Happy Christmas from the MuscleTalk team to all our members across the World and we hope you have a great 2006!
We've re-launched our Healthy Christmas Recipes eBook - so don't miss out on those delights - this eBook has tasty healthier alternatives
MT recently interviewed figure bodybuilder and prominent MT member Malika Zitouni. Read the interview here
Updated this month is the article Clomid, Nolvadex and HCG in Post Cycle Recovery
There are other articles, reports and interviews at: www.muscletalk.co.uk/articles.aspx
Welshdragon is still unbeatable in the MT Powerlifting Competition, with his phenomenal total of 1881lbs/855kg!
New stock of MuscleTalk T-shirts is now available so we have all sizes in both grey and white.
*** Best Wishes from James and The MuscleTalk team! ***
See you at www.MuscleTalk.co.uk
*** Enjoy your Christmas Eating ***
By James Collier BSc (Hons) RNutr, MuscleTalk Moderator and Nutrition Consultant
Christmas is a time people often associate with being lazy, eating loads of crap food and getting fat! But this needn't be the case for bodybuilders and fitness trainers. Let me take you through a traditional Christmas day's eating and you'll find Christmas day can actually be a good day's nutrition. Many foods are actually very suitable for bodybuilding, and those that are not, can either be adapted or swapped for something else.
A good Christmas breakfast can be like any other day - porridge, toast and a glass of fresh fruit juice. Great Christmas stocking fillers are nuts and satsumas. All types of nuts are good protein and omega 6 fatty acid sources, so snacking on these during the morning will keep you in good nutrition until lunch. If you're not keen on nuts have a few oatcakes with cottage cheese.
Christmas turkey is an ideal source of lean protein (remove the skin). Of course you'll have loads of brussel sprouts and other vegetables to fill out the plate. Dry roasted potatoes are also fine, and why not add some sweet potatoes too? Top this off with gravy made from granules (not meat stock) and cranberry sauce.
Christmas pudding and mince pies are not the healthiest of choices (especially with brandy butter) but they do contain fruit, so just have a small portion. There are plenty of other healthy Christmas dessert treats in MuscleTalk's Healthy Christmas Recipes.
Don't drink too much, but why not enjoy some wine with your Christmas dinner? And there's nothing wrong with a small aperitif either!
If you haven't nodded off in the afternoon, try to stay away from the shortbread your Great Aunt Ethel bought you, and instead nibble on more nuts and satsumas and grab same turkey when your mother's not looking (she'll be saving it for the next few days' sandwiches!).
Most people like a light Christmas tea as they'll still be stuffed from lunch. But you're a bodybuilder, so you'll be ready for another feed. Have a few rounds of sandwiches made with cheese and turkey, followed by some oatcakes, celery, cucumber and carrots with dips. There are healthier trifle and Christmas cake recipes in the Healthy Christmas recipes eBook, if you find you need something else.
So all in all, you can easily join in the festive fun foods, and can actually enjoy more of some! Go easy on the chocolate though.
** 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
*** Motivation for the Recreational Trainer - A New Year, a New Approach? ***
By Steve Blades aka Toxic Toffee - MuscleTalk Moderator and Personal Trainer
Where is 2006 going to take you? Is it to the month of July when you hit the beach with the perfect six-pack and have the confidence to show off your new cuts? Is it going to be the year when you make such great size gains people cant help but comment? Is it going to be the year you smash your personal best for the bench press or squat? Or is it going to be another year of aimless training and simply having no goals or focus in your training. The worse case scenario may even arise when 2006 becomes your last year in the gym as the motivation to train has escaped you and a less productive life takes precedence.
For most, bodybuilding and fitness is a past time or hobby where extrinsic motivation such as trophies and financial rewards are not present, therefore inner drive is key and intrinsic motivation to improve their physique is imperative. For those who do compete and have the trophies, titles and cash prizes to aim for, the motivation to train and adhere to their diet is often easier due to the targets of future competitions and shows. Although this is the case, in a sport where fame, wealth and recognition is limited the desire for the perfect physique still reigns as a dominant factor in the decision to continue the lifestyle of a bodybuilder.
It's fair to say at the end of the day the longevity of your participation in training is ultimately down to your personal desire to improve aesthetics, performance or the health of your body rather than for extrinsic rewards. Although this is the over riding factor, there are a number of tips and techniques you can employ to make training more fun, beneficial and sustainable in the New Year.
Let's have a look at motivation in bodybuilding for the year ahead and some methods you can use to aid you through what can often be the lonely and testing battle of either adding quality mass or strip stubborn body fat. Do you struggle to stick to a training plan? Does your diet go to pot by the third week in January? Your not alone, trust me! Many of my clients are bright eyed and bushy tailed at the start of January, by the first week of February the desire is dwindling and the gym visits begin to slow down. For many people a new year brings new goals, whether it be mass, strength, body fat reduction or fitness and endurance. Many of these goals though are quickly forgotten and the honeymoon period of the News Year's resolution quickly fades away and motivation diminishes resulting in a lack of progress.
Make your goals challenging, yet realistic and achievable.
A higher level of self efficacy will also help you reach these goals, so believe in yourself and stick to it; the results will come if you educate yourself on optimum training and nutrition. This alone may keep your motivation levels up! A more detailed discussion on goal setting can be found in the article SMART Goal Setting in Bodybuilding.
Reward yourself for progress you make. For many who are cutting, and even those following a strict mass gaining diet, a bodybuilder's food intake is often bland and lacks variety or 'treat' foods. Allow yourself a 'cheat meal' for a job well done or have a week off here and there to keep you from going stale and resenting your training.
Remember fitness and bodybuilding is not only aesthetically beneficial. Think about your long term health and the bonuses to staying in shape, leading to a productive and healthy lifestyle.
Some trainers suffer from a lack of intensity in their training. Having a training partner may be the spark required this New Year. Help pushing out that final rep, meeting you at the gym when the pub seems a better idea or simply be there to share the woes of low carbing, a training buddy can see you though the hard times. Support from family members and friends can also be beneficial.
If visual stimulation is what you require, pin the picture of your favourite bodybuilders up in your room, read magazines and aim for the body you want and keep referring back to it when you struggle to find the desire to hit the gym. Role models are shown to provide a great incentive to achieve your goals even if we never ultimately reach their standards or level of success.
Maybe joining a new gym will help? For many a change of environment is a good way to increase motivation. The change of gym also may go hand in hand with a change in training schedule. For most, every 12 weeks is a good point to change their training plan, why not make a new one for a new year? The change of gym may offer some new equipment to try and new techniques can be learned and incorporated in the training plan.
Something as simple as a new supplement stack maybe the kick start you need to get training in the New Year? Simple things often make the difference!
On a lighter note, recent studies show the use of music is a great way of making a work out both more intense and enjoyable. Stick an MP3 player on your Xmas list and enjoy the sessions a little more by listening to your favourite tunes.
It's fair to say that if you really crave the results you will be drawn into the lifestyle regardless of the highs and lows of bodybuilding and training. If you force yourself into training you are more likely to drop out or allow your training to take a back seat. Employing some of the tips above may make the sticking points of 2006 mere mole hills rather than mountains. Good luck and a happy New Year!
*** Recipe - Christmas Fruit Cake ***
Taken from MuscleTalk's Healthy Christmas Recipes eBook
** Ingredients
½pt cold tea
1lb mixed dried fruit
2 cups self raising wholemeal flour
1 egg
** Method
- Soak fruit overnight in cold tea
- Next day, add egg and flour, mix well
- Divide into 2 well greased 1lb loaf tins
- Bake in preheated oven at 150 C/300 F/Gas Mark 2 for 1 hour
- Allow to stand for 5mins before removing from tins. Cool on rack, then divide into 12 slices
** Information
Serve with low fat spread. About 90kcals per slice. A low fat and low calorie alternative to traditional Christmas fruit cake.
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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*** Book Review - Fantastic: The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger by Laurence Leamer ***
Review by James Collier
Available from HERE.
Being one of the most famous people in the World, Arnold Schwarzenegger has had a number of biographies written about his life. Now he has moved into politics, Leamer has compiled this biography from a different angle being principally a political biographer himself. It was released in 2005 so is right up-to-date.
The biography is in three parts each covering the major chapters in his life: Arnold the bodybuilder, Arnold the actor and star and Arnold the politician. The first section is very enjoyable giving an in depth insight into his rise in bodybuilding and shaping his personality and is obviously the section in which MuscleTalk readers are most interested in. The second section covers all his film roles and his ever-increasing worldwide profile and is also a very entertaining read. However the last section, which covers his (to date) short political career was quite mundane and tedious to read, though maybe would be enjoyable if I were into politics!
The biography is very well-written and unbiased and includes lots of interviews with people who have entered Arnold's life (many from bodybuilding), and much input from the man himself. Although Leamer isn't always praising Arnold, neither does he slate him and although independent, this is obviously an authorised book.
This is a book which is a necessary inclusion in a bodybuilder's book collection; after all it's about the life of the most famous bodybuilder ever.
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