Recent studies indicated that cooking ground beef well-done can increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. Researchers discovered that men who regularly consumed well-done meat had a 50% higher risk of developing prostate cancer when compared to those who consumed rare to medium cooked beef. John Witte, PH.D., a professor at the University of California at San Francisco states that cooking meat well can create chemical compounds that have been linked to cancer. 

In short, eat your beef rare-medium. Be on the safe side.

Never cook your meat above 160 degrees Fahrenheit. 

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When you sign up to the gym and make the choice to dedicate yourself, you have to clearly define what your goals are. 

Do you wish to be a power lifter ?

Do you wish to be a weight lifter ?

Do you wish to build a better looking physique ?

Although each of these goals may slightly overlap each other, they each have significantly different approaches.

A power lifter’s goal is to lift the most amount of weight. There is no considerable emphasis placed on hypertrophy (muscle growth) or symmetry. They are essential function over form. The training is based around lifting awesome amounts of weight. The training and the numbers behind this approach are definitely impressive. There is also alot of technique involved. The old saying is that in power lifting the only concern is making the lift without the red light coming on. This is not to say that no hypertrophy will be experienced in power lifting. There are some pretty big guys out there. However, in terms of symmetry and overall appearance… well that isn’t the focus so it shouldn’t be expected to be a strength. It is also necessary to re-think the idea of looking at the bigger power lifters and draw the conclusion that.. Power lifting created the Beast. The truth is, that genetically the beast was always a beast, and lifting heavy things was always a strength of this type of person. So therefore… The Beasts turn to Power lifting. Not to mention the use of performance enhancing drugs in some. This is not an attempt to discredit people, but when I think in terms of arguments I like to remove that variable from the equation. 

A weight lifter is someone who just lifts weights. I know it sounds weird but, they are the lifter without a goal or purpose. These are people who go into the gym and lift all sorts of heavy weight in a haphazard manner and don’t have much to show for the “incredible” poundage they move. They typically rely heavily on momentum and cheat a whole lot. They are also the guys most typically slamming the weights, and not big weights like the power lifters, I am taking about the lat pulldown and smith machines. lol. They are unlike the power lifters because they have no objective. They claim they go to the gym to look good, but they never take the necessary steps to do so. The weight lifter is too worried and caught up with ego, and lifting heavy weight with terrible form so everyone can see. No focus on form or the negative. Very limited mind-muscle connection. Makes minimal progress if any. Injuries are more common due to dangerous techniques and form. 

The category that I belong to and advocate is the physique builder. If you aren’t a power lifter, this is where I believe most people should be. The purpose of the gym and lifting is to improve upon the physique. The goals are centered around hypertrophy (muscle growth) and symmetry. The techniques aren’t centered on the moving the most amount of weight in the easiest fashion. In order to build upon the physique one must abandon the ego and focus on the muscles. Cheat reps have their place, yes;  maybe on the last 2 reps of a heavy set. But when you are swinging and cheating right out of the gates, there is a problem. Your focus shouldn’t be doing whatever it takes to move the most amount of weight.  Instead it should be to move the most amount of weight with proper form while efficiently working the target muscle(s). The key is focusing on feel. You want to engage the muscle and make it work. Take the momentum, the cheating, the tendons out of the equation and leave everything to the muscle. Use your mind to hone in on the target muscle and enhance the lifting experience.

For example when doing barbell curls that you KNOW are too heavy, and you are swinging and swaying all over the place, ask yourself these questions:

1. If I am trying to grow my biceps with this exercise, why am I using so much lowerback, shoulder, and legs in the movement ?

2. If I am trying to training my biceps, why am I using so much momentum ? Am I trying to test the laws of physics, or TRAIN my biceps?

Far too often I see people neglect the negative portion of the rep. They work so hard to explode upwards and then free fall on the negative. Doing this means that you are missing out on half of the rep and 50% of the work. While exploding upwards the muscle is engaged, as you free fall through the negative the muscles aren’t tight or working as hard. In addition, the sling shot motion in the opposite direction back to the positive portion can severely increase the risk of injury. Instead try exploding on the positive portion of the rep while controlling and fighting against the negative. I am not talking about all the crazy 4 second negative stuff. Just control it. Make sure your muscles are working on both ends of the movement. Create a rhythmic movement where the target muscle(s) is constantly engaged. Studies also show that more damage is done to the muscle on the negative portion. So imagine all the lost work by those who ignore the negative. Every rep, of every set, every exercise, every week, every month, of every year. It is sad to think about. Control the negative will bring out much more muscular development and density. The squeeze and tension is what creates that hard muscular look. 

The name of the game is to train the muscles, not the ego. Focus on your form, concentrate on the target muscles, feel the negative, and develop a mind muscle connection. These are important components to physique development. 

If you are falling more into the “weight lifter” category, and you aren’t happy being there, my advice is to scale back a little on the weights. Lower the weight for some time and really focus on form and feel. Sometime you have to take a few steps back in order to make great leaps forward. I have been doing this for quite a while now, and focusing on form and feel is the best thing I can recommend in terms of training. It will yield great results, and will also cut down on the chances of injury. At first this may be a little harsh on the ego, but always remember……

Do you want to be the “weight lifter” with an average physique haphazardly pressing  the 100 lb. dumbbells

or the Physique Builder with a well balanced and developed physique pressing the 85 lb. dumbbells but looks like he can press the 140′s ? 

So which are you ?

A power lifter ? 

A weight lifter ?

A Physique Builder ?

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I am happy to announce my sponsorship and membership to Team Nutrabio. 

You can check out my listing here: http://www.nutrabio.com/tnb/

Nutrabio offers top quality pharmaceutical grade supplements at wholesale prices.

Anyone serious about bodybuilding, or fitness needs to check out their website.  Nutrabio.com

Use coupon code “scifit” and save 10% off your Nutrabio purchase. 

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I have always used a weight belt when lifting. I wear it majority of the time whether it be for support, comfort, or just as a security blanket. I wear it when training any of my bodyparts, I don’t discriminate. lol

So it goes without saying that a comfortable and secure weight belt is important to me. Despite this fact, the most I have spent on a weight belt is around $45-50.00. As with other things, I am starting to learn that you get what you pay for. 

The weight belts I have gotten in the past were very rigid and tough. They takes months, if not years to break in and feel comfortable. I have had the big back ones, and the narrow backed ones. I am a fan of narrow back. Anything over 4 inches wide is just plain annoying. In my opinion. 

So anyway, a few months back I decided to invest money into a better weight belt. First I looked around at people at my gym and discovered the Inzer Powerlifting belts. They are pretty hardcore, and perfect for power-lifting, but after trying one on, I wasn’t sure if it was what I was looking for. 

So then I took to the Internet, and by chance I bumped into a company called Cardillo. I noticed that they made custom embroidery weight belts. This of course got my attention. I then called up and asked a ton of questions like I usually do, and learned that they make belts for alot  of top bodybuilders as well as other famous celebrities. This was a plus in my eyes, as it was more proof of the quality. 

I took a week to design the custom embroidery that I wanted to appear on my belt and emailed it in. The people over there were very helpful throughout the process. 

I was then told that the belt would take 8-12 weeks to arrive. This was a slight downer for me, but that I realized that the better things in life are definitely worth waiting for. 

Well today is the day that my belt arrived and here is a photo:

Physique Technician ! Love it. Definitely well worth the wait. 

The added bonus on the weight belt is the feel. I have never had a weight belt that felt like this. It is brand new and already feels more supportive and comfortable than my 2 year old belt. Once again, with some things you pay for quality. This belt was more expensive than any of my previous ones, but it is also far better quality. For something that I wear for EVERY weight training session, it was well worth the money. 

I also want to note that you don’t have to order a custom belt, you can simply get a plain belt. This is still a great option due to the superior quality of the Cardillo belts. 

I advise anyone in the market for a new weight lifting belt to check out Cardillo’s website. You will not regret it

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In my latest training blocks I have been doing One Arm Dumbbell Rows as my power based back exercise. I have always been pretty strong with this exercise – while keeping good form. However, this latest block my strength has soared. The heaviest I have gone in the past is 155lbs dumbbells on a good for for 5. 

Those numbers have been obliterated this time around. In my past two power back days I have been able to do the 180 lbs dumbbells for 5 reps. 

I attribute this big gain in strength to a few variables:

• 1. This is the first time that I have placed a very high emphasis on healthy fats. My fat intake in the past has always been adequate, but the increases have definitely helped. I lowered my carb intake, and rely on large carb re-feeds from time to time. The fats are mostly coming from olive oil, salmon, walnuts, red meat and natural peanut butter. 

• 2. added body-weight. This year I reached my heaviest weight- 254 lbs. Yeah I know, real big. However I have come down to 239lbs. and the strength is still there. What is interesting is that my 239lbs this year looks much better than previous 230s. So that is definitely a good thing. I feel like I have made some good gains. 

• 3. Having plenty of time. Since 2004 every year I have dieted down to either 200lbs or lower by the summer months. Whether it was for photos, or for competition, these diets have taken me to 6% and lower bodyfat. This is very taxing on the body year in and year out. Plus it leaves the body with the same 8 month growth period each year. With that being said, knowing the diet was on it way, I would typically be around 220lbs at the start of April. Having no deadline or extreme diet planned has given my body the time it needs to grow past my previous barriers. The plan is to slim up for the warmer weather, but instead of seeing 200lbs or lower, I will not go a pound under 218lbs. 

• 4. A great supplement stack. My Nutrabio supplementation has been on point and I am very satisfied with my custom stack. I also placed a heavy emphasis on zinc, vitamin c, and magnesium. Taking these before training has helped recovery ability and helps combat cortisol.

• 5. Added rest. Without having a deadline date, I am able to listen to my body more. If I am feeling run down and tired, I don’t hesitate in breaking my schedule and taking an added day off. The idea of this used to drive me nuts, but I have become comfortable with it. It has been my experience that when I do this from time to time, I always come back better and stronger. If I was doing this and my strength was going down, and I noticed muscle atrophy, then it would be a different story. But if I am gaining the size and I am the strongest I have ever been, something has to be working right ?

You will never find that silver bullet that creates the perfect physique. Its always a multifaceted approach. You have heard of death by a thousand wounds, well success sometimes works the same way. 

Here is the video of my 180lbs one arm dumbbell row.

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3/27

Today was a great day to get all this stuff done. I wasn’t scheduled to workout, and my later clients canceled. This gave me plenty of time to be outside, enjoy the weather, and of course get the work done. 

I started by adding some soil, compost, and a touch of organic fertilizer to one of the narrow beds before tilling it. Once that was complete I planted my Burpee Red Candy Onions. I was sure to plant them according to Burpee specifications, and watered them immediately. According to Burpee the onions should be planted 6 inches apart, and deep enough so that the tip of the actual bulb shows over the soil.  Here are some photos…

Next, I added some peat moss, compost, and organic fertilizer to the potato bed. I used the tiller to till nice and deep. That was one of my mistakes with last years potato crop. Although most of them came out well, there were some that were rather small. This was due to lack depth in some of the areas of the bed. When the beds aren’t deep or loose enough it doesn’t leave the potatoes enough room to grow and develop. Another issue with last year’s potato crop was plant spacing. I made the rows a little too close to each other, so I was sure to correct that this time around. There is about 2 feet between the rows, and about 1 foot between plants in the row. Here are some photos…

Last accomplishment of the day was the construction of my green bean trellis. I opted to use pvc piping for longevity. I drilled small holes in the top and bottom pieces and ran string vertically. Should work out well. Looking to plant green beans this weekend. 

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One of the major mistakes I made last year was not starting soon enough. Everything was thought of late, and it was a mad dash to make room for the garden. Learning from that expereince, I decided to start a few vegetables indoors early. This would enable me to get a nice jump on the growing season. 

Tomorrow I will start to prep and till all my beds. Hope to start planting the potaotos, and transplants within a week or so. 

Here is what I have thus far.

2/29

• Carnival pepper hybrid mix 

• Green bell pepper

• Hot pepper mix

I planted a few of each of the above. Most cracked and sprung well. Noticed that the Hot pepper mix was very picky and I only got one real strong plant to emerge. 

3/7

• I planted a few Broccoli Flash hybrid seeds

3/14

• On this day a planted duplicate row of the peppers that I planted on 2/29

• I also added another row of the Broccoli Flash Hybrid. My thinking was to try and stagger some of the plants so that there is some separation in the yield so that not all the vegetables produce all at once. However, one week didn’t seems to be enough spread in the the broccoli as the plants are all the same size and level of maturity now. 

3/23

• Spinach big ruffles

• Spinach melody hybrid

• Broccoli Flash Hybrid 

I planted a few of each of the above.

I use a humidity dome with a water tray to crack all my seeds. I allso have a light with a timer that makes my life much easier. 

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For this years garden I purchased all my seeds and starters from Burpee. I was told all year about how great they are so I decided to give it a shot. 

Herbs/Spices:

Sweet Basil

Parsley

Oregano

Cilantro

Vegetables:

Broccoli- Flash Hybrid

Broccoli – Waltham 29

Spinach – Melody Hybrid

Spinach – Baby Leaf Hybrid

Spinach – Big Ruffles Hybrid

Sweet Pepper – Carnival Hybrid Mix

Sweet Pepper – Big Dipper

Hot Pepper – Hot Mix

Summer Squash – Golden Zucchini

Summer Squash – Fordhook Zucchini

Green Beans – Kentucky Blue

Potato – Purple Majesty

Potato – Kennebec

Sweet Potato – Centennial 

Onions – Red Candy

I cant wait to get things moving. I am confident that this will be a very good season. This time I have a little experience, and know what to expect with alot of the vegetables. 

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This will be my second year doing the organic vegetable garden thing. Last year was my first shot at it and it went pretty well. I made some mistakes, started a little late, but hey, I am only human, plus I was dieting for a show. lol

This year I have decided to keep a running log/chronicle/journal of this years garden. 

So lets goooo…..

A Korean study examined 250 people between the ages of 60 and 70 years of age. The study focused on the relationship between fat levels and the cognitive performance of the participants. 

The BMI (body mass index) of all the participants was calculated and those with higher BMI levels and higher levels of abdominal fat were linked to poorer cognitive performance. 

The lead author of the study, Dae Hyun Yoon, said: “Our findings have important public health implications. The prevention of obesity, particularly central obesity, might be important for the prevention of cognitive decline or dementia.”

Once again another demonstration of how important proper diet and nutrition is in the building and maintaining of a strong body and mind. 

You only get one body and mind, You should cherish it. 

Click Here to view the full article. 

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