Chicago Training Core - Personal Trainer

I have been e-mailed & asked this question many times this week. Will creatine help to gain muscle mass? The answer is no! creatine does not help you to gain muscle mass, at least not directly. What creatine does is help you to sustain longer workouts. The way it works is it increases the levels of creatine phosphate [CP] in the muscle, thereby producing more energy, and decreasing fatigue.

The downside is that it prohibits water entering the muscle, which can cause severe muscle cramping, & dehydration, and also contributes to muscle soreness. Muscle soreness is the result of protein synthesis, {protein repairing the muscle} and dehydration. The good news is that your body already produces CP. So how do we produce energy?

Our source of energy is taken from the foods we eat. The human body does not use food in the form that is ingested; rather it is broken down into nutrients to be used, such as carbohydrates, fat, & protein, and is stored in the organs & tissue, which can be later used for energy. CP starts off as pyruvate, which is converted to adenosine triphosphate & CP and is produced in the mitochondria, also referred to as the powerhouse of the muscle cell. The body also produces other various energy systems that all result from the initial production of CP, adenosine triphosphate [ATP] & pyruvate. Those sub systems however, are aerobic in nature, and therefore do not come into play for this discussion.

The body uses nutrients in a hierarchy, though no one is more important than the other, and it is important to know what that order is, so that you can plan your energy requirement needs, according to the type of training you are doing. First we use carbohydrates, secondly fat, third protein. Protein can be used as fuel, and in some cases is, when all other energy sources are depleted, though it is not recommended; because it is an inefficient source of energy; and keep in mind, anaerobic exercise {weight lifting} does not burn fat.

The most important thing to consider before taking creatine or any other supplement, or worse, steroids is what effect it will have on your hormonal system! Nature intended our bodies to exist in a homeostatic state. Taking any of these supplements alters that state; and may cause serious undesired effects. So unless you are a professional body builder, or power lifter, and are under the supervision of a dietician or nutritionist, do not attempt to prescribe these supplements to yourself. If you want more energy for your workouts, eat more carbs! Your diet should consist of 55%-65% carbohydrates daily anyway!.

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846

Hello muscle builders. Welcome to “How to build muscle part 2″. This is the second and arguably the most important phase of muscle building,  because this is the “Hypertrophy” or “Growth phase”. The human body works on the S.A.I.D. principle, “Specific Adaptation to Implied Demand”. it means, that your body will get used to what you put it through. For instance, if you train a particular part of your body say only your arms, they will recruit more muscle fibers {see how to build muscle: part 1} than any other parts of your body. Aside from looking funny, you will have trained your arms to adapt to the demand you placed on them, and they will no longer respond to training, if you continue to do the same routine day in & out, that is why you MUST progress! So let’s begin phase 2.

If you have followed the instruction given in “How To Build Muscle: Part 1″ and are able to do 3 sets of at least 15 repetitions of 8 to 10 exercises, and able to hold a conversation while doing so, then you are prepared to move on, or progress.

In this phase you will increase the resistance or weight to about 80%- 85% of your maximum ability. This will force your muscles to adapt to the new demands. Perform 8 to no more than 12 repetitions with 30-90 seconds rest between sets. For best results, start off with 8 repetitions, doing 8 to 10 exercises. If you are truly performing at 80%-85% you shouldn’t be able to do 12 right away. When you are successfully able to perform 2 workouts back to back {all muscle groups} it is time to progress, DO NOT ADD MORE WEIGHT. Instead, add to more repetitions! Then repeat the previous step. When you get to 12 reps & successfully complete 2 back to back workouts {all muscle groups} add 2 to 5lbs and start from the beginning with 8 reps, and repeat the cycle.

Now let’s talk about a critical aspect of muscle growth. Stretching! Most of us overlook the importance of stretching, especially men! It seems like a waste of time for sure, however.. stretching aids in many aspects of muscle building & overall health. For our purposes stretching will help increase the cross sectional area of the muscle, allowing more muscle fiber to be recruited to the area, making the muscle bigger! So you see, as much of a hassle it seems to be, it is worth the extra 5 minutes to do it!

So there you have it! Phase 2 of muscle building. Keep in mind, this is part of a formula! You will still have to adhere to it, if you want to gain muscle mass, so be sure to check back soon to learn more about building muscle.

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846.

Many of us want to build muscle but really are not sure how to do it. Just like anything else there is a systematic approach. Think about it this way; if you were preparing to take a test to become a mathematician you wouldn’t start out by studying calculus would you? The first & foremost thing to consider is that the Human body has 4 systems that each play a role in every aspect of our daily lives. They are; the musculoskeletal, Nervous, Cardiovascular, & Endocrine or{Hormonal} Systems. You need to first prepare the muscle properly, & train each system to adapt to muscle building. Next you need to know there are several types of muscle fibers. The human body will recruit these fibers the way you tell it to.

Muscles use oxygen. Thinner muscle fibers are more resistant to oxygen depletion than thicker muscle fibers. It is for that reason that it is easier to lift a lighter weight than it is to lift a heavier weight over time. When muscles burn oxygen it produces a by-product called Lactic Acid, its the burning sensation you feel just before you decide “NO MORE” this product impedes the ability to efficiently use oxygen, and it is very hard to overcome. The good news is you can train your body to tolerate its effects for longer periods of time. Let’s start with the thinner muscle fibers or type 2a first, since they can sustain longer periods of action they are somewhat easier to train.

We will first begin in the Endurance phase. As I mentioned early on you must follow a formula unless you happen to have many hours to spend a day muscle training, like say in certain Institutions. When training in the Endurance mode you will familiarize the body with the motion of exercise or for others teach the body how to exercise, you do this by starting out with 50%-55% of your maximum ability, so if your max bench press is 20lbs you’ll want to start off with 10lbs-12.5lbs and do 13 or more repetitions. Remember to breathe in when you are working WITH gravity & out when you are working AGAINST gravity. NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATH. You can do as many as you care to but keep in mind you will want to do more than 1 set so don’t over do it. Perform no more than 3 sets when operating in this mode. If you’re like most you’ll want to do anywhere from 13-20 reps, the way you know you are progressing is to increase the reps by 2 for your next training session, and maintain the extra 2 through the entire workout up to about 30 reps or so, then its time to move on. DO NOT ADD EXTRA WEIGHT! For exercise ideas visit http://www.chicagotrainingcore.com go to ‘Client sign in’ & click the link under “enter site” there you will find exercise pics with detailed instruction on how to perform proper exercise. Good luck & have fun!

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846.

Recently I was asked which is better, the Elliptical or the Treadmill? This is a question that has been asked for years, and while the consensus has been that the Treadmill gives you a better workout because you are working harder, that is true. You are working harder! In April 2006 clinical studies concluded that the human body burned the same amount of calories on the Elliptical as the Treadmill. How can it be? The laws of Physics. Work equals force times distance, and if you are like most when you run you may not be the most efficient you can be in your effort. The term “exercise economy” in the exercise world means minimizing wasted movement. You may be wondering how can that be done? After all I’m running right?

Unless you are an accomplished runner or professional athlete you may not know what wasted movement is, wasted movement while running happens three ways, The first is the long stride. The longer your stride is the more work you are doing, to achieve your goal. The second is stride frequency, slower leg movement tends to go hand in hand with longer strides. Third is bouncing or hopping while running. Each of these habits is at an energy cost. To reduce this effect try these tips on your next run. First try to take shorter steps and increase the frequency of your stride {faster steps}. At first it will feel like you are doing more work, and at times you will forget the technique, so with that in mind start out in intervals of maybe 2 minutes or as long as you can then go back to your regular pace. Remember work equals force times distance, shorter steps means less work. Next, try not to bounce. The best way is to pretend you have a book on your head that you don’t want to fall off, you might even picture a speed walker in your mind, you know the way some of them look like they’re gliding across the ground with little impact. Again try to maintain that posture for 2 minutes or as long as you can before giving in to the temptation of bouncing.

On the other hand, if you are not a Marathon runner or training for a running event, or if you have Back, Hip, Knee, or Ankle issues then the Elliptical machine may be the answer for you. Training on a Elliptical can be easier on the joints because of the fluid motion, your body stays in contact with the apparatus greatly reducing the jarring effects of impact The impact on your joints from the pounding of running can be 4 or 5 times greater than your body weight, meaning a 130lb person will experience forces up to 650lbs, jolting through their body! You also have the benefit of multi-joint exercise just like running. And if you’re in the market for purchasing a Treadmill or Eliptical Machine most Ellipticals are cheaper!

So there you have it. Back to square one, but at least now you can make a better informed decision on which is better. The Elliptical Machine or the Treadmill.

For exercise ideas visit www.chicagotrainingcore.com go to ‘Client sign in’ & click the link under “enter site”

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846.