Exercise Profile : One Arm Dumbbell Row

With the left knee on the bench, bend over at the waist and put your left hand on the bench as well for stability. Your back should now be parallel with the floor.

Grab a dummbell and let it pull your shoulder to the floor slightly, this is the starting position. Pull the dumbbell up in a controlled manner and then control it back down to the starting position. Try 3 sets of 12 reps to start and keep increasing.

A.J. McAlendin

Robert Kennedy : MUSCLEMAG - An Offer Of Pride

I have always read the muscle magazines on the newsstand. The one with the best cover got my money, and most often it was MUSCLEMAG or FLEX. With the recession being what it is, I was hoping to see prices come down on magazines as they are heavily subsidized by all the bull crap advertising for worthless supplements in them. However, upon reading the new issue of MUSCLEMAG (April 2009 edition) I have to say that Robert Kennedy will continue to get my money.

And I quote from page 30: "If you're out of work or otherwise suffering financially, you can send the current issue back to us after reading it and I will personally see that your money is returned in full plus $3.00 to cover your mailing costs."

Sure, it is good advertising, but at least he is offering. I hope all of the fitness magazines offer similar incentives. It is expensive to keep fit and it is nice to know we all have Robert Kennedy in our corner.

A.J. McAlendin

Why prices are so high?

What is the difference between US and Canadian prices of supplements? HUGE!! Some products are $20 in the US and $50 here. The Canadian goverment charges lots of money to register each natural health product and that costs a great deal of money that the distributer has to pay, so they up the price and you pay the bill.

Go Canada! Way to support your athletes!! Not to mention banning great products, making it hard for our athletes, not putting enough resources into our athletes etc.

Let's send them a message and write a letter to you MP telling them we need help! Athletes and weekend warriors need access to great products without the back stabbing prices attached!

A.J. McAlendin

What am I up to?

I received an e-mail from an old client wondering what I was up to. Well, I am still working on the amazing www.fitclub.ca website for everyone to sign up and use. I am working out too little, but will try to get back in 5 days a week again this week. I have had a diploma in fitness and nutrition for many years, but am taking courses next month to complete my personal trainer certification through Can-Fit-Pro and then will move on to the ACE certification as well. There is a great IFBB program that is of interest as well, so I am keeping busy.

Keep e-mailing your questions and get in the gym and bust your butt!!

A.J. McAlendin

Exercise Challenge : Dust Off Your Balls! (err, exercise balls that is)

I know many of you have an exercise ball tucked away that you have probably used 3 times! Go give it a wipe down and do the exercises in the picture. One set of 10 reps for each exercise to start, three times a week for three weeks and then increase to 2 sets and so on. A sample schedule would look like this.

Week 1 - 1 set of 10 (three times a week)
Week 2 - 1 set of 10 (three times a week)
Week 3 - 1 set of 10 (three times a week)
Week 4 - 2 sets of 10 (three times a week)
Week 5 - 2 sets of 10 (four times a week)
Week 6 - 2 sets of 10 (four times a week)
Week 7 - 3 sets of 10 (four times a week)

Give it a go and watch your body change. Small changes over time yield huge results!

A.J. McAlendin

Exercise Challenge : Dips

I have recently begun doing dips on a counterbalance machine (makes it easier to lift your weight and work up to just using your own body weight). This is an amazing upper body exercise. It works the traps, lats (to a lesser degree), chest (wow!) and arms (especially triceps and forearms). Start with three sets of 10 and over the next 6 weeks add a set every week, so it should look like this.

Week 1 - 3 sets of 10
Week 2 - 4 sets of 10
Week 3 - 5 sets of 10
Week 4 - 6 sets of 10
Week 5 - 7 sets of 10
Week 6 - 8 sets of 10

Do them on a day by themselves when you are not doing your weight training. Incorporating them before cardio is a great idea as you will need all of your strength! Once you hit week 6 you will need to shock the body a little and lower the amount of help you are getting from the machine.

If you need 100lbs of assistance, drop to 90 and start the cycle over at the week 2 level and continue through week 6. Then drop to 80 lbs of help and do the cycle. You will soon be using your own body weight and your strength will be through the roof. You should be increasing definition and adding a little muscle on your upper body!

Good luck and have fun!

A.J. McAlendin

Scientific Snippets : Research Yourself And Learn While You Burn!

Caffeine increases weightlifting performance.

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22: 1950-1957, 2008.

400mg seems to be good.

Losing Fat - Part 5

Do not eat carbs before bed. This is main reason we are gaining so much weight and turning into a society of blubber. It's all about your hormone levels. At night your sensitivity to insulin decreases and it must release more to deal with the carbs (bag of chips, pop, ice cream etc).

Human Growth Hormone is released about 90 minutes after you begin your sleeping for the night. It is a fat liberating hormone and necessary to build muscle and repair your body. When you have carbs in your system, the release of GH is suppressed. So, do not eat within a few hours of sleeping or only have some protein at night if you need to kill the hunger pangs. Veggies also can fit the bill for stopping the munchies at night. Stay away from high sugar veggies like carrots.

A.J. McAlendin

Exercise Profile : The Upright Row

The upright row targets the upper trapezius, middle deltoid and anterior deltoid.

1) Start standing straight with your knees slightly bent to keep pressure off your lower back. Chest out and shoulders back. Hold the barbell with palms of your hands facing your legs. Keep your hands about 10 inches apart, but feel free to vary your grip to allow you to "feel" the exercise.

2) Extend your arms fully down so they are just above your thighs.

3) Make sure your legs are hip-wide with toes slightly pointed out. This will keep you stable and in balance.

4) Inhale as you pull up to the upper chest area. Keep your abs tight.

5) Keep your head in a fixed position. Keep your eyes forward and find a spot to concentrate on.

Start with three sets of 10! Have fun!

A.J. McAlendin

Losing Fat - Part 4

Try not to eat carbs by themselves. When you are trying to lose fat, insulin control is key. The release of insulin is governed not just by how many carbs you eat, but also how easy they are to digest. If you have no choice but to eat fast digesting carbs (white bread, white pasta, white rice) you can still slow down absorption to maintain somewhat stable insulin levels. One way is to eat your carbs with a small amount of fat (flax oil or olive oil) and some protein. So, white rice, lean steak cooked with a small amount of canola oil is an example. Your insulin release will be better than with just eating the rice by itself.

You can also eat a heafty serving of vegetables (hard to digest) and slow down the absorption of all carbohydrates. Stir fry your heart out!!

A.J. McAlendin

Losing Fat - Part 3

Dietary fat is more fattening than protein or carbs. It is less likely to be used as energy to fuel your body. It is not without saying that carbs and protein can also be turned into fat and stored in the body when taken in excess, but they are more likely to be burned as fuel.

Protein builds muscle. Fat does not, but moderate amounts of necessary dietary fat supports vitamin uptake and helps manufacture hormones in the body.

If you are trying to get lean, stick to mono and polyunsaturated fat sources. Keep the fat as low as you can, but don't drop below 60g per day or so.

We all know we need protein to add muscle. As you add muscle your metabolism increases and this means you burn more calories at rest. The more muscle you have, the more you can eat without worrying too much about it. Also, protein takes more energy to process in the body, this is called the "thermic effect of food".

This is also why high protein diets work so well at initial fat loss. However, if you have preexisting liver or kidney problems you may need to stay away from a high protein diet. If you do not have any problems, then you should really try it. A high protein diet works, plain and simple!

Start with 1g of lean protein per kg of bodyweight.

A.J. McAlendin

Losing Fat - Part 2

Not all carbohydrates are the same. Fast digesting carbs tend to spike insulin and lead to extra fat gain. White rice, white bread, sugary cereals, candy, chips, rice cakes and white rice are all fast digesting carbs. The only time you really want these products is after working out aid recovery. Your body wants them after working out, it needs to heal and recover quickly!

Slow digesting carbs (whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, oats, sweet potatoe, legmes) do not make a huge rise in insulin and are preferred by the body. Your body likes a constant supply of energy, about 100 calories an hour on average. So eating every three hours (300 calories) allows you to eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day and not gain weight. Keep active and you will not have to worry.

The complex, slow digesting carbs should make up the bulk of your carbohydrate intake.

To drop bodyfat, you can try eliminating fast digesting carbs for a few weeks and see the effect on your body. If you find you are very tired, lethargic and weak, add in a quarter cup of white rice three times a day and then try that for a couple weeks.

The body is all about balance and trial and error. There is no perfect solution for everyone. You have to try it for a length of time, look at the result and tweak it until you achieve your goals.

In general keep carbs to 2g per pound per day.

200lbs x 2g = 400g per day for a 200lb person
120lbs x 2g = 240g per day for a 120lb person

A.J. McAlendin

Losing Fat - Part 1

Most active men or women require about 18 calories per pound of bodyweight per day. This is of course dependant on your activity level, but for simplicity, 18 calories per pound per day is a good number to start with.

To reduce bodyfat you must reduce calories and increase exercise. Anyone telling you otherwise should go back to school. Drop your calories to 14-16 calories per pound on exercise days and drop to 12 calories per pound on non-workout days.

200lb man x 12 - 2400 calories for the day. Stay at this level until you stop losing fat and your weight stabilizes. 2-3 months should do the trick. Once you reach a stable weight, re-evaluate and make new goals.

WARNING: NEVER DROP BELOW 1500 CALORIES A DAY!! Starvation is below 1200 per day. Your body will stop producing vital hormones and use muscle tissue to keep alive. After a while you look like a skeleton! YUCK!

The easiest way to cut calories is to reduce dietary fat. Reduce butter, oil, salad dressing, remove chicken and turkey skin, use 3 egg whites to one whole egg, use lean cuts of meat with no visible fat.....but.... LOW fat, NOT no fat. We need fat to survive. Cut back, but not below around 60g per day. Your body needs it to produce hormones and vital body processes.

A.J. McAlendin