Hopefully you guys crushed your workouts this week. If you didn’t…well…you have two more days to pick up the slack! Never leave anything in the tank. Otherwise, you’ll feel like crap. I know I do.
Anyways, today we’re starting “Supplement Saturdays.” With this day, you’ll get at least one supplement review and, down the road, some research and studies on different natural supplements from an expert on the subject. Since most of us do our shopping on the weekends, it seems fitting to post these during the weekend so you don’t forget to pick stuff up if you need it!
Today we’ll be rolling out a review on a protein powder I’ve talked about in passing, but never really got a chance to give my take on, the “Re-Feed” blend from GNC’s “BEYOND RAW” series of sports nutrition.
Do you have a supplement you’d like to see reviewed by The Nerdy Gym rat? Feel free to leave suggestions here, Twitter and on Facebook.
Now, off to my “active rest” day (translation: time to crush some cardio) before I go volunteer at Orlando Beer Fest this afternoon. It’s going to be tempting to take a pour for myself for every person who needs one, but it’ll be a fun test in self control!
Since I promise nerdy stuff from time to time (I think I have to since it’s part of the domain name…), I thought I’d share my thoughts on something that I learned about a year or two ago:
Cards on the table: I am a sports junkie. I eat/breathe/sleep sports, both collegiate (Go UCF Knights!) and professional (yes, I am terrified of the Heat losing to the Pacers). More importantly, my addiction goes as deep as to watch the NFL Scouting Combine every year. This is the beauty pageant of the sports world, where grown muscular men are measured, weighed and evaluated by other grown men who determine if they will fit their team’s needs.
Cam Newton: Property of Stark Industries
In the 2011 Combine, Under Armour rolled out a new piece of technology that they tested out on a few prospects, including eventual #1 overall pick, Cam Newton. The compression shirt he wore had a sensor on it that resembled Tony Stark’s arc reactor in the “Iron Man” comic books. From what I was told at the time, it was to measure what was once immeasurable in real time. We’re talking about things like heart rate broken down by yardage when running a 40-yard dash and breathing patterns during cone drills. All the data was then saved onto a 2 GB hard drive for further study.
The E39, as it became named, was yet another way for scouts to find out more invasive athletic information without actually BEING invasive. Personally, I don”t need to know if a player’s heart rate increases a X amount of beats per minute within five yards of the line of scrimmage. However, I can see this being important for an Offensive Coordinator, who is looking at a wide receiver prospect and wants to make sure they have an initial burst at the line, as opposed to needing those yards to ramp things up (a-la Ted Ginn, Jr. and his family…I’m still bitter, Cam Cameron!). Here’s a video explaining the E39 a little bit better:
The cost of this bad boy makes it obvious that it’s meant for professional athletes, as Under Armour has put the E39 in the $700 range. I guess when you’re the sure-thing first round pick that Cam Newton was, your agent can foot the bill until he signs that contract. I’m curious to see if these find their way onto college campuses. I can see the E39 being useful in offseason conditioning or even spring drills.
However, it could open up pandora’s box, since college athletics programs usually have apparel sponsors (Nike, adidas, Russell Athletics). The last thing the college football world needs (you know…aside from the BCS…) is a technology advantage for Under Armour-sponsored schools (Maryland, Auburn and the loathed University of South Florida).
So what do you think? Is this useful data or just another shiny toy for soon-to-be millionaires to bring home as “swag?”
(Note: Thanks to Twitter, I can’t use this as a hashtag so there it’s #FunStuffFridays…but you all know you wanna say shit!)
Congratulations on making it through three weeks of “The Nerdy Gym Rat!” For those of you who are new to the site/blog, welcome and get ready for a crazy ride…
Today is meant as a break from the non-stop fitness and health posts I put up five/six days a week (with multiple posts every freakin’ day). It gives you, the reader/follower/fan a chance to see the inner geek, as you can see from the meme above.
If you’ve been on the Facebook fan page, you’ll notice I put up some links about technology and sports, with the most recent being Usain Bolt’s branded headphones (which I believe I compared to crappy “Beats by Dre,” which I can say with confidence as an audio engineer by day). I’ll share a few here as well and give my take on each.
Also, if time permits, I do have an interview ready to go with a professional in the health & fitness industry. This is something I’d like to do on a weekly basis, as long as people are interested in doing it. This week, we have Dylan Farr, founder of the California-based “Fysiologik” studio. Look for my chat with him to be up this evening (before you get to happy hour, of course).
Aside from that…you’ve all been very awesome in following me, whether it’s here, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest. I’m hoping with the all-mighty Zuck’s (Mark Zuckerberg) recent acquisition of Instagram, there will be an easier way of getting you guys over there to check out some pictures I take, both in the gym and in the recording studio.
Hope everyone enjoys “Fun Shit Friday!” If you’d like to see something on these days, I’m totally open to suggestions. Again: BETA TESTING IS AN AMAZING THING. With your help, this site can do great things. We’re all in this together!
Before we get into my Gym Pet Peeve for this week, let me just say that some of these suggestions you guys are giving me via e-mail, Twitter, etc. are awesome! I think I have enough material for the next year, so keep them coming!
I actually had one ready to go! I was going to write it up last night, look over it this morning and post. It’s a good thing I didn’t though, since I ran into one of my BIGGEST pet peeves this morning while doing my 5:00 AM workout…
The Mayor of The Machines
“One down, four more machines to go!”
You can spot this guy from miles away! There is absolutely nothing more annoying than the jerk who takes over five or six different stations at once, ESPECIALLY when one of those is what is standing between you and getting ready for work.
Now, I’m all about circuit training. In fact, that’s part of how I was able to lose weight in the first place. Conceptually, the combination of strength training with the cardio benefits of the exercises being in succession is fantastic. What makes THIS guy so freakin’ special is that:
He has his “territory” spread out all over the gym floor like it’s a game of “Monopoly”
Take ages to get through the circuit because he…
Puts enough weight on each station where “working in” isn’t an option, and most importantly…
At the end of the circuit, he takes time to chat with other people instead of taking the minute or two rest and starting over again.
Aside from simply calling this meathead out (which, at 5 in the morning, is a totally reasonable thing to do), all you can do is adapt your workout. Today, for example, the last part of my routine was four sets of seated calf raises. Since this week in Jim Stoppani’s “Shortcut To Size” prescribed high rep/low weight sets (and this idiot had every 45 lbs. wheel in the joint on the machine), I wasn’t about to ask the guy to work in. Instead, I was forced to do a variation using some cables, steps and creativity.
If you’re “that guy,” I do have some suggestions to make you look less like a douche and blend in with your surrounding gym patrons:
If you’re going to superset or do circuits, try to make sure the exercises are all in the same general area (i.e. keep it to the power rack for squats, calf raises, shoulder press).
More power to you if you can lift a ton of weight. I can’t fault you for that, so go read rule #1 again.
The idea of the superset is to be efficient with your time. Talking to someone about whether or not FSU is going to the Big 12 is not efficient. Neither is watching the same Sportscenter that’s been on since 3:00 in the morning.
I hope this has been as educational for you as it has been calming for me. Keep the suggestions coming, GymGeeks! Hopefully next week, I won’t have a last second moment of inspiration at the gym…
Since I like to consider Thursdays as “Friday Eve,” this seems like an appropriate day to share tips on health and fitness! It also gives me a chance of throwing a ton of good material on to Twitter and Facebook.
Now, this doesn’t mean you get zero content HERE at NerdyGymRat.com. What “Friday Eve Fit Tips” does is allow me to make today a “wild card” of sorts with what I can write about. Today’s going to be a “Gym Pet Peeve” kind of day, since I ran into a really good one this morning on my shoulder/traps/calves day of Jim Stoppani’s “Shortcut to Size.” Here’s a hint: it’s “that guy” who does something I normally love, but in such an awful way…
While I leave you to ponder what pet peeve I’m talking about, I’ll just remind readers that they can find some “exclusive” content on Instagram (TheNerdyGymRat) and on Pinterest The more places you follow, the more information you can get to help you on YOUR journey to a healthy lifestyle.
Have a great day and remember: it’s about how you FINISH the week that matters most!
Last week, we went into a bit of detail about High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). For those who are newly-minted GymGeeks, essentially it’s intervals of high-intensity cardio for a short spurt, followed by medium-intensity for longer periods (only to return BACK to a level of high-intensity). Intensity can be measured either by speed, resistance or both!
Today, we’re going to measure it in terms of time…
Tabata training is something I discovered a few years ago just reading and researching. Having tried it, I can say with absolute certainty that THIS is the most efficient way to get your butt kicked in the gym and ignite that metabolism.
Created by Izumi Tabata, the concept is to do as much activity in 20 second spurts, followed by 10 seconds of rest, then repeated for eight rounds. This is the opposite of normal HIIT, which has a prescription of “rest” (in the form of moderate cardio) of double to time of the high-intensity activity.
Most Tabata training plans are only 4 minutes long. This means you GymGeeks complaining about a lack of time are out of excuses! More importantly, the only thing you ABSOLUTELY need is a timer! Timing your rounds is essential to get the full effect of Tabata.
The activity can always vary. For example, one round can be push-ups, while another can be chair dips, followed by pull-ups. I dig the versatility of routines, since it causes muscle confusion (probably getting sick of me saying that by now…but it’s a big deal!).
Here’s an example workout video for you guys to check out. Has anyone tried Tabata before? I’d love to hear a GymGeek’s experience with it!
You’ve seen the infomercials: Get six-pack abs in just ten minutes a day with The <enter cheesy name here>!
There is no cure-all exercise for your abs. That’s the bad news….AND the good news! On top of diet and sticking to a good workout, your abdominal muscles (actually a group of different sets of muscles) need to constantly be stimulated in order to be seen. The crunch alone will not only not give you those washboard abs you’re dying for: it’s also one of the least safe exercises, when done improperly.
Since, the crunch only works one set of muscles (the upper rectus abdominus, to be exact), we’ll make the switch of how to REALLY make that set work!
The Fix: Call the Cable Guy!
The cable crunch is one of my favorite exercises! The resistance can be great and can stimulate growth (as opposed to the same old body weight crunch. As you can see from the diagram above, you’re keeping a rope attachment behind your neck and bringing your elbows to the mat (or floor).
There are a few things to remember while doing this:
While you’re holding the rope, that should be all that’s going on with your arms. Don’t use them to pull down the weight! If you find yourself doing that, either lighten the load or consider the set “to failure.”
I’m sure it’s cool to show off and throw on all the weight at the pulldown station. Consider this, though: like all other muscles, the more weight you throw up, the bigger the muscle is going to get. Instead of a six pack, you can end up with a keg! You’re better off doing 20-30 reps at a lighter weight than you are 5-10 reps at a heavier weight.
While I love this exercise, I only do it once a week (sometimes, even every other week). Remember, the key to every muscle group, let alone abs, is muscle confusion. You need to mix up the movement, the weight and even the rep/set counts. Also, like all other muscles, they need rest, so no doing back-to-back ab days! If you work them right the first time, you shouldn’t be able to do work on them the next day anyways.
I’ll tell you: the revelations you come up with at 5:00 in the morning on a cardio day are very underappreciated…
Well, as you can tell by the post, I’m now declaring Wednesdays as “Workout Wednesdays.” What does this mean for my GymGeeks?
This means that all posts on this day (and over on Twitter and Facebook) will be about different ways to spruce up your workout routines, whether it be changes to your cardio days (today we’ll be looking into Tabata training) or on lifting days. Today’s switch will be on how to work your abs using crunches…but with a slight modification that (hopefully) some of you already know about and are using.
Speaking from current experiences, I’ve actually had to modify an exercise in Jim Stoppani’s “Shortcut to Size” program. Since my current gym only has dumbbells that go to 75 lbs., I’ve had to resort to barbell rows, as opposed to the prescribed dumbbell rows on Back/Biceps/Abs days. I’ll admit it’s not as good at getting rid of possible imbalances in the muscles of my back, but it does allow me to control the movement a bit better, without losing the full range of motion that I’m a big fan of.
So what types of variations would you like to see up on NerdyGymRat? I’d love some fan/follower/reader participation. Hell, it’s how I knew that “Gym Pet Peeves” is a keeper on a weekly basis!
Let’s get through this hump day and keep the eyes on the prize!
And you probably thought I was going to talk about the chili powder in the Chicken Stir Fry recipe…
A study was recently done at Columbia University, in which ten men consumed 2g of ginger powder dissolved in hot water with their breakfast. The study showed that the men who consumed the powder had lower levels of hunger, lower amounts of food consumption and higher levels of fullness versus those who did not consume the 2g of ginger powder.
The study also showed a natural thermogenesis in the body, which means it could be linked to weight management. Translation: it is a natural thermogenic and not some pill chock full of caffeine and other random junk that’s not FDA-approved!
Aside from the stir fry from this week’s recipe, you can also use ginger with sushi (or sashimi, if you’re going low carb), in curry or really any sort of meal that you want to add a little extra spice to. I suggest buying it in root form and dicing or grating it up yourself, as opposed to in powder form.
Between ginger and the capsaicin found in chili powder and hot peppers, your metabolism will be through the roof. If you’re looking for a little help losing weight, these aren’t bad (natural) ways of helping, so pile it on!
We’ll take a break from fish this week! No mercury poisoning for my GymGeeks…
This week’s recipe comes from “Muscle & Fitness” and uses some great fat-burning spices (one of which we’ll be talking about later today…I’ll keep you in suspense as to which one…).
A couple modifications I’d suggest are replacing stevia extract for sugar and soy flour to replace the cornstarch. You still get the thickening agent that the cornstarch would provide and an extra boost of protein. I definitely like the use of low sodium soy sauce, since sodium tends to retain water in the body, causing bloating.
Don’t forget to use brown rice! The less processed the grain, the better.
