Uncategorized

A client who frequents the gym asked me, “Coach, is it correct when people come and tell me that they burnt some precise number of calories on the treadmill? Do you think that the number provided by these machines is reliable?” Ugh! Don’t be deluded when these cardiovascular machines gives accurate numbers of calories burnt for a stipulated time. Allow me to explain about this falsity and why people should reason rightly and not go gaga about calories burnt on these cardiovascular machines like treadmills, etc.

We should know that basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the largest factor in determining overall metabolic rate. BMR is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment. More importantly, it should be known that each individual will have a different BMR, so the amount of calories they expend is relative, for the same reason none will burn the same amount of calories for a given task. It is because BMR is determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, as follows:

Genetics: Some people are born with faster metabolisms, some with slower metabolisms. For example, blacks generally are born with faster metabolism.
Gender: Men have greater muscle mass and a lower body fat percentage. This means that they have higher basal metabolic rate.
AGE: BMR reduces with age. Aging causes muscle loss which slows BMR.
Body Surface Area: This is a reflection of your height and weight. The greater your Body Surface Area factor, the higher your BMR.
Body Fat percentage: The lower your body fat percentage, the higher your BMR.
Diet: Starvation or serious abrupt calorie – reduction can dramatically reduce BMR by up to 30 percent.
Body temperature / Health: For every increase of 0.5C in internal temperature of the body, the BMR increases by about 7 percent. The chemical reactions in the body actually occur more quickly at higher temperatures. So a patient with a high fever would have an increase of about 50 percent in BMR.
External temperature: Temperature outside the body also affects basal metabolic rate.
Glands: Thyroxin (produced by the thyroid gland) is a key BMR – regulator which speeds up the metabolic activity of the body. The more thyroxin produced, the higher the BMR. Like thyroxin, adrenaline also increases the BMR.
Exercise: Physical exercise not only influences body weight by burning calories, it also helps raise your BMR by building extra lean tissue, which can be gained only through weight training and not on cardio machines. Lean tissue is more metabolically active than fat tissue. So we burn calories even when sleeping.
Age: In youth, the BMR is higher; age brings less lean body mass and slows the BMR.
Height: Tall, thin people have higher BMR’s.
Growth: Children and pregnant women have higher BMR’s.
Body composition: The more lean tissue, the higher the BMR; the more fat tissue, the lower the BMR.
Stress: Stress hormones can raise the BMR.
Malnutrition: Malnutrition lowers the BMR.

Now, considering the above facts we can surely make out that calorie burning depends on many factors. Now tell me, how many calories Usain Bolt, three – time Olympic gold medalist, would burn on a treadmill when he walks on the machine for half an hour and how many calories an average guy would burn on the treadmill assuming that the average guy uses the machine for the same duration and speed? Do you think that the calorie burnt would be the same between them because both individuals would have the same genetic and external factors which are mentioned above? Well! I believe you would know the answer for the above questions, for some of the above mentioned factors would compliment Usain Bolt in burning far greater calories.

We should know that a treadmill, for example, as a cardiovascular exercising machine will not recognize the genetics, age, weight, height, body composition, body surface area, body fat percentage, body temperature, external temperature, and glands, of the individual. Contrarily, a treadmill calculates the calorie burning in relation to distance, time, and perhaps the speed in which the individual utilizes the machine. It thus would be erroneous to claim that these cardiovascular machines would have burnt the exact calories. Moreover, calories burnt on a treadmill will be far less when the same individual runs on a field. Please note that when the individual runs on a fixed surface (play ground) he has to exert against inertia (the tendency of a body to resist acceleration) and generate force to move ahead, as the ground surface is inert in nature; whereas, this is not the case on a motorized treadmill, as the treadmill aids you to generate force. Of course, the use of cardio machines as a tool for warming up the body and its contextual use in other circumstances like bad weather, etc cannot be denied. But let it not be sole instrument for you to measure you health and fitness.

Of course, you cannot change your genetics or gender for an elevated BMR, but you can surely work towards an elevated BMR by reducing your body fat percentage, proper diet, and by increasing your lean mass. Fortunately, weight training comes to your rescue, as it has a dual purpose, for it can lower body fat percent, and, at the same time, increase lean tissue. Whereas, relying on any cardiovascular exercise may help you to lose fat in the earlier stages and when it comes building muscle it may never ever help you. Contrarily, any slow paced cardiovascular exercise will have an adverse effect on muscle gain.

Scientific studies have invariably stated that slow paced cardiovascular exercises do have a predisposition towards muscle loss. BEWARE! For, you may be genuinely not assisting yourself in blindly following a cardiovascular regime alone. In all probability you are better off implementing weights into your routine rather than spending hours on the treadmill counting calories. In addition, studies have clearly stated that weight training also helps redeem your cardiovascular fitness, for weight training was touted to be only good for flaunting muscles. For example, performing a set of high repetition squat can powerfully effect your lungs and heart. Also, as an added advantage you can see how good a squat is to build strength and muscle in your legs and the calories it burns.

Weight training burns a lot of calories, in addition, it helps build lean tissue. But please don’t ask me about the number of calories burnt when you weight train, for nobody can accurately state the amount of calories it burns, but the whole scientific community knows for sure that it burns a hell lot of calories, so does high intensity interval training(HIIT), which is exceptionally better than performing steady paced cardiovascular exercise. Engaging in the above mentioned activities would definitely provide you an edge. You have to just take the first step and include weight training into your routine, for you will never regret in doing so.

The demonstration in the accompanying video is a true testament of the human potential. I received an email from a client of mine where this video was attached. The email forward was titled “Strength In Poland, “for I am titling the blog entry with deep respect to the athletes in the video with the above mentioned name. These men are impossible to stop. Watch the video, and you will be amazed and wonder whether this is humanly possible. What interested me more was the functional strength that these two men exhibited: The strength, flexibility, and enduring the pain when the body produces more lactic acid burn. These men are insane and true legends who seem to have crossed the pain threshold. By all means they look very powerful, and didn’t in anyway look like our beefed up bodybuilders who pose huge muscles but never have the strength and power to match their physiques. It unquestionably means that these mainstream bodybuilders use all possible (legal and illegal) ways to flaunt their physiques. Their intention is to build muscle irrespective of strength and power. Strength coaches all over world suggest that the workouts should always be aimed towards strength, power, and endurance as the above gained physical traits would have a positive carryover effect in our day to day life. Moreover, bodybuilding with the sole intention of building humongous muscles puts undue pressure on the tendons, joints and ligaments. Let’s see what Dr Mel Siff has to say about why building muscle with the only intention to exhibit them can be detrimental to our health. For further reading on the same topic please read my blog entry titled Functional Training and its Benefits. Dr Siff says, “Research has found that hypertrophied (increase in volume) muscle fibers need a significantly larger tissue volume to perform a given quantity of work. With the development of non – functional hypertrophy, the increase in muscle mass outstrips the development of the vascular system. This results in diminished nutrition and oxygenation of the muscle, slowing down of metabolic processes in the muscle and less efficient disposal of metabolic waste products from the musculoskeletal system.” In addition, it is needless for us to worry about muscle mass, for gaining muscle is a byproduct of weight training even if the training is aimed towards strength and power.

I hope and believe this video sends a potent message for all of us to train like real men. These men are true legends in every sense. Enjoy the video, which you will for sure. These men have to be applauded for this physical accomplishment, for it is one of a kind.

A scientific research team in Homburg, Germany, showed that 50- year- old men who ran more than 50 miles per week at a fast pace had telomeres (a telomere is a region of repetitive DNA at the end of a chromosome, which protects the end of the chromosome from dietoration) that were almost the same length as those of 20-year-old runners on the German National Team, and more than 40 percent longer than those of inactive men of the same age. This is very astonishing because shortened telomeres represent aging.

A similar finding was reported in London, were 2,401 sets of twins who exercised regularly had telomeres that were longer than those of their own couch potatoes. Other studies show that people who exercise regularly live an average of 12 years longer than non – exercisers. In addition, most middle aged and older athletes look significantly younger than non – exercisers of the same age.

The above findings indicate that older people who exercise regularly, and play other sports at close to the level of much younger athletes stay fit just like their younger counterparts. Apparently, recent studies show that intense exercise may also slow the effects of aging on their cells as well as their hearts and muscles.

The perception of time on the other hand is psychological than being chronological. I am not suggesting that chronological time is irrelevant. Let me explain this phenomenon with an example which is quoted in Dr Deepak Chopra’s Unconditional Life: “The story is about a coal mine disaster in Germany. A small group of miners were trapped underground after a massive – cave – in. They realized that that the air in the mine shaft would last only a limited number of hours. As it turned out, just one of the groups was wearing a wristwatch, and he began to announce the time while the men anxiously awaited rescue. To sustain hope in the others, he did not announce the right time, however; he called out one hour whenever two hours had passed. Six days later, a rescue team found the trapped miners; astonishingly, they were all still alive with one exception – the man who wore the watch.” I believe the above story will explain that time is more of a psychological phenomenon than chronological. To hasten the aging process implies the ability to control it. Adi Shankaracharya once said, “People grow old and die because they see other people grow old and die.” Apparently, the above statement by the great Master seems to be true, as most of us create our realities by comparing it with others.”

In relation to the above findings on age and health, I am eager to post a video of a recent track and field record holder. Frank is 95 years young and currently holds two world records. He recently broke the world record for 5000 meters of his age group. We all consider 60 years to be old enough to retire from any physical activity. Why even some of us think that we should slow down right after we reach the age of 50. But here is another example which proves the above statement wrong, as Frank took competitive running not until he reached the age of 65. He also performs pushups, and in the adjoining video you can watch him hitting a punching bag.

Now the question to ask is, how many of us can run a 5000 meters race? Not many of us I guess. One of the training principle states: “Use it or lose it.” This goes to say that you have to use your body to stay strong and healthy, or it will wither away without any prior indication, and it will be late before realization dawns on you that your body has given up. Staying fit has numerous benefits, for it is a vital requirement to enjoy your life productively. I also believe health to be the first and foremost prerequisite for a better quality of life. As Voltaire (French revolutionary writer) several hundred years ago had rightly said, “Indolence is sweet and its consequences bitter.” Rightly so, because if you spend your time lazing around, it will be late before you realize how significantly it has adversely affected your health and well being. In addition, it amazes me to know that most of us start to care about health only after we have experienced ill health. For example, people who have just realized that their blood sugar is high which obviously indicates the onset of diabetes start to care about their health by exercising and following a strict diet after the disease has dented their health, but never before they will realize the importance of diet and exercise before they are infected by any such diseases. With some amount of awareness if they stop abusing their bodies, it will do a lot of good to prevent such diseases and stay healthy for many years to come by.
I very much hope that Frank will inspire you all to tread the fitness path and realize that time entirely depends on how the person perceives it. Do watch the video. Please remember that PREVENTION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN CURE.

It is a general perception that heavy weights make you bulky, and likewise low weights with high reps are best suited to stay thin. Posters of bodybuilders on gym walls and bodybuilding magazines are to be blamed for the above statement. Any individual, who wants to be fit and healthy, would approach a gym to pursue his dream and after watching the bodybuilding posters would be petrified to join that gym, as I have heard many of them suggesting me when they come to enroll that they would never wish to grow to such monolithic proportion. We should be very clear that in most of the cases the huge muscle bulk we see in bodybuilders in gym wall posters and in bodybuilding magazines are all steroid users. In addition, they also belong to the genetically elite group which means that building muscle is relatively easy for them. Whereas, average men/women like many of us who want to be fit and pose a healthy body, cannot build muscle to such gargantuan proportions, as we lack the genetic potential when compared to the above mentioned athlete and importantly we would never dream of supplementing with steroids as that would defeat the whole purpose of flaunting a healthy body. On the other hand, I have seen many who are afraid to supplement with whey protein, at the least, for they fear that to be a chemical which helps in building huge muscles. However, it requires many years of consistent and diligent effort to possess a descent physique, lest a herculean physique. In addition, proper exercise programming integrated with a well supported nutritional plan, and supplementation is also paramount to build a muscular body.
It is a very well known fact that weightlifters, power lifters, track and field athletes are the ones who train with heavy weights. For example, as quoted in Dr Mel Siff’s books Facts and Fallacies of Fitness, Boris Becker (two time Wimbledon winner) Ben Johnson (world class sprinter) and Mike Powell (long jump record holder) all trained with heavy weights. If you can recall how Becker was on the tennis court, you can notice that he was one of the most athletic player till date. It also suggests that he was not in any way a man who possessed monstrous muscle belly. It is also very well known that power lifters and weight lifters are no way closer to the muscle belly which bodybuilders pose though they train with heavy weights in relation to bodybuilders. Likewise, power lifers and weightlifters rarely indulge in executing high number of repetitions for any given exercise. They are most of the time lifting super heavy weights for very less repetitions, as their training is aimed towards strength, power, and skill rather than hypertrophy. In addition, among the bodybuilding community, it’s a rarity to find a bodybuilder who trains very heavy. Also, if we watch any of the training videos of these elite bodybuilders we see that they experiment a lot by doing various exercises and they also tend to play around with different repetition range(usually moderate to high repetitions). Naturally, performing high repetitions which bodybuilders more often engage in cannot be executed with heavy weights. Dr Mel Siff very clearly sums up when he says, “Most bodybuilders have found that training with moderate to moderately heavy weights, rather than with maximum weights is a better way to enhance muscle hypertrophy. Moreover, the majority of top bodybuilders use anabolic-androgenic steroids deliberately to accelerate hypertrophy, because it is the aim of their training to become massively bulky. Olympic weightlifters, on the other hand, who often train with extremely heavy weights, do not develop this enormous hypertrophy, simply because strength and power, not bulk, are the primary goals of their training”.
He further adds “massive hypertrophy is not the automatic result of heavy weight training-instead this is a result of the appropriate genetics, an appropriate training programme, careful nutrition and very often, supplementation with legal and illegal ergogenic aids.” Most of my gym clients train with heavy weights for low reps. As a result none of my clients are huge carrying monstrous muscle belly. In addition, none of us indulge in the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids. So, stop whining and lift heavy weights, for the results will speak for themselves which you will never regret. And do not commit yourself to perform high repetitions, for you may develop unwanted(sarcoplasmic) hypertrophy.

PS: To read more on sarcoplasmic(unwanted) hypertrophy, please read the blog entry titled Functional Training and Its benefits.

“You know my friend was very sure that high repetition of abdominal situps, crunches, or any other abdominal work will help us tremendously to trim down the waist. His gym coach was also of the opinion that if you want to burn fat in and around the love handles, you will have to do high repetitions of side bends and side twists as well as the rotating device which is a staple in many gyms. So coach, what do you have to say about that?” I have been continually asked the above query by newbie’s who join my fitness facility. I have always experienced that whenever my body fat is to the lowest, my lower back goes for a toss. It stiffens abruptly, thus not allowing me to do any kind of direct abdominal work. So if you see my pictures where I am exhibiting a shredded midsection, you should also know that in the later stages of reaching lower levels of body fat I never did any abdominal work whatsoever, but I still posed a shredded midsection.

Let’s see what Dr Mel Siff, one of the groundbreaking fitness scientist, had to state about this bodybuilding myth: “What they are claiming is that local or spot reduction is possible with high repetition exercise, something which has never been shown to occur to any major extent by any research to date. All that the high repetitions are likely to do is increase muscle bulk, more especially in the advanced athletes or novice to heavy training. He further adds, no amount of situps without a decrease in caloric intake will trim your waist, so don’t believe all marketing hype about these miraculous midriff trimming toys which benefit the coffers of the marketers far more than the shape of your body.” It definitely doesn’t surprise me when Dr Mel Siff vehemently ridicules these claims. Dr Mel Siff precisely states that spot reduction, generally, doesn’t occur. You can ask any learned fitness trainers on this planet and they would invariably suggest that burning fat at a desired region is far from true.

You advice people that spot reduction is a myth and they are going to mistrust you. Somehow, the belief that you can reduce your waist size by doing regular abdomen work is ingrained in our beliefs, for it is very difficult to tackle that issue. Individuals who have trained for a longer period in a gym set up and if they would have introspected on this issue, very clearly they would have realized that spot reduction won’t occur no matter what fancy exercise you do. So beware of the ad which tells that these set of exercises or some particular gadget is going help you to build a shredded midsection.

Likewise, even the fitness model or the bodybuilder who is promoting the trash device in a TV commercial knows very well that these contrivances would not help us in anyway whatsoever, for he would have reduced his calorie intake and performed high intense workouts for a considerable time to acquire that shredded look. For example, the sauna belt which is now touted to produce amazing results and give us a six pack is an absolute fraud. How on earth can a vibrating belt reduce your fat? Scientific research nowhere suggests that such a miracle occurs. I can’t believe when people have come to me and asked whether they would be of any benefit using the belt. I still find them not to believe my words, and moreover, they want to give it a definite try, as they all want an easy way-out. Sooner or later they will realize that it will not help them in anyway.

In addition, how are these companies which promulgate these products making huge money? They are making merry on our weaknesses and are thus capitalizing on our laziness. We all want instant results without any effort. It is time we face the fact. We all know that Rome was not built in a single day. This reminds me of the the famous quote by Joe Girard, a famous motivational speaker, which I read almost every day, as it is pasted on our gym wall: “The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs… one step at a time.” I do hope you understand the above statement, for it generates immense insight.
So what on earth do we have to do to burn the fat? Do we have a way out? Contextual calorie reduction, regular exercise, avoiding junk altogether will pave the path towards possessing a trim waist, but not by doing innumerable repetitions of abdominal situps, crunches, or using some junk (sauna belt) device. I know that this debate is far from over. It is just a minute attempt to send the right message.

You have heard of Dominic before, as I had written about this man in a previous entry. Dominic was born in 1941 and if you see him going through his workout routines, you will never feel he is 67 years old. What interested me more was his approach towards training. If you view the video, you will realize that he is a genuine follower of functional training, for you will see him throwing, lifting, rotating, and kicking the tyre. He astutely creates his own way of routines which is really appreciable. In this era where we are swamped by endless bodybuilding routines, we get to see a man who is writing his own rules. We all should take lead from this man. At the end of this video he flaunts his physique very proudly and rightly so, for many of us will be ashamed, as at his ripe age he displays far less fat than we all do.  This man will  truly continue to inspire me.

Here is a video which showcases me doing a single finger pull up.  Trying to achieve mastery over a movement takes time. But, at the same time, I am glad to inform that I wasn’t carried away with any of these strength feats. I was never obsessed with any particular movement. Contrarily, anybody can become obsessed with these movements and try to master them, but it may turn out to be very detrimental to the body, as repeated performance of the same movement day in day out my result in some nasty injuries which may force us to stay out of training for quite a long period. In addition, we may actually encounter permanent injuries.

However, I have to say that many years of consistent performance of the pull up including various variations helped me to do the single finger pull up. I could have never imagined doing a single finger pull up the day I started training at my house. I first started training with a few adjustable dumbbells and bars. There are many repetitions, sets, routines, days, months, and years of training pull ups BEHIND executing a single finger pull up. I strongly believe that performing weighted pull ups helped me to develop strength in my fingers which in turn helped to perform the single finger pull up. Back then and even now, I rarely indulge in performing strength feats. It is not wrong to perform these feats, but one should not do them as being the only means towards achieving long-term strength and fitness.

Nevertheless, a well structured training cycle centered towards mastering the desirable movement performed consistently will help us to perform it effectively. At the same time, it is most important to listen to our bodies and be heedful about any warning signals, as these strength feats can jeopardize our efforts by causing serious injuries.

However, I have found that some of the difficult exercises to be relatively easy for me to perform. Nonetheless, it would be beneficial if we consider developing strength and fitness in its totality. It is good to have short term goals, but we should know that life is a marathon, and optimal results don’t occur overnight.

One of the significant presuppositions which give the impression for fat gain among kids is because of forced feeding. Unfortunately, as children our parents coerce us to eat till our stomachs are full, for they very well think that children should be fat; it is assumed to be a sign of towering prosperity. It accordingly suggests them that their children are healthy. It is acceptable as a growing body needs nutrients in abundance, but what befalls when we stop growing? Our metabolic rate declines as we age resulting in increasing fat deposition. Most of us and our parents don’t realize the metabolic- rate-decline adherence, and for the worst disregard and take it for granted when it comes to healthy living.

Alas! We evade realizing what waits next for us, for unanticipated we understand that we have outgrown ourselves: Cramped trousers and shirts. As a result, we go in search of unreal diet solutions which would do the trick. We don’t realize that the fat gain has happened over a period many years because of over eating and lack of physical activity. What we normally ate all these days has brought in the changes, so not by altering the diet for some fixed duration is the solution. In addition, the fat gaining process will continue to progress, as we were physically active when we were young, but the scenario changes when we set out into professional courses and jobs, as life becomes busier. We habitually turnout to be career oriented, start to despise our bodies more and feed it with whatever we get our hands on. Lack of physical activity and not being conscious about the calorie consumption will result in fat gain sooner than we realize. What is required is a lifestyle change. A change in lifestyle means to change the thinking that we are not born to eat; making healthy choices when it comes to food selection, and not indulging in excessive alcohol consumption or better to quit drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and avoiding junk and processed foods. These are some of the changes we need to consider to live a healthy life with lesser diseases. A lifestyle change will do wonders when it comes to preventing diseases like diabetes and blood pressure, as these two silent killers have been well known to wreck havoc in our lives.

As a kid I played outdoor games. Many of us would have played out door games, but it is now a pathetic state with many kids, as they watch television and play computer games rather than play outdoors. As Ross (www.rossboxing.com) tells that it is natural for kids to play out, but not so if they are watching television all day. We all know that children need to play and be physically active for better health, growth, and well being. Moreover, kids follow the lead of their parents. They try to imitate their guardians and the act of imitation is what helps in shaping their future lives. I as a parent try my best and see to it that my daughter is physically active, and I am always at hand to be so. I am very happy to watch my daughter imitate me and display some of the routines (gym) which I perform. Being physically active should be of greatest importance for kids, as it helps them to lead a constructive life.

PRIORITIES

When it comes to food selection, we as parents and individuals have to make healthy choices. I have seen many parents pampering their kids with fried food stuff and chocolates. It is fine to treat children with these foods occasionally, but parents unquestionably have to keep a check and see that the kids don’t consume these foods much frequently. Lois McMaster Bujold, an American author of science and fiction, rightly says, “Children might or might not be a blessing, but to create them and then fail them was surely damnation.” Since I have spoken about a lifestyle change, what positive statement are we making to our kids by teaching them to eat junk food tirelessly?

In the first place, it is the duty of a parent to gather basic knowledge about consuming healthy foods. An internet search would suggest us about the healthy food choices we need to make when it comes to food selection, but it is lack of interest which prevents a parent to disrespect the health of themselves and their children. Remember, the little one is always trying to imitate and learn from us. We as parents should set up the right example and get off our asses and be physically active and lead our kids in the right direction.

PS: Fundamentally, we all assume that diseases like diabetes and blood pressure are destined to materialize sooner or later. It is regrettable that we refuse to realize that these diseases can be prevented as long as we live by being physically active and consuming healthy food.