and running. That's only the first part of the recovery process though. You'll need to sit down to a whole foods meal offering plenty of protein and carbohydrates, and then finish off with a tasty shake right before bed. Not only will this strategy help keep your muscles from aching so much for so long, but if you stick to it weekend after weekend, you might start to notice some enhanced definition and strength. Wherever you see yourself as an active adult, we encourage you to experiment with the different protein timing examples offered here. You might notice some positive changes as early as 3 or 4 weeks. Just remember that everyone's different, which means that we all respond to diet and exercise programs in our own unique way. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=721 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=721 The process of unleashing Optimum Nutrition's latest protein advancement began with ultra-pure whey protein isolates. They are the purest whey protein available anywhere, so we hydrolyzed these isolates into smaller pieces for faster absorption. The resulting whey peptides were then augmented with micronized branched chain amino acids and patented digestive enzymes. That's how new <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/platinum-hydro-whey-p-271.html">Platinum Hydrowhey</a> became ON's most valuable muscle building protein yet. There's no sugar, no lactose, and no cholesterol. What each serving of Platinum Hydrowhey does provide is 30 grams of premium hydrolyzed proteins, nearly 9 grams of BCAAs, Aminogen digestive enzymes, and uncompromising taste. Because it digests so rapidly, Platinum Hydrowhey is ideal for 'breaking the fast' first thing in the morning. Use it about 30 minutes before working out to give your muscles a rapid and very potent boost of amino acids, or right after training to jump-start the process of muscle recovery. Platinum Hydrowhey is available in Turbo Chocolate, Velocity Vanilla, and Supercharged Strawberry flavors, packaged in 1.75 and 3.5 lb containers wherever high-quality sports nutrition is sold. <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/hydrowhey/">Register</a> today for your chance to win $10,000 worth of real platinum and other great Platinum Hydrowhey prizes. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=726 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=726 According to a study supported by the Danish Medical Research Council, around 50% of female office workers report neck pain. Two thirds of those experiencing neck and back pain were found to be suffering from trapezius myalgia, an increasingly common affliction involving the muscle extending from the back of your head, down the neck to your upper back. Researchers believe that strengthening the trapezius muscle can reduce associated aches and pains. Forty-two female office workers were recruited with one group assigned to do 3 sets of 3 exercises 3 times a week. They could chose from dumbbell rows, upright rows, shoulder abductions, shoulder elevations and reverse flyes. The rest cycled on stationary bikes for 20 minutes per session, 3 days a week. After 10 weeks, the strength training group reported a 50% reduction in pain. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Why didn't the cardio group realize the same benefits? Their capacity for rapid force production did not improve like it did for resistance training subjects. The weight lifters ended up building more Type II muscle fibers, which are important for generating power. Researchers speculated that enhancing the body's ability to rapidly activate muscle helps reduce muscle pain. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=725 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=725 There's been a lot of media chatter about whether the new 'active' video games help you generate the moderate level of physical activity the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends performing at least 150 minutes a week. To find out, Nintendo funded a study presented at the AHA's Scientific Session 2009. Estimated energy expenditure is measured in units called Metabolic Equivalent Values (METs). Light intensity exercise is 1 to 3 METs, moderate intensity is 3 to 6 METs, and anything higher is considered vigorous. Turns out that about a third of the games tested require an energy expenditure of 3 METs or above. Five games made players work out at rates above 4 METs. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: While playing video games isn't likely to rival a torturous hour under a weighted-down barbell, it might be a reasonable substitution for cardio day. Active video also presents you with a fun way to change up your training and keep it real…in a digital video dimension. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=724 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=724 A training regimen published in the <em>Journal of Applied Physiology</em> has experienced endurance runners shaving 1-2 minutes off their 10 km performance. The technique, called speed endurance training, reduces overall training volume by 25% and incorporates between six and twelve 30-second sprints 3 to 4 times a week. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Half of the competitors who tried this type of training improved their 10 km run from 37.3 to 36.3 minutes, while one went from 37.5 down to 35.4 minutes. These runners also improved 2-minute exhaustive running performance by about 36%. It brings new meaning to the phrase less is more. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=723 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=723 You've probably already experienced the frustration of hitting a plateau in your training routine. There's a similar correlation going on with young athletes specializing in a single sport year round. It's not that they won't keep getting better at their game of choice. According to Loyola University Health System research, they put themselves at greater risk of injury. An analysis of 519 junior players at 3,366 United States Tennis Association matches found that young athletes who specialized only in tennis were 5 times more likely to withdraw from a tournament for medical reasons. Older teenagers were more likely than younger competitors to leave a tournament due to injury, showing how constant work in one area takes a toll over the years. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: On average, tennis players start playing at 6 years old and focus exclusively on this single sport by age 10. They typically practice 16 to 20 hours a week and compete at least 10 months out of every year. Dividing their physical effort between tennis and another sport can help keep these kids healthy and competing, much as changing up your workout routine can help put you on track to realizing greater gains. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=722 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=722 Although it's an essential nutrient required in everyone's diet, most people consume far too much salt on a daily basis. Over time, this over-consumption can lead to high blood pressure and other adverse health issues. That's why it's important to check the sodium levels of packaged goods. An analysis of ready-made pasta sauces conducted in the UK by Mintel found that the highest levels of sodium reported on nutrition facts panels were 30 times higher than the lowest levels: 0.1 grams compared to 3 grams per 100 gram serving. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Of the 190 different brands evaluated, 73 offered no information on salt and 52 did not quantify a portion size. Both issues were considered inadequate labeling. As a general rule, this study determined that supermarket private label pasta sauces contained lower levels of salt than major brands. 25% less, on average. That's food for thought on pasta night. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=718 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=718 If you're a regular at any gym, you've probably noticed that most people like to work out pretty much the same way. If they enjoy weight training, you aren't likely to see them on an elliptical machine and vice versa. A study published in the <em>Journal of Physical Activity & Health</em> presents some inspiring reasons to mix up your training with a little of each. A group of healthy untrained men were assigned to either progressive treadmill running, lifting free weights or a concurrent program that was a combination of both regimens. After just 8 weeks, the endurance runners and concurrent group significantly decreased total fat mass while the strength training and concurrent group realized significant increases in muscle. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: While all three groups of exercisers improved their blood lipid profiles, the only way to lose fat and gain muscle was to undertake both cardio and strength training. This approach also gives you many more options for planning a workout routine, and changing it up every 4 to 8 weeks so you can keep burning fat and building muscle. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=717 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=717 If you're planning to go on a diet, a study published in the <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em> suggests that you stick with it. Or don't bother dieting at all. Research conducted on lab rats found that when the rodents cycled between sweet-tasting and bland but nutritious foods, they experienced stress and withdrawal symptoms similar to those seen in drug addicts. Further investigation revealed that levels of the stress neuropeptide corticotrophin-releasing factor were 5 times higher in the yo-yo dieting rats than a control group. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: According to these findings, it's better to not even try to diet if you can't resist frequent lapses in your eating strategy especially when those lapses are focused on sweets. Of course, your diet can include delicious menu selections. Just try to avoid the sugary stuff and heavily-processed foods while watching your portion size. Then burn up more calories in the gym, like we mentioned in <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=716">yesterday's</a> Breaking News post. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=716 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=716 Considering the volumes of diet paperbacks on sale at any bookstore, there's no shortage of theories you can test to try and lose weight. Scientific commentary published in November's <em>Journal of the American Dietetic Association</em> gives you yet another alternative. The term Energy Gap refers to the estimated change in energy balance required to lose or maintain weight. Energy balance, of course, is the difference between calories consumed by eating or drinking and the calories expended during physical activity. If you've lost weight, it's estimated that preventing weight regain involves a 100-150 calorie/day Energy Gap. To keep losing weight, the Energy Gap is estimated at 200-300 calories/day. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: As restrictive as the Energy Gap theory appears to be, it's really very flexible. To hit your 200 calories per day target, you can reduce food consumption by 200 calories every day, burn 200 calories in effort at the gym or do a combination of both. Even more freeing is the fact that you can cut calorie consumption one day and exercise more then next. That way you're less likely to fall into a diet rut. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=714 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=714 Physically active women are at elevated risk of iron deficiency according to a study published in the <em>American Journal of Clinical Nutrition</em>. Researchers gave half a group of female soldiers engaged in combat training 15 milligrams of iron per day. Women in the other half of this group received a placebo. When the study began, 14 women in each group were identified as being iron deficient. After the training concluded, there were twice as many iron deficient women in the placebo group (a 100% increase), but only a 35% increase in the supplementing group. <strong>The Bigger Picture:</strong> While your workout might not be as taxing as a soldier's, it's important to note that the women who didn't take any iron in the military study posted slower running times than women who supplemented with iron. A high-potency <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/optiwomen-womens-multiple-p-182.html">multivitamin</a> with plenty of iron might put more spring in your step on the treadmill. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=715 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=715 Want to lose weight and boost your body's natural defenses without dieting? A study published in November's <em>Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism</em> suggests that it's possible. All you have to do is stop cooking your food. Baking, frying and grilling produces toxins called advanced glycation end products that can oxidize tissues within your body. Researchers found that when these high-heat cooking methods are replaced by steaming, poaching and stewing, the result can be weight loss and reduced inflammation even if you don't reduce calorie consumption. <strong>The Bigger Picture:</strong> While it would be difficult to stick with an eating pattern that keeps you from using your barbecue grill and oven, there's a much easier way to reduce glycotoxins in your diet. All you have to do is cut back on your consumption of overly processed foods. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=713 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=713 Think about it. Aside from dumbbell exercises, you're almost always pushing or pulling weight using both limbs at once. Not with unilateral training, which focuses on working one arm or leg at a time. There are a couple of good reasons to try it. First, you'll get better core muscle activation raising and lowering a dumbbell with one arm while its opposite isn't holding onto a counter weight. Secondly, you might discover some strength imbalances between right and left limbs. How many times can you squat body weight with your right leg versus your left? <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: One of the biggest advantages to experimenting with unilateral training is the newness. Changing up your routine is one of the most effective ways to push past plateaus. You can add resistance, increase repetitions or volume, even rearrange the order of the exercises you like to perform. Unilateral training is an outside the box way to really change up your routine. Try some one-limbed variations on machines until you get the hang of this novel approach to training. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/poll/14/ http://www.optimumnutrition.com/poll/14/ Take this 10 second survey to tell us how you feel about Optimum Nutrition's Lift Bar Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:59:01 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=712 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=712 With the holiday eating season looming large on the horizon, plenty of fit people are wondering what they can do in the gym to optimize fat loss. Research recently published in the <em>International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism </em>examined different strategies for increasing post-exercise fat oxidation. Scientists compared the post-workout fat burning of subjects who exercised for a long duration to those who only trained for a little while in the gym, compared low intensity to high intensity effort, and weighed the fat burning advantages of a continuous versus interval approach. As you might expect, the long duration and high intensity exercises burned more fat post-workout. Surprisingly, continuous and interval training had no effect on after-exercise fat oxidation. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Despite the apparent benefits of high intensity exercise for a long duration, researchers summarized their results by stating that the whole idea of post-workout fat oxidation may be inconsequential when compared to the fat you burn during exercise. So use the approach that suits you best, as long as you don't skip any sessions with the treadmill, cycle or barbell. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=710 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=710 Knowing that the holiday eating season looms large in so many households, let's focus on what happens after the banquets are consumed. Even a little weight gain will likely reignite your passion for diet moderation and exercise, which is good. Consider a study published in the journal <em>Obesity</em> and its message about workout dedication. Researchers had 97 volunteers restrict their diets to 800 calories per day and undertake either aerobic or resistance training. Both groups lost weight, an average of 24 pounds. What happened next is more important. The weight lifters and treadmill runners were asked to perform 40 minutes of exercise twice weekly for an entire year. Although some did experience modest weight regain, it wasn't the dangerous visceral fat that accumulates inside the abdominal cavity and can surround vital organs. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Eighty minutes of exercise a week would be considered the bare minimum for most active adults. But even active adults go through periods of inactivity. If it's a 2-week vacation, then your time away from the gym was probably well spent. But if the shorter, colder days of winter have you hitting the snooze button instead of suiting up for a workout for weeks on end, it's good to know that even a slow 80-minute per week reboot can get you headed in the right direction. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=709 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=709 At ON, we view <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/vassiveno-p-228.html">Vassiveness</a> as a state of appearing both massive and vascular. We have a whole line of products dedicated to supporting this goal. Now the American College of Sports Medicine offers a scientific study on the topic. Researchers wanted to know if increases in arterial size (aka: vascular remodeling) is regionally limited or more systemic. In other words, does Vassiveness occur only in the muscle being worked? Twenty four previously untrained men and women were recruited for a 12-week unilateral strength training program focused on the biceps and triceps of nondominant arms. Scientists used magnetic resonance imaging to determine brachial artery diameter and muscle cross sectional area. The results showed that arterial diameter increased only in the trained nondominant arms. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Because the physical changes were localized to the muscles being worked, those just beginning a resistance training program should consider whole body training during each gym session. Then, after gaining experience and muscle mass, you can graduate to split workouts where upper body muscles are worked one day, and lower body muscles the next. Another popular way to break training into split sessions is pushing and pulling movements. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=708 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=708 Back in 1961, then Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Newton Minow referred to television programming of the day as a “vast wasteland.” Whether or not the quality of TV shows has improved is a matter of debate. But a study of 19 year olds in Finland is a testament to TV's negative impact on muscular fitness. Researchers had 381 males and 493 females record daily physical activity (moderate to vigorous intensity) and TV viewing habits. Regardless of their levels of physical activity, subjects who typically watched 2 or more hours of television per day exhibited lower levels of muscular fitness. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Whether or not the avid TV watchers over-reported the extent of their daily physical activity, spending 2 or more hours every day laying on a couch in front of the flickering box says a lot about lifestyle habits. If these teenagers had more energy, they'd be expending it outside or in a gym. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST