2006 has already brought a huge amount of traffic to MT with loads of new members in just a few weeks, making us stronger than ever, with more and more people enjoying the site!
Last month we posted a new article Acne in Bodybuilding which has historically been a topical subject on the forums. Check out our other articles, reports and interviews at: www.muscletalk.co.uk/articles.aspx or in past issues of The MuscleTalker
Welshdragon has pushed his lead up further in the MT Powerlifting Competition, with his new total of 1925lbs/875kg - that's obliterated his previous own total!
Have you got your MuscleTalk T-Shirt yet?
*** All the best from James and The MuscleTalk team! ***
See you at www.MuscleTalk.co.uk
*** Exercise Bulimia ***
By Steve Blades aka ToxicToffee MuscleTalk Moderator
The Following is a brief overview of Exercise Bulimia. I am not a doctor and this article is not intended to treat or diagnose the condition. However I have a fair understanding of the issue and am happy to answer questions on the forums. But if you do think you sufferer from any eating disorder you should consult your doctor
Eating disorders are not uncommon in either sex, and in the 21st Century there is an ever increasing number of males in their teens and 20s being diagnosed with eating disorders. The most common eating disorder is anorexia. Anorexia Nervosa (AN) as its full name when translated means 'lack of appetite' which is completely the opposite sensation most feel. AN is where calories are restricted, food is not consumed and exercise generally takes place to enable to sufferer to keep the control and as a result stay thin and exhibit the notion of control.
Bulimia on the other hand is where the person will suppress desires to eat, only to binge out on massive calorie intakes in short periods of time then purge the calories through vomiting or laxatives and diet pills. Bulimia simply means, 'the hunger of an ox' and is becoming more and more common in males in the Western World and, like anorexia, is mainly caused as a result of wanting to have the perfect body. The media is often blamed for the rising number of cases of eating disorders.
Bulimics generally purge calories by vomiting or using diet pills and laxatives which obviously have health risks. A new sub-classification of bulimia is now becoming more and more documented. The 'exercise bulimic' is a person who like the 'standard bulimic' will have an unsustainable diet that leads to binges and purges but ultimately the purge is done through excessive exercise rather than vomiting and the use of pills.
They will focus on the calories burned in the session and with new technologies, like heart rate monitors and computers on gym equipment, allow for calculations to be made. An exercise bulimic will often lose track of time simply aiming for a calorie deficit such as 1000 calories, saying to themselves "I must get rid of 1000 calories before I go home." This is not an uncommon trait of the exercise bulimic and a statement i have heard time and time again.
The guilt of a binge will force the person into hitting the treadmill or bike for excessive amounts of time, often with great vigour in an attempt to purge the calories they have taken in. The guilt forces them into a dangerous situation in terms of both their health and fitness. There are serious consequences of doing this including dehydration, osteoporosis, an unhealthily low body fat level, injuries, muscle catabolism, hormonal imbalance and arthritis, amongst others. Many exercise bulimics will often show tell-tale signs other than the affects on their health, which include social withdrawal, the wearing of baggy clothes, excessive time spent at the gym, training through injury and depression if unable to exercise.
Although there are many positive aspects of cardiovascular training for health, exercise bulimics will defy this notion by over training and using this in a detrimental manner rather than a positive one. Most people who suffer from exercise bulimia set out with positive aspirations to get fit and healthy before training becomes a necessity and addiction to purge the calories.
As stated before, I am not a doctor nor am I a professional in this area but my suggestion would be to enjoy food, enjoy moderate exercise and don't punish yourself if you have had a cheat or treat. Constant abuse leads to a poor physique and health rather than the odd treat here and there.
Enjoy your cardio, enjoy your food and keep the balance! Don't try and fight it alone, bounce ideas off friends, family and professionals.
For those looking for help on the subject some of the links below may be of interest
www.edauk.com
www.eating-disorders.org.uk
** James Collier BSc (Hons), Registered Nutritionist offers personalised nutrition programmes through email tailored to YOUR needs. For more information see:
www.muscletalk.co.uk/james.aspx or email james@muscletalk.co.uk
*** Which Type of Cardio? ***
By Steve Blades aka ToxicToffee MuscleTalk Moderator
When trying to strip bodyfat the question often arises of which form of cardio is the most effective? Is it the bike? Is it running? Is it the cross trainer? Is it the rower?
In this article I am going to make the bold statement of saying all of them! In terms of calories burned all exercises will yield the same calorie deficit if performed at the same heart rate (HR). So if you spend 30 minutes on the treadmill at 150 bpm (i.e. heart beats per minute or your pulse rate) and replicate the same session, in terms of average bpm on a stationary cycle, you will ultimately burn the same amount of calories in that session. So when someone next says to you "running burns more calories than a bike" you can explain to them that yes it does if your heart rate is higher. The heart rate is generally raised to a higher level more quickly when running, as it is physically more demanding as more muscle groups are recruited and there is not support to hold your bodyweight. Therefore the effort on a cycle to reach a high HR (or closer to your max, or even working range) will possibly take longer to reach but you will burn the same amount of calories, period.
However, there are advantages of using each type of exercise and below are the attributes that make each item of cardiovascular exercise equipment appealing to gym users and those looking to strip fat:
- The exercise (stationary) bike allows for a non load bearing exercise to be carried out. For those with weak joints or those who are significantly overweight this proves a good starting point for cutting
- The cross trainer (or skier as some call it) again offers similar benefits and is becoming more and more popular in health clubs and gyms. The fluid movement simply provides a full body cardio session without placing stress on major joints
- The rowing machine seems to be making a come back in gyms. Concept 2 and similar machines provide a smooth ride and again allow those with lower limb problems a chance to carry out a quality cardio session. The culture of online racing and Concept 2 standard awards have taken the boredom out of the rower and the newer machines replicate the natural rowing action better than ever before
- The treadmill is dreaded by many due to its harsh nature, but at the end of the day it provides an opportunity to get the heart rate up, provide hill reps and allow for safe indoor running
- Whatever your choice of weapon, remember it's all about structure of the session rather than the equipment used that determines the success of your training
Below I have listed the calories burned whilst at different heart rates, those coming from fat and those coming from carbohydrates. As you can clearly see, the carbohydrates used rapidly increases as intensity increases and the contribution from fat lowers when the aerobic threshold is approached. Ultimately cardio is not all about fat burning and that's why, in my opinion we should avoid the concept of the fat burning zone myth.
Cardio is about calories in versus calories out, so the harder you go, the more calories you burn. The more calories you burn, the more weight you lose! Simple enough! There is the issue of the type of calories that you burn and what percentage of that is carbohydrate, fat and protein, but we will look at that in a future article!
For now enjoy the stats below, courtesy of The Trainsmart Test from Origin Health and Fitness. The data was gathered from a test performed my myself, on a static bike after a fasted period of 12 hours:
| BPM | Kcal/m | Fat | Carbs | %fat |
| 72 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 82 |
| 86 | 4.8 | 3 | 1.8 | 64 |
| 100 | 5.9 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 60 |
| 106 | 7.3 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 56 |
| 115 | 7.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 49 |
| 126 | 8.6 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 41 |
| 133 | 8.8 | 3.3 | 5.5 | 38 |
| 147 | 10.5 | 3.8 | 6.7 | 36 |
| 155 | 13.8 | 4.4 | 9.4 | 32 |
| 156 | 14.3 | 3.6 | 10.7 | 25 |
| 157 | 14.7 | 2.9 | 11.8 | 20 |
| 158 | 15 | 2.1 | 12.9 | 14 |
| 159 | 15.2 | 0.8 | 14.4 | 5 |
| 160 | 15.8 | 0 | 15.8 | 0 |
| 161 | 16.8 | 0 | 16.3 | 0
|
*** Recipe - Tuna & Corn Patties ***
Recipe by Nicole Bremner - MuscleTalk Moderator. Taken from her eBook Muscle Menus
** Ingredients
¼ cup grated reduced fat cheese
1 x 185g tin tuna in spring water, drained and flaked
½ cup corn kernels
1 cup mashed boiled potato
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup rolled oats
4 spring onions, chopped
** Method
Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Divide into 6 equal portions and form into patties. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
** Information
Serves 6. Per serving: 166kcal, 12g protein, 18g carbs, 4g fat. A great main or snack meal, ideally served with a salad.
More great bodybuilding recipes can be found in the eBooks 'Muscle Menus', 'Muscle Menus 2', 'Muscle Menus Vegetarian' and Muscle Menus Shakes, Bars and Smoothies eBooks:
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** IMPROVE YOUR GRIP with 'Grippers - Getting the most from your gripper'. The informative ebook from grip champion Steve Gardener tells you how to use your gripper more effectively to improve your performance in your sport:
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*** DVD Review - Arm Yourself - Featuring Natural Pro Bodybuilders Rob Hope and Vicky McCann ***
Review by Kitty - MuscleTalk Moderator
I have never been one to want to watch DVDs of other bodybuilders training. However, when I heard that Rob and Vicky had produced this, I was so tempted I actually bought it before it was released. I was interested to see how two of the world's top natural bodybuilders actually trained especially Vicky as I aspire to be on the stage with her someday and not just her being the MC.
The DVD is primarily in black and white with an occasional insertion of a little colour. If you enjoy being a voyeur in the gym then this will be right up your street. The filming follows Vicky and Rob going through a typical week's training session with each day broken down into the body parts that they would normally train together. You occasionally get the feeling that you're sat on a bench right next to them and can even feel the pain that they are going through as they do their final reps and drop sets to really fatigue their muscles.
There is good banter going on between the two as they train and during the over tape commentary. Good rock music is blaring out most of the time in the gym adding to the atmosphere. There are many comments and suggestions on how to do some of the exercises correctly and why certain techniques are better than others. This suggests to me that this DVD would therefore also be excellent for beginners and those who train at home who would not get the opportunity to watch the form of others nor be correctly instructed in technique.
You are treated to a couple of poses from both of them so can see for yourself just how awesome Robs lat spread is and see his freaky triceps pump during pull downs, don't even get me started on his biceps pumping on the first warm up set! But then he does high cable curls, wow! I found myself shouting at TV when Rob was doing his last set of deadlifts with 6 plates each side….and don't forget, this guy is natural!
I really enjoyed watching this and know that it will be good inspiration for me when I don't feel motivated. I also expect that both men and women would get equal enjoyment from viewing this.
The articles in The MuscleTalker are for information purposes only and are the sole expressions of the individual authors opinion and are those not necessarily shared by the owners of www.MuscleTalk.co.uk