Shape By Brown

Q & A

Q: How much protein should I consume daily to gain or lose weight?

A: Protein is a complex chemical structure of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen. Accounting for 50% of the body's dry weight, it has been estimated that humans consist of 50,000 different proteins. From the simple blink of an eye to the flow of blood to muscles under extreme stress, proteins are everywhere.

Their function involves more than muscle tissue repair. It includes repair of red blood cells, hair and fingernail growth, regulation of hormone secretion, movement (muscle contraction), digestion, maintenance of the body's water balance, protection against disease, transport of nutrients to and from cells, the carrying of oxygen and regulation of blood clotting.

So the role of protein is very important to over-all body function and health. Sadly enough, this role has been improperly depicted in various muscle magazines, on TV fitness shows and in claims by trainers and bodybuilders who think protein is mainly used to repair damaged muscle tissue. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Protein intake ranging from 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight to one gram per pound or more can be beneficial for an individual involved in an intense training program. Protein has been typecast as something that will make you big and strong, but muscle growth is not controlled by the level of protein one takes; rather it is the growth demand caused by intense training or stress that will ultimately determine how much protein one should take in.

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Q: What exercises can I do to strenghen my core?

A: There are many and here are a few.

The ab crunch with a stability ball is an intermediate core exercise. It uses the stability ball to anchor your legs and allow you to isolate the abs.

Floor Crunches

Starting Position
Lie on the floor or a mat on your back, with knees bent and hands behind head. Feet should be flat on the ground. Keep a space between your chin and chest (looking diagonal towards the ceiling).

Action
EXHALE: Raise your chest until your shoulder blades lift off the floor.

INHALE: Slowly lower back to floor.

Special Instructions
Don't use your hands and arms to help lift you up - use abdominals and hips.

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Q: How can I lose weight?

Step 1

Watch what you eat. In order to lose weight, regardless of the exercise that you're doing, you must burn more calories than you are taking in. Aim for healthy fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains.

Step2

Add more activity to your daily life. You don't need to spend an hour at the gym on the treadmill, but you do need to move. Find activities that you like such as gardening, walking, playing with your kids or dancing and do them regularly. Add small changes to your everyday life like parking at the end of the lot, walking around the grocery store before you start shopping and climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

Step3

Resistance train to build lean muscle mass. Adding lean muscle boosts your metabolism and helps you look fitter. Challenge yourself with the resistance workouts that you do, and you may find hiring a personal trainer helpful.

Step4

Speed up your resistance training. Whether you're taking a Yoga class or working out on weight machines, speeding your workout up can give you a cardio burst without having to do a regular cardio workout. For weight training, decrease the amount of rest time between exercises. Circuit training gives you a cardio workout while you lift.

Step5

Keep an eye out for cardio activities that you like to do. While you can lose weight without doing cardio, ultimately your heart will be healthier if you build some cardio back into your workout. If you hate the gym, consider joining a sports team or finding outdoor activities like hiking or biking

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Q: How can I increase my speed and agility?

A: The thigh flexor muscles are considered to be the primary muscle group involved in running. The faster you can accelerate your thighs upwards and forward, the faster you will be able to run. You need to recruit Fast Twitch Muscle fibers.

Fast Twitch (Type II)
Because fast twitch fibers use anaerobic metabolism to create fuel, they are much better at generating short bursts of strength or speed than slow muscles. However, they fatigue more quickly. Fast twitch fibers generally produce the same amount of force per contraction as slow muscles, but they get their name because they are able to fire more rapidly. Having more fast twitch fibers can be an asset to a sprinter since she needs to quickly generate a lot of force.

Type IIa Fibers
These fast twitch muscle fibers are also known as intermediate fast-twitch fibers. They can use both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism almost equally to create energy. In this way, they are a combination of Type I and Type II muscle fibers.

Type IIb Fibers
These fast twitch fibers use anaerobic metabolism to create energy and are the "classic" fast twitch muscle fibers that excel at producing quick, powerful bursts of speed. This muscle fiber has the highest rate of contraction (rapid firing) of all the muscle fiber types, but it also has a much faster rate of fatigue and can't last as long before it needs rest.

For example, it has been shown that a sprinters top speed is not determined by how much thrust he can generate when pushing off, but instead by how fast he can move his leg forward out in front of him. You can see that this is not a matter of strength but of speed and quickness. The thigh flexor muscles, therefore, are considered to be the primary muscle group involved in running. The faster you can accelerate your thighs upwards and forward, the faster you will be able to run – it’s as simple as that!