Supplements;Amino Acids;

In Robert Erdmann's book, The Amino Revolution, he states,"Amino acids are the essential raw materials in the growth or reproduction of every cell in your body". Amino acids are responsible for just about every metabolic process that takes place in your body. Any weight gainer powder that you buy and consume as well as any protein powder, all contain these buliding blocks of muscle. Without amino acids there would be no muscle growth or chemical reactions in the body that sustain life.
Now that you understand the importance of this supplement, we can go on and explain the proper supplementation and the importance of the proper intake of amino acids. All protein is made up of amino acids, from the muscles in your body to the steak and chicken that we eat on a daily basis. There are essential and non essential amino acids, by this i mean essential aminos are those the body must get from an outside source such as a protein powder or some kind of lean meat. Non essential are those aminos that the body can manufacture on its own. However, it is important to remember that all the aminos must be taken properly or else there will be a deficiency of one or more aminos from the body taking one or more of the aminos and turning it into another amino that it is in need of at that moment. In other words, the body is capable of taking a non essential amino acid and turning it into an essential amino acid or vice versa. However, in the process the body may rob itself of an amino acid that it needs in the process.
I know that it can be a little confusing but the best thing to do is to buy yourself a copy of The Amino Revolution, by Robert Erdmann, it has all of the information in a language that is easy to read and understand. The main point that i want to get across to you is to always take in three quarters to one gram of protein per pound of body weight. Always try to get complete proteins, by this i mean lean red meat, poultry, fish and remember to realize that legumes and tofu are incomplete proteins and cannot be digested in the same way and the body will not be getting the full value of the protein. I like to supplement with a full spectrum amino acid supplement alnog with getting enough protein from foods as an insurance policy to make sure the body is getting adequate protein intake for my muscle building goals. In the future i will clear up any confusion on this subject, but due to time constraints at this moment i am unable to continue and i apologize for this, until then train hard and smart and a special thank you to all of the veterans on this memorial day holiday!

New topics for powerbodybuilding;

I am trying to get an idea of the age range that comes to view my blog and i would like to direct future entries accordingly to touch upon all topics that intrests everyone. If you click on the "view my complete profile" in the side bar, it will take you to my profile which contains a contact button and of course, a way to e-mail me. If any of you are intrested in me covering a topic regarding a question or topic that you are unsure about, i would like to hear from you and i will try my best to answer your questions and cover all topics requested. There are no dumb questions, so please don't be afarid to ask anything regarding working out or any topic relating to nutrition and fitness and i would appreciate hearing from any gender or age range. I can cover any level from beginner, intermediate to advanced and if i cannot answer the question than there is no answer anywhere out there! I look forward to hearing from you and i look forward to helping you with your weight training and fitness and nutrition goals.

The road to pittsburgh, cont'd;

Well here we are a little more than eight weeks out from the pittsburgh show and the workouts are going as well as anyone could have hoped! Our rest periods between sets are down to the bare minimum and the only rest we get is however long it takes for the other person to do his set! The intensity is high, to say the least and i am trying to fiqure out ways to make it even more so. It seems as though we are right on track and hopefully over the winter i was a good enough trainer to leave no stone unturned and ted will do well in pittsburgh.
It took a little time for our bodies to get conditioned for these hig rep, short rest period workouts, but we are getting better by the day and the intensity is where it should be. We are no longer intrested in the amount of weights we can lift, the only thing we are concerned with now is getting as much removed from between the skin and the muscle to reveal as much muscle and striations as humanly possible. We are doing anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour of cardio a day and our diets are completely clean. This is where everything will come together and ted will look unbelieveable for the show in july. Ted is almost ten pounds heavier than last year, i know that doesn't sound like much, but when you think of the time frame that we had to put ten pounds of solid muscle onto his frame, it is amazing!
One last quick topic to emphasize this entry is the fact that the role that the mind plays in our training at this point. At this level of training and competition. any edge could mean the differencre between winning and losing and i refuse to leave, as i said, any stone unturned. If we can walk away from the show in july knowing that we did everything we could to try and win, then i will be satisfied, regardless of the outcome.
Keepimg a positive mental approach to our training is crucial at this time and this applies to life as well. I always like to use , as an example, a boxing match. If a boxer goes into the ring before his fight thinking that he has no chance of winning his fight than he has already beaten himself mentally. In my opinion weightlifting is is fifty percent training, forty percent diet and ten percent psychological. Keep in mind that different times of year and different training goals require different types of a breakdown, but the bottom line is to never leave the psychological aspect out of the equation when it comes to training, regardless of what time of the year it is or what your training goals happen to be!

Save our supplements

I know that i promised not to get political on you but every now and again i must, but for a very good reason. At the bottom of the side bar you will see a save our supplements advertisement that enables you to contact your local representative in congress to let them know how you feel regarding the supplements that you take. Every now and then congress thinks that they know what's better for our own bodies than we do and we have to put them in ther place! This is a free service and i do not make any comission at all when you click on the ad, however you will be able to e-mail your local representative to let them know how you feel about pending legislation regarding supplements and vitamins. It is as easy as sending an e-mail and requires no effort on your part but a few clicks. If you value your health and i assume you must, coming to this blog, then please put in your zip code and help us keep our dietary supplements free of unnecessary laws and restrictions.

Herbs;

There seems to be a great misconception when it comes to the taking of herb supplements. Some bottles read that the herb must be taken for a minimum of seven days before any results will be witnessed and every bottle reads something different. I am a big believer in herb supplementation and i have found in my experience that any and all herbs must be taken no less than six weeks before they begin to build up in the body and do the job that they are meant to do. I am well aware in this day and age of everyone having the mindset of instant gratification and if we don't feel or see results in a matter of days the product must be of no use.
Also, keep in mind that once you begin to take a herb, you cannot miss even a single day of taking that herb or else that also changes the chances of getting the full effect of it's health building properties. I know that there have been many small studies claiming that echinacea does not work when it comes to the common cold. I have found many problems with the studies being done on this herb and the fact that the media reports these findings with most of the important information left out.
As i am sure that you are well aware of the fact that everyone is different and every herb will react differently in any one's body. The best thing to do is to experiment with the herbs and first and foremost, get educated about the herb that you plan on using. Talk to a reputable person about the herb or get some information from several different sources and get an idea about what to expect with the herb before you begin using it. Please do not forget to be ready to give the herb a minimum of six weeks to "kick in" and then decide if it is right for you. In future blogs i will go over the types of herbs i supplement with and the experiences i've had with each herb, good and if any, bad as well.

Unfair tax on health club memberships!

It has come to my attention that our state government is trying to levy a tax on all health club dues and services. As part of his proposed budget for new jersey's next fiscal year, governor jon corzine wants to impose a 7% tax to your health club memberships! It is up to us as citizens to speak up and let our state leaders know how we feel and in order for us to be heard we must contact their offices. There are two ways to go about this, you can call governor corzine at (609)-292-6000 or you can visit the website www.getactivemagazine.com and visit the exercise your rights advocacy center.
It is up to us to put a stop to this unfair tax! If anything we should be given a tax credit for going to the gym on a weekly basis for trying to improve our health to lessen the strain on our already depleted medicare system. There are plenty of other undesirable items to go and tax that put a drain on our systems.
I am not one to talk politics so do not think that this will happen on a regular basis, but i feel very strongly about this topic and i felt compelled to pass this information on to all of you who work so hard to stay healthy.