It's now the time of year when many of you will be looking forward to your summer holidays in the sun and time off work. But I'd wager a bet that many of you are also worried about not training, losing size, gaining fat and not eating correctly whilst away. Kind of ruins the whole holiday feeling doesn't it?! If this is a problem for you, remember this: holidays are a holiday! By this I mean they are a time to relax from all your lifestyle pressures, and this includes training. So enjoy yourselves, wherever you go.
In April we launched a new ebook: 'Grippers - Getting the most from your gripper' by Grip Champion Steve Gardener, who many of you will know better as 'Mobster'. This is an excellent addition to any elibrary.
'A Beginner's Guide to Building a Home Gym' is a great new article written by member AP, which covers all the essentials for what you need to train at home.
Don't forget to get your MuscleTalk training T-shirt this summer!
*** Best Wishes from James and The MuscleTalk team! ***
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** Need a diet for growth to suit YOU? - James Collier, Dietitian 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
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*** The Benefits of Soya ***
By Nicole Bremner (Nikki) - MuscleTalk Moderator and author of Muscle Menus Vegetarian
Soya (or Soy for the benefit of the Americans) products have enjoyed increased press coverage recently and, as a result, sales of soya milk alone have escalated in the US, growing from $1.5 million in 1980 to almost $550 million in 2001. The reasons for this astronomical growth are some of the benefits of soy including:
- decreased risk of breast and prostate cancer
- lower cholesterol
- fight high blood pressure
- assist iron deficiency
- alternate to HRT
- protect against osteoporosis
- increased fertility in females
Unfortunately for many bodybuilders soya is seen as a second rate protein source. The truth is that soya offers unique benefits not found in other proteins. These benefits result from soya's isoflavones, particularly daidzein and genistein. When daidzein was injected in rats (16 days at 30mg per kg of body weight per day), muscle weight rose and growth hormone, endorphin and testosterone levels all increased. Human tests performed on Romanian and Chinese athletes confirmed that supplementing with soya protein produced similar results with increased lean body mass, reduced body fat, and increased resistance to fatigue. With regards to cardiovascular health and fat burning, soya may be the best protein available because it increases the production of thyroid stimulating hormone and thyroxin, two substances that may increase your body's metabolism. So if you're trying to cut down while maintaining lean mass, soya may be the best protein for you.
But, you might ask, I've heard that soya contains phytoestrogens which mimic the effects of oestrogen in animals. And as a male bodybuilder, I don't want oestrogen in my body? However, there is no evidence that points to increased oestrogen levels in males with increased soya intake. If fact a study by the University of Texas showed that both oestrogen and testosterone levels remained the same in males who used soya. Furthermore, dihydrotestosterone (DHT - a metabolite of testosterone that has been associated with enlarged prostates, acne and male balding) levels fell by 13%.
This certainly doesn't mean you should waste your whey. The bottom line is that you should not rely in just a single source of protein. Sculpt your dream body by providing it with a variety of quality protein powders including whey, casein and soya protein isolate. Indeed the Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Scoring (PDCAAS) method of grading protein quality, the one used by the World Health Organisation / Food and Agriculture Organisation (WHO/FAO) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ranks soya protein isolate as the best protein source.
How to get more soy in your diet:
- use soya milk in place of cows milk on your cereal and in protein shakes
- add a tablespoon of soya protein to your normal whey protein shake
- use soya yoghurt on cereal or topped with fresh fruit
- soya nut butter is lovely on whole wheat or rye bread
- eat a handful of soya nuts or soya crackers as a snack
- sprinkle soya nuts over salads
- tofu can taste great in everything from smoothies and ice cream to sandwiches and stir-frys
- for tasty recipe ideas see for using soya see Muscle Menus and Muscle Menus Vegetarian
References: www.soyenjoy.com, www.talksoy.com, www.rumblesupplies.com, www.athletegift.com
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** Check out the Informed Bodybuilding Nutrition eBook by James Collier - the ULTIMATE nutrition bible for bodybuilding.
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** Muscle Finesse - Check out the brand new Muscle Finesse on line sports supplements store. Some of the best prices in the UK for Chemical Nutrition, EAS, Peak Body, Prolab, Met-Rx and MuscleTech supplements!
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*** What is a Herniated Disc? ***
By Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, CSPN
So what in the world is a Herniated Disc? Well, rather than confuse you more, I am going to give you my simple, easy to understand definition: A herniated disc is simply a protrusion, or sticking out of the disc. Think of a disc as a balloon being held in place between your hands … if you push your hands together unevenly the balloon will bulge out on the opposite side. This is what happens to the disc between the vertebrae. A Bulging Disc is the same thing as a herniated disc, just a different name.
Herniated discs are probably one of the most common diagnoses for back pain and is often used when a doctor can't find an explanation for the person's pain, similar to a doctor explaining away various aches and pains as 'arthritis'. The problem is many people who are diagnosed with a herniated disc don't have pain because of it and, for years, research has shown that in many cases, people live with herniated discs yet never have any back pain or symptoms. The point is, if you've been diagnosed with a herniated or bulging disc, it may not be what's really causing your back pain!
Even if you've had x-rays and MRIs that show a herniated disc, chances are still very good that it's not the problem; so read on to learn more and find out what's causing your back pain…
**What causes a disc to herniate?
Well, many people want you to believe it's old age, excess weight, stress, poor genetics, or how you lift a heavy object. While these are all potential factors, the biggest factor or cause is uneven pressure placed on the disc. Yes, you read that right … uneven pressure on discs is the biggest cause of herniated discs. Remember we talked earlier about the uneven pressure? Well, months and years of this uneven pressure cause discs to breakdown.
Do you have any idea what causes this uneven pressure? It's something so simple that it amazes me how many people, including the experts (orthopaedic specialists, chiropractors, physical therapists, etc) fail to recognize it.
So what is it? Muscle Imbalances. You see, muscle imbalances pull your bones and joints, especially the pelvis and spine, out of place and this places excess and uneven wear and tear on the body.
This is where Chiropractors come in. The whole concept of chiropractic care is to manually move the bones and joints back into the proper position. Makes sense, right? WRONG! Why? Because the same muscles that pulled those bones and joints out of place to begin with, will do so again, usually within days. The ONLY way to address muscle imbalances is to first identify them, then work on correcting them with the right combination of corrective exercises and stretches and any treatment that fails to include this formula, is doomed to fail!
To learn more about muscle imbalances, be sure to read my article titled 'Aches, Pains, and Injuries'
**When does a Herniated Disc actually cause pain?
Typically, a herniated disc will cause pain when it is putting pressure on a nerve or nerves and this pain is usually felt down the backside of the leg. However, occasionally individuals experience pain in the disc itself or the area around it.
**How do you know then what's causing your back pain?
Whether your pain is in the disc or shooting down your leg, I am willing to bet that it has something to do with muscle imbalances. In my opinion, it always makes sense to start at the beginning; so the first thing to do is identify what muscles imbalances you have and then begin work on correcting them. DON'T try things like ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and cortisone shots and then feel disappointed that they didn't work … how can they? Remember, they don't address the root cause of the problem! I am not saying that these types of treatments don't have a place, it's just that they will not give you the long-term relief you are looking for. For example, ultrasound may be helpful in conjunction with a corrective exercise and stretching program but it's not likely to do much on its own.
The real key is to not only treat the symptoms, but address the cause of the problem also. You can learn more about how to identify and correct your muscles imbalances in our video, Lose the Back Pain. In it, we take you thru a series of self-assessments in which you'll identify which specific muscle imbalances you have. We then show you step-by-step what to do to correct them in our Corrective Action Plans feeling. Order your copy online at www.losethebackpain.com.
Jesse Cannone is a certified personal fitness trainer and post-rehab specialist and has helped hundreds of individuals to eliminate their back pain. Visit his site now and be sure to sign up for his free email course on eliminating back pain: www.losethebackpain.com
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*** May's Recipe - Banana Bread ***
By Nikki - MuscleTalk Moderator
Taken from yet another bodybuilding recipe publication *** coming soon! ***
**Ingredients
350g low fat cream cheese
10 egg whites (or 5 whole eggs)
3 bananas, mashed
½ cup vanilla protein powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup sugar substitute
2 tsp vanilla essence
zest of one lemon
1 cup bran
1 cup ground almonds
**Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line with grease proof paper, a bread baking tin. In a bowl blend together the cream cheese and 3 eggs until smooth. Gradually add all the eggs mixing until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon into the baking tin. Cook for 25-30 minutes until the bread is browned on to and a knife inserted in the centre of the bread comes out clean. Cool before slicing into about 10 slices.
**Information
Makes 10 slices. Per slice: 225kcal, 19g protein, 17g carbs, 12g fat, 4g fibre.
More great bodybuilding recipes can be found in the 'Muscle Menus' and 'Muscle Menus Vegetarian' eBooks.
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