Shin Splints (Treatment and Causes)

A lot of people encounter shin splints, during their exercise bringing usually involving tons of cardio. (sorry) It always seems like im bashing on cardio well rightfully so but anyway. Point being Shin Splints are painful if you have ever had them you probably don't want them again. Although for those of you who have had jumpers knee I know we would rather have shin splints any day (but that is besides the point.)

Shin Splints: What are they? How do they form? How do you stop it?

What are they? 
Technically they are the splitting apart of the muscle from your shin. The stress on the connective tissue from the high impact exercise, be it running jumping or anything of that nature. Traumatizes the muscle and connective tissue along the shins. This is usually when you start to feel irritation, possibly slight discomfort and a burning sensation with prolonged use. At this point you are in the beginning stages of shin splints.  

How do they form?
Well I guess we technically covered part of that in the "What are they?" section. That fine I will explain in more detail. The shin is made up of 2 bones and many muscles. The names are not as important as the actions/ injury though so I will leave the names out. For each bone their is connective tissue, the function of the connective tissue is to keep the supporting muscles attached. The key being ATTACHED! What shin splints are is the opposite, your body is doing its best to fight against the high impact strain of what ever is causing the shin splints. But your force is too strong for the shin's connective tissue to keep the muscle in place. So it begins to tear, little by little but each little bit creates pain. Eventually to the point where you get such a great tear along that connective tissue that it is so inflamed and irritated you cannot touch it or walk properly.

How do you stop it?
Well this may come off as sarcastic, well mainly because it is... But what do you do when your burning yourself because you have your hand on the stove and it hurts? You stop, right? I mean unless that is something that you enjoy in which case I suggest you don't my analogy as literal instructions and follow them! (Seriously though..) All jokes aside, if something hurts you usually stop what ever is making it hurt. So with injuries the rules still apply, they are just more intense because you get immediate feed back. This rule applies for all injuries! IF IT HURTS DON'T USE IT! Ice and rest shin splints and then wait until the tears have heal'd then begin exercise again.

I will take this 1 step further and go into what may have caused it in the first place besides the exercise. Your shoes, are normally the first thing a doctor will ask you about when you go for shin splints. They say that if your shoes are either too worn out or TOO soft then you will develop shin splints. The problem is with the shoes being to worn out, your body is taking too much impact on each step you take especially when running all the trauma is multiplied by 10x. When your shoes are too soft you are ok with shin splints but your knees will not like it so much as their job with stabilization will be 10x harder and you would rather have shin splints then bad knees TRUST ME!

They recommend time to replace all shoes is 6 months obviously if you have 2 pairs of shoes and wear them every other time you exercise you will get more life out the shoes and if you don't wear them at all the 6 month rule obviously does not apply. But as far as support goes this is a general rule of thumb. Running shoes are good for walking but walking shoes are not good for running. Basketball shoes are different and sometimes ok for running depending on the specific type of shoe.


Thanks Everyone

Frank

Cardio for weight loss

This will be something that I am going to type quickly but the information is still important. Cardio alone will never make you loose a pound unless you are either 1 extremely over weight, or 2 you run or walk in excessive amounts. The reason is because most forms of cardio when done alone make the exerciser loose more muscle then fat.

Think in your mind of the average older woman who says she walks on the daily basis how her physique looks. I will not completely strip this hypothetical woman of all her dignity because her physique looks better then the older woman who doesn't walk or do anything at all. But how much worse is her physique then the older woman who has a personal trainer and mix's cardio and strength training together to look like she is 20 years younger then her actual age.... Have I made my point yet?

Cadio should be done as a SUPPLEMENTAL exercise to strength training. Which should be your primary focus! Each exercise should consist of 35 -45 minutes of strength training! then what ever other time you have left be it 10-15 minutes use that for your cardio and go home! that is the best advice I can give to someone who is either trying to tone up get jacked loose weight or just tighten up the extra body mass that seems to never go away! Try it and let me know how it works for you, because it has worked for my clients.


Thanks
Frank

Abs (the secret is revealed)

Everyone wants the secret, EVERYONE. The truth is that there really is no secret. But if I was forced to fabricate a secret out of thin air it would most likely be. "The secret to obtaining abs is eat healthy!" The only way to loose fat is to loose it in the kitchen.

This generation of people think that they can have their cake and abs too. Its not possible. I always joke with my clients at the gym when ever they would come in hung over I tease them by saying, "Oh! looks like you wanted to have your abs and brew too! huh?" Reluctantly enough most of them agree that they had a few drinks or ate a little unhealthy or did both.

Let me teach you a secret, my secret at least. I only apply this secret to myself during the winter and beginning of summer. So here it goes. If you are going to drink don't eat first. If you are already drunk, don't eat after. WATER! Food WILL NOT SOBER YOU UP. It will fatten you up. That is the bottom line!!! Seriously, if you are going to drink don't eat for 1 hour before, and don't eat after. It does not do anything in your stomach it does not soak up any alcohol it does not cure the spins and it will not prevent a hang over.

Like I said I only follow this in the beginning of the summer and in the winter time because this is something that eventually you cant fight any more. By the end of the summer most people who workout year round slack off and enjoy themselves in the last few weeks of august. I confess! The key to transforming your body though is when ever you get a little lazy make yourself pay! If every time you slack you punish yourself in the gym each year you will be less and less likely to slack. Eventually you will get to the point where you never take more then a week off.


The secret is revealed.

Thanks everyone
Frank

Apple Facts

Since today I have been quite busy I have not had time to read an actual article for today's post so I will actually recycle some information that I already know.

Apples, Green apples contain less sugar then red apples so they are actually a better fruit to eat when looking to go lean, citrus, and promote muscle growth. That's correct study's have been showing that the skin of an apple when ingested regularly actually aides in muscle growth. So an apple a day should really be the motto. It will keep the fat away and the muscle on.


As odd as this may sound for people looking to loose excess weight. Meaning more then 35+ you should stay away from fruit until you have gotten within 20 pounds of your goal. meaning 19 or less pounds from your goal weight. The reason being that the sugar in the fruit will effect insulin drastically!


Thanks everyone

Frank

Water intake

For people who want to learn how they can possibly consume close to a gallon of water a day without having to sacrifice your sleep quality by waking 1million times to go to the bathroom. I am reading that the body needs water most when you first wake up. So do your best to drink water before breakfast, after you eat about 20minutes after so you can give your body time to digest the food. Then continue on pace to finish the gallon of water by 6 pm. That is the best way. Remember we don't ALL need a gallon a day but as close as physically possible is best.

Water will help eliminate that fat on the body and keep the digestion cleaner and detox the body from any chemicals we may ingest during the day. Also it helps keep your energy levels highest in the body. The more water you drink consistently the better and cleaner you will feel. Your body will feel better and more efficient over all.

Thanks everyone again

Frank


*P.S.* I haven't posted it in a while and the number of people emailing me has gone down a lot. Which is good for my cell phone battery but I really do like reading some peoples responses. So here it is my email is Frankp.training@gmail.com remember you can email me with any questions comments or concerns regarding the blog also any topics you would like to see me answer.

CPA (application unrelated to fitness)

Ok everyone I know this is a topic unrelated to fitness obviously but a friend of mine is going to school for accounting. He is in a business program here and he has been trying to come up with a way to help people study for the CPA exam which all accountants should take. So he came up with a good method to study on the go and its a CPA application for your phone and this is the link to his page. Give it a shot go check the page out and show your support!

CPA Exam SmartTest

Thanks Everyone

Frank

Cardio tips for fat burning

We all have or have had that stubborn body fat that we cant seem to get rid of. The way that we try and get rid of it is different, each person has their own personal preference. The point is that obviously their are many different ways to get rid of body fat. Many people believe that cardio is the only way to loose fat. Many people believe that no cardio and strictly weight lifting resistance training and other anaerobic activity will work. Someone people believe in the power or diet alone no exercise.

There is a million or more ways for people to obtain the dream body, loose the fat, be skinny and transform their physique. Most people don't do it, and cant because they don't know what they are doing and others cant do it because they don't have the motivation. Some of the people out there are perfectly fine with how they are and don't care to change it if it requires too much effort. This statement and post will address all of the people out there regardless of your desire/ intentions with your body. 

BODY FAT! Devise a regimen that is a combination between anaerobic, aerobic, weights and rest.

What is the best type of cardio? How long do I perform this cardio for? How frequently?

*HOW EVER MANY DAYS YOU PLAN TO WORKOUT DO CARDIO FOR NO MORE THEN HALF OF THEM.* This is my rule of thumb, unless you have excess amount of weight to loose, or you are training to be a long distance runner then your cardio should not make up more then half of the days you are working out. Let me give examples.

If you workout lifting weights 4 times a week, you go to the gym for 40minutes-1hour and workout intensely.  You should do cardio on 2 of those days at the end of your workout the best time is at the end of the workout. So If you are training 5 times a week or 6 the formula stays the same since you cannot divide 5 in half do not go above 2. *This is a rule for those of us with that stubborn little belly fat we want to get rid of. Not for those who have excess amount of weight to loose.

As for duration my recommendation  is for more then 15 minutes but less then 50 so if you can run/ walk for 45 minutes do it because that is your only exercise that day. But if it is a day that you are doing anaerobic before your cardio my suggestion is do your anaerobic for 30 minutes and your cardio for 30 minutes as well.


Thanks
Frank

Top 10 Pre workout foods

Hey everyone,

Im actually not at home right now I am down the shore for the day. So I had this article set up for this morning because it would be easy for me to blog and have all of you able to read it by the morning. Ok so this is a topic on the best kinds of food to eat before a workout if Pre workout protein isn't practical for you. If you don't know what i mean by pre-workout protein please check yesterdays post.

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/fitness_top_ten/24_fitness_list.html

There is the list if you want to go to that website to read it please go ahead and do so!
I will post the list below with no explanations. This is in reverse order Worst to best (Remember these are the top 10 best so none of them are bad!)


(Good)
10. Chocolate
9. Carbohydrate energy gels (PowerBar/ Gatorade)
8. Banana's and other fruit high in natural sugar
7.Trail Mix
(Better)
6. Yogurt
5. Energy Bars
4. Oatmeal
(Best)
3. Almonds
2. Pasta (whole wheat/ grain)
1. Lentils


Frank

Bad Joints/ Stiffness

So this is in response to a few emails that I got this afternoon. People are saying that they love working out but the "body isn't what it used to be." Now we all know how that story goes, we can either quit or find a solution. Here is my solution, hope this helps everyone!

For those of us out there with either bad joints due to injury, muscle tightness, arthritis, bone degeneration etc. The number one doctor recommended treatment is surgery. The number one actual supplement to take is Glucosamine (much more effective and cheaper then surgery). This is the type of glucosamine that I take. I take it because it is organic and their are no by products. You don't have to take this kind... Their are 1million different kinds out there!


https://www.amway.com/Shop/Search/SearchResults.aspx?searchkeyword=glucosamine


For the people who don't drink enough water, or hate taking pills this is what I recommend because it is a twist tube that you squeeze into water and it flavors your water with only 5 calories no sugar, or artificial sweetener. Give it a try


Have a good one
Frank

Protein shake Pre or Post workout?

Hey everyone,

I know I just posted a recipe on how to make protein bread, so 2 post is one day seems like over kill but I just want everyone to know something before I loose the article..

Question how grams of protein should I drink after my workout? Is my post workout vital to muscle growth? Whats the best protein to take after my workout? Do you see the reoccurring theme here? Everyone wants to take their protein after the workout. Workouts are looked at by some people as completely useless unless they have protein right after.

New research suggests that protein digested before a workout can be more beneficial then any post workout supplement. Branch chain amino acids I am sure that you have heard this phrase or if not then im confident you have heard the term BCAA's. Well that is BCAA's (Branch Chain Amino Acid's) The point is that BCAA's don't need to be processed by anything in the body they bypass your liver and all other filtration systems in the body. Once they are digested by the stomach they head straight to your blood stream to be absorbed by the muscles.

Why is that important?

• Pre-workouts are filtered by your liver and thus take 30-45 minutes to hit the blood stream and even longer before you feel it in your muscles. 
• I dont know about you but I don't have time to prepare a pre-workout and drink it 1 hour before my workout and then start workouts at the EXACT time it hits. 
• This is just an impractical method of pre workout energy.
• Adding protein before your workout increases your bodies natural protein synthesis. Meaning your body will digest protein during your workout instead of after. 
• Your body will benefit more from taking the protein during because it can start the rebuilding AS you tear the muscle not after. 
• YOU BURN MORE CALORIES 
• " A study published in Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise found that one scoop of whey protein prior to working out increased calorie burning over the subsequent 24 hours."
• This means that taking one scoop of whey protein before your workout will help you burn calories, all day and night. 

The team of scientists and athletes that have been testing this theory for quite some time now. Have come to a definitive answer to the age old question of PRE or POST workout? The answer is PRE-workout protein exhibits more then 3 times the benefits then post workout protein does. It has tons of research being done now to prove once and for all that PRE workout protein is the way to go and that post workout protein is a thing of the past. 

my source as always: Bodybuilding.com Article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_biosynthesis

Thanks again everyone

Frank

Protein Bread Recipe

*Note this is not my recipe, this is something that I found while online and I thought that people might enjoy.* remember from my post yesterday low carb doesn't mean low fat. It means low energy. Low insulin means low fat. (also for those of you who missed my earlier post on cinnamon the insulin blocker go back and read that!)

This recipe is Jamie Eason's recipe

Nutrition Facts:

Makes 16 squares
1 square = 55 calories, 1 g fat, 8 g carbs, 5 g protein

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Ideal (Xylitol)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Ideal (Xylitol) or ¼ cup Stevia in the Raw
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze)
• 1/3 cup or 1 4oz jar of baby food applesauce and ¼ cup low sugar vanilla yogurt (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 X 8 inch Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.



2. In small bowl combine: (set aside)

• 1/3 cup Ideal (Xylitol)
• 2 tsp cinnamon

3. In a large bowl combine: (whisk together)

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Ideal (Xylitol) or ¼ cup Stevia in the Raw

4. In a medium bowl combine: (whisk together & add to lrg bowl)

• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze)
• 1/3 cup or 1 4oz jar of baby food applesauce and ¼ cup low sugar vanilla yogurt (optional)

5. Pour a shallow layer of batter into the loaf pan (about 1/4 of the batter).



6. Sprinkle heavily with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter & cinnamon/sugar on top.



7. Draw a knife through the batter to marble. Bake for 24 to 28 min. Let cool for 10 min. Bread will be dense.

Source for recipe: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-recipes-cinnamon-swirl-protein-bread.html

Following my blog

This topic is unrelated to fitness

For those people, who have been supporting visiting and even promoting my blog I want to give a special thanks to all of you. I now have over 2000 views in a short span of time. I have only just begun so I want everyone to know that I will have a lot more in store for all the followers.

I also notice that I only have 3 "followers" that have figured out how to actually link this into your gmail account or even your email. This isn't the type of blog or site that will send you annoying push notifications to your cell phone solicit your phone or even email and you will absolutely not get spam. So for those of you who are still kind of on the fence about clicking the like button located up on top of the blog. You can go ahead and do so with no worries the only thing that the follow button means is that you will never loose the blog should I decide to change the name or URL. (not that I plan to but just in case)

Thanks again
Frank

Insulin (FAT STORAGE)

Hello everyone,

So I am going to be talking about a topic that is extremely difficult for myself and others to comprehend. The topic is Insulin, how it works and why it has such a bad reputation. The reason that it has such a bad reputation starts with the simple fact that it is linked to fat storage. 

This the type of post that could look as long as a small English text book for first year undergraduate students if I really want to go into this topic deep. So to spare everyone I will keep it short and sweet!

So lets begin:

When you eat a meal, the carbohydrates in that meal are broken down into glucose (a sugar used as energy by your cells). This glucose substance enters your blood stream. The organs in your body such as your pancreas, detect your glucose levels are rising. As part of a negative feed back system it releases insulin to counter those rising glucose levels. Glucose levels are typically found to be at their lowest value, when a person first wakes up. Because of the long period of time since their last meal.

What does this mean?

When your insulin rises your body can begin to store fat (your body can also store fat when insulin is low too but only when calories are in excess). Point being that as you eat an increased caloric diet consisting of more carbohydrates you will likely shock your blood glucose, and insulin into an over excited state. The problem with insulin is that some people don't eat the proper carbs. Carbs are great for the body, in some instances if you eat carbs you have a better chance of loosing weight. For others who have a difficult time gaining weight you should also pay attention to your carb intake. Chases are your insulin is always super low. 

So the funniest thing about insulin is how many times it rises and falls throughout the length of a day. The average person who doesn't exercise will eat 2-3 medium-large sized meals a day. The average fitness enthusiast will eat between 4-9meals a day. Here is a chart displaying insulin response in a normal day, for the average non exercising person. 

Take note how these meals take less and less time for the body to rebound as the day goes on. This is because by the end of the day your body is more efficient then when you first wake up. That is why constant small meals are better then large meals because your body will build up a routine on how to burn food faster and faster. also it will keep insulin lower longer thus keeping you leaner. 

Here is a funny diagram to end this topic with. I over hear a lot of novice lifters in the gym discussing some pretty meaty topics (pun intended). Problem is they have no clue what they are talking about. Usually what goes on is someone in the gym becomes intrigued by lifting or working out and wants to know more. So they will Google things. Now this is the best way to learn things in my opinion... BUT be weary of the internet articles you read. Most articles out there if not obtained from a credible source are not true. LOOK FOR THE ARTICLES SOURCES!!! So back to the point haha This is a diagram based on a lab experiment on different types of shakes made for protein sources. I know to think about a Turkey milk shake or a tuna milk shake is honestly repulsive but that's ok you don't have to drink them! 

Whey protein stimulated the highest insulin response but weird enough what this chart doesn't show you is that Whey did not increase the persons blood glucose 1pt. It actually made it lower, this is only possible because whey protein suppresses appetite. 

I know that most people are sort of thrown off right now by this chart but don't be alarmed Whey Protein is good! The average person who takes whey protein, eats less during the course of a day. They keep their insulin stable for a longer period of time and store less fat. That is of course the average. Those who are too loose with their diets this isn't true for you! 

Ok so that about wraps it up if anyone wants to actually do 50 pages of reading on insulin like I did I will give you my source as I always do! lol Thank you for reading everyone! 

http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319 --> Insulin…an Undeserved Bad Reputation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin --> Insulin on wikipedia 

http://www.centerforpreventivemedicine.com/04114med_messenger.pdf --> Beyond Routine Cholesterol Testing

Thanks again for reading!

Frank

Men vs Women style and routine

Good afternoon everyone,

Well this is a question that someone asked me a while back and I forgot to post on the blog. I had a friend ask me in the gym, "Ok so im going to workout with my girlfriend but she plays sports too. How should I make her workout? Girls are different aren't they? Shouldn't they do more, of light weight stuff and less strength stuff?"

Ok! So this is a dumb question. The reason I say this is because does anyone remember the commercial with Mia Hamm and Michael Jordan from back in the day? Well if you haven't here is the link to watch the video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV12k6k9W4Q

Women and men are the same. Obviously this is a bold face statement but as far as workouts go they are the same. ***MOSTLY*** Women will not gain mass as fast as men. Women will not develop as many fast twitch muscle fibers as men. Women will have to do more fast twitch muscle building workouts in order to compare to a man but other then that EVERYTHING IS THE SAME. 

Squat will increase vertical, and speed. Lunges will increase vertical and speed. Agility work will increase footwork and speed. The thing with the people who think that women should not train the same as men i have one question for you... If I am 6 foot 3 and you are 5 foot 6, should you not practice sprints to become faster because were not the exact same height? Should You run long distance to become a better sprinter while I practice reducing my times in the 100m ? Well obviously we know the answer is no. If you want to become faster at the 100m you practice the 100m you don't practice a 5k. It is almost the same thing with men and women athletes. TRAIN LIKE A MAN, PLAY LIKE A MAN. Now don't take this ladies as im saying TRAIN LIKE A MAN LOOK LIKE A MAN! lol that is absolutely not true. 

Hope this helps Everyone! also I have some new updates soon coming on the Virtual Personal Training website where anyone from around the world will be able to subscribe to my site and come get personal training with me. VIA internet video streaming you will be able to have a 1on1 session with me or group classes with me so stay tuned it will be coming soon. For now keep reading my posts have a great day everyone enjoy the weather! 

Frank 

Fat Burning Routine from Muscle Pharm!

Fat Burning workout (about 45-50 min)

After warm-up, perform the following for 10 minutes each
10 minute run
10 minute walking lunges
10 minutes on bike

When completed, do the following:

Speed Bag - 2 minutes
Face-pulls - 20 reps (use a weight or band)
Punches with 3-5 pound weights - 2 minutes
Repeat for 5 sets

Finish with 1 set of 100 lateral raises with 8-10 pound dumbbells

tip on pushup/ bench press depth

Ok so for all of you who do push-ups, or bench do any sort of fly's or deep dips for chest. My post today is on the depth of how far you should preform a rep. The thing with these exercises are they are high risk for your shoulder. They are essential to having a big or defined chest. BUT! They can prevent you from being able to lift all together if you do them wrong.

Remember! It is better to do less and be consistent then it is to do more and hurt yourself. The only way to see results is over time! So if you get  hurt you will have to take time off that is counter productive.

OK... To the point On each of these exercises the depth of a repetition is the same for everyone. If you were to have a lifting partner or a spotter measure the degree of your elbow it should be 90 Degrees. A right angle! For those of you who are unsure EXACTLY how that should look I know how you feel geometry wasn't my strong point either! Haha Only kidding everyone but I will post a picture for you all just to clarify.

Anything lower then 90° will deactivate the tension on the muscles in your Inner Deltoid thus causing excessive amount of unwanted stain on those muscles. This CAN and probably will cause bursitis, tendinitis, torn or strained rotator cuff. All of these injuries are extremely painful and you don't want to have those. So please trust me when I tell you with lifting weights less is more always preform more then 6 reps unless you are an experienced lifter with perfect form.

Lifting is all about the contractions please see my other post and read about the difference between a motion, flex, and contraction.


Frank