Hoodia Gordonii Helps You Lose Weight
Hoodia gordonii looks like a cactus, but it’s actually a succulent from the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. Bushmen from the area have been using hoodia for centuries to help ward off hunger during long trips in the desert.
Hoodia is sold in capsule, liquid, or tea form in health food stores and on the Internet. Hoodia gordonii can be found in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola.
Hoodia grows in clumps of green upright stems and is actually a succulent, not a cactus. It takes about 5 years before hoodia’s pale purple flowers appear and the cactus can be harvested. Although there are 20 types of hoodia, only the hoodia gordonii variety is believed to contain the natural appetite suppressant.
Hoodia gordonii is entirely natural - it is not a drug. Pharmaceutical companies find it so promising, however, that they are trying to isolate the appetite-suppressing molecule, P57, to create a patented diet drug in the future.
In 2001 Phytopharm completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study in overweight, but otherwise healthy volunteers using the P57 extract from Hoodia gordonii.
The participants were split into two groups, one group received the P57 and the other received a placebo. Both groups were told to continue their normal diet and exercise. The results were as follows:
When comparing the P57 group to the Placebo group:
The P57 group had a statistically significant reduction in body fat.
The P57 group had a statistically significant reduction in caloric intake.
The P57 had no adverse side effects.
On average the P57 group ate about 1,000 calories a day less than those in the control group. To put that in perspective, the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories a day; a woman about 1,900.
There have not been any side effects reported from eating Hoodia or from taking the P-57 molecule. Remember, for thousands of years that Bushmen have eaten hoodia gordonii plants with no ill side effects.
How can P57 (and Hoodia Gordonii) really suppress appetite to such a great extent?
It is believed that Hoodia (and more specifically the p-57 in the hoodia) imitates the effect glucose has on nerve cells in the brain.
Basically, hoodia fools the brain into thinking it’s full when it’s not. So, your brain sends the signal that it is full and this cuts your urge to snack on unhealthy food. In fact, hoodia is more powerful than glucose in telling the brain that you are full.
If you’re on the Internet searching for hoodia, it’s almost impossible to know you’re buying the real deal. There are simply far too many con artists on the loose, and they know that people are desperate for hoodia. Everybody wants to lose weight, right?
But beware! If I were you, I wouldn’t buy from just anybody. It’s hard to know who to trust in this emerging, high-profit business. Anybody can throw powder into a capsule and claim it’s hoodia, but can they prove it?
There are two certified documents required to prove the authenticity of pure South African Hoodia. They are the C.I.T.E.S Certificate and the Analytical Report.
Ernest Uhanson (owner website HoodiaGordoniiPlus.biz HoodiaGordoniiPlus.biz) has an in-depth and long established background with the vitamins, herbal products and health industry and has researched and experimented with many diets over a thirty year period.
Why High Blood Cholesterol Levels are Dangerous
Cholesterol, like fat, cannot move around the bloodstream on its own because it does not mix with water. The bloodstream carries cholesterol in particles called lipoproteins that are like blood-borne cargo trucks delivering cholesterol to various body tissues to be used, stored or excreted. But too much of this circulating cholesterol can injure arteries, especially the coronary ones that supply the heart. This leads to accumulation of cholesterol-laden “plaque” in vessel linings, a condition called atherosclerosis.
When blood flow to the heart is impeded, the heart muscle becomes starved for oxygen, causing chest pain (angina). If a blood clot completely obstructs a coronary artery affected by atherosclerosis, a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or death can occur.
Are you at risk? Cardiovascular disease is still one of the greatest health problem affecting western countries. According to the American Heart Foundation, over 70 million Americans have cardiovascular disease (CVD). The national cost of is nearly $400 billion and every 45 seconds an American has a stoke.
Certain risk factors increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease.
Overweight
High blood cholesterol
Insufficient physical activity
High blood pressure
Smoking
Excessive alcohol intake
Diabetes
Many people have multiple risk factors for heart disease and the level of risk increases with the number of risk factors. By reducing these risk factors you can largely prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease. On its own elevated blood cholesterol is not necessarily a problem, but coupled with one or more other risk factors for heart disease, it is often the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
It is, therefore, very important to know what your cholesterol levels are and to keep them at a healthy level before you have any problems.
High risk cholesterol
If your total cholesterol level is 240 or more, it’s definitely high. You have a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. In fact, you should have your LDL and HDL cholesterol tested. Ask your doctor for advice. Close to 20 percent of the U.S. population has high blood cholesterol levels.
Borderline-high risk
People whose total cholesterol is 200 to 239 mg/dL have borderline-high cholesterol. About a third of American adults are in this group, while almost half of adults have total cholesterol levels below 200 mg/dL. In fact, people who have a total cholesterol of 240 mg/dL have twice the risk of coronary heart disease as people whose cholesterol level is 200 mg/dL.
Does physical activity affect cholesterol?
Other factors that affect blood cholesterol levels:
Heredity – High cholesterol often runs in families. Even though specific genetic causes have been identified in only a minority of cases, genes still play a role in influencing blood cholesterol levels. If your parents have high cholesterol, you need to be tested to see if your cholesterol levels are also elevated.
Age and gender – Before menopause, women tend to have total cholesterol levels lower than men at the same age. Cholesterol levels naturally rise as men and women age. Menopause is often associated with increases in LDL cholesterol in women.
Stress – Studies have not shown stress to be directly inked to cholesterol levels. But experts say that because people sometimes eat fatty foods to console themselves when under stress, this can cause higher blood cholesterol.
Excess weight – Being overweight tends to increase blood cholesterol levels. Losing weight has been shown to help lower levels. A greater risk of increased cholesterol levels occurs when that extra weight is centered in the abdominal region, as opposed to the legs or buttocks.
Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant whose business operates across 60 countries. Tons of recipes, articles, resources, free newsletter and more to help you lose weight and keep it off forever. Estimate your healthy body weight or receive a free weight loss consultation at weight-loss-health.com.au weight-loss-health.com.au
How To Floss Properly
We all want the perfect smile. Your smile says a lot about you. And so do your teeth. And so we do our best to take great care of our teeth. We brush twice a day. We use mouthwash to keep bacteria from forming on our gums. We even try to monitor our diet so that it will be “tooth friendly” and we don’t eat too much sugary when we’re unable to brush our teeth afterwards. But no matter how hard we brush our teeth- no matter how hard the bristles of our toothbrush are or how aggressive and diligent we are, tooth brushing alone will not clean between our teeth. Flossing is an essential part of proper dental hygiene. But how to do it? Maybe you’ve had bad experiences flossing and caused your gums to bleed. Maybe you never find anything between your teeth so you think it’s pointless. Well you’re wrong. It’s not pointless. It’s important! And so let’s discuss some of the proper techniques behind flossing properly.
Some dentists have suggested that if you were to toss our your tooth brush and floss properly, once or twice every day, you would achieve better dental health than brushing alone three, five or eight times a day. Learning the proper ways to floss takes time and patience. Some dentists will show you how to floss at your biannual check-up. Some dentists charge for flossing lessons. But you will find that it will be the best dental health expense you ever pay.
Your choice of dental floss is largely a personal one. There are two major options: waxed or weaved floss. Lightly waxed floss works for most people. But if you find that the floss shreds between your teeth, you may want to try a more waxed floss or weaved floss (or try a higher quality brand of lightly waxed floss). If you have difficulty threading the floss through your teeth, try a coated, or weaved, floss, such as Glide.
Let’s go through the process step-by-step.
1. Wind about 18” of floss around your two index or middle fingers, or thumbs. This will depend on which combination you find to be most comfortable and the easiest to maneuver.
2. Gently (and that’s the key!) guide the floss between teeth, removing plaque and debris by moving the floss up and down against each tooth.
3. When the floss reaches the gum line, curve it into a C-shape against one tooth and gently slide it into the space between the gum and tooth. Hold the floss tightly against the tooth.
4. Floss your back teeth in the same manner, using a fresh section of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.
5. Carefully avoid flossing the triangular part of your gums (the papilla) between your teeth.
6. Never snap the floss into your gums.
Some of you may complain that you are unable to get between certain teeth because they are so close together. Or maybe you have metal wires glued to your teeth in the form of braces or a permanent retainer. You may find that using floss “threaders” is an effective method of flossing. The threader allows you to “thread” the floss between teeth that are usually too tight to floss between.
If you just can’t bring yourself to floss regularly, try using Listerine or another antiseptic in addition to flossing. Most dentists agree that using Listerine daily will greatly improve the dental health of people who do not floss daily.
Dr. Stephen J. Matarazzo, DDS, is a leader in bostonsouthshoresmilecenter.com/ Qunicy cosmetic dentistry. Dr. Matarazzo is highly experienced in Smile Makeovers, Dental Implants and Sedation Dentistry. To get more information on how Dr. Matarazzo can give you a brilliant smile visit the bostonsouthshoresmilecenter.com/ South Shore Smile Center or call (617) 471-8882.
Dental Surgery–Taking a Closer Look
Dental surgery involves any type of surgery dealing with the teeth and gums-it can include extraction (pulling teeth,) gum procedures, root canals and cosmetic surgery. In order to be qualified and trained to perform this type of surgery a dentist must go beyond the accredited dental school training and state licensing to get more specialized coursework and then be certified by a professional board in their particular specialty-like dental surgery or orthodontics. If you are considering this type of surgery, whether for cosmetic or health reasons, you should have a basic understanding of the procedures and what is involved.
Extraction—this type of surgery involves removing one or more teeth root and all. This surgery usually can be performed by a general practice dentist. It is usually done when a tooth is dead or rotten-but it can also be done when a person has “extra” or supernumerary teeth, or to remove baby teeth so that permanent teeth can come in. Another common reason for this type of dental surgery is for wisdom teeth extraction. When the wisdom teeth are showing through the gums it is usually a simpler procedure than if they are still under the gums and pushing into other teeth (impacted.)
Gum Repair and Surgery—sometimes the gums become infected with a disease such gingivitis and must be cleaned and repaired with dental surgery. At times the gums even grow over the teeth and must be cut back.
Tooth Replacement—When a tooth is knocked out in an injury or accident, it is sometimes possible to replace the tooth. If you experience this type of accident, quickly put the tooth on ice or in a glass of cold milk and take it to your dentist or dental surgeon. If the root is still alive, you may be able to save your tooth with dental surgery. Any time you hit a tooth and it is loose, you should have it looked at by a dentist to make sure that there is no root damage.
Cosmetic surgery—this type of dental surgery can be performed to remove gaps in teeth or to change the gum line. Your dentist can tell you if surgery or orthodontics would be a better option.
Preparation for Bridges or Prosthetics—when you are preparing to get partial or full dentures or simply a bridge, you may need dental surgery to prepare your gums and mouth for the implants or dentures. You may need to have teeth removed or gums shaped to allow the dentures to fit properly.
Any time you need dental surgery you should try to find the dentist with the proper qualifications to perform the surgery. If it is an emergency, contact your general practice dentist first to see if they can do it or if they have recommendations. If you are going to have cosmetic surgery, you can look around to see what is available.
Eriani Doye writes articles on Health and Fitness. If you would like more information about davissurgery.com/ dental surgery visit davissurgery.com/ davissurgery.com
Your Guide To The Decongestant Actifed
Actifed is an over-the-counter medicine that works to relieve symptoms from allergies and colds in two ways. The antihistamine properties work to block the body’s production of the biochemical, histamine, which is triggered from allergic reactions to dust, dust mites, pollen, pet dander, trees and grasses.
Actifed also contains a decongestant which works by constricting the blood vessels, while opening up the respiratory and nasal functions. This twofold property of Actifed allows for most aspects of the common cold and allergy to be controlled for several hours at a time. The active ingredients in this drug go by the pharmaceutical names, triprolidine hydrochloride (antihistamine) and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (decongestant).
Some of the symptoms which can be relieved by Actifed include runny nose, sneezing, cough, nasal drip, sinus pressure and watery eyes. This medication is safe for ages as young as 6-years old as long as they have half of the 1 tablet dosage. For children under 6, a doctor’s recommendation is urged by the manufacturer. Each dose of Actifed Cold and Allergy will work from 4 to 6 hours. The makers claim that Actifed works very rapidly to relieve all symptoms of colds and allergies.
For those who are taking MAOI inhibitors, or who have taken them in the past 14 days, Actifed is not safe. Any sedative, or hypnotics can react adversely with this medication as well. People suffering from hypertension or severe coronary artery disease are also advised against this medication. Smaller doses should be used for those who are suffering from prostrate difficulties.
For nursing mothers, the pseudoephedrine and triprolidine ingredients can harm the baby because they can be excreted into breast milk. However, the FDA gives Actifed a category B rating which means that it is not thought to be harmful to pregnant women. Like most over-the-counter medications for allergy and cold relief, Actifed may cause drowsiness.
On the contrary, it may cause nervousness or excitability in children. As with most medications, Actifed also urges anyone who has a doubt about the medication’s compatibility with another drug they are taking, or about a physical condition they have, should immediately consult with their doctor before using.
The white pills are a biconvex shape and include the writing, “Actifed M2A” on the scored side. The bottle comes with 100 tablets. There are also boxes of the medicine which come with 12 or 24 in each. The company Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare created Actifed, however, Pfizer markets the brand now. They make several liquid and gel-cap formulas for cold, allergy, and decongestants.
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Bad Breath Out Of Nose : The Passage to Bad Breath
Did you ever think that your nose, not your mouth, could be
the cause of your bad breath? It’s true! For adults and
children, bad breath out of the nose is caused by sinus
problems, nasal congestion, allergies, the common cold and
other forms of congestion. To make matters worse,
over-the-counter antihistamines and cold medicine can dry
out your mouth. Add the dry mouth (a haven for bad breath
bacteria) with the mucus dripping from your nasal passages
and you have double trouble: bad breath out of the nose and
out of the mouth. As word of note to parents whose children
have bad breath out of the nose, make sure they have not
lodged a pea or other small food item in their nose. This
has been an odd ritual among children for ages.
When you’re sick you don’t care what your breath smells
like, but once you’re better, and back to work, your bad
breath will be in rare form, ready to offend anyone you
wish to talk to (or breathe near—remember the bad breath is
coming out the nose too!) To help you out, we’ve come up
with some chronic bad breath home remedies that will not
only make you feel better, but will get rid of conditions
that create bad breath out the nose, and make sure it
doesn’t develop in your throat or mouth either.
Chronic Bad Breath Home Remedy: Drink at least eight
glasses of water per day to keep your mouth moist. If you
have allergies, or are on allergy medication, your mouth
can easily dry out. Add lemon or lime to the water to help
cleanse your system.
Chronic Bad Breath Home Remedy: For a homemade vaporizer
treatment, boil a pot of water and add enough vinegar so
you can smell it. Turn off the heat and then lean over the
pot just enough to inhale the steam. The steam and vinegar
will cleanse your nasal passages and help get rid of bad
breath out the nose.
Chronic Bad Breath Home Remedy: Rinse your mouth with salt
or lemon water. This will cleanse your mouth and eliminate
bacteria.
Chronic Bad Breath Home Remedy: Eat parsley which
has natural cleansing properties. Also, add some apple
cider vinegar to your drinking water as this will cleanse
your digestive system.
If you have bad breath out the nose it is very important
that you do not ignore the problem. It will not go away
unless you do something to cure it. Secondly, remember to
drink plenty of water and stay away from coffee and tea as
they have the opposite affect. And lastly, bad breath out
the nose can be caused by a combination of situations such
as dry mouth, nasal congestion and medicines. If you feel a
cold or allergies coming on, the best defense against bad
breath is to have a clean, well brushed and flossed moist
mouth and to eliminate any bacteria that may lurk there.
Whozylee Aris has created a website on the topic of bad
breath. Find the real causes and cures for bad breath by
visiting bad-breath-resource.com bad-breath-resource.com. View this
article online at
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Depression and Suicide
It is estimated that each year more than thirty thousand people will commit suicide. Recent statistics indicate that in adolescents, it’s the third leading cause of death. Suicide is the second leading cause of college age deaths, and among children it ranks at sixth. These statistics are indeed a shocking revelation, but they are numbers which can be changed.
Most suicides are preceded by bouts of depression. If you or someone you know are having problems with depression or are having suicidal thoughts, then it is time to seek help immediately. By seeking the help of a professional therapist, depression can be treated and the suicidal thoughts can be eradicated. It is always important to listen to someone who tells you they are thinking of committing suicide. Even if you do not think the person is capable of taking their own life, they still need to be assessed by a mental health professional.
You can find mental health professionals in the yellow pages of your phone book who actually specialize in the assessment and treatment of potential suicides. They should be listed in the Mental Health section. If you cannot find any local listings, you can also call the Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-SUICIDE.
If you feel that you or the person affected is in immediate danger of hurting themselves, then you should head to the nearest hospital emergency room. A person contemplating suicide should never be left alone. Someone should be by their side until proper professional medical services are available.
Suicide is a truly desperate person’s attempt at ending some type of emotional or physical pain. The victim is usually not thinking clearly at the time, and seems unable to accept that there may be other ways to deal with or stop their pain. Most suicides don’t actually want to die, they just want the pain they are feeling to stop. Long term depression can make the victim feel worthless and that they have no other options at hand.
It’s impossible to go through life without encountering difficulties at least once in our lifetime, and we all will react differently to similar circumstances. There are telling signs which act as warning signals when someone may be considering taking their own life. People who have been in a prolonged state of depression are at greater risk for suicide. One such sign is the person actually tells you they are thinking about suicide. This may come about as a direct comment, or in a more subtle fashion, such as frequent discussions about death. Some may actually talk about suicide more than once and to more than just one person.
In some instances, the person will discuss suicide in hopes that someone will be able to help them overcome the difficulty they are currently facing. Always take it seriously when someone tells you they are thinking of committing suicide. Be prepared to sit and talk to the person and listen to what they have to say. Let that person know that you care about them and what they are going through, and that they are not alone. Let them know you are ready to help them get the help they need in whatever form in may be needed.
After you have given them time to talk to out their feelings, it’s time to get them the needed help. Let the person know you will contact whoever they need to talk to, such as a minister, doctor or even a counselor. If the person is overly distraught and seems to be in immediate danger, then take them to the hospital emergency room right away.
Getting past the initial suicide attack is not the end of treatment needed for those who contemplate suicide. Once the immediate threat of suicide has been eased, then it is time for the person to get treated for the deep depression which brought on the suicide attack. Getting rid of the depression will put the person back on track to full mental wellness, and insure they never think of suicide as an option again.
Disarm
Shoulder Pain: Rotator Cuff Injuries
The rotator cuff muscles hold the head of the long bone of your upper arm tightly in the socket of your shoulder. Sports that require moving the arm over the head repeatedly can cause tearing and swelling of the tendons of these muscles. Baseball pitchers, swimmers, weight lifters and tennis players often suffer this injury. Chronic irritation can cause pain, swelling and tearing of the rotator cuff. If you continue to exercise in spite of the pain, you will tear the tendons from their attachments.
Initially, pain occurs only when you hold your arm over your head and bring it down or forward forcibly. Later, it will hurt when the arm is moved forward for any reason, such as to shake hands. Usually, it hurts when you push things away and does not hurt when you pull objects toward you. A torn rotator cuff will cause tenderness over the tendons, especially when the elbow is raised above the shoulder. It will hurt when you pull your arm across your chest, and you will have difficulty raising your elbow over your shoulder. An arthrogram is often not sensitive enough to diagnose a partial tear of the rotator cuff but can show a complete tear.
The treatment is to avoid any motion that hurts and strengthen the uninjured shoulder muscles. Do weight-lifting exercises that bring the weights toward the body and do not hurt, such as upright rows and downward “lat pulls”. You may need surgery if the rotator cuff tendons are torn completely, or if the tendons do not heal within one year.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at drmirkin.com DrMirkin.com
drmirkin.com/email/newssign.asp Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition.
For other common injuries see my articles on * Elbow Pain: “Tennis Elbow” * A Pain in the Butt: Piriformis Syndrome * Heel Pain: Plantar Fasciitis * Ankle Pain: Achilles Tendinitis * Shin Splints * Stress Fractures
Stop Sweating - Does Your Kid Have A Sweating Problem?
Excessive sweating starts in junior high school—an awful time to have this problem. Scientists believe that excessive sweating is genetic; it’s passed on from parent to child. But even if YOU don’t have excessive sweat, your son or daughter might. Kids are self-conscious enough as it is, so they may be too embarrassed to seek help.
Even from mom and dad.
If your kid does have a sweating problem, it’s a good bet that she is doing everything she can to hide it. She will:
Take extra shirts to school
Always keep her hands at her sides
Sit in the back of class and avoid participating
Pay more attention to her sweating than to the teacher
Cut class if she is sweating is too bad
Wear oversized black clothes and jackets
Avoid parties, athletic events, and the prom
It’s hard to imagine how much sweat comes out of a kid with hyperhidrosis. Some kids sweat so much that their body is drenched in sweat. They get cold from all that sweat. It would be like wearing a sopping wet undershirt underneath a sweater.
When a kid works up the nerve to talk her parents, many parents don’t believe that something is wrong. “You’re not washing correctly,” mom might say. Or dad may just look at his kid like she’s a weirdo.
Kids at school may have found out and are taunting your son or daughter all day. When a kid finally tells someone, it’s usually because she can’t cope anymore.
Tips for kids
When you approach mom or dad, give them specific examples. Tell them what happens to you in school. Make a list of times and places when sweating prevented you from doing something fun or being successful. If you’re unsure about how your parents will react, get help from another trusted adult—teacher, coach, pastor, guidance counselor, brother, sister. Together, you can have a real conversation with your parents about what’s going on.
Excessive sweating is a real problem that often goes untreated in kids, because kids don’t have the means to seek treatment on their own. Parents, watch for warning signs; and if your kid approaches you, be sympathetic. Your kid has most likely been dealing with this for a long time without you knowing.
Kasey Truesdale suffers from excessive sweating. She is a member of the International Hyperhidrosis Society. She discovered stopsweatingstartlivingreview.com Stop Sweating Start Living and has been delighted with the results. Read her excellent review here stopsweatingstartlivingreview.com Stop Sweating Start Living.
The Importance of Exercise Performance
The other day, while I was finishing my workout, two veteran trainees, about 50-plus, approached me in the gym. These guys both had decent physiques, but they were not satisfied with their upper pec development. This, of course, is an all-too common problem with bodybuilders. The culprit is usually bad training techniques and poor exercise selection.
Dave, the older of the two, asked “Wade, my chest is droopy, and I’m getting a bit of pain in my shoulders when I bench, especially if I go heavy; but I want to get that development right along the collarbone. I have tried everything but I can’t figure out what I am doing wrong?”
Before I could answer, his workout partner chimed in; “I want to get more inner pec development as I have no chest separation.” Seeing that there was no escape from my two new eager pupils, I decided the best way to finish this would be, and to get to my nice suntan spot on the beach, was to help these guys out as fast as possible.
“Okay, I said. First, what are you currently doing for your exercise routine? How many sets, exercises, and what’s your rep-skies?”
Dave, the obvious leader of the two, said “We like to mix it up a bit, but mostly we start with four or five sets of bench press, then we move on to the bench machine for three or four sets, then we go to incline hammer bench, and we follow up with pec deck for about four sets of, usually higher rep ranges, in the 12 to 15 range. Lately though, my shoulder hurts when doing the benches. So, we have been doing a lot more machines, and sometimes we’ve been doing some declines. This seems to alleviate the shoulder problem.”
I said, “Show me your form on an exercise” and after demonstration, each with some big weights, I could quickly see their problems.
“First, your exercise form is way off, and second your exercise selection is definitely not going to help your problem. Which of these would you like to address first?”
Dave quipped, “Well, I think my form is pretty good, so I must be doing the wrong exercises.” I kept silent for now about the exercise form as I put together a quick-chest program to emphasize those hard-to-develop upper and inner pecs, dealing with both guys’ challenges.
“First thing is you need to use dumbbells a bit more in your workout. The problem with using barbells is that your prime movers have become too strong for your stabilizers; and this is putting your shoulder at a disadvantage. I suggest you use a pyramid system of warm-ups on the incline bench at an angle of about 30 degrees, definitely no more than 45. To start, I would use five to eight sets for five to eight reps on each side, on each week. Alternate incline barbell presses with incline dumbbell presses. I also suggest that the lower the rep range, the less sets on the exercises.”
“Why is that, Wade?”
“Well, the lower reps, in general, are more demanding on the nervous system and take longer to recover from. Incidentally, if you stick with incline bench, follow it up with incline dumbbells. By selecting exercises this way, half your chest workout is done in the same plane of motion.”
“What is the plane of motion?” asked Rick.
“The plane of motion is the line in which the bar travels, which is critical to overload the muscle in the weakest position. By doing so, this results in a stimulus that can cause the growth that we desire.”
“Wow! That sounds technical.”
“It is; but remember your workout should be as much mental as it is physical. We’ll address that area another time; but for now let’s get back to the incline bench.”
Seeing that I was getting through to my new eager students I kept going. “Now when you lower the weight down, be sure to keep the weight close to the chin, and stop the bar about one inch from the collarbone. Using only the pecs, pull your arms across your body as opposed to mindlessly pushing the weight. This makes all the difference in the world. The bar should finish right over the eyes. Only press three-quarters of the way up to keep the tension on the chest. Lock out only if you need to, i.e., in a high-rep set where you need more oxygen.”
“To keep it simple, I have a rule of thumb that I learned from my coach, over the eyes for benches and fly’s. Every time you complete a rep, the bar or the dumbbells should be over the top of your eyes. This helps to keep the tension on the pecs and off the deltoids and triceps. Here, why don’t you guys give it a try?”
Dave jumped in. I cautioned him to reduce the weight to about 70 percent of his normal, to start. I spotted him while Rick watched carefully. The first rep, he bounced the weight off the mid chest line. I said, “No, keep the movement closer to the chin, and keep the bar off the chest.” On the second rep, he managed to keep the bar off the chest, but finished the weight well away from over his eyes. As a matter-of-fact, it was over the chest line.
“Better, but you need to finish over the eyes”; shouted Rick, gleefully. He was thoroughly enjoying his training partner getting schooled by someone else, especially someone almost half his age.
Dave quickly hit the next five reps with almost perfect form. He then racked the weight, on the next set he reduced the load a bit, and then ripped off eight reps with almost perfect form. “Just a bit too much lock out.” I coached quietly. Rick quickly went back to the racks and executed eight reps with flawless form. The two went back and forth and finished up four sets before he went on to do dumbbell incline presses.
I demonstrated on dumbbell presses how to keep the forearms perpendicular to the floor at the bottom of the movement, and to arc the weights properly through the range of motion and keeping the dumbbells over the eyes of course, through the movement.
"Wow", Rick said, "My chest if really pumped up to the max." Dave said, "Yeah, and I haven’t felt any shoulder pain even though we’ve done three sets of this exercise plus four on the one before." We then moved on to flat bench dumbbell blocks.
I repeated a line I have said a million times, "Most people use way too much weight with poor form, resulting in big front belts and no pecs." Once again, I showed them how to keep the dumbbells over the eyes and not to overstretch the chest at the bottom. After reducing the weight by 50 percent from their normal working weight, they got the hang of it.
"Make sure to squeeze the pecs hard on each rep.", I said.
Dave exclaimed, "Man, it’s half the weight but I have never felt contractions like this doing flyes."
Rick quickly piped up, "That’s because you use too much weight."
I had to chuckle. Yeah, we all fall victim of a little ego training every now and then, but remember, concentration is the biggest factor in training, not the weight used.
Dave said, "Yeah. I’m really seeing that I wasted a lot of years in the gym getting into the weight thing."
Before I escaped, Rick quickly said, "Hey! One more thing, what about the inner pec lines?"
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I glanced out the window and watched as a few clouds started to roll in, covering up that beautiful sunshiny sky. It looks like my day at the beach is disappearing like the sun behind those clouds. Oh well. I headed over to the cable crossovers.
"You know, almost never have I ever seen anyone doing this exercise properly for maximum chest development. But I’m going to show you guys a few tricks I learned that will have those inner pecs totally separated in no time." I grabbed the cables, moved to the center of the machine and stepped back one good pace. Both guys looked almost shocked.
I stated, "You know, anatomy shows us that the pecs not only move the arms across the body, but it also pulls the arms towards the body. By stepping back from the machine, I’m forced to pull the cables toward me as well as down. This puts a lot of tension right on the inner pecs, right where we want it." I also cautioned, "The secret is to only lean over a bit. Don’t bend over as that activates the deltoids."
Rick eagerly grabbed the cables on the next try and within a few reps he had the hang of it. Dave asked, "How fast do we do these reps?"
I stated, "Perform them slowly with moderate weights. I always felt going a little lighter I can get a better contraction through the pecs as opposed to slinging heavy weights and blowing out my shoulder joints. I also keep my reps on this exercise on the higher side as it’s more of a finishing exercise. And if you work the muscles properly through the beginning workout, these are a great pumper". After three sets each of 15, both guys’ chests were inflated like mini-zeppelins.
"Only one more things guys before you go." Seeing that they had almost used up an hour of my time and they were about to head out of the gym, I thought I would like to return the favor for leaving me late for my break time. "Make sure you stretch after every workout for at least five to ten minutes."
“First thing you do is to grab a door casing or a big bar over your head and stretch the pecs by placing the hand above your head and stepping forward. Repeat this three times each side for about 30 seconds. You can also face a corner with the elbows against the wall, kind of like in a pec deck fly, and again you step forward getting a nice stretch on the pecs. One other thing you can do, if you have a partner to work with, as you guys you guys do, is sitting on a bench and have your partner pull your arms backwards while holding onto your elbows. Be sure to place a knee firmly at the back to keep from pulling your partner over and don’t over-stretch. I demonstrated the movements.
"Wow that feels great", said Dave.
Rick exclaimed, "I think I’m even more pumped after the stretching."
"Well that’s because stretching reduces lactic acid by flooding the stretched muscle with lots of blood and nutrients to recover, so recovery starts immediately. This also keeps you nice and flexible so you don’t walk around with tight rounded shoulders like a gorilla." We all laughed.
"Okay guys, I’ve really got to run. We only covered a little bit today, because for a complete program, you need to alternate volume, rep ranges and exercises from week to week. I have most of my students follow a specific four-week pattern for approximately 12 to 20 weeks, where we mix up the exercise sequence and the volume as well as the rep ranges. This way we can get the most complete chest development and the fastest results possible.”
"Hey, thanks Wade, for the tips."
"No problem guys, any time."
I left the gym before another impromptu lesson could start.
Ahhh, the life of a trainer.
freakybignatural.com Wade McNutt is a Natural National Bodybuilding Champion and an IFBB Mr. Universe World Champion. He combined the secrets of Eastern Yoga Masters with, scientific, muscle building to produce a revolutionary new health system, called Freaky Big Naturally, find out more at freakybignatural.com freakybignatural.com
