Author: Alicia Bell
Protein and Your Goals
Most are confuse when it comes to protein shakes and supplementing. Are they for weight loss? Toning? Bulking up? Are they safe? The answer is they are safe and you can use shakes for anything you want. The outcome is determined by your exercise regime and what you are putting in your shakes to make them low or high in calories. If you are looking to tone or lose weight you can supplement shakes in addition to a good clean diet that is full of lean meats and vegetables. For this goal you should also be lifting weights to create lean muscle three to five times a week with high reps. You should also be doing cardio intervals five to six times a week. The shakes should be kept low in calories so find a good tasting clean protein and mix with just water, soy, milk, or almond milk. If you are looking to add more mass to your body you should be lifting a heavier weight and keep the reps low. Add more calories to your shakes if you want to bulk up and mix it in fruits and veggies. You can use gainer instead to further increase the calories to bulk or for those of you needing more calories throughout the day if you are athletic. I recommend Rivalus products. They are a Canadian based company, taste great, clean and scientifically tested. It is important to make sure the protein that you are taking is clean and safe. Not all products are tested so be careful with which ones you choose. The following are a few of my personal and favorite recipes. All of my recipes have variations for the liquid that include: water, juice, almond milk, non fat milk, or soy milk. Strawberry Banana 1/2 banana 6-8 frozen strawberries or fresh Cover the fruit with your choice of: a)Juice b)Water c)Non Fat Milk/Soy Milk/Almond Milk 1/4 cup of NON FAT plain yogurt or Greek yogurt 1 Scoop of Promasil Vanilla protein BLEND Peanut Butter Chocolate 1 spoon natural peanut butter Dash of cinnamon 2 tbl spoons of NON FAT plain yogurt 1/2 Cup of blueberries Cover the fruit with your choice of: b)Water c)Non Fat Milk/Soy Milk/Almond Milk 1 Scoop Promasil Chocolate protein or Promasil White Chocolate protein BLEND PINA COLADA 6-8 Pieces of frozen pinneapple 1/2 Bananna 1/4 Cup of NON FAT Plain Yogurt Cover the fruit with your choice of: a)Juice b)Water c)Non Fat Milk/Soy Milk/Almond Milk 1 Scoop of Promasil Vanilla protein BLEND
Nate Robinson’s Fitness
Nate Robinson may not be the biggest player in the NBA but he plays like he is. Standing at just 5”9 he is considered small by NBA standards. He is currently playing for the Golden State Warriors. He was once the NBA Slam Dunk Champion. To do this he dunked over 6″11 NBA All Star Dwight Howard. Currently Instagram and twitter have been going crazy with Nates shoe and sock game. However what he does in these shoes and socks is the important thing. Nate being a single dad rises early to get his kids off to school and get a workout in while he is at home in Seattle during his off season. According to http://www.ezinearticles.com Nate’s typical workout off of the court consists of a 4 days a week, of at least one hour. Some of his training includes the following: Jump rope: 400 jumps Sprint-and-drop. Run the width of a basketball court, drop, and do ten push-ups: 10 sprints Seated figure eight. Sit on a stability ball holding a ten-pound medicine ball in front of you. Your elbows should be tight by your sides. Slowly make a figure-eight motion with the ball, moving your lower body as little as possible: 15 figure eights, then 15 in the opposite direction Leg curl: 2×10 Incline chest press: 2×10 Standing cable fly: 2×10 Standing dumbbell curl Curl one arm, then the other, for one rep: 2×10 Single-arm triceps extension From a seated position, with the weight behind your head extend your arm until it’s pointing straight up: 2×10 with each arm Recently Robinson has been posting videos on his Youtube channel entitled “The State of Nate.” He started filming them when the NBA was in lockdown last year. The videos give you a glimpse of his life outside of basketball as well as his training and the later episodes show you events that happen during season. Check them out on his youtube channel. Currently he is at 9 episodes and counting. http://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialNateRobinson
Flo-Rida Fitness
We all knew that Flo Rida was fit but now that he graces the June 2012 cover of Muscle & Fitness we all see just how fit the man really is. Flo stands at 6”3 and weighs in these days at a healthy and fit 210 lbs. He has been quoted saying that working out has changed his life. He has stated that that he “was a skinny dude in high school.” Things sure have changed for the successful rapper who has won countless awards and has graced the top of billboard he states in the recent article that he sometimes trains twice a day. Flo Rida has says that his daily routine also includes over head press, dumbbell press, 300 triceps dips, and that he has a goal of 1,000 crunches to do each day. When you put on a show in front of thousands of screaming fans and usually have your shirt off he has to make sure that his body is looking right. . He also also been quoted saying that after a performance “by the end of the night, I feel like I’ve done a trillion squats and sit-ups.” To add to the reasons he works out so hard he states that “I wear a lot of wife beaters…Every time I perform, I’ve got to take one off and throw it to the ladies.” Lets just say we hope that more artists follow in his footsteps for healthy living and a fit lifestyle because as a woman I definitely enjoy going to his shows. References: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/features/athletes-and-celebrities/sneak-peek-inside-cover-story-muscle-fitness-june-issue http://www.mensfitness.com/training/meet-2008-mf-25
Zaggora Hot Pants
What are Zaggora hot pants? They are a specially created tight that has what the company calls “cellu-lite” technology. The company claims that this material uses your natural body heat to give you weight loss results by burning extra calories when you exercise. The pants have had some buzz already appearing in OK Magazine, Wall Street Journal and many news papers. They even have a verified twitter account.How do they work? They claim to put the “hot” in “hot pants” and that they make you sweat and increase your energy expenditure by 7% while you are exercising and up to 26% post exercises. Virtually the pants/shorts create a personal sauna without having to sit in a room with a bunch of naked people. The “hot pants” or tights are designed so that you can where them at any time. Zaggora says that you can wear them “…for a walk in the park, a session in the gym or a run down to the shops.” Meaning that they are not just for the gym. They come in shorts or pants and are available in a variety of bright colours. Zaggora on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/zaggora Zaggora on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/zaggora
What is a cardio bunny?
Everyday you head to the gym for your daily workout. Some of you go in the morning, some on your lunch break and some of you in the evenings. It doesn’t matter what time you go to the gym there will always be “Cardio Bunnies” on the cardio machines. What exactly is a cardio bunny you ask? Cardio bunnies are women who strictly go to the gym and hop on a cardio machine for hours and hours. They never pickup a weight or do anything else but sweat on one single machine. They put their headphones on and go to work and don’t get off until their exact 60 minutes is up. These women usually wear a ton of makeup to the gym just like they were heading to the club. STAY CLEAR OF THESE BUNNIES! Cardio Bunnies are bad news. They should really just come with a caution sign, flashing lights and mute button. There are a few different reasons why you should not interact with them. Firstly they are monsters. Think of the movie Gremlins, they go crazy when you throw water at them. If you attempt to talk to these bunnies they usually will ignore you, give you some snide comment or end up being air heads who cannot comprehend most words. Secondly these women will not have any muscle tone when they get older because all they do is strictly cardio. They will age to be the weak frail ladies that need walkers, wheelchairs and break bones if they step the wrong way. You do not want any of this in your future.Thirdly these women are usually high maintenance. They are the women who expect a lot out of their men and usually come at a cost. They are usually stuck up and very into themselves and trust me gentlemen you don’t want a woman who spends more time doing her hair and make up then she does at the gym. My advice is to find a woman at the gym that not only does cardio but also lifts weights. Chances are she is overall more fit, she will be friendly, and that means she will be more open to a conversation with you. I can also guarantee you that you will have more in common with one of these girls than one of the bunnies. Happy hunting!
“Banned from NBA” – APL and Adam Goldston
Adam Goldston is what it means to be a true golden boy. He is an athlete, inventor, innovator and a role model. Goldston and his twin brother Ryan reside in Los Angels California and double handedly built a shoe empire. These two twins were walk ons to their college basketball team and developed a passion and drive to change the game. In 2009 they held onto their passion and love of basketball to create Athletic Propulsion Labs, better known as APL. Located in Los Angeles California. With APL they created a shoe called the Concept 1 which was designed to instantly increase one’s vertical leap. As amazing as this shoe was, after much debate the NBA decided to ban all players in the league from wearing their shoes. This inspired Adam and his brother to use what they could have seen as a problem, as advertisement. They took this potential negative and turned it into a positive. The twins used “Banned by the NBA” in their product advertising and promotion. This slogan now graces APL’s homepage. “In terms of marketing, this is probably the greatest thing that could have happened to our company, because it basically blew us up overnight,” said Adam. Since the Concept 1, they have released the Concours (their second shoe), and the highly anticipated sequel to the Concept 1, the Concept 2. Over the past few years APL has blown up. The company’s value increases daily and this year has been full of even more success for the Goldston twins. Adam and his brother Ryan were named to the Empact100 list of America’s top young entrepreneurs. With this came the opportunity to be recognized at the White House in Washington D.C. on November 17, 2011. The twins were also given the opportunity to have a pop up shop at Saks Fifth Avenue this winter that according to Adam was “A success and a great opportunity to display our brand in front of a new demographic.” Adam is very private about things that go on behind the scenes of his business ventures. Although Adam is a very busy businessman, he finds time to workout every day. Each day is different and some days he trains for a minimum of 50 minutes while others it can be up to 2.5 hours. He works hard no matter how long he is in the gym and hardly ever misses a day. A typical workout for Adam consists of targeting a specific muscle group, never a full body workout. He keeps it healthy with his diet too. Some days he eats anywhere from 18-20 egg whites! Yes 20! And in a typical day he eats lean meats consisting of chicken, turkey, bison, and steak. He also eats his vegetables, grazing on sweet potato, lettuce, corn, quinoa, and avocado. He enjoys his cheese, wheat bread and corn bread while also supplementing his meals with protein powder. We’ve got to give these guys props for creating a great shoe and living healthy active lifestyles! Follow the author on twitter http://www.twitter.com/trainitright
How To Get Summer Ready Abs
Most think that to achieve a great stomach they have to do thousands upon thousands of sit ups. The truth is that is only part of the equation. Having great looking abs does take time, training hard, cardio and, of course, eating clean meals. So what I am saying is that in order get your your abs back after the holidays you need to start in the kitchen. Since great abs start in the Kitchen, It is important to try and cut out fried foods, sugars, refined and processed foods, alcohol, and even dairy (dairy is high in fat and can cause bloating). That means you should be eating more natural foods such as, vegetables, fruits, protein (such as lean meats), lentils, brown rice, whole grain breads, nuts and drinking lots of water. Keep your meals small and remember an average serving size is about the size of your palm, not a whole plate. Also remember to drink 2-3 Litres of water a day. This will help speed up your metabolism as well and flush your body of toxins. Another key to looking lean and showing stomach muscles is cardio, cardio, cardio! I suggest mixing up your routine and doing intervals instead of slow steady cardio. This way your body is burning more calories to adapt to the change in pace. You will achieve more results in a shorter period of time. (LESS BORING TOO). You will see a leaner stomach and make sure to do cardio 5 to 7 days on top of regular strength training to see fast results. Here are some examples of cardio to help you get lean and burn fat to show your abdominal muscles. Treadmill Interval Walk 3 minutes Flat Run 1 minutes Incline 2.5 Walk 4 minutes Flat Run 2 minutes Incline 3 Walk 5 minutes Flat Run 3 minutes Incline 3.5 Walk 6 minutes Flat Run 4 minutes Incline 4 Walk 7 minutes Flat Run 5 minutes Incline 4.5 Walk 8 minutes Flat Run 6 minutes Incline 5 Cool Down 5 minutes Flat TOTAL: 45 minutes Elliptical Interval Warm up 5 minutes Warm up at Level 2 1 minutes Level 4 1 minutes hard Level 8 2 minutes Level 4 2 minutes hard Level 8 1 minutes Level 4 1 minutes hard Level 9 2 minutes Level 4 2 minutes hard Level 8 1 minutes Level 4 1 minutes hard Level 9 2 minutes Level 4 2 minutes hard Level 8 3 minutesJog Level 5 1 minute hard Level 4 2 minutes Level 8 2 minutes hard Level 4 4 minutes Level 5 5 minutes Cool down – easy pace and resistance Total: 40 minutes Follow Alicia on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/trainitright
Who is Giavanni Ruffin?
Who is Giavanni Ruffin you ask? He is a football player and someone I guarantee you have seen but didn’t know who he was. He is someone we all should look to for motivation and he is someone who has never stopped chasing his dream despite adversity. He is a real role model. He just isn’t in the NFL…yet. To start off Ruffin is a football player with a lot of ambition and claims to “take no days off.” Ruffin is 23 and played at a low level college because of his grades. To make it worse apparently he was benched behind a returning player when he joined the squad. According to his website http://www.giavanniruffin.com He was put in to the teams sixth game for his chance to be able to prove his worthyness on the field and that he did. With averaging 153.6 yards per game and rushing for 768 while carrying 11 TD’s in just five games. Eventually he transferred to East Carolina where he got into some trouble with the police and was suspended from the football program. This life lesson taught him the meaning of all around athlete and showed him that what you do off the field affects what happens on the field. He was left out of the NFL draft and was a virtual no name. With all of this the man never got discouraged and he used his experience as motivation to out work his peers. He never gave up on his dream of making the NFL, and too this day he works extremely hard at making this goal become reality. Giavanni explains on his site that, “twenty-three Pro Bowlers were undrafted free agents last year so, it’s something to work for.” Now why does he train it right and how you probably know who he is but didn’t know his name; A video that his friend shot of Ruffin’s intense training went viral. The video motivates, hypes you up and makes you question your own work ethic and asks you…how bad do you want it? The video that went viral is narrated by a motivational speaker named Eric Thomas aka the Hip Hop Preacher. Now there is a part 2 that motivates you even further because the work never stops. His drive and mission statement “take no days off” inspired him to create a clothing company that has boomed #TNDO is the hashtag on twitter. Many of us use this term, I know I do. I just didn’t know where it came from. He also has been releasing a documentary that now has 4 parts. You can watch them on his website on the landing page before enter. It really shows you inside his life even more about who he is, what he does, what he wants, and what drives and motivates him. Giovanni Ruffin on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Giavanni_Ruffin Eric Thomas on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Ericthomasbtc About the author: Alicia Bell is a Kinesiologist and Personal Trainer based in Toronto, Canada http://www.twitter.com/trainitright