Build Your Strength to Build Your Health!

[macchoi]

What's the skinny on "Skinny Fat"
by: Alisa Profumo



I am sure by now most of you have heard the term “Skinny Fat” or “Normal Weight Obesity.” This has been a subject talked about numerous times on Super Human Radio and other media outlets. But just in case you are living under a rock and haven’t heard this term used researchers define Normal Weight Obesity as a condition of having a normal BMI with high body fat percentages. This new type of patient is at risk for metabolic disorders as well as risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Think about this…obesity is defined as having excess body fat. Now researchers are saying that people who appear skinny on the exterior may have excess body fat putting them at risk for all of the same diseases that a seemingly overweight person may have.

Now let’s take this concept a bit further…as Carl Lanore of Super Human Radio has said on numerous occasions BMI is flawed! BMI does not discriminate between body fat and lean muscle. And for those of you, who may be “skeptical” of this flaw, feel free to “Google” two Mayo Clinic studies from 2006 and 2007 suggesting this criterion. Having said this, maybe we, as well as the Medical Orthodoxy, need to shift the focus from the scale or BMI to having our body fat assessed.

So, let’s explore body fat assessment. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard women say they are afraid to lift weights because they don’t want to look like a man or they don’t want too much muscle. My first reaction is what is too much muscle? Unless one is taking large amounts of drugs I feel relatively sure that too much muscle shouldn’t be a concern.

And, dieting alone will eliminate weight but it definitely will not tone anything. As a matter of fact if one diets without lifting to tone and build you should expect to lose muscle. Skinny does not equal healthy!!! Your bone mineral uptake can be increased through resistance training. Both the effects of load baring exercises on bone mineral uptake, as well as an increase in muscle, make bones stronger. We need to feed our bones and lifting weight equals’ feeding our bones!

I probably don’t need to mention this but I will just in case…Aerobic type exercises will get your heart pumping and burn some calories…it will NOT build muscle!! Only weight bearing exercises will build muscle!

Now let’s get back to exploring body fat, when was the last time you had your body fat tested? My current journey has lead me to numerous body fat assessment sessions. I fell into the category of following the number on the scale. I can thankfully say that has all changed now!

I now know and understand the importance of lean body mass. Losing body fat while gaining muscle is definitely a science that I wish more people understood. Especially women…we are the most prone to being skinny fat! So just because your scale registers a certain number or you wear a size 4 dress, this doesn’t mean that you have low body fat percentages.

If you are not engaging into some form of muscle building routine than you too may be at risk of being skinny fat or have Normal Weigh Obesity. Please start exploring you options now before it’s too late!!

[cwl3]

Originally Posted by macchoi

What's the skinny on "Skinny Fat"
by: Alisa Profumo



I am sure by now most of you have heard the term “Skinny Fat” or “Normal Weight Obesity.” This has been a subject talked about numerous times on Super Human Radio and other media outlets. But just in case you are living under a rock and haven’t heard this term used researchers define Normal Weight Obesity as a condition of having a normal BMI with high body fat percentages. This new type of patient is at risk for metabolic disorders as well as risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Think about this…obesity is defined as having excess body fat. Now researchers are saying that people who appear skinny on the exterior may have excess body fat putting them at risk for all of the same diseases that a seemingly overweight person may have.

Now let’s take this concept a bit further…as Carl Lanore of Super Human Radio has said on numerous occasions BMI is flawed! BMI does not discriminate between body fat and lean muscle. And for those of you, who may be “skeptical” of this flaw, feel free to “Google” two Mayo Clinic studies from 2006 and 2007 suggesting this criterion. Having said this, maybe we, as well as the Medical Orthodoxy, need to shift the focus from the scale or BMI to having our body fat assessed.

So, let’s explore body fat assessment. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard women say they are afraid to lift weights because they don’t want to look like a man or they don’t want too much muscle. My first reaction is what is too much muscle? Unless one is taking large amounts of drugs I feel relatively sure that too much muscle shouldn’t be a concern.

And, dieting alone will eliminate weight but it definitely will not tone anything. As a matter of fact if one diets without lifting to tone and build you should expect to lose muscle. Skinny does not equal healthy!!! Your bone mineral uptake can be increased through resistance training. Both the effects of load baring exercises on bone mineral uptake, as well as an increase in muscle, make bones stronger. We need to feed our bones and lifting weight equals’ feeding our bones!

I probably don’t need to mention this but I will just in case…Aerobic type exercises will get your heart pumping and burn some calories…it will NOT build muscle!! Only weight bearing exercises will build muscle!

Now let’s get back to exploring body fat, when was the last time you had your body fat tested? My current journey has lead me to numerous body fat assessment sessions. I fell into the category of following the number on the scale. I can thankfully say that has all changed now!

I now know and understand the importance of lean body mass. Losing body fat while gaining muscle is definitely a science that I wish more people understood. Especially women…we are the most prone to being skinny fat! So just because your scale registers a certain number or you wear a size 4 dress, this doesn’t mean that you have low body fat percentages.

If you are not engaging into some form of muscle building routine than you too may be at risk of being skinny fat or have Normal Weigh Obesity. Please start exploring you options now before it’s too late!!

This ignores the reality of real people genetics and is just a bunch of disheartening bro science for many ordinary people.

Fake.

[mumbles12]

Originally Posted by cwl3

This ignores the reality of real people genetics and is just a bunch of disheartening bro science for many ordinary people.

Fake.

Im trying to take bf measurements with calipers right now, and I checked youtube and a few vids point towrds relseasing the caliper and marking where it lands on after 2 seconds?? However when I release mine just goes back to the start.. This doesnt make sense... How do you take proper measurements?

[macchoi]

The Importance of Strength Training for Middle Age and Older Adults
By Adam Yezer, for Elite Fitness Systems



Do you hope to maintain your quality of life as you age? Is it important for you to be able to perform daily tasks, enjoy recreational activities, and care for yourself? You probably want to stay fit, trim, strong, and mobile for as long as possible. If you happen to have some physical limitations, you probably hope to halt or maybe even improve those limitations. This doesn’t have to be just wishful thinking. You don’t have to accept frailty as you age!

There’s good news on the physical front
You can do more than just hope for a strong, mobile body as you age. It is possible to turn back the aging clock! The myth is that as we grow older we get much weaker and suffer more aches and pains. We’ve been told that losing muscle and gaining fat are just part of the natural aging process. The fact is many of the symptoms of old age are really the symptoms of inactivity—of using our muscles less. Muscle weakness, bone loss, and sluggish metabolism are changes that accompany aging but are not solely caused by it.

Use it or lose it! No doubt you have heard this phrase before. I can’t think of a better one to describe what happens to our bodies as we age. However, you can slow and possibly reverse many of the symptoms associated with aging by increasing your strength and flexibility. You can turn your wishful thinking into a reality!

Strength training—the primary weapon against aging
They still haven’t discovered the fountain of youth, but strength training, or weight training, is pretty close to it. More and more fitness experts are recommending strength training to their clients for health reasons. These clients include men and women of all ages. Strength training is extremely important for combating age-related declines in muscle mass, bone density, and metabolism. It’s an effective way to increase muscle strength and shed unwanted inches. Strength training also helps to decrease back pain, reduce arthritic discomfort, and prevent or manage some diabetic symptoms.

According to Tufts University, the top ten strength training exercises are the chest press, deadlift, squat, lateral pull-down, seated cable row, biceps arm curl, triceps press down, overhead press, and crunch. (The bench press, squat, and deadlift are considered powerlifting movements.)


The muscle-fat connection
Physical inactivity causes an average loss of 5–7 pounds of muscle per decade. This muscle loss leads to a metabolic rate reduction of 2–5 percent per decade. Calories that were previously used for muscle energy are put into fat storage, which results in gradual weight gain. One study on older adults (Campbell 1994) showed that a three-month, basic strength training program resulted in the exercisers adding three pounds of muscle and losing four pounds of fat while consuming 15 percent more calories.

Osteoporosis prevention
At Tufts University, researchers found that strength training can increase bone density. Prior to this research, it was believed that women may be able to slow their bone loss but not increase their bone density. This new study showed that strength training at any age can actually add bone, not just slow its loss.

Arthritic pain decreases
According to Tufts University, sensible strength training may be one of the best ways to get relief from your arthritis. Not only will it help lubricate and nourish the joint, but strength training will also strengthen the muscles around the joint, providing it with greater support.

Glucose metabolism improvement
As we age, our glucose sensitivity decreases. Poor glucose metabolism is associated with Type II diabetes. One study (Hurley 1994) found that after four months of strength training, there was an average increased glucose uptake of 23 percent.

So strength training can be a healthy way to fight the aging process. Just be sure to execute the proper form, warm-up, lift within your capabilities, eat a well-balanced, nutritional diet, and maintain a healthy weight. By following these “rules,” you can also be a more efficient lifter. Also be sure to see a qualified medical doctor before starting any exercise program.

[macchoi]

Strength training: Get stronger, leaner, healthier

Strength training is an important part of an overall fitness program. Here's what strength training can do for you — and how to get started.
By Mayo Clinic staff

You know exercise is good for you. Ideally, you're looking for ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. If your aerobic workouts aren't balanced by a proper dose of strength training, though, you're missing out on a key component of overall health and fitness. Despite its reputation as a "guy" or "jock" thing, strength training is important for everyone. With a regular strength training program, you can reduce your body fat, increase your lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.
Use it or lose it

Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. "If you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, you'll increase the percentage of fat in your body," says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. "But strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle mass — at any age."

Strength training also helps you:

• Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
• Control your weight. As you gain muscle, your body gains a bigger "engine" to burn calories more efficiently — which can result in weight loss. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to control your weight.
• Reduce your risk of injury. Building muscle helps protect your joints from injury. It also contributes to better balance, which can help you maintain independence as you age.
• Boost your stamina. As you get stronger, you won't fatigue as easily.
• Manage chronic conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.
• Sharpen your focus. Some research suggests that regular strength training helps improve attention for older adults.

[macchoi]

Resistance Training = Greater Bone Density

Published findings suggest the stimulus of resistance training results in approximately a 10% to 13% increase in bone mineral density, when considering the whole body and commonly tested anatomical sites (Karlsson 1993).

Karlsson MK, Johnell O, Obrant KJ. 1995. Bone mineral density in weight lifters.
Calcif Tissue Int 52(3): 212-5.

According to Layne and Nelson (1999), throughout the 1990s approximately two dozen cross-sectional and longitudinal studies showed direct, positive relationships between bone density and resistance training.

Layne JE, Nelson ME. 1999. The effects of progressive resistance training on bone density: A review.
Med Sci Sports Exerc 31(1): 25-30.

[macchoi]

Why Should We Be Strong?

By:

Georg Hackenschmidt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Georg Hackenschmidt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Georg Hackenschmidt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Way to Live in Health and Physical Fitness, Chapter 2, 1908

"It is well-known fact that the majority of men today are relatively weak, whereas the struggle for existence demands now more than at any previous epoch that we should all be strong!

The reader may think that physical strength is not a necessity, but I will try to prove to him that man cannot derive real enjoyment from life unless he possesses a powerful and healthy constitution. A famous physician expressed himself as follows: “If I think of my experiences during a thirty years’ practice, I cannot recall many cases where a patient became ill through to great an exertion on his physical system, whereas I remember many hundreds who have contracted serious illness through mental strain and brain fag, and their complete recovery invariably was a slow and difficult process."

I have come to the distinct conclusion, that the physical constitution of the human frame never was intended merely for study, but rather for manual and bodily exercise. I have found that those who have lived an active outdoor life have retained and enjoyed a brightness born of health far longer than others. Such people always enjoyed their meals, seldom suffered from indigestion, headaches, or nervous exhaustion. Indigestion is the direct result of the ineffective performance by the digestive organs of their functions, brought on either, on the one hand, by over-eating or consuming unsuitable food and noxious drugs, or, on the other hand, by physical inactivity. What a contrast to those people who toil in rooms or do mental work only, they often suffer from heat in the head, cold feet, sluggish digestion, or weak and inactive bowels. Few among them are those who do not suffer from some form of nervous complaint. The feeling of comfort and happiness is almost unknown to them.

We know that every organ, when actively performing its duties, demands a rich supply of blood; its veins become enlarged, and, considering the fact that much more blood flows through a muscle while it is in activity than while it is at rest, it is evident that the same rule holds good as regards the brain. If more blood flows to the brain than under normal conditions, the other parts of the body are more or less depleted of it, feet and arms become cold, and the feeling is, to say the least, uncomfortable. I have the firm conviction that in time everyone will recognize the necessity of daily bodily exercises in one form or another, as an ordinary counterpart to one’s daily mental exertions.

Human life is not unlike a commercial business establishment. There is a continual exchange of matter, and just as the commercial establishment suffers and decays just when the turnover diminishes, or the stock of goods accumulates without being disposed of, so a continuous exchange of matter is needful for our body, if a paralysis in life’s activity – in another word – is to be averted or a complete stoppage – that is death – prevented. Just as a commercial business flourishes the more this interchange of goods takes place, so a man benefits in health and comfort and can get out of himself better service in any useful direction, if the exchange of matter in his body takes place regularly and frequently.

In life, however, cause and effect continually change their role. As the man of commerce must not be idle, but must be active from early morn till night, so we can only keep our wonderful organism in constant regularity by repeated impulse to, and continued exertion in, its respective functions. This is the only way to prevent exhaustion of the organs and to contribute properly to their strengthening, improvement, and preservation. You will ask how far we can attain this, and how it is possible to effect such a deep influence on a whole life’s activity. I would reply to the this in the following manner:



Every movement is produced by the muscles. These are skeins of flesh tissues, which have the vital faculty of contraction and extension. They are attached by sinews to the foundation of bone, and by contraction they change in position or alter in shape. The impulse to this movement is carried by the nerves, which have their centre in the brain. The nerves are not unlike the metal wires of a battery, which carry the electricity whither it is needed, and in like manner the brain sends the impulse by means of the nerves to whatever muscles it wills. If, therefore, the muscles are frequently set in motion by our will, they are first of all strengthened in their power of contraction and of executing different movements; and are thus brought to their full development and perfection.

Those muscles which are left inactive to a greater or lesser extent lose their power of contraction and naturally deteriorate. This retrogression appears in the shape of muscular weakness and exhaustion. We find these effects mostly among people of the so-called upper classes. They are tired by the least exertion, are afraid of the slightest draught, and are often martyrs to weak nerves, rheumatism, and catarrh. Ladies who take no regular physical exercise, or who are not engaged in any occupation entailing such, are invariably startled and frightened by the least expected noise, such as the sudden opening of a door. They become “nervous” and often hysterically affected by unlooked-for occurrences of even the most paltry nature. Now all these ills and disorders are unknown to those who take regular physical exercise, for by it their nervous system obtains strength and firmness and that endurance which is the essence of a good constitution.

Through the pressure of blood and the accumulation of nerve fluid in the brain, the nervous man is filled with continual anxiety for his physical well being. His over-strung nerves cause him to imagine all kinds of ailments. One thought after another flits across his mind; at one time he believes himself to be strong, at another weak, now he fancies himself well, now ill. He is tormented by a never-ending strife between hope of life and fear of death. Hope after hope slips successively from his grasp, and finally he sinks into a more or less dangerous mental illness, the result of which may easily lead him to seek release in self-destruction.

The most effectual means of preventing all the disadvantages of evil consequences of a neglected exercise of body and muscles is methodical physical training.

Just as the man of sedentary habits and weak body possesses a correspondingly sluggish mind and lack of energy, so he who assiduously pursues physical development gains not only that desired government of his organs, but in marked degree obtains a thorough mastery of his will and, consequently, an easy and contented mind.



The frequent employment of one’s will power maters all organs of movement and trains them to perform feats which otherwise would have been difficult, painful, and even impossible. The man becomes independent and self-reliant; he will never be a coward, and, when real danger threatens, he is the one looked up to by others. The knowledge of one’s strength entails a real mastery over oneself; it breeds energy and courage, helps one over the most difficult tasks of life, and procures contentment and true enjoyment of living. Who would still lag behind in inactivity and weakness?"

[macchoi]

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

The underappreciated role of muscle in health and disease
Robert R Wolfe

Abstract
Muscle plays a central role in whole-body protein metabolism by serving as the principal reservoir for amino acids to maintain protein synthesis in vital tissues and organs in the absence of amino acid absorption from the gut and by providing hepatic gluconeogenic precursors. Furthermore, altered muscle metabolism plays a key role in the genesis, and therefore the prevention, of many common pathologic conditions and chronic diseases. Nonetheless, the maintenance of adequate muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function has rarely, if ever, been targeted as a relevant endpoint of recommendations for dietary intake. It is therefore imperative that factors directly related to muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function be included in future studies designed to demonstrate optimal lifestyle behaviors throughout the life span, including physical activity and diet.

INTRODUCTION
The importance of muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function in the performance of exercise, as well as the activities of daily living (ADL), has never been questioned. Perhaps less well recognized, muscle plays a central role in whole-body protein metabolism, which is particularly important in the response to stress. Furthermore, abundant evidence points to a key role of altered muscle metabolism in the genesis, and therefore prevention, of many common pathologic conditions and chronic diseases. This review discusses the various roles of muscle metabolism in health and disease, including consideration of possible solutions to muscle loss. Particular emphasis will be given to the notion that increasing protein or amino acid intakes may optimize muscle strength and metabolism and thereby improve health.

Click here for the detailed study (http://www.ajcn.org/content/84/3/475.full)

Conclusion
The importance of maintaining muscle mass and physical and metabolic functions in the elderly is well-recognized. Less appreciated are the diverse roles of muscle throughout life and the importance of muscle in preventing some of the most common and increasingly prevalent clinical conditions, such as obesity and diabetes. It is therefore imperative that factors directly related to muscle be included in future studies designed to demonstrate optimal lifestyle behaviors throughout the life span, including physical activity and diet.

[subl1minal]

DO whatever you wanna do BUT, our bodies are machines, they need a good run, a good rest and decent fuel put inside of them These bodies we've been given aren't designed to sit on a couch and spout negatives on a forum board, they're designed to create and go outside and LIVE

[mumbles12]

Originally Posted by subl1minal

DO whatever you wanna do BUT, our bodies are machines, they need a good run, a good rest and decent fuel put inside of them These bodies we've been given aren't designed to sit on a couch and spout negatives on a forum board, they're designed to create and go outside and LIVE

Nice avi .

err I think I dont think hes advocating sitting on couch m8
scratches head*

[macchoi]

Originally Posted by subl1minal

DO whatever you wanna do BUT, our bodies are machines, they need a good run, a good rest and decent fuel put inside of them These bodies we've been given aren't designed to sit on a couch and spout negatives on a forum board, they're designed to create and go outside and LIVE

Originally Posted by mumbles12

Nice avi .

err I think I dont think hes advocating sitting on couch m8
scratches head*

Exactly!
Man was not made to be confined to a desk in a cubicle!

"No citizen has a right to be an
amateur in the matter of physical training...
what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old
without ever seeing the beauty and strength
of which his body is capable."

- Socrates (469 - 399 BC)

[macchoi]

Bernarr Macfadden:



"weakness is a crime"

"Breathing is not ordinarily considered a muscular exercise, yet that is just what it is."

"Now these dead cells and minute corpuscles linger in the tissues if one lives an inactive life. Therefore it is literally true that you are half dead if you do not give the muscular system its proper use."

"Vitality first of all means endurance and the ability to live long."

"One may say that magnetism and all the desirable qualities that draw others to us are closely associated with the supreme development of the forces of life. No vivacity, then no personality."

"The body is really a combination of all these various parts and functions, and without strength and activity in all of them, simultaneous and harmonious, not one of these interdependent parts could do its work, and the body as a whole would be thrown into a state of disease. Strength of the internal organs is infinitely more important than mere muscular strength, if one could properly make a comparison."

"Many movements which assist in the development of the neck muscles also serve to stimulate the activities of the thyroid gland."

[macchoi]

As always, best examples come from the past!

What is Physical Culture?



The term "Physical Culture" is a difficult concept to relate to in this day and age when technology has removed much of our need to rely upon our physical bodies to accomplish everyday tasks.

Physical Culture is the promotion of muscular strength, growth and health combined with longevity, vitality and vigor through various physical exercise programs like resistance training with and without weights, stretching, posture correction techniques, and sports. Eugen Sandow, George Hackenschmdit, Artur Saxon, Benarr MacFadden, Bob Hoffman, George F.Jowett,Apollon, Otto Arco, Edward Aston, Joe Bonomo,Ottley R.Coulter, Hermann Goerner, Thomas Inch, Maxick, Monte Saldo, and Lionel Strongfort where among its earliest popularisers. Unlike today where drugs are seen as the way to gain in muscle and strength, Classic Physical Culture stands in opposition to the win at all costs attitude, drug, prohormone and suppliment use and seek to replace that with the old wisdom of health first.

A century ago, there was a remarkable group of men and women who knew how to build muscle, burn fat and live a healthy ,balanced life without popping pills, peppering their butts with needlemarks, or obssessing over their micro and macro nurtient ratios. It is true that sometimes their advice did seem contradictory, when in fact no contradictions existed. A very lively and healthy debate was carried on by these devotees of Physical Culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries---from the debate over vegetarianism versus meat eating to which was better training with or without apparatus (weights).

Unlike modern tarining systems Classic Physical Culture systems did not advocate training to failure or "training on the nerve" as they used to call it, which explains why alot of the classic systems advocated the seven days in two weeks training system (meaning you trained every other day), or that you train six days a week.

The single most important concept for you to understand is that strength is a skill and you need to treat it as such.You are training your nervous system to be more efficent. And that is why the great old time strongmen like Eugen Sandow, George Hackenschmidt, Arthur Saxon, etc called their workouts "practice". In short lifting to them was their sport so they understood unlike modern bodybuilders that you cannot continue practicing in a fatigued state or you engrain bad habits into your nerve/motor systems.

[macchoi]

"There is a serious disinclination amongst most of our people
to take that amount of physical exercise which is necessary
to the full enjoyment of all the faculties and the promotion of health...
It is sad to think that so many people are overlooking the vitally important
fact that physical culture is equally as essential as mental training."

- Boston Globe Editorial, September 19, 1881

[macchoi]

In a letter written in 1786 when he was 80 years old,
Benjamin Franklin answered a friend's query about his
longevity with the statement that

"I live temperately, drink no wine,
and use daily the exercise of the dumb-bell."

[plam]

Originally Posted by macchoi

"There is a serious disinclination amongst most of our people
to take that amount of physical exercise which is necessary
to the full enjoyment of all the faculties and the promotion of health...
It is sad to think that so many people are overlooking the vitally important
fact that physical culture is equally as essential as mental training."

- Boston Globe Editorial, September 19, 1881

One of things the communists got right is
that they realised the importance of physical culture.
It was absolutely compulsory to participate in sports in schools
and in the working place.
We would always have general stretching exercises
before starting school in the morning.
And it was usually performed outdoors - rain or sunshine.

It is interesting how the totalitarian regimes
care for the health of the population
whereas the democratic ones prefer sick population.

[macchoi]

Originally Posted by plam

One of things the communists got right is
that they realised the importance of physical culture.
It was absolutely compulsory to participate in sports in schools
and in the working place.
We would always have general stretching exercises
before starting school in the morning.
And it was usually performed outdoors - rain or sunshine.

It is interesting how the totalitarian regimes
care for the health of the population
whereas the democratic ones prefer sick population.

Yep.

If your people are sick, fat and weak, the chances of retaliation are very low.

It's a shame how the physical culture principles of the early 19th century are long forgotten amongst the people in America today.

What are the most compelling messages in early physical culture?

There are three:

Message 1: Aid and assist nature.

The old timers understood that the natural way is the best way — that your body can produce anything and everything you need from it if you just follow a few natural rules.

These days people want to get certain physical results without following the rules of nature that spell out how their bodies are intended to work, so they turn to dangerous pharmaceuticals and the like.

One example of this is Viagra. If you just take care of your body, if you eat whole natural foods, if you exercise, and if you keep your mental and emotional health in good shape, than you’ll be blessed with a sex drive that will all but cause you problems. But people want to eat crap, never get off the coach, and refuse to deal with the psychological and emotional factors limiting their performance, and still prop wood whenever they want.

Now, I want to make it clear in this case I’m not talking about steroids or performance enhancing technology pharmaceuticals or anything like that. I’m not talking about elite athletics and the practical demands of the modern sports world where taking anything and everything is necessary to compete, nor am I talking about people with serious medical conditions. All of that’s a discussion for another day, and one I’m probably not qualified to dive into.

Message 2: Most people don’t really want to be superhuman.

I think Sandow said it best when he explained that most people don’t need or desire the “strength of Atlas” for their lives. Most of us just want the health to live a long life devoid of serious illness, the strength and energy to get through our day and apply ourselves totally to our mission in life, the physical attractiveness to feel good about ourselves when we look in the mirror or go to the beach, and the athleticism to enjoy playing pickup sports and for having fun sex.

That’s what most of us really want out of our physical culture and the old timers knew it.

Unfortunately these days we’re assaulted via the media with the twin poles of superhuman athletes and fear-inducing messages of rampant debilitating conditions like morbid obesity, massive degenerative disease and the like.

There isn’t a lot of middle ground in the modern discourse for just having a good, healthy, human body- despite the fact that most of us fall into that middle ground when it comes to our needs and desires. The old timers’ physical culture provides a great starting point for developing that middle ground.

Message 3: Health springs from a healthy lifestyle.

The old timers knew that good health was about healthy living on a day to day basis, not about repeatedly bingeing on body recomposition. Persistence and persistence alone produces strength and good health.

"In England the majority of healthy young women think nothing of a ten-mile walk. They will play lawn-tennis for hours against a well-matched opponent, row a boat up stream, and swim half a mile or so without dreaming that they are doing anything extraordinary."
–”The Physical Culture of Women”, from The Illustrated American, 1890

[macchoi]

People today to not understand the true value of developing muscular strength. They can't seem to get passed the superficial aspect of weight training. I don't blame them; The media is constantly portraying strong and muscular people as barbaric, unintelligent, and in some cases, unhealthy.

The Iron
By Henry Rollins
This article originally appeared in Details Magazine

I believe that the definition of definition is reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself.

Completely.

When I was young I had no sense of myself. All I was, was a product of all the fear and humiliation I suffered. Fear of my parents. The humiliation of teachers calling me "garbage can" and telling me I'd be mowing lawns for a living. And the very real terror of my fellow students. I was threatened and beaten up for the color of my skin and my size. I was skinny and clumsy, and when others would tease me I didn't run home crying, wondering why.

I knew all too well. I was there to be antagonized. In sports I was laughed at. A spaz. I was pretty good at boxing but only because the rage that filled my every waking moment made me wild and unpredictable. I fought with some strange fury. The other boys thought I was crazy.

I hated myself all the time.

As stupid at it seems now, I wanted to talk like them, dress like them, carry myself with the ease of knowing that I wasn't going to get pounded in the hallway between classes. Years passed and I learned to keep it all inside. I only talked to a few boys in my grade. Other losers. Some of them are to this day the greatest people I have ever known. Hang out with a guy who has had his head flushed down a toilet a few times, treat him with respect, and you'll find a faithful friend forever. But even with friends, school sucked. Teachers gave me hard time. I didn't think much of them either.

Then came Mr. Pepperman, my advisor. He was a powerfully built Vietnam veteran, and he was scary. No one ever talked out of turn in his class. Once one kid did and Mr. P. lifted him off the ground and pinned him to the blackboard. Mr. P. could see that I was in bad shape, and one Friday in October he asked me if I had ever worked out with weights. I told him no.

He told me that I was going to take some of the money that I had saved and buy a hundred-pound set of weights at Sears. As I left his office, I started to think of things I would say to him on Monday when he asked about the weights that I was not going to buy. Still, it made me feel special. My father never really got that close to caring. On Saturday I bought the weights, but I couldn't even drag them to my mom's car. An attendant laughed at me as he put them on a dolly.

Monday came and I was called into Mr. P.'s office after school. He said that he was going to show me how to work out. He was going to put me on a program and start hitting me in the solar plexus in the hallway when I wasn't looking. When I could take the punch we would know that we were getting somewhere. At no time was I to look at myself in the mirror or tell anyone at school what I was doing. In the gym he showed me ten basic exercises. I paid more attention than I ever did in any of my classes. I didn't want to blow it. I went home that night and started right in.

Weeks passed, and every once in a while Mr. P. would give me a shot and drop me in the hallway, sending my books flying. The other students didn't know what to think. More weeks passed, and I was steadily adding new weights to the bar. I could sense the power inside my body growing. I could feel it.

Right before Christmas break I was walking to class, and from out of nowhere Mr. Pepperman appeared and gave me a shot in the chest. I laughed and kept going. He said I could look at myself now. I got home and ran to the bathroom and pulled off my shirt. I saw a body, not just the shell that housed my stomach and my heart. My biceps bulged. My chest had definition. I felt strong. It was the first time I can remember having a sense of myself. I had done something and no one could ever take it away. You couldn't say s--t to me.

It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn't want to come off the mat, it's the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn't teach you anything. That's the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work against will always work against you.

It wasn't until my late twenties that I learned that by working out I had given myself a great gift. I learned that nothing good comes without work and a certain amount of pain. When I finish a set that leaves me shaking, I know more about myself. When something gets bad, I know it can't be as bad as that workout.

I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness. But when dealing with the Iron, one must be careful to interpret the pain correctly. Most injuries involving the Iron come from ego. I once spent a few weeks lifting weight that my body wasn't ready for and spent a few months not picking up anything heavier than a fork. Try to lift what you're not prepared to and the Iron will teach you a little lesson in restraint and self-control.

I have never met a truly strong person who didn't have self-respect. I think a lot of inwardly and outwardly directed contempt passes itself off as self-respect: the idea of raising yourself by stepping on someone's shoulders instead of doing it yourself. When I see guys working out for cosmetic reasons, I see vanity exposing them in the worst way, as cartoon characters, billboards for imbalance and insecurity. Strength reveals itself through character. It is the difference between bouncers who get off strong-arming people and Mr.Pepperman.

Muscle mass does not always equal strength. Strength is kindness and sensitivity. Strength is understanding that your power is both physical and emotional. That it comes from the body and the mind. And the heart.

Yukio Mishima said that he could not entertain the idea of romance if he was not strong. Romance is such a strong and overwhelming passion, a weakened body cannot sustain it for long. I have some of my most romantic thoughts when I am with the Iron. Once I was in love with a woman. I thought about her the most when the pain from a workout was racing through my body.

Everything in me wanted her. So much so that sex was only a fraction of my total desire. It was the single most intense love I have ever felt, but she lived far away and I didn't see her very often. Working out was a healthy way of dealing with the loneliness. To this day, when I work out I usually listen to ballads.

I prefer to work out alone.

It enables me to concentrate on the lessons that the Iron has for me. Learning about what you're made of is always time well spent, and I have found no better teacher. The Iron had taught me how to live. Life is capable of driving you out of your mind. The way it all comes down these days, it's some kind of miracle if you're not insane. People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole.

I see them move from their offices to their cars and on to their suburban homes. They stress out constantly, they lose sleep, they eat badly. And they behave badly. Their egos run wild; they become motivated by that which will eventually give them a massive stroke. They need the Iron Mind.

Through the years, I have combined meditation, action, and the Iron into a single strength. I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts. Time spent away from the Iron makes my mind degenerate. I wallow in a thick depression. My body shuts down my mind.

The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it's impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.

[macchoi]

If you are over 40 and you want to achieve your dream physique, strength training will be the key to your success! Read this excerpt from the August 2010 issue of Iron Man Magazine to find out more!
By: Brian Konzelman Aug 09, 2010

Midlife Metamorphosis
Tips to Help You Remake Your Middle-Aged Physique

In the emergency room with heart attack symptoms, I was realizing that my years of sedentary lifestyle were finally catching up with me. Working as a college instructor and recording engineer had provided very little physical activity and even less free time to use for getting in shape.

So at 46 years old, I had become a statistic; I was now the average unhealthy middle-aged American male - overweight, out of shape and having typical middle-aged health problems. I tipped the scale at 185 flabby pounds with 35 percent bodyfat.

The doctor told me that my blood levels of unhealthful cholesterol and triglycerides were dangerously high. With triglycerides over 650, I was going to have to start medication to get them under control.

Fast-forward to today.

Five Years Later...

Over the past five years I have turned my health and physique around, shed 35 pounds of fat and added 25 pounds of muscle. Looking in the mirror, I now see my 51-year-old head sitting on a muscular physique that appears to be that of a 20-year-old athlete.

The scale shows 175 lean muscular pounds at 14 percent bodyfat. Shirts that used to pop buttons around my waist are now tight in the chest and arms instead, and my jeans have had to be replaced because my muscular thighs were too tight for the pants legs.

The doctor says I now have healthy blood counts across the board and the heart of a young athlete. And so we arrive at the heart of the matter. Strength training is the primary factor in my health and fitness turnaround. It's the catalyst that activates my other positive lifestyle choices and sits at the core of my present vibrant health and well-being.

I am evidence that adding healthy, lean body mass is a central component of a healthy life. Over the past five years of strength training, I've made a lot of mistakes, studied a lot, learned a lot, and now have some pointers to share.

So, how does a flabby, middle-aged guy turn his physique and fitness around?

Important Pointers

If you will never see 50 again, most fitness and strength training information doesn't apply to you. Nearly all of the Web sites, magazines and books I've found about strength training are intended for younger people. Potential ability, hormone behavior, lean-body-mass ratios, energy and metabolism all peak before we reach middle age.

Younger trainees may be able to get away with the traditional bodybuilding foolishness that our culture worships, but we can't. Our older joints and added years of neglect or abuse we have subjected our bodies to won't permit us the luxury of strength-training abuses.

I've injured myself more than once trying to follow information that was actually intended for someone half my age. So be sure to qualify your source of information before you try to apply it to your own situation.

As with training, most nutritional information out there doesn't apply to you. Stop and think about it for a minute. The nutrition, lifestyle and fitness magazines at the checkout counter in the grocery store are full of advice on losing weight and getting fit. They're intended to be bought and read by the vast majority of the population who are sedentary, overweight, undernourished and not involved in athletic or strength-training activities.

So even if by some miracle the information in the magazine ends up being true for its intended audience, more than likely it does not apply to a strength trainer. The calorie, vitamin, mineral and other dietary requirements of a sedentary person differ greatly from those of an athlete.

Strength training is one component of being in shape. A healthy lifestyle is essential for meaningful, ongoing fitness and strength-training results. For me, the four essential components of a solid strength-training program are proper nutrition, proper hydration, proper rest and proper exercise. If one of those is lacking, the results will suffer.

Strength training is the catalyst that animates the other components and makes the whole program work correctly. I look at it like this: If I work out for an hour, I want to see an hour's worth of results. Would you be happy with 25 percent results? Or how about a half hour's results from each hour in the gym?

I don't think so. I'm not willing to waste the time or my body's resources on something that works only partway. If you want maximum results, pay attention to your overall lifestyle.



Strength Training
My experience is evidence that strength training is a dynamic process. The amount of weight you move and the exercises you use will vary from year to year, while the principles of safe training and good technique always remain a constant.

The routines and exercises that I used two years ago have changed as my strength and overall fitness have increased. What worked for me when I started out no longer works. As your body adapts, your training methods must change as well.

--Read More...

[macchoi]

The Noble Heritage...Physical Culture - By Bob Whelan
From Hardgainer Magazine, May-June 1999

The key to building natural strength is dedicated effort, and not just in the gym. Although there are surely vast differences in individual genetics, I know of no one who has not made tremendous gains over the long haul if they truly paid their dues. Many people “micro-manage” their training and worry overly about minor things, but somehow overlook the main issue—consistent dedication. Many assume that they are dedicated when, in fact, they are not. Some assume that they are dedicated just because they avidly read about strength training. But if you were to ask them what they ate yesterday, or how much sleep they got, or how they are actually progressing in their training, you’ll frequently receive only excuses.

Dedication in natural strength training is best defined by the old-time term “Physical Culture.” You don’t hear this term too often anymore because it encompasses a way of life. It’s not an end result, a trophy or a bodypart measurement, but a total lifestyle commitment. It’s about how you live your life “in the dark” when no one is watching you. It’s dedication to a 24-hour day philosophy, not just what you do in the gym. Most of the old-timers had this Physical Culture philosophy. They cared about health as much as strength. Just look at the old magazine titles. Today, it seems to me that most strong men couldn’t care less about health. Steroid use is rampant, and you’ll find many strong men smoking cigarettes and using recreational drugs too. They are no more dedicated to health than the average citizen.

Vic Boff is a good friend of mine, and we sometimes burn up the phone lines for hours. He’s a wealth of knowledge and has endless stories about the old-timers. He personally knew many of them, and was very close with Sig Klein and George Jowett. No one hates steroids more than Vic Boff; and no one hates more than he does what has happened to the Iron Game as a result of steroids.

To build muscle naturally you have to do the hard exercises, be mentally tough, get enough sleep, eat the right foods and avoid the wrong foods, and sweat buckets for years and years. It takes dedication to do it the right way. You have to love it to be able to stick with it for decades; but the long-term rewards make it all worthwhile.

Building muscle on “tuna and baked potatoes” is a lot slower than building it on steroids. Undedicated phonies can build muscle fast on steroids, but they lose it fast and die young too. To me, a true champion lives a dedicated life of Physical Culture in the spirit of our founding fathers. Vic, for example, puts health first and has lived his life as a dedicated Physical Culture disciple. How many of today’s “Mr. Something” drug-using bodybuilding “stars” will be the picture of health, strong, full of energy, and sharp as a tack like Vic when they get into their eighties? Not many, if any.

Almost every month I hear of another former bodybuilding star, or athlete, who is either dying from steroid use, or who recently died prematurely. And yet these are the guys that many of the ignorant and misinformed masses have looked to for training advice. Thank God for Hardgainer and the few other good training magazines that provide truthful information for drug-free trainees.

We have much more information today about health than our forefathers had, and we should be held to higher standards because of it. Some of the old-timers had bad habits, but overall they were dedicated to health based on the information they had available at the time. Most of the (few) unhealthy things they did were done unknowingly. Today there’s no excuse.

I give a two hour Physical Culture orientation to all my regular clients (who are not just visitors), and this is done before any weights are lifted. I stress dedication, commitment to health, as well as strength. I’ve put the basic framework of the orientation into a tongue-in-cheek “Ten Commandments” format—the “Whelan Strength Training Commandments.”

Whelan Strength Training Commandments

1. Thou shalt train for strength, whole-body fitness and health; and do cardiovascular exercise and flexibility training as well as strength training.

2. Thou shalt not smoke, take illegal drugs or abuse legal drugs.

3. Thou shalt not use steroids or assist anyone in obtaining them.

4. Thou shalt be mentally focused and give 100% effort at every training session.

5. Thou shalt strive for progressive resistance, using good form, without excessive rest between sets, and use the fullest (but safe) range of motion possible.

6. Thou shalt primarily focus on the basic compound strength training movements—multi-joint, not isolation—and train the whole body with equal emphasis on pushing and pulling. The training foundation is overhead pushing/pulling, horizontal pushing/pulling, and leg, hip and back pushing/pulling.

7. Thou shalt not seek shortcuts, miracle formulas or gimmicks, but instead stick to basic and sound information concerning training and nutrition, such as Hardgainer, Brawn, Beyond Brawn and The Insider’s Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique.

8. Thou shalt perform hard progressive strength training, and not toning, shaping, or bodysculpting.

9. Thou shalt not train “bodyparts” but train the whole body (hard) usually about twice every 7-10 days.

10. Thou shalt not rely on mega-hype muscle mags for training or nutritional advice.

All of my clients get a copy of this, and even though it’s in a humorous format, the rules are taken very seriously. I have, for example, expelled people from my facility who lied when they told me that they were non-smokers. I don’t want these types, and usually get rid of them over the phone. I have had many requests for the “WST Commandments,” and so have included them in this article.

Bodyparts training and natural training don’t mix

Most people who train “bodyparts” (not the whole body) confuse “training” with “going to the gym.” They somehow believe that by going into a building called “the gym” they will get bigger and stronger. They rarely talk about intensity or how hard they worked, but instead talk about being in a building. They brag about how long they are “in the gym,” and how often they “go to the gym.” They believe that by training “bodyparts,” and thus spending more time “in the gym,” they will get better results. They are usually unsophisticated beginners who feel more advanced just because they train in a bodyparts format. They don’t realize that bodyparts training has been around for decades and is nothing new.

Guys who “go to the gym” usually spend more time talking (about sports and politics, for example), and socializing at the water fountain, than they do training. That’s why they are there for three hours! They take a ten-minute rest between sets, and usually bench press with several other people. Their bench press workout alone takes 45 minutes. These guys rarely even break a sweat!

It’s almost impossible to train bodyparts without overtraining from “muscle overlap.” You can’t put the major multi-joint exercises into neat, separate categories. The bench press, for example, does not hit just the chest, but front delts and triceps. The machine pullover, termed the “upper-body squat” by Arthur Jones, works almost every muscle in the upper body. What category do you put it in? The truth is that if you train bodyparts 5-6 days per week, you’re either on drugs or are not working hard—you take long rests between sets, and your workout is filled with easy exercises such as triceps kickbacks, cable crossovers, lateral raises, flyes, leg extensions, etc.; and you don’t do squats, deadlifts, chins, rows, military presses, etc.

If you train hard, and are natural, you can’t train bodyparts 5-6 days per week. If you train hard, whole body, you’ll be physically unable to train more than twice every 7-10 days. Anyone who does not believe this can come for a free workout. It would be my pleasure to “convince” him.

“Look of power”

Dr. Ken and others have written articles about “the look of power.” You don’t get the look of power unless you do the heavy compound exercises—the ones which require lots of recovery time for natural guys. Dr. Ken described this well when he stated that people who do bodyparts training look like they are just a “collection of bodyparts” that don’t seem to fit together. When you have the look of power you’re thick and look strong from any angle. Even if you have a raincoat on you still look thick and strong.

The look of power means thickness in the back, traps, glutes, legs, neck and whole body, not just arms and chest. If people only know that you “lift weights” when you have a tank top on, you don’t have the look of power. The look of power can’t be hidden. It has nothing to do with cuts or definition, but size and thickness. If you have the look of power, then no matter what oversize baggy sweatshirt you have on, you’ll still look powerful.

It’s no accident that bodyparts training and drug use grew together and are from the same roots. Most people get innocently sucked into bodyparts training without realizing it. The truth is that “bodyparts routines” are usually “drug routines” (or “wimp routines”) and are not effective for the average drug-free trainee.

I love to get “bodyparts types” to train with me, especially if they have a cocky attitude. If they say things like, “Are you sure that twice a week will be enough?” I go out of my way to change their thinking.

To do this, I’ll have them spend the first workout doing heavy high-rep leg work for twenty minutes—and they usually don’t last even that long. If they do, I keep them going with little rest between sets doing nothing but the hard stuff, to failure; and they finish with the sandbag carry (if they last that long). This is strictly an attitude-adjustment workout, and is only used for “special” people.

When people come in with a really good attitude, and listen, then I start them much slower and pick up the intensity over a period of time, to build up conditioning progressively.

The smart ass types usually last only about twenty minutes of an attitude-adjustment workout, and are then laying on the floor. They are usually amazed at how soaked in sweat they are, and how tired. I then love to ask them, “Do you think we hit your biceps and back enough? Why don’t you come back tomorrow?” They never do, and are usually too sore and tired to think about training for at least three or four days, the way it should be.