Health

WARM UP BEFORE WORKOUT, EXERCISE

Warming up in sports is very important. It improves blood circulation in muscle groups, joints, ligaments and tendons that will tighten during the bulk of your workout.

The warm-up format depends on what kind of loads you need to prepare the body for. It is desirable that it be as close as possible to the exercise biomechanics of the main part of the program. For example, it is inappropriate to warm up on a treadmill before training with an emphasis on working out the “top” muscles.

Another warm-up task is the right attitude to work. Indeed, during training, you will need to focus on the technique of complex multi-joint exercises and constantly monitor your feelings.

HOW TO WARM UP BEFORE TRAINING?
A correctly performed warm-up prevents muscle imbalance – uneven development of muscle groups. Calisthenics exercises (performed with your own weight) increase your overall fitness level.

It is desirable that the warm-up part should not exceed 10-15 minutes, not be overly intense and at the same time solve all the above-mentioned problems. During such training, the required physical qualities will manifest themselves in the best possible way.

Warm-up exercises
We have selected effective warm-up exercises for you.

PUSHUPS
Warm Up Exercise – Classic Floor Pushups
A good warm-up exercise is push-ups. They have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system – the muscles begin to be intensively supplied with blood.

So, take an emphasis on the floor and place your palms shoulder-width apart. Different muscles will work depending on the distance between the arms. The best option is to keep your hands shoulder-width apart. This position of the palms allows you to work out the triceps, pectoral and deltoid muscles, as well as the abdominals.

During push-ups, the elbows move along the body, but spread them to the sides. The body must be kept straight – do not bend or lift the buttocks up. As you descend, breathe in, as you rise, exhale.

BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUATS
Doing the Bulgarian split squat exercise
A very effective exercise for the lower body. It dries the legs and tightens the buttocks.

Stand with your back to the bench, one deep step away. Place one foot on it. If your muscles are trained, you can use dumbbells. Lower into a squat to parallel the thigh of your supporting leg with the floor. Getting up from the squat, push off with the heel – this will additionally load the buttocks. Important: keep your back straight, do not lean forward. The pace is fast.

HYPEREXTENSION IN THE SIMULATOR
Exercise for the back hyperextension
Hyperextension strengthens the lumbar back muscles well. This exercise is for those who want to become the owner of a wasp waist.

Walk up to the “Roman chair” and adjust the height to suit you. The front bolsters should be at the end of the lower back and hips. Place your feet under the bottom roller. The back should be in line with the legs. The arms are crossed over the chest. This is the starting position.

Lean forward about 60 ° and round your back slightly. The gluteal muscles are tense. Then gently rise to the starting position. When tilting – inhale, when lifting – exhale.

You can learn more about other useful exercises in our fitness club. Sign up for personal training – the instructor will develop an individual warm-up program for you and follow the exercise technique.

 

07 Nov 2020

SPORTS NUTRITION FOR WEIGHT LOSS

You said goodbye to bad habits, started playing sports and completely rebuilt to a healthy lifestyle, but the extra pounds still do not let you forget about yourself? Achieving a slender figure and easy gait will not work quickly. A healthy body requires complex work.

(more…)

 

30 Oct 2020

GAINING MUSCLE MASS: DIET

Gaining muscle mass directly depends on what and how you eat. For a sculpted body, follow our bodybuilding nutrition program. Our recommendations will help you correctly formulate your diet, learn how to choose the right foods, and achieve your sports goals much faster.

BODYBUILDER NUTRITION PRINCIPLES

High-calorie meals

Muscles can only grow when more energy is supplied to the body than is expended. When the calories burned in training exceed the received ones, the opposite process occurs – weight loss.

Reusable meals

To ensure that nutrients are constantly supplied to the blood, thanks to which muscle growth occurs, separate meals by 5-6 times. If there is no regular influx of “building materials” – carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, the “building” of muscle mass will stop. The time between meals should not exceed 3 hours.

Meal mode

Try to eat at the same time – metabolic processes are carried out cyclically, and the body easily adjusts to a certain schedule. You will get the most out of your food if you follow the regimen.

Sufficient water intake

Drink 2 to 4 liters of water a day, depending on your weight. Try to drink between meals, rather than with meals, so as not to impair the digestion process.

The optimal ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats

Optimal diet:

  • 30% – 35% protein
  • 50% – 60% complex carbohydrates
  • 10 – 20% fat

This is a conditional division – for each bodybuilder, the percentage is different. However, try to compose a diet based on these numbers.

Nutrition before and after exercise

Be sure to eat 1.5-2 hours before class in the gym. Food should contain complex carbohydrates, which will provide energy for training. Give preference to pasta, cereals, vegetables. You can drink a gainer. After class, refresh yourself with it or a couple of bananas. Eat a full meal in half an hour – lunch should contain a lot of complex carbohydrates and proteins, since at this time the anabolic window opens and the body assimilates the maximum amount of nutrients that contribute to energy recovery and muscle growth.

The right choice of products

Include healthy, fast-digesting foods in your diet. The main sources of protein: lean meat, eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, soy, kefir, milk. Complex carbohydrates are found in buckwheat and semolina porridge, rice, pasta, oatmeal, and vegetables. There are many healthy fats in ocean fish, linseed oil, walnuts.

 

On average, a bodybuilder consumes per day:

  • 0.5 kg of meat
  • 0.3 kg vegetables
  • 0.4 kg of cottage cheese
  • 0.3 kg of porridge
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 liters of water
 

17 Oct 2020

HOW TO TAKE A GAINER CORRECTLY

Many athletes go to the gym with the goal of gaining muscle mass. So that exhausting workouts are not in vain, the daily diet should include a fairly large amount of protein and carbohydrates. The modern rhythm of life does not always allow you to adhere to this plan. And here a gainer comes to the rescue.

Gainer – sports nutrition with a high carbohydrate content. Their complex combination with proteins contributes to the gain of muscle mass and accelerates recovery after training.

GAINER COMPOSITION

The most common version of the gainer contains carbohydrates and proteins in a 3: 1 ratio, but there are other options: 1: 1, 2: 1 and 4: 1.

The higher the number of proteins in the composition of the gainer and the lower the number of carbohydrates, the closer it is in its properties to protein. When using such a gainer, the risk of “getting fat” is much lower than in the classic versions of the mixture.

Also for assimilation of the product, the gainer contains digestive enzymes and a small number of unsaturated fats.

WHAT IS A GAINER FOR?

A gainer is an indispensable supplement for thin people when gaining muscle mass. Ectomorph athletes will be able to quickly gain the desired weight and get in shape with it. The gainer will help football players, basketball players, and track and field athletes overcome prolonged aerobic loads. Also, a protein-carbohydrate mixture is useful for thin girls, whose goal is more appetizing forms.

Correct regular consumption of protein-carbohydrate mixtures quickly provides athletes with the required amount of energy and has a positive effect on weight gain.

Keep in mind, however, that high carbohydrate intake can lead to unwanted weight gain. The fact is that carbohydrates are deposited in fat much faster than proteins. Therefore, it is important to immediately decide for what purpose you are going to take a gainer. If the goal of your trips to the gym is to lose weight, then it is better to pay attention to sports nutrition for weight loss.

Table of the average daily intake of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body weight (grams).

slimming maintaining weight weight gain
The man 2-3 3-4 4-5
Woman 2-2.5 3-3.5 3.5-14.5

HOW TO TAKE A GAINER

Most often, beginners wonder how many grams of a gainer to drink per day and when. It is best to consume the shake immediately after training. In the first half-hour after exercise, a “protein-carbohydrate window” opens – a period of time when the body is in dire need of rapid saturation with nutrients. Taking a protein-carbohydrate mixture after workouts protect muscles from catabolism and restore strength.

To grow muscle mass, you need 4-5 grams of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body weight per day. To find out how many carbohydrates are in one serving of a gainer, just look at the product packaging. Typically one serving is about 40 grams of protein and 100 grams of carbohydrates. However, the proportions in mixtures from different manufacturers may vary. Most importantly, do not forget that you already get the lion’s share of carbohydrates during meals.

For people who are prone to overweight, it is enough to take a gainer once a day or even replace it with protein. But for athletes who are prone to thinness, it is recommended to use the supplement at least 2 times a day. For example, before and after training.

Athletes with a fast metabolism can take it at night for more effectiveness. On rest days, it is recommended that you limit yourself to one intake of a protein-carbohydrate mixture or refuse it altogether.

HOW TO STIR A GAINER

Just mix the gainer with water, milk or juice in a shaker. The amount of liquid added is at your discretion. Just do not dilute the gainer in boiling water under any circumstances! Protein denatures in hot water and loses its properties.

CAN I COMBINE WITH OTHER SUPPLEMENTS

The gainer goes well with amino acids, creatine, protein and vitamin-mineral complexes. The most common combination is creatine and BCAAs.

Creatine

First of all, creatine is produced in our body from protein amino acids. The rest of the creatine comes from food. The problem is that even foods with a high content of creatine are too little for the human body. Even for people with low levels of physical activity, this amount may not be enough.

The value of creatine is that it speeds up energy metabolism in muscle cells. The standard dosage per day is approximately 5 grams. You need to consume a portion at one time, so the most convenient way to combine a gainer with creatine is to mix them in one cocktail. It is better to drink such a cocktail immediately after training.

BCAA

BCAAs are a complex of amino acids that are not synthesized by the human body. These elements increase endurance and are simply indispensable for building muscle tissue. In addition, amino acids slightly increase testosterone levels and have a positive effect on blood sugar.

It is also recommended to take BCAA amino acids after training, 15-20 minutes after using the gainer.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO TAKE A GAINER AND NOT EXERCISE

Eating high-calorie gainers without physical activity will only lead to one thing – excess weight. It is unlikely that such a result will bring positive emotions.

 

20 Sep 2020

BALANCED NUTRITION FOR WOMEN: HOW TO STAY HEALTHY

What can you not do without if you are firmly on the path of a healthy lifestyle? Fitness trainers and nutritionists from all over the world are in solidarity with each other – first of all, you need to understand what a food diary is and how to keep it correctly. Let’s see why balanced nutrition is so important for women, why you need to make a menu every day and how it will affect the achievement of your goals – for example, weight loss.

WHAT IS A BALANCED DIET

The concept of “proper balanced nutrition” means the totality of food that makes up the daily diet and ensures that the body receives the optimal amount of nutrients.

A nutritious and healthy diet is based on 2 key factors:

  • Regularity of food intake.
  • Control over the intake of the desired ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

It is important to understand exactly which nutrients contribute to the total calorie content of the daily diet. The amount of carbohydrates and proteins must exceed the intake of fats.

You can keep a rational nutrition diary both independently and with the help of a personal trainer or nutritionist.

The second option is more preferable – a specialist will analyze your physiology, take into account your goals, medical indications and your personal eating habits. As a result, you will receive an individual menu with recommendations on how it can be further developed and adjusted. After that, you can keep a diary yourself, as you will understand how many calories your body needs and what the balance of nutrients in the daily diet should be.

Balanced diet for women, 1 day

The goal is to reduce weight and subcutaneous fat while preserving muscle tissue.

Time Name Weight (gr) Calories Protein Carbohydrates Fats
9:00 Oatmeal porridge 280 289 8 57 five
Kiwi 85 41 1 nine 1
11:00 Natural yogurt 2% one hundred 60 4 6 2
14:00 Steamed omelet one hundred 184 ten 2 five
Broccoli one hundred 28 3 five 0
17:00 Soup (vegetable) 150 65 3 nine 3
Chicken fillet one hundred 113 24 five 2
21:00 Low-fat cottage cheese 0.5% 150 90 27 3 1
Daily amount of calories 1065 869 79 96 29
Grams per 1 kg of body weight     1.3 1.6 0.5
Percentage     36% 44% thirty%***

 

*** *** It is important that the amount of animal fat is not excessive. However, in this example, a steamed omelet provides the body’s daily lipid requirements. The rest of the fatty component (except for a small amount in chicken fillet) is vegetable fats. If you increase their daily intake, there will be no harm to the body.

 

Remember that each of us is unique. Therefore, do not neglect contacting a specialist. He will tell you how to properly balance your diet, and you will achieve your goals much faster.

Losing weight is a question that is not solved in one day. Fanaticism and ill-considered diets in the long term can lead to problems in various body systems. Adapting to a balanced diet is gradual, so take your time and be systemic. Then you are guaranteed to get a stable and long-term result.

 

14 Sep 2020

MYTHS AND REALITY. IS IT SAFE TO DO A DEEP SQUAT

There are many issues in fitness that generate a lot of controversy both in the gym and in discussions on the network. We are opening a series of posts “Myths and Reality”, which will help you figure out where the tale and the lie, and where the lesson is. The first question to consider is whether it is safe to do a deep squat. Our coach Viktor Ryazanov comments.

“The statistics for knee injury in weightlifting, where the deepest squat is, is an order of magnitude lower than in cyclic sports where there is no squat. Excessive knee extension beyond the toe is also controversial, given that everyone’s foot size is different. What to do for men who have not 45th, but 40th foot size?

If we talk about what movements can be done and what not, let’s look at the question from the point of view of anatomy at the section of the musculoskeletal system in which the movement occurs. If we are talking about the knee joint, we must assume that if this kind of movement were unnecessary, and even more dangerous, nature would have provided for some kind of process or tubercle.

For example, the spinous processes in the thoracic spine are directed downward and posteriorly and prevent excessive extension of the spine. There is no such anatomical factor in the popliteal fossa. It turns out that nature has nothing against squats. In addition, from the point of view of medicine, testing of the knee joint is carried out precisely at a bend of 90 degrees, since it is in this position that the joint is most unstable.

Synchronized squats for two

All this, of course, can only be discussed if squats are performed with absolutely correct technique. Take the low bar squat as an example. Many factors can affect the correctness of the performance, from the mobility of the elbow and shoulder joints to more “fine tuning” – the balance between muscle groups (superficial and deep layers) both in the pelvic region and the trunk as a whole.

Barbell squats in the gym

 

19 Aug 2020

HOW TO SQUAT CORRECTLY

THE BENEFITS OF SQUATS

Performing squats correctly will help get your body in shape and strengthen your glutes, abs, and legs. During such training, the muscles of the spine also work – the posture straightens and becomes even. Calves and lower back are also loaded. (more…)

 

26 Jul 2020

HOW TO GAIN MUSCLE MASS QUICKLY

Almost all newbies in the gym are wondering: how can you quickly build muscle? Let us explain how. The main thing is to strictly follow the plan: do not miss workouts, monitor the regimen and diet, exercise systematically, follow the coach’s recommendations. (more…)

 

21 Jul 2020

BODYBUILDING FOR WOMEN

Female bodybuilding

The main goal of bodybuilding is the aesthetic improvement of the body. And do not think that bodybuilding is an activity that is designed exclusively for men. It is important for a woman to understand and not be afraid that the allocated muscles will lead to a masculine appearance. It should be noted that the structural features of the female muscles and subcutaneous fatty tissue will not allow increasing excessively large muscle volumes. A woman can safely engage in bodybuilding for her pleasure and not be afraid that he can affect the appearance for the worse. For those who still doubt, I advise you to read the article: ” Myths about female athleticism .”

Female bodybuilding today is a sport that is becoming more and more popular. Why?

The goal of most women in the gym is to get rid of excess weight and give their figure more feminine and mouth-watering forms.

The first task (getting rid of excess weight) can easily be handled by various aerobic loads (running, an exercise bike, various “steps” or just doing shaping or aerobics).

As for shaping, aerobic loads are not able to give volume as much as power. Aerobic exercise only leads to muscle tone. And in order to have, for example, round and elastic buttocks, you will have to perform strength exercises. Therefore, to give shape to all the muscles of your body – you need to perform all bodybuilding exercises for women .

Female bodybuilding is no longer a phrase that causes fear among most women, but a sport that can make our body beautiful and strong.

Bodybuilding exercises for women

Exercises specifically for women there. Both women and men perform the same bodybuilding exercises.

This is explained quite simply: the structure of the skeleton, muscles, as well as the functioning of the body as a whole, are the same for women and men, and the muscles grow according to the same principles. Therefore, the exercises in bodybuilding are the same for them.

The only difference is in the training program itself. To do this, at the beginning, you must define your goal:

lose weight and “pump up” ;
gain muscle mass ;
make your body more embossed .
And depending on your goal, choose a bodybuilding training program .

 

13 Jul 2020

HOW TO GET MUSCLE WEIGHT

How to quickly gain weight, muscle mass without harm to health at home or in the gym for thin people (ectomorphs).

Is it not true that many young people ask this question, especially people of an asthenic type of physique, and indeed, “by nature” they have the less inherent potential for gaining muscle mass. (more…)

 

07 Jul 2020