Do Physiques Go Better with Organic or Natural?

 

 

The term “organic” is used to describe production methods that use non-synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which can be a problem.  That's because some of the “natural” pesticides are more toxic than synthetics. Come to think of it, products that claim to be “natural” can really be quite dangerous, because compounds like sugar are “natural”, but that doesn’t mean they are even remotely good for anyone, much less a Physique Athlete.  Organic is a good concept, but keep in mind at the end of the day, foods are chemicals themselves, making what happens “after you consume them”, like stimulating insulin release or causing excess inflammation, more important than whether they were organically produced or natural, before you ate them.

 

If you have the money, grass fed meats have been shown to have better ratio’s of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and may be of value. Personally, I like the idea of consuming less ingredients or chemicals if you will, to get my intake of protein, carbs and essential fats. To do this, simply eat more foods that are not processed or “packaged” like lean meats, eggs, whole fruits, vegetables and nuts. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, and avoid the packaged food aisles. In my view, the use of protein supplements that use milk proteins, seems to be a great way to limit the amount of toxins that may be present in factory farmed high protein foods like chicken.

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Disclaimer

Information provided on this blog is solely for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not use this information for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing of any medications or supplements.

Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, diet or exercise program, before taking any medications or receiving treatment, particularly if you are currently under medical care. Make sure you carefully read all product labeling and packaging prior to use. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, do not take any supplements without first consulting and obtaining the approval of your healthcare provider.

© 2011 Vince Andrich Real BodyBuilding, Vince Andrich Uncensored, & www.vandrich.com. All Rights Reserved.

Have A Heart, Save Your Shoulders

 

Your shoulder muscles and its intricate joint structure bear the brunt of almost every upper-body weight training exercise. That’s why smart physique enthusiasts are careful to give the area adequate rest, and work a variety of bodypart splits that allow the shoulders to be developed, not overtrained or injured. Even with lots of planning, its difficult to give the shoulder area enough rest from the grind, without resorting to adding another full day off from all upper body work. One simple trick is alternate the stress between upper and lower body work, with a short duration, high intensity interval cardio session. The cool thing is you’ll save your shoulders and build your heart strength in one move. It looks something like this;

 

Day 1) Upper body, (shoulders/arms OR chest and OR back)

Day 2) Legs ––Quads, calves abs

Day 3) Upper body, (Bodyparts not done on day one)

Day4) High Intensity Interval Cardio [known as HIIT (t for training)]

Day 5) Full day of rest

 

Short duration HIIT Cardio is best done on a stationary bike, because it is much less stressful on the knee and ankle joints as well. Do something like this;

 

Do a short warm up of say 2-4 minutes -- with bike on say level 5 bars out of 20 bars max resistance) then it’s

Work Interval 1--Go up to 7-bars of resistance and go for 20-30 seconds, then go back down to 5-bars for 10-30 seconds then

Work Interval 2--Go up to 9-bars of resistance and go for 20-30 seconds, then go back down to 7-bars for 10-30 seconds then

Work Interval 3--Go up to 11-bars of resistance and go for 20-30 seconds, then go back down to 7-bars for 10-30 seconds then

Work Interval 4--Go up to 13-bars of resistance and go for 20-30 seconds, then go back down to 7-bars for 10-30 seconds then

Work Interval 5--Go up to 15-bars of resistance and go for 20-30 seconds, then go back down to 5-bars for 10-30 seconds then

Work Interval 6--Go up to 17-bars of resistance and go for 20-30 seconds, then go back down to 5-bars for 10-30 seconds then

Warm down for 3 minutes, 1-min at 3 bars, then 1-min for 2 bars then 1-min for 1 bar

 

10-15 minutes MAX and you can GO HOME…

 

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Disclaimer

Information provided on this blog is solely for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not use this information for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing of any medications or supplements.

Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, diet or exercise program, before taking any medications or receiving treatment, particularly if you are currently under medical care. Make sure you carefully read all product labeling and packaging prior to use. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, do not take any supplements without first consulting and obtaining the approval of your healthcare provider.

© 2011 Vince Andrich Real BodyBuilding, Vince Andrich Uncensored, & www.vandrich.com. All Rights Reserved.

The Almighty PUMP, Water Works

 

 

 

If you’re looking to build your body these days, you’d have to be under a rock not to have seen the dizzying stream of marketing for pre-workout products that supposedly increase Nitric Oxide (a.k.a., NO). On molecular level, NO is a very short acting gas that your body produces to relax the walls of your arteries to enhance blood flow. So, marketers of NO products made the leap that (if) their product could increase NO while you were training, the dilated blood vessels would allow more “nutrient rich” blood to flow to your working muscles. Not surprisingly, these products were and are sold on the merits of a better pump and infer muscle growth will be greatly improved. To date, no studies have proven this theory out. But, the idea of the PUMP, or specifically “well hydrated” muscle cells is a rock solid sign that you have the “right” nutrition and training factors in play.

 

Exercise scientists now know that “cellular hydration” (i.e., cell swelling) serves as a physiological regulator of cell function. It is known to simulate anabolic processes, both through increases in protein synthesis and decreases in protein breakdown. While the mechanisms are not fully understood, the scientific community (and me) believe that increased pressure against muscle cell membrane is perceived as a threat to cellular integrity, which in turn causes the cell to initiate a signaling response that ultimately leads to reinforcement of its ultrastructure. Why might this be true? For 1)–resistance exercise, especially when higher volume is part of the plan, has been shown to alter intra- and extracellular water balance, and 2) when you train like a bodybuilder you increase the need to store carbohydrates (glycogen), and other energy producing molecules like creatine, in your muscle cells. The greatly increases your PUMP potential, because every gram of carbohydrate stored in muscle pulls in 3-grams of water. Of course creatine does the same thing, which is why you get bigger and stronger. So, if you’re getting your swell on, and not getting fat, it’s a good bet your nutrition and training are working pretty darn good. And that’s more than I can say about NO products.

 

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Disclaimer

Information provided on this blog is solely for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not use this information for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing of any medications or supplements.

Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, diet or exercise program, before taking any medications or receiving treatment, particularly if you are currently under medical care. Make sure you carefully read all product labeling and packaging prior to use. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, do not take any supplements without first consulting and obtaining the approval of your healthcare provider.

© 2011 Vince Andrich Real BodyBuilding, Vince Andrich Uncensored, & www.vandrich.com. All Rights Reserved.

Broad Shoulders Maketh the MAN (and woman)

 

I believe the visual impact, beauty and awe that immediately come to mind from seeing broad shoulders on a man (in particular) is pure biology. It's in our DNA as it stimulates neurons in our brain that sense the person in view can protect his tribe and triumph on the battlefield. Think Brad Pitt in the movie Troy. You get the picture. So today let's review how we can get those broad shoulders that inspire.

Your shoulders have three specific heads or sides, which are the anterior, medial and posterior or in English, front, side and rear delts.  Typically, a focused effort developing the side head of the deltoid brings about the most width or broadness visually, but all three heads need to be trained for maximum roundness in the shoulder area.  According to EMG analysis you will recruit the most motor neurons on the medial head with dumbbell side lateral raises. Here is how to do a proper side lateral raise.

Hold dumbbells in front of thighs with elbows slightly bent. Bend over slightly with hips and knees bent slightly. Raise upper arms to sides until elbows are shoulder height. Maintain elbows' height above or equal to wrists. You are leading with your elbow as if you were giving someone a forearm shiver. Lower and repeat. Your elbows should remain bent from 10-30-degrees, strive for elbows to be at shoulder height at top of movement. Use a rep speed of 2 up and 4 down, which is a count of 2 to raise and 4 seconds to lower the weights. Do your best to maintain smooth movement and control.

Packing on mass with this exercise calls for 4-5 sets of 6-12 repetitions. I suggest you follow this movement with front presses to the neck otherwise known as, barbell military press, which hits the front and side delts.

Grab barbell from rack or lift from floor with overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder width. Position bar in front of neck. Press bar upward until arms are extended overhead. Lower to front of neck and repeat. Strive to get full extension at top and full stretch at bottom of the movement (full range of motion) Use the same sets, reps and rep speed as above.

The last shoulder movement will be rear lateral dumbbell raises for rear delts. Grab dumbbells to each side. Bend knees and bend over through hips with back flat close to horizontal. Position elbows with slight bend and palms facing together. Leading with elbows, raise arms to sides until elbows are shoulder height. You’ll feel this in your rear delts and upper back to a smaller degree. Squeeze and flex at top of the movement. Keep height of elbows above wrists by raising "pinkie finger" side up. Lower and repeat. Use the same sets, reps and rep speed as above.

 

 

Disclaimer

Information provided on this blog is solely for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not use this information for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing of any medications or supplements.

Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, diet or exercise program, before taking any medications or receiving treatment, particularly if you are currently under medical care. Make sure you carefully read all product labeling and packaging prior to use. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, do not take any supplements without first consulting and obtaining the approval of your healthcare provider.

© 2011 Vince Andrich Real BodyBuilding, What Can You Do Better Today?™ , Vince Andrich Uncensored, & www.vandrich.com. All Rights Reserved.

 

Same Exercises, Same Sets, Very Different Results

It makes perfect sense. Most men, going to the gym to lift, pick an exercise and keep adding weight until they can't even do a few reps. While most women, if they do go to the gym to lift weights, pick an exercise and keep removing weight until they can't make it any lighter. The men believe; they must push beyond their capability to get strong so they can build a perfect body, and the women believe they must do as many reps as possible, to "burn" their body into a smaller dress size.  Well not so fast. Besides major differences in hormones, sporting a muscular male "rig" or a "toned and tight" female body, starts with muscle. And, one of the best shortcuts to more muscle, which means improved body composition, is understanding how to focus and gauge the work you do in the gym.

Sets x Reps x Weight = The “Work”

 

Research has consistently proven that for building muscle, and increasing your bodies ability to store energy from food you eat in muscle, not fat (yes, ladies and gentlemen), performing a higher-volume of work through multiple-set programs, performed in the moderate 6-12 rep range are best.

 

 

Scientists believe this is due to greater amounts of work being performed by the target muscles, which really does make more sense than what's commonly believed.

 

The amount of work you do for each bodypart, in a single workout, is calculated by multiplying; sets x reps x weight. So 5 sets of 8 with 100-lbs = 4000–lbs total weight lifted. Exercise scientists call this number volume, but we'll call it "work”.  By tracking total weight, not max weight, or reps in a given exercise you’ll have a much better gauge for progression. Here’s an example using a typical “get to my max weight” pyramid plan, men often use in the standard bench press:

Set 1––135-lbs for 15 reps = 2025 (warm up)

Set 2–– 225 for 8 reps = 1800

Set 3––275 for  6 reps = 1650

Set 4––295 for 2 reps = 590

Set 5––315 for 1 (maybe) = 315

Total= 6380-lbs lifted

To a lifter this looks great since they hit the magic 315-lb bench. To someone looking to build a better body it’s a disaster, because if you stay within 6-12 reps it would look something like this.

Set 1––135-lbs for 15 reps = 2025 (warm up)

Set 2–– 185 for 12 reps = 2280

Set 3––  200 for 10 reps = 2000

Set 4––  200 for 8 reps = 1600

Set 5–– 215 for  6 reps = 1290

Total= 9195-lbs lifted or 44% more WORK than the example above.

Here's an example for women in the leg extension:

Set 1––30-lbs for 15 reps = 450 (warm up)

Set 2–– 40 for 15 reps = 600

Set 3––  30 for 15 reps = 450

Set 4––  25 for 15 reps = 375

Set 5–– 20 for 15 reps = 300

Total= 2175-lbs lifted

But if she stays within 6-12 reps it would look something like this:

Set 1––30-lbs for 15 reps = 450 (warm up)

Set 2–– 50 for 12 reps = 600

Set 3–– 60 for 10 reps = 600

Set 4––  70 for 8 reps = 560

Set 5–– 75 for  6 reps = 450

Total= 2660-lbs lifted or 22% more WORK than the example above.

Same exercises, same sets, very different results.

 

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Disclaimer

Information provided on this blog is solely for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not use this information for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing of any medications or supplements.

Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, diet or exercise program, before taking any medications or receiving treatment, particularly if you are currently under medical care. Make sure you carefully read all product labeling and packaging prior to use. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, do not take any supplements without first consulting and obtaining the approval of your healthcare provider.

© 2011 Vince Andrich Real BodyBuilding, Vince Andrich Uncensored, & www.vandrich.com. All Rights Reserved.

 

Getting Off The Juice…

 

It seems that the grass roots movements towards eating more nutritious whole foods is becoming cool again. The problem is; food processors can’t sell enough of their stuff when you reach for an apple, instead of apple juice. To the uninitiated, the realization that something like good-old fashioned orange juice is really liquid candy, is hard to comprehend. So, for those who believe that OJ, or the latest fruit in juice form is healthy, take note.

 

Even with no sugar added, fruit juice contains about the same amount of sugar as the same amount of regular soda (soft drink). Surprised? You shouldn’t be, fruits are naturally full of sugar.

 

Here’s a rundown based on name brands:

Cola ––40-grams carbs/40 grams sugar

Orange Juice–– 39-grams carbs/39 grams sugar

Apple Juice––42-grams carbs/39 grams sugar

Grape Juice––60-grams carbs/58.5 grams sugar

 

Don’t get me started on Non Fat Sweetened Latte’s; how about 40 grams carbs/35 grams sugar.

Chest Development: Dumbbells and Flyes

Here is a question from my section at; http://www.muscleandfitnesstrainer.com/home/trainers/vince-andrich/questions

Q: According to effect. What is the difference between dumbbell press and dumbell flyes? Also please tell me what would b better after incline press;incline dumbell or incline fly? same question for flat bench press.

A: The main differences between dumbbell presses and flyes are as follows. Firstly, presses are considered a multi-joint movement, meaning both the shoulder and elbow joints must move to lift the weight and therefore stimulate more motor neurons which is due to the ability to use heavier weights. In general, you can put more stress on the chest muscles with presses. However, because your triceps are involved at the elbow flexion, the chest muscles may not get fully loaded before your triceps give out, thus diminishing the load. With flyes, your triceps are locked so that you are arching the bells (all 4) toward each other as if you were hugging a tree. The amount of weight may be lower with flyes, but the triceps should not be the limiting factor. Because of this, it is best to alternate doing presses before flyes for a few workouts, then switching to flyes then presses for a few workouts, to fully stimulate the chest area.

That said, you should not do incline press and then dumbbell presses as these are essentially the same movement. Do flyes instead.

On another note, decline presses with a barbell or dumbbell have been shown to recruit more motor neurons that stimulate both upper and overall pectoral development. This is due to leverage, whereas you should be able to lift more weight in the decline than presses on a regular flat bench or on an incline (45-degrees is best). The decline movement feels odd at first, but after a bit of practice you’ll find that it can be a valuable addition to your overall chest program.

Disclaimer

Information provided on this blog is solely for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not use this information for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing of any medications or supplements.

Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, diet or exercise program, before taking any medications or receiving treatment, particularly if you are currently under medical care. Make sure you carefully read all product labeling and packaging prior to use. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, do not take any supplements without first consulting and obtaining the approval of your healthcare provider.

© 2011 Vince Andrich Real BodyBuilding, Vince Andrich Uncensored, & www.vandrich.com. All Rights Reserved.