Wednesday, May 26, 2010

All Are Welcome To My Book Signing June 9th

A Special Visit

I recently had the honor of meeting Scot and Kerry who are online personal training clients of mine who hail from Detroit, Michigan. Scot has been following this blog ever since its conception. This past monday I had the pleasure of meeting Scot and Kerry for the first time in person. It was a great delight to actually meet clients that I have been working with online. I enjoyed working with Scot and being able to show him some exercises. I hope that he was sore the next day! I will be training with him this Friday in real time. I am going to show him how I train first hand. Working with Scot and Kerry online has been great, but to meet them in person was even more exciting. Scot and Kerry are, as we say in Maine, " Wicked Nice People." This week Scot proposed to Kerry and she said YES!!! making their trip to Maine even more special. I wish them both the best. Scot and Kerry, it has been an absolute pleasure meeting you. Thank you for your support.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Supplements that Claim To Produce An Anabolic Effect

I was asked one time if I ever took steroids. My answer is always NO! I never took steroids and never will. My philosophy is that what is natural needs to remain natural. Tampering with my physiology by injecting high concentrations of anabolic steroids into my system is not a natural event. Steroids only provide a temporary effect in muscle growth. Once you stop taking them your body goes back to its original size and shape. I have been tempted by others to take steroids but I never took them. When I was young and naive I didn't know what steroids were, I thought they were super vitamins. When I learned what they were I had not interest in them.

Everyday there are tons of ads online and in magazines that promote the sale of some super powerful anabolic supplement guaranteed to get you huge in only a few weeks. These claims are false. Most supplements are not anabolic. If they are anabolic then I would say that they contain pro-hormones or actual steroids. Kids are going out and buying up these "super" supplements in hopes of developing big muscles. The problem is that no matter how anabolic a supplement is or steroid is the body will return to its original size once you discontinue taking them. Any supplement that claims to build huge muscles fast should be investigated. Another problem is that you have to keep up with purchasing these agents on a regular basis, which can be costly. So rather than training hard and living within your own genetic potential, you have to depend on pills each month to keep you big. This just doesn't make sense. It is false bodybuilding.

If a person has to depend on spending hundreds of dollars a month to keep their muscles pumped up then something is seriously wrong. I love training and seeing realistic results. I have no need to take drugs to produce an unnatural physiological effect. It goes against my philosophy and what I stand for. I'll leave drug use to the unintelligent Neanderthal who is a bodybuilding poser. They will have their fifteen minutes of fame and then will end up looking like crap a few years later. When I started bodybuilding twenty four years ago my intent was to do it for my entire life not just for one or two months. The satisfaction of knowing that I am all natural is all I need to appease my ego. I don't need to go out and buy the latest super supplement that guarantees I will put on tons of muscle. I don't buy into the hype. Be careful not to fall into the deceptive trap of supplement advertising. Most ads show a muscle bound freak-a-zoid gnashing his teeth with veins popping out all over his body while holding a bottle of some new supplement claiming that you will look like him. Young insecure minds are lured into this trap because they feel that this is their way out of being a small, weak, insecure person. That if they get huge like the dude in the picture then they will get the respect the deserve. It is a shame that this is what bodybuilding has turned into.

The bottom line is to keep it real, train hard, take recovery supplements, and eat good wholesome foods. Stay away from supplements that guarantee that you will put on 10-50 pounds of rock hard muscle. No supplement can put on that much muscle in a short time. Leave the steroid and pro-hormone use to the insecure, low intelligent, egotisitical, idiots of the world. Stay true to yourself and build a physique that you can feel proud about knowing that is built by hard work and honesty. Not filled with some temporary agent that pumps you up and then deflates you a month later.



tags: Steroids, nutrition, supplements, health,

Having A Plan

I am convinced that most people who workout have no idea what they are doing. They are simply wasting time. Exercise is only a metabolic booster. It is a way to challenge the neuromuscular system in a controlled setting. When you exercise in a gym, at home or outside the body doesn't care where you are. Nerve stimulation is nerve stimulation. I don't care if you are lifting a huge boulder over your head or a barbell. The same hormonal sequence and fiber breakdown is the same in both cases.

The goal of weight training is to produce a stimulation to the muscles that elicits a physiological change. With this change comes new growth patterns. This process of activating more muscle cells ultimately helps with fat and sugar metabolism, as well as, energy production. In addition, the immune properties are enhanced and improved allowing greater protection against free radical invaders. Exercise is a controlled stress. Changing the body requires a decisive plan of attack.

I am often amazed at the amount of people who have no idea how to train. I even see this at my own gym. I have members that don't want my help. They just want the basic membership with no personal instruction. They come in day in and day out doing the same old thing and never seeing results. They will never ask me for help, which I find strange. I opened this gym to help people achieve results. I didn't open this gym just to sit behind a desk staring at people exercising incorrectly.

What people are doing wrong:

1. They have no plan.
2. They lack knowledge about how the nervous system works.
3. They lack knowledge about how muscles work.
4. They lack knowledge about how the body metabolizes fat and sugar.
5. They lack the knowledge to know when to change the program.
6. They lack the knowledge to know what exercise sequence works and what doesn't.
7 They follow a bodybuilder's plan that isn't right for them.
8. They weight train ineffectively over developing muscles that shouldn't be over developed.
9. They do the same thing for months on end.
10. They don't use the right intensity to stimulate the muscles.
11. They don't supplement their diet.
12. They don't know to avoid overtraining.
13. They under train.
14. They fail to ask questions to those of us that have spent our life training and designing programs, that are proven to work.

I would think that the goal for most people who exercise is to see results. But then again maybe people don't want to see results. They like spinning their wheels in the mud and going nowhere. For me, I like to see changes in my body and if something isn't working I will discontinue the program and change it up to one that works.

Having a plan will keep you motivated and progressing. There are many systems out there that work. I have been writing programs for people for over 22 years and I know what seems to work well and what doesn't. If you have any questions and would like my professional opinion just email me and I will answer your questions. I want to help you out.

tags: fitness, bodybuilding, nutrition, health, steroids, protein, strength, testosterone, muscles

Monday, May 10, 2010

Stress and Back Pain

It is estimated that 95% of Americans suffer from some form of back pain in their lifetime. Regular aches and pain in the soft tissue surrounding the vertebras is common. When a person is stressed out the pain in the back can increase. Being stressed is simply a sympathetic response to stressors. When the sympathetic system is fired up blood shunts from the digestive system and moves toward the extremities. The reason for this is because the body prepares for the fight or flight reaction. Blood, water, and wastes clear the digestive system to prepare for an attack, the heart rate increases, respiratory rate increases, pupils dialate, our immune system mobilizes with increased activation. Stress hormones norepinephrine, epinephrine, and cortisol are increased in the bloodstream. While this sequence of events occurs the blood vessels and capillaries constrict slowing down the flow of blood. The lower back muscles require a steady flow of blood to keep them flexible and fluid. When the stress response occurs the blood shunts from the digestive system which sits directly anteriorly the lumbar vertebras and muscles. The blood flow to this region is reduced, therefore, oxygen is limited to this area. Lack of oxygen results in a build up of hydrogens that will produce lactic acid. Pain develops in the lower back muscles because of the lack of blood, oxygen and nutrients. The more stressed out a person, or the longer the sympathetic response occurs the more pain is experienced in the lumbar region. Chronic stress will, over time, cause a drying out effect of the lumbar area. The muscles and bones become dehydrated and this begins to put structural stress on the vertebras. Structural damage can result in disc damage and/or neuropathy, sciatica.

Chronic stress has a direct link to back pain. By de-stressing and reducing the sympathetic reaction can help reduce back pain. Getting a good flow of blood, oxygen, nutrients throughout the lumbar region will help keep the muscles flexible and fluid.

People who sit all day and are stressed out increase their risk of developing disc disease and dysfunction at a high rate. This is because sitting naturally reduces blood flow to the lumbar area. Add a sympathetic reaction and the result is very poor blood flow that will ex-acerbate back pain even more. The bottom line is de-stress your life and avoid sitting down all day. Exercise your body and keep the blood, oxygen, and nutrients flowing. Back pain is no fun and once it develops it is hard to reduce its onset. Listen to your body and be aware of the symptoms. You only have one vertebral column and you don't want to live with damaged discs.

tags: back pain, stress, nutrition, tiger woods, diet EARTH, Red Sox, Dancing with the stars, American Idol, health, body building, steroids.

Friday, May 7, 2010

How You Can Reduce The Effects of AGING

I often hear people say, "exercise is only for young people in their 20-40's." That is bogus! Everyone can and should exercise throughout their entire lifetime if they are physically able to. Here is how the process works.

From conception to about 25 years old human development is an anabolic state. Cell replication and tissue growth is at a fast rate. As the body grows and matures into the final stages, hormone production, fat metabolism, sugar metabolism and the regulatory systems are functioning optimally and very efficient. During these years of human development the immune system is great at protecting the cells from inflammatory effects. You can eat poorly and push your body to the limits, and recover fast and maintain a good body weight and body composition. You also recovery from cuts, injuries, and illness faster than older generations. The immune system is powerful, especially during the developmental years.

After the age of 25, respectively, the body is complete in its building phase. All the hormones, organs, muscle cells, bones, reach their maximum growth. Now the body begins to go into a catabolic state. The body slowly begins to lose cells and its ability to regenerate them. Hormone production slowly decreases as well. This is the normal process of aging. Over time the older we become the more the immune system slows down its ability to defend against invaders and inflammatory agents. This is when disease, cancers, illness begin to take over. It takes longer to recovery from illness, cuts, broken bones, and weekend partying. Every ten years of life the body shifts further into catabolism. The skin loses its tightness, fat becomes stored and harder to burn, muscle cells atrophy and shut off, hormone concentrations and secretions decrease, bones loses calcium, the heart becomes weaker to pump blood, the artery walls become weaker and for some people clogged. A whole host of inflammatory processes develop. The end result is drug therapy. The older we get the more drugs are needed to combat against the weakening effects of the immune system. We now live on an artificial synthetic immune system. This is the aging process and a fact of life.

How can you reduce the effects of aging? The answer is with exercise and nutrition.

Catabolism is a natural process of life. The good news is that if you exercise and eat regularly you can actually slow down the aging effect. In fact, you can maintain and improve anabolic hormone concentrations and secretions, bone density, muscle cell activation, stroke volume, cardiac output, Vo2 capacity, and immunity from sticking with an exercise and eating the right way. Why some people age faster than other people is based on genetics and inflammatory practices. If a person continues to live a damaging lifestyle after they are fully developed and enter the catabolic state without changing their bad habits, they increase the inflammatory processes. They have damaged the systems of the body beyond repair. If you engage in activities and poor nutritional habits then you increase the effects of aging. For some they will never change and they end up developing early onset of disease.

In order to reduce the inflammatory processes you must make a total commitment to your health and nutrition. It is more important for the older generations (30,40,50,50,6070,80 year olds) to adhere to a sound exercise and nutrition program.

In my book "diet EARTH" I discuss this process in more detail. I also have exercises that everyone can perform to maintain their muscle and to help with burning off excess fat. Diet EARTH is all about how to reduce the inflammatory processes and how to improve your health from correct nutrition and exercise techniques. If you are interested in learning how to reduce the aging effects I recommend diet EARTH for everyone.

To order: go to www.darylconant.com

tags: lawrence taylor, tiger woods, aging, exercise, body building, health, nutrition, steroids, vince gironda, daryl conant, red sox

Thursday, May 6, 2010

diet EARTH now shipping

For those of you who have pre-ordered your copy of diet EARTH they have arrived and I will be sending them out today. Thank you all for your support.