In most cases, athletes and lay people alike consume more fat than is required. From an athletic standpoint, it may be that fat intake is not of dire concern if carbohydrate needs are met and adequate glycogen stores are maintained. Furthermore, the energy that can be derived from triglycerides in stored adipose tissue is sufficient for nearly interminable periods of moderately intense exercise. For the most part, therefore, as long as carbohydrate and protein ratios are met, athletes should allow fats to make up the remaining percentage. For example, because carbohydrates will typically make up roughly 60% of total calories and protein, 15-20%, fats would comprise the aforementioned 20-25% of total energy.

Although ample amounts of energy are stored as fat, the relative contribution of fat to energy production is limited by the delay in which it can be mobilized and ultimately oxidized. In the case of high-intensity exercise, this delay is increased and fat oxidation can eventually become unattainable. That is, as exercise intensity increases, the contribution of fat towards energy production decreases. Because low-intensity training uses a greater percentage of fat than does high-intensity exercise, it would appear that fat intake is a significant concern for endurance athletes. However, many endurance competitors can maintain an exercise intensity level that still derives a majority of energy from glycogen, thus reducing the importance of fats. Even in the occurrence of ultra-endurance events (i.e., triathlons, ultra marathons), in which fat metabolism increases in significance, the near endless supply of stored fats makes the need for further supplementation unnecessary.

The significance of proper fat intake for the high­intensity sporting athlete is found in the fact that fatty acids are continually oxidized to provide energy for muscular function, although the contribution of fat is minimal during exercise itself. For this athlete, it is between repeated high-intensity exercise bouts when benefits are derived from fat oxidation and adequate intake. For example, the enormous caloric expenditure that results from repeated sprints means that increased fat will be oxidized at rest and during low-intensity phases of training. Although performance benefits are doubtful following fat supplementation, inadequate fat intake (less than 15-20% of total calories) has the potential to hinder performance. Such is the case for both endurance and high-intensity athletes.

Those individuals who are severely limiting fat intake (less than 10% of calories) run the risk of becoming deficient in essential fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid. This may jeopardize health in the long-term, especially because this practice may also cause deficiencies in fat­soluble vitamins. Many athletes and exercise enthusiasts restrict fat intake for physique-related reasons, and this practice is also discouraged, given that total calories are much more significant in reaching body composition goals. Severely restricting fat intake, has the potential to limit subsequent fat mobilization and oxidation. Of course, this is highly undesirable for those individuals who want to lose fat.

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Usual Outcome: Giving up on dreams before getting properly started

The Road to Success: Finding your true motivation

So why do you want things to be different? What is your motivation for embarking on your new fitness regime? It had better be good because it has got to sustain you during the coming months and keep you on track. Do you know where to get motivation from and how to find it when you need it most?

Motivation isn’t something you can hold in your hands, it is not tangible. It is not even the same for everyone. But one thing you can be sure of, you are going to need it if you are to make the changes necessary to reach your fitness goals. So how do we get motivated?

To give yourself the best chance of success, you must decide what you really, really want. True motivation doesn’t come from deciding what you could do, or what you should do, or what someone else thinks would be good for you, but from what you really want to do.

Think about it now. What are the three things you really want to achieve with your fitness? What are the things you would really regret if you did not make them happen? If you were to broadcast to the world in six months’ time, what would you want to tell them you had achieved with your fitness between now and then? Now let’s look a little more closely at the priorities to ensure they are the right goals to be striving for, and to give you the best possible chance of success.

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During intense exercise, there is a net breakdown of body protein as well as an increase in the catabolic hormones adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol. ACTH is released by the pituitary gland in response to the fiber damage caused by intense exercise. This increase in ACTH ignites a release of cortisol to help suppress inflammation and trigger the release or breakdown of muscle to amino acids for post-exercise protein synthesis. Though cortisol might assist in the provision of fuel, it also has catabolic properties that may delay recuperation after intense exercise.

Overall, protein synthesis increases in response to insulin, growth hormone, testosterone, and adequate amounts of amino acids, but decreases in response to cortisol, glucocorticoids, glucagon, exercise, and inadequate amount of amino acids Because insulin and growth hormone playa dominant role in everyday protein metabolism, it seems essential to provide an environment for recuperation that promotes either or both of these hormones following exercise. Despite the carbohydrate paranoia that sometimes exists in the world of strength development, a combination of carbohydrate and protein supplementation immediately after intense exercise significantly increases plasma insulin and growth hormone levels and helps to draw the body back into an anabolic state necessary for protein synthesis. Although the direct actions of growth hormone are not fully understood, it is believed that growth hormone facilitates protein synthesis by increasing amino acid transport through plasma membranes, stimulating RNA formation, or activating cellular ribosomes, both of which increase protein synthesis. Insulin acts by inhibiting protein breakdown. Both hormones are essential for skeletal muscle protein accretion.

Following high-intensity exercise, the body begins to replenish blood glucose and muscle and liver glycogen stores. In addition, the body commences the healing of muscle tissue that is damaged or injured during training. To accomplish this, the timing of carbohydrate and protein intake is extremely important. Some have posited that it is the consumption of these macro nutrients immediately following exercise that leads to increased rates of muscle glycogen resynthesis and an augmentation of net muscle protein accretion. Ultimately, this would result in a more rapid recovery, thus allowing an athlete to return to his or her training.

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In recent years, both athletes and fitness enthusiasts have benefited from the significant advancements made in sports nutrition. In fact, sports nutrition has become one of the most heavily researched areas of nutrition, and as a result, many concepts are currently being re-examined. Now, it is common for nutritionists to endorse increasing protein intake beyond the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for those involved in many fitness endeavors, and it is also readily accepted that poor nutrition is a primary contributor to overtraining. At the same time, preliminary research, and frequently misinterpreted research, has provided the impetus for recommendations that are often incorrect, unsubstantiated, and even detrimental to health or sports performance.

To make educated recommendations regarding nutritional choices, the basics of energy intake and expenditure must be examined. Instrumental to these calculations is the importance of the proper consumption of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats as they relate to athletic enhancement. Finally, energy intake as it pertains to body composition goals, such as fat loss or increasing lean body mass, will also be outlined.

Some More Facts

Regardless of the method used to determine caloric intake, factors such as weight and body composition management/improvement,optical amplifierдивани achievement of desired performance, and realization of subjective goals ultimately establish an appropriate diet. However, if one is unable to fulfill the preceding factors, he/she will need to modify his/her diet or use appropriate supplementation. Knowledge of sports supplements is imperative, as is a detailed understanding of nutritional concepts in the pursuit of achieving dietary success.

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Plantar Fasciitis Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia, a broad band of dense, inelastic tissue (fascia) that runs from the heel to the toe on the bottom of your foot. The main function of the plantar fascia is to protect the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles of the foot from injury. The repetitive, weight-bearing fitness activities such as walking and running, the plantar fascia may become inflamed Common symptoms of this condition are pain and tenderness under the ball of the foot, at the heel, or at both locations. The pain of plantar fasciitis is particularly noticeable during your first steps out of bed in the morning. If not treated properly, this injury may progress in severity to the point that weight-bearing exercise is too painful to endure. Uphill running is not advised for anyone suffering from this condition, since each uphill stride stretches(and thus irritates) the already inflamed plantar fascia. This injury can often be prevented by regularly stretching the plantar fascia prior to exercise and by athletic shoes with good arch support and shock absorbency.
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Shin Splints A general term for any pain that occurs below the knee and above the ankle is shin splints. More than 20 different medical conditions have been identified within the broad description of shin splints. Problems range from stress fractures of the tibia(shinbone) to severe int1ammation in the muscular compartments of the lower leg, which can imerrupt the t10w of blood and nerve supply to the foot. The most common type of shin splints occurs along the inner side of the tibia and is usu ­ ally a combination of a muscle irritation and irritation of the tissues that attach tIle muscles to the bone in this region. Typically, there is pain and swelling along the middle one-third of the posteromedial tibia in the soft tissues, not the bone.

Sedentary people who start a new weight-bearing exercise program are at the greatest risk for shin splints, though well­ conditioned aerobic exercisers who rapidly increase their distance or pace may also develop shin splints. Running is the most frequent cause of shin splints, but those who do a great deal of walking(e.g., mail carriers, waitresses) may also develop this injury.

To help prevent shin splints, wear athletic shoes that have good arch support and shock absorbency. If the severity of this lower-leg condition increases to the point that you cannot comfortably complete your desired fitness activity, see your physician.

Runner’s Knee An overuse condition known as runner’s knee describes a series of problems involving the muscles, tendons, and ligaments about the knee. The most common problem identified as runner’s knee is abnormal movement of the patella(kneecap). Women are more commonly affected by this condition than are men because their wider pelvis makes abnormal lateral pull on the patella by the muscles that act at the knee more likely. In women(and some men). this causes irritation to the cartilage on the back side of the patella as well as to the nearby tendons and ligaments.

The main symptom of this kind of runner’s knee is the pain experienced when downward pressure is applied to the patella after the knee is straightened fully. Additional symptoms may include swelling, redness, and tenderness around the patella, and a dull, aching pain felt in the center of the knee. If you have these symptoms in your knee, your physician will probably recommend that you stop running for a few weeks and reduce daily activities that put compressive forces on the patella until you no longer have any pain around your kneecap.

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Animal Studies

Oral or intravenous administration of yohimbine in dogs has resulted in a significant elevation in plasma free fatty acids and an increase in sympathetic nervous system activity. Norepinephrine was significantly elevated following yohimbine administration. Furthermore, chronic oral administration resulted in a reduction in body weight and in food intake, suggesting that alpha2­antagonists may influence satiety. The lipolytic effect of yohimbine may result either from a direct action of yohimbine or from an activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

Human Studies

The interplay of beta-receptors and alphaTreceptors regulates the lipolytic response of adipose tissue to the catecholamines. A supplement which would inhibit the alpha2-receptors would theoretically increase the action of catecholamines on lipolysis. Yohimbine has been shown to effectively increase lipolysis.

An abundance of studies have been done investigating the lipolytic action of yohimbine in humans. In vitro studies using human adipocytes have indicated stimulatory effects of yohimbine on lipolysis when catecholamines are present.

Oral administration of yohimbine to humans has been shown to significantly elevate plasma glycerol and free­fatty acids. Furthermore, the effect of yohimbine was further enhanced during physical exercise when the levels of catecholamines are further elevated. Yohimbine also appears to stimulate norepinephrine levels by increasing sympathetic nerve activity.

When yohimbine was administered during a low­energy diet, patients lost significantly more weight than patients receiving a placebo Energy expenditure did not decline in the patients consuming yohimbine, while the placebo group experienced a 15% reduction in energy expenditure.

Safety and Toxicity

Alpharreceptors are present in a number of tissues including heart, arteries, lung, and adipose tissue. Therefore, yohimbine could react with any of these receptors and influence those tissues. However, both animal and human studies indicate that cardiovascular changes are either nonexistent or minimal following yohimbine administration.

Some side effects associated with yohimbine include feelings of panic, clumsiness, and confusion. There have also been reports of chills, nausea, and tremors. The prescription form of yohimbine is normally prescribed for impotence problems; therefore, individuals may experience heightened sexual arousal. Furthermore, there have been reports of mood disturbances and anxiety.

Another concern regarding yohimbe is the purity of the dietary supplement. Yohimbine is the major alkaloid of the plant and the active ingredient. The bark of the tree has been reported to contain 6% total alkaloids, 10-15% of which are yohimbine. Most dietary supplements have been standardized to 3% yohimbine. Therefore, a 100-mg dose of yohimbe will contain only 3 mg of yohimbine. In research studies, yohimbine is usually administered at a dose of about 0.2 mg/kg of body weight.

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Supplements are designed to promote fat loss. The term fat loss will be used rather than weight loss because the latter term does not differentiate between muscle mass and fat mass. Supplements designed to promote fat loss can function on one of a number of different principles. These principles as well as the most commonly used fat loss supplements.

Over the last 20 years, there has been about a 10% increase in the prevalence of overweight individuals. Furthermore, one in five adolescents are considered obese, which is a 45% increase Because of societal pressures, it seems that everyone has used or at least has thought of using a fat loss product at one time or another. This includes adolescents as well as older adults. Just because these supplements are sold in health food and vitamin stores does not guarantee their safety. Some of these supplements may have cross-reactivity with some prescription medications and alcoholic beverages.
Increase in Fat Oxidation

Several factors are involved in the use of lipids as fuel. For muscles to oxidize fatty acids, fat (triacylglycerol) must first be mobilized from the adipose tissue. This is referred to as lipolysis. Once the free fatty acids are lysed and released from adipose tissue, they must be transported by albumin in the blood to the muscle, where uptake occurs via a specific transporter protein called the fatty acid binding protein (FABP) When the free fatty acid (FFA) enters the muscle it is activated, after which the activated fatty acid is transported into the mitochondria where Beeta-oxidation occurs.

Theoretically, an increase in fatty acid oxidation could be achieved at anyone of seven sites. However, the mobilization of free fatty acids from the adipose tissue appears to be the best site because the uptake of FFA by the muscle is dependent on the arterial blood concentration of FFA. The more FFA released by the adipose tissue, the higher the concentration of FFA in the circulation. Therefore, any product that increases lipolysis should increase fatty acid oxidation at the muscle.
Mechanism of Action for Fat Loss Supplements

Supplements marketed to promote fat loss can theoretically function on one of a number of principles, from increasing adipose tissue lipolysis or fat breakdown, to suppressing the appetite or the desire for food to reducing the amount of fat absorbed from food during the digestive process. To better understand how fat loss supplements function, their potential mechanisms of action should first be understood.

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Remember that resistance training exercises cause microscopic damage(tears) to muscle fibers, and the rebuilding process that increases the size and capacity of the muscle takes about 2.4 to 48 hours. Thus resistance training exercise programs should include at least one day of rest and recovery between workouts before overloading the same muscles again.

Resistance Training Program Guidelines

• Resistance training should be an integral part of an adult fitness program and of sufficient intensity to enhance strength, muscular endurance, and maintain fat-free mass(FFM).

• Resistance training should be progressive in nature, individualized, and provide a stimulus(overload) to all major muscle groups in the body

• One set of 8 to 10 different resistance exercises that condition the major muscle groups 2. to 3 days per week is recommended.

• Most healthy individuals should complete one set of 8 to 12 repetitions for each selected exercise; for older(50 to 60 years of age and above) and more frail persons, one set of 10 to 15 repetitions may be more appropriate.

• The goal of this type of resistance training program is to develop and maintain a significant amount of muscle mass, endurance, and strength to contribute to overall fitness and health throughout the life span.

• If sufficient time is available, multiple-set resistance exercise regimens using heavier weights and fewer repetitions will result in greater strength gains and fitness benefits.

Ballistic stretching Techniques that employ the repetitive, rapid stretching of muscles with no holding or the stretch at a terminal position; not recommended because of the risk of injury to muscle and/or tendon

Muscular strength The amount of force that a muscle is capable of exerting.

One repetition maximum(1 RM) The amount of weight/resistance that can be lifted/moved one time, but not twice; a common measure of strength.

Muscular endurance A muscle’s ability to exert force repeatedly without fatiguing

Resistance exercise program A regular program of exercises designed to improve muscular strength and endurance in the major muscle groups.

Hypertrophy Increased size(girth) of a muscle.

What Do You Think?

What types of resistance equipment can you currently access? Based on what you’ve read, what specific actions can you take to increase your muscular strength? Muscular endurance? How would you measure your improvement?

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Principles of Strength Development

There are three key principles to understand if you intend to maximize muscular strength and endurance benefits from your resistance exercise program. Unless you follow these principles, you are likely to be disappointed in the results of your program.

• The Tension Principle The key to developing strength is to create tension within a muscle. The more tension you can create in a muscle, the greater your strength gain will be. The most common recreational way to create tension in a muscle is by lifting weights. While weight lifting is one method of producing tension in a muscle, any activity that creates muscle tension-for example, riding a bike up a hill-will result in greater strength.

• The Overload Principle The overload principle is the most important of the three key principles for improving muscular strength. Everyone begins a resistance training program with an initial level of strength. To increase that level of strength, you must regularly create a degree of tension in your muscles that is greater than they are accustomed to. This overloading of your muscles will cause your muscles to adapt to the new level of overload. As your muscles respond to a regular program of overloading by getting larger(hyper trophy), they become capable of generating more tension.

Some women avoid resistance exercise because they fear that they’ll develop large “bulky” muscles, while others are frustrated because their weight-lifting efforts in the gym don’t produce the same results as in their male friends. The main reason for this difference is the hormone testosterone. Before puberty, testosterone levels in blood are similar for both boys and girls. During adolescence, testosterone in men increase about tenfold to its adult level; testosterone in women remains at prepubertal levels throughout adulthood. Women’s muscles will hypertrophy from regular exercise but typically not to the same degree as in adult males. The difference in maximum attainable hypertrophy between men and women is not currently known.

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The body may also produce its own satiety chemical or hormone that suppresses the appetite. The Set-Point Theory suggests that fat cells prefer to maintain a certain size. When there is a reduction in the size of the adipocyte due to dieting, a signal is sent to the hypothalamus resulting in an increase in appetite. As the fat cell regains its size, another signal is sent to the hypothalamus, which instructs the hypothalamus to reduce or stop the desire to eat.

The maintenance of a perfect body weight is a survival mechanism for higher organisms including mammals. Furthermore, the maintenance of body weight requires both the maintenance of energy and nutrient balance. This means that the diet must contain both adequate amounts of calories, macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein, and fat), and micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals).

Research using rodents may have discovered the signal for the Set-Point Theory. The signal is called leptin, and it appears to have a dual role, it decreases food intake and increases energy expenditure resulting in an increase in fat oxidation. When rats are bred to be deficient in this hormone, it causes them to overeat and become obese. When this hormone is administered to rats, it causes them to stop eating and increases fat oxidation, resulting in fat loss but not a loss in lean tissue (i.e., muscle). However, human research indicates that the hormone is not the problem, but rather the transporter. Obese individuals appear to develop a resistance to leptin that is similar to insulin resistance. Therefore, it may be impractical to expect leptin administration to humans to be a viable means of controlling obesity. If the transporters are already saturated or downregulated from excessive endogenous leptin, it does not make sense to provide more. Therefore, research has begun to focus on the leptin transporter and binding site in hopes of discovering the post-binding signaling cascade and any potential defects in this system. Leptin research is interesting and may one day provide a drug to control obesity, but this probably won’t happen for many years. For more information on leptin, read the excellent reviews by Hwang et al. and by requier and Tappy. Although several mechanisms could be used as a target for fat loss, most of the dietary supplements targeted as a fat loss agent do not have scientific research to support their claims.

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