50 Facts About Men’s Fitness American Healthcare

50 Facts About Men’s Fitness

January 13th, 2012 by Declan Nguyen |

Men are far different beasts than our women counterparts. Were less likely to visit the doctor and exercise, and yet we suffer from more health problems and we die at a younger age. Were stubborn animals that are made-up of some dramatically different hormones that our environment seems to be hard at work on diminishing .

Men think differently than women. We train different, and we should be eating in a different way. Where the fitness industry spends a lot of time focusing on women, were going to go over 50 facts about . Im not only showing you scary stats and problems with how we eat and train, but providing a solution wherever a problem arises.

Make sure you go through all 50 then add your fact in the comments section.

Diet is the number one factor for maintaining great and having a physique you can be proud of. Its also the area where many of us slip up. Make no mistake about it, if you eat crap youll look like it too.

The calories just dont add up. Depending on your weight and intensity of training, an hour long workout can burn 700-800 calories. We then reward ourselves with 4 slices of pizza later than night and gain back 750 bad calories.

You cant always think of calories in a 1 for 1, burned vs consumed sense, but we train 4 days a week and we eat 3-6 meals a day. If we have a crappy diet we cant expect to look great no matter how much we train.

Expecting insane results with little effort? Youll be disappointed every time. If you want a great physique, hard work and some sacrifice is a prerequisite. You can also make a terrible program work if youre willing to put the effort in.

New studies are showing that our fat cells are most responsive to insulin spikes during the morning. This means that foods like carbs or dairy that spike our insulin levels are actually feeding our fat cells.

Weve been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day for years and years, but it may turn out to be the opposite for those trying to lose fat.

Long bouts of cardio can result in us storing fat rather than burning it. A better alternative:

Sprints result in more fat cells recruited for energy use, and less muscle burned for the same. They also result un Human Growth Hormone being released and dont result in the release of cortisol a powerful muscle and bone-burning stress hormone that can come from longer bouts of cardio.

Caffein can give us energy to workout harder, which is a huge benefit in my mind. Coffee is also high in antioxidants and two cups has been shown to speed up the fat burning process by bringing lipids into our bloodstream where theyre more easily used as fuel or energy.

So, all of that nonsense saying that coffee is bad for you isnt always true. But you can obviously go overboard, which has a very negative effect .

Walk into a gym and youll most likely see guys working the mirror muscles, that is, those muscles that are seen in the mirror. The fact is that pulling more and developing bigger back muscles actually pulls our shoulders back, giving our chest and shoulders a broader look.

Not just for looks however, our back muscles are some of the biggest on our body and are involved in many of our pushing movements. If you want to build a v-shaped torso, and build athletic power and strength, work your back as much if not more than your mirror muscles.

Testosterone is the man hormone, its benefits are numerable. Higher natural levels of testosterone levels result in a greater capacity for fat loss, greater sex drive, and greater tissue repair. By having fats upon rising and before bed, we raise our testosterone levels in a natural way one not accompanied by the drawbacks of steroids.

Try this cocktail before bed and upon rising: 2 caps cod liver oil + vitamin rich butter fat + 3 Brazil nuts + 3 whole eggs.

However, if a man with sleep apnea is diagnosed with low testosterone alone, taking steroids can worsen sleep apnea.

An upper/lower split is a great way to train the entire body twice in a week, giving us the required 72 hours of recovery time that each muscle needs to benefit from what were doing in the gym.

Saturated fat has been seen as the enemy for years now, but the average size of our bellies is increasing. Studies are continually coming out showing that a diet high in saturated and monounsaturated fats, but low in high glycemic carbohydrates results in less body fat and a higher ability to maintain muscle.

The enemy? High glycemic carbohydrates and trans fats, which are always a bad choice.

Studies show that a behemoth bodybuilder isnt the kind of body that women are looking for. Rather, a lean, muscular, ripped, and athletic guy that resembles more of a Spiderman than a Hulk is what theyd really want.

When guys want to lose fat we often up the reps and cardio and eat less calories. A better way of doing things would be to keep your reps as they are if you were trying to build muscle, keep sprints and dont start going for long runs, then eat less calories.

This will help you maintain and even gain muscle while youre trying to burn fat. More muscle = a higher metabolism, which = more fat burned when youre doing nothing.

Its also a great way to ensure healthy testosterone levels and low stress levels.

Important for fat loss or gaining muscle as our bodies can use muscle and proteins as fuel if theyre not provided with an alternative source.

Bulking and cutting dominate the bodybuilding and fitness industry. We bulk to gain mass then try and lose it all to look ripped. Why not just work hard at the gym 4 times a week, eat healthy 6 our of 7 days and look great year round? Check out this article for a few more lifestyle tips that will keep you ripped year round:

How to Get Ripped. Forever.

Instead of the recommended 1,000 IUs daily as it often says on the bottle, we can be taking as much as 5,000 IUs twice daily to meet our requirements. Vitamin D improves immune system strength and function, it aids in calcium absorption, maintains brain function later in life, as well as a host of other benefits.

Get some sun, or take the supplement and stay healthy and happy.

That V-shaped torso is the ideal for men. Its pretty tough to attain this look if were not building width in the chest, back, and shoulder region. As such, train accordingly and read this article: How to Accidentally Build Broad Shoulders.

Its our tendency to go easy on ourselves. Instead, download or buy one from someone who has achieved what you want to achieve.

Keep your boys cool if you want a healthy sperm count and testosterone levels. Heat kills sperm and hinders our ability to create testosterone. So give your boys some room to breathe.

Keep it to 3 or under and youre good.

Not only does exercise improve our body, it helps your mental function.

My suggestion: try boxing or a team sport. Team sports are fun, in boxing you get to punch things.

Erections are all about good bloodflow, and lighting up calcifies blood vessels, stifling erectile circulation. So even if you dont care all that much about your lungs or dying young, spare the lil guy. Thanks to for this one.

Use it to ignite your workout. Here are some tips: 10 Inspirational Songs.

By processing the cholesterol from eggs we end up producing less of our own cholesterol. This goes directly against any argument saying that whole eggs lead to fat bellys and heart disease. Dont throw away the yolk!

Get stronger and more flexible. Work on your minor injuries, dont simply lie on your arse and hope they get better.

A hard lesson or a health scare is often what it takes for us to take our health seriously.

As does any amount of alcohol, but the degree that 1-2 drinks a day does is so minor its not worth the worry.

A German study from Cologne University Medical Center found that physical exercise can be as effective as Viagra in dealing with erectile dysfunction. Over 80% of their participants with mild to medium circulatory problems reported better erections compared to 74% taking Viagra!

Thanks for this one.

So even if your goal is fat loss, your goal should also be to maintain as much muscle as possible even if youre depleting calories.

term partner.

Congrats to us single guys?

Men far too often feel like whatever burden we have to bear is ours alone. The reality is that we all have someone to talk to, even if we dont realize it. Also, exercise can help with depression in a big way. When we workout we release endorphins that give us a natural high without the corresponding crash that drugs often produce.

If you feel like youre suffering from depression, find a purpose and set a goal, find someone to talk to, and start working out.

This article will also help you: The Meaning of Life

Heart disease
Cancer
Accidents

Those who want it bad enough make time for it. They turn off the TV, wake up an hour earlier, go to bed an hour later, and figure out a way to make it happen. If you dont want it bad enough you wont make time for it. Hopefully some of the previous 49 facts help you find that desire and urgency to make time to get in great shape.

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