1. What is it and where does it come from?
DHEA is an acronym for the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (now you know why people use the acronym.)
Levels of DHEA are quite high at birth, drop during childhood, and peak during young adulthood. The levels continue to drop throughout life.
2. What does it do and what scientific studies give evidence to support this?
DHEA is HOT, and you will see why. When this compound is supplemented, it has been shown to have awesome effects. It has been shown to help people lose weight, burn fat and build muscle.* Dietary supplements of DHEA can help maintain proper levels in the body and can aid a person in their overall well being.*
Is there enough that can be said about DHEA? Apparently not. It may also have positive effects on supporting a healthy immune response and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels that are already within the normal range.*
3. Who needs it and what are some symptoms of deficiency?
Because DHEA levels decrease with age, people above middle age can have incredible results as the studies above have shown. Body builders or athletes can have some of the greatest beneficial results. They can use it to help build strong muscles and lower body fat.* It is also said to help keep the brain clear and the skin smooth as well!*
4. How much should be taken? Are there any side effects?
When used in the correct dosages, DHEA is great. But, with any kind or hormone or compound, when used incorrectly it can cause problems. The exact right dosage may vary with each individual, so consulting a physician is probably a good idea. Women and men over age 60 are commonly prescribed 50mg and 100mg. Obviously since younger people produce more DHEA naturally, they should take less. Pregnant or nursing women should not take it.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Chest Development
In this article I am going to discuss what I feel is the most effective and growth promoting workout for the chest. The majority of bodybuilders and weight training enthusiasts feel that a chest workout is not considered "complete" without utilizing free-weight barbell press as their primary and core exercise. Many of these individuals also believe that strength is relative to size and are more intrigued by training their egos with heavy poundage they cannot handle instead of utilizing proper form and weight selection and actually stimulating the fibers of the chest to promote growth during recovery time.
Speaking of recovery time, it also amazes me how these selective individuals seem to have the ability to train chest two to three times per week. It makes me wonder what they consider an effective workout. Is it a workout that doesn't promote growth to the chest but makes poundage go up by small increments on a monthly or yearly basis? If this is so, you shouldn't be reading this article. This article if for those who want real chest growth, don't have an ego, and don't get pissed off when they have to sacrifice their "brute poundage" for a more efficient workout.
Stimulating The Chest
The chest workout that I will present is the current chest workout that I have found to be most effective at stimulating the chest. This workout incorporates techniques that many people don't believe in or follow due to observation. I feel that the main reason in which people will not utilize the three techniques that I will discuss is due to the fact that they are too whimsical to endure the pain that these principles are capable of inflicting on the body.
Most bodybuilders and weight trainers would rather use straight sets (which don't cause too much pain on the body), and they would also rather use their heavy poundage that they feel proud of achieving. I mean what is worse than having to drop the weight that you were capable of using and actually suffer while using it? But if you want to have a barrel sized chest with striations and veins running through it, I feel these techniques are the only way to blast the chest enough to get it to that point of growth. The 5 techniques that are used in almost all of my workouts are: pre-exhaust, triple drop sets, and also rest pause, and my two new favorites - super slow, and extreme stretching. Without these techniques I would be lost at a sub-intensity level and not achieve the feeling of accomplishment that I do with these principles.
So now with a simple background on what you will be up for lets introduce the most beneficial workout for the chest. This workout always begins on the Pec-deck fly machine. Why might you ask? Well it is only the best machine to fully isolate the chest and pre-exhaust it to its full extent. Lets paint a picture. Most people on chest day will go straight to the flat press, don't get me wrong its an excellent movement but it has downfalls.
When using the flat barbell press. When you reach failure your triceps andshoulders usually give out before you can fully blast and stimulate the chest. But with pre-exhaust your chest, and only your chest will already be stimulated before you get to the flat press. So back to the workout, my workout partner and I will usually warm up with some light sets before we start to inflict the pain. On this machine, only one working set will be preformed. With the style that it is preformed in you wont want/be able to perform another set in a similar fashion.
The Workout
All right, now lets get this workout going. After a few light warm up sets on the pec-deck we are then ready for our one working set. The style in which the set is preformed is a triple drop set with forced reps and also very slow reps during the set. Now the set has begun, 6 to 8 slow and controlled reps are preformed before I start to reach failure. My partner then steps in and helps me further complete another 2-4 reps. I have just completed the first of the three sets and now the weight stack has been reduced slightly. With no times rest the second set has begun and 4 to 6 slow reps are preformed to failure with an additional 2-4 partner assisted reps.
The stack has then been reduced again and a similar set as the previous is preformed, but this time I like to add some pauses at the stretch and also the contraction. After this triple drop set my chest is on fire and in enough pain to call it quits for the day. But hey, that's just the pre-exhaustion, right?
After your first working set, your chest will be pumped beyond belief and hurting enough to feel like you did a full workout, but we still have to do presses! The next exercise that I use is the Incline smith press. I feel that this hits the chest perfect if you angle it right. After one or two warm-ups we proceed to our (like the pec-deck) one working set, just like the Deck-Deck we are performing a triple drop. With the set begun I hit 4-5 reps with five second negatives, after I reached failure I get 2-3 partner assisted reps.
The weight is dropped, and the same set and rep protocol is preformed until I reach failure. Again the weight is dropped and the same style set is preformed to complete the triple drop.
With my chest destroyed beyond belief I move on to my third and final exercise, which is flat dumbbell pres, rest-pause. This exercise is just like a finishing up for the chest due to the fact that it will be destroyed from the two previous sets. After picking a weight that is moderately heavy I bang out 8-10 reps with five-second negatives, and place them back up on my thighs in a seated position. After 15-20 seconds rest I again proceed to do another set, this time only getting 3-4 reps with five-second negatives. The weight is then rested again and I final set is preformed only getting 2-3 reps and a 20 second hold at mid point at the end, ouch.
Speaking of recovery time, it also amazes me how these selective individuals seem to have the ability to train chest two to three times per week. It makes me wonder what they consider an effective workout. Is it a workout that doesn't promote growth to the chest but makes poundage go up by small increments on a monthly or yearly basis? If this is so, you shouldn't be reading this article. This article if for those who want real chest growth, don't have an ego, and don't get pissed off when they have to sacrifice their "brute poundage" for a more efficient workout.
Stimulating The Chest
The chest workout that I will present is the current chest workout that I have found to be most effective at stimulating the chest. This workout incorporates techniques that many people don't believe in or follow due to observation. I feel that the main reason in which people will not utilize the three techniques that I will discuss is due to the fact that they are too whimsical to endure the pain that these principles are capable of inflicting on the body.
Most bodybuilders and weight trainers would rather use straight sets (which don't cause too much pain on the body), and they would also rather use their heavy poundage that they feel proud of achieving. I mean what is worse than having to drop the weight that you were capable of using and actually suffer while using it? But if you want to have a barrel sized chest with striations and veins running through it, I feel these techniques are the only way to blast the chest enough to get it to that point of growth. The 5 techniques that are used in almost all of my workouts are: pre-exhaust, triple drop sets, and also rest pause, and my two new favorites - super slow, and extreme stretching. Without these techniques I would be lost at a sub-intensity level and not achieve the feeling of accomplishment that I do with these principles.
So now with a simple background on what you will be up for lets introduce the most beneficial workout for the chest. This workout always begins on the Pec-deck fly machine. Why might you ask? Well it is only the best machine to fully isolate the chest and pre-exhaust it to its full extent. Lets paint a picture. Most people on chest day will go straight to the flat press, don't get me wrong its an excellent movement but it has downfalls.
When using the flat barbell press. When you reach failure your triceps andshoulders usually give out before you can fully blast and stimulate the chest. But with pre-exhaust your chest, and only your chest will already be stimulated before you get to the flat press. So back to the workout, my workout partner and I will usually warm up with some light sets before we start to inflict the pain. On this machine, only one working set will be preformed. With the style that it is preformed in you wont want/be able to perform another set in a similar fashion.
The Workout
All right, now lets get this workout going. After a few light warm up sets on the pec-deck we are then ready for our one working set. The style in which the set is preformed is a triple drop set with forced reps and also very slow reps during the set. Now the set has begun, 6 to 8 slow and controlled reps are preformed before I start to reach failure. My partner then steps in and helps me further complete another 2-4 reps. I have just completed the first of the three sets and now the weight stack has been reduced slightly. With no times rest the second set has begun and 4 to 6 slow reps are preformed to failure with an additional 2-4 partner assisted reps.
The stack has then been reduced again and a similar set as the previous is preformed, but this time I like to add some pauses at the stretch and also the contraction. After this triple drop set my chest is on fire and in enough pain to call it quits for the day. But hey, that's just the pre-exhaustion, right?
After your first working set, your chest will be pumped beyond belief and hurting enough to feel like you did a full workout, but we still have to do presses! The next exercise that I use is the Incline smith press. I feel that this hits the chest perfect if you angle it right. After one or two warm-ups we proceed to our (like the pec-deck) one working set, just like the Deck-Deck we are performing a triple drop. With the set begun I hit 4-5 reps with five second negatives, after I reached failure I get 2-3 partner assisted reps.
The weight is dropped, and the same set and rep protocol is preformed until I reach failure. Again the weight is dropped and the same style set is preformed to complete the triple drop.
With my chest destroyed beyond belief I move on to my third and final exercise, which is flat dumbbell pres, rest-pause. This exercise is just like a finishing up for the chest due to the fact that it will be destroyed from the two previous sets. After picking a weight that is moderately heavy I bang out 8-10 reps with five-second negatives, and place them back up on my thighs in a seated position. After 15-20 seconds rest I again proceed to do another set, this time only getting 3-4 reps with five-second negatives. The weight is then rested again and I final set is preformed only getting 2-3 reps and a 20 second hold at mid point at the end, ouch.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Organic Foods
one of the biggest difficulties bodybuilders face on a daily basis is the content of their diet. Most often, the term 'diet' is typically misunderstood as the lack of food a person intakes in a day. However, bodybuilders know better.To give credit where credit is due, bodybuilders must be credited with developing thesupplements that exist not only on this website, but in any store which carries the most basic protein powder to the esoteric supplements.Bodybuilding gave birth to a non-existent niche in the food industry, to one of the most lucrative industries in the past decade with no end in sight. As wonderful as it is to go to a store and buy a supplement which will help you achieve your goals, there still is a market that is essential and a worthwhile endeavor for bodybuilders to explore.
Organic foods are perhaps the least of the explored venues to attain good health. By definition, organic foods are those foods which are grown without the use of pesticides - however, this is not always the case.Many national chains claim to carry "organic" foods by simply not using the typical pesticides, yet the national chain uses foods which have been genetically manipulated so as not to need the pesticide. However, this process diminishes the qualitative value of the food. But before I proceed with descriptions of organic foods, let me elaborate the importance of using organic foods.
Advantages Of Organic Foods
Organic foods, such as an organic tomato, have a qualitative value which a commercial tomato could not match. The organically-grown tomato has not had any pesticides used to keep its natural enemies away from them. Typically, organic farmers use a natural pesticide that is safe and does not diminish the quality of the tomato.However, a commercially-grown tomato has lost a great deal of its nutrition because of the pesticides used to keep it safe from its natural enemies.Another reason to eat an organic tomato (or any organic foods for that matter) is that organic food is picked when it is ripe versus the commercial tomato. This may seem like a small issue, but it is perhaps the most important issue which makes organic food a most invaluable tool for bodybuilders.Since organic food is picked when it is ripe, the food has had the ability to absorb all the trace vitamins and minerals which is sadly lacking in commercial foods. Commercial foods are picked when the vegetables are still green and do not have the opportunity to absorb all the trace vitamins and minerals which the soil offers.In essence, all the consumer is getting from the commercial grown food is filler with very little amounts of vitamins and minerals. In contrast, the organic tomato has an enormous amount of nutrition and a taste which the commercially grown tomato will not match.Since the organic tomato has more nutritional value than the commercial tomato, the bodybuilder can benefit from consuming organic food by the body receiving all the vitamins and minerals that the body needs from exertion from strenuous exercise such as weight training.Since the body is receiving all the vitamins and minerals it needs, the recovery time is faster, thus an improved physique in a shorter period of time. This may prompt the question: What about taking a vitamin/mineral supplement? Is that sufficient?Unfortunately no, because a vitamin/mineral supplement has the macro vitamins and minerals, but not the trace vitamins and minerals (generally speaking). This is the beauty of eating organic foods. With organic foods being the cornerstone of your diet, taking a multivitamin is unnecessary.Another benefit of eating organic food is that the body is getting all of the quality of the nutrition without having to eat huge amounts of food, which commercial foods could not match. For example, an organic tomato has the nutritional equivalent of four commercial tomatoes, thus the less amount of food a person has to consume to get all the necessary nutrition.It has been rumored in the organic "underground" that the cause of many of today'smaladies are because of the quality of food keeps diminishing yet the quantity keeps increasing.The increase in quantity of food is increased because of genetically-engineered food, which on the surface may seem like a good idea, but in reality, we are curing a headache by cutting off the head. However, this is a topic for future reading.
Organic foods are perhaps the least of the explored venues to attain good health. By definition, organic foods are those foods which are grown without the use of pesticides - however, this is not always the case.Many national chains claim to carry "organic" foods by simply not using the typical pesticides, yet the national chain uses foods which have been genetically manipulated so as not to need the pesticide. However, this process diminishes the qualitative value of the food. But before I proceed with descriptions of organic foods, let me elaborate the importance of using organic foods.
Advantages Of Organic Foods
Organic foods, such as an organic tomato, have a qualitative value which a commercial tomato could not match. The organically-grown tomato has not had any pesticides used to keep its natural enemies away from them. Typically, organic farmers use a natural pesticide that is safe and does not diminish the quality of the tomato.However, a commercially-grown tomato has lost a great deal of its nutrition because of the pesticides used to keep it safe from its natural enemies.Another reason to eat an organic tomato (or any organic foods for that matter) is that organic food is picked when it is ripe versus the commercial tomato. This may seem like a small issue, but it is perhaps the most important issue which makes organic food a most invaluable tool for bodybuilders.Since organic food is picked when it is ripe, the food has had the ability to absorb all the trace vitamins and minerals which is sadly lacking in commercial foods. Commercial foods are picked when the vegetables are still green and do not have the opportunity to absorb all the trace vitamins and minerals which the soil offers.In essence, all the consumer is getting from the commercial grown food is filler with very little amounts of vitamins and minerals. In contrast, the organic tomato has an enormous amount of nutrition and a taste which the commercially grown tomato will not match.Since the organic tomato has more nutritional value than the commercial tomato, the bodybuilder can benefit from consuming organic food by the body receiving all the vitamins and minerals that the body needs from exertion from strenuous exercise such as weight training.Since the body is receiving all the vitamins and minerals it needs, the recovery time is faster, thus an improved physique in a shorter period of time. This may prompt the question: What about taking a vitamin/mineral supplement? Is that sufficient?Unfortunately no, because a vitamin/mineral supplement has the macro vitamins and minerals, but not the trace vitamins and minerals (generally speaking). This is the beauty of eating organic foods. With organic foods being the cornerstone of your diet, taking a multivitamin is unnecessary.Another benefit of eating organic food is that the body is getting all of the quality of the nutrition without having to eat huge amounts of food, which commercial foods could not match. For example, an organic tomato has the nutritional equivalent of four commercial tomatoes, thus the less amount of food a person has to consume to get all the necessary nutrition.It has been rumored in the organic "underground" that the cause of many of today'smaladies are because of the quality of food keeps diminishing yet the quantity keeps increasing.The increase in quantity of food is increased because of genetically-engineered food, which on the surface may seem like a good idea, but in reality, we are curing a headache by cutting off the head. However, this is a topic for future reading.
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