The MuscleTalker - Issue 93 (January 2010)
** Happy New Year from all at MuscleTalk! 2010 will be a great year for MuscleTalk, bodybuilding and strongman.
2010 will include two major milestones for MT: August will be the 100th edition of The MuscleTalker and November will be MT's 10th birthday! Look out for competitions with great prizes for both these special occasions!
** New articles, interviews and reports in December:
- Volume Training Routines
- Glutamine as a Bodybuilding Supplement
Past Bodybuilding Articles
*** Best wishes from James Collier and The MuscleTalk team! ***
See you at www.MuscleTalk.co.uk
*** Fruit Juice & Fruit Juice Drinks - what's what? ***
By James Collier, BSc (Hons), RNutr - Nutrition Consultant www.healthyaction.co.uk
For the main, juice drinks can be categorised into fruit juice and fruit juice drinks. Fruit juice is a drink which contains 100% pure fruit juice and no other added ingredients. Fruit juices can be classified into 'freshly squeezed' and 'from concentrate', both contain similar energy, carbohydrate and fibre, and both count significantly towards vitamin C intake. A 150ml serving counts as one portion of the 5 fruit and veg per day, though only one serving per day can count (more information).
Juice drinks are products which are made up of less than 100% pure fruit juice, though the composition of them can vary considerably. Juice drinks include, ready-to-drink, cordial and squash dilutable drinks and 'high juice' drinks.
In addition to these, there are also 'fruit smoothies' which are typical combinations of fruit juice and crushed fruit. The Department of Health has recently revised advice regarding commercial fruit smoothies: any smoothie which contains at least 150ml fruit juice and at least 80g of crushed fruit (or vegetable) pulp can claim a maximum of two of the five portions of the 5 a day.
There has been vast research in to the use of fruit juices and good health. It's pretty obvious that consuming fresh fruit juice instead of sugary drinks is preferable. However, consuming whole fruit has more health benefits than just the juice. Fruit juice is acidic so is cariogenic and can affect dental health, although it is not as cariogenic as sugary drinks where the sugar sticks to the teeth. The advice is clear: avoid sugary drinks, include some fruit juice and drink plenty of water every day.
References:
www.5aday.nhs.uk/topTips/media_centre.html
===============================
Monster Supplements
Universal Animal Nitro - 44 Pack 35% OFF RRP - £42.24
Universal Animal Nitro - 30 Pack 35% OFF RRP - £30.54
Maximuscle Cyclone : 1.2kg + FREE 10% Extra - £32.94
PhD Nutrition Wired - 650g + FREE PHD FLAPJACK 30% OFF RRP - £31.49
CNP Pro Gakic (Passion Fruit) 50% OFF RRP - £28.25
20% OFF ALL Gorilla Wear Products
They can all be found at http://monstersupplements.com/store/type_list-68-lang-1.html
===============================
*** How much Cardiovascular Exercise for Beginners? ***
By James Collier BSc (Hons) RNutr - MuscleTalk Moderator
We're constantly reminded that we need to be including cardiovascular (CV) exercise in our lifestyles for good health; but why? Reasons why cardiovascular exercise is important include:
- CV exercise is an effective way to burn excess calories which can aid weight loss and weight maintenance; being overweight is associated with a number of health problems
- CV exercise can help reduce the risk of heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, some cancers and other diseases
- CV exercise can help reduce stress levels
- CV exercise can strengthen your heart so that it does not have to work as hard, thus improving physical fitness
- CV exercise can increase your lung capacity
- CV exercise can make you feel good and sleep better
A step by step guide for the beginner is:
- Choose an activity that you will enjoy. The best form of cardio is one that you will actually get off the couch and do rather than one that you do because you have to.
- Start with two or three sessions per week ideally on non-weights days or at a different time of day to weight training. If this is not possible then following a weight training session is fine.
- Begin with 5-10 minutes warm up of light activity to gradually increase your heart rate towards the point where you can still communicate clearly but are slightly catching your breath.
- Continue for as long as comfortably possible. This may be 5 minutes, it may be longer. Do not be disheartened if you struggle, this will quickly improve as long as you are consistent and strive to improve over time.
- Aim to add 2 minutes to the sessions on a weekly basis to build up towards the 30 minute mark. Do not bother monitoring distance or pace; just strive to improve the duration that you can comfortably exercise in the target zone: the point where you can still communicate clearly but are slightly breathless.
- Once you are at the level where you can comfortably exercise for 30 minutes or longer you have developed the base required to progress towards a more advanced program. Beginning where you want to be, rather than where you are actually, will usually result in injury and despair. Do not run before you can walk!
===============================
Discount Supplements - Free UK Delivery, Same Day Despatch
January Sale Now On - Over 300 price reductions, up to 80% off!
Optimum Health Ultimate Whey Protein Only £23.75 Plus FREE Coil Shaker
Optimum Health Ultimate Gainer Only £22.75 Plus FREE Coil Shaker
CNP Pro Flapjacks - Sale Price £14.99 Hurry - Limited Stocks
XL Nutrition Xtreme Whey 4kg Only £34.75
Everything under £5!!
www.discount-supplements.co.uk - 4000+ products over 300 top brands
===============================
===============================
** Tailored Nutrition Advice from Experts!
Healthy Action Nutrition Consultancy. A team of consultants are available to provide on line nutrition advice completely tailored to suit you and your goals.
===============================
*** Food of the Month - Lentils aka Lens culinaris esculenta ***
By Big Les, MuscleTalk Moderator & Nutrition Consultant Healthy Action
We have been eating the lentil for over 8000 years and it even makes an Old Testament Appearance when Esau gives up his birthright for a bowl of lentils and some bread. The lentil is a pulse, growing two to a pod in a bushy legume plant that is resistant to drought and easily cultivated in a variety of conditions. The world's largest producer is India, with most of its production used domestically. The second largest producer is Canada, with most coming from the province of Saskatchewan.
You can expect any food that has been cultivated for thousands of years to be a nutritional heavyweight, and the lentil is no exception. It has the third highest protein content of any plant based food; only hemp and soybean have more, and is very low in fat. Consumed as seeds, lentils contain 6 of the 8 essential amino acids, missing only methionine and cysteine, however, once sprouted they contain all 8. In 100g of boiled seeds you get approx 9g of protein, 20g of carbohydrate, less than ½g of fat along with 10g of fiber. Not only do lentils have an outstanding macronutrient profile, they back this up by being excellent sources of potassium, thaimin, folate, manganese, molybdenum, tryptophan and phosphorus; all while being one of the best plant sources of iron around.
The lentil is established as a staple food for vegetarians in many parts of the world, and, as you can see from its nutritional profile, it is worthy of a place on any athlete's plate. Add to their great nutritional profile the fact that lentils are cheap, easily prepared and as dried seed do not spoil, the lentil is an almost perfect food.
Although there are thousands of varieties of lentil you are most likely to see 3: brown, red and green. Brown lentils have their seed coat in place and hold their shape when cooked, red, yellow or orange lentils have their coats removed and have been split. Brown lentils are the least expensive variety. Red lentils cook quickly but do not hold their shape well and are therefore well suited to soups and purée dishes. Finally green, French or Puy lentils: these are the gourmet's lentil and therefore the most expensive. Like the brown lentil they hold their shape well when cooked, they also tend to have the richest and strongest taste of the lentil family. In general lentils have a mild earthy flavour and are well suited to rich flavoursome dishes.
Because lentils are supplied dried they should be easy to buy in perfect condition; firm, dry, clean and unshrivelled. You can buy lentils in a can, but there is no need because they do not require soaking and are so easy to prepare. Dried lentils will fade with age, but their flavour is not noticeably affected; for best results keep in an airtight container and eat within the year. Cooked lentils may be refrigerated up to one week in a sealed container. Cooked lentils can also be frozen up to six months; however cooked lentils tend to disintegrate when reheated.
Before cooking it is advised to check dried lentils for foreign objects and to rinse them till the water runs clear because they are not necessarily washed in production. As a guide brown lentils take 35 minutes to boil, green lentils 20 and red 10-15 minutes and should be cooked 3 parts water to 1 part lentils, and they may require more water depending on the required consistency. Lentils that have not been split can be sprouted at home and added to salads and other dishes.
Packing a healthy nutritional punch, easy to cook and store, it's time to give my hearty lentil recipes a try and put the lentil on your menu.
===============================
MUSCLEFORM Performance Nutrition www.muscleform.co.uk
AVI-PRO 94 Pure Whey Isolate Offers
- 2 x 5lb - just £59.95 delivered - includes flavoured (including New Forest Fruits) and unflavoured product
- 4 x 5lb - just £99.95 delivered - unflavoured only - Better than Buy 3 get 1 Free
Why make do with Whey Concentrate when you can have pure Whey Isolate at these prices!
*Less than 1% fat and less than 1% carbs (*unflavoured - flavoured spec similar)
L-GLUTAMINE
- Price Slashed - 1kg just £14.95
UBER-PRO Slow Release Pure Milk Protein Isolate
- SAVE up to 37% - for a very limited period only
FREE SHAKER with all orders for Delicious New Natural Forest Fruits Flavoured products.
All prices include FREE standard UK Mainland delivery.
Offers end 31st January 2010 (except UBER-PRO which is whilst stocks last).
Visit our website at www.muscleform.co.uk or call 01508 530813
===============================
*** MT Powerlifting Totals Competition ***
By Hazel - MuscleTalk Moderator
Check out the latest updated totals here:
www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.aspx?m=1083082
Members have been posting up their improved totals, so if you have totals listed already make sure they are up to date, and see where you are on the leader board!
Also check out the Cardio & Fitness forum Test your Mettle... What's your best? competition - open to all MuscleTalk members, just for fun so please join in!
Also the MT 220lb bench press competition: How many reps can you do? The table is updated regularly but nobody has yet managed to knock Pro-Member Hypershrek off of the top spot with 42!
===============================
** 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:
===============================
*** Recipe - Lentil Curry ***
By Big Les, MuscleTalk Moderator
** Ingredients
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion
2 clove garlic
1 tsp finely chopped/grated ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp fenugreek (optional)
150g (6 oz) red lentils
750ml (1¼ pints) vegetable stock (a stock cube is fine)
1 tin tomatoes
A little salt
(For the spices the dried jar versions do the job nicely)
** Method
- Chop onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and fry the onions and garlic with the spices for about 5 minutes over a moderate heat
- Add lentils, tomatoes and water, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add more water if it gets too dry and starts to stick to the bottom of the pan
** Information
Serves 4 (ish). You can add veg to this; just remember if you do then you need more stock and slightly more of the spices (it will also make more servings the more you add).
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
===============================
Have a look at our Muscle Finesse: Win a trip to Mr Olympia 2010 | JANUARY SALES thread and check out our Sale of the Day! All of the sales will be for your favourite brands such as Gaspari, MuscleTech, Olimp, PVL, Reflex, USN and many more. Be sure to bookmark and check back daily so you don't miss out!
Special Offer: 3 x CNP Pro-Flapjacks / Pro-Bar XS - MIX N' MATCH for only £41.95
Special Offer: 2 x IDS New-Whey Liquid Protein 42g for only £39.99
Special Offer: USN Muscle Fuel Anabolic 4kg + FREE T-SHIRT + FREE ZMA 120s from only £42.99
Special Offer: USN Pure Protein IGF 2.28kg + FREE T-SHIRT + XEDRA CUT 100s from only £28.99
Win a trip Mr. Olympia 2010
Every customer who spends over £50 on USN Supplements will be automatically entered in a competition where the winner will be drawn by Geoff Capes, Former World's Strongest Man, on a live streaming feed in mid-June.
===============================
*** DVD Review - Believe to Achieve with John Hodgson ***
Available from: www.john-hodgson.com/training-dvd.htm
This is British IFBB Pro John Hodgson's first and only DVD to date. A two disc DVD filmed and put together by Eric Guy and sponsored by CNP; Believe to Achieve is a great DVD for any British bodybuilding fan.
The original plan was to film this DVD though the 8 weeks training for the Toronto Cup in Canada, but the show was cancelled with just 4 weeks notice, so John had to step up a mark and concentrate on his training for the New York show two weeks earlier than he'd planned to compete. This DVD covers John's preparation for the New York show.
You see John training and discussing his methods with workouts of each of the body parts. The film features an interview with bodybuilding legend, Dorian Yates and CNP boss Kerry Kayes with a lot of promotion of CNP products. John discusses his diet and cardio and there is a fair bit of footage of him at home as well as in his gym.
In real life John is a real character and a great laugh, but I don't feel Believe to Achieve really captured this aspect of John's personality, and I feel this is a shame, as some of John's joviality would have made the production 'shine' a little more. However, Believe to Achieve is still worth a watch and is a well worthwhile buy for any fans of John, British bodybuilding, die hard bodybuilding DVD fans as well as anyone wanting to learn about training and grab some motivation.
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
