Superhero Workouts

Every time yet another superhero movie comes out, I always fantasize about how awesome it would be to actually audition and land the next superhero role.  Aside from the fame and fortune, what I am really looking for is to get paid to be in peak physical condition.  You can't really ask for more!

The reality is that it is very unlikely that any of us land a superhero role, but why not try to look like some of them?  Here is a compilation of all the superhero workouts that Men's Health Magazine and various other sources have to offer.  Pick your poison:

Immortals workout

Thor workout

Batman workout

Wolverine workout




















300 workout

Spartacus workout

My 3 week Gym Experiment

The first part of the series of 3 week experiments started off with the "3 week Food experiment" where I eliminated all types of simple carbs from my diet during the week, and thankfully got to gorge during the weekends.  The results were very astounding as I saw a major shift in body composition during those weeks.

The next experiment I took on was a very simple one in instruction, but was a challenge to stick to, especially in the first week.  The experiment was to perform the following exercises:

• Monday - Saturday, which was 6 consecutive days a week
• 50 pull-ups (or chin-ups)
• 100 push ups 
• To be completed throughout the day

The first few days were definitely the toughest.  I couldn't even extend my arms fully.  But by day 5, the soreness faded and performing the exercises was starting to get easier to do.

Immediately after the first week, I realized there were gaps in this workout:

1. No matter how much you work out, if you do not consume enough protein you will not grow to the maximum potential
2. The lack of squats/deadlifts and various other leg exercises
3. Engaging in intense conditioning/cardio 3-4 times a week was going to cause some muscle atrophy

With all the gaps mentioned, I did realize that although the muscle mass gain was not as high as I expected, the following results stood true:

•  A solid foundation was definitely built
• My chest and upper back have filled up a little more evenly rather than concentrated in a majority area
• Measuring the circumference of my arm pre and post experiment, I have gained a little under an inch

The Results

Remember, remember, the 5th of Movember!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is that time of year again.

Long before I was born, there was a time when men could do what they liked.  It was a time where no permissions were needed to go about one's own business.  It was a time when taking care of yourself as a man did not mean getting a manicure and pedicure.  It was a time when scratching yourself, spitting on the ground, and being vulgar was not only expected, but respected!  It was a time when men can guiltlessly sport a look that has long been frowned upon.  That time was the glory days of the MOUSTACHE!

When you stumble upon some Moustache-clad Montrealers, you find yourself encountering the Moustrealers.  That's right, a simple combination of Moustache + Montrealers = Moustrealers.

Please CLICK HERE TO DONATE to our team and help our cause in trying to find a cure for prostate cancer (the most common cancer in Canada) and testicular cancer.

Here is a sample of what our Team Captain Khaled Murywed, Georges Kazan, and I will look like as of Movember 1st, 2011 (if you like to join our team let me know and I will include your photo too):

Also some very important facts from the Movember Website :

There are 177,800 new cases of cancer and 75,000 cancer deaths expected in Canada in 2011.

The average life expectancy for men is five years less than women (presently 78 years old compared to 83).

In 2011 there will be more cases of prostate cancer diagnosed than breast cancer.

After prostate cancer lung is the most common cancer in Canada.

5% more men will develop cancer during their lifetimes in Canada than women.

Incident rates of cancer are highest in the Maritime provinces and Quebec.

After cancer the leading cause of death in men is heart disease.

Approximately 93,000 Canadian men will be diagnosed with cancer, and an estimated 39,900 men will die of cancer.

On average, 11 Canadian men will die of prostate cancer every day.

Testicular Cancer is the most common cancer in young men in Canada between the ages of 15-29.

Among Canadians of all ages 4 out of every 5 suicides are male.

Injured again? How to stop injuries!

There are so many factors these days that happen that can throw off your momentum; studying for tests/exams, a busy work schedule, lack of gym motivation, or even a night out having fun with friends.  One momentum killer you should do without is getting injured.


Not only do injuries kill your momentum, they could severely throw you off course from all the progress you have made by finally developing an exercise routine!

I should know!  My hip injury this summer kept me on the sidelines for over 2 months.  That resulted in a gain of 10lbs of fat and some major muscle loss.

Injuries are ... the worst!  Here are four ways to help prevent injuries:

Bigger arms with one easy change to your workout

Ever feel like you work-out your arms, yet you expect better results?

Personally, I've always found it hard to make my triceps grow despite being able to do 6 sets of 8 reps of 80lbs tricep extensions on a pulley.

Make one little modification to your bicep curls and your tricep workout and you will definitely feel the burn, not to mention see better results.

Aside from making your arms bigger, you can lower the weights and up the reps in order to give better definition to your arms.

Watch this short video and follow these simple workout altercations to fully benefit.

How bad do you want it?

The following is an inspirational video about success.

Do not think that the concept of success only applies to overall success.  Break it down into individual goals and use the same measure.  Whether it is your personal life, your health, your career, or anything else, you set your own scales.

"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, you'll be successful"


How Bad Do You Want It from Greyskale Multimedia on Vimeo.

Thank you Ahmad Absi Halabi for the video!

Do you want it this bad?

A food experiment YOU should try

First and foremost, I know its been ages since my last blog post.  The combination of tons of people from out of town showing up and Ramadan has not been the easiest of combinations to juggle.  In the spirit of getting back into blogging, let's make this a short read and an easy task.

If you read my blog posts but find it hard to actually act on some of the advice, why not try an experiment that is easy to pull off?

You do not need to engage in any physical exercise for this experiment, nor do you need to watch what you eat or even break a sweat.  I stumbled upon this article while I was bored one day and I thought this may be very interesting for people to try.

All you need to do is...wait for it....Use smaller plates.
Thats right.  Studies have shown that your brain does not distinguish between the amount of food you eat, just whether or not the plate is full.


So why don't we pull a fast one on our brain and use smaller plates.!

http://lifehacker.com/5828866/switch-to-salad-plates-for-better-portion-control

How to fully benefit from your workout

I'm pretty sure everyone will have an answer they are pretty sure of when they read the title of the post.  Some might say that drinking a sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade, Isostar, etc) may be the best, others will say that a protein shake/smoothie (natural ingredients or not) may be improved choice, whereas other answers will definitely rise such as water, specific juices, milk or soy milk, or whatever else.

Then again you will have people that say forget drinks altogether, since they are mainly "empty carbs" that provide a reasonable amount of protein/salts/hydration but also have a downside of being liquid form = less digesting and absorption of nutrients.

By now you must be thinking: "enough with this intro, just let me know what it is I should be consuming right after a workout!"

So which one is it?

How to sleep better

 



Sleep is always one of the most important factors that people tend to overlook.  Not only is sleep crucial for recovery (healing your muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments after a workout), but sleep deprivation leads to an imbalance in your system from a health perspective.



 

 Sleep deprivation may lead to the following side effects :

• Increase in appetite => you experience so many lows due to a lack of sleep that your body starts craving foods that will give you a quick pick-me-up.  Foods that do that are usually high sugar/calorie/processed foods.
• Headaches
• Loss of memory
• Increased stress and irritability
• A general increased risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart problems
• etc

 

My 3 week food experiment

Total Exercise time Per week:    3.5 hrs


What I did not eat: 

• Bread 
• Pasta
• Rice
• Potatoes
• Junk food
• Beverages (other than water and black coffee)

What I ate: 

• Tons of meat (lean beef, turkey, chicken breast, tuna, etc)
• Lentils
• Beans
• Salads
• Steamed vegetables
• Eggs
• Plenty of water
• Black coffee

The Result

5 foods that will prevent cravings

One of the most common problems of binge eating is the fact that people don't know why they do it.
Binge eating is uncontrolled compulsive eating that leads you to eat that stash of M&M's, half a bag of chips, 3 donuts, or a full carton of gummy bears (insert any junk food here really).

Binge eating is a direct result of not eating enough protein and healthy fat.  Protein keeps you full a lot longer than fibres and salads.  Also, eating healthy fat during a meal (full fat cheese for e.g.) will naturally curb your appetite and make you want to consume less during your next meal.

Here are five foods that I guarantee will prevent you from binging:

Dr. Sous: Coffee before workout, yea or nea?

Great topic posted by a good friend of mine. Things to keep in mind while reading this:

1) This is a blog post about drinking coffee right before your workout, not coffee in general (as drinking coffee boosts your metabolism)

2) An adverse effect of drinking coffee before your workout is that it reduces blood being delivered to your heart, which is never a good thing.

Click on the link below and enjoy the read!

Dr. Sous: Coffee before workout, yea or nea?

Top 5 Practical Fat-loss Exercises

At some point in our exercise driven activities, we've all wanted to trim the fat and for various reasons.

The top 5 list provided below will give you the best sports that you can practice that will make you lose fat and not gain any more muscle weight.

Problem:  - Losing fat
                 - Gaining unwanted muscle weight/size

What this is good for:     - Losing fat
                                       - Lose weight
                                       - Showing off your six pack
                                       - Add tone and definition

Correct your posture!

Bad posture is a common problem.  Whether you've had it for a while or developed it due to a laborious desk job that sucks the strength out of your back.

Perform the following exercise illustrated below in order to counter the bad posture habits that you have.  The exercise is called "opposite arm and leg raise".   The title is pretty self explanatory.

All you need is 15 minutes a day!

We all fall victim to the same song and dance:  "I'll start my workouts tomorrow....monday....beginning of the month....when I'm not so busy....etc."

What I am offering you right now is a simple 3 step routine that will only take you 15 mins to boost your metabolism for an extended period of time, give you a full body workout, and boost your overall happiness throughout the day.

What do you need for the workout?
-Nothing but music and proper apparel - though a yoga mat is suggested.

Who does this benefit?  
-People who are too tired to muster up any energy to go to the gym after a long, hard day.

How does this benefit you?  
-By working out your full body, this will guarantee efficiency in your fat loss  plan and your toning/sculpting.

Why does this benefit you?
-Not only are you working out your upper body, but your legs and abs are also feeling it.  Legs, after all, compose over 55% of the total muscles in your body!

However, do not let the duration of this exercise fool you.  This is an actual legitimate workout that can sub in on days which you do not want to leave home.

6 easy habits to flatten your mid-section

We are all misled one way or another in our quest to figure out what the magic formula is to achieve/maintain a flat midsection.

Contrary to all popular belief (and based on my efforts in the past few months), a flat midsection is a way of life and not a "do this and achieve that" action-consequence relationship.

Keeping that in mind, here are 6 useful habits that will need to be adopted to find the six pack in you:

Lose weight without the need to DIET

15 Ways to boost your Metabolism

Zinc as the cure for the common cold

Finally, after years of trying out different remedies (natural or medicinal), a study has been conducted and it is concluded that zinc is (so far) the best way to reduce the lifespan of your cold...

Follow these instructions when taking Zinc:

• I would suggest you go for 25mg or 50mg Zinc supplements
• Take once a day with a meal
• Take a couple of hours before or after any other drugs you are taking
• Take at first sign of getting sick or when in contact with others that are sick

If the zinc does not prevent your sickness, it will definitely shorten it so don't stop taking it until you have completely recovered since zinc boosts your immune system!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/for-cold-virus-zinc-may-edge-out-even-chicken-soup/