Bodybuilding Pensioners - BBC Documentary

Last night there was an interesting documentary on the BBC about the growing popularity of bodybuilding amongst pensioners in the UK and USA. "A journey into the world of the senior citizens who live for their bodybuilding and the ultimate prize of a youthful body. We discover the rigorous training and strict diets and follow them as they take to the stage ready to battle it out for the coveted prize of champion bodybuilder. " Many of the pensioners claimed their youthful looks were down to their bodybuilding routines. The body building competitions they enter are in categories of over 60 years and over 70 years. The dedication of these bodybuilders is quite remarkable. Many put it down to simply having the time to dedicate their days to working out. Bodybuilding is a very time consuming pastime, and many working people find it difficult to maintain the exercise regime and diet that is required. Before competitions a very restrictive diet is needed to reduce fat reserves as much as possible, and it is almost impossible for working people to maintain a job while training in this way. Bodybuilding has some great health benefits for the older population, as it improved blood flow, bone density and stability. People that do weight training and bodybuilding into old age experience much greater freedom and independence than other people. One female US pensioner mentioned that she could continue to move her own furniture and wash her own windows as a result of her improved physical fitness - things which many of her neighbours struggle with. Many people feel some part of their youth has returned to them after training. So there is really no excuse for not exercising into old age. Get out the fake tan and pump some iron, and you could be Mr or Mrs Universe in a few years time.

Free 1 Day Guest Pass to Fitness First

If you are looking to get fit and want to try out one of you local Fitness First gyms, they are currently offering a 1 day free trial. Fitness First are generally a more economical gym to join. They rarely, if ever, have swimming facilities, but generally have Gym, Cardio Theatre, Spinning Rooms, X-press workout, Studio, Videos, Lounge, Juice Bar, and 1:1 Personal Trainers. I used to go to a Wing Chun class at Chelmsford's fitness first, and for a while my wife attended the gym through company membership, and the facilities were always clean and in good working order, and with a relaxed atmosphere. So why not get along to Fitness First and take advantage of the free day pass.

Antioxidants, Free Radicals And Sports Nutrition

by Dr. Robert Gamble As you know, I am a physician. It's part of my profession to keep abreast of what's happening in medical/health research. Being retired helps, because doctors simply do not generally have the "extra time" to devote to the scientific literature. But I do. And I love it. I am one of those individuals who really enjoys …brace yourself…chemistry. When I'm done here, you should be excited too, especially if you are interested in sports nutrition and antioxidants, though not necessarily in that order. Sports nutrition is a vast industry with emphasis on optimizing PERFORMANCE. Off hand, I can think of quite a few categories involving sports nutrition: sports nutrition and supplements for athletes sports nutrition and athletic performance sports nutrition and body building sports nutrition and endurance training sports nutrition and special diets in a variety of sports sports nutrition and strength training sports nutrition for running, jogging, walking, skiing, swimming There's even Rocky Mountain sports nutrition …the list is endless So far, no surprises, huh? Well, here's one for you. Did you know that when you exercise intensively you INCREASE the free radical burden in your body? If you're a serious sports enthusiast, you should know that. But…the real news is what science is now finding out about that free radical burden of yours. You should pay close attention here. Suddenly, chemistry gets real personal. Everyone of us has, what may be called, our antioxidant protective capacity. That means our bodies normally utilize antioxidants to protect us against the harmful impact of free radicals. First of all, what are antioxidants? They are molecular substances which offset free radical damage to the body. Antioxidants, "quench" free radicals (for lack of a better metaphor) neutralizing their damaging effects on the cells of the body. Antioxidants are found in foods such as cranberries, green tea and even chocolate Antioxidants are found in vitamins such vitamin C and E Antioxidants are found in carotenoids such as beta-carotene Antioxidants are found in many substances supplied by the body such as glutathione Antioxidants are found in many herbs and enzymes The impact of antioxidants is boosted by glyconutrients to offset free radicals in your body…and, as a result of your athletic exertions. Antioxidant capacity must be provided in your sports nutrition regimen or you could be "robbing Peter to pay Paul" with your workouts. As you will see, without a glyconutrional presence in your sports nutrition, the healthful gains made by your physical workouts will be offset by your own free radical burden. Free radicals, sports and sports nutrition Free radicals are those chemical species which contain one or more unpaired electrons, capable of independent existence. They form in the body due to a variety of reasons as offshoots of cellular activity or as products introduced to the body from the outside. As an analogy, think of running a car engine as the cellular production and the car emissions a the free radical production. The engine produces products which cannot stay inside the car without further damage. They simply must be neutralized and expelled. Free radicals form and cause damage by reacting with many substances in your body. It is estimated that upwards of 200,000 free radical attacks occur in our bodies daily. When free radical damage is done, the body can remove the compounds formed by its cellular repair system. However, if the body cannot handle the free radicals (with antioxidants for example), nor remove the compounds, then disease can be the result. Contrary to popular opinion, free radicals do not circulate throughout the body. The half-life of most free radicals varies in a range of a few nanoseconds to about 7 seconds duration. That means they will react within the "neighborhood" (a few Angstroms or microns near where the increase in free radicals occurred) …organs, connective tissue, circulatory or nerve tissue, bone or lymphatic material are all candidates for free radical attack. Wherever they form, they will damage the surrounding areas, unless prevented by the body…So the body does NOT have the luxury of just filtering away any circulatory fluids to find the free radicals. The body's defense systems must be…well…fairly omnipresent to neutralize the effects of free radicals. The antioxidant protective system must be healthy. Since they are highly reactive substances, they react with all sorts of cell elements readily. But, when they do react with your body cells, they can damage the cells and even kill them. Often, the damage from free radicals can CHANGE the cellular structure enough to cause DISEASE such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and a host of others. The type of disease that occurs is dependent upon which of the free radical defenses in the body weren't functioning properly and where the free radical attacks occur. The body has pretty sophisticated antioxidant defense systems. But, the body CAN get overwhelmed in its antioxidant protections against such free radicals… Indeed, unless antioxidant enhanced sports nutrition (with glyconutrients) are used to offset the increased free radical burden, the BODY will suffer as a result of intensive sports training, stress, and competition. Glyconutrients VITAL to sports nutrition Studies comparing marathon runners who did and did not take glyconutritional sports nutrition supplements were undertaken. The results were reported by the Proceedings of the Fisher Institute For Medical Research ( August 2003, vol.3, no.1). The results "demonstrated strikingly different patterns." Antioxidant protection appeared to be powerfully enhanced against free radicals with glyconutritional supplementation. Thus, the body was protected for several days after the marathon run. However, when glyconutritional sports nutrition was NOT used, the damaging effects of the free radical burden appeared to remain in the body for about five days. Thus, the subject "consistently excreted higher concentrations of free radical byproducts... "as compared to that of the glyconutritional subject. It should be emphasized that the subject studied WAS TAKING other antioxidants, though not glyconutrition. Despite that fact, the above cited results were obtained. That's another way of saying that when glyconutritional supplements were not used, the free radical burden upon the body was not lifted. Antioxidant protection does appear to be (significantly) strengthened with glyconutritional sports nutrition. Such antioxidant protection appears to be of benefit for athletes overall, including training, stress, competition and dietary issues. The glyconutrional revolution in sports nutrition and therapy is just beginning. More studies are being done. More results are coming in concerning free radicals and the capacity of the glyconutrients to boost antioxidant affect against free radicals. Sports nutrition is about to see a new revolution… Better still. I believe that it is quite probable that, with glyconutrition, sports PERFORMANCE is about to see a revolution in al fields. About the Author: Dr. Robert Gamble is retired from a very successful medical/surgical career spanning three decades. He is now active in researching medical issues such as glyconutrition… and offers his insights for public benefit. For information about Glyconutrition: Go to http://www.glycoshare.com or write NetPublish@Direcway.com Call Toll Free: 1866.735.5871

Ironman Training With A Heart Monitor

A heart-rate monitor can be an excellent training tool for a first time Ironman Triathlon hopeful. In a nutsell, following a heart-rate monitor program teaches your body to burn fat as opposed to carbs. It teaches to be aerobic as opposed to anearobic. AEROBIC-Workouts where you are burning fat as your source of energy. ANEAROBIC-Workouts where you burn carbs as your source of energy. For an event like the Ironman Triathlon, where endurance is paramount, teaching your body to burn fat is ideal for a very simple reason. Your body stores a lot more fat then it does carbs. So during your Ironman Triathlon, if you burn fat and not carbs, you don't use up your glycogen stores too quickly. Glycogen, simply put, is stored carbs. Trust me on this--In a physically demanding event like the Ironman Triathlon, once you use up your glycogen stores, you will hit the proverbial wall with the force of a mac truck. Your pace will slow big time and even walking will extremely uncomfortable. A heart monitor will guide you in staying in your fat burning range. There is a reliable formula for finding your maximum aerobic heart rate. The idea is to NOT go over this heart rate in the early months of your training. If you are in poor shape to start with, you will be training at a very slow pace at first. If the program is done properly, you will find that eventually you will be able to train at a faster pace and still stay below your max. Also, by staying out of the anearobic zone, your recoveries from training will be much faster and less painful. Better still, your chances of being injured will be diminished. I have trained with a heart rate monitor for years and have had great success. I would highly recommend giving it a try. If you decide to, here is how to figure out your max. aerobic heart rate: The key number is 180. Subtract your age(no cheating). When you begin, if your physical fitness really sucks(and don't worry, we'll change that)take off ten more beats. If you have trained a few days a week for several years, don't change the number. If you have trained like an all-star for a few years and are in really good shape to start, add five beats. If you are almost set to retire(over 60), add five beats. If you are still in your teens, add five beats. Now that you have that magic number. Your maximum aerobic heart rate, strap on that monitor and away you go. I would suggest using the monitor in the run and bike portions of your Ironman Triathlon training. It doesn't work that well in the pool, because you basically have to stop to check your monior. Its pretty difficult to track while you're swimming. Use it on all your runs for sure and always start out running slowly for 10 or 15 minutes, then let your heart-rate get to within 20-25 beats below your max. If you are in really poor shape, it will seem very slow to you. THAT'S OK! Be patient. It will improve. Over the weeks you will teach your body to burn fat and like magic you will start running faster without going over your max. Here is how to do a test so you can actually see your progress. Do your initial test the first few days you start heart-rate monitor training. Find somewhere(a track etc.)where you can run an exact measured mile. Warm up for 15 minutes and stay 20-25 beats below your max. After your warm-up, pick up speed so that when you hit the start line for your mile, you are right on your maximum aerobic heart-rate. Begin your stop watch when you hit the start line. Stay in a very tight range for the whole mile. For example, if your max. rate is 130, stay between 125 and 135 through the whole test. The idea is to average 130--your max. rate. Stop your timer right at the end of the mile. Record that time. In one month--not before--do the exact test again. If you have trained on a regular basis (4-5 times a week)and used the monitor properly you WILL see an improvement. FOR EXAMPLE: If your first test resulted in a mile time of 9 min 40 seconds and your second test had a time of 9 min 15 seconds, then CONGATULATIONS! You are teaching your body to burn fat. YOU ARE BECOMING AN AEROBIC MACHINE! YOU ARE BECOMING FITTER! You are training at the very same heart-rate as when you started, but are able run faster without any added stress. Do the test every month(not every week). Your mile time will continue to drop and your fitness level will improve as well if you train on a reguar basis. After 4 months or so when you have developed a sound aerobic base, you will be able to start adding some anearobic work-outs. This is an indication that you come a long way. GOOD FOR YOU! Should you decide to use a heart-rate monitor in your training, I feel sure you will improve your chances of finishing your very first Ironman Triathlon. About the Author: My name is Ray and I've competed in 14 ironman races. Most of my training is done with the aid of a heart monitor. I've created a site called "Ironstruck" that has many other training and racing tips that the beginner triathlete/novice ironman may find helpful.. http://triathlon-ironman-myfirstironman-ironstruck.com For heart-rate monitors check out our store.

Powerballs - New grip-strengthening exercise device

Powerball is the common name for gyro exercisers as the Dynabee gyroscopic grip-strengthening exercise device, which was originally produced by Dynabee from Variety Plastics in the USA. It is a gyroscopic toy sold commercially as a wrist exerciser device or as powerball. It can be started with a short rip string or by a snap of the thumb. Once the gyroscope inside is going fast enough, a person holding it in his hand can accelerate the gyroscope to incredibly high revs by following a circular wrist motion with the device. Modern devices come with electronic rev counters (current record is 16,317rpm, set by Akis Kritsinelis from Greece . He has also set a 90 second strength record of 20,082 revolutions see video. Akis - The Powerball Champion! - World Record! The most advanced Powerball model for today is a 350Hz Metal - this powerball is made completely of metal and has twice the weight of "regular" powerball models. This powerball is harder to operate, since it could give in about 25kg of torque when internal rotor is rotating at high revs. The current "world record" for the metal Powerball is 13,731rpm, set by Akis Kritsinelis Another full metal powerball is the Ironpower powerball you can buy this with a aluminium rotor or German made RVS steel rotor and or upgrades, this metal powerball was on the Market more than a year before the metal powerball out of Asia and has a German CNC precision. ( not suited for a counter) See the difference of the rotors from the ironpower en the Nanosecond version in this link Picture of both rotors In the December of 2006 new Powerball model has been introduced. The model name is "Powerball Signature". This powerball is made of mirror-gray plastic and features much more stable rotor and "saphire" white LEDs. There is a video of this powerball model working available. Nanosecond's Powerball was the first to feature electronic rev counters, and a generator with some light-emitting diodes, making this toy and training tool more attractive for professional and educational use. At first sight the physics of this device looks confusing, but is surprisingly simple. It can easily be understood with a little knowledge of gyroscopes. Their striking property is that the axis of a spinning gyroscope will resist a force applied to it and will start rotating perpendicular to the force applied. The axis of the gyroscope in the gyro powerball is fixed to the spinning mass and it rests in a little groove inside the wrist exerciser device, which almost completely covers the gyroscope inside it, except for a small round opening on top of it, which is where you can manually start the gyroscope. Once the gyro is spinning, tipping the device will cause the gyroscope to start precessing, with its axis slipping around in the groove in a circular fashion. The groove inside the device, is a little wider than the axis, and the gyroscope's evasive action towards the externally applied force will cause one end of the axis to push against the upper rim of the groove, while the other end of the axis pushes against the lower rim of the groove. While the axis is slipping around inside the groove, the friction between the axis and the groove rims will accelerate or brake the spinning gyroscope, with a maximum effect when the axis starts "rolling" inside the groove. Since this friction force is essential for the device's operation, the groove must not be lubricated. The acceleration of the gyroscope is best when the precession of the gyroscope is supported and amplified by wrist motion. So, if you need to increase your wrist strength, for martial arts, climbing, weight trianing or golf, then buy a powerball today.

Tranquillizer Store is now online

We are pleased to announce that you can now purchase all of your health, fitness and relaxation products here at our store - Tranquillizer Store