Saturday Shred Secret

Today's Saturday Shred Secret is....

          

 

EAT MORE PROTEIN...

 

YES, I said eat MORE! Your body can only build lean muscle if you feed it. Protein, especially from animals and eggs, have the complete amino acid profile that your body needs to build muscle. I (Juliane) recommend getting AT LEAST 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. That should be from complete protein sources (this means protein from veggies and nuts, etc. aren't included in that amount.) This is especially important if you are trying to lose body fat because you want to maintain your lean muscle while losing fat. Muscle burns fat; which equals SHREDDED! So eat your protein ladies and gentlemen. I try to get my complete proteins from a variety of sources... on a daily basis I eat whey protein, casein protein, chicken, salmon, tuna, and eggs. You can also eat lean red meats. (FUN FACT: I haven't eaten red meat since I was 12 years old!) Most importantly, don't skimp out on that protein in your post workout! In the gym you are breaking down muscle so you need protein to build it back up and get stronger!

 

                                      

We LOVE chicken with our secret fat burning seasoning! Mmmm Do you know what it is?

 Contact us with questions! Julbrown22@hotmail.com

                     

                     

For a complete personalized nutrition plan to find out your specific protein needs, visit our website at http://twinspirationfitness.webs.com/

Loving Legs on Monday

Let's make Monday universal LEG DAY!

                

Everyone loves to hate legs day, but we love it!  It's not easy to get lean and muscular legs, but patience and hard work will pay off!

             

  Here are five great reasons to start your workout week with legs!

1. You get your hardest workout out of the way.

 

 

2. You burn off those weekend calories because squats and lunges burn a ton of calories.

 

3. The DOMS will be over in enough time to do a second legs day during the week.

 

4. You don't have to do cardio on a machine if you incorporate some leg plyos and circuit style training.

5. You will have an awesome sense of accomplishment for the rest of the week!

There are several leg workouts in our previous blog posts to look at. You can also visit our website http://twinspirationfitness.webs.com/ for a personalized leg workout!

Finishers... Pushing Your Muscles to the Max

Finishers are a technique that we use regularly in our weight training to really push our muscles to fatigue and break through a plateau. If you are an experienced weight lifter looking to take your training to the next level you should definitely incorporate finishers into your training. A "finisher" is exactly what it sounds like... your final exercise in a workout.

Our favorite example is a drop set. Today I (Juliane) did a leg workout focusing on quads. So my final exercise was a drop set on the leg extension machine. You can do this with any muscle group.  Here's how it works...

Start with a little lighter weight than you would normally use for a regular set. Do ten reps. Then drop the weight 10lbs and do 12 reps. Drop the weight 10lbs and do 15 reps. Drop the weight 10 more pounds and do 20 reps. The only rest in between is enough to switch the weight. Your muscles should be burning by this point but sometimes I'll try to get in that 6th drop set of 30 reps to really fatigue the muscle.

               

Another example of a finisher is FST-7. It stands for Fascial Stretch Training and the seven refers to seven sets performed as the final exercise of a target body part. Basically you train that body part on any given day heavy as you normally would keeping the rep range between 8-12, but the last exercise you perform the seven sets 10 reps to finish off that particular muscle, with minimal rest in between to get the best pump possible. Keep rest intervals between 30-45 seconds and make sure to stay hydrated to push that fluid into the muscle and stretch the fascia even further.You should refrain from using  compound lifts as your "seven set," because they require balance and the use of ancillary muscles which takes focus off the target muscle. The goal is to bring as much vitamins, minerals, amino acids, oxygen etc. into the muscle, and also stretch the fascia surrounding it to help encourage maximal muscle growth. 

 

Have fun incorporating these techniques into your training and always remember to use proper form!For personalized online plans visit our website at http://twinspirationfitness.webs.com/

Curtsey Band Squats...At Home Workout

Here's a simple at home exercise that targets the entire lower body and your core. It's a Curtsey Squat using and band around the thighs and 2.5lb ankle weights. Do a deep curtesy on the right and then bring your knee up to the side and squeeze those abs! Try to hold your balance for a few seconds before repeating. Balance is very important and if you don't use it, you lose it! 

Here's the workout...a simple 20 minute metabolic booster that works the lower body and core as well as balance.

-10 curtsey squats with leg raise (as described above) on right side, then 10 on left side.

- 10 abductor walks to the right (side steps leading with the heel,) then 10 to the left.

-10 parallel squats

-10 calf raises in second position (legs wide toes turned out)

- wall squat hold for 1 minute

Rest for 1 minute then repeat the entire circuit for 20 minutes (keep the band and weights on for the entire circuit)

 

Visit our website http://twinspirationfitness.webs.com/   for online training and nutrition. 

Why Women Should Supplement With Creatine

Creatine is a popular supplement with men, but creatine is very beneficial for women. I (Juliane) have been supplementing with creatine for over a year, and have made more strength and lean body mass gains in the that time period, than the first 10 years I lifted weights. The body makes creatine naturally. It is also found in a lot of red meats. But if you don't eat a lot of steak, then you need to get the creatine you are using up by training hard from supplementation. 

 

Here are some interesting facts I read in an article from Oxygen Magazine about the benefits of creatine for women.

 

Creatine works differently in women than in men. Surprisingly, we can get the all the muscle-building benefits without adding body fat. When you take creatine, it allows you to train at a higher intensity and a higher volume. That is why numerous studies have shown that creatine increases muscular strength, power and lean muscle mass. When a muscle cell has more creatine, each contraction can be more forceful, and you can do more work before the muscle fatigues.

The benefits are not only strength-related, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma at Norman separated participants into three groups: creatine, placebo and control. The creatine and placebo groups did four weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Unexpectedly, they found that creatine improved anaerobic threshold by 16 percent, versus the 10 percent bump experienced by the placebo group. In other words, creatine can help runners or cyclists improve their race times, and weight lifters push out a few more reps at their heaviest weights. 

Studies show that creatine benefits are greater in women than in men; and unlike men, women do not gain weight from creatine supplementation. One theory is that women have naturally higher levels of creatine than men. Creatine also has an antioxidant effect that reduces muscle damage, improves recovery and preserves lean muscle. Additionally, creatine has no hormonal effect.

 

You can buy creatine in pill, powder or liquid. Just make sure you get creatine monohydrate. There is no need for a "loading phase." Most women will find great results on about five grams daily of creatine monohydrate.

 

I've tried a variety of creatine supplements (shown below). Currently, I prefer to mix the powdered form, by Cellucor, in my post workout recover drink.

 

Questions: email Juliane  JulBrown22@hotmail.com Visit our website at http://twinspirationfitness.webs.com for online personal training and nutrition.