Archive for the ‘Research’ Category
Friday, October 7th, 2011
OK, so the triceps kickbacks are not the king of all triceps exercises, but in a recent study performed by the American Council of Exercise (ACE), triceps kickbacks are ranked 2nd, tied with dips. The very best triceps exercise is the diamond push up.
Don’t underestimate this study just because I grabbed your attention by starting with kickbacks. The study also used legit exercises like close grip bench, dips, and various push downs and extensions. See the table below, and then I’ll explain.
|
Table 1
Average EMG of the Entire Movement (Concentric and Eccentric)
|
Triceps Exercise
|
Combined Means |
Long Head |
Lateral Head |
| Triangle Push-up |
100 |
100 |
100 |
Kickbacks
|
87 ± 26.58 |
88 ± 33.0 |
87 ± 23.7 |
Dips
|
87 ± 19.87 |
87 ± 21.3 |
88 ± 20.0 |
| Overhead Triceps Extensions |
76 ± 16.09 * |
81 ± 21.4 * |
72 ± 16.5 * |
| Rope Pushdowns |
74 ± 22.64 * |
81 ± 32.3 * |
67 ± 15.7 *† |
| Bar Pushdowns |
67 ± 20.48 * |
75 ± 29.3 * |
59 ± 14.3 *† |
| Lying Barbell Triceps Extensions |
62 ± 16.25 * |
70 ± 20.9 * |
55 ± 14.1 *† |
| Close Grip Bench Press |
62 ± 15.88 * |
61 ± 16.9 * |
63 ± 15.5 * |
* Significantly lower than the Triangle Push-up (p < 0.05)
† Significantly lower than the Long Head (p < 0.05)
(more…)
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Posted in Best Exercises, Fitness Tips, Research, Weight Training | 9 Comments »
Friday, September 16th, 2011
If you drink milk, and you’re not a hard-gainer trying to pack on muscle mass, your milk should be low fat – skim or 1%. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said recently that nearly 73% of kids and teenagers consume milk, which is good, but then only around 20% of them tend to consume the low-fat variety. In fact, about 45% of them choose reduced-fat milk (2 percent), while 32% claim to regularly consume whole-fat milk.
I’ve been complaining about this for years, and I’m glad someone is finally echoing my sentiments. For babies and toddlers I can see using whole or 2% milk, because they need a ton of good nutrition to grow up strong. However, I have always believed that kids in pre-k, k, and elementary school should switch to 1% or skim milk. There really is no need to add extra milk fat into a child’s diet, not when American kids are clearly, on average, the most obese children in the world.
Researchers and experts collectively agree that the low consumption of low-fat milk implies that most kids and teenagers don’t live by the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics, who state that kids ages 2 and older should drink low-fat milk. Recent efforts by both First Lady Michelle Obama, and the Surgeon General promote the consumption of low-fat milk and water over sweetened beverages. Adhering to these suggestions will help you and your child avoid dangerous conditions such as obesity and diabetes.
(more…)
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Tags: children, dairy, Diet, food, Kids, Medical, milk, nutrition, obesity
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, Kids, Research | 1 Comment »
Friday, September 2nd, 2011
The prevalence of stroke victims in the US has increased in recent years. A study analyzed the history of over 8 million hospital patients from 1995 to 2008 has identified a 33% increased risk of suffering from a stroke if you are between the ages of 5 and 44.
Strokes Caused by Blood Clots
Contributing factors were found to be diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), blood lipid disorders, tobacco use, and obesity. People with one or more of those factors have a greater chance of developing an ischemic stroke, which is caused by blood clots. High blood pressure was reported in 50% of the stroke victims, and being male and over the age of 35 puts you at an even greater risk than anyone else. Great!
(more…)
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Tags: aneurysm, blood clot, brain, health, healthy, high blood pressure, hypertension, Medical, Research, stem cells, stroke
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Medical, Research | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
Foods that claim to be gluten-free are not always gluten-free. Many of those foods actually have enough gluten to cause gastrointestinal distress in those who are intolerant to wheat protein, also known as celiac disease. Gluten is actually defined as the protein contained in wheat, barley, rye, and other similar grains.
How can food manufacturers get away with this? It’s actually not entirely their fault, as there has never been an established US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation to define just how much gluten can be in gluten-free foods.
What is the Standard for Gluten-Free?
As of this writing, manufacturers can decide how much gluten they put in their gluten-free foods. However, the FDA is now planning to push through a standard for gluten-free food, that manufacturers will be required to meet before they can put gluten-free labels on their packaging.
The Feds are proposing that gluten-free food – usually wheat products like cookies, cakes, and breads – should contain no more than 20 parts per million of gluten. At those levels lab tests are unable to detect the presence of gluten, thus meeting the label claim of “gluten-free”.
(more…)
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Tags: barley, celiac, Diet, disease, food, gluten, gluten-free, intestines, Medical, nutrition, Research, rye, wheat, wheat protein
Posted in Diet, Medical, News of the Day, Research | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
A study by Canadian researchers has deflated the hopes of lifetime bachelors every where. 4400 subjects; some single, some married, some widowed; participated in the study, so it is seems pretty legit. The researchers determined that the married men are officially healthier than single men. Why?
When asked why, male participants in the study gave credit to their wives. Wives are really good at reminding us about doctor appointments, making sure we take medicine, resting when we are exhausted, getting medical help when we are hurt, and don’t forget that sex is a major anti-stress technique.
Faster Emergency Medical Treatment
On average, married men who are victims of a sudden heart attack, arrive at the hospital 30 minutes quicker than their single counterparts. Not only can that fact explain why men are healthier, it could explain why married men have a longer lifespan than bachelors. A 30 minute delay in treatment for a heart attack, quite often means the difference between life and death.
Interestingly, the wives don’t even have to be present to elicit this caregiving effect. Some study participants noted that even if their wives were not present, they would hear the female voice of reason telling them to seek medical attention immediately.
It is unfortunate to note that there is no difference in the time it takes women to get to the hospital, whether they are married or not. Come on guys! Pick up the slack!
Women Will Find the Answers
Wives also ask lots of questions. You would know this if you ever got ‘lost’ on a road trip with a female. Married women reportedly ask their own doctors for advice on behalf of their husbands. After all, isn’t pretty much every wife also a nurse? You kind of have to be a nurse when you have a pack of young children and one really big really hairy ‘kid’ to take care of on a daily basis.
This post is an excuse to post a picture of a super sexy wedding dress (yes, obviously it is the dress that is sexy), which you can see at the top of the page. But I also want to take a moment to say, “Thanks!” to all the wives out there who remind us that good health is sometimes more than benching and squatting triple bodyweight.
Resources:
Effect of marriage on duration of chest pain associated with acute myocardial infarction before seeking care
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Tags: bachelor life, bachelorhood, bachelors, health, Healthy Lifestyle, marriage, married, men, wife, wives, women
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, News of the Day, Research | 5 Comments »
Sunday, May 15th, 2011
I get plenty of questions in various comments throughout the website, but I also get comments and questions via the Project Swole Contact Form.
Generally I address those questions through e-mail, but often I do not have the time to reply to each and every question personally.
From now on I want to take a more proactive approach to answering Your Health Questions by posting them separately in the blog. This way we can be sure that everyone benefits from the Q & A.
Hayden Gray wrote:
“HAHA! Diet soda in plastic can decrease testosterone levels? HAHAHA!
Because of what the plastic is made out of? Oh, so if i drink water out of plastic my testosterone levels will drop. Most stupid thing ive ever heard. And if you think you’re right, where is the scientific evidence?”
Response:
Keep in mind that it’s pretty easy to avoid diet soda in plastic containers, simply by drinking is out of a can or glass. Regarding the safety of plastic containers, I have this to say:
Some people do agree with you about plastic containers, but facts are facts – using plastic containers will increase your estrogen levels thanks to Xenoestrogens such as PCB, BPA and Phthalates. The also reportedly decrease testosterone, specifically in young kids and pregnant mothers.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326100714.htm
http://www.facebook.com/notes/faggiano-chiropractic/effects-of-palstic-products-on-testosterone/203842699650612
http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1289/ehp.8451
http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1289/ehp.7713
http://missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/nut244.htm
https://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_senior/high_levels_of_bpa_
And look, here’s evidence that pregnant women shouldn’t use plastic containers because it can damage their child’s reproductive organs.
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2002/110pA703-A707schonfelder/schonfelder-full.html
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Tags: BPA, estrogen, PCB, Phthalates, plastic, testosterone, Xenoestrogens
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Medical, Research, Your Questions | 2 Comments »
Monday, April 11th, 2011
Eating 5 or more meals a day is great for weight gain, but not so good for weight loss, and is not optimal for good health.
We already know that increased meal frequency does not increase the metabolism or decrease appetite. In fact eating more than 3 meals each day can often lead to increased calorie consumption over time, because people eventually get bored and tend to begin to ignore their meal portions, which results in overeating.
Conversely, we know that fasting tends to decrease your appetite once you get past that first 6 hour fasting window. We also know that intermittent fasting lowers insulin resistance and blood pressure, and promote lightening-fast weight loss. Knowing those facts, here are a couple more great reasons to switch to an Intermittent Fasting lifestyle, for good health and efficient fat loss.
First, The Study Results
To keep you interested, we’ll talk about the research results first, then we’ll look at the studies.
New studies on periodic fasting by the American College of Cardiology have determined:
- periodic intermittent fasting seems to reduce the risk of falling victim to type 2 diabetes by 50%
- intermittent fasting also decreases your risk of developing heart disease
- HDL cholesterol increases during an intermittent fast
- triglycerides decrease during an intermittent fast
- human growth hormone (HGH) levels increase during a fast, leading to weight loss and muscle gain
- HGH increases by a factor of 20 in men and a factor of 13 in women, on average
(more…)
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Tags: cholesterol, diabetes, fasting, intermittent fasting, Medical, Research
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, Intermittent Fasting, Medical, Research | 6 Comments »
Thursday, February 10th, 2011
The technique of using visualization in sports training has become increasingly popular in recent years. While some people may question its effectiveness, research has found visualization can be quite successful.
A study conducted by Guang Yue, a psychologist from Cleveland Clinic Foundation, found that non-professional people gained 13.5 percent muscle strength just by carrying out mental exercises. Luckily, you don’t have to earn a psychology degree to understand or practice visualization; read on to learn how you can use this technique to psych yourself up to hit the gym and set a new personal record.
How to Use Imagery and Visualization
Over the years, many professional sportsmen have made use of visualization to achieve great success. For example, world champion golfer Jack Nicklaus, states that he never fires a shot, even while in practice, until he visualizes it clearly in his head. Muhammad Ali is also known to have used varying mental exercises to help improve his performance.
(more…)
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Tags: exercise, fitness, max, max effort, mental, Research, visualization, visualize, Weight Training, weightlifting
Posted in Exercise Technique, Guest Post, Motivation, Research | 5 Comments »
Sunday, January 9th, 2011
What is a Shin Splint?
“Shin splints” is a term used to describe the pain felt between the knee and the ankle after athletic activity, and are considered a cumulative stress disorder rather than an acute injury. This painful condition occurs when muscles and tendons in the lower legs pull on the tibia bone along the shin.
There are several reasons why athletes develop shin splints, but ultimately we can say they develop when the constant stress placed on the joints, bones, and muscles of the lower leg overwhelms the body’s natural ability to recover from trauma.
The most common cause is inflammation of the periostium, the sheath that surrounds the tibia. Traction forces on the periostium from the muscles of the lower leg cause shin pain and inflammation.
(more…)
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Tags: exercise, injuries, injury, injury prevention, legs, Medical, Research, running, shin splint, shins, Sports
Posted in Medical, Research, Sports | No Comments »
Monday, November 15th, 2010
Attention men! This just in: you don’t need to gain 30 pounds of muscle in order for women to find you attractive.
I found this post from back in the year 2000 about a Harvard study in which college-aged men were asked to pick their ideal body from a group of images. Most men chose the body with 30 pounds more muscle mass than what they currently had.
A group of college females were then asked to choose which of the body images they were most attracted to. The majority of the women picked a body with 15-30 pounds less muscle than the men picked.
What a conundrum!
(more…)
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Tags: Conditioning, fitness, gain muscle, muscle gain, weight loss, weightlifting
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Motivation, Research | 4 Comments »
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