Blog of The Rhino

Getting the pump - Nitric Oxide (NO-) Supplementation

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:56:42 GMT

I just finished reading several studies and articles that addressed the issue of supplementing with Nitric Oxide (NO-) pre-cursors for sports performance. Very interesting reading and very enlightening, but really didn’t tell me a whole lot that I didn’t know. And not because I’m some sort of genius, either.

I have taken the stand for a long time that a lot of the sports nutrition supplements that are being marketed today are basically worthless, and today’s bit of reading seemed to corroborate those feelings.

Open any muscle magazine these days and you will find, literally, no less than 20-30 advertisements hawking NO- supplements. The pitch is always the same: “Blank-blank supplement will enhance your workouts by increasing blood flow to the muscles and getting you the pump you crave.” Or something similar. Their rationale is that through the process of vasodilation (widening of the blood vessels), more blood is delivered to the muscles to carry oxygen and nutrients to, and waste away from, the muscles. And through the use of their supplement, (which probably contains L-Arginine, an amino acid naturally produced in the body through a process that involves the intestines and kidneys) the user can achieve great “pumps” and improved performance in the gym. This is a novel idea, and makes a lot of sense, but the truth is this: Typically most people already manufacture enough L-Arginine to allow the body to do what it is supposed to do with it, and even if one decided to supplement with L-Arginine, the recommended dosage is probably 10x what is contained within these formulas. Not to mention the fact that when studies were done regarding L-Arginine supplementation for sports performance, the supplement was administered via injection, as oral administration yielded little to no results.

That all being said, it is important to note that there are some supplements out there that have been shown scientifically to produce the desired results. However these are expensive and few and far between. Pre-workout supplements that contain GPLC (glycine propionyl l-carnitine) have been shown to be effective in promoting vasodilation and increasing blood flow by increasing available NO- in the body. But even these should be checked for proper dosage. Look for GPLC on the label or Glyco-Carn, which is the registered trademark for a formula of GPLC owned by Sigma-Tau Health Sciences, Inc. If the label doesn’t indicate exactly how much GPLC you are getting with each dose (they will usually hide behind the words, “proprietary formula”) chances are you won’t be getting enough to do the job. And if you suspect you may not be getting your money’s worth, it only makes sense not to spend your money. (Go here http://issac-lv.blogspot.com/2011/02/supplement-trade-names.html for a good article about what the supplement companies are doing.)

So, I stand on my original feeling that there is so much worthless junk out there being marketed as sports nutrition supplementation, when in reality, it is just really good marketing. Remember that supplements are not regulated by the government, so basically, their manufacturers and marketers can say practically anything they please in order to get you to buy it. Do your homework. The internet is available for you to double check almost anything. Be sure that you are not wasting your money on “the next big thing” to come along. Be sure that the ingredients that are supposed to deliver results are not masked behind a proprietary formulation. After all, it’s your money and you worked hard for it – why waste it on nonsense?

I started this...

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 09:37:55 GMT

When I decided to myself several months ago, that I was going to enter my first bodybuilding competition since the 80's, it was more of a spur of the moment thing than a lifelong dream. I wasn’t trying to fulfill some fantasy by entering and hopefully winning a competition at my age. As I have told a lot of people, I have been there already. I have nothing to prove to anyone, let alone myself. Or so I thought.

I started this thinking I would show my clients that being 52 is not a reason to be fat and lazy. I wanted everyone to know that if I can do it, they can also. What I forgot was how hard contest preparation really is. I thought I was in pretty decent shape; it wouldn’t take more than a month or two to “tighten things up” a bit. I hadn’t realized that with age comes slower results. And this is taking a lot longer than I thought.

I am now officially three weeks out from the contest date and my workout and nutrition has changed dramatically. My trainer (yes I have a trainer) has revamped the works because I am not progressing as quickly as I had envisioned. I kinda hit a little bit of a funk last week because I was starting to feel as if I wasn’t going to be ready. I became very frustrated with my progress. I was feeling defeated and overwhelmed by it all. It seemed like it just wasn’t happening. I wanted to give up. I was seriously wishing that my wife hadn’t told the entire clientele that I was entering a competition. I could drop out very easily if I knew they weren’t watching.

But I started this, and my dad taught me to not start something that I had no intention of completing. And to give it an all out effort along the way, or don’t bother. So, between my dad’s words haunting me and my clients watching every move I make, I suppose I have to do it.

So, I join you and all of you who have struggled with motivation and frustration. I am right there with you when you feel like you’re not getting anywhere. I know what you’re feeling when you feel this isn’t worth the trouble. I fully understand when you feel like quitting. But I have to tell you, if you started this, you had better finish it.

Because I started this and I fully intend to finish it. I came into this thing with the intention of doing well, and I won’t quit. I won’t spend the rest of my life wondering, “what if I had?” And so it should be with you. You have started this to get into shape. For whatever reason, you decided at one point in your life that it was important enough to sacrifice money, time and comfort to do what you needed to do to be healthy. Don’t give up now. I won’t let you. When Kari is screaming at you to get 15 more seconds of burpees, or Loy is telling you to hang in there, or Donna is making you sweat more than you ever thought possible, or I am in your face pushing you to get that last rep, remember that it is all for a good reason. This is your priority right now.

You started this.

Chew on this

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 07:09:38 GMT

It is said that digestion begins in the mouth, but how much do you really know about chewing?

Indeed, digestion begins in the mouth, but in fact, it starts long before you begin to chew your food. Technically, digestion begins the moment your food enters your mouth and comes in contact with saliva. At that moment, the food has already begun to break down due to the
acids and other elements in saliva. But we are going to focus on the act of chewing.

When solid or semi-solid food enters your mouth, your brain senses that it is not a liquid and this triggers the chew response. So you chew. Sometimes without even thinking about it. And this is where we can get ourselves into trouble.

You see, your brain tells your mouth (well technically your jaw bone muscles, tongue and cheek muscles) to begin chewing, but it doesn't have a clue as to how long you should chew. Believe it or not, you, the eater, are responsible to decide as to when you are finished chewing. And this can be a problem. Sometimes we are so hungry, or the food is so delicious , or we are in such a hurry, that we rush through our chewing and the food gets passed into the stomach only partially broken down. When the food enters the stomach only partially broken down, the whole digestion process is curtailed. The acids in the stomach only have so much time to dissolve food before the stomach passes it on to the intestinal tract. And the intestines do very little after that in the way of digestion, so what happens is you end up with partially digested food passing through. This, at the very least, can result in constipation. At its worst, it can lead to impaction and infection.

Another problem with not chewing enough is when the partially broken down foods go through our system, the nutrients are not as available to the body as they would be if it was properly chewed. So you're not getting the full nutritional value of your food.

Well, what do we do to avoid these potential disasters? You know the answer: chew! Your mother probably told you to slow down and chew your food and she was right. Not only does slowing down and chewing more help your digesestion, it can also help you lose weight. Talk about a double bonus!

I'm sure you've heard that you should chew each bite 27 times. I'm going to take a little different approach. You should chew your food until it becomes a smooth pasty mash in your mouth. When you can feel no more chunks in your food, you are done chewing. Then swallow. It's
also a good idea to help the process a little by taking a drink every few bites. But the key is, slow down. You might eve try setting your fork down while you're chewing. This will definitely help you to slow down and chew more thoroughly.

Eating time is not a race to see who can choke down the most food in the shortest amount of time. You are refueling your body and the process needs to be done properly. So slow down and chew!

What's it gonna take?

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 02:32:22 GMT

For those of you who know me, you know that I have my own way of doing things. That sometimes, my way is a little different than what the rest of the world will tell you. But I have to tell you something. I didn't come up with these ideas all on my own. When it comes to personal training and fitness, all of the things that I teach and the methods that I use are backed by sound research and science. I say this, not in the form of an apology, but as a statement of fact. That you never have to wonder if what I am telling you to do is safe or productive. I guarantee that it is.

Case in point: cardio.

The world believes that you need to get on the treadmill and run your little heart out for hours and hours in order to receive any fat-burning benefits. If you have ever trained with me, you know that I don't agree with this. I have long sided with the fitness researchers who believe that one can get all the cardio one needs in a very short amount of time. In fact, it is not the time that matters, but the intensity. I have been challenged on this on more than one occasion, and have always stood by my belief and backed it up with research.

What's it gonna take for you to believe that this works? Well,, for those who are visual people, there is a video that supports these findings. You can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94xeECUMNiA

So the next time The Rhino tells you that you can get the benefits you need in less time, you should believe him.

Feel free to leave a comment about this. I would love to hear your side.

Benefits of Regular Exercise

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 07:09:35 GMT

Diet and lack of exercise account for more than 400,000 deaths annually. Recent studies have shown that only 30 percent of the population exercises regularly; however, another 30 percent state they would like to exercise. Exercise has been clinically shown to improve medical outcomes in chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.

1. Type II Diabetes is on the rise – the disease has increased 62% since 1990 and 17 million Americans have it. Losing weight may increase insulin sensitivity, improves blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and reduces blood pressure. Al of these are extremely important in the health management of a person with Type II Diabetes. The safest and most permanent way to lose weight is regular exercise.

2. Regular physical activity strengthens the heart muscle, lowers blood pressure, lowers ‘bad’ cholesterol, raised ‘good’ cholesterol, enhances blood flow and helps the heart function more efficiently. It has been shown that any exercise in any amount is beneficial to these items, although more is definitely better.

3. Regular exercise reduces one’s risk of having and dying from a stroke. Studies indicate that a moderately active person has 20% less risk of stroke than his less active counterpart.

4. Weight-bearing activity reduces the risk of osteoporosis and can even reverse its effects by building new bone tissue.

Of course, there are other benefits as well. Increased self-esteem, increased mental focus, better mood, better ability to handle stress, better sex and improvements in strength and aerobic capacity are all key points to consider when assessing the benefits of regular physical activity. And the improved physical appearance is definitely a plus!

Give The Rhino a call or stop by www.MeetTheRhino.com for more advice and info.

5 Tips for eating right at the Super Bowl Party

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 07:32:30 GMT

It's that time of year again. Superbowl Sunday is just around the corner. So I thought I would repost a blog that I wrote sometime ago that will help you get through it without too much damage. Put this into perspective: You've made this much progress, you don't want to blow it all because of a football game.

You're going to a Super Bowl Party. And you're dreading the pain of having to deal with all of those tempting, fattening foods. Well, you can survive. In addition to the obvious things, (like avoiding too much beer) these tips can keep you from sabotaging your fitness success.

1. Have a healthy meal prior. If you are satisfied, you are less likely to overindulge. Even if you just have a good old fashioned protein shake before you leave, you will feel more full and not be inclined to eat more than you should.

2. Bring your own healthy dish, vegetables with low fat dip. Hosts won’t usually turn their noses up when a guest brings a nice plate of food. It is almost always welcome. So you get to have something nutritious to munch on AND you get to look like a gracious guest. It’s a win-win.

3. Tortilla chips and salsa not potato chips and onion dip. There’s just way too much fat in potato chips. No one should be eating them. And then load them up with sour cream? That’s thunder thighs just waiting to happen. Opt for the lesser-of-two-evils corn chips and salsa. You’ll thank me later.

4. Use small plates – practice portion control. Smaller plates get full faster, giving you the mental picture that you are eating more. Let’s face it, if the food is there on your plate, you are more likely to want to eat it. ALL. Less on your plate, means you’ll eat less.

5. Don’t limit yourself – have fun, just make the right choices. Be smart, think about what you are putting on your plate and in your mouth. But enjoy yourself. Eating well is not a death sentence, if you make the right choices, you can still have fun.

Most importantly, remember the next day is Monday. Get back to the gym and get your normal routine exercising done. You’ll beat yourself up a lot less for a little overindulgence on Sunday, if you make a point to try to burn it all off on Monday.

If you have some tips on how to avoid the Superbowl splurge, comment here and let others know how you plan to do it.

Cardio vs. Resistance Training – which is better for fat loss?

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 07:59:10 GMT

Cardio (cardiovascular training) is just that: training of the cardiovascular system, which is the heart, arteries, veins, etc. Walking, jogging, bike riding, swimming, etc. These all get your heart pumping faster, and as a result, conditions your cardiovascular system. This is really great if you need to improve yourself in this area. If you are an endurance athlete of some type, like a triathlete, you definitely need to do this. Or, if you have trouble getting up the stairs without getting winded, you need to do this. However, fat loss due to cardiovascular training is a side-effect, not a main benefit. Based on the “energy in – energy out” equation, if you do cardio, you will lose some fat because you are burning calories, provided your caloric intake remains the same or lower. However, compared to resistance training, it is not an incredible amount.

Resistance training is any form of exercise that pits your body against some form of resistance. This resistance can be barbells, dumbbells, cable exercisers, stretch bands, or even your own bodyweight. The key is providing some form of external resistance to the muscles.

Resistance training has the ability to raise your metabolism permanently, because it is actually initiates a process of breaking down and rebuilding muscle tissue. This process takes energy, AKA, calories. And the cool thing about it is that even after you stop working out, your body will continue to burn calories. In contrast, cardio will only continue to burn calories for a very short time after you stop. Once you have added some muscle to your frame, even a small amount, it now takes even more energy to maintain. Thus, you become a “fat-burning machine” that burns calories day and night.

Quick fact: one pound of muscle burns about 50 calories a day, one pound of fat burns about 4 calories a day.

Have you experienced a difference in your rate of fat loss between cardio and resistance trianing? Let us know below. Of course any other comments are always welcomed!

The Secret to Six-Pack Abs

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:10:46 GMT

I’ve seen it all over the internet; everyone is hawking a new magical combination of exercises that guarantee to give you that washboard six-pack abs you have been dreaming about. Well, I’m here to burst your bubble. I’m going to tell you something that is going against everything you may have seen on TV, the internet, or have been told by your gym’s fitness guru or heard from someone else. The truth is that NO combination of exercises will give you a six-pack. I really hate to tell you this, but exercises are not the key magical ingredient to rock-hard abs. Do you want to know what it is? Of course you do.

Well, let me start off by telling you a few things that are keeping you from having a six-pack. Try not to run away crying. These may shock you.

1. Health Food. That's what they call it, but in reality, most is actually cleverly disguised junk food that actually stimulates you to gain more belly fat. It's all about profits.

2. Crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines. They just don't do what you want them to. AND they can be dangerous.

3. Long, repetitive cardio exercise routines, including hours on the treadmill. It's boring and NOT the best way to lose body fat to uncover those six pack abs.

4. "Extreme fat burner" pills and other fad supplements. Just snake oil. Don't waste your money.

5. Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks... they're all a complete waste of your time and money. Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that "ab contraption"... they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies.

So, now you're asking, "Well, if all of these things DON'T work, what DOES?" Honest, hard work in the gym and well-thought out nutrition, that's what. Let's face it, getting fat, sick and out-of-shape is easy, and despite what late night TV may try to convince you, getting lean, healthy and conditioned requires a commitment to eat right and bust it out at the gym...and that's not easy. Deep inside, you know this to be true. Working out is difficult, that's why it's called, "working" out. Your body doesn't want to do more work than it has to. Your mind will play games to try to convince you that you don't need to work so hard. The "health industry" marketers know this and play to it.

You're being played? YES, YOU ARE! That doesn't make you feel very comfortable, does it? GOOD! Now you know it, DO something about it! Lay off of the popular 'healthy" junk food, get a sound nutrition plan, and get on an intelligently-created workout that will actually accomplish something, not just line someone's pockets.

Let The Rhino show you the right way to get that six pack! Give me a call at 951-283-9473 or stop into the studio at 4300 Green River Rd #114 in Corona. Leave me your email in the comments section below and I will send you a special report that I have compiled about getting that six-pack. Also, check us out at www.MeetTheRhino.com. Isn’t it time YOU met The Rhino?

About-Face Monday

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:10:46 GMT

Wow! What a difference a weekend makes! Is it possible that your workouts can take a 180 degree turn from Friday to Monday? It sure happened to me. Friday's workout was less than stellar, and today, for some reason, my workout was right up there with the top five of my career. Ok, maybe I'm being dramatic, but I really enjoyed working out today.

All of my weights went up, it seemed that I couldn't put enough weight on the bar. I got a great pump and didn't crash afterwards. It was awesome.

So what was different? What happened to cause this shift in the fitness continuum? I think I know. Since I started earnestly training for my competition, I have kept my starchy carbs very VERY low. I am cycling them day to day in a low-medium-none fashion. On Sunday, I decided to do a little loading. Now mind you, I have been "carb-depleted" for 5 out of 7 days of each week. So, I made some homemade Italian pasta sauce and boiled up some Dreamfield's low-carb pasta and had myself some dinner. I also threw in a chunk of Italian whole-clove garlic bread for good measure. And guess what? Monday morning, I woke up for the first time in weeks without a headache and raring to go. I actually couldn't wait until it was time to workout. I felt like my old Rhino self.

So my advice to you is simply this: if you're going to restrict your carbs, make sure of a couple of things. First, only restrict your starchy carbs; you need the carbs from fruits and veggies for energy. Second, cycle your carbs throughout the week. Have a low day followed by a medium day followed by a low day followed by a none day. And one day a week, preferably on Saturday or Sunday, load up a little on carbs. Don't go nuts, just bump it up a tad. I'm not talking about throwing all restraint out the window, just add in an extra carb or two. The no-carb days along with the low carb days will force your body into mild ketosis which will burn some fat, but the medium days will replenish your energy without sacrificing fat loss and keep your body out of starvation mode. And then the one carb-load day a week will really get you ready for the week ahead.

Follow this simple plan of carb juggling and watch how fast the fat melts away. Give me a call at 951-283-9473 or stop into the studio and let me set you up with a nutrition plan.

Leave me a comment below and let me know if you have used a similar regimen or if you have encountered anything like this before.

But....I don't FEEL like it!

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:10:46 GMT

I have to admit....I really didn't feel like working out today. I woke up extremely tired, grouchy and with a severe headache. One of those headaches that start at the back of your head and spreads over the top of your skull, wiping out all of your ambition along with your patience. I quit drinking coffee sometime ago, so I know I'm not going through withdrawals. However, I am on the "off-cycle" of my cutting supplements, so maybe that has something to do with it. Also, I am training for a competition, and yesterday was my “no carbs” day, so the grouchiness could be from that. Whatever it was, I knew I really didn't have the usual "go get 'em!" attitude I usually have before my workouts. My normal Rottweiler-sized killer instinct was now something more along the lines of a Chihuahua. I actually dreaded going to the gym today. Me…The Rhino. I’ll tell you, there wasn’t a whole lotta Rhino about me this morning.

I suppose you’re expecting to hear me tell you all about how I quit feeling sorry for myself, kicked my butt into gear and dragged it to the gym and everything was great, huh? All I needed was a little push and I got through the workout and felt so much better about myself. I’m glad I did it. And you should do that, too. That’s probably what you’re thinking I’ll tell you.

Sorry, I have bad news for you. Though I did drag my butt to the gym, it was seriously less than a celestial experience. The headache never quit and I barely made it through most of the exercises. I found myself wishing I was done when there were still 4 reps left. It was a bear. And you think I was grumpy when I left the house? You should have seen me after the workout. Not pleasant. There’s not a whole lot that burns my biscuits more than a lousy workout. I basically limped through the workout, complaining the entire way to myself about how badly my head was throbbing and how tired I was. What a poor excuse for an attitude!

So, what’s the “take-away” from all this? Got me. All I know is that I felt lousy and it was a crappy workout. Maybe the lesson to be learned here is that if you feel like crap, and don’t feel like working out, then don’t. No, that couldn’t be it. To be honest, most of the time when I do feel like crap, I workout and the smelly attitude goes away. But for some reason, not this time.

I think that what I really need to do is to look at my nutrition, sleeping habits and supplementation. The regimen I am on right now is by no means a cakewalk. In fact, there hasn’t been any cake for quite some time now, not to mention red meat, and it sucks. But I know that between running the gym and all of life’s other issues, I haven’t been sleeping a whole lot. And anyone who comes within three feet of me knows that my carb intake is down, and that’s not helping the attitude.

Has anyone out there gone through this? Have you had a day where the last thing in the world you wanted to do was hit the gym? How did you deal with it? How did it work out (no pun intended)? Let me know, I’m curious. None of us who are seriously trying to get into, or remain in, shape need those kind of days. How do we prevent them or get through them? Let me know. Comment here, I’m glad to hear from you.