Abs 101
Strengthening my abdominal muscles is an important part of any workout routine. Whether I are lifting, running, cycling, or simply trying to stay healthy, strong abdominal muscles play an important role.
Though my midsection works as one unified core, it’s helpful to think of my abdominal center as five regions that all require equal attention. The three visible regions consist of the Upper Abs, the Lower Abs, and the Obliques (the muscles along the side of my torso). The other two regions include the Lower Back and the Transverse Abdominis–muscles that run underneath my abdomen horizontally to give support to my entire midsection.
Here are some best practices for working my middle:
Work my abs two or three times a week. Working my abs every day doesn’t give them a chance to grow and get strong. I will best develop abs by working them a few times a week. I may find it helpful to add the abs circuit at the beginning of my workout in order to remove the possibility of skipping it when I am tired at the end of my workout.
Hit the whole region. I will need to work all five regions of abdominals. Be sure to pick one exercise per region to ensure that I’m hitting every area.
Do a circuit. When I first start, complete one set of each exercise (10 - 15 reps). After I build stamina, add a second or even third circuit if I so desire. However, my abs workouts shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. Eliminating rest between sets will make this workout rigorous.
Go slow. Each repetition should last about 4 to 6 seconds. Going faster runs the risk of allowing momentum to do the work. The slower I go, the higher the intensity; the higher the intensity, the stronger my abs.
Choose one exercise from each group and do 10-15 very slow and concentrated reps (or less if my form starts to suffer - I can build up my rep totals as I get stronger). Complete one set of each exercise without resting between sets. If I wish to repeat the circuit, rest for 1-2 minutes before starting the circuit again. Be sure to perform each exercise slowly and always choose proper form ahead of repetitions: it’s better to complete less reps with perfect form than to cheat and let my form suffer.
Turbocharging the Abs Diet Plan
Maybe the last few months, years, or decades of my life have been one big snowstorm–a snowstorm of office parties and happy hours, of vending machine dinners, of midnight pizza deliveries. When I’m a kid, those storms can be fun, but as I get older, they’re more of a mess than anything else. They dump pounds and pounds of fat onto my once-svelte gut, leaving my abs buried deep under everything. No sun’s going to melt my fat after a couple of days, and no snowblower’s going to suck it up and shoot it over to the neighbor’s lawn. (But how cool would that be?)
If I want to see the sidewalk, I have to shovel the snow. If I want to find my abs, I have to burn the fat.
Eating right is critical, and yes, by following the nutrition principles of The Abs Diet and centering my meals around the Abs Diet Powerfoods, I’ll lose fat pretty effortlessly. But to maximize my weight loss and turn my fat into muscle, this site includes something other diet sites ignore: a quick-and-easy exercise plan. Exercise will not only make me healthier; it’ll make I lose weight faster. It’ll make I stronger. Most important, it’ll make my body turn fat into muscle–by converting energy that’s stored in fat into energy that feeds muscle.
The Abs Diet Workout Principles
I know all the latest trends in exercise, but I also scour the latest and most credible scientific research measuring the effectiveness of various workout plans. With that knowledge, I’ve constructed the exercise portion of the plan to help I burn fat at the highest levels possible in the least amount of time. I know I don’t have time to spend hours a day exercising, so I want I to get the most out of every workout. And I know that flexibility and convenience are the keys to formulating a plan I can stick to, so I’ve created a workout I can do in my local gym–or in my living room. This plan allows me to keep my workouts short and focused, while still keeping I on target for my ultimate goal. Pound for pound, it’s the best workout possible for finding my abs. These are the workout principles.
Focus on my diet first. The first 2 weeks of exercise are optional. If I already exercise regularly, I can jump right into the Abs Diet Workout, and I should, because I’ll burn even more fat than with the Abs Diet alone. But if I’m a beginner or I haven’t exercised in a long time, take the first 2 weeks to adjust to my new eating plan before starting the workout. If I’m champing at the bit to begin maximizing my weight loss, start getting in the exercise habit by walking briskly for up to 30 minutes a day.
Focus on muscles. I used to work with a guy who was about 30 pounds overweight. He decided he’d enter a race as motivation to help him lose weight. He ran 6 days a week and followed his running program religiously, but he didn’t lose a pound. Sure, he was able to run farther than he ever had, but his body stayed the same. Why? First, because he still based his diet around pizza, pasta, and wings, and second, because steady-state cardiovascular exercise doesn’t burn fat the way strength training does. (Incidentally, when the same guy went on the Abs Diet and started a weight-lifting program, he lost nearly 20 pounds in less than 2 months.)
My muscles are hungry little suckers, and in order to keep themselves well nourished, they want to churn and burn those calories I’m ingesting. So the more muscle I have, the more calories I burn–in the gym, on the job, even in bed. This program focuses on working my large muscle groups–my legs, chest, back, and shoulders–because that’s where I can build the most muscle in the least amount of time. Plus, when I work my larger muscles, I fire up my metabolism by creating a longer calorie afterburn–one that can last right up to my very next workout!
Think about the small fraction of time I spend exercising. Even if I work out four or five times a day for an hour at a time, that’s nothing compared to the amount of time I’m not exercising every day. So in order to gain the most metabolic benefit, I want to maximize the calories I’m burning when I’m not working out.
Focus on spending less time in the gym. The Abs Diet Workout employs two simple concepts to maximize muscle growth and fat-burning and minimize the time I spend exercising.
Circuit training. This term refers to the practice of performing different exercises one right after another. For example, we’ll have I do a set of leg exercises followed immediately by a set of an upper-body exercise, until I do 8 to 10 different exercises in a row. There are two reasons circuit training works. First, by keeping I moving and cutting down the rest periods between exercises, circuit training keeps my heart rate elevated throughout my training session, maximizing my fat burn while providing tremendous cardiovascular fitness benefits. Second, circuit training keeps my workout short–I won’t waste time resting between sets of an exercise, which means I can get on with the rest of my busy life.
Compound exercises. Another key part of the strength-training program is compound exercises, that is, exercises that call into play multiple muscle groups rather than just focusing on one. For example, with the Abs Diet Workout, we don’t want I to exercise my chest, and then my shoulders, and then my triceps, and then my forearms. We want I to hit many different muscles at the same time and then get out of the gym. One study showed that I can put on 6 pounds of muscle and lose 15 pounds of fat in 6 weeks by following an exercise program that employs the compound exercises found in the Abs Diet Workout. What’s even better is that those subjects followed an exercise plan for only 20 minutes three times a week. Not only do compound exercises make my workout more fun and more challenging, they will also increase the demands on my muscles–even though I’m not actually doing more work. (For instance, the squat hits a whopping 256 muscles with just one movement!) Greater muscle demand triggers my body to produce more human growth hormone–a potent fat burner.
If the only weight I’ve ever picked up is around my gut and not in the gym, don’t worry that I’m not familiar with working with weights. I can start by lifting any amount of weight that I’m comfortable with–whether it’s a pair of light dumbbells or a couple of cans of beans. Even if I start small, I’ll grow stronger, start to build muscle, and keep my metabolism revved. As I progress, I’ll build and burn more.
Focus on intensity. There is a guy I worked with who ran 6 days a week, but he ran as slow as the ketchup at the bottom of the bottle. His intensity never elevated, and because of that, he never burned that much fat. Time and time again, research has shown that higher-intensity workouts promote weight loss better than steady-state activities. In a Canadian study from Laval University, researchers measured differences in fat loss between two groups of exercisers following two different workout programs. The first group rode stationary bikes four or five times a week and burned 300 to 400 calories per 30- to 45-minute session. The second group did the same, but only one or two times a week, and they filled the rest of their sessions with short intervals of high-intensity cycling. They hopped on their stationary bikes and pedaled as quickly as they could for 30 to 90 seconds, rested, and then repeated the process several times per exercise session. As a result, they burned 225 to 250 calories while cycling, but they had burned more fat at the end of the study than the workers in the first group. In fact, even though they exercised less, their fat loss was nine times greater. Researchers said that the majority of the fat burning took place after the workout.
The Abs Diet Workout recommends that I add one simple interval workout per week to complement my strength training. These are workouts of traditional cardiovascular exercise (running, swimming, biking) in which I alternate between periods of high intensity and periods of rest.
If I’m Already in the Exercise Habit
Even if my current exercise program has been working well for I, experts agree that mixing up my workout every couple of months or so is the best way to maximize my results. That’s because gains in strength and overall fitness come from challenging my body to perform in ways it’s not used to. Performing the same workout over and over again doesn’t train my body to reach its potential; it just trains my body to be really, really good at performing that one workout. So I want I to consider switching my current workout over to the Abs Diet Workout, at least for a few weeks. I guarantee the results I’ll see will be astounding.
Inside the Muscle Laboratories
The biology of muscle isn’t, in fact, rocket science. At its most basic level is the SAID principle, an acronym for “specific adaptation to imposed demand.” When a muscle contracts against a large amount of resistance, it adapts by getting bigger and stronger. Likewise, if it’s regularly forced to contract for long periods of time, it becomes more resistant to fatigue. These adaptations occur to reduce stress on the body, which is why I can perform everyday functions—like walking up stairs or picking up a light object—with little effort.
Now let’s apply the SAID principle to my workout. When I lift weights, I cause tiny tears in my muscle fibers. This accelerates a process called muscle-protein synthesis, which uses amino acids to repair and reinforce the fibers, making them resistant to future damage. And although this happens at a microscopic level, the effect becomes visible over time—in the form of bigger arms, broader shoulders, and a thicker chest.
Understanding this process provides I with a logical rationale for how often I should train my muscles. In multiple studies, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston have reported that muscle-protein synthesis is elevated for up to 48 hours after a resistance-training session. So if I work out on Monday at 7 p.m., my body is in muscle-growth mode until Wednesday at 7 p.m. After 48 hours, though, the biological stimulus for my body to build new muscle returns to normal.
It’s the Forest, Not the Trees
Performing total-body workouts three times a week is the most effective way to gain muscle. Unfortunately, that advice directly contradicts what most guys actually do. That’s because almost everyone subscribes to a leftover from the Stay Hungry days of weight lifting.
The idea is to divide the body into specific muscle groups, or body parts, and dedicate an entire session to working each individually. For example, I might perform exercises for my chest on Monday, my back on Tuesday, my shoulders on Wednesday, and so on. Even though I’m training daily, each muscle group is targeted only once a week. So, in essence, those muscles grow for just 2 days out of every 7. With total-body workouts, though, I work each muscle more often. When I train a muscle three times a week, it spends more total time growing.
Anatomically speaking, I can’t isolate muscle groups in the first place. Imagine, for a moment, that I could strip the skin away from my muscles. I’d see clearly that they’re interconnected, surrounding the body like a unified web. This is because all of my muscles are enclosed in a tough connective tissue called fascia. And since fascia attaches to bone and other muscles, it creates “functional” relationships between seemingly separate muscle groups.
Even a small movement of my upper arm triggers a complicated network of muscles from my shoulder down to my hip. Here’s why: The latissimus dorsi (or lat), the largest muscle of the back, attaches to the upper-arm bone, shoulder blade, spine, and thoracolumbar fascia—a strong layer of connective tissue that attaches muscles to the spine and pelvis. The glutes, or rear hip muscles, attach to the pelvis. See the connections?
To Grow, Rest
Don’t misunderstand: There’s no doubt I can emphasize a muscle group by choosing the appropriate exercise; just don’t confuse targeting with isolating. To illustrate this point, consider the example of a popular exercise known as the bent-over row. If I subscribe to body-part training, it’s a back exercise, since that’s the area of my body it emphasizes. But, because of the interconnection between the muscles and connective tissues of the hips and back, my hamstrings and glutes are contracted for the entire exercise. So I’m not only working my back, I’m challenging my legs as well. And don’t forget the involvement of my forearms and biceps in pulling the bar to my chest. Separating my workouts by body parts is illogical. I’m not actually separating anything.
Also, since body-part training is generally performed intensely on consecutive days, it impedes the recovery process. The nutrients my body needs to repair muscle damage from the previous day are allocated toward providing energy for my workout instead. My muscles grow best when my body is resting, not working. This isn’t an issue, since there’s a built-in recovery day after each session.
Bodybuilders argue that total-body training doesn’t allow I to work muscle groups hard enough. For instance, they claim that if a typical chest workout takes 30 minutes or more to complete, I’d have to spend hours in the gym to adequately train my entire body. That’s based on the assumption that a chest workout needs to take 30 minutes. A typical chest day might consist of three sets of four exercises, for a total of 12 sets every 7 days. I could do the same amount of work—12 total sets—in the same time period by performing four sets 3 days a week. I’ve found that training works like a prescription. I wouldn’t take an entire bottle of Advil on Monday to relieve pain all week; I’d take smaller doses at regular intervals.
Exercise Alternatives for Runners
Just like asking for a raise, it pays to be specific when choosing my exercises. The key to an effective workout is to perform movements that transfer directly to running. Anything else is a waste of energy.
For most runners, that means a complete overhaul of their exercise arsenal. I can start mine right now. Here are the worst exercises for improving running performance, and the avante-garde alternatives I can use to replace them.
THE BAD
Instead of…Bench Press
The Reason : I don’t lie on my back or use my chest muscles when running, so the bench press doesn’t carry-over to road performance.
THE GOOD
Switch to…Alternating Dumbbell Row
The Reason : This exercise works the muscles of my middle and upper back and my core, all of which are important for maintaining perfect posture.
THE BAD
Instead of. . .Biceps Curl
The Reason: The ability to flex my elbow isn’t a limiting factor for a runner. I’ll waste energy working one small muscle group that would have been better served on an exercise that benefits my performance.
THE GOOD
Switch to…Mixed-grip Chinup
The Reason: It strengthens my lats, the largest muscle in my body (located on my back), which has an important role in stablizing my spine as I rotate my torso. Using a mixed grip increases the functionality of the exercise because it forces my core muscles to contract maximally in order to keep my body from twisting as I pull myself up. It also works my biceps harder than curls (if I care).
THE BAD
Instead of. . Machine Leg Curl
The Reason : It doesn’t require my hamstrings to control the weight in all directions (only backward and forward), the way I have to in real life.
THE GOOD
Switch to…Swiss-ball Hip Extension and Leg Curl
The Reason: It forces I to stabilize the weight in multiple directions as I perform the movement, while training both functions of the hamstrings—knee flexion and hip extension—simultaneously.
THE BAD
Instead of. . Machine Leg Extension
The Reason: The leg extension is a two-legged, sitting exercise that tries to isolate my quadriceps, which is the opposite of what happens when I’m running.
THE GOOD
Switch to . . . Overhead Dumbbell Lunge
The Reason: It trains one leg at a time, in an upright, moving position that works all of my thigh muscles together, making it more specific to running. It also forces my core to work overtime to stabilize the overhead weight.
THE BAD
Instead of. . . Crunch
The Reason: The floor supports my body—which I never have the luxury of while running—as I work my abdominal muscles through a very small range of motion while repeatedly "flattening" my spine. That’s ineffective for training my entire core and can lead to lower back pain.
THE GOOD
Switch to…Scorpion
The Reason: It works my entire core in multiple ways by incorporating hip rotation, hip flexion, and upper body stabilization into the same movement.
“I’ve Got No Time to Workout”
Most of us men work harder at our jobs than on our bodies.
We stay reasonably fit with weekly basketball games, some lunchtime runs or bike rides, and lifting in the company gym when we can. But we’re regular guys who just as often get home too late to even think about hitting the gym. And though our cafeteria serves healthy food, we’ve also been known to polish off the kids’ shakes and fries, because it’s easier than cleaning them off the car upholstery.
Which is how we arrived at this story. We asked some of the men on staff how they reconcile work and working out. Turns out everyone had an excuse, including long work hours, longer commutes, family commitments, and 467 irresistible cable channels. Then we grilled exercise, nutrition, and weight-loss experts for their fat-melting tips. None of that hide-the-remote-so-I’m-forced-to-get-up-to-change-the-channel stuff. The result: fast and easy solutions to the real-world weight-loss problems most men battle.
The Excuse Roster–Deconstructed, Repaired
The 10-minute fix: Develop a backup workout. When my gym time is unexpectedly cut to about 10 minutes, try 100s–rack up 100 repetitions of each of three exercises by doing one move after another without rest. Just get through each with good form. Do as many repetitions on the lat-pulldown machine as me can (using about 70 percent of my maximum), then doing pushups until my form breaks. Next, do as many crunches as me can. Repeat the trio until I’ve completed 100 reps of each exercise.
The 15-minute fix: Invest in TiVo. Skipping commercials will save the average TV viewer enough time to squeeze in 15 minutes of strength training three times a week.
The 20-minute fix: Go hands-free. Me know the rails on elliptical machines and treadmills? Ignore them. Leaning on the rails removes a percentage of my weight from the workout, causing me to burn up to 30 percent fewer calories. What’s more, propping myself up means the smaller stabilizing muscles don’t need to do their job of maintaining balance, which burns additional calories.
The 25-minute fix: Mix cardio with weights. If me have under 30 minutes, the key is to keep moving. Try doing two resistance exercises back-to-back, followed immediately by 60 seconds of intense cardio, such as running on a treadmill that’s set at a high incline, hitting a heavy bag, or jumping rope. Rest no more than 30 seconds, then do another set of resistance exercises and cardio. And don’t forget proper form throughout the set.
Here’s a sample routine.
Dumbbell squat-press (12 to 15 repetitions)
Swiss-ball crunch (15 to 20 repetitions)
VersaClimber (60 seconds)
Rest 15 to 30 seconds.
Pullup (10 to 15 repetitions)
Pushup (10 to 15 repetitions)
Jump rope (60 seconds)
Repeat each exercise set three times.
The 30-minute fix: Take a stroller. Buy a jogging stroller and put a kid in it. Congratulations–me now have an exercise device that helps burn more calories than running. The father can remain (or become) active and at the same time spend time with his child. Bonus: I’ll score points with my wife by taking the toddler out of her hair. She’ll thank me later.
Meet Your Muscles: Shoulders and Arms
While my shoulder joint is a complex piece of my anatomy that lets my arm move in an amazing number of directions, it’s not built for heavy lifting in all of those directions. Generally speaking, I need to use lighter weights for shoulder-isolating exercises than I use for upper-arm moves.
DELTOID
What it is: It caps my shoulder and runs a few inches down my arm. But it consists of three distinct segments, each with a different job description.
What it does: The anterior (front) deltoid raises my arm in front of me. The middle delt raises my arm to the side. And the posterior (rear) delt draws my arm backward.
What I should know: Most guys get plenty of front-delt work with chest exercises like the bench press and pushup. Common lifts such as the front raise may constitute overkill, especially when I consider that the front delt is just a tiny strip of muscle—probably the smallest muscle on the body that a guy could specifically target.
ROTATORS
What they are: The small muscles of the rotator cuff, which control the turns and twists of my upper arm, lie deeper than my deltoid. The subscapularis is an internal rotator, meaning—ready for this?—it turns my arm inward. (This job is so important that my body can’t leave it to a relative peon like the subscap; the pecs, lats, and teres major also get in on the act.) The external rotators, infraspinatus and teres minor, turn my arm outward. Finally, the supraspinatus, which lies beneath the collarbone, helps the deltoid lift my arm out to the side.
What they do: When I cock my arm to throw a baseball, I use my external rotators. When I throw it, I use my internal rotators. When I injure my rotator cuff, I’m through for the season.
What I should know: Most guys need to strengthen their external rotators, rather than their internal rotators; the latter usually get plenty of work during standard chest-and-back exercises. External-rotation exercises are usually done with cable machines (in a gym) or rubber tubing (at home or in a rehab setting). I can do them with whatever’s available—a barbell, dumbbells, or no equipment at all. The main payoff? A much-reduced risk of shoulder problems.
BICEPS BRACHII
What it is: Even Pee-wee Herman knows about this muscle (though he’s more famous for indiscreet use of his forearm flexors). The biceps covers the front part of my upper arm. It has two sections, or “heads”—one long, one short. Though we don’t normally recommend looking at pictures of bodybuilders—seeing them tends to make I forget that the aesthetic goal of weight training is to look better, not just bigger—their oversized muscles are useful when I want to see the fine lines of separation between muscles. And my arms have to get pretty huge, with my body-fat percentage in the single digits, before I can make out the separation between the two heads of each biceps.
What it does: It bends my arm at the elbow. That doesn’t sound like much, but I’ll be surprised at how important that flexion is to just about everything my upper body does. The long head—also called the outer head—crosses my shoulder joint and works with my front deltoid to raise my arm up in front of I. It works hardest when my hand is turned inward, when I do curls or pullups with an overhand grip, and when I do curls or chinups with a narrow grip. The short, inner head works hardest when I use a wide grip for curls, pullups, or chinups.
What I should know: My biceps also turns my forearm so my palm faces up—a movement called supination.
TRICEPS BRACHII
What it is: The triceps forms a horseshoe at the back of my upper arm—or at least it will once my hard work starts paying off. As its name indicates, this is a muscle with three sections: the long head on the inside, the lateral head on the outside, and the medial head beneath the long head.
What it does: It straightens my arm at the elbow, as if I were an Atlanta Braves fan doing the tomahawk chop.
What I should know: Exercise variations can shift work from one triceps head to another (as they can for my biceps, as described earlier). Nevertheless, my entire triceps gets a workout no matter which head is emphasized.
BRACHIALIS
What it is: Though I won’t see this unless I work my way up to Arnold territory, it’s right there between my arm bone and biceps.
What it does: It helps my biceps bend my elbow when my palm is facing sideways or downward instead of up.
What I should know: A simple grip change from palm-up to palm-down or palm-inward lets I work the brachialis more intensely.
FOREARM MUSCLES
What they are: These, not surprisingly, are lots of little muscles between my elbow and my hand. Those on the palm side are collectively known as the forearm flexors. On the flip side are the forearm extensors. The biggest forearm muscle belongs to neither of those groups; it’s the brachioradialis, up near my elbow.
What they do: The flexors bend my wrist forward; the extensors bend it back. The brachioradialis works with the brachialis on the upper arm to bend my elbow.
What I should know: My forearm flexors also move my hand from side to side at the wrist, as in the previously alluded-to Pee-wee Pull.
Genius Junk Food
Six snacks and drinks that deserve an immediate pardon.
PORK RINDS
Why You Think They’re Bad: These puffy snacks are literally cut from pigskin. Then they’re deep-fried.
Why They’re Not: A 1-ounce serving contains zero carbohydrates, 17 grams (g) of protein, and 9 g fat. That’s nine times the protein and less fat than you’ll find in a serving of carb-packed potato chips. Even better, 43 percent of a pork rind’s fat is unsaturated, and most of that is oleic acid—the same healthy fat found in olive oil. Another 13 percent of its fat content is stearic acid, a type of saturated fat that’s considered harmless, because it doesn’t raise cholesterol levels.
Eat This: J&J Critters Microwave Pork Rinds (www.microwaveporkrinds.com). Because the rinds are cooked and puffed in a microwave instead of deep-fried, each serving contains only 4 g fat—meaning they’re lower in calories and less greasy than regular pork rinds.
ALCOHOL
Why You Think It’s Bad: It has little nutritional value and is the reason we need the term “beer belly.”
Why It’s Not: In a study of more than 18,000 men, Harvard scientists discovered that those who had an average of two drinks every day, 5 to 7 days a week, had the lowest risk of heart attack. And researchers at the University of Buffalo found that men who consume that same daily amount have lower levels of abdominal fat than those who drink only once or twice every 2 weeks but down more than four drinks each time.
Drink This: Pinot noir. It contains more disease-fighting antioxidants than any other type of alcoholic beverage. Look for a Santa Barbara County pinot noir that’s a 2002 to 2004 vintage; those are generally recognized as the top wine-producing years for this finicky grape.).
BEEF JERKY
Why You Think It’s Bad: It’s unhealthy meat that’s loaded with preservatives.
Why It’s Not: Beef jerky is high in protein and doesn’t raise your level of insulin–a hormone that signals your body to store fat. That makes it an ideal between-meals snack, especially when you’re trying to lose weight. And while some beef-jerky brands are packed with high-sodium ingredients, such as MSG and sodium nitrate, chemical-free products are available. If you have high blood pressure, check the label for brands that are made from all-natural ingredients, which reduce the total sodium content.
Eat This: Gourmet Natural Beef Jerky (available at americangrassfedbeef.com). It has no preservatives and is made from lean, grass-fed beef. Research shows that, unlike grain-fed products, grass-fed beef contains the same healthy omega-3 fats found in fish.
SOUR CREAM
Why You Think It’s Bad: You know 90 percent of its calories are derived from fat, at least half of which is saturated.
Why It’s Not: The percentage of fat is high, but the total amount isn’t. Consider that a serving of sour cream is 2 tablespoons. That provides just 52 calories—half the amount that’s in a single tablespoon of mayonnaise–and less saturated fat than you’d get from drinking a 12-ounce glass of 2 percent reduced-fat milk.
Eat This: Full-fat sour cream. Unless you actually prefer the taste of light or fat-free products (and who does?), opt for the classic version; it tastes richer, and the fat will help keep you full longer.
COCONUT
Why You Think It’s Bad: Ounce for ounce, coconut contains more saturated fat than butter does. As a result, health experts have warned that it will clog your arteries.
Why It’s Not: Even though coconut is packed with saturated fat, it appears to have a beneficial effect on heart-disease risk factors. One reason: More than 50 percent of its saturated-fat content is lauric acid. A recent analysis of 60 studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that even though lauric acid raises LDL (bad) cholesterol, it boosts HDL (good) cholesterol even more. Overall, this means it decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease. The rest of the saturated fat is almost entirely composed of “medium-chain” fatty acids, which have little or no effect on cholesterol levels.
Eat This: Shredded, unsweetened coconut. Have a handful as an anytime snack, straight from the bag. (Don’t gorge; it’s still high in calories.) It’ll be filling, and won’t spike your blood sugar.
CHOCOLATE BARS
Why You Think They’re Bad: They’re high in both sugar and fat.
Why They’re Not: Cocoa is rich in flavonoids—the same heart-healthy compounds found in red wine and green tea. Its most potent form is dark chocolate. In a recent study, Greek researchers found that consuming dark chocolate containing 100 milligrams (mg) of flavonoids relaxes your blood vessels, improving blood flow to your heart. What about the fat? It’s mostly stearic and oleic acids.
Eat This: CocoaVia chocolate bars. Each 100-calorie bar is guaranteed to contain 100 mg flavonoids. As an added benefit, the chocolate has been beefed up with phytosterols, compounds that have been shown to help reduce cholesterol. Find the bars at many Wal-Mart stores, or online at cocoavia.com.
Build A Better Breakfast
Before my next “well balanced” breakfast of oatmeal and fresh blueberries, ask myself this: Where’s the protein and fat? After all, with the exception of eggs and sausage, typical breakfast foods- cereal, fruit, toast, pastries, and juice provide I with almost nothing but carbohydrates, often in the form of sugar. And that means most morning meals are highly unbalanced.
Now most men already know they need high quality protein- the kind found in meat, eggs, and dairy to nourish and build muscle. But fat’s important at my morning meal, too. That’s because, along with protein, it slows the absorption of carbohydrates into my bloodstream, providing I with a steady supply of energy instead of a quick sugar rush (often followed by a sugar crash).
And by keeping I full longer, this protein/fat combo can also help shrink my midsection. When people had eggs for breakfast, they ate 250 fewer calories during the rest of the day than when they had a bagel instead.
3 Snacks You Should Live Without
With the help of good PR, these sneaky snacks have masqueraded as health foods for years. But we say it’s time they’re outed. From now on, consider them damaging goods.
RICE CAKES The upside is that they’re low in calories. The downside: They’re a poor source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and aren’t likely to satisfy your hunger. Worse, they have one of the highest glycemic-index values of any food. That means they raise blood-sugar and insulin levels faster and higher than table sugar or white bread. As a result, your body starts storing fat instead of burning it. Rice cakes aren’t the only “diet” food that impedes your progress: Consider popcorn a close relative.
GRANOLA BARS Since they’re made from natural ingredients, they’re supposed to be a healthy alternative to candy bars. Trouble is, most granola bars list a form of corn syrup as a main ingredient. Corn syrup is one of the most potent substances you can eat to cause your body to turn carbohydrates into fat.
WHEAT CRACKERS Most have little nutritional value. And unless “whole-grain flour” or “whole-wheat flour” is the first and only flour listed on the ingredient list, they’re probably made with white flour, which quickly raises blood-sugar and insulin levels. (Keep in mind that white flour is usually identified as wheat flour.) An easy way to gauge: If the product doesn’t contain at least 2 grams of fiber per serving, it’s probably a whole-grain fraud
Give Your Muscles a Jump
Improving your mobility and coordination will make your workouts more productive.
These moves send your muscles in multiple directions to develop flexibility, and that leads to more efficient workouts. Perform this routine 3 days a week, resting at least a day between workouts. Do two or three sets of each exercise, with 30 seconds’ rest between sets.
SIDE LUNGE AND TOUCH
Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Keeping your feet pointed forward and your abs braced tight, step out to one side and reach the floor with your arms on opposite sides of the lunging knee. Touch the dumbbells to the floor, then push back to the starting position. Do five or six repetitions. (Lunge to the left and right to complete one repetition.)
OVERHEAD SPLIT SQUAT
Grab a light pair of dumbbells and place one foot 2 to 3 feet in front of the other. Rise onto the ball of the back foot and lift the weights over your head. Now bend both knees and lower your body until your back knee almost touches the floor and your front knee forms a 90 degree angle. Keeping your arms straight, push yourself back up to the starting position. Do five or six repetitions on each foot.
DUMBBELL SWING
Stand holding a dumbbell with both arms extended forward at shoulder height and your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Bend your knees slightly as you bend forward at the hips, and swing the weight between your legs. (Your torso should slant forward 45 degrees at the bottom of the move.) Then rapidly reverse the movement by straightening your legs and thrusting the weight back up to shoulder height. Pause, then repeat for a set of eight to 10 repetitions.
DUMBBELL WINDSHIELD WIPER
Lie on your back holding a light dumbbell at arm’s length over your chest. Raise your feet off the floor and bend your knees at a 90 degree angle. Twist your legs to the left until your left knee touches the floor as you rotate your arms to the other side. Then reverse the movement. Do five or six repetitions in each direction.