Strength and Fitness Tips | How to Build Muscle Top muscle building and fat loss tips.

There are some foods that will help increase muscle mass and some that obviously will not, as ever protein content is a vital factor in choosing the right foods to build muscle. Eating foods that are high in protein will substantially increase muscle growth and repair. Here are a few examples of such foods: Eggs Eggs are a excellent cheap source of protein, one of the top choices for athletes. The majority of the protein is found in the egg white and it’s very easily broken down into amino acids in the body. As well as being easy to prepare, tasty and wholesome, eggs are a vital food you need to consume to help build muscle mass. One of my personal favourites is a ‘protein pancake’ which involves 5 egg whites and 40g of oats blended in a blender and a scoop of protein shake, preferably vanilla. (You can add ... Read More »

You may have read my post on workout nutrition, you would have noticed that I recommended a flapjack to help give you lots of energy. I said you could buy them or you could make your own and here is a recipe for doing so: Ingredients 1 1/2 cups (140g) of porridge oats A heaped 1/2 cup (150g) of CRUNCHY peanut butter 1 cup of chocolate whey (3 scoops) 125ml-ish of skimmed milk Tablespoon of honey 1. Add the oats and the whey to a mixing bowl and give it a quick mix 2. Add the milk and peanut butter 3. Get stuck in with your hands!!! (You HAVE to do this! No Spoons!!) 4. Place into non stick tray and pat down to about an inch thick (you may wish to line with greaseproof paper) 5. Drizzle the top with honey (you may wish to leave it out, but ... Read More »

Have you ever been in the gym after a night out drinking and been frustrated at how lethargic and weak you feel? Obviously this is going to be down to the alcohol, you are not the only person who is going to have experienced this but why is it so apparent? I’m afraid it’s not good news…. First of all alcohol is a diuretic, this means it forces the increase in the rate of urination. Specifically it acts as a vasopressin inhibitor, this is also known as ADH and this regulates the rate of water reabsorption in the kidneys. Thus meaning more water is lost during urination. Co-insiding with this effect is it’s solubility, alcohol is transported around the body in the blood plasma. It’s a polar molecule and prefers being dissolved in water as opposed to fat. This effect causes it to remove water from cells so that it ... Read More »

What does creatine do – Background Creatine is a naturally occurring nitrogenous organic compound that is used by the body to supply cells with energy, by increasing the formation of ATP. Creatine is produced by the liver and kidneys from three amino acids, L – arginine, L – glycine and L – methionine. The majority of it, 95% is stored in your muscles with the remaining 5% being stored in the brain. The source of these amino acids is principally animal protein, it’s a misconception to think that steak contains creatine it will do however it’s destroyed on heating. Red meats such as steak contain the amino acids needed for you body to produce creatine, not the creatine itself. When taken in a supplement creatine is usual in the form of creatine monohydrate. What does creatine do – How does creatine work? Creatine is stored in the muscles is in ... Read More »

Fitness and Vitamins If you have embarked or are embarking upon a fitness regime, you have to ensure you still follow basic principals. I’m sure as a child you were told to eat your vegetables and fruits because they contained vitamins which made you strong and healthy. Well your parents weren’t lying. You should still be doing this because you need vitamins as much as you need air, they catalyse and facilitate thousands of metabolic reactions. Almost every energy production or muscle growth process is reliant on a vitamin. Being deficient in any one of  them is going to seriously impede your progress. So Which vitamins should I take? You should be getting all of them from your varied diet consisting of fruit, vegetables, meats etc. You can also take a multi vitamin tablet to boost any of the ones your diet may not be providing you with. What do ... Read More »

Improve your fitness Right so improving your fitness, lets get one thing straight it’s not going to be as enjoyable as lifting weights. It’s harder to see physical improvements, you will not get bulging veins like you do when you lift weights. Well that’s not entirely true, what I should have said was at first it might not be enjoyable, I personally love increasing my fitness. Why? Well once you get into it your body starts releasing a hormones called endorphins, which to be frank are ‘feel good’ hormones. The more you do it the more of these you are going to get. So that being said what steps do you need to take? Record everything You need to make sure you keep a record of what you are doing, so get a pen and paper and write down what you want to achieve for the week. Set goals, at ... Read More »

Important fat burning tips When trying to burn fat it’s important to remember that skipping meals will only slow down your metabolism, making your health deteriorate. So avoid this, changing your diet alone will not cause you to suddenly lose loads of excess fat however when combined with a good cardiovascular programme it can work wonders. That being said some foods will naturally increase the body’s metabolism, so adapting your diet to include these foods is going to help you shed any excess weight. Foods that burn fat Citrus fruits high in Vitamin C – Oranges, limes, mangos all contain vitamin C which stimulates the carnitine amino acid, carnitine is involved in transporting fats around the body. The more free and mobile a fat is the easier it is oxidised. Apples – I have given Apples it’s own class because it contains a higher percentage of a substance called pectin, ... Read More »