The MuscleTalker - Issue 117 (January 2012)
We hope you all had a great Christmas and are now back in the gym ready and re-motivated for the New Year. What a 2012 we have planned: with the Body Power Expo in May, the UK Fitness Expo with the IFBB British Grand Prix in October and more bodybuilding, strongman, powerlifting and fitness events than ever before!
MuscleTalk has moved! We're still based in Kettering, Northamptonshire, but we have moved to bigger and smarter premises. We're open for trade accounts for 1 Rep Max clothing, Liquid Sun Rayz competition and tanning products as well as supplements and accessories. We have expert nutrition and competition prep advisors and sports therapists working from the treatment and consulting rooms - all on site! In fact, we'll be having an official Open Day in February / March with some top bodybuilding, strongman and fitness model names appearing: more details and the date to be announced!
September's Shape-Up competition winners have been announced see here: January's Shape-Up kicks off on Monday 9th January 2012, detail are in the Shape-Up sub-forum.
Check out our articles, interviews and reports. New this month:
*** Happy Xmas from James Collier, Jason Barnham and The MuscleTalk team ***
See you at www.MuscleTalk.co.uk
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*** Intermittent Fasting ***
By James Collier BSc (Hons), Nutrition Consultant www.healthyaction.co.uk
Intermittent fasting (IF) is not a brand new concept to dieting, but its popularity over recent months has boomed. With all the talk on internet forums, is it a good method for fat loss? Is it good for maintaining muscle? What about adequate nutrition, especially micronutrients? Do people feel they have sufficient energy? Let's have a very brief look...
There are different strategies, but the basis of IF is alternating intervals of fasting and times when you are allowed to eat, which intermittent fasters call 'feeding windows'. The aim is to keep calorie restriction easy. Some strategies have fasts of 16-24 hours, though these are less popular with bodybuilders and fitness fanatics. Others have fasts of just 8-16 hours which are more common. In fact, let's be honest, most of us actually already have 8 hour fasts: overnight while we're sleeping, so there's nothing new there. With IF the fast time is simply prolonged and the individual won't eat until the afternoon or maybe even later.
The reason that IF is effective in losing weight is that during the fasting you are burning your reserves, primarily fat. However, what some people fail to acknowledge is that metabolic pathways dictate that you will be burning some muscle tissue concurrently after a few hours. This is why IF is not ideal for those looking to gain lean muscle.
During fasting the metabolic rate does slow down, so the rate of fat burning will reduce as the fasting period progresses. However, one of the key concepts in IF is that during the feeding windows a significant amount of food is consumed which speeds the metabolism and the faster metabolic rate continues well into the fasting period. Whether the net effect on the basal (resting) metabolic rate (BMR) is changed is still unsubstantiated by credible research.
The fact that eating is restricted to the feeding window periods means that the total number of calories consumed is fewer than what you'd normally consume - even though it might not feel like it at the time as the amount consumed during these periods may be considerable.
Advocates of IF suggest that you don't have to eat that 'clean' (in the bodybuilding sense of the word) in order to lose weight; but consuming a load of junk food in the feeding window is definitely not recommended. Like any nutrition strategy the Healthy Eating Guidelines should be adhered to; i.e. low sugar, high fibre, low fat, adequate amounts of good fats, plenty of fruit and veg, low salt, etc. This is very important and you must still include your '5 a day' fruit and veg and consume a varied diet to help ensure good nutrition and adequate amounts of all micronutrients.
Definitely do not perform any exercise regimen at the end of a fast as you'll struggle. Remember, maximum performance will reap maximum benefits from exercise, so always have good pre- and post-workout nutrition.
If you're a bodybuilder looking to gain lean muscle then IF is not for you. However, maybe it would suit someone looking to lose body fat and improve their shape with less of an effect on their social life and life in general (you don't have to be preparing 6 meals a day). Some people have made the move into an IF regimen and find it suits their lifestyle better as it's more convenient; these people have found they stay leaner than before. Some intermittent fasters report it as a lifestyle change rather than a temporary diet. However, some people have tried the regimen and can't get used to the fasting period, reporting feeling hungry, light headed and dizzy; indeed, some people find it is not convenient for their lifestyle as, during the feeding windows, they are unable to consume enough food as their appetite doesn't allow it.
Good research on intermittent fasting is scarce as the dietary regimen is a relatively new concept. However, I think this strategy is here to stay around for a while and we will be seeing another Atkins Diet; this is because it is convenient and relatively easy and it is reaping the most fundamental of all results: fat loss. Is IF healthy? Well, it's certainly not as healthy as eating small regular meals and the key to its success is the fact that followers do lose weight and do seem to retain muscle. However, IF isn't for those wishing to increase their muscle and strength.
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*** Building the Best Shoulders - Part 1: Shoulder Anatomy ***
By Darran Clemmit - MuscleTalk Expert Member
Many of us have a 'shoulders' day in our workout plans, though what we really mean are deltoids. But, as well as training providing us with more strength and larger muscles, we also need to make sure it's done in a way that avoids injury and keeps the joint healthy. For that we need to learn a little more about the shoulder joint, so that when training deltoids we can better isolate the target muscles and keep things balanced.
The shoulder joint is one of the most complex in the body: it has the largest range of movement in the most directions and, were it man made, it would be regarded as a miracle of engineering. I'll just cover the very basics because covering it in detail would fill a whole book! There are eleven muscles / groups of muscles responsible for moving the glenohumeral joint (shoulder), as well as ligaments, bursas, cartilage and the articular capsule with those muscles to keep the head of the humerus stable in the glenoid cavity and provide movement. There are major nerves running across the shoulder joint and down the arm including the medial, median, radial and ulna, as well as the brachial artery and the basilic vein, along with smaller nerves and veins.
The deltoid can be divided into three distinct segments, anterior (front), medial (middle) and posterior (rear). All three groups abduct the glenohumeral joint but the anterior and posterior portions also act to flex and extend, horizontally adduct and abduct, as well as assisting in rotation of the upper arm. Front and rear delts are also antagonist to each other, so when one contracts the other relaxes, to control the movement. For that reason most people should include more rear delt exercise to help maintain shoulder balance, as its common to be front delt 'heavy' from movements such as bench press and overhead press.
Rotator cuff is a key area and one where a large portion of shoulder problems occur. A major cause from gym work can be too great a range of movement on exercises like lateral raises, specifically coming too high, or poor form on pressing movements such as flat bench, leading to impingement of soft tissue between the humerus and the acromium. Some exercises, such as upright rows and behind the neck press, are by their very nature increasing the risk of long term wear and injury of the rotator cuff and the tendons, and are best avoided altogether and substituted for less risky alternatives.
Looking past the deltoids and rotator cuff, the muscles of the back and chest, as well as those of the scapular, also have a bearing on shoulder health, but can't all be covered in a brief article. Next month I'll look at training deltoids, and rotator cuff exercises.
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*** Food of the Month - Satsumas ***
By Les Willis, Nutrition Consultant www.healthyaction.co.uk
Last month we feasted on Christmas pudding, and traditionalists may have also given or received a satsuma in their stocking. The giving of fruit in a Christmas stocking is linked to the traditional story of St Nicholas who would leave gold. With fruit being expensive and unusual until very late in our history, fruit was considered a suitable cheaper replacement.
We have reports of the satsuma or mandarin orange as it is also known, being in commercial cultivation in China around 300BC, with reports of its existence back to 500BC. It also enjoys a 700 year history in Japan. If you are follower of Food of the Month, you will know foods with a long history of cultivation are ones which provide significant benefits. The satsuma took a while to head to the Western world, and it was its introduction to the United States that saw it take on its now familiar moniker of Satsuma, which is credited to the wife of a United States minister to Japan, General Van Valkenberg, who sent trees home in 1878 from Satsuma, the name of a former province, now Kagoshima Prefecture, on the southern tip of Kyushu Island.
The fruit itself has the benefit of being very resistant to cold weather although, as a citrus fruit, it requires lots of sunlight making it unsuitable for more northern climates; it is perfect for subtropical regions. It is hardy and when properly cultivated will produce a sustainable crop relatively quickly. This hardy nature and relative ease of cultivation and, it should be noted, ease of hybridization which has allowed the development of crops resistant to extreme cold, is combined with excellent nutritional qualities.
A 109g satsuma will give 50 calories of which 10g of the 11g total carbohydrate will be sugars, 1g of protein and 2g of fibre. It also goes without saying that they are also fat free. The satsuma delivers an expected power house punch of vitamin C, but it is also high in potassium and sodium free (very useful back stage). Throw in some vitamin A, iron and calcium plus some useful small levels of other minerals, such as magnesium and copper, and you have a very healthy snack indeed.
You can buy tinned mandarins and satsumas which are great ways of getting the fruit ready to go, but when buying the fruit fresh you want to pick the best, so here is what to look for: satsumas should be slightly soft and heavy for their size - indicating a high level of juice in a fruit that was not left on the tree too long. Satsumas are relatively delicate due to their soft skins, which make them easy to peel, so avoid any sort of blemish or bruising. The softer the fruit the higher the sugar content and the more easily the fruit will spoil; so, again, if the fruit is very soft, leave it behind. Again, any brown spots mean choose a different fruit as it has started to spoil.
The satsuma is a great, pocked-sized fruit that comes in its own easy peel wrapper - give it a go!
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*** MT Powerlifting Totals Competition ***
By Hazel - MuscleTalk Moderator
Check out the latest updated totals here and check out the video you tube clips www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.aspx?m=1083082 See where you are on the leader board!See where you are on the leader board! It has been quiet recently so have a go and see what you can do!
If you have totals listed already make sure they are your latest totals 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? Have a go and post up how many you manage!
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*** Recipe - Turkey Burgers ***
By Nicole Bremner, Recipe Consultant for MuscleTalk
Taken from the eBook Muscle Menus2
Ingredients
450g lean ground turkey
1 egg white
¼ cup almond meal
2 tbsp skim milk
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
¼ cup crushed walnuts
Method
Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Form into four burgers and fry on a non-stick pan for 5 minutes on each side until browned. Serve on crusty buns with salad if desired.
Comments
Serves 4. Per serving: 300kcal, 38.5g protein, 7g carbs, 13g fat, 2g fibre.
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
