1.
Fit people tend to sweat more and sooner
than unfit people. Their bodies are more
efficient at cooling.
2.
When people start training as a result
of a New Year's Resolution, 60% have quit
by Valentine's Day.
3.
If your workout clothes smell like ammonia
after a workout, you're burning a lot
of protein for fuel. Ammonia is a byproduct
of protein metabolism. This is not a good
thing, as burning protein means you may
be burning your muscle tissue for energy
instead of carbohydrates or bodyfat.
4.
Men tend to overestimate their strength
while women tend to underestimate their
strength.
5.
To determine if your scale is correct,
set a dumbell or a weight plate on it.
If the numbers don't match, try another
weight and see if it's off by the same
amount. Adjust your scale accordingly.
6.
Sometimes a barbell exercise causes pain
while the dumbell version doesn't. This
occurs most often with the bench press
and the shoulder press. Dumbell don't
lock your joints into a certain pattern
of movement.
7.
There is no evidence to support the argument
that machines are safer than free weights,
according to studies.
8.
More bodyparts overlap in upper body training
than lower body training, giving legs
more recovery time. That's why you may
continue to progress in leg training while
your upper body plateaus.
9.
High-level endurance training (e.g. marathon
training) reduces testosterone levels
by 15 - 40%.
10.
Eating post-workout carbohydrates and
protein increases Growth Hormone levels.
11.
Acclimation to exercising in the heat
can take about 10 to 14 days. For each
two days of not exercising in heat, one
day of acclimation is lost.
12.
There is an indirect effect on other muscles
when you work a muscle. The bigger the
muscle, the greater the carryover. This
is one reason you should not neglect leg
training as the largest muscles in the
body are found in the legs and will have
the greatest impact on the rest of your
body.
13.
The initial adaptation to weight training
is neuromuscular (in the nervous system).
Your muscles are basically learning how
to fire efficiently. This is why beginning
trainers are often very shaky when they
first start lifting weights. Their muscles
haven't learned how to activate properly.
14.
Holding your breath during an exercise
to temporarily increase intra-abdominal
pressure is called the Valsalva maneuver.
While it can be effective in temporarily
increasing strength and stability, it
can be very dangerous, especially if you
have high blood pressure. It is, with
few exceptions, better to breathe while
lifting.
15.
Training intensity is properly measured
as a percentage of a person's One Rep
Max (the most weight they can lift for
a single rep). A high intensity means
a high percentage. It is technically not
a subjective measure of effort or facial
expression.
16.
The best performances in strength competitions
are seen in the afternoon and early evening.
This may be due to increased muscle temperature
later in the day. A lower temperature
may increase endurance however. Endurance
training may therefore be more effective
when done in the morning.
17.
Shorter rest periods (less than 1 minute)
will result in an increase in the hormones
related to muscle growth. However, lower
rest periods will result in decreased
strength during your workout. You will
get hypertrophy (muscle growth) at the
expense of strength.
18.
The intestine is the single largest receptor
of Growth Hormone in the body. This is
why people who take frequent Growth Hormone
injections often have distended (bloated)
abdomens. Natural levels of Growth Hormone
don't result in this effect.
19.
After a high volume of aerobic work, fast-twitch
muscle fibers (the larger more powerful
fibers) can act like slow-twitch muscle
fibers (the smaller, more endurance-oriented
fibers). This doesn't work the other way,
though. If your goal is to gain muscle,
decrease the frequency of your aerobic
work. The converted fast-twitch muscles
can revert to their original form after
about 4 to 8 months of aerobic detraining.
20.
The hormone Insulin signals the body that
there is enough sugar in the blood to
be burned for energy. This prevents the
fat cells from releasing fat. The hormone
Glucagon, which unlocks fat stores, can't
be released when insulin is present.
21.
The number of fat cells in our body is
predetermined by genetics, however, prolonged
overfeeding can cause fat cells to split
into more cells, especially during the
teen years. The more you have, the more
you have available to fill up and the
greater your potential for obesity.
22.
Men have about 18 times higher levels
of testosterone than women. Men with higher
natural testosterone levels gain muscle
faster. People who have a harder time
gaining muscle have lower testosterone
levels.
23.
The more deficient you are in vitamins
and minerals the more of an effect you
will notice from supplementation. Be careful
not to overdo it and take too much though.
24.
Strenuous exercise can double mineral
loss. Increased sweating is a major cause
of this.
25.
Vitamin capsules are generally better
than tablets as tablets can be compressed
so hard as to be indigestible.
26.
Minerals that enhance sleep, recovery,
healing, regeneration and growth like
zinc and magnesium should be taken on
an empty stomach before bed. The body's
maximum daily release of Growth Hormone
occurs 90 minutes into sleep. Zinc and
magnesium may increase the effects of
G.H. and peak absorption of these minerals
occurs after 90 minutes. Take 20-30 mg
of zinc and 400-500mg of magnesium.
27.
Sodium and calcium are removed via the
same mechanism in the body therefore when
you increase your sodium intake, your
body strives to maintain balance by excreting
more sodium. When 1 molecule of sodium
goes, it takes a molecule of calcium with
it. This can decrease bone mass in the
long term. If you have osteoporosis or
wish to prevent it, decrease your sodium
intake.
28.
Be careful what you eat grapefruit with.
Naringin (an enzyme found in grapefruits
- also called naringenin) may increase
the power of some drugs. It deactivates
enzymes in your stomach that normally
break down drugs. When mixed with alcohol,
test subjects ended up with four times
more alcohol in the blood.
29.
Canned grapefruit juice contains twice
the naringin (see above) of fresh grapefruit.
30.
Many people are overweight because they
are malnourished. Their body craves nutrients
so they are hungry. What they eat doesn't
supply the nutrients they need so they
are still hungry. Empty-calorie food is
the culprit.
31.
20% of the calories in protein are used
for digestion and assimilation. 8% of
the calories of carbs are used. The number
is only 2% for fat.
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32.
Alcohol acts as a direct toxin to
type 2 fast-twitch fibers, though
it doesn't affect slow twitch fibers
much. It increases protein breakdown
and decreases IGF-1 levels in blood
and muscles.
33.
Alcohol (even a little) before sleep
inhibits Growth Hormone secretion
by up to 75%.
34.
Reduce your alcohol intake if you
are interested in weight loss. One
bottle of wine equals one six pack
of beer. It can add 625 to 1100
calories to your diet. It is also
very easily stored as fat.
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35.
Two bananas a day for a week can reduce
blood pressure 10%, due to their high
potassium content.