Category: Nutrition

Resources by Conor HeffernanJun 21, 20176:37 am

Guest Post: What You Need to Know about Vitamin B12 [Infographic]

Taking fitness seriously not only means training regularly but also means paying attention to the vitamins and nutrients that our body needs. While working out is often half of the battle towards increasing fitness, enhancing health and protecting against anti-aging, getting the right amount of nutrients is a long term battle.

Most of us know about the ‘headline’ vitamins such as vitamins C and D but B is often talked about much less, and specifically B12 is one of the most under discussed vitamins, that a growing number of people are deficient in. B12 plays a vital part in many of our body’s core functions such as the production of red blood cells and nerve cells.

Not only that, being deficient in B12 is likely to make you tired, sluggish and prone to getting headaches. To find out more about vitamin B12 and the symptoms, causes and treatments check out the below infographic by psysci:

Guest Post: Reaching the Plateau – And Overcoming It

If you’ve tried basic diet and exercise to shed unwanted pounds, chances are, you are no stranger to the weight loss plateau dilemma. When we first alter our diets by cutting calories and adding a side of exercise, we tend to shed pounds quite rapidly. Yet, once we get down to the nitty gritty of shedding those last ten to 15 pounds to reach our goal weight, we then learn that it’s not nearly as easy as it was in the beginning. That’s because once our body starts to reach a comfortable weight, it becomes more difficult to shed the rest of those pounds.

Nutrition by Conor HeffernanMay 24, 20171:08 pm

Guest Post: 5 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing That Stubborn Belly Weight

Jogging for hours and doing hundreds of sit-ups a day should make you totally ripped, but what if your belly weight is still there? The reason why you can’t get rid of that stubborn fat are numerous and connected to your age, lifestyle, diet and stress level, so you need to identify your biggest opponents and learn how to defeat them. Here are five reasons why you’re not losing belly weight and what you can do about it.

Nutrition by Conor HeffernanMay 12, 20177:47 pm

Reg Park’s Bodybuilding Diet

Known for being an incredibly bodybuilder in his own right, Reg Park was the go to bodybuilder of the 1950s. Possessing an incredible look of power and strength, Park was the envy of many a gym goer. How did Park build his monstrous physique?

Well the answer, quite simply, was that he ate like a King. A King preparing for his last meal!

Nutrition by Conor HeffernanMay 11, 20178:24 am

Guest Post: How to Pack on Muscle and Lose Fat with Minimal Effort

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Our latest post comes from the wonderful and talented Samantha Olivier from Ripped.me. We’re delighted to have Samantha featured on the site again and know you’ll enjoy her latest piece.

There are about 600 muscles in the human body, making up between a third and a half of its total bodyweight. They help us move, hold us up, and help bind us together. The way we treat them determines whether they’ll grow or wither, so they need our constant attention. How to build muscle and lose fat at the same time, you may wonder? With the right combination of exercise, nutrition, and sleep.

Training by Conor HeffernanMay 10, 20177:25 pm

Alan Stephen – Bulking is Easy (1950 article)

Published by the mid-century Bodybuilder Alan Stephens, the following article from Your Physique magazine details some time honoured means of bulking up in the easiest and most efficient way possible. Though much of Stephens’ advice will seem like old hat to those a few years in the Iron Game, his writings were geared toward the beginner and those seeking to change things up.

What’s more. It was never overly complicated. Indeed according to the man himself

All you need to do is follow the right exercises, eat plenty of nourishing food and get as much rest and relaxation on your non training days as you possibly can.

With that in mind though, we’ll dig a little deeper.

Resources by Conor HeffernanMay 9, 201712:55 am

Guest Post: Cutting the Fat: Does Restrictive Dieting Work

There are countless restrictive diets on the market and more are being created each and every day. These diets claim to drop pounds in a short space of time so that people can shed any excess fat without having to follow an exercise regimen.

What is a Restrictive Diet?

Restrictive diets are defined as diets with a calorie restriction, which can be achieved through following a strict diet plan or cutting out an entire food group. Diets, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. Crash diets cause rapid weight-loss over a few weeks but the daily calorie intake is dangerously low and unsustainable.

Resources by Conor HeffernanMay 5, 20172:57 pm

Guest Post: 5 Breakfast Ideas for Fitness Enthusiasts

Skipping breakfast is not a habit that you should adopt, but still many people do it because they don’t have the time or the energy to eat in the morning. To each their own, of course, but you should know that having the first meal of the day on a regular basis allows your metabolism to go on full speed from an early morning and it actually helps in waking up. Healthy breakfast regulates your blood pressure and blood sugar, not to talk about the fact that it has a significant impact on how you’re going to eat for the rest of your day and if you’ll be able to keep cravings away.

All of these reasons are but the tip of the iceberg of why you should always have your breakfast of the champions and we’re here to help you out in this domain. Here are some breakfast ideas that won’t take up a lot of your time in the morning, they are perfect for every fitness enthusiast and they are delicious.

Resources by Conor HeffernanMay 3, 20172:05 pm

Frank Zane’s Ab routine

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Few bodybuilders are remembered solely for their individual body parts. The collective entity? Certainly. But the individual sections of the body? This is a far rarer phenomenon. While Dorian Yates may be remembered for his towering Lat spread and Tom Platz for his Quad sweep, Frank Zane holds the distinction of being remembered for his incredibly refined mid-section. Indeed, photographs of Zane hitting the stomach vacuum, shown below, have taken on something of a mythical status.

At a time when bodybuilders had not yet fallen victim to the desperately low body fats of modern times, Zane was known, envied and remarked upon for his vascularity and chiselled abdominals. How then, did the former Mr. Olympia train his abdominals and keep himself in such incredible shape? What tips has he given for us mere mortals?

Resources by Conor HeffernanApr 25, 201710:57 am

Guest Post: No Meat Athlete: Is It Possible to Achieve High Performance as a Vegan?

Vegan nutrition is often perceived as healthier than standard, meat-based ones and it’s completely understandable – there’s nothing wrong about basing your diet on vegetables, fruits, and seeds, and trying to keep it as natural as possible. Add a humane note to the whole story and you’ll see why many high-level athletes decide to give it a shot and go animal products-free. However, there are several problems vegan athletes face sooner or later, so the question is – is it possible to achieve high performance as a vegan?