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  • Protein Supplements Vs. Protein Foods

    Protein Supplements Vs. Protein Foods

    Title:Protein Supplements Vs. Protein Foods
    By line: By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
    URL: www.BurnTheFat.com
    Word count: 2455 words

    Protein Supplements Vs. Protein Foods? By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com

    Are protein supplements really better than protein foods? Before attempting to answer this question, I should first preface it by mentioning that I do not sell supplements, nor am I associated with any supplement company, so you’re getting an honest and unbiased opinion. Don’t get me wrong; I am not anti-supplement by any means. It would simply be more accurate to say that I am “pro-food.” There are a lot of good supplements on the market, and I’ve used many of them, including a multi vitamin, creatine and essential fatty acid (EFA) supplements such as Flaxseed oil. Protein powders and meal replacements can also be indispensable if you don’t have time to eat every three hours. However, protein supplements are not the master key to your success, real food is!

    Did you ever notice how articles about protein in certain bodybuilding magazines are seldom objective? Instead, they all seem to be slanted towards hyping some “revolutionary” new product. Did you ever wonder why? In my opinion, most articles on protein supplements are nothing more than thinly disguised advertisements (some very thinly). Sometimes they give you a very persuasive-sounding argument, replete with dozens of references from scientific studies (mostly done on rodents, of course). They even give you an 800 number at the end of the article to order. (How convenient!)

    When protein manufacturers throw around fancy words like cross flow microfiltration, oligopeptides, ion-exchange, protein efficiency ratio, biological value, nitrogen retention and glycomacropeptides, it sure sounds convincing, especially when scores of scientific references are cited. But don’t forget that the supplement industry is big business and most magazines are the supplement industry. Lyle McDonald, author of “The Ketogenic Diet,” hit the nail on the head when he wrote “Unfortunately, the obsession that bodybuilders have with protein has made them susceptible to all kinds of marketing hype. Like most aspects of bodybuilding (and the supplement industry in general), the issue of protein is driven more by marketing hype than physiological reality and marketing types know how to push a bodybuilder’s button when it comes to protein “

    Many nutrition “experts” (read: people who sell supplements), state that there are distinct advantages of protein supplements (powders and amino acid tablets) over whole foods. For example, they argue that whey, a by-product of the cheese-making process, is a higher quality protein than most whole food sources. There are many different methods of determining protein quality, including biological value (BV), protein efficiency ratio (PER), Net Protein Utilization (NPU), chemical score, and protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS). If you have ever seen advertisements for protein powders and supplements, you have undoubtedly heard of one or more of these measures of protein quality.

    BV is one of the most commonly used and is arguably, the best measure of a protein’s quality. BV is based on how much of the protein consumed is actually absorbed and utilized by the body. The higher the amount of protein (nitrogen) that is actually retained, the greater the BV. If a protein has a BV of 100, it means that all of the protein absorbed has been utilized with none lost. Whole eggs score the highest of all foods with a BV of 100, while beans have a BV of only 49.

    Protein quality is certainly an important issue, but it is one that has been enormously overstated and even distorted for marketing purposes. Whey protein is truly an excellent protein with a biological value at or near 100. Many advertisements list whey as having a BV between 104 and 157, but if you look in any nutrition textbook it will tell you that it is impossible to have a BV over 100. In “Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism,” BV is defined as “a measure of nitrogen retained for growth and/or maintenance that is expressed as a percentage of nitrogen absorbed.”

    When a protein supplement is listed as having a BV over 100, the company has intentionally manipulated the number for marketing purposes or unintentionally confused BV with another method of rating protein quality. Certain whey proponents claim that whey is “superior to whole egg” so the percentage sign on BV had to be dropped and the scale extended beyond 100. It was noted by bodybuilding writer Jerry Branium in IRONMAN magazine that in a study where the BV of whey was reported to be 157, the author confused BV with chemical score. Chemical score is a comparison of the amino acid pattern in an ideal reference protein to a test protein and therefore the number can exceed 100. 157 was actually the chemical score and not the BV.

    Most bodybuilders and strength athletes already consume more than enough protein (an understatement if there ever was one), so the importance of BV to these athletes who are already consuming copious amounts of protein has been overplayed. Even though whey has a higher BV than chicken breast, fish or milk protein, if the total quantity of protein you consume is sufficient, then it is not likely that substituting whey for food proteins will result in any additional muscle growth.

    Whether you choose a whole protein food or a protein supplement isn’t as important as some would like you to believe. For the purposes of developing muscle, the only guidelines for protein that you must follow are: (1) consume a source of complete protein with every meal, (2) eat at frequent intervals approximately three hours apart (about six times per day) and (3) consume a minimum of .8 grams to 1 gram per pound of body weight. There are times when it would be beneficial to consume more than one gram per pound of body weight, but that will have to be the subject of another article.

    Because whey protein does have a high BV, it probably offers the most benefits when you are dieting on very low calories. When your energy intake and correspondingly, your protein intake, are reduced, whey protein could help you get greater utilzation of the smaller amount of protein that you are taking in. In other words, choosing proteins of the highest quality is more of an issue when you are dieting than when you are focusing on mass gains when total calories and protein are being consumed in abundant amounts. Whey protein also provides a way to get high quality protein without the fat, which is also important when dieting.

    It has been suggested that whey may have other advantages besides high protein quality, although they are frequently overstated. These benefits include enhanced immunity, increased antioxidant activity and quick absorption. Several studies in “Clinical and Investigative Science” by Dr. Gerard Bounous of Montreal have shown that whey protein provides anti carcinogenic properties, protection from infections, and other enhanced immune responses. Whey protein was also been shown to raise levels of Glutathione, an important antioxidant that can offer protection from free radical oxidative damage. While such findings are very promising, all these studies, which are frequently quoted in whey protein advertisements, were performed on mice, so it is unclear how well the results extrapolate to humans.

    Another acknowledged benefit of whey protein is its fast absorption rate. Although there isn’t any evidence that protein supplements digest more efficiently than whole foods (as is often claimed), they are definitely digested faster. This is most important after a training session when the rates of protein synthesis and glycogen re-synthesis are increased. This is the reason it is often recommended that a liquid meal containing protein and a high glycemic carbohydrate be consumed immediately post-workout and that whey is the ideal protein for this purpose. Even in considering post-workout nutrition, there is still little proof that a liquid protein-carb complex will actually produce better muscular growth than whole foods, as long as complete whole food protein foods and complex carbohydrates are consumed immediately after the training session and every three waking hours for a period of 24 hours thereafter.

    Speaking of protein absorption rates, the discussion of fast acting versus slow acting proteins seems to be the latest hot topic these days in bodybuilding circles. The interest was sparked by studies in 1997 and 1998 that examined the differences between the absorption rates of whey versus casein. The researchers concluded that whey was a fast acting protein and was considered to be more “anabolic” while casein was slower acting and was considered to be more “anti-catabolic. ” It was further hypothesized that consuming a combination of these two types of proteins could lead to greater muscle growth. These findings have prompted the supplement companies to market an entirely new category of protein supplements; casein and whey mixes. The problem with drawing such conclusions so quickly is that these studies looked at the speed of whey and casein absorption in subjects who had fasted for 10 hours before being fed the protein. Any suppositions drawn from this information are probably irrelevant if you are eating mixed whole food meals every three hours. Obviously, more research is needed.

    This recent fascination with various rates of protein absorption could be compared to the interest in the glycemic index. The glycemic index is a scale that measures the rate at which the body converts various carbohydrate foods into blood glucose. The higher the glycemic index, the faster the food is converted to glucose and the larger the insulin response. Therefore it is said that high glycemic foods should be avoided in favor of low glycemic index foods. The error in relying solely on the glycemic index as your only criteria for choosing carbohydrates is that the index is based on consuming a carbohydrate food by itself in a fasted state.

    When carbohydrates are consumed in mixed meals that contain protein and a little fat, the glycemic index loses some of its significance because the protein and fat slow the absorption of the carbohydrate. That’s why the glycemic index is really much ado about nothing and the same could probably be said for the casein and whey argument. It’s just the latest in a long string of new angles that supplement companies use to promote their protein: free-form vs peptides, concentrate vs isolate, ion exchange vs microfiltration, soy vs whey, casein and whey mix vs pure whey and so on. Every year, you can count on some new twist on the protein story to appear. Certainly there are going to be advances in nutrition science, but all too often these “new discoveries” amount to nothing more than marketing hype.

    What about amino acid pills? Amino acids pills are simply predigested protein. Proponents of amino acid supplementation claim that because the amino’s are predigested, the body will absorb them better, leading to greater improvements in strength and muscle mass. It sounds logical, but this is a gross underestimation of the body’s capacities and actually the reverse is true: The human digestive system was designed to efficiently process whole foods; it was not designed to digest pills and powders all day long. Amino’s are absorbed more rapidly in the intestine when they are in the more complex di and tri-peptide molecules.

    Your body gets better use of the aminos as protein foods are broken down and the amino’s are absorbed at just the right rate for your body’s needs. In “Exercise Physiology; Energy Nutrition and Human Performance,” authors Katch and McArdle state that “Amino acid supplementation in any form has not been shown by adequate experimental design and methodology to increase muscle mass or significantly improve muscular strength, power, or endurance.”

    Furthermore, consuming predigested protein when you are seeking fat loss is not necessarily advantageous because it shortchanges you of the thermic effects of real food. Whole foods have a major advantage over protein supplements; they stimulate the metabolism more. This is known as the “thermic effect of food.” Protein has the highest thermic effect of any food. Including a whole protein food with every meal can speed up your metabolic rate as much as 30% because of the energy necessary to digest, process, and absorb it. This means that out of 100 calories of a protein food such as chicken breast, the net amount of calories left over after processing it is 70. In this respect, the fact that protein foods digest slower than amino acid tablets is actually an advantage.

    A final argument against amino acid supplements is the cost. Amino’s are simply not cost effective. If you don’t believe it, pick up a bottle and do the math yourself. One popular brand of “free form and peptide bonded amino acids” contains 150 1000mg. tablets per bottle and costs $19.95. 1000 mg. of amino acids equals 1 gram of protein, so the entire bottle contains 150 grams of protein. $19.95 divided by 150 grams is 13.3 cents per gram. Let’s compare that to chicken breast. I can buy chicken breast from my local supermarket for $2.99 a pound. According to Corinne Netzer’s “Complete Book of Food Counts,” there are 8.8 grams of protein in each ounce of chicken, so one pound of chicken (16 oz) has about 140 grams of protein. $2.99 divided by 140 grams equals 2.1 cents per gram. The amino acids cost more than six times what the chicken breast does! I don’t know about you, but I’ll stick with the chicken breast.

    The biggest advantage of protein supplements is not that they can build more muscle than chicken or egg whites or any other whole food protein, the biggest advantage is convenience. It is easier to drink a protein shake than it is to buy, prepare, cook and eat poultry, fish or egg whites. Consuming small, frequent meals is the optimal way to eat, regardless of whether your goal is fat loss or muscle gain. To keep your body constantly in positive nitrogen balance, you must consume a complete protein every three hours. For many people, eating this often is nearly impossible. That’s when a high quality protein supplement is the most helpful.

    Aside from convenience, the truth about protein supplements is that they offer few advantages over protein foods. There is no scientific evidence that you can’t meet all of your protein needs for muscle growth through food. As long as you eat every three hours and you eat a complete protein such as eggs, lean meat or lowfat dairy products with every meal, it is not necessary to consume any protein supplements to get outstanding results. Whey protein does have some interesting and useful properties and supplementing with a couple scoops each day is not a bad idea, especially if you are on a low calorie diet for fat loss or when you’re using a post workout shake instead of a meal. Aside from that, focus on real food and don’t believe the hype.

    References

    1) Groff, James, et al, Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism, West Publishing company, 1995.

    2) Fruhbeck, Gema. Slow and fast dietary proteins. Nature, 391: 843-844

    3) Boirie, Y. et al. Slow and fast dietary proteins differently modulate postprandial protein accretion. Proc National Acad Sci, 94: 14930-14935, 1997

    4) Lemon, Peter, Protein and Exercise: update, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Vol 19, No. 5, S179 – S190, 1987

    5) Carraro, F., et at, Effect of exercise and recovery on muscle protein synthesis in human subjects. Amer Journal of physiology, 259: E470, 1990

    6) Lemon, Peter, Is increased dietary protein necessary or beneficial for individuals with a physically active lifestyle? Nutrition reviews, 54:S 169-175, 1996

    7)Bounous, G., et al, The immunoenhancing property of dietary whey protein concentrate. Clinical and Investigational Medicine, 11: 271-278. 1988.

    8) Sadler, R., The benefits of dietary whey protein concentrate on the immune response and health. S Afr. J Dairy Sci, 24: No 24, 1992

    9) Bounous, G., Dietary whey protein inhibits the development of dimethylhydrazine-induced malignancy. Clinical and Investigational Medicine, 12: 213-217, 1988

    10) Bounous, G., et al, The biological activity of undenatured dietary whey protein; role of glutathione. Clinical and Investigational Medicine, 14: 4, 296-309, 1991

    11) Netzer, Corinne. The Complete Book of Food Counts. Dell Publishing, 1997

    12) Katch, Katch & McArdle, Exercise Physiology; Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance, Wiliams and Wilkins, 1996.

    About the Author:

    Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling e-book, “Burn theTom Venuto 8

    Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to burn

    fat without drugs or supplements using the little-known

    secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness

    models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-

    charge your metabolism by visiting:

    www.BurnTheFat.com.

  • 3500 Calories To Lose A Pound: Is This Formula All Wrong?

    3500 Calories To Lose A Pound: Is This Formula All Wrong?

    Title: 3500 Calories To Lose A Pound – Is This Formula All Wrong?
    By line: By Tom Venuto, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
    URL: www.BurnTheFat.com
    Word count: 1256 words

    3500 Calories To Lose A Pound – Is This Formula All Wrong? By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com

    Most fitness conscious people have heard that there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, so if you create a deficit of 3500 calories in a week, you lose a pound of weight. If you create a deficit of 7000 calories in a week, you lose two pounds, and so on. Right? Well, not so fast…

    Dr. Kevin Hall, an investigator at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda has done some interesting research about the mechanisms regulating human body weight. He recently published a new paper in the International Journal of Obesity that throws a wrench in works of the “3500 calories to lose a pound” idea.

    Some of the equations in his paper made my head hurt, but despite the complex math he used to come to his conclusions, his article clearly prompts the question, “3500 calories to lose a pound of WHAT?” His paper also contained a lot of simple and practical tips you can use to properly balance your caloric intake with output, fine tune your calorie deficit and help you retain more muscle when you diet.

    Below, I’ve distilled some of the information into a simple bullet-point summary that any non-scientist can understand. Then I wrap up with my interpretation of how you can apply this data in your own fat loss program:

    Calculating the calories required to lose a pound and fine-tuning your caloric deficit

    • 3500 calories to lose a pound has always been the rule of thumb. However, this 3500 calories figure goes back to research which assumed that all the weight lost would be adipose tissue (which would be ideal, of course).
    • But as we all know (unfortunately), lean body mass is lost along with body fat, which would indicate that the 3500 calorie figure could be an oversimplification.
    • The amount of lean body mass lost is based on initial body fat level and size of the calorie deficit
    • Lean people tend to lose more lean body mass and retain more fat.
    • Fat people tend to lose more body fat and retain more lean tissue (revealing why obese people can tolerate aggressive low calorie diets better than already lean people)
    • Very aggressive low calorie diets tend to erode lean body mass to a greater degree than more conservative diets.
    • whether the weight loss is lean or fat gives you the real answer of what is the required energy deficit per unit of weight loss
    • The metabolizable energy in fat is different than the metabolizable energy in muscle tissue. A pound of muscle is not 3500 calories. A pound of muscle yields about 600 calories.
    • If you lose lean body mass, then you lose more weight than if you lose fat.
    • If you create a 3500 calorie deficit in one week and you lose 100% body fat, you will lose one pound.
    • But if you create a 3500 calorie weekly deficit and as a result of that deficit, lose 100% muscle, you would lose almost 6 pounds of body weight! (of course, if you manage to lose 100% muscle, you will be forced to wear the Dieter’s Dunce cap)
    • If you have a high initial body fat percentage, then you are going to lose more fat relative to lean, so you may need a larger deficit to lose the same amount of weight as compared to a lean person
    • Creating a calorie deficit once at the beginning of a diet and maintaining that same caloric intake for the duration of the diet and after major weight loss fails to account for how your body decreases energy expenditure with reduced body weight
    • Weight loss typically slows down over time for a prescribed constant diet (the “plateau”). This is either due to the decreased metabolism mentioned above, or a relaxing of the diet compliance, or both (most people just can’t hack aggressive calorie reductions for long)
    • Progressive resistance training and or high protein diets can modify the proportion of weight lost from body fat versus lean tissue (which is why weight training and sufficient protein while on calorie restricted diets are absolute musts!)

    So, based on this info, should you throw out the old calorie formulas?

    Well, not necessarily. You can still use the standard calorie formulas to figure out how much you should eat, and you can use a 500-1000 calorie per day deficit (below maintenance) as a generic guideline to figure where to set your calories to lose one or two pounds per week respectively (at least that works “on paper” anyway).

    Even better however, you could use this info to fine tune your caloric deficit using a percentage method and also base your deficit on your starting body fat level, to get a much more personalized and effective approach:

    15-20% below maintenance calories = conservative deficit

    20-25% below maintenance calories = moderate deficit

    25-30% below maintenance calories = aggressive deficit

    31-40% below maintenance calories = very aggressive deficit (risky)

    50%+ below maintenance calories = semi starvation/starvation (potentially dangerous and unhealthy)

    (Note: According to exercise physiologists Katch& Mcardle, the average female between the ages of 23 and 50 has a maintenance level of about 2000-2100 calories per day and the average male about 2700-2900 calories per day)

    Usually, we would suggest starting with a conservative deficit of around 15-20% below maintenance. Based on this research, however, we see that there can be a big difference between lean and overweight people in how many calories they can or should cut.

    If you have very high body fat to begin with, the typical rule of thumb on calorie deficits may underestimate the deficit required to lose a pound. It may also be too conservative, and you can probably use a more aggressive deficit safely without as much worry about muscle loss or metabolic slowdown.

    If you are extremely lean, like a bodybuilder trying to get ready for competition, you would want to be very cautious about using aggressive calorie deficits. You’d be better off keeping the deficit conservative and starting your diet/cutting phase earlier to allow for a slow, but safe rate of fat loss, with maximum retention of muscle tissue.

    The bottom line is that it’s not quite so simple as 3,500 calories being the deficit to lose a pound. Like lots of other things in nutrition that vary from person to person, the ideal amount of calories to cut “depends”…

    Note: The Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle program not only has an entire chapter dedicated to helping you calculate your exact calorie needs, it was designed very specifically to keep a fairly conservative approach to caloric deficits and to maximize the amount of lean tissue you retain and minimize the amount of metabolic adaptation that occurs when you’re dieting. The approach may be more conservative, and the fat loss may be slower, but it has a better long term track record… You can either lose weight fast, sacrifice muscle and gain the fat back like 95% of people do, or lose fat slow and keep it off forever like the 5% of the people who know the secrets. The choice is yours. For more information, visit: http://www.burnthefat.com

    References:

    Forbes GB. Body fat content influences the body composition response to nutrition and exercise. Ann NY Acad Sci. 904: 359-365. 2000

    Hall, KD., What is the required energy deficit per unit of weight loss? Int J Obesity. 2007 Epub ahead of print.

    McArdle WD. Exercise physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human performance. 4td ed. Williams & Wilkins. 1996.

    Wishnofsky M. Caloric equivalents of gained or lost weight. Am J Clin Nutr. 6: 542-546.

    About the Author:

    Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialistTom Venuto 8

    (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the

    author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches

    you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using

    methods of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness

    models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase

    your metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com

  • The Low Body Fat Secret Of Bodybuilders & Fitness Models

    The Low Body Fat Secret Of Bodybuilders & Fitness Models

    Title: The Low Body Fat Secret Of Bodybuilders And Fitness Models
    By line: By Tom Venuto, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
    URL #1: www.BurnTheFat.com
    URL #2www.Burnthefatinnercircle.com
    Word count: 1322 words

    The Low Body Fat Secret Of Bodybuilders And Fitness Models
    By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
    www.BurnTheFat.com
    www.Burnthefatinnercircle.com

    The secret to getting super lean – I’m talking about being RIPPED, not just “average body fat” – is all about mastering the art of “peaking.” Most people do not have a clue about what it takes to reach the type of low body fat levels that reveal ripped six-pack abs, muscle striations, vascularity and extreme muscular definition, so they go about it completely the wrong way.

    Here’s a case in point: One of my newsletter subscribers recently sent me this question:

    Tom, on your www.burnthefat.com website, you wrote:

    ‘Who better to model than bodybuilders and fitness competitors? No athletes in the world get as lean as quickly as bodybuilders and fitness competitors. The transformations they undergo in 12 weeks prior to competition would boggle your mind! Only ultra-endurance athletes come close in terms of low body fat levels, but endurance athletes like triathaletes and marathoners often get lean at the expense of chewing up all their muscle. Some of them are nothing but skin and bone.’

    “There seems to be a contradiction unless I’m missing something. Why do bodybuilders and fitness competitors have to go through a 12 week ‘transformation’ prior to every event instead of staying ‘lean and mean’ all the time? If they practice the secrets exposed in your book, they should be staying in shape all the time instead of having to work at losing fat prior to every competitive event, correct?”

    There is a logical explanation for why bodybuilders and other physique athletes (fitness and figure competitors), don’t remain completely ripped all year round, and it’s the very reason they are able to get so ripped on the day of a contest…

    You can’t hold a peak forever or it’s not a “peak”, right? What is the definition of a peak? It’s a high point surrounded by two lower points isn’t it?

    Therefore, any shape you can stay in all year round is NOT your “peak” condition.

    The intelligent approach to nutrition and training (which almost all bodybuilders and fitness/figure competitors use), is to train and diet in a seasonal or cyclical fashion and build up to a peak, then ease off to a maintenance or growth phase.

    I am NOT talking about bulking up and getting fat and out of shape every year, then dieting it all off every year. What I’m talking about is going from good shape to great (peak) shape, then easing back off to good shape…. but never getting “out of shape.” Makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

    Here’s an example: I have no intentions whatsoever of walking around 365 days a year at 4% body fat like I appear in the photo on my website. Off-season, when I’m not competing, my body fat is usually between 8 – 10%. Mind you, that’s very lean and still single digit body fat.

    I don’t stray too far from competition shape, but I don’t maintain contest shape all the time. It takes me 12-14 weeks or so to gradually drop from 9.5% to 3.5%-4.0% body fat to “peak” for competition with NO loss of lean body mass…using the same techniques I reveal in my e-book.

    It would be almost impossible to maintain 4% body fat, and even if I could, why would I want to? For the few weeks prior to competition I’m so depleted, ripped, and even “drawn” in the face, that complete strangers walk up and offer to feed me.

    Okay, so I’m just kidding about that, but let’s just say being “being ripped to shreds” isn’t a desirable condition to maintain because it takes such a monumental effort to stay there. It’s probably not even healthy to try forcing yourself to hold extreme low body fat. Unless you’re a natural “ectomorph” (skinny, fast metabolism body type), your body will fight you. Not only that, anabolic hormones may drop and sometimes your immune system is affected as well. It’s just not “normal” to walk around all the time with literally no subcutaneous body fat.

    Instead of attempting to hold the peak, I cycle back into a less demanding off-season program and avoid creeping beyond 9.9% body fat. Some years I’ve stayed leaner – like 6-7%, (which takes effort), especially when I knew I would be photographed, but I don’t let my body fat go over 10%.

    This practice isn’t just restricted to bodybuilders. Athletes in all sports use periodization to build themselves up to their best shape for competition. Is a pro football player in the same condition in March-April as he is in August-September? Not a chance. Many show up fat and out of shape (relatively speaking) for training camp, others just need fine tuning, but none are in peak form… that’s why they have training camp!!!

    There’s another reason you wouldn’t want to maintain a “ripped to shreds” physique all year round – you’d have to be dieting (calorie restricted) all the time. And this is one of the reasons that 95% of people can’t lose weight and keep it off –they are CHRONIC dieters… always on some type of diet. Know anyone like that?

    You can’t stay on restricted low calories indefinitely. Sooner or later your metabolism slows down and you plateau as your body adapts to the chronically lowered food intake. But if you diet for fat loss and push incredibly hard for 3 months, then ease off for a while and eat a little more (healthy food, not “pigging out”), your metabolic rate is re-stimulated. In a few weeks or months, you can return to another fat loss phase and reach an even lower body fat level, until you finally reach the point that’s your happy maintenance level for life – a level that is healthy and realistic – as well as visually appealing.

    Bodybuilders have discovered a methodology for losing fat that’s so effective, it puts them in complete control of their body composition. They’ve mastered this area of their lives and will never have to worry about it again. If they ever “slip” and fall off the wagon like all humans do at times … no problem! They know how to get back into shape fast.

    Bodybuilders have the tools and knowledge to hold a low body fat all year round (such as 9% for men, or about 15% for women), and then at a whim, to reach a temporary “peak” of extremely low body fat for the purpose of competition. Maybe most important of all, they have the power and control to slowly ease back from peak shape into maintenance, and not balloon up and yo-yo like most conventional dieters!

    What if you had the power to stay lean all year round, and then get super lean when summer rolled around, or when you took your vacation to the Caribbean, or when your wedding date was coming up? Wouldn’t you like to be in control of your body like that? Isn’t that the same thing that bodybuilders and fitness/figure competitors do, only on a more practical, real-world level?

    So even if you have no competitive aspirations whatsoever, don’t you agree that there’s something of value everyone could learn from physique athletes? Don’t model yourself after the huge crowd of losers who gobble diet pills, buy exercise gimmicks and suffer through starvation diets like automatons, only to gain back everything they lost! Instead, learn from the leanest athletes on Earth – natural bodybuilders and fitness competitors…

    These physique athletes get as ripped as they want to be, exactly when they want to, simply by manipulating their diets in a cyclical fashion between pre-contest “cutting” programs and off season “maintenance” or “muscle growth” programs. Even if you have no desire to ever compete, try this seasonal “peaking” approach yourself and you’ll see that it can work as well for you as it does for elite bodybuilders.

    If you’re interested in learning even more secrets of bodybuilders and fitness models, visit the Burn The Fat website at: www.BurnTheFat.com

     

    About the Author:

    Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer (CPT)Tom Venuto 8

    and a certified strength& conditioning specialist (CSCS).

    Tom is the author of the #1 best-selling e-book, “Burn the

    Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean

    without drugs or supplements using the secrets of the

    world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how

    to get rid of stubborn body fat and increase your

    metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com. To learn more about Tom’s Fat Loss

    Support Community, visit: www.Burnthefatinnercircle.com

  • The Double-Edged Sword of “Healthy” Fast Food

    The Double-Edged Sword of “Healthy” Fast Food

    Title: The Double-Edged Sword of “Healthy” Fast Food
    By line: By Tom Venuto
    URL: www.BurnTheFat.com
    Word count: 981 words

    The Double-Edged Sword of “Healthy” Fast Food By Tom Venuto www.BurnTheFat.com

    What’s on the menu at the big fast food chains lately? Oddly  enough, the answer is…“health food!” Even more incongruous, many are marketing  their food for weight loss. Healthy weight loss food at Taco Bell and  McDonalds? Is this a noble move to be applauded, is it a big corporate money  grab, or is it a double edged sword?

    Remember Jared Fogle, the Subway guy? He lost 245 pounds  while eating at Subway regularly. He simply picked the lower calorie menu  items.  Seeing an opportunity, the local  store owner pitched Subway corporate with an idea. Before long, Jared was the company  spokesperson in their nationwide advertising campaigns which became known as  The Subway Diet.

    Sales doubled to 8.2 billion. How much the increase came  from the weight loss ads is unknown, but there’s little doubt that using weight  loss as a marketing platform was a boon for the sandwich maker. Other fast food  chains picked up the weight loss torch where Subway left off.

    The latest is the Taco    Bell Drive through diet, with their own skinny  spokesperson: Christine! The ads, which are admittedly conservative, perhaps  due to more stringent FTC laws, say Christine lost 54 lbs over 2 years by  reducing her calories to 1250 a day, and choosing Taco Bell’s new lower calorie  “Fresco” items.

    These include “7 diet items with 150 to 240 calories and  under 9 grams of fat.” For example, there’s a chicken soft taco with only 170 calories  and 4 grams of fat.

    For people who refuse to give up eating at fast food  restaurants, this is arguably a positive thing. Take my brother for example,  He’s not a total junk food junkie, but left to his own devices, he WILL make a  beeline to Taco Bell and McDonalds.

    I went to McDonalds with him a few months ago (I was dragged  there), and he was about to order a bacon cheeseburger. I glanced at the menu  and said, “That’s 790 calories!” I glanced down at his belly then continued,  “Look, they have chicken wraps. Why don’t you have one of those?” Without  questioning me, he agreed, apparently happy to get any McDonalds fix.

    Right there at the counter they had the nutrition  information sheets:

    McDonald’s honey mustard grilled chicken wrap: 260 calories,  9 grams fat, 27 grams of carbs, 18 grams of protein.

    That saved him 530 calories. Am I happy there was something  with only 260 calories on the menu? Absolutely. Do I applaud the fast food  restaurants for offering lower calorie choices? You bet. But the big question  is: are these really “healthy choices?”

    A few journalists and bloggers recently answered, “These  fast food diet items are NOT healthy, they’re only ‘healthi-ER.’”

    I think they’re both mistaken. I think this food is not  healthy nor is it healthier. It’s only lower in calories. If you eat lower  calorie food, that can help you lose weight and if you lose weight, that can  improve your health. But what if your definition of healthy food includes nutrition,  nutrient density and absence of artificial ingredients?

    Let’s take a look at that very low calorie chicken wrap. Is  it really healthier just because it’s got 1/3 the calories of a bacon  cheeseburger?

    Here’s the ingredients straight from McDonald’s website:

    McDonald’s Grilled Chicken Breast Filet (wrap): Chicken  breast filets with rib meat, water, seasoning (salt, sugar, food  starch-modified, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract,  hydrolyzed [corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten] proteins, garlic powder, paprika,  chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal source), caramel  color, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, onion powder, extractives of paprika),  modified potato starch, and sodium phosphates. CONTAINS: SOY AND WHEAT.  Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially  hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil,  soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate  (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta  carotene (color). (and don’t forget the 800 mg of sodium).

    HOLY CRAP! Shouldn’t chicken breast be just one ingredient…  chicken breast?

    This is not food. It’s more like what author Michael Pollan  would call an “edible food-like substance.”

    What about the honey mustard sauce? The first ingredient  after water is… SUGAR!

    The flour tortilla ingredients? Enriched bleached wheat  flour, also made with vegetable shortening (may contain one or more of the  following: hydrogenated soybean oil, soybean oil, partially hydrogenated  soybean oil, hydrogenated cottonseed oil with mono- and diglycerides added),  contains 2% or less of the following: sugar, leavening (sodium aluminum  sulfate, calcium sulfate, sodium phosphate, baking soda, corn starch,  monocalcium phosphate), salt, wheat gluten, dough conditioners, sodium  metabisulfite, distilled monoglycerides.

    Trans fats? Sugar? Aluminum? Stuff you can’t pronounce and  have to look up to find out it’s preservatives and disinfectants?

    Don’t confuse the issues: weight loss and health…. Calories  and nutrition. There IS a difference, and that is what makes “healthy” fast  food a double edged sword at best.

    Some people, like my brother, simply aren’t going to give up  fast food completely. If I can get him to make better bad choices, that could  help him control his weight. If that works, then I’m pleased that the fast food  restaurants have such choices to offer.

    But if you wanted to make a good choice – a healthy choice –  you’d forget about “driving through” anywhere on a regular basis. You’d shop  for whole, fresh, natural real food, keep a well-stocked kitchen… and learn how  to cook.

    The Subway diet, the Drive Through diet, or the Weight  Watchers approved McDonalds menu (yes its true, what a pair that is!) Don’t kid  yourself – this is not only not healthy, it’s not healthier – it’s lower  calorie junk food.

    “Welcome to our  restaurant sir. Would you like a large plate of dog poo or a small plate of dog  poo?”

    “No thank you, I will  take neither. No matter what the serving size, crap is still crap.”

    Train hard and expect success!

    Tom Venuto, author of www.BurnTheFat.com

    Founder & CEO of www.BurnTheFat/InnerCircle

    About the Author:

    Tom Venuto is the author of the #1 best   seller, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle:   Fat

    Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom   is a Tom Venuto 8

    lifetime natural bodybuilder and fat loss expert who

    achieved an   astonishing 3.7% body fat level without

    drugs or supplements. Discover how to   increase your

    metabolism and burn stubborn body fat, find out which

    foods burn   fat and which foods turn to fat, plus get a

    free fat loss report and mini course   by visiting Tom’s

    site at: www.BurnTheFat.com

  • Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT????

    Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT????

    Title: Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT????
    By line: By Tom Venuto, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
    URL: www.BurnTheFat.com

    Word count: 1860 words

    Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT????

    By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com

    High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT for short, has been promoted as one of the most effective training methods ever to come down the pike, both for fat loss and for cardiovascular fitness. One of the most popular claims for HIIT is that it burns “9 times more fat” than conventional (steady state) cardio. This figure was extracted from a study performed by Angelo Tremblay at Laval University in 1994. But what if I told you that HIIT has never been proven to be 9 times more effective than regular cardio… What if I told you that the same study actually shows that HIIT is 5 times less effective than steady state cardio??? Read on and see the proof for yourself.

    “There are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics.”

    – Mark Twain

    In 1994, a study was published in the scientific journal Metabolism by Angelo Tremblay and his team from the Physical Activity Sciences Laboratory at Laval University in Quebec, Canada. Based on the results of this study, you hear personal trainers across the globe claiming that “HIIT burns 9 times more fat than steady state cardio.”

    This claim has often been interpreted by the not so scientifically literate public as meaning something like this: If you burned 3 pounds of fat in 15 weeks on steady state cardio, you would now burn 27 pounds of fat in 15 weeks (3 lbs X 9 times better = 27 lbs).

    Although it’s usually not stated as such, frankly, I think this is what some trainers want you to believe, because the programs that some trainers promote are based on convincing you of the vast superiority of HIIT and the “uselessness” of low intensity exercise.

    Indeed, higher intensity exercise is more effective and time efficient than lower intensity exercise. The question is, how much more effective? There’s no evidence that the “9 times more fat loss” claim is true outside the specific context in which it was mentioned in this study.

    In order to get to the bottom of this, you have to read the full text of the research paper and you have to look very closely at the results.

    13 men and 14 women age 18 to 32 started the study. They were broken into two groups, a high intensity intermittent training program (HIIT) and a steady state training program which they referred to as endurance training (ET).

    The ET group completed a 20 week steady state aerobic training program on a cycle ergometer 4 times a week for 30 minutes, later progressing to 5 times per week for 45 minutes. The initial intensity was 60% of maximal heart rate reserve, later increasing to 85%.

    The HIIT group performed 25-30 minutes of continuous exercise at 70% of maximal heart rate reserve and they also progressively added 35 long and short interval training sessions over a period of 15 weeks. Short work intervals started at 10 then 15 bouts of 15 seconds, increasing to 30 seconds. Long intervals started at 5 bouts of 60 seconds, increasing to 90 seconds. Intensity and duration were progressively increased over the 15 week period.

    The results: 3 times greater fat loss in the HIIT group

    Even though the energy cost of the exercise performed in the ET group was twice as high as the HIIT group, the sum of the skinfolds (which reflects subcutaneous body fat) in the HIIT group was three times lower than the ET group.

    So where did the “9 times greater fat loss” claim come from?

    Well, there was a difference in energy cost between groups, so in order to show a comparison of fat loss relative to energy cost, Tremblay wrote,

    “It appeared reasonable to correct changes in subcutaneous fat for the total cost of training. This was performed by expressing changes in subcutaneous skinfolds per megajoule of energy expended in each program.”

    Translation: The subjects did not lose 9 times more body fat, in absolute terms. But hey, 3 times more fat loss? You’ll gladly take that, right?

    Well hold on, because there’s more. Did you know that in this oft-quoted study, neither group lost much weight? In fact, if you look at the charts, you can see that the HIIT group lost 0.1 kg (63.9 kg before, 63.8 kg after). Yes, the HIIT group lost a whopping 100 grams of weight in 15 weeks!

    The ET group lost 0.5 kilograms (60.6 kg before, 60.1 kg after).

    Naturally, lack of weight loss while skinfolds decrease could simply mean that body composition improved (lean mass increased), but I think it’s important to highlight the fact that the research study from which the “9 times more fat” claim was derived did not result in ANY significant weight loss after 15 weeks.Based on these results, if I wanted to manipulate statistics to promote steady state cardio, I could go around telling people, “Research study says steady state cardio (endurance training) results in 5 times more weight loss than high intensity interval training!” Or the reverse, “Clinical trial proves that high intensity interval training is 5 times less effective than steady state cardio!”

    Mind you, THIS IS THE SAME STUDY THAT IS MOST OFTEN QUOTED TO SUPPORT HIIT!

    If I said 5 X greater weight loss with steady state, I would be telling the truth, wouldn’t I? (100 grams of weight loss vs 500 grams?) Of course, that would be misleading because the weight loss was hardly significant in either group and because interval training IS highly effective. I’m simply being a little facetious in order to make a point: Be careful with statistics. I have seen statistical manipulation used many times in other contexts to deceive unsuspecting consumers.

    For example, advertisements for a popular fat burner claim that use of their supplement resulted in twice as much fat loss, based on scientific research. The claim was true. Of course, in the ad, they forget to tell you that after six months, the control group lost no weight, while the supplement group lost only 1.0 kilo. Whoop de doo! ONE KILO of weight loss after going through a six month supply of this “miracle fat burner!”

    But I digress…

    Back to the HIIT story – there’s even more to it.

    In the ET group, there were some funky skinfold and circumference measurements. ALL of the skinfold measurements in the ET group either stayed the same or went down except the calf measurement, which went up.

    The girths and skinfold measurements in the limbs went down in the HIIT group, but there wasn’t much difference between HIIT and ET in the trunk skinfolds. These facts are all very easy to miss. I didn’t even notice it myself until exercise physiologist Christian Finn pointed it out to me. Christian said,

    “When you look at the changes in the three skinfold measurements taken from the trunk, there wasn’t that much difference between the steady state group (-6.3mm) and the HIIT group (-8.7 mm). So, much of the difference in subcutaneous fat loss between the groups wasn’t because the HIIT group lost more fat, but because the steady state group actually gained fat around the calf muscles. We shouldn’t discount simple measurement error as an explanation for these rather odd results.”

    Christian also pointed out that the two test groups were not evenly matched for body composition at the beginning of the study. At the beginning of the study, the starting body fat based on skinfolds in the HIIT group was nearly 20% higher than the ET group. He concluded:

    “So while this study is interesting, weaknesses in the methods used to track changes in body composition mean that we should treat the results and conclusions with some caution.”

    One beneficial aspect of HIIT that most trainers forget to mention is that HIIT may actually suppress your appetite, while steady state cardio might increase appetite. In a study such as this, however, that can skew the results. If energy intake were not controlled, then some of the greater fat loss in the HIIT group could be due to lowered caloric intake.

    Last but not least, I’d like to highlight the words of the researchers themselves in the conclusion of the paper, which confirms the effectiveness of HIIT, but also helps put it in perspective a bit:

    “For a given level of energy expenditure, a high intensity training program induces a greater loss of subcutaneous fat compared with a training program of moderate intensity.”

    “It is obvious that high intensity exercise cannot be prescribed for individuals at risk for health problems or for obese people who are not used to exercise. In these cases, the most prudent course remains a low intensity exercise program with a progressive increase in duration and frequency of sessions.”

    In conclusion, my intention in writing this article wasn’t to be controversial, to be a smart-alec or to criticize HIIT. To the contrary, additional research has continued to support the efficacy of HIIT for fat loss and fitness, not to mention that it is one of the most time efficient ways to do cardiovascular training.

    I have recommended HIIT for years in my Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program, using a 1:1 long interval approach, which, while only one of many ways to do HIIT, is probably my personal favorite method. However, I also recommend steady state cardio and even low intensity cardio like walking, when it is appropriate.

    My intentions for writing this article were four-fold:

    1. To encourage you to question where claims come from, especially if they sound too good to be true. 2. To alert you to how advertisers might use research such as this to exaggerate with statistics. 3. To encourage the fitness community to swing the pendulum back to center a bit, by not over-selling the benefits of HIIT beyond what can be supported by the scientific research. 4. To encourage the fitness community, that even as they praise HIIT, not to condemn lower and moderate intensity forms of cardio.

    As the original author of the 1994 HIIT study himself pointed out, HIIT is not for everyone, and cardio should be prescribed with progression. Also, mountains of other research has proven that walking (GASP! – low intensity cardio!) has always been one of the most successful exercise methods for overweight men and women.

    There is ample evidence which says that obesity may be the result of a very slight daily energy imbalance, which adds up over time. Therefore, even a small amount of casual exercise or activity, if done consistently, and not compensated for with increased food intake, could reverse the obesity trend. HIIT gets the job done fast, but that doesn’t mean low intensity cardio is useless or that you should abandon your walking program, if you have the time and if that is what you enjoy and if that is what’s working for you in your personal situation.

    The mechanisms and reasons why HIIT works so well are numerous. It goes way beyond more calories burned during the workout.

    Train hard and expect success,

    Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS Fat Loss Coach www.BurnTheFat.com

    Reference: Tremblay, Angelo, et al. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism. Vol 43. no 7 (July). Pp 814-818. 1994..

    About the Author:

    Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness Tom Venuto 8

    writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The

    Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without

    drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best

    bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of

    stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting:

    www.BurnTheFat.com

  • The New Visualization Breakthrough: Mental Training Tactics For Health And Fitness Success

    The New Visualization Breakthrough: Mental Training Tactics For Health And Fitness Success

    Title: The New Visualization Breakthrough: Mental Training Tactics For Health And Fitness Success
    By line: By Tom Venuto, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
    URL: BurnTheFat.com
    Word count: 1500 words

    The New Visualization Breakthrough: Mental Training Tactics For Health And Fitness Success

    By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com

    Understanding the mind’s role in motivation and behavior is one of the most critical elements in fitness success. If you struggle with changing habits and behaviors or if you can’t get motivated, then even the best training and nutrition program is not much help.

    A fascinating fact about your subconscious mind is that it’s completely deductive in nature. In other words, it’s fully capable of working backwards from the end to the means. You don’t need to know how to reach a goal at the time you set the goal. If you “program” only the desired outcome successfully into your “mental computer,” then your subconscious will take over and help you find the information and means and carry out the actions necessary to reach it.

    Many people are familiar with affirmations and goal-setting as ways to give instructions to your subconscious mind. But perhaps the ultimate mental training” technique is visualization. In one respect, affirmation and visualization are the same, because when you speak or think an affirmation first, that triggers a mental image, being as the human brain “thinks” in pictures.

    You can use visualization to plant goals into your subconscious mind. You simply close your eyes, use your imagination and mentally create pictures and run movies of your desired results. For example, in your mind’s eye, you can see the “body of your dreams”. If repeated consistently with emotion, mental images are accepted by your subconscious as commands and this helps with changing habits, behavior and performance.

    Although there are some new and creative ways to use visualization, (which you are about to learn), this is not a new technique. Visualization has been used formally in the fields of sports psychology and personal development for decades and philosophers have discussed it for centuries:

    “If you want to reach your goal, you must ‘see the reaching’ in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.”

    – Zig Ziglar

    “The use of mental imagery is one of the strongest and most effective strategies for making something happen for you.”

    – Dr. Wayne Dyer

    “Creative visualization is the technique of using your imagination to create what you want in your life.”

    – Shakti Gawain

    “Perhaps the most effective method of bringing the subconscious into practical action is through the process of making mental pictures – using the imagination.”

    – Claude Bristol

    “There is a law in psychology that if you form a picture in your mind of what you would like to be, and you keep and hold that picture there long enough, you will soon become exactly as you have been thinking.”

    – William James, 1842-1910, Psychologist and Author

    Despite these glowing endorsements and a long track record, some people can’t get past feeling that this is just a “hokey” self-help technique. Rest assured, however, that visualization is an effective and time-tested method for increasing personal success that has been used by some of the highest achievers the world.

    The Soviets started to popularize visualization in sports psychology back in the 1970’s, as detailed in Charles Garfield’s landmark book, “Peak Performance.” They dominated in many sports during that period, which validated visualization anecdotally.

    In the last 10-15 years, there has been some groundbreaking new brain research which has validated visualization scientifically. Here’s something that was written recently by Dr. Richard Restak, a neuroscientist and author of 12 books about the human brain:

    “The process of imagining yourself going through the motions of a complex musical or athletic performance activates brain areas that improve your performance. Brain scans have placed such intuitions on a firm neurological basis. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans reveal that the mental rehearsal of an action activates the prefontal areas of the brain responsible for the formulation of the appropriate motor programs. In practical terms, this means you can benefit from the use of mental imagery.”

    So much for visualization being a “cheesy” self-help technique.

    Although visualization is widely used today, even people who are familiar with it often don’t realize its many applications. Arguably the most common use of visualization is by athletes, musicians and other performers as a form of “mental rehearsal.” Research shows that “practicing in your mind” is almost as effective as practicing physically, and that doing both is more effective than either one alone.

    A common use of visualization in the fitness context is “goal visualization.” In your mind’s eye, you can see yourself having already achieved your physique goal or your ideal goal weight. You can also visualize a specific performance goal such as completing a difficult workout or a heavy lift like a squat or bench press.

    One creative way you can use mental imagery is called “process visualization.” Once you’ve set your goals, it’s easy to come up with a list of the daily habits, behaviors and action steps necessary to reach your goal. So write down the action steps and visualize them – the entire process, not just the end result. See yourself food shopping and grabbing fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, ordering healthy foods from restaurant menus, saying no to sodas and drinking water instead, and going to the gym consistently and having killer workouts. Some people visualize their entire “perfect day” as they would want it to unfold. When you do this as vividly, emotionally and in as much detail as you can, you will be neurologically priming your brain to carry out those behaviors.

    The least known of all mental imagery techniques is called “physiology visualization.” An example would be picturing the fat burning process in your body or seeing the muscle fibers growing larger and larger. Using this technique, could it be possible that you might be giving subconscious instructions to your body’s cells, organs and tissues?

    Well, consider the work of Dr. Carl Simonton, a physician and cancer researcher who taught his patients (as one part of a comprehensive program), how to visualize powerful immune cells devouring the cancer cells. I’m not suggesting that you can cure cancer or materialize a lean and muscular body just by visualizing, (there’s a step in between thought and manifestation – it’s called action – a step that many self help ‘experts’ forget to mention). However, thoughts and mental images are the precursors to action and the fact that a mind-body connection definitely exists makes this an exciting prospect.

    Scientists have established the mind-body link in many contexts, and not just by the existence of a placebo effect. There’s also direct evidence as in the way emotional stress can contribute to physical disease. The mind does influence the body! The mere fact that a branch of science has been devoted to this area is proof that it deserves critical investigation and is not just the domain of infomercial self help gurus. The science is called psychoneuroimmunology.

    Using “physiology visualization,” you could, even in the middle of a workout, imagine the fat burning process taking place, and visualize fat being released from adipose tissue storage in your abdominal region or elsewhere. You could see the free fatty acids entering your bloodstream, being carried to the working muscles and being burned for energy in the muscle cells. You could also visualize the physiology of muscle growth.

    To make your imagery as accurate and detailed as possible, my best suggestion is to refer to an anatomy & physiology textbook that shows pictures of fat cells, blood vessels, myofibrils, motor units, sarcomeres, and cell organelles like the mitochondria, so you know what the structures look like. You could also get more details about the processes by looking up lipolysis, hypertrophy or beta oxidation.

    Even if you had no idea what the internal structure and workings of the body were like, you could still use this method. Your body responds to mental imagery even if it isn’t anatomically correct. We know from the field of hypnosis that the subconscious mind responds well to metaphor – maybe even better than literal suggestions. Facts and logic are the domain of the conscious mind, while emotion and metaphor can slip right past the conscious and into the subconscious. Dr. Simonton often wrote about his young patients who created (metaphorical) mental images of immune system cells as “knights in shining armor”, slaying “the dragon” of cancer cells.

    One of your greatest mental powers is imagination. You can visualize anything you want and you can embellish and exaggerate your imagery as much as you want. For example, you could imagine the free fatty acids being burned for energy in the “cellular powerhouse” – the mitochondria – and you could imagine the mitochondria as a fiery furnace… “incinerating” the fat! I think it’s a pretty cool idea to “see” your fat cells shrinking and visualize your body as a “fat burning furnace.”

    Should you not believe that there’s anything to the physiology visualization technique, that’s ok, because we know that the subconscious is deductive. Just give it a goal, tell it what you want and it will get you there automatically by altering your attention and behavior. Therefore, we can be confident that physiology visualization will be effective even if only as a subconscious directive about your desired goal. If science someday provides us with conclusive evidence that visualization actually does cause cellular – physiological changes in the body, well, that’s just all the better.

    About the Author:

    Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialistTom Venuto 8

    (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the

    author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches

    you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using

    methods of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness

    models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase

    your metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com

  • 2 Cardio Mistakes You’re Still Making

    2 Cardio Mistakes You’re Still Making

    Title: 2 Cardio Mistakes You’re Still Making
    By line: By Tom Venuto, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
    URL: www.burnthefat.com
    Word count: 999 words

    2 Cardio Mistakes You’re Still Making

    By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com

    The controversies over cardio for fat loss are  endless: steady state versus intervals, fed versus fasted, long and easy versus  short and intense, and so on. Obviously there is a lot of interest in cardio  training and how to do it right. Sadly, most people are still doing 2 things  terribly wrong and it’s killing their results…… As best as I can figure, there  are two major reasons why people are still mucking up their cardio programs for  fat loss.

    REASON #1: NOT ENOUGH FOCUS ON TOTAL CALORIES BURNED

    Most people aren’t burning enough darn calories.

    Why? Well, I guess they are too busy worrying about the “proper” type of exercise (which machine or activity), the mode (steady state or intervals), the “optimal” ratio of intervals, or the “best” duration.Some people coast along on the treadmill at 2.3 miles per hour or some similar sloth-like pace and they think that just by hitting a TIME goal, such as 45 or 60 minutes, that with “X” duration completed, they are assured to get the results they want. On the other extreme, we have folks who have found or created some mega-intense, super-duper short training protocol like the “4-minute wonder workout from Japan.” Just because the workout is high in intensity and it is performed in intervals, they too think they are assured to get the results they want.

    What’s missing in both cases is the realization that total fat loss over time is a function of total calories burned over time (assuming you don’t blow your diet, of course).

    AND…

    Total calories burned is a product of INTENSITY times DURATION, not intensity OR duration.

    Too much focus on one variable at the exclusion of the other can lead to a less than optimal total calorie burn and disappointing results. And remember, intensity and duration are *variables* not absolutes! (“Variable” means you can change them… even if your “guru” says you can’t!)

    When you understand the relationship and interplay between INTENSITY X DURATION you will find a “SWEET SPOT” where the product of those variables produces the maximal calorie burn and maximum fat loss, based on your current health condition and your need for time efficiency.

    REASON #2: TOO MUCH FOCUS ON WHAT TYPE OF CALORIES BURNED

    As best as I can figure, there is one whopper of a mistake that is still KILLING most people’s cardio programs and that is…

    Way too much focus on WHAT you are burning during the workout – fats or carbohydrates – also known as “substrate utilization.”

    This idea comes from the notorious “fat burning zone” myth which actually tells people to exercise SLOWER and LESS intensely to burn more fat.

    Hold on a minute. Pop quiz. Which workout burns more calories?

    (A) A 30 minute leisurely stroll through the park

    (B) A 30 minute, sweat-pouring, heart-pounding, lung-burning run?

    Like, DUH!

    And yet we have trainers, authors and infomercial gurus STILL telling us we have to slow down if we want to burn more fat??? Bizarre.

    The reason people still buy it is because the “fat burning zone” myth sounds so plausible because of two little science facts:

    • The higher your intensity, the more carbs you burn during the workout
    • The lower your intensity, the more fat you burn during the workout

    And that’s the problem. You should be focusing on total calories and total fat burned during the workout and all day long, not just what type or percentage of fuel you are burning during the workout.

    It’s not that fat oxidation doesn’t matter, but what if you have a high percentage of fat oxidation but an extremely low number of calories burned?

    If you really want to be in the “fat burn zone,” you could sit on your couch all day long and that will keep you there quite nicely because “couch sitting” is a really low intensity (“fat-burning”) activity.

    (Of course, “couch sitting” only burns 37 calories per half hour…)

    HERE’S THE FAT-BURNING SOLUTION!

    In both cases, the solution to burning more fat is drop dead simple: Focus your attention on how you can burn more TOTAL calories during your workout and all day long. If you want to burn more fat, burn more calories and you can do that by manipulating ANY of the variables : intensity, duration and also frequency. If you build your training program around this concept, you will be on the right track almost every time.

    BUT WAIT – THERE IS MORE TO IT…

    Naturally, we could argue that it’s not quite this simple and that there are hundreds of other reasons why your cardio program might not be working… and I would agree, of course. But on the exercise side, the ideas above should be foremost in your mind.

    On the nutrition side, you have to get your act together there too.

    For example, many people increase their food intake at the same time as they start a cardio training program thereby putting back in every calorie they burned during the workout! Then some of them have the nerve to say, “SEE, cardio doesn’t work!”

    Incidentally, this is the exact reason that a few studies show that adding cardio or aerobic training to a diet “did not improve fat loss”: It’s not because the cardio didn’t work, it was because the researchers didn’t control for diet and the subjects ate more!!

    It should go without saying that nutrition is the foundation on which every fat loss program is built.

    Choose the combination of type, intensity, duration and frequency that suits your lifestyle and preferences the best, and WORK THE VARIABLES to get the fat loss results you want, but whichever cardio program you choose, remember that a solid fat burning nutrition program, such as Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is necessary to help you make the most of it.

    Train hard and expect success,

    Tom Venuto Fat Loss Coach www.BurnTheFat.com

    About the Author:

    Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness Tom Venuto 8

    writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The

    Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without

    drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best

    bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of

    stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting:

    www.burnthefat.com

     

  • Killer Abs! Old School Style

    Killer Abs! Old School Style

    Title: Killer Abs! Old School Style

    By  Line: Tom Venuto

    Website: www.BurnTheFat.com!

    Word Count: 3818

    I have a confession to make. This might shock you. Are you ready? Don’t hate me. Okay, here it is:

    I don’t train my abs very much. Once a week for about 15 – 20 minutes. That’s it. Seriously – no kidding. I work my abs like any other small body part, maybe even less.

    Now, you’re probably wondering, how can I possibly get “Killer Abs” with only one ab workout a week?

    Well, if you already own my Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) fat burning system, or even if you’ve simply followed my articles and newsletters closely for a while, you already know the answer…

    LESSON #1 – Get rid of the fat or you’ll never see your abs, no matter how often you train, no matter how many reps you do or no matter what exercises you do

    LISTEN TO ME: AB TRAINING DOES NOT BURN FAT OFF YOUR STOMACH!

    This is probably the biggest misconception that people have about exercise today and I don’t think the general public is EVER going to get it. The myth that ab training burns fat off your abs is so pervasive that I suspect it will never die and simply continue to be passed down from generation to generation.

    The truth is, getting six-pack “killer” abs has almost nothing to do with training. It has everything to do with low body fat.

    Ironically, I believe the abdominal muscles are quite easy to develop; much, much easier than building an 18 inch muscular arm, a 315 pound bench, a 400 pound squat, or a wide, V-shaped back, for example.

    Some people might argue that I was just blessed with good genetics in the ab department, which may be true, but based on my experience with others who have less favorable genetics, I still believe that developing the abdominal muscles is easy. The hardest part is getting your body fat low enough for your abs to show.

    Most people grossly over train their abs. Training your abs daily or even every other day for hundreds or thousands of reps is totally unnecessary and a complete waste of time. Even  before competitions I only train abs twice a week!

    AB EXERCISES DON’T BURN FAT!!!

    You lose fat with nutrition and cardio. If you want to see your abs, tighten up your diet and do more cardio! The bottom line is, if your abs are covered with a layer of fat, you won’t be able to see them, no matter how much ab exercise you do! If you need help with a fat loss nutrition plan, check out my BFFM fat burning system

    LESSON #2 – The same old basic ab exercises that have been around for years, STILL work – and that means CRUNCHES!

    “Core training” and “functional training” are the “IN” things today. Devices and modalities such a stability balls, medicine balls, core balls, ab wheels, kettlebells, functional exercises, and so on, are all valuable tools, but they also represent what is trendy and fashionable in fitness training today.

    “Core” and “functional training” come largely from the sports world, and if you’re a competitive athlete, martial artist, golfer, tennis player, or you play any sport recreationally, this type of training is worth looking into.

    Very recently, a well-known ab training “guru” wrote in one of his books that “Crunches are worthless.” Funny how things change. It wasn’t so long ago that powerlifter and exercise physiologist Fred “Dr. Squat” Hatfield wrote, and I quote, “Crunches are the Cadillac of abdominal exercises.” (I would have said, “Mercedes of adbominal exercises” but oh well, that’s Fred).

    So what’s the deal? Should you crunch or should you ditch this “old” exercise in favor of all the “new stuff?”

    The truth is, there’s a happy medium! Crunches are not “worthless,” they’re simply over-used. You can and should incorporate a wide variety of crunch variations into your program, but also be sure to include some “functional” work which will help develop your core musculature and allow you to strengthen and develop your abs through every plane of motion.

    However, for pure “cosmetic” ab development, there’s nothing new under the sun. The “old school” methods are as valid as ever. And that starts with crunching exercises. Why? Because a primary function of the abs is to flex the spine and shorten the distance between the sternum and pelvis – which is exactly what crunching exercises do.

    Despite all the new and trendy ab workouts and equipment being promoted these days, the good old crunch is the oldie but goodie I always come back to time and time again. I’ve used crunches and their many variations in almost all my training routines for years.

    The best Crunch variations (upper abs) 1. Feet on floor reach through crunch 2. Feet on floor, hands crossed over chest crunch 3. Feet on floor hands behind head crunch 4. Feet on bench hands behind head crunch 5. Feet in air hands behind head crunch 6. Feet in air, hands behind head, pull in knees, touch elbows 7. Weight on chest crunch 8. Weight behind head crunch (caution – can strain neck) 9. Weight held at arms length above chest crunch 10. Stability ball crunch, bodyweight 11. Stability ball crunch, with resistance 12. Weighted supine crunch machine 13. Bicycle crunch 14. Twisting elbow to knee crunch

    LESSON #3 – Crunch with cables too.

    Bodyweight crunches performed off the floor are good. Cable crunches might be even better. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ve seen more than one out of fifty people perform the exercise properly.

    Cable crunches can be performed seated, standing or kneeling. My favorite for bodybuilders and the “six pack abs look” is kneeling cable crunch. Performed properly, this is an AB-solutely KILLER exercise!

    KNEELING CABLE CRUNCH

    Most people perform the cable crunch like they were bowing. They bend only at the hips brining the elbows straight down to the floor, while the entire spinal column stays in a straight line. This does not cause the abs to contract dynamically through their full range of motion, it only gives you an isometric contraction of the abs, while bringing the hip flexors strongly into play.

    Proper form on the kneeling cable crunch is a curling motion, almost like a carpet being rolled up. Another way I like teach this exercise is to have a trainee visualize that a log is in front of them about a foot off the floor, and ask them to imagine they are wrapping their torso around the log, rounding the back over and curling the spine in a circular range of motion, curling the elbows over and around the log and back in towards the knees.

    Also, some people perform this facing away from the weight stack, which is one acceptable variation. I prefer facing towards the weight stack and holding a rope with my hands pressed against my forehead or top of my head

    Master the proper form on this exercise and you’ll see your abs start coming into focus at an alarming rate.

    LESSON #4 – After you’ve developed a substantial level of ab strength, learn how to do this advanced killer ab exercise: Hanging leg raises from the chin up bar

    If there’s any “secret weapon” in my ab training arsenal– the one exercise I’ve ALWAYS turned to when I wanted major results is the hanging leg raise, and its “younger brother,” the hanging knee up. These can be performed hanging by your hands from a chin up bar, although it’s much easier with “ab slings” because grip strength is no longer the limiting factor.

    I remember many years ago when Bill Phillips once made fun of this exercise in his magazine. He showed a picture of his Brother Shawn swinging precariously from the ab slings in a mocking fashion. I’m not sure why he blasted this movement, and Shawn certainly has a six-pack rack with the best of them. But personally, I think the hanging leg raise and knee up are two of the best ab exercises in existence.

    I think the problem is that this exercise is so difficult that most people can’t do them properly. Usually the first time you attempt a hanging leg raise from the chin up bar (with no back support behind you), you swing uncontrollably from front to back. So most people try these once or twice and then give up. Like anything else, practice makes perfect. Hanging leg raises are a very advanced and very difficult movement. Don’t expect to do them like a pro on your first try – and don’t even try them if you’re a beginner.

    If you’re a beginner, the best way to develop the strength necessary to do these properly is to start on the support leg raise (also known as the “Captain’s Chair”). That’s the piece of equipment found in almost every gym that has the pad for your forearms and elbows to support your body weight and a back support behind you. Start with support knee ups, then progress into support leg raises with the legs nearly straight. It’s important to use a full range of motion on this exercise and get your knees high up in front of the chest because the lower portion of the range of motion is largely initiated by the hip flexors.

    Once you’ve mastered the support leg raise, then you can move on to the hanging knee up and ultimately to the hanging straight leg raise. When you master the hanging leg raise, there’s an even higher level: You can begin to superset from the hanging leg raise (until fatigue) into the hanging knee up. Once you’ve reached the point where you can perform three supersets of 15 to 25 reps of hanging leg raises to hanging knee ups with STRICT form, I guarantee you will have amazing abdominal development (provided of course, that your body fat is low enough).

    SIX PACK ABS! LESSON #5 – Yes, you can train your lower abs

    One of the biggest controversies in ab training is the question of whether you can “isolate” your upper and lower abs. There are experts who swear you can, and experts who swear you can’t. If someone wants to get technical and split hairs, then it’s true – you CAN’T isolate lower and upper abs. The word “isolation” is somewhat of a misnomer because muscles work in conjunction with other muscles at all times.

    For example, a bench press is often called a “compound” exercise because the pecs are heavily assisted by the triceps and deltoids, while a dumbbell flye is usually referred to as an “isolation exercise” because it “isolates” the pecs more. However, the pectorals do not and cannot work in complete isolation from the triceps and deltoids; there is simply a smaller degree of involvement from the assisting muscles in the flye exercise. Therefore, the flye is an “isolation” exercise, relatively speaking, but not literally speaking.

    The same is true of the abs. You can’t completely isolate the lower from the upper abs or the abs from the obliques, but you CAN put greater emphasis on the lower or upper abs depending on the exercise you select.

    The abdominals are a unique muscle. They are not a single long muscle belly like the biceps, which has continuous fibers running the entire length from origin to insertion. The ab muscles have a tendinous band in between each section. This is what gives the abs their segmented, “six pack” appearance.

    Each segment of the abs flexes a portion of the lumbar spine and or pelvis. The lower abs are the part responsible for the flexion of the lower lumbar vertebrae and backward rotation of the pelvis. The upper abs are responsible for the flexion of the upper part of the lumbar spine.

    The practical application of this information is simple: Exercises that draw the lower body towards the upper body, such as reverse crunches, hip lifts, and leg raises, emphasize the lower abs. Exercises that draw the upper body towards the lower body, such as crunches, emphasize the upper abs (but neither completely isolates one or the other).

    One last tip: Because most lower ab exercises require more coordination and stability (they’re harder), do your lower abs first most of the time (especially if you’re using hanging straight leg raises – doing them last is extremely difficult).

    The best lower ab exercises 1. Support knee ups 2. Support leg raise 3. Hanging knee up 4. Hanging leg raise 5. Reverse crunch 6. Incline reverse crunch 7. Stability ball reverse crunch 8. Reverse crunch with medicine ball behind or between knees 9. Hip lift (“toes to sky”) 10. Bent knee leg raise/hip lift combo 11. Incline hip lift

    LESSON #6 – Avoid weighted side bends, which thicken the waist. Instead, opt for body weight elbow to knee twisting crunches, twisting hanging knee ups and side crunches to develop your obliques

    Which would you rather have: (A) a tiny waist that narrows down from broad shoulders and V-tapered back or (B) A muscular, but thick, wide and blocky waist.

    Yeah – I picked “A” too. So do most other people. However, not a day goes by in the gym when I don’t see people doing side bends with heavy dumbbells. I could NEVER understand why people would ever want to do these. I suppose, once again, people mistakenly think they’re burning fat with this exercise.

    The way to develop a beautiful and symmetrical physique is to create an illusion: Broad shoulders and a V-shaped torso must flow down into a tiny waist. You want to increase the size of your lats and deltoids (yes that includes you ladies too), while decreasing the size of your waist. Anything that makes your waist bigger will destroy your shape. Weighted side bends can make your waist thicker and wider by developing the muscles on the sides of the waist known as the obliques.

    There’s a big difference between sports training and bodybuilding (or “cosmetic”) training. Unless you’re an athlete with a need for a strong, thick trunk musculature, I’d suggest avoiding weighted side bends and all other weighted oblique exercises completely.

    Instead, simply do twisting elbow to knee crunches, twisting hanging knee ups, and side crunches only with your body weight. These exercises tend to hit the diagonal fibers of the obliques a little higher up on the waist, not the portion of the obliques on the lower, lateral area of the waist.

    LESSON #7 – Sit ups and leg raises are mediocre exercises that can aggravate low  back pain

    I’ve found that all varieties of sit-ups aggravate my lower back. Fifteen years ago I sustained a rupture of my fourth lumbar disc (L4) so severe that a neurosurgeon told me that I could forget about bodybuilding, I should never lift more than 40 pounds and I would eventually have to get surgery.

    Despite the surgeon’s grim prognosis, I rehabilitated my own back, but to this day, I still have a sensitive lumbar area. Doing the wrong abdominal exercises always brings back the pain almost instantly. I look at this as a positive thing because it has taught me a lot about what’s really happening during certain ab exercises. It has also prompted me to modify my routine to avoid certain troublesome exercises that pull on the lumbar spine more than develop the abs.

    Most people think sit-ups are primarily an ab exercise. They’re not. Sit-ups work the abs, but largely in an isometric fashion. Sit ups are an “integrated” exercise that work the abs and hip flexors, but the hip flexors do most of the work (especially the way most people perform them – quickly, with the feet anchored, and with extra weight).

    The psoas muscle, which is the primary hip flexor involved in the sit-up, originates on the lower lumbar vertebrae and inserts on the lesser trochanter of the femur (the top of your thighbone). Because the psoas is so heavily involved in the sit up and because the psoas is attached to your lumbar spine, sit ups cause a tremendous amount of “pull” to occur on your lower back.

    Visualize an imaginary hand reaching through your stomach, grabbing a hold of your spine, and pulling on it as if the hand were trying to yank your spine right out the front of your stomach. That’s essentially what’s happening when you do sit ups or roman chair sit-ups. Ditto for supine full range straight leg raises.

    You might say, “But I feel it working – I feel the burn!” Yes, but your abs aren’t contracting dynamically through their full range of motion, they’re contracting isometrically – and that causes the burn. It’s similar to when you hold a dumbbell out at arms length in front of you for as long as you can. Before long your shoulder is burning like crazy to the point where you cant even hold the dumbbell any longer. You get great burn from this, but that’s not how you’d train your shoulders is it?

    Sit-ups have made somewhat of a comeback lately, as the sports training and core training gurus claim that the hip flexors should be integrated into your ab routines. Well, unless you’re an athlete with a specific need for strong hip flexors, you have no history of lower back injury, and you already have a strong lower back and strong abdominals, forget about using sit-ups as your primary exercise. They’re a mediocre exercise at best, and for some people with injuries (even “old” injuries like I have), sit ups are contraindicated completely.

    Now… I know what you’re thinking… You know someone who does a zillion sit ups a day, they have great abs and have never had a back injury. Well, first of all, if the individual has strong abs and lower back and no pre-existing injuries, sit ups done with good form won’t necessarily cause an injury. Second, as I said earlier, developing the abdominal muscles is not difficult. To a certain degree, you can develop the ab muscles from almost any ab exercise – even nothing but sit-ups or isometric contractions from indirect ab work.

    When I was back in my “human guinea pig” days, I once went over a year without doing any ab exercises whatsoever. After I dieted down to about the mid single digits in body fat, there were my abs, looking almost as good (easily 80%) as they did the year before when I was training them twice a week. Knowing this, I’m often tempted not to train abs at all, except that I know strong abs are important for stability and injury prevention, not to mention that I want my abs looking 100% their best, not 80% or 90%.

    Just because someone has great abs doesn’t mean they’re using the best routine. Part of it may be genetics, but mostly it just means they have low body fat! Let me drive this point home AGAIN – Having “killer six-pack abs” has less to do with training than with low body fat. Everyone – including you – has a six pack! Most people just can’t see theirs yet.

    LESSON #8 – When you reach the advanced level, begin using supersets, tri-sets and giant sets (circuit training) in your ab workouts.

    One of the fastest ways I know of to develop the abs is to use supersets, tri sets, giant sets or circuit-style ab training, where you perform two or more exercises in a row without stopping. Coincidentally, this is also a great way to get your workouts finished faster. This is advanced form of training and you’ll need time to build up the strength and endurance necessary to use these techniques.

    A SUPERSET is where you perform two exercises in a row without stopping. For example, you might do a reverse crunch for 15-25 reps, then without any rest whatsoever, go directly into a regular crunch for 15-25 reps, for a grand total of 30 – 50 reps non stop. That’s one superset. You would then take your usual rest interval and repeat for the desired number of sets.

    TRI-SETS are the same as supersets, except you perform three exercises in a row without stopping. For example, you might do the reverse crunch, hip lift, and regular crunch all in a row with no rest between exercises. (ouch!)

    GIANT SETS are when you perform four or more exercises in a row without stopping. Some people call this circuit training, although performing “circuit training” for a single body part is generally referred to more often as “giant setting.”

    PART II: My Favorite “old-school” killer ab Routines

    The best way to finish up an ab article is with some routines, don’t you agree? All of the following routines are actual programs that I have used and/or are currently using now. I have tested them and they’re all KILLER!

    Basic straights sets routine 1. Reverse crunch 3 sets X 15-25 reps 2. Floor crunch 3 sets X 15-25 reps 3. Elbow to knee twisting crunch (or side crunch) 3 sets X 15-25 reps

    Advanced straight sets routine 1. Incline reverse crunch 3 sets X 15-25 reps 2. Kneeling cable crunch 3 sets X 15-25 reps 3. Hanging twisting knee up 3 sets X 15-25 reps

    Heavy-light routine Select three ab exercises, all using resistance, for example: 1. Kneeling cable crunch 2. Weighted stability ball crunch 3. Supine Ab crunch machine

    Perform three sets of each exercise. Every other workout, change repetition range as follows:

    Workout A: (light) 15-25 reps, tempo 1011 Workout B (heavy) 8-12 reps, tempo 2022

    Tempo (seconds) 2 eccentric 0 pause in stretch pos 2 concentric 2 pause in contracted position

    Superset routine 1. Hanging knee up 2-3 sets X 15-25 reps superset to: 2. Kneeling cable crunch 2-3 sets X 15-25 reps

    3. Reverse Crunch 2-3 sets X 15-25 reps superset to: 4. Crunch with feet on bench 2-3 sets X 15-25 reps

     

    Tri-set routine 1. Hanging Leg raise 3 sets X 15-25 reps no rest, go directly to: 2. Hanging Knee Up 3 sets X 15-25 reps no rest, go directly to: 3. Weighted supine crunch 3 sets X 15-25 reps rest 60 seconds, repeat for a total of three tri-sets

    The Ultimate Killer Ab Routine (giant set) 1. Hanging straight leg raise 15-25 reps 2. Hanging knee ups 15-25 reps or as many as possible 3. Hip lift 15-25 reps 4. Reverse crunches 15-25 reps 5. Weighted supine crunch 15-25 reps 6. Bodyweight crunches 15-25 reps

    Each sequence of six exercises is one giant set. Rest 60 – 90 seconds after you finish exercise #6, then repeat for a total of three circuits. (if you can get through three circuits of this routine with strict form, including hitting 25 strict leg raises and 25 knee strict knee ups, you are in elite company) Good luck!

    Conclusion These eight principles and the sample routines are just the tip of the iceberg in my ab training arsenal but it’s all I have time for in this article. However, this should be more than enough ammo for you to begin an all out assault on your abs.

    If you employ these techniques in conjunction with a supportive fat loss nutrition and cardio program such as Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM), your abs will come in so fast it will almost scare you!

    Train hard and expect success,

    Tom Venuto, Fat Loss Coach Author of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle www.BurnTheFat.com Founder and CEO of the Burn the Fat Inner Circle www.BurnTheFat.com/InnerCircle

  • Odontoiatria: Come ho risolto la terza classe scheletrica o morso inverso con linea mediana across….la mia esperienza

    Odontoiatria: Come ho risolto la terza classe scheletrica o morso inverso con linea mediana across….la mia esperienza

    Titolo: Odontoiatria: Come ho risolto la terza classe scheletrica o morso inverso con linea mediana across….la mia esperienza

    Autore: Piero Maina

    Conteggio Parole: 4163

    Cari lettori, avevo scritto più di un anno fa un articolo sulla mia esperienza (qui) con il libro che promuovo su questo sito: “Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle” e i benefici che ne avevo/ho ricavato a livello di forma fisica e buona salute. Apro una parentesi ( Diciamo che l’argomento non trova una precisa collocazione all’interno di questo blog perché parla di denti, ma la sua correlazione è tutt’altro che trascurabile come collegamento trasversale alle categorie a cui lo ho assegnato e l’ho quindi inserito all’interno del menù “tenersi in forma”).  In quel contesto avevo raccontato tutte le mie problematiche a livello di salute e incidenti vari che avevano accompagnato la mia esistenza e avevo scritto che a breve avrei raccontato come avevo risolto il problema dei denti che sia come fatto estetico, ma ancora di più funzionale, aveva condizionato la mia vita fino all’anno 2010, anno in cui ho risolto con la sola cura ortodontica un caso che era sempre stato definito risolvibile solo chirurgicamente e considerato grave ed inoltre è stato risolto in una età compresa fra i 46 anni e sei mesi e 48 anni e 4 mesi. Quindi in età più che adulta. Premetto che non sono un dottore, ma di “dottori” ne ho incontrati molti e a molti ho chiesto pareri professionali. La tristezza nasce quando siamo pazienti “ignoranti” e ci rivolgiamo appunto ad un professionista, con la speranza che il suo “sapere” risolva la nostra situazione nel migliore dei modi. Come in ogni ambito professionale, ci sono professionisti e professionisti, ma noi siamo sempre gli “ignoranti” e quando per correttezza vogliamo ascoltare più di un parere, diventa difficile quando il parere di A e quello di B sono diametralmente opposti. Se poi come spesso accade volessimo ascoltare anche il parere di C e disgraziatamente anche questo parere risultasse essere completamente discordante con quello  dei due professionisti precedentemente interpellati, allora diventa veramente difficile fare una scelta corretta. Questo avviene anche nella mia professione con i bastoni da golf, ma qui stiamo parlando di salute e non di oggetti inerti e aggiungo anche, quando le consulenze non sono fatte in buona fede.

    Per raccontare la mia storia/esperienza, bisogna partire dai tempi della gioventù, quando le prime carie e le prime trapanazioni, magari effettuate da dottori non proprio professionalmente ineccepibili, mi fecero compagnia. Stiamo parlando dei primi anni 70, quando le stesse tecniche non erano sicuramente paragonabili a quelle odierne. Resta il fatto che rimasi traumatizzato durante un’estrazione. Avevo quasi tredici anni, era il 1973 ed ebbi la sfortuna di avere un molare (il 16 per chi è del mestiere), cariato e non curabile con le radici convergenti fino a toccarsi. Il dentista in questione impiegò quasi un’ora ad effettuare l’estrazione e il dolore che provai, nonostante l’anestesia, non posso raccontarlo, oltre alla febbre molto alta che mi accompagnò nei giorni seguenti, etc. Risultato: non volli vedere mai più un dentista.

    Piero 1992
    Settembre 1992
    Clicca sull’immagine per ingrandire
    Clav
    Marzo 1984
    Clicca sull’immagine per ingrandire

    Naturalmente, non curando i miei denti, mangiando molti dolciumi e altro, le carie ai vari molari, non tardarono a venire  e quando il dolore divenne insopportabile, ricorsi mio malgrado alle cure di altri dentisti che nuovamente non all’altezza curarono i miei denti in maniera non proprio impeccabile. Della terza classe scheletrica o morso inverso, non me ne ero mai accorto né nessuno me lo aveva mai fatto notare e a detta di molti ero anche un “bel ragazzo” e spesso veniva lodato il mio sorriso. Poi un giorno nel 1989 una signora (dentista), parlando con me del più e del meno mi dice :”…tu hai il morso inverso…” da quel momento la mia attenzione cadeva sempre sulla mia bocca o su quella degli altri per notare la differenza e nacque in me un vero e proprio complesso. Arriviamo al 1993; non farò né nomi di persona né di luoghi a questo punto, ma incontrai un dentista nella sede lavorativa dove mi ero trasferito in quell’anno e questo dentista mi restituì la fiducia verso la categoria e curò la mia bocca facendola diventare una bella bocca. Rimasi in quella città fino al 1995 e naturalmente gli chiesi se la mia situazione di “morso inverso” si potesse risolvere. Fatte le dovute analisi e con le competenze che lui e i suoi colleghi avevano a quei tempi, mi disse che non si poteva fare nulla, sconsigliava la chirurgia e avrebbero voluto togliermi altri denti per diminuire l’affollamento nei denti inferiori e con la cura ortodontica “ridistribuire” i restanti, ma la discrepanza mandibolare era troppa e quindi mi disse di lasciare perdere. In fondo la mia mandibola non si bloccava e anche per lui avevo un bellissimo sorriso e quindi mi disse che era meglio non procedere.

    Accettai la cosa, ma in cuor mio non smisi mai di sperare per una soluzione del mio caso ed arriviamo al 2007. Prima di proseguire, voglio spiegarvi che nonostante fossi rientrato a Roma, pur di non cambiare dentista, ogni 6 mesi facevo più di 1.200 km fra andata e ritorno per andare dal vecchio dentista per cercare di mantenere una bocca sana e in parte ne approfittavo per andare a trovare i miei genitori che erano di strada. Un’altra cosa va detta, nonostante la mia bocca sembrasse essere sana, ogni qualvolta affrontavo la profilassi di igiene dentale, le mie gengive sanguinavano e il dolore era forte, ma anche in questo caso non mi venne detto niente e si diceva che per colpa della situazione di “affollamento” e dei denti storti era una condizione paradontale con cui convivere e di cercare di mantenere la situazione della riduzione delle gengive sotto controllo il più possibile. Torniamo a noi: a marzo 2007 prendo un volo per Atlanta (USA) e su un Boeing con più di 360 passeggeri a bordo, mi ritrovo seduto nel posto a fianco un caro e vecchio amico di gioventù che non rivedevo dal 1985. Destino? Sincronicità? Non lo so, resta il fatto che non ci eravamo dati appuntamento e io partivo da Roma per un convegno sui bastoni da golf negli USA e lui era diretto in Texas, proveniente da Genova per un convegno sull’implantologia dentale.

    Quando ci siamo rivisti, passato il primo momento di stupore e gli abbracci di due vecchi amici che non si vedevano da ventidue anni, abbiamo naturalmente cominciato a parlare, ricordandomi di lui come un windsurfista con cui facevo le regate insieme. Non potevo immaginare che nel frattempo era diventato uno dei più affermati implantologi Italiani. Gli chiesi allora cosa ne pensava della mia situazione dentale e lui senza entrare troppo nel tecnico mi disse che a quel momento c’erano nuove tecniche ortodontiche e che le cose potevano essere risolte, ma non mi disse nulla di specifico a riguardo. Così, arrivati ad Atlanta ci congedammo e ci scambiammo i numeri di telefono, ma non prendemmo nessun appuntamento o altro. Per come sono fatto io, se decido che una cosa m’interessa, vado subito fino in fondo e voglio capirne di più, ma ammetto che non essendo entrato troppo nel merito della mia situazione e ricordando il mio amico come un windsurfista, non colsi l’occasione di andare a trovarlo (anche lui di Genova e quindi abitava vicino a dove abitavano i miei genitori) e lasciai passare un altro anno.

    Aprile 2008: tornai dal mio dentista a 600 km di distanza a Savona che non vedevo da un anno e durante la solita profilassi di igiene e controllo dentale, gli chiesi cosa ne pensasse della mia situazione di “morso inverso”  dopo 13 anni dalla prima diagnosi, e lui mi rispose che ora aveva le competenze per risolvere il mio caso e che ne aveva già risolti altri quattro. Mi spiegò che avrebbe lavorato in equipe con una ortodontista di Genova e un medico chirurgo specializzato nel maxillo facciale molto bravo e che il mio caso era di facile soluzione. Avrei dovuto portare un apparecchio ortodontico per circa due anni per raddrizzare nuovamente i denti e una volta in asse procedere con l’operazione di riduzione mandibolare per ristabilire il “morso” corretto e risolvere il problema di malocclusione dentale. Sempre a suo dire non avrei sofferto troppo e per il chirurgo era una delle operazioni più semplici da eseguire e io naturalmente avevo massima fiducia in lui. A quel punto gli chiesi se conoscesse il mio amico implantologo, ma mi rispose di no e gli chiesi se conoscesse la tecnica Damon, ma anche in quel caso la risposta fu negativa, mi disse che per me c’era la sola via chirurgica per risolvere e se volevo, potevo incontrare l’ortodontista che collaborava con lui a Genova per sentire cosa ne pensasse della mia situazione. Visto che era di strada andai immediatamente a fare un primo controllo sommario, una visita a vista e anche la dottoressa ortodontista, mi disse che ero un caso chirurgico grave. Chiesi a lei se conoscesse il mio amico implantologo e mi disse di si, chiesi se conoscesse la tecnica Damon e mi rispose affermativamente, ma mi disse anche che per me il “Damon” non serviva a nulla e potevo risolvere la mia situazione di “terza classe” chirurgicamente e definitivamente, previa l’applicazione di un apparecchio ortodontico per circa due anni.

    Ammetto che volevo risolvere la questione e la mia fiducia era massima ed ero quindi disposto oltre ai costi, a sopportare l’inserimento di un apparecchio ortodontico nella mia bocca, a viaggiare da Roma fino in Liguria mensilmente per il controllo dello stesso e a subire un’operazione alla mandibola in seguito che a differenza di come veniva venduta dal mio dentista, non era poi una vera e propria “passeggiata di salute”.

    Voglio anche dire che la mia situazione di malocclusione dentale, contribuiva a farmi deglutire in maniera errata, il fatto era dovuto alla mia lingua che invece di appoggiare correttamente contro il palato durante le normali attività quotidiane, o sotto sforzo o ancora durante la deglutizione, appoggiava contro l’arcata dei denti inferiori, contribuendo ulteriormente a spingerli verso l’esterno.

    Rientrato a Roma provai a sentire un parere di un noto ortodontista della Capitale, il quale fece tutte le misurazioni del caso e non si sbilanciò, disse che in effetti era una “terza classe scheletrica across/ cross byte” (oltre ad avere il morso inverso, avevo la linea mediana disassata di un dente verso sinistra, questo per il fatto che l’estrazione del molare “16” quando avevo tredici anni, creò uno spazio in bocca e i denti che sono mobili, sono migrati verso destra andando a chiudere quello spazio, creando una nuova problematica). L’Ortodontista romano, disse che probabilmente avrebbe dovuto risolvere la cosa chirurgicamente, ma si prese tempo per decidere. Nel frattempo mi disse che prima di risolvere il problema della terza classe across, c’era da sistemare la mia bocca, sia a livello paradontale che di altre “situazioni non a norma” presenti nella mia bocca e mi chiese se il mio attuale dentista non me ne avesse mai parlato. Io risposi che sanguinavo e sentivo male quando effettuavo la pulizia dei denti, ma nient’altro. Il professionista romano, mi chiese se poteva comunicare con il “collega” Ligure e io naturalmente risposi di si.

    Al telefono i due discussero animatamente e naturalmente il mio dentista si sentì offeso perché interpellato da un altro medico. Io dissi che pur comprendendo l’accaduto, mi sentivo in dovere di andare a parlare con il mio dentista a Savona, anche perché mi curava da 15 anni e io avevo fiducia in lui. Quando andai dal mio dentista, e parliamo di maggio 2008, mi ricevette dicendomi che quello di Roma non doveva permettersi di chiamarlo e che se volevo risolvere la mia situazione, non c’erano alternative o altro. Era inutile girarci intorno e trovare mezze misure, dovevo agire nel migliore dei modi e in maniera definitiva. Mi convinse, ero pronto ad iniziare l’avventura di portare l’apparecchio e poi dopo due anni affrontare l’operazione e ritrovare un bel sorriso e una postura più corretta. Ultimamente infatti, quando effettuavo certi tipi di lavoro in piedi  per lungo tempo, le fitte alla base del collo erano diventate sempre più insopportabili, quasi come un cane che lo mordesse e questa patologia era sicuramente dovuta alla mia mala occlusione dentale.

    Esco dallo studio del mio dentista a Savona, e qui il destino/sincronicità ritornano in gioco: stavo tornando verso l’autostrada per rientrare e alcuni giorni prima, un maestro di golf di Roma mi aveva detto che suo fratello stava lavorando in un nuovo circolo di golf ad Albisola (SV) e sapendo che dovevo andare da quelle parti, magari potevo andare a salutarlo. Premetto che ero amico del maestro di golf, ma il fratello l’avevo visto solo un paio di volte e quindi, sinceramente, non è che avessi urgenza di passare a salutarlo. Stavo quindi pensando di prendere l’autostrada per rientrare, anche perché non sapevo bene dove si trovasse il circolo in questione, ma di nuovo le circostanze di traffico mi fecero andare a prendere l’autostrada ad Albisola invece che a Savona e arrivando nei pressi del casello, vidi uno di quei cartelli segnaletici turistici marroni con su scritto “La Filanda Golf Club”. “Toh!” Mi dissi, “…è qui vicino, ci faccio un salto”. Il fratello del mio amico maestro, maestro anche lui, all’inizio non si ricordava nemmeno di me, ma portandogli i saluti del fratello e poi ricordandogli il mio nome ritrovò la memoria e mi disse:”…sta venendo da alcuni giorni una mia allieva da Genova a giocare e mi ha parlato di te, perché un suo amico che non gioca a golf le ha raccontato della tua bravura come clubmaker/clubfitter….. non ricordo come si chiama, ma aspetta che la chiamo e mi faccio dire….”. Naturalmente sembra impossibile, ma l’amico in questione era il mio amico implantologo! A questo punto, visto il modo nuovamente casuale e insolito in cui il mio amico Alberto era tornato “in gioco”, decisi di chiamarlo per raccontargli le novità . Al telefono gli raccontai pima dove mi trovavo e poi come per la seconda volta era tornato presente nella mia vita ed aggiunsi che ero a Savona perché avevo deciso di risolvere chirurgicamente la mia questione dentale…”FERMO!!!! FERMO!!!!” Urlò al telefono. Mi chiese se rimanevo ancora in zona e risposi che sarei ripartito nel pomeriggio seguente e allora m’invitò a passare nel suo studio di Genova la mattina seguente che voleva darmi un’occhiata.

    Anche la sua visita sommaria, lo fece propendere come una terza classe risolvibile chirurgicamente, ma guardandomi attentamente, secondo lui c’erano le condizioni per un recupero e che c’era una dottoressa a Milano che forse avrebbe potuto risolvere la mia situazione non chirurgicamente e con risultati analoghi e questo mi venne detto da “fratello a fratello”. Voglio inoltre aggiungere che tutta la famiglia del mio amico lavora in ambito dentistico, essendo figli d’arte e uno dei tre fratelli è anche un bravissimo ortodontista che probabilmente avrebbe potuto lavorare al mio caso, ma la professionalità del mio amico Alberto fu massima e mi invitò ad andare a Milano con lui previa effettuazione del Telecranio e ortopanoramica. Presi appuntamento per il 10 giugno 2008.

    2008_06_10_priv
    10 Giugno 2008
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    La dottoressa/ortodontista Milanese, quando mi vide, disse purtroppo anche lei che ero un caso chirurgico grave e nonostante a me non sembrasse di essere in una condizione così grave, la cosa veniva ripetuta da tutti e visti anche molti casi con situazioni anche diverse dalla mia risolti dalla dottoressa, nella mia percezione il mio caso sembrava davvero più facile. Comunque la dottoressa pur manifestando perplessità, disse che avrebbe voluto provarci d’accordo con il mio amico Alberto e io dissi che ero pronto e fiducioso a cominciare l’avventura. Mi venne detto che sarebbe stato utilizzato un apparecchio Damon e degli elastici e la percentuale di successo era proporzionale anche al mio impegno e al mantenimento in bocca degli elastici 24/24. Naturalmente tolti i tempi per mangiare cibi solidi. Risposi che se alla mia età non avessi dato il massimo allora non sarei stato nemmeno la persona che sapevo di essere. Il 12 Giugno 2008 a Milano avevo il mio apparecchio Damon con gli elastici in bocca ed ero pronto anche ad affrontare l’avventura con tutti gli annessi e connessi.

    2008_06_12_priv
    12 Giugno 2008
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    Che dire, l’avventura era iniziata e anche il “sacrificio” sia estetico che funzionale. Infatti l’apparecchio faceva il suo lavoro e le forze che agivano sui miei denti non erano proprio inesistenti. Era come sentire delle “morse” che spingevano sulle radici, oltre agli elastici che nel loro piccolo contribuivano a “spingere” e che toglievo quando dovevo mangiare, ma appena terminato, via a lavarmi i denti con spazzolino ortodontico e scovolino (curaprox cp15 per l’esattezza) e subito dopo li rimettevo al loro posto. Naturalmente la situazione del fastidio/dolore si stabilizzava dopo una settimana/dieci giorni, l’unico problema è che io abitavo a Roma e la dottoressa a Milano e pertanto in caso di urgenza non era proprio il massimo. Infatti è capitato che il “filo” di acciaio del Damon ogni tanto sporgesse in fondo e mi bucasse la guancia o gli attacchi mi ulcerassero l’ interno delle labbra. Risolvevo la cosa mettendo della cera sugli attacchi e addirittura delle volte ho agito con le pinze da elettricista per tagliare la sporgenza del cavetto. Non vi spaventate, sono cose che capitavano sporadicamente, ma sono capitate. Come una volta mentre ero all’estero si ruppe l’archetto superiore e dovetti trovare un ortodontista che lavorava con il Damon, ma lo trovai e risolsi anche questo incidente. Qualche fastidio l’ho provato, ma niente di trascendentale o altro che non potesse essere risolto . Voglio ricordare che comunque anche in caso di operazione avrei dovuto portare l’apparecchio ortodontico per circa due anni ugualmente e solo al termine avrei subito l’operazione alla mandibola che ricordo non essere proprio il massimo da affrontare e sempre senza la certezza di riuscita, oltre alle sofferenze che intercorrono.

    Mi viene attribuito parte del successo per la mia collaborazione ad indossare gli elastici 24/24, oltre che ad aver effettuato la pulizia dei denti ad ogni pasto. Come ho già scritto sopra, sarebbe stato veramente inutile se una volta apprese le regole comportamentali io avessi agito a modo mio. Ho eseguito solamente quanto mi è stato detto e il risultato è sotto gli occhi di tutti. Gli elastici e le molle che vengono inseriti in bocca sull’apparecchio opportunamente posizionati e calibrati, applicano delle forze costanti e in specifiche direzioni, che daranno i risultati che anche io ho ottenuto, ma a patto che queste forze non vengano mai interrotte. Qui sta parte della difficoltà nell’eseguire il lavoro con competenza e professionalità per avere buone probabilità di successo. Se le forze non vengono applicate nella direzione giusta  e con la giusta intensità, si otterranno nuovi problemi e per usare un paragone sul Damon, è come dare una Ferrari a un diciottenne neopatentato….molto probabilmente si schianterà contro un albero!

    Già da Settembre 2008 dopo soli tre mesi si erano visti enormi cambiamenti.

    2008_09_04_priv
    4 Settembre 2008
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    Oltretutto sono al corrente che i nuovi apparecchi Damon sono anche meno visibili e
    tecnologicamente più avanzati di quelli che ho messo io. Nelle foto qui sopra vedete degli spessori blu sugli ottavi, (sono gli ultimi denti) dei “tacchi”. Sono spessori che vengono messi, per far si che l’apparecchio e gli elastici possano lavorare.  Che vuol dire che la mandibola rimane dov’è ora e sarà l’arcata superiore che comincerà a migrare verso l’avanti, senza essere inibita dall’arcata inferiore e fino a diventare “testa a testa”, per me nel mese di Novembre 2008.

    2008_11_04(1)PRIV
    4 Novembre 2008
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    Ho “scavallato” con l’arcata superiore nella prima settimana di Gennaio 2009

    2009_01_27_priv
    27 Gennaio 2009
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    e poi è stato un divenire di miglioramenti ogni mese che passava e a differenza di quanto altri ortodontisti avrebbero fatto, mi è stato ripristinato lo spazio nel settore 1 (superiore destro), per permettere di fare l’impianto del 16 (sesto) molare che era il dente estratto all’età di tredici anni ed era stato il responsabile della mia situazione “crossbite /Morso crociato“. Qui potete vedere il dettaglio dalle foto, dove è stata inserita una molla che “spinge” i denti fino a ricreare lo spazio originale. Qui siamo a settembre 2009.

    2009_09_10(2)
    Settembre 2009 – Dettaglio molla arcata superiore
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    2009_09_10(4)
    Settembre 2009 – Dettaglio molla arcata superiore
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    Arriviamo finalmente ad Aprile 2010 quando ho levato il Damon dalla mia bocca.

    2010_04_06_11 fine-Gallery 2 priv
    6 Aprile 2010
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    Naturalmente porto un “filetto” fisso all’interno dei denti inferiori che non si vede e che mantiene stabile l’arcata inferiore evitando recidive (splint è il nome in gergo) e la notte indosso un apparecchio mobile di contenzione per mantenere a sua volta stabile e consolidare la situazione dell’arcata superiore. Inoltre nei due anni successivi ho sistemato altre imperfezioni nella mia bocca che andavano fatte, compreso un primo innesto di gengiva nella parte inferiore sinistra con ottimi risultati.

    Comparaison-Gallery 28m priv
    Comparazione Giugno 2008 – Aprile 2010
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    Comparaison-Gallery 28m a_priv
    Comparazione Giugno 2008 – Maggio 2011 dopo innesto gengiva 3° settore inferiore
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    Comparaison-Gallery 26-1m_priv
    Comparazione Telecranio 06/2008 – 04/2010
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    20120522_1PRIV
    Maggio 2012
    Dopo esecuzione igiene orale
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    Maggio 2012
    Dopo esecuzione igiene orale
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    Maggio 2012
    Dopo esecuzione igiene orale
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    Maggio 2012
    Dopo esecuzione igiene orale
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    Maggio 2012
    Dopo esecuzione igiene orale
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    Pie Oristano 2012
    Agosto 2012
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    Nota: Il sangue che vedete sulle gengive nelle foto qui sopra è dovuto al fatto che pochi minuti prima dello scatto mi era stata fatta la profilassi di igiene orale con gli ultrasuoni e pertanto le gengive erano in stato di stress. Ovviamente dopo poco tempo tutto torna alla normalità. Inoltre si nota che la linea mediana non è perfettamente allineata, ma oltre ad essere veramente una differenza minima, il fatto è anche amplificato dalle leve posizionate all’interno delle labbra per “allargare” la vista sui denti e vi posso assicurare che ad oggi questa differenza si è ulteriormente ridotta e mi vedo perfettamente allineato.

    Il movimento dell’arcata superiore verso l’avanti è avvenuto utilizzando solamente la tecnica ortodontica e senza l’utilizzo di alcuna chirurgia. Il metodo utilizzato permette, come è stato pubblicato sulla rivista scientifica Quintessence International (edizione italiana), di ottenere spostamenti ossei ortopedici uguali in misura lineare a quelli ottenuti con la tecnica chirurgica e misurabili sulle radiografie durante e dopo la cura. Ma la tristezza è che in ambiente medico ci sono medici chirurghi che hanno il coraggio di dire che non è vero che abbiamo risolto come ho raccontato e con la sola cura ortodontica, ci sono personaggi che pur di ingrossare il loro portafoglio, non avrebbero alcun timore a mettere mano ai ferri e operare; hanno persino accusato la mia dottoressa che sia il telecranio che le foto finali sono truccate!!!

    Ancora una volta il pensiero positivo ha permesso che le cose si risolvessero nel migliore dei modi. Il risultato lo avete visto nelle foto che ho pubblicato. E’ stato raggiunto un ottimo compromesso di compensazione che forse non sarebbe stato raggiunto nemmeno con la via chirurgica, senza contare le sofferenze a cui sarei andato incontro. L’aspetto estetico è quello di una bocca sana ora e anche a livello paradontale la situazione è tutta un’altra cosa. Lo vedo anche durante le sessioni di profilassi e igiene dentale e dal colore delle mie gengive. Funzionalmente anche la mia schiena ne ha beneficiato e ora, pur avendo le vene succlavia ed ascellare sinistre interessate dalla trombosi danneggiate per sempre, sono tornato ad allenarmi regolarmente ed eseguo anche trazioni alla sbarra e spinte verso l’alto con i manubri per le spalle. Ricordo per chi non avesse letto l’articolo a cui ho messo il link all’inizio di questa pagina, che non avevo più potuto allenarmi con i pesi per diciotto anni e la causa della trombosi era stata la conformazione scheletrica nella zona sterno clavicolare data anche dalla situazione dei miei denti e mala occlusione. Diciamo che è stato come essere trattenuto da delle bretelle e finalmente questo vincolo è stato rimosso e ho riacquistato la mia funzionalità e la voglia di sorridere in tutti i sensi.

    Concludo dicendo che questa è la mia esperienza e quanto ho raccontato corrisponde al vero e chi mi conosce di persona lo sa. Naturalmente ogni caso va visto a se ed inoltre un ruolo fondamentale lo svolge il paziente per il grado di impegno, applicazione e collaborazione. Va detto che ho inviato alla Dr.ssa un amico Milanese di 41 anni che aveva una situazione analoga alla mia e anche lui ha risolto felicemente la sua situazione effettuando lo stesso tipo di “cura” e ora è un’altra persona. Spero che alcuni di voi leggendo queste mie righe trovino lo spunto per intervenire e possano risolvere una problematica che so quanto incide  sulla qualità della vostra vita. In bocca al lupo!

    © Copyright Piero Maina – Tutti i diritti riservati

  • The Low Carb Diet Cheat Sheet Accelerate Your Fat Loss With 1 Simple Food Tweak

    The Low Carb Diet Cheat Sheet Accelerate Your Fat Loss With 1 Simple Food Tweak

    Title: The Low Carb Diet Cheat Sheet Accelerate Your Fat Loss With 1 Simple Food Tweak

    By  Line: Tom Venuto

    Website: www.BurnTheFat.com!

    Word Count: 2000

    carbs - evil or just optional

    I like reducing carbs for maximizing fat loss.

    That’s why I’m always surprised when I get an email or see a comment from someone who thinks I’m against low carb diets or that low carbing doesn’t work or that low carb is just a fad.Not true. In fact, I’ve used a special variation of the reduced carb diet for years to prepare for bodybuilding contests or when I want to get my body fat extremely low (the “ripped abs” look).

    The best fat loss diet of all?

    I’ll even go as far as saying that, although there are many diets that can work, restricting carb calories is probably the most effective approach of them all… if it’s done intelligently.

    Why do some people think I’m anti-low carb? I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’ve spoken out against the old school low carb thinking, where some devotees still believe carbs are inherently fattening, “bad” (even “evil”) foods and that carbs and insulin drive fat gain, independent of excess calories.

    Maybe it’s because they’ve seen my muscle-building (aka “bulking”) meal plans, which have  large amounts of carbs – usually at least half my total calories from carbs.

    Or maybe it’s because they see my fat loss meal plans and they notice I still eat 150 to 200 grams of carbs per day (the woman’s equivalent might be 120-130 grams). Some low carbers wouldn’t dream of eating that many carbs even on the long-term maintenance phase.

    What IS “low carb?” How Low is Low?

    Now that I’ve made it clear that I’m NOT against low carbing, a good question is, what IS a low carb diet? There are so many different types of reduced carb diets out there, the definition of low carb has gotten pretty fuzzy.

    For example, I’ve seen diet reviews that call the Zone diet “low carb” even though it prescribes 40% of the calories from carbs. I’ve heard many people refer to paleo as low carb, when the carbs, according to Loren Cordain, could run anywhere from 22% to 40% (Cordain refers to this as “moderate” carb).

    On the other end, some people don’t think anything is “low carb” unless it’s under 100 grams a day or even a full-blown ketogenic diet.

    So the first thing I want to do is clarify the TYPE of reduced carb diet I use:

    I use the bodybuilding low carb, high protein diet. If your goal is less fat and more muscle, you can use it too, so keep reading – even if you’re not a bodybuilder – because this melts fat like a blowtorch on butter.

    Bodybuilding nutrition, which I’ve been teaching to my readers of all ages and backgrounds for years in BurnTheFat Feed The Muscle, has phases that you shift in and out of based on your goal at the moment:

    Phase I is “baseline nutrition” for maintenance, muscle gain and long-term lifestyle (lots of carbs). Phase II is for maximized fat loss (moderate carbs), and Phase III is the contest diet (low carbs) – the strictest and lowest carb of the three.

    The fat loss phases (Phase I or Phase II) have the following characteristics:

    1. The diet is low to medium carb; it is not zero carb, very low carb or ketogenic.
    2. The diet does not prescribe one amount of carbs for everyone – it acknowledges individual body types and allows a customized approach.
    3. Carb amounts are the most you can get away with (and still lose fat), not the least you can tolerate.
    4. The diet usually uses “carb cycling”, a method of non-linear dieting .
    5. The diet is high in protein.

    I fully acknowledge that some people succeed on ketogenic diets, which are extremely low in carbs and higher in fat (with less protein). A handful of people may even thrive on them and get better health outcomes (contrary to conventional wisdom).

    However, after experimenting with keto diets years ago, I found they didn’t suit me or support my intensive weight training. I found the near-complete removal of carbs distasteful and difficult to live with – physically AND mentally. I prefer the cyclical low or medium carb bodybuilding diet and after I discovered how to do it, I never turned back.

    For active, metabolically healthy people who want BODY COMPOSITION and PHYSIQUE DEVELOPMENT, the bodybuilder’s way is the best way.

    The bodybuilder’s way supports intense training and is designed for improving body composition, not just losing weight. When you talk about low carb diet weight loss, you really have to discuss the type of weight, since water and glycogen weight can make up so much of the early poundage lost and lean tissue loss may be a concern.

    Remember, there’s weight loss, and then there’s a HOT, HARD BODY! – big difference!

    Phase I: Baseline nutrition

    In my fat loss system, BurnTheFat, Feed The Muscle, there are three phases, from basic to advanced. The first phase is the baseline nutrition plan. This is designed to be very balanced and maintainable. Carbs are usually not restricted, but they are carefully chosen healthy and nutrient-dense carbs.

    There are 3 parts to a fat-burning or muscle-building meal in Phase I: 
    1. Lean protein
    2. Fibrous carb
    3. Starchy carb

    Here’s an example of a typical lunch or dinner using this baseline (Phase I) template:
    1. Baked tilapia (lean protein)
    2. Broccoli (fibrous carb)
    3. Brown rice (starchy carb)

    Here’s an example of a typical breakfast – Phase I:
    1. 1 whole egg, 5 egg whites scrambled (lean protein)
    2. Omelet veggies – mushrooms, bell peppers, tomato, etc (fibrous carb)
    3. Oatmeal (starchy carb)
    * a fruit could easily be substituted for the veggies – example, berries or an apple

    Phase II: Maximized Fat Loss

    When your goal shifts from muscle gain or maintenance into fat loss, what you need to focus on first is CALORIES, NOT CARBS. Even if this is just semantics or a technicality (because carbs have calories), please let this point sink in or you will end up like those (well-meaning, but wrong) low carb zealots who think “carbs are bad” and calories don’t matter.

    To lose fat, you need a calorie deficit, so that means you have to reduce calories below maintenance level. What I’m asking you to think about, is where do you pull out the calories?  You could cut calories across the board – just eat less of everything in the Phase I meal plan – and yes, that absolutely will work.

    But the ideal way to create your calorie deficit is to drop down the starchy carbs.

    Why? Because keeping protein high on a hypocaloric fat loss diet is important for retaining lean body mass, protein controls appetite, starches are calorie dense, starches are easy to overeat, extreme carb restriction may have negative hormonal consequences, you need to keep the fiber up, and you also need healthy fats for reasons too numerous to list.

    So the no-brainer place to create a calorie deficit is by cutting back on starchy carbs and grains. If you were taking in a lot of refined grains or sugars, they are actually the first to go, but I’m assuming you’re not eating a ton of sugar and refined carbs to begin with – we don’t do that even on phase I baseline plan.

    Lunch or dinner example – Phase II: 
    1. Baked tilapia (lean protein)
    2. Broccoli (fibrous carb)
    3. Brown rice (starchy carb) – Reduced portion

    Breakfast example – Phase II: 
    1. 1 whole egg, 5 egg whites scrambled (lean protein)
    2. Omelet veggies – mushrooms, peppers, tomato, etc (fibrous carb)
    3. Oatmeal (starchy carb) – Reduced portion
    * a fruit could easily be substituted for the veggies – example, berries

    Phase III: The “Contest Diet”

    As a diet progresses, fat loss typically slows down as your body adapts in various ways to the weight loss and calorie restriction. Almost everyone can relate to how the last bit of fat can seem like the most stubborn or difficult to lose.

    To get past this plateau, and reach your peak condition or final goal, you can take another calorie reduction. Again, you want to leave those vital lean proteins and fibrous carbs alone, so you reduce the starchy carbs even more.

    For some people, almost all the starchy carbs are removed. For others, especially those who are large and training very hard, they remain, but in small quantities and only after training sessions (and also most commonly, for breakfast to get a good start on the day).

    Lunch or dinner example – Phase III: :
    1. Salmon (lean protein with healthy fat)
    2. Broccoli (fibrous carb)
    * no starchy carb except in post-workout meal and or breakfast

    Breakfast example – Phase III:
    1. 1 whole egg, 5 egg whites scrambled (lean protein)
    2. Omelet veggies – mushrooms, peppers, tomato, etc (fibrous carb)
    * no starchy carb except in post-workout meal and or breakfast

    And there you have it! The contest diet is mostly lean proteins, fibrous carbs (green veggies, salad veggies and other non-starchy vegetables). Healthy fats are always included somewhere in the daily meal plan – or provided by supplements – and if the calories get too low (in the absence of concentrated carbs), the percentage of fats can be increased further.

    Did you catch the 1 simple food tweak?

    At this point, most people have a million  questions about specifics: what foods to eat or how many grams of each macro or what time to eat or when do do the carb cycling and so on, some of which are relevant or even important. But this is where we end today’s lesson because the purpose of this article has been to simplify and make one major point.  More details would only serve to complicate.

    Bottom line: Don’t look at those starchy carbs as bad, dirty, forbidden or… “evil!” Instead, let’s call them “optional.” Better still, let’s call them a “variable” – an “X factor.”  You eat more of them during maintenance or muscle gain programs. As your goal shifts to fat loss and as your fat loss phase progresses, speeding up fat loss or getting past sticking points is a simple matter of adjusting your calories by tweaking the X factor.

    You’re basically manipulating 1 thing: starchy carbs. Everything else stays mostly the same!  Keep your lean protein high and eat a lot of fibrous carbs and green veggies (think “LEAN AND GREEN!”)  Be sure to keep some healthy fats in the plan too.

    Keep it Simple!

    I am a “structure and details” guy and I DO make my meal plans by the numbers on spreadsheets.  But this low carb technique is so simple, so easy, if you did NOTHING but drop some starchy carbs (and of course sugar) – and if all else remained equal, you would start losing more fat – without counting anything.

    That’s the short and sweet “cheat sheet” summary, but if you want ALL the details of the “cyclical low carb diet”, then review chapter 12 inBurnTheFat, Feed The Muscleif you already have it.
    OR, if you are new to our community and you want to see the complete system for yourself (now in the completely updated 2nd edition), visit the home page here (it’s an e-book, so it’s an instant download) ====>  Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle Fat-Burning System.

    Train hard and expect success,

    Tom Venuto, Fat Loss Coach, Author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle,
    www.BurnTheFat.com!

    PS. We’ve seen people transform their bodies in as little as 49 days with Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. Busy father of four James used it to cut his body fat below 5% and get ripped abs! Shannon melted her belly fat and added lean muscle even though she struggled with hypothyroidism and major fat gain after her second child was born.

    burn the fat challenge

    Success Story! MEN CLICK HERE to discover how to burn belly fat and transform your body from fat to muscle in 49 days or less with secrets from the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models!
    womens fat loss diet presentation! WOMEN CLICK HERE to learn the simple tricks to shedding fat from your most stubborn areas – in 49 days – without ever going hungry, and with the right amount of carbs for YOUR body type
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