Do you struggle to lose weight and gain muscle?
Three body types that you’ve probably heard used a lot then wondered “what one am I” Core 150 ™ The Athlete’s Shaker™ focusses this week on the Endormorph.
If you have trouble shifting weight and gaining muscle the chances are you’re an endomorph. Endomorphs are characterised by a relatively high amount of stored fat, a wide waist and large bone structure.
The good news is that evolutionarily speaking you are a badass: when food was scarce, natural selection favoured humans with fat-storing metabolisms. The bad news is that, now sofas and milkshakes are readily available those once sought after genes are now scuppering you. Some experts suggest hereditary might account for as much as 70 per cent of your body mass index (BMI).
What you could be doing wrong in the Gym
There is no point in spending hours plodding away on the treadmill. The first thing I tell people trying to lose weight is to ditch the long, slow, steady pace cardiovascular work and switch to more intense based conditioning exercises to strip back the body fat. Intense exercises such as sprints, interval sprints and box jumps are great, but if you are heavy to the point of being worried about your joints then moves such as the sled push are slower but equally as intense.
If you are doing loads of crunches trying to pull in your waist line you should ditch this now. Spot reducing fat just doesn’t work and you must focus on losing it from everywhere to see results around your waistline.
What you should be doing in the gym
Combine hypertrophy work simplistically speaking, muscle building with conditioning combined to strip away unwanted body fat. A four day split might go something like: Monday upper Body hypertrophy: Tuesday lower body conditioning such as sprints or sleds: Wednesday Rest, Thursday: lower body-hypertrophy with Friday being your repetition day on the upper body consisting of lots of reps at a relatively low weight.
What to eat
This is one area you will have to watch more strictly than other body types. Try getting your carbs from vegetables and steer clear of white bread and rice.
What else
There is evidence to suggest that extra weight around the midsection indicates high stress levels or a low ability to cope with stress. Try to minimise the effects of the stress hormone cortisol by getting plenty of sleep and avoiding overtraining. Avoid sports drinks as they are full of carbs and they will spike your blood sugar level through the roof. The other drink to steer clear of with this body type is of course alcohol.
Good Moves
Get used to using your body and work on bodyweight moves such as press-ups or chin-ups together with moves that force you to use good technique such as the Turkish get-up.
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Core 150 ™ The Athlete’s Shaker™ and Olympic 2012 hopeful Adele Lassu
Another day at the new offices of Core 150 ™ and it was time for our interview with GB international high jumper and Olympic London 2012 hopeful Adele Lassu. For an athlete flying so high and at the top of her game you couldn’t meet a more genuine down to earth girl.
Feeling more nervous about being an Olympic torch bearer than she is about actually qualifying for the Olympics themselves tells you just how down to earth Adele is. However, when you start to question her about nutrition and sport it is evident that this girl eats, sleeps and lives it.
We wanted to get a non endorsed GB international and Olympic Athlete hopeful’s opinion on the Core 150 ™ protein shaker and how it has helped her with her overall nutritional consumption, convenience and ability to get accurately measured nutrition while on the go.
Insofar as convenience was concerned the product has been on the move with Adele five days a week since she received her Core 150 ™ over four weeks ago. It has also been through the typical rigorous cleaning regime normally subjected to most shakers, then packed away for travelling to Belgium where Adele recently competed in the Golden Spike with other British Athletes.
We asked Adele what she felt was the main qualities of the Core 150 ™ multi compartment shaker and her replies where given in quick fire succession. Adele noted “she was surprised at how light the shaker cup was and very surprised at how much it held by way of powder and fluid. The design and build quality is excellent Adele said, and even after my obsession of washing of it, unlike other shakers I have had in the past, it still looks as new as it did when I first got it, logo intact”. Adele, who also has a degree separate to her natural athletic ability, knows a thing or two on the importance of accurately measured nutritional intake.
Pre, intra and post workout nutrition is essential to me Adele said and due to the stresses that are placed on all parts of her body, with constant core strength and flexibility exercises, on demand nutrition is critical. On the run up to preparing for a competition Adele’s nutritional intake is significant and Adele also noted one poignant quote and that was “As a professional athlete I am always cautious about buying or using a product that is closely linked or heavily affiliated to bodybuilding” perhaps this is yet another testament to how much supplements themselves have now moved on and how they are perceived by the main stream public nowadays due to them being readily available at high street level and in multi supermarket chains.
Supplements are no longer seen as products used solely by bodybuilders, nor do you have to go online to buy them as was once the case. They are now used extensively by the modern day gym goer, the weekend warrior, tomorrow’s talent if you like, all of whom seek superior athletic performance.
This is also a marketing trend now seen with some of the biggest brands in the world, who are now affiliating their brands to more main stream athletes such as baseball players, American football players, MMA fighters, soccer players and in some instances even rock bands.
Adele uses the Genetic supplements range because of its ethos of not over hyping its products and due to the level of research that has gone into the brand by the products owner. Their new product “Muscle Mousse” is a particular favourite with Adele due to its low GI and high protein delivery content that sets perfect as a mousse in her Core 150 ™ centre console conveniently delivering an exact 50g measured portion.
“I’d recommend Core 150 ™ to anyone that is serious about taking nutrition Adele said, or to anyone who is on the go each day juggling a busy lifestyle with training and supplementation. For me its title of Core 150 ™ The Athlete’s Shaker™ is well deserved. Holding a degree in nutrition I can’t tell you how important and convenient it is to have all my supplements pre-accurately measured and ready for me when I need them”.
Adele was given a Core 150 ™ FREE and is not endorsed by Core 150 ™. Core 150 ™ has a strict non-endorsement fee policy and Adele is just one of many professional athletes who believe that Core 150 ™ truly is The Athlete’s Shaker™.
Follow Adele on twitter @adelelassu and Follow Adele’s favorite supplement brands @GeneticSupp and @MuscleMousse
To see how Core 150 ™ The Athlete’s Shaker™ works visit www.core150.com
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Protein shakes for building muscle and how to ensure your effort is not wasted
You hammer the gym you go down to your local nutritional store and spend a few hundred on your supplements, the best protein shaker, and protein shakes all recommended by the in store expert who leaves you with the parting term, “remember more protein means more muscle” You strut back to the boot of your car and feel that you are now ready to become the beast within.
However, you can’t maximise your performance if you’re making the following errors.
It’s common when we go on a health craze to OVERDO everything in an attempt to get there faster, we think more protein means more muscle, and think stopping off to consume as much calories as possible at the local drive through is justification for the term BULKING UP.
Here are some tips to try and steer you in the right direction when attempting to turn yourself into that long awaited specimen.
Swimming is one area where stroke is vital. The problem I see in the pool all the time is people thrashing about in a flash of arms and legs, isn’t that what you need to swim I hear you ask? Yes, but if your stroke isn’t sufficient enough then you will waste time and energy. My solution if swimming is your choice of cardio or sport at the gym is getting some coaching and you will be amazed at the difference a perfect stroke can make.
Training until you feel like you going to vomit just because you see it on the Ultimate Fighter. This is a new thing I have noticed in my gym that people are pounding the weights until they feel like they are going to throw up, then tell everyone “it’s OK “it’s just because I am pushing myself to the MAX. I have news for you it’s not OK nor is it cool. Make you workout programme more realistic to what your goals are, obviously you need to train hard to get better each time but not to the extent of running for the nearest bin or bucket used to wash the gym free weight area. There are no medals to be won in training, just in races.
Not knowing when to stop. You end your session on a high, you feel like doing a little bit more and this is common between every level of athlete from beginner to elite. If you have to stuck to your session and completed your goals its ok for you to call it a day at this stage. All this does is show you that you are getting fitter but you can over train causing injury and thus setting you back so accept you progress and be happy.
My conclusion to all of this is simple. Stick to what works for you, if you are a beginner seek the advice of a proper personal trainer who understands and who will listen to what your goals are. Mix your routine up so that it doesn’t become repetitive and avoid advice from people who wear tight t-shirts in the gym and come over to offer advice even though they have stood for the past half hour talking and not training to someone near the water fountain. Remember It’s called working out, not hanging out.
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Shaker cups and protein shakers, are yours SAFE?
I for one have never stopped and asked myself this question, but was that cheap shaker cup I bought from the internet safe?. Most if not all shaker bottles manufactured today should be BPA FREE. However there are a few other very important areas that consumers must become aware of before buying that “cheap shaker bottle”.
Just because the plastic that your shaker is made from is BPA FREE does not mean that it is food contact compliant. Got your attention? There are a series of very important tests I am not sure the everyday consumer even knows exist, but are set to become mandatory for any shaker bottle to be on public sale within the EU and US in particular. Certification breakdown is as noted below:
- Overall Migration of plastic into Foodstuffs (this is to certify that your shaker is suitable for you to drink a food grade product out of, such as protein. Using 35 Acetic & 50% ethanol (Now mandatory for EU Shaker Cup Distribution/import)
- Dishwasher safety (This one is obvious. However some cups claim to be compliant but may leak after being exposed to the temperatures generated from dishwashers. Often wonder why your shaker starts to leak after a few washes with hot water?)
- FDA – Density – Soluble fraction & Melting Point (A test introduced by the FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES on April 1st 2011 also known as the FDA in the United States)
Any shaker company, distributor, manufacturer or retailer worldwide should carry the above certifications to prove the shaker bottles that they are selling are in fact “fit for food contact”. If not why not?
A lot of tummy bugs I got in the past have often been put down to the fact that I may have not washed my shaker cup out properly and passed it off as protein bacteria that may have built up. But after working so closely with plastics and being involved in the months of research with Core 150 ™ for the product to become compliant for public sale within its respective territories now makes me wonder if that tummy bug was my protein, or was it indeed the cheap shaker I once used?
The long and the short of this is, don’t just take the description that the shaker or water bottle you are buying is SAFE. Ask does it have the above certifications? If it does not bring your findings to the retailers attention, then contact your local FSA (Food Standards Agency) or (FDA) and inform them that there may be a food contact product on sale that is not fit for purpose.
The supplement industry is so tightly regulated and any complaint will be acted upon and dealt with swiftly. Core 150 ™ is a fully certified shaker cup manufacturer that has all the relevant testing certificates required for safe consumption.
Remember you’re not demanding perfection you are reserving your right to purchase a product that is both safe, and fit for food contact purpose. It’s your right to be safe and if in doubt ASK!.
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LostProphets for Core 150 ™ The Athlete’s Shaker™
It’s not often you see a Shaker Cup go all “Rock Band”, but nothing surprises us these days with Core 150™ and level of interest these shaker cups have generated.
We were approached by Welsh Rock band the LostProphets who were seeking a suitable multi compartment protein shaker due to them being on a strenuous training regime to get in shape for their UK tour, and there US tour which will see the release of their Album Weapons in the US on June 17th 2012.
Recently signed by Fearless records in April this year the boys have been flat out with rehearsals, interviews and keeping in shape so it’s no wonder they need high levels of hydration and nutritional intake to keep recovery levels up. The LostProphets formed in 1997 and have worked with some of the most respected names in the music business even in the early days, names such as Bob Rock the man behind such Monsters as Metallica, Bon Jovi, and Motley Crew to name but a few.
If you have ever been lucky enough to attend a LostProphets gig then you will understand why the lads have to keep their fitness levels at their highest. Jay from the Prophets is on a serious health kick, as are all the lads in the band and says “he is in the condition of his life”, which in rock band terms means physically fit.
Jamie Oliver or @JayLostProhets as he is known in twitter circles takes his nutrition pretty seriously and contacted Core 150™ back in April about getting his hands on a pre-release Core 150™ to help him with his nutrition on demand while on tour. The team at Core 150™ got a VIP invitation to attend one of their UK appearances where we presented Jay and the lads with our product.
It’s kind of weird when people first receive the Core 150™ as they treat it like a kinder surprise shaking it, wondering what’s inside, but I guess that’s what interactive packaging is all about. The Lost Prophets who are currently in Los Angeles are keeping up their fitness regime and it’s great to see that the Core 150™ is helping Jamie and the lads with their nutritional goals while on tour.
We would like to thank Jamie and all the boys for an amazing evening and we look forward to seeing them take the US by storm. Core 150™ will be launching into the UK public on July 25th 2012, with the US, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada all following retrospectively.
To find out more on tour dates for The LostProhets you can visit the official fan website http://lostprophets.com/ LostProhets Album Weapons is currently in stores now or available via download on I-Tunes
Core 150 ™ The Athlete’s Shaker™ designed for everyone who is serious about nutrition.
