Tips and Tidbits – August, 2011

nutrition Tip of the month:

Most people have some type of food al­lergies. However, unless the allergy causes a strong reaction (hives, nausea, throat constriction, etc.) they often go unnoticed. Less severe reactions such as water reten­tion, eye puffiness, and skin discoloration are also signs of a food allergy. Food allergies can be devastating to competitive bodybuilders. If they only knew about their allergies, they could avoid those foods which cause water retention and puffiness, especially before a contest. Eliminate one food from your diet for three days. Start with a food that is known for causing allergic reactions, such as dairy products, corn, shellfish, rice or whole wheat. Keep the rest of your diet exactly the same! After three days, put the food back into your diet and see how your body reacts. If you lose water when the food is eliminated and retain water when it is reintroduced, you are probably allergic. Once you find your food allergies, avoid these foods, especially the last few weeks before a competition.

 

Training Tip of the month:

 

Training Legs: Leg Curls

With the leg curl it is important to press your hips into the pad and keep your toes pointed throughout this movement. At the top of the movement, do not raise your glutes up. Be sure to do this exercise strictly, without jerking the weight. Lower your legs with the strength of your quads. Stay tight and strict throughout the range of motion.

 

Question of the month:

 

Question: What advice do you have for “hardgainers”? I can’t seem to pack on enough muscle!

 

Answer: If you’re a “hardgainer”, then you’re simply not eating properly or taking the right supple­ments. Nutrition is the key. It sets the limits of your growth and recovery potential. To extend that potential, you must train your body to process more nutrients by gradually increasing your caloric intake. That way, you develop all the systems in your body, including the endocrine system, metabolic pathways and digestive sys­tem so that your body starts building muscles and burning fat more efficiently than ever. Use supplements such as CapTri® and Pro-Carb™ to increase your caloric intake. “Hardgainers” try to pack on muscle by follow­ing killer workouts. That’s fine as long as you are taking in enough quality nutrients and calories. But if proper nutrition isn’t there to help you recover, those workouts won’t do any good.

 

News & Discoveries In Fitness & Nutrition

Blueberries Help Lab Rats Build Strong Bones

 

Compounds in blueberries might turn out to have a powerful effect on formation of strong, healthy bones, if results from studies with laboratory rats turn out to hold true for humans. Jin-Ran Chen and his colleagues are exploring this idea in research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Chen specializes in research on how what we eat during infancy, childhood and early adulthood affects growth and development of bones and the risk of developing osteoporosis or other degenerative bone diseases in later years.

Chen’s studies with young, rapidly growing laboratory rats suggest that polyphenols, the compounds that give blueberries their blue, purple, and red coloration, might aid in building strong bones. The work has paved the way for new research that might reveal whether blueberries could be used in the future in treatments to boost development of bone mass and to help prevent osteoporosis. Published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research in 2010, the investigation showed that animals fed rations that contained 10 percent freeze-dried blueberry powder had significantly more bone mass than their counterparts whose rations were blueberry-free.

When the researchers exposed laboratory cultures of bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) to blood (serum) from the animals, the scientists found that serum from the blueberry-fed rats was associated with an increase in development of osteoblasts into mature, functional bone cells. Serum in the blueberry-fed rats was high in phenolic acids, derived from the color-impacting polyphenols. The research suggests that the phenolic acids may have had bone-building effects in the rats. Studies are needed to determine whether these benefits occur in humans, Chen noted.

 

Quick Tip of the month:

White Bean Dip: Whip up a quick wholesome snack that’s similar to hummus. Just put 1 can of drained and rinsed white beans like great northern beans or cannellini beans in your food processor, add some fresh herbs such as parsley or rosemary, 1 tsp. ground cumin, lemon juice, and a garlic clove. As you process, add 1 to 2 TBS. CapTri® MCT oil until smooth and creamy. Enjoy with fresh vegetables!

- By Marcia Wood, June 21, 2011, Agricultural Research Service, USDA

Dominique’s Time Cruncher

Don’t throw away those broccoli stalks! Make a quick broccoli slaw using the stalks after cutting off the florets. Just peel off the outer skin and put the stalks in your food processor using the shredding or grating disc. You can also add some grated carrots. Make your slaw creamy using the CapTri® Mayonnaise recipe on page 80 in the CapTri® Cookbook.

Tips and Tidbits – July, 2011

Training Tip of the month:

Training Legs: Incline Leg Press

With the incline leg press, you can work various angles of your thigh by altering the position of your feet on the platform and by changing the point from where you push. If you place your feet high on the platform with a wide stance, the exercise emphasizes your glutes and hamstrings. If your foot placement is lower with a narrow stance, then emphasis shifts to your quads.

How you press makes a big difference too. When training bodybuilders on the leg press, I ask them where they want to “burn” their legs. Give me a six inch region anywhere on their legs and I can instruct them on how to isolate that specific area. I place a 2 x 4 board against the leg press platform under their heels. Then I have him push with the heels. This isolates the outer thighs tremendously. Next, I remove the board and instruct the bodybuilder to push with the balls of the feet. This shifts the stress to the frontal quads.As with all exercises, lock out hard at the top. Come out of the locked position in one smooth, continuous motion, just like a machine. Keep constant tension on your leg muscles as you push through the exercise. Always use your opposing muscles as you return to the starting position.

 

Nutrition Tip of the month:

Aerobics and Nutrition

Like nutrition and supplementation, aerobics are as important in the off-season as before a con­test. They are an essential, year-round ingredient for bodybuilding success. During the off-season, do half an hour to an hour of aerobics every morning before breakfast. This boosts your metabolism so you burn more bodyfat and recover more quickly from workouts.

By eating correctly and taking the right combination of supplements, you guarantee that aerobics will not make you look like a stringy, 98-pound weakling. Many endurance athletes take on this unhealthy appearance simply because they do not eat enough or take the right supplements. You will be more muscular, leaner, and healthier if you do the aerobics and eat more to compensate for the calories they burn.

Question of the month:

Question: My training partner is getting sloppy in his lifting technicque, and seems to always lift as if he’s in some big rush. How do I explain to him he is not getting maximum benefits by not lifting
correctly?

Answer: Tell him it is essential to use slow, strict reps in both the lifting and lowering por­tion of each exercise. When you’re moving too fast through the exercise, inertia—and very little of your own muscle power—is doing all the work. So you’re really not getting much from the exercise. Plus, fast lifting is very stressful on your connective tissue. Each rep should be performed in a slow, controlled fashion throughout the range of motion. There’s one exception, however. If you need to strengthen your connective tissue for another sport, perform the last rep of each set in a fast, explosive way. Or do an entire set this way.

 

News & Discoveries In Fitness & Nutrition

Eating Beans Helps Lower Cholesterol

Consuming as little as one-half cup of cooked dry beans every day helped volunteers lower their total cholesterol levels in an Agricultural Research Service study in North Dakota. These results, published in the November issue of the Journal of Nutrition by the ARS scientists and their colleagues, add to a growing—and convincing—body of evidence that beans are a heart healthy food choice. Experts consider a lipid profile, which provides a complete cholesterol count based on blood tests, to be a valid biomarker for the risk of cardiovascular disease. Because cardiovascular disease is a lifestyle-related disease, interventions that improve cholesterol profiles are considered beneficial to health. Positive changes in physical activity and diet may result in substantial improvements.

The researchers tested 80 volunteers aged 18 to 55 years. Half were healthy, while half had at least two symptoms that lead to metabolic syndrome, a combination of conditions that signal a risk for cardiovascular disease. Those with “pre-metabolic-syndrome” had abdominal obesity and either high triglyceride levels, low HDL “good” cholesterol, high blood sugar, or high blood pressure. For 12 weeks, half of the group was randomly selected to eat one-half cup of cooked dry pinto beans daily along with their regular daily diet. The others ate a replacement serving of chicken soup instead of the pinto beans. The findings show that, compared to measures taken prior to the 12-week test phase, all the volunteers—the healthy ones as well as those with symptoms—who ate pinto beans saw a reduction in their cholesterol levels.

While the findings confirm earlier studies by other researchers showing that eating beans lowers cholesterol levels, the mechanisms that underlie the effect require further study.

- By Rosalie Marion Bliss, Nov. 2007, Agricultural Research Service, USDA

 

Quick Tip of the month:

For Chocolate and Peanut Butter Lovers, here’s a treat idea for you: Make a Parrillo Hi-Protein Cake™ (or cupcakes), frost it with Parrillo Peanut Butter Protein Frosting™, then drizzle some Parrillo High Fiber Chocolate Syrup™ on top of the frosting. You can even lightly drag a knife across the top a few times to create a cool ‘marbeling’ effect. Yum!

Dominique’s Time Cruncher

Now’s the time of year to check out farmstands and farmer’s markets for delicious locally-grown summer produce! Take a few moments to stop by and pick up some tasty zucchini, summer squash, sweet corn on the cob, green beans, plump tomatoes, fresh herbs, and more. Enjoy the bounty of the summer harvest while you can, and your tastebuds will thank you!

Tips and Tidbits – June, 2011

Training Tip of the month:

Training Legs: Deadlifts

Many bodybuilders avoid deadlifts because this exercise can thicken the waist. But often, you need to build your physique to a point beyond where you want to be. Then you can use isolation exercises to sculpt away thickness while still holding your size. So, for gaining that initial size and thickness, deadlifts are an excellent exercise.

Read more

Tips and Tidbits May, 2011

Training Tip of the month:

Training Legs: Straight Leg Deadlifts

Most of the time, you see lifters doing straight-leg deadlifts from a box. You have to be very flex¬ible to this exercise correctly from a box. A better way to do straight-leg deadlifts is without a box. As long as you pivot at the hip joint and keep your back arched, you shouldn’t need to stand on anything. Performed in this manner, straight-leg deadlifts totally isolate the hamstrings and glutes.

Read more

Tips and Tidbits – April, 2011

Training Tip of the month:

Training Legs: Hack Squats

Hack squats are considered an exercise for isolating the front quads. But you can work your outer thigh sweep as well. Simply widen your foot placement on the platform, angle your toes out slightly and push with your heels. Lower yourself to a deep position past parallel. Then return to the starting position, using the strength of your opposing muscles. Keep your legs and glutes tight throughout the range of motion. To keep the emphasis on the front quads, place your feet closer together with your toes pointing straight. Push with the balls of your feet. Lower yourself as deeply as possible. Stay tight throughout the exercise.

 

Nutrition Tip of the month:

Formulas For Success: Eating random combinations of food in the off-season will produce random results. You have to take a scientific approach and consistently consume the correct combinations of nutrients. For this monthly series, we will present a few simple tips or equations to determine how many grams of protein, fat and carbohydrate your body needs every day in order to build its metabolism. First we’ll start with carbohydrates:

Off-Season Carbohydrate Consumption

Calories that do not come from protein, dietary fats, and supplements should come from natural complex carbohydrates. Eat the same carbohydrate sources as during a pre-contest diet, but eat more starchy carbohydrates. Keep refined carbohydrates such as bread and pasta to a minimum if you eat them at all.

Question of the month:

Question: My bench press hasn’t increased in a year, any ideas about what I can do?

Answer: You should incorporate negatives in your bench press routine. Negatives, in which the eccentric or lowering portion of the exercise is per­formed, enhance neuromuscular efficiency — the abil­ity to recruit a greater number of muscle fibers during muscular contraction. By doing negatives, you totally exhaust low threshold nerve paths, allowing you to systematically work the higher threshold nerve paths. This ultimately trains the whole muscle to fire at once. Negatives build a quick-firing muscle and you become stronger as a result. Heavy negatives performed with a spotter, as well as fascial stretching between sets, will increase your golgi tendon reflex threshold. The higher your golgi tendon reflex threshold, the more intensely you can train. This leads to greater gains in strength and size.

Another tactic is to consume more calories to gain more weight. Concentrate on gaining weight at the rate of a pound per week per 100 lbs. of bodyweight. Quality weight gain of muscle will help boost your strength levels in all your lifts, in addition to your bench press.

News & Discoveries In Fitness & Nutrition

Tangerine Tomatoes Surpass Reds in Preliminary Lycopene Study

Besides their appealing orange color and sweet flavor, there’s another reason to give tangerine tomatoes a try this year. A one-month study led by U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists in California has provided new evidence to suggest that, ounce for ounce, these heirloom tomatoes might be a better source of a powerful antioxidant called lycopene than are familiar red tomatoes. The difference lies in the forms of lycopene that the two tomato types provide. The trans-lycopene form, or isomer, makes up most of the lycopene in common red tomatoes. In contrast, most of the lycopene in tangerine tomatoes is tetra-cis-lycopene. Results of the California investigation and one conducted by scientists in Ohio suggest that the tangerine tomato’s tetra-cis-lycopene is more efficiently absorbed by the body than is the trans-lycopene of red tomatoes.

For the California study, 21 healthy men and women volunteers alternated week-long “no-lycopene” stints with a week-long tangerine tomato treatment and a week-long red tomato treatment. Volunteers were asked to not eat tomatoes or other foods rich in lycopene during the study, except for the special lunches of kidney bean chili provided to them at the nutrition center during the tomato treatment weeks. The chili, about a two-cup serving, was made with either red or tangerine tomato sauce, and was accompanied by French bread, butter and a salad of leafy greens with dressing. Analyses of volunteers’ blood samples, using high performance liquid chromatography, indicated that lycopene levels increased relative to levels measured just before each one-week chili regimen began. However, total lycopene levels increased more following the tangerine tomato treatment week than following the red tomato treatment.

- By Marcia Wood, Feb. 1, 2011, Agricultural Research Service, USDA

Quick Tip of the month:

Craving chocolate? Try this easy idea for fudge swirled Parrillo Contest Brownies™, made in the microwave. Just swirl a few spoonfuls of Parrillo High Fiber Chocolate Syrup™ into the Parrillo Contest Brownie™ batter before baking them in the microwave for 2 to 2½ minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Dominique’s Time Cruncher

For a deliciously simple treat at breakfast, try swirling a little Parrillo High Fiber Chocolate Syrup™ into your cooked morning oatmeal. It will add a hint of sweetness and flavor to your oatmeal, and a bit of extra fiber!

 

 

 

Tips and Tidbits – March, 2011

Training Tip

of the month:

Training Legs: Leg Extensions

This exercise is effective for shaping and defining the teardrop muscle and the frontal thighs. Using strict form, bring your legs inward in an arc. The tear­drop muscle is worked the hardest in the last few degrees of the arc—so at the top of the movement, lock out and squeeze tightly. Make the entire motion smooth and continuous with­out any rest. Never swing the weight upward. Keep the work­ing muscles tight. Lower slowly to the starting position, using your opposing muscles. Leg extensions are also excellent for strengthening bad knees—as long as you squeeze very tight.

nutrition Tip

of the month:

When trying to lose weight, be sure that you don’t restrict calories too severely and don’t go too low on carbs. We find that fat loss of one to two pounds a week is optimal. Usually if you try to lose faster than that most of the additional weight lost will be muscle. Also, very low carb diets set you up for this problem. Generally I would not recommend going lower than one gram of carbohydrate per pound of body weight per day, and certainly never less than 100 grams per day. When insulin levels get too low, protein synthesis virtually stops, muscle breakdown is accelerated and muscle cells release large amounts of amino acids in the blood. The liver picks these up and converts them into glucose. This is why people with (untreated) diabetes experience muscle wasting and weakness.

Leg Extension Tips:

• At the top in the fully contracted position, lock out and squeeze tightly.

• Stay tight throughout the range of motion.

Question

of the month:

Question: Can I slack off on my diet when I don’t have a competition coming up?

Answer: Follow the nutrition program year-round. So many body­builders falsely assume that getting fat in the off-season, then rigorously dieting to get ripped for their next contest are the best ways to achieve the ultimate physique. In reality, this practice results in very little gain in mus­cle. Instead, it simply increases body fat. Not only is this unhealthy, but it also hinders the metabolism. That’s because body fat burns much fewer calories than muscle burns. When you start cutting down, those fat cells stay, making it harder to displace the body fat that has formed. And as I mentioned earlier, cutting back on calories only causes the body to lose hard-earned muscle.

News & Discoveries

In Fitness & Nutrition

Fighting Weight Gain A Different Way

Education and coaching centered on health—rather than on weight loss—may help chronic dieters improve their blood pressure, cholesterol and other health indicators. That’s according to a study documented earlier in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association and newly summarized in an obesity-focused issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

Seventy-eight obese women, aged 30 to 45, who volunteered for the investigation were assigned to either a health-centered team or a weight-loss-focused team. The teams met for specialized, 90-minute educational sessions weekly for the first six months of the year-long study, then met for six once-a-month sessions. Both groups were instructed in nutrition basics. But women on the weight-loss track were taught how to monitor their weight and control their eating, while the other volunteers focused on how to build self-esteem and to recognize and follow the body’s natural, internal cues to hunger and fullness.

A total of 38 women—19 from each team—participated in a panel of follow-up exams two years after the study’s start. The health-centered volunteers had kept their weight stable. In contrast, the weight-loss volunteers lost weight by the sixth month of the study, but had regained it by the two-year checkpoint. At the start and end of the study, all volunteers’ total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure were in the normal range. However, the health-centered women lowered their total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure, and they were able to maintain those reductions. The weight-loss women didn’t lower their total cholesterol at any point in the investigation. In addition, they weren’t able to maintain the healthful decrease in systolic blood pressure that they’d achieved just after the six-month weight-loss phase. – By Marcia Wood, March 2006, Agricultural Research Service, USDA

Quick Tip

of the month:

Making and Using Oat Flour

If you come across a recipe calling for oat flour, you could buy a bag of it at the grocery store, but did you know you can easily make your own? All you need is a blender or food processor. Just process the rolled oats until they become a fine powder. You can make oat flour in quantity, just store in an air tight
container. For ideas on how to use oat flour, check out these recipes in the Parrillo CapTri^® Cookbook:

Never Fail Dumplings, Skillet Cake Bread, Sweet Potato Corn Bread, Rima’s Famous Oatmeal Pancakes, Cod Fillet Italiano, Biscuits, and Oat Tortillas.

Dominique’s

Time Cruncher

It’s time for a flavor adventure to spice up your meals! Try out a new spice or blend every couple of weeks to liven up your usual fare. Ever had Za’atar, Herbes de Provence, Chinese Five-Spice, Garam Masala, or Adobo Seasoning? Give them a try!

Tips and Tidbits February 2011

Training Tipof the month:

Stretching: Delt Stretch At A BarPowerlifters can greatly benefit from this stretch. After heavy squatting, powerlifters often experience anintense ache in their elbow joints. Their pecs are so massive that too much stress is placed on the elbows, andpain results. This stretch loosens the delts and alleviates these joint problems.
Here’s how to start: As if to perform a low bar power squat, position yourself at the barbell so that the bar isacross your shoulders and neck. The bar should be as far down on your back as possible. Lean forward slightlyand point your elbows up. Your partner stands behind you and hooks his arms underneath your forearms. Heplaces his hands on the bar just inside and next to your hands.
The Stretch: With the strength of this upper body, your partner pushes your hips forward and your elbows up.Held for ten seconds, this movement completely stretches and loosens your deltoids.

Nutrition Tipof the month:

Wondering why you looked too smooth at your last competition? Or maybe you were holding water, or hadthin skin but still looked flat? Learn from your experiences and find out what to do differently next time:
If you looked smooth, you were either carrying too much bodyfat or you were holding water underneath yourskin. The old “pinch test” will indicate whether or not you were just carrying too much fat. If this is the case,you need to diet smarter the next time around. Water retention, on the other hand, is usually the result of asodium imbalance (too much or too little) or overcarbing combined with too much water intake. It can also bethe result of a cytotoxic reaction.
If your skin was thin but you looked flat, you needed more carbohydrates and/or fluid. Next time, try eatingmore carbohydrates and drinking a bit more distilled water. Peaking too soon is a sign that you started carbingtoo early. For your next contest, start carbing a little later. Peaking after the contest is a sign that you need tostart carbing sooner the next time.

Questionof the month:

Question: I don’t want to lose all my muscle when I’m trying to lose fat. What can I do?Answer: When you’re gaining weight you’ll have a surplus of calories. These extra calories help “spare”
protein, meaning excessive calories prevent protein from being burned as fuel. When you’re losing weightyou’re calorie deficient and don’t have extra nutrients lying around. You’re prone to lose muscle and utilizeprotein as a fuel source when you are losing weight. When this occurs, you lose muscle as well as fat.Therefore you need more protein when dieting than when gaining weight. It sounds paradoxical at first butthere is great logic to it. A good rule of thumb would be to take in 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight each day during weight gain or weight maintenance. For fat loss (not muscle loss) ingest 1.5 to 2 gramsof protein per pound of bodyweight.

News & Discoveries In Fitness & Nutrition

Americans love their spuds, consuming 130 pounds per person annually. Now that culinary love affair couldgrow even more passionate with Agricultural Research Service (ARS) findings that some potato varieties arepacked with health-promoting compounds called phytochemicals.
Using a new analytical method, ARS plant geneticist Roy Navarre and colleagues in Washington State andOregon have identified 60 different kinds of phytochemicals and vitamins in the skins and flesh of 100 wild andcommercially grown potatoes.
The team’s analysis of Red and Norkotah potatoes, for example, revealed that the spuds’ total dietary-phenolics content rivaled that of broccoli, spinach and brussel sprouts. These phenols included the flavonoidssubgroup, which may play a role in helping diminish cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and certaincancers, notes Navarre, at the ARS Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Unit in Prosser, Wash.
His team also identified potatoes with high levels of vitamin C, folic acid, quercetin and kukoamines. These lastcompounds are of interest for their potential to lower blood pressure, and have only been found in one otherplant, Lycium chinense.- By Jan Suszkiw, Sept. 7, 2007, Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Quick Tipof the month:Making Fudgy Contest Brownies™ with High Fiber Chocolate Syrup Mix™!First, make a batch of High Fiber Chocolate Syrup™ by mixing 1 Tbsp. of water with 2 level scoops of mix untilsmooth, set aside. Next, prepare a batch of microwave Contest Brownies by mixing together 4 level scoopsmix with 2 scoops water and 2 Tbsp. CapTri® or vegetable oil in a small microwavable pan. Before you bakeyour brownies, drop spoonfuls of High Fiber Chocolate Syrup on top of the brownie batter, using the tip ofa spoon to swirl it around, then bake in the microwave for 2-2½ minutes for an extra chocolatey fudgy treat.

Dominique’sTime Cruncher

Want to add a little extra flavor to your cup of morning coffee? Try adding a spoonful of Parrillo High FiberChocolate Syrup™! This makes for a delicious mocha taste that couldn’t be simpler! Mmmmm!

Tips and Tidbits: January 2011

Training Tip of the month:

I see a whole new crop of bodybuilders today with no lower lats—for two reasons. First, they’ve relied too heavily on machines in early training. And second, if they include pull-ups in their routines, they usually perform the exercise with too much of an arch in their backs. This common error places stress on the rhomboids and upper lats rather than on the lower lats.

The first pull is with your shoulders. In other words, pull your shoulders down before you even bend your arms. To prevent your back from arching and to isolate your lower lats, bend and hold your knees out in front of your torso. At the top, make sure your shoulders are pressed down. Pull your elbows into your sides at the same time.

Do your first set of pull-ups without weight, as with all intensity sets. Strive for ten reps. On each rep, pull you shoulders down, bend your knees, and hold them in front of you. At the top, drop your shoulders and bring your elbows to the side of your body. Perform three more sets but hang weight from your waist each set. Be sure to increase the poundage on these sets for maximum intensity. Push for eight reps each time.

nutrition Tip of the month:

Are You Getting Enough Calcium?

One of the most worrisome nutritional practices in bodybuilding is the avoidance of dairy products without adequate regard to eating enough green leafy vegetables or calcium supplementation. To prevent osteoporosis when you’re older, you need to build strong bones while you’re young. If you come out of middle age with relatively poor calcium status, that makes it all the more likely you’ll have problemes when you’re older. You should consume 1,200 mg of calcium per day. Our Mineral Electrolyte Formula™ provides 250mg of calcium in each tablet. Four tablets a day is probably enough when combined with the calcium from your diet. Also note that Parrillo’s Hi-Protein™ contains 280mg of calcium per serving, Optimized Whey™ contains 130mg of calcium per serving, 50/50 Plus™ contains 250mg of calcium and All-Protein™ contains 130mg of calcium per serving.

Question of the month:

Question: I dread doing my aerobics, it’s so boring! Any tips on how to make it more interesting?

Answer: Try taking a “cross-training” approach to your aerobics. Combine several different types of aerobic training into a single session. For example, start with 5-10 minutes on a stair climbing machine, working up a good sweat by pumping your legs as hard as you can. Then switch to an upper body aerobic exercise for another 5-10 minutes. Get on a rowing machine and really push hard through the exercise. Rowing machines are excellent for building specific cardiovascular fitness in the back, helping to alleviate back development problems. For the next 5-10 minutes, hop on a stationary bike. To intensify this part of your aerobics, use dumbbells in each hand. Pump your arms as you pump your legs. This works the muscles even harder. Finish off with another 10 minutes on a ski machine. Really get into it. By the end of the aerobics training session, you’ll wonder where the time went!

News & Discoveries In Fitness & Nutrition

Eating Is Stressful, But Antioxidants Can Help

No matter how pleasant a meal is, eating causes what’s known as oxidative stress. As we digest our food, we create sometimes-harmful molecules known as free radicals. But antioxidants—healthful compounds in fruits and vegetables—can help by neutralizing the free radicals.

That’s yet another good reason to eat at least some antioxidant-rich foods at every meal, according to Agricultural Research Service chemist Ronald L. Prior. To learn more about the effects of antioxidants on postprandial, or after-meal, oxidative stress, Prior and co-investigators collaborated in four clinical studies with healthy female volunteers.

The scientists found that the antioxidant capacity of volunteers’ blood plasma samples declined after eating a test meal that lacked antioxidants. But the scientists also found, for the first time, that consuming grapes with that same test meal prevented the decline in plasma antioxidant capacity of the volunteers during the first two hours following the test meal—the time digestion is the most rapid.

Prior noted that omitting antioxidant-rich foods from meals could lead to cellular damage by free radicals. Such damage is thought to increase risk of atherosclerosis, cancer and other diseases.

- By Marcia Wood, Mar. 13, 2008, Agricultural Research Service, USDA

Quick Tip of the month:

Tired of eating oatmeal for breakfast every morning? Try something new!

There are several different types of grains you can use to make hot cereal. Here’s a sampling of some delicious grains for hot cereal: barley, buckwheat, oat bran, rye, brown rice, cracked wheat, rolled wheat, rolled spelt, or kasha. You can also try a mixture of grains, just look for bags of 10 Grain or 5 Grain mixed cereals, or you can mix you own favorites. You can find bags of cereal grains in the natural food section of most grocery stores.

Dominique’s Time Cruncher

Homemade soups can be a great time saver because you usually end up with several meals worth of leftovers. Speed up prep time by using a food processor for chopping vegetables. You can also freeze individual servings of soup and save them for busy days when you don’t have time for cooking.

Tips and Tidbits – December, 2010

Training Tip of the month:

Behind-The-Neck Press:

The most common technique error I see with this exercise is excessive arching of the back. Bodybuilders arch in this manner so they can better lift and maneuver heavier weights to the overhead position. This leads to poor shoulder flexibility, a problem even the most well-developed bodybuilders have. The most effective way to perform behind-the-neck presses is to drop your shoulders and flex your lats as you press the weight upward. Then straighten your elbows. As you lock out, press your hips forward while tightening your abs. Then push the weight back slightly, but without arching your back. This entire action isolates your delts. All the emphasis is right on your shoulders. You’ll really feel it! Not only will these presses widen your shoulder and pectoral carriage when performed correctly, they will also build the trapezius, which supports the musculature of the back. Perform behind-the-neck presses correctly, and you’ll get bigger traps and a larger back overall.

nutrition Tip of the month:

Pre-Contest Aerobics

If you think you can get into contest condition simply by lowering your caloric intake, think again! To burn bodyfat and maintain muscle size, you have to build your metabolism, a feat which cannot be accomplished just by eating less. In fact, eating less usually decreases your metabolism. Aerobic activity is one of the best methods of increasing your metabolic rate. Aerobics also facilitate the removal of toxins such as carbon dioxide and other waste products that are the byproducts of dieting. You can see why it is so important to do plenty of aerobics. We suggest 45 min. to an hour of aerobics before breakfast and the same amount some time after your last meal. Whatever activities you select, they should increase your pulse rate so that you breathe heavily but can still carry on a labored conversation.

Question of the month:

Question: Should I change my supplement usage the closer I get to a competition?

Answer: Many competitors get excellent results by increasing their usage of Parrillo’s Ultimate Amino Formula™, Muscle Amino Formula™ and Advanced Lipotropic Formula™ (up to twice the off-season usage). Increased supplementation may be especially helpful in alleviating overall soreness and achiness that often occur when bodyfat reaches extremely low levels. You will also want to increase your CapTri® consumption as you are gradually lowering your carbohydrate intake. This will allow for using the low-carb strategy to get ripped while CapTri® maintains your caloric intake. For complete guidelines, please refer to the CapTri® Manual.

News & Discoveries

In Fitness & Nutrition

Got Fish? Nutrition Studies Explore Health Benefits

Some of America’s most popular fish—salmon and albacore tuna, for example—are rich in healthful natural compounds known as omega-3 fatty acids. Ongoing studies by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) chemist Darshan S. Kelley and co-investigators are helping uncover new details about how these fish-oil components help protect us from chronic diseases.

In an early study with laboratory mice, Kelley and colleagues investigated the interplay of two omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil—DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)—and a third fatty acid, CLA (as trans-10, cis-12 CLA) found in some dietary supplements.

Kelley’s 8-week test with 50 laboratory mice indicated that DHA protected the animals against two harmful side effects of CLA: CLA-induced insulin resistance and CLA-induced non-alcoholic fatty-liver disease. In contrast, EPA offered only partial protection against CLA-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and provided no protection against insulin resistance.

If untreated, insulin resistance can lead to diabetes. An estimated 36 million to 57 million Americans are insulin-resistant. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can result in cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer. The study appeared in a 2007 issue of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders.

- By Marcia Wood, Oct. 8, 2010, Agricultural Research Service, USDA

Parrillo Fish Oil DHA 800 EPA 200™ contains 800mg of DHA per serving.

Quick Tip of the month:

Here’s a quick tip submitted by Todd Elash:

You can get caffeine free, coffee flavored, instant beverage crystals (Cafix or Pero – made of roasted barley, rye, chicory and beet roots) at your local health food store and add a tablespoon to the chocolate flavored Parrillo Contest Cookie Mix™ or Parrillo Protein Frosting Mix™ for added richness! Tastes incredible!!!

Thanks for the tip Todd! If you have a tip you want to share, email it to graphics@parrillo.com

Dominique’s Time Cruncher

 Turn your Parrillo All-Protein™ Milk into protein “Chocolate Milk” by adding a spoonful of our new High Fiber Chocolate Syrup™ into your glass of All-Protein™. It’s a delicious, protein-packed treat for

chocolate lovers!

Extreme Training Camp Comes to Rhode Island

We are very excited to announce that Extreme Training Camp will be coming to Cross Trainers Healt and Fitness in Pawtucket, RI March 18-20. We have responded to many requests to bring our One of a Kind Training Camp to your neck of the woods! We have found an amazing facility to host the camp; as well as, a great host house so we can cook and feed everyone just as we always do.

As with all our Camps we will be strictly limiting the amount of attendees so we can work with all of you to help you take your physique to the next level. So don’t delay, secure your spot today.

We are looking forward to coming to Rhode Island to work with you! Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Michael Feulner

Team Extreme

mfeulner@gmail.com

917 6826327

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