Monday, June 22, 2009

Foolish Fitness - By Russ L

Foolish Fitness
By Russell

Getting a spring break body can be a long and frustrating process.
As this time of year approaches, many college students resort to strict dieting or supplements to get lean fast.
People are just much more active at this time of the year, and more people are in the gym, said David Angotti, a strength and conditioning specialist, supplement salesman and athletic trainer.
Even with the bad economy, he said, there is always a slight increase in supplement sales and personal training at this time of year.
Before people jump in to the world of supplements or rigorous exercise, they should know what they're doing and put safety first, he said.
The truth is, the vast majority of people who are trying to get in shape fast do not use the right methods to do so.
The key to getting in shape is to focus on nutrition, Angotti said.
“Getting healthy is 80 percent nutrition, 20 percent exercise,” he said.
An effective nutrition plan should include five or six small meals a day, and these meals should include a decent amount of protein and carbs.
For energy, one should eat brown carbs, or complex carbs, such as pasta and sweet potatoes, Angotti said.
Avoiding late-night sugar or carbs is also essential to getting healthy, Angotti said, a beginner doesn't need to do anything extra.
To get extra from their workouts, people often begin taking supplements.
Using supplements is a complicated and often confusing way of boosting the effectiveness of workouts.
A supplement is basically anything that's consumed for health benefits besides the food that a person eats, Angotti said.
There is a vast range of supplements available, such as whey protein, creatine, energy boosters and multivitamins.
With so many supplements on the shelf, how does someone know what will work for them?
“I see people looking for heavy duty supplements when they are just starting to work out and I try to tell them that that's not the way to get results fast,” said Jordan Newstadt, a professional bodybuilder and employee at Vitamin World.
The best supplement for a beginner, if anything, is a whey protein shake post-workout, Newstadt said.
“I know a lot of people that try to jump right in to it and take some intense supplement like creatine,” said Joe Packer, a student at the University of Florida (UF).
Creatine is a supplement designed to increase the strength potential of a workout and must be taken correctly to be effective, Angotti said.
“I'd say about 95 percent of people I see using creatine do not take it the right way, and this can cause serious setbacks when it comes to getting results,” Angotti said.
The best thing to do when taking creatine is to follow the labels and drink a lot of water, he said.
Creatine is a supplement that should not be used by someone with an inconsistent routine or a person who is just starting to work out.
It is best used to add that extra boost for a person who has seen his results plateau, Angotti said.
The problem with taking creatine is that many of the gains made while taking the supplement will disappear when it is discontinued, Newstadt said.
Even the most complex type of creatine adds primarily water weight to the body, and a person will lose at least 20 percent of their gains when they stop taking it, Newstadt said.
This is a problem that applies to most supplements.
“No supplement is really going to last if you stop taking it,” Newstadt said.
Other than supplements, students may also do riskier exercises to see faster gains, Angotti said.
Exercises such as deep squats and benching with an arched back may lead to increased results, but could also lead to serious injuries, he said.
“My friend just blew out his knee from doing a deep squat, trying to fully work his muscle,” said Brian Weiss, a student at UF.
Strained joints and herniated disks are common injuries in the fitness world, and people could even experience complications later in life from improper exercise.
“The risk should never outweigh the reward,” Angotti said.
No matter how intense the exercises or what variety of supplements are taken, it all comes back to nutrition, he said.
Eating healthy is the most important part of a healthy lifestyle, he said.
“Supplements enhance nutrition, they don't replace it.”

No comments:

Post a Comment

Add to Technorati Favorites