Weight Training Does a Body Good

How Does Lifting Weights Increase Bone Density?
Bone Stress
When you lift weights, your muscles must work harder to move the weight. The muscles are attached to the bones. When the muscles flex, they pull on the bones. The harder the muscles work, the more stress they place on the skeleton. The bones must also withstand the pressure of holding up the weight. This compresses them which adds even more stress.
Bone Cracks
When muscles lift weights they get microscopic tears in the muscle fibers. When these tears heal, the muscles get bigger and stronger. The bones react in a similar way to the lifting of weights. When the muscles pull on the bones and when the bones are compressed by weights, they get very small cracks in the bone structure. This happens on the microscopic level inside the bones. As long as the weight lifting is in moderation, this is not dangerous or painful. People who lift weights are completely unaware that it is happening.
Bone Formation
Lifting weights stimulates bone formation. Within a few days, the body automatically heals the microscopic cracks in the bones caused by lifting weights. When this happens, there is an increase in the density of the bones. They actually get stronger on the insides because more bone has formed there. More massive bones are sturdier bones. This bone formation benefit accumulates over time. The longer a person lifts weights, the stronger their bones will get.
Bone Density
Lifting weights is important to increase bone density in all people. It is especially vital for women since they lose more bone density than men after menopause because of a decrease in estrogen. Lifting weights throughout your life will make your bones stronger in old age. Broken bones are the leading reason elderly people end up in nursing homes. Strong bones enable you to have an active and healthy lifestyle that leads to a longer life. Weak bones will shorten your life expectancy.
Secondary Bone Benefits
Lifting weights also protects your bones in unexpected ways. Weight resistance exercises make muscles stronger and improves balance. That makes it less likely that you will break a bone if you happen to fall down. Strong muscles protect the bones from damage in an impact. Improved balance also makes it less likely that you will fall down in the first place.

The Art of Bodybuilding.

Ashley Hanna


Well, I am preparing for my first show. I'm very nervous. But, that's why I've told so many people about it. It's hard for me to back out of it now!!!

NANBF in NW Arkansas, June 25th. Today is my 4th day of contest prep.

I'm really appreciating bodybuilding more & more. Most people think it is simply about having big muscles. It's much more of a science than that. No, it is absolutely an art form. Bodybuilders are definitely artists. I love the way Arnold describes bodybuilders as artists who pack clay onto the form and then work to carve out the perfect figure... So true.

I hope that I can be a wonderful artist...

See you in the gym,
Rebecca Shoemaker

Dig Down Deep

Ah, it's March... What was that New Years Resolution again?
That's probably what a lot of people are thinking right now. (I, however, tend not to make New Years Resolutions; just commit on a daily basis) The stresses of everyday life have pushed your goals aside. "I'll get back to that when I get this mini-crisis taken care of." "I'll start fresh next week." "These calories don't really count--this is a special occasion."
Dangerous ways of thinking.
I'm guilty too. I've slacked off plenty this year. It's time for us to dig down deep and find our motivation. Focus our eyes on the prize. What are you doing this for? Is the pot of gold big enough for you to not get distracted by the quarter you find along the way?
Take some time to really think about this. What do you really want and what are you doing to NOT get it?



This is NOT a temporary fix.
This is NOT a fad diet.
This IS a lifestyle change.
Follow the program 100% of the time. The ability to use discipline and consistency consistently truly separates the pros from the amateurs. This is not going to be easy. Success is never easy to acquire, otherwise it wouldn't be so valuable.
You don't GET a great body, you WORK for it.
So, c'mon, think back to December 31, 2010. How did you feel? What drove you then? What drives you now? Re-evaluate. Make a new plan of action. Commit.

I'll see you in the gym.
-Rebecca

Training Tip: Are you “Cardiac Drifting”?

Mark Baines, Vice President of Program Development
Cardiac drift is the tendency for the heart rate to rise gradually throughout a workout due to dehydration and/or rising temperature within the muscles despite a fairly consistent level of effort or steady work rate. In 1990, a study was performed in Italy with 34 male, recreationally athletic subjects to assess changes in heart rate while training at the lactate threshold level. During a test requiring 60 minutes of work, the study found that heart rates increased significantly after only 20 minutes of exercise at the lactate threshold.

The authors of the study suggested that these heart rate changes, despite consistent work rate, may be due to a gradual increase in body temperature over the first 20 minutes. Depending upon the individual’s current conditioning, and other external factors, it was not possible to maintain the same heart rate and a consistent level of effort in almost all cases.

Cardiac drifting is very normal and typical in well trained individuals (an untrained or deconditioned individual would not see much consistency at almost any consistent level of effort). It should be expected that the heart rate will vary within 5-10 percent or so at a consistent level of effort after as little as only a few minutes of training. The implication for training is that it is not always possible to maintain a consistent level of effort if the heart rate continues to drift upward at a given intensity (particularly when the heart rate rises above the individual’s lactate threshold). At some point in time, with prolonged effort, the individual may be forced to decrease effort dramatically or reach the point of complete exhaustion.

Several years ago, the great endurance athlete, Ingrid Kristiansen, set out to run a 10k under 33 minutes. However, at one point in the race, her heart rate monitor let her know that her heart rate was drifting upward despite the consistent level of effort which she had grown accustomed to giving. It was quite hot that day. Fortunately, she was wise enough to decrease her pace and allow her heart rate to return to an expected level to avoid “blowing up” completely and she was able to finish the race, although not at a record pace. If she had continued to pursue the same pace, she might not have finished the race at all. While power output and pacing are obviously important variables to track and pursue, we cannot ignore the body’s internal responses for the sake of power output or pace, or we will experience lackluster or traumatic results.

Pay attention to heart rate AND perceived exertion. You must know both, you must understand booth, and you must constantly monitor both if you expect to provide the right training intensity for your clients and athletes. Whether or not your client is breathing hard is far from the ideal way to determine intensity in cardiovascular exercise or more intense training circuits.

The above information was excerpted from the NESTA Heart Rate Performance Specialist (HRP) manual.

We can never know enough, and there is no better time than now to learn more to help more people. It is early in the new year and it is a good time for a new beginning. You just might make a good living on the way.

Resolutioners--Stick to your guns!

Here we are in week two of your new life and you are trying hard to stick to your plan to get in shape. If things are going exactly how you planned then good job, keep going and if you need some help feel free to come back to this again and again. If this big change is starting to get to you then this may be perfect timing for inspiration. Here are some tips on helping you get through to the other side.


Make sure you have a plan with short term and long-term goals. You will need to be very purposeful in the beginning. If you have a plan each week, with a goal for that week, it will be easier to stick to it. Also, try to have a couple long-term goals that you are striving for at the end of one year. This will keep you focused on the long-term results of your new life change. Keep going. Change is hard. It is never a breeze to start fresh and begin again. That’s why not many people do it. But take heart, soon all this work will become habit and you will begin to wonder how lived any other way. This usually takes about 3-6 months so press on and keep striving to reach your goals.

Find a buddy to help you out. Share your goals with your friends. Give someone a call each day to let them know how you’re doing and what your plan is for the day. Or you may even want to get someone to join you on your journey by taking up the same new lifestyle you are choosing for yourself. Make sure you choose someone who really wants to change. You want someone who will hold you accountable when you feel like you can’t go on.

If losing weight is your main goal, don’t always rely on your scale. Remember that muscle weighs much more than fat and sometimes just looking in a full length mirror will tell you how you’re doing better than a scale can.

Try new things, being happy is important so experiment with new ways to be active and you will find that you are more likely to stick to your goals. Plus, different activities will work different parts of your body so that you will have a more balanced exercise bank to select from. Walking, snowshoeing, interval training, swimming, cycling, tennis, and skiing are just a few fun forms of exercise that you could try. I recently realized that I love punching & kicking the punching bag in my gym. It gets my heart rate up higher than I ever thought it would and my hamstrings were sore for a week afterward!

Hire a personal trainer. One thing I enjoy doing with my clients is setting up an obstacle course around the track to really shake up the routine.

If there is a certain type of activity that you can’t stand, then don’t do it. Many people think they have to torture themselves in order to get into shape. But that is not the case. There are so many other things to choose from so pick something that will help you be positive and that you will enjoy. It is awesome that you are trying to make positive lifestyle changes. The benefits of these changes will be with you forever and your body will thank you for it. You can do it and you will do it!

Ugh! There goes another vice.

Are Diet Drinks Making You Fat?

You already know that drinking sodas which are high in sugar (and high-fructose corn syrup) are bad for you.

But did you know that drinking the alternative (diet sodas and diet drinks) are just as bad for your health and body, if not worse?

Most folks think they're doing good by drinking these zero-calorie drinks.

But the truth is they can do more harm than good.

A study published in the journal "Obesity" came across a startling find ...

It compared over 2,000 people. Those who drank diet sodas had a 47 percent higher body mass index (BMI) than those who didn't.

What's more, the diet soda drinkers were at twice the risk of becoming clinically obese!

But that's not all.

An eight-year study done at the University of Texas found that there's a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soda a person drinks each day.

Unbelievable stuff, right!?

If that wasn't bad enough, get this. A study published by the Public Library of Science found that the artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks can be just as addictive as cocaine (or more so!).

In this study, animals had two choices. Cocaine or saccharin (a common artificial sweetener). It turns out that 94 percent chose saccharin ... even if they were already addicted to the cocaine!

Bottom line is this: Diet sodas or diet ANYTHING -- may not be that good for your fat loss efforts or for your health.


Instead, stick with plain old H2O.

If the thought of drinking nothing but plain water makes you gag, add some flavor.

For example, you can add some fresh lemon or lime.

If you're more adventurous, you can crush some mint leaves, and add ice too.

Finally, if you absolutey MUST have "sweet" in anything you drink, use Stevia.

It's an all-natural sweetener that has no calories ... and none of the side effects that comes with the artificial stuff.

James Cipriani
CT's Premier Health & Fitness Expert

Capsiate Decreases Abdominal Fat

Capsinoids (e.g., capsiate, capsaicin, the active ingredients in red pepper, are promising thermogenic chemicals that might promote fat loss.They cause a burning sensation when they touch the skin and are used in heat wraps and analgesic balms.

A French study showed that capsiate supplements (100mgs/kilogram bodyweight for 14 days)decreased abdominal fat in rats and increased ATP (energy) production. The results agree with conducted at the University of Maryland Medical school, which found that obese men and women given capsinoid supplements (6mg per day for 12 weeks) lost more abdominal fat than people taking a placebo.
The supplements were well-tolerated and had few side effects. Other studies found that capsinoids prevented fat cell growth, promoted thermogenesis, reduced hunger, triggered fat breakdown, and had a small effect on fat loss. Capsinoids may be useful ingredients in weight loss supplements. (Internal Journal of Obesity, 33: 1348-1355, 2009;American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 89: 45-50, 2009