Ed’s Posts |

March 28, 2011 Posted by ed in Blog, Ed's Posts

Something smells fishy? Ten points on why Fish Oils are the most important supplement you can get!!

Ok guys! Its blog time!

Just wanted to shoot up something short and sharp! so here’s a few points on fish oils (omega 3) and why they are the most important suppliment you can add to you diet!

1. They have a positive affect on any disease known to man! yep that’s right, any, including hyperlipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, coronary heart disease, cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, stroke, bipolar disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, ulcerative colitis, Behcet’s syndrome, and Raynaud’s syndrome. Fish oils are also used orally for weight loss, asthma, cancer, painful menses, lung diseases, hay fever, Crohn’s disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, albuminuria associated with diabetic neuropathy, restenosis after angioplasty, miscarriage, preeclampsia, preterm labor, and intrauterine growth retardation. Fish oils are used for systemic lupus erythematosus, cystic fibrosis, gingivitis, renal impairment associated with cirrhosis, hyperglycemia associated with type 2 diabetes and claudication. Fish oils are also used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and dyspraxia… Just to name a few!

2. They turn on lipolytic genes. WHAT??? that means it turns on the genes responsible to fat burning (good news or what?)

3 They turn off lipogenic genes. WHAT?? this one means the fat storing gene are turned off! (so far so good)

4. Increased serotonin levels…SeroWHAT? that’s the happy neurotransmitter, so… decreased incidence of depression, anxiety, panic attack and reduce carbohydrate cravings.

5. Reduces inflammation from physical training. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has the greatest effect on reducing inflammation through its downstream metabolites known as resolvins. Resolvins may be the key to the beneficial actions of fish oil in human diseases.

6. Better focus when training, EPA will regulate blood supply to the brain which is important for focus during weight training sessions

7. Great Stress fighter, Supplementation with n-3 fatty acids inhibits the adrenal activation of steroids, aldosterone , epinephrine and norepinephrine ( catecholamines) elicited by a mental stress, apparently through effects exerted at the level of the central nervous system. (now that point makes me sound smart!)

8. Turns on the carnitine enzymes…Come on now i’m just making words up??? Wrong! These are the enzymes responsible for the burning of body fat.

9. They mitigate insulin response. This means that your blood sugar won’t spike as quickly and sugar is less likely to go to your fat cells.

10. Super easy compliance. taking them on a regular basis is so easy for everyone to do. Almost every Obese person is depressed so adding fish oils to their daily diet could be the first step to leaner healthier body thanks to the increase in serotonin levels (if you forgot what serotonin is check point 4)

and finally…before you start yelling at the screen with the words how much do I need of this super amazing supplement!!!! I got your answer…10 grams a day will get you well on your way! but note some brands will give you a shocking after taste and reflux so we all say get your hands on “Greens O3Mega”…TRUST ME!

So that is just 10 points about fish oils and if that’s not enough to make you run out and get some, jump on google and type in benefits of fish oils and read some more!

See you in the gym!

November 24, 2010 Posted by ed in Ed's Posts

The Best Bang for you Buck exercises!

Hey Kids!

This is my first Blog…and the boys have been on my case about getting something on here!

So I was doing some reading and came across this amazing piece of reading from strength GOD Charles Poliquin!!! Enjoy…

Selecting the Best “Bang for your Buck” Exercises

by Charles Poliquin

An exercise is only as good as the time it takes you to adapt to it. Provided you use enough weight for enough time, all exercises can build muscle – it’s just that some exercises are better at it than others.

This phenomenon has to do with what German strength physiologists call the scale of motor unit recruitment. For example, cam exercises for a given number of reps recruit less motor units than pulley exercises, and pulley exercises recruit less motor units than dumbbell exercises. The more you stick to what we humans were designed for – lifting rocks, carrying carcasses and generally just fighting against gravity – then the better off you are. What that means is using free weights over machines.

Some coaches argue that every exercise should be done standing if possible, but that would not be a wise practice. If you look at research on motor unit recruitment, the fewer muscles you involve in other parts of the body, the better. For example, there’s more motor unit recruitment during the seated incline curl and the Scott curl than during the standing curl. When you stand and curl, your whole posture changes so you don’t fall. When you’re seated doing curls, you can send all your neural drive to those motor units and get better recruitment.

Electromyography (EMG) studies at York University in Toronto showed that the more you can isolate the exercise with a free weight (in a single-joint movement), the more motor units are recruited. It’s true that if you measure motor unit recruitment in the quadriceps on a leg extension versus a squat for a given number of reps, you’ll always get more motor unit recruitment in the squat. But when we’re talking about single-joint exercises, the more you can isolate your neural drive for the targeted muscle, the better recruitment you’ll get.

Level 7 Muscle Activation Exercises include the snatch and rope climbing. Shown lifting is Paul Dumais, who snatched a Junior Commonwealth Record of 150 kilos in the 85-kilo class at the 2010 Junior World Championships.

The Seven Levels of Muscle Activation
One of the keys in strength training is choosing the right exercise – what I refer to as the “most bang for your buck” exercise. Here is a modification of Dietmar Schmidtbleicher’s chart on what he refers to as the six levels of muscle activation. Schmidtbleicher’s chart rates exercises on a scale of 1 to 6, with level 6 having the highest degree of muscle activation. I say “modified” because Riccard Nillson, a Swedish colleague of mine, added a seventh level. The higher the level, the greater the muscle activation. You should devote your training to exercises of mostly level 5 and above:

Compound vs. isolation exercises
(comparing levels of neuromuscular activity, or NMA)

Level 1
Isolation exercise on variable-resistance machine
Examples: leg extension on cam-type machine, such as the Cybex leg extension, or the DAVID leg curl

Level 2
Complex exercise on variable resistance machine
Examples: Nautilus leg press, LifeFitness incline press

Level 3
Isolation exercise with constant-resistance machine
Examples: Scott pulley curl, triceps pressdown on pulley machine

Level 4
Complex exercise with constant-resistance machine
Example: leg press on standard machine

Level 5
Isolation exercise with free weights
Examples: Scott barbell curl, lying flyes

Level 6
Complex exercise with free weights
Examples: snatch pulls, power cleans

Level 7
Complex exercise with free weights
Examples: power snatch, dips on rings, rope climbing, split jerks

Bigger, Stronger Arms: The Poliquin Way by Charles Poliquin is available for purchase through our online store.

I must add that eliciting survival fibers will cause you to recruit more motor units as well. If you do a split jerk, there’s more recruitment of the triceps because if there weren’t, you could drop the bar on your head. The snatch or power snatch will recruit more motor units than the power clean because there’s more risk with those exercises than with the power clean. Risk equals more motor unit recruitment. Also, adding chains or bands can actually help elicit greater recruitment.

Machines offer variety to your workouts, but as a general rule they should not encompass more than 20 percent of your training. Free weights will give you the most bang for your buck in terms of muscle fiber recruitment and therefore should get most of your workout time.

Cheers