Fitness Test

Fitness 

• The state or condition of being fit; suitability or appropriateness.
• Good health or physical condition, especially as the result of exercise and proper nutrition.

Fitness tests, often referred to as fitness evaluations or fitness assessments, includes a series of measurements that help determine the health status and physical fitness of an individual. So how do you qualify a bodybuilder/ power lifter. Don't get confuse with fitness test only apply for runners, cyclist or endurance athlete. Fitness test can be measure in many different area :

Aerobic

Anaerobic

Agility

Flexibility

Strength

Aerobic exercise is physical exercise that improves the body's metabolic or energy generating process. The test in these category are designed to measure aerobic capacity. 

12 Minute Run

2.4km Run
20m Shuttle
Astrand
Harvard
PWC 170/150
Tri-Level

Anaerobic exercise is used by athletes in non-endurance sports to promote strength, speed and power and by body builders to build muscle mass. Muscles trained using anaerobic exercise develop differently compared to aerobic exercise, leading to greater performance in short duration, high intensity activities, which last from mere seconds up to about 2 minutes. 

  

10Sec Work Capacity

30Sec Work Capacity
40 Metre Sprint
400 Metre Sprint
Margaria-Kalamen
Standing Long Jump
Vertical Jump

Agility refers to the ability of the body to rapidly and efficiently change the position and/or the direction of both body segments and the body as a whole, either whilst stationary or while moving as quickly as possible. 

Burpee

Illinios
Shuttle Run
Stork Stand

Flexibility is also important in many sports. Skills such as jumping, hurdling and those involved in racket sports all require good flexibility. Increasing one's range of movement increases the time over which force may be applied. Increased flexibility may also allow increased limb velocity and improve performance in events such as golf, throwing and racket sports.

Arm Over/Under Left
Arm Over/Under Right
Shoulder and Wrist
Side Bend Left
Side Bend Right
Sit and Reach

Muscular strength is defined as the peak force or torque developed during a maximal contraction.

Muscular Endurance

Isometric
Grip Leg and Back
The "Can-U"
Dynamic

Flex Pro Championship

Are you ready to kick off the 2011 season in style? Some of the biggest names in the IFBB Pro League are expected to take the stage when bodybuilding returns to Los Angeles as Body Fortress presents the first-ever FLEX Pro Bodybuilding Championships!

click here

Flex Pro list 

Adorthus Cherry
Ben White
Ben Pakulski 
Constantinos Dematriou
Dan Hill
Dainus Barzinskas 
Dennis Wolf
Dexter Jackson
Evan Centopani

Fouad Abiad
Grigori AtoyanJojo Ntiforo
Milton Holloway
Omar Deckard
Robert Belisle
Stan EfferdingVladirmir Sizov
Wendell Floyd

Many people mention that Dexter Jack going to win this contest. Maybe because he always in the top 5 for Mr.Olympia. I have a strong believe that he might not win because of the time frame that he have from Mr.O 2010 to Flex Pro 2011 that is today. Based on some of the video that I manage to watch, some are already in good condition few weeks out from the show compared to others like Evan Centapani. He has 18 month of break and with that time size and muscle mass would already fill him up good.

I would say


1. Evan Centapani 
2. Dennis Wolf
3. Dexter Jackson

Overload

Definition: A strength training principle which states that the intensity of exercise must be high enough above normal for physiological adaptation to occur. In other words, if you want to see results when lifting weights, you have to lift more than your muscles can handle. That overload will cause the muscle fibers to grow stronger and sometimes, bigger in order to handle the extra load. 

The Principle of Overload: The principle of overload states that a greater than normal stress/ load on the body is required for training adaptation to take place. The body will adapt to this stimulus. Once the body has adapted then a different stimulus is required to continue the change. In order for a muscle (including the heart) to increase strength, it must be gradually stressed by working against a load greater than it is used to. To increase endurance, muscles must work for a longer period of time than they are used to. If this stress is removed or decreased there will be a decrease in that particular component of fitness. A normal amount of exercise will maintain the current fitness level. 

Now, there is two kind of stress involve in overloading the muscle or towards the body. 

1. Distress (negative stress)
2. Eustress (positive stress)

By performing a regular exercise/training, we are overloading our body with stress correct? "Of course" 

Regular training or continuously training may be beneficial to our health but there is always a limit because by performing continuous training from day to day without resting will increase the stress level that is opposite of beneficial. I always stress to everyone that "more does not always means better". Eustress/ positive stress from training will always push us forward but with continuous training without resting and lack of nutrition will stop us from moving forward instead whats will happen is "over training".

Building or achieving the physique that we want takes time as what I did mention is SMART goal. Never try to beat the nature, always ask yourself and understand your body. You should understand your physique not others. Your colleague/ friends/ coach/ parents are there just to support and giving guideline but they do not own your body. Example your parents don't tell you when to s@#t. You know when to s*#t. What I'm trying to say here is, when someone tells you that training 5 times a week suitable for you or consuming protein A is better from protein B than he is just playing smart over you.

It is true to train 5 to 6 times a week for building a great physique but what if you are totally fatigue from head to toe. Should you go for the sake of completing it as part of a routine or would you just rest at home and train another day ? 

As for the supplement, the person that attend you or the product specialist may know what they suggest to you but than again remember to tell them that what your goals are, what you can and cannot consume in terms of intolerance towards caffeine, lactose, gluten and etc. 

Conclusion : I hope from today onwards, you (my readers) will look in the mirror and ask yourself. Is the person that tells you what to do or train or eat best suited for you or he is just playing smart. You own your body so best to listen and understand them yourself. It is not wrong to follow what others tell you because we become better with every mistake that occur. Best to get consultation from a qualified nutritionist or personal trainer or equivalent.

Capacity

Had been training and dieting for a week or two. Now time pass by so slow, from minute felt like hours and hour felt like days. Some of us already finding reason to skip the training and taking off from dieting, why does this happen? One of the main factor a person may give up is  by training alone or without those who motivates he/she to achieve their goal. Which is more important psychological strength or physiological strength ?

answer : psychological and physiological

Psychological :  pertaining to, dealing with, or affecting the mind, especially as a function of awareness, feeling, or motivation: psychological play; psychological effect.

 A coach/ personal trainer job is creating program for the client, apart from that and the most important area is  to motivate their client to reach their goal. They have been paid to push their clients beyond their mental limit where doing alone is hard and for some is impossible.

Assume that most of us does morning cardio on a daily basis for 30min. In the first week it will take a minimal effort to wake up early, head to the gym located 10min away from home and does 30min of cardio rite? Now, after two weeks or so to do a 20min cardio or even heading to the gym we need tons of effort rite? "Not me"

As I mention before about the SMART goal. "remember and practice it !" 

How I do it 

• Religiously practice the Smart goal
• Positive thinking is a must. Every action that you do push you closer to your goal.
• Never push/stress yourself to diet or train so much instead practice it as a  daily routine whereby it will eventually change into a lifestyle.
• Everything is achievable if you believe that it can be done. "The mind usually fail before the body"

Physiological/Physical : involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit; "physical exercise"; "physical suffering"

This would be the easiest part. Our body will tend to adept to the activities that we do regularly. Try to recalled back how long it takes to bench the first ever 20kg barbell press. Some may take 2 to 6 weeks, as for me about 4 to 5 weeks. They call it muscle adaptation 

If the activities being done regularly sooner or later the muscle we tend to adept to the action or weight. Another reason why personal trainer/coach is always with their client during training is to monitor if he/she is doing the proper form. By doing doing the perfect form, you will be able to fire the right muscle fiber. "If you lift big weights but you are still small than something must be wrong"

Sleep

I have been sleeping regularly lately like a bear due to my strict diet. I believe I manage to sleep more than 10 hours including my nap in a day. Being in such low calorie and moderate carbs diet, many people will tend to be tired and lethargic. No body can escape from this effect and remember nutrition from our food and supplement it self is not enough to fasten our recovery. What most impotent thing that we need is rest and good sleep.

What is Sleep ?

Sleep is a physical and mental resting state in which a person becomes relatively inactive and unaware of the environment. In essence, sleep is a partial detachment from the world, where most external stimuli are blocked from the senses. 

Normal sleep is characterized by a general decrease in body temperature, blood pressure, breathing rate, and most other bodily functions. In contrast, the human brain never decreases inactivity. Studies have shown that the brain is as active during sleep as it is when awake. Throughout an eight-hour sleep cycle, a normal adult alternates between two very different states, non-REM and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.

What happen in Sleep ?

Scientists recognize sleep stages by tracking the changes in brain waves. The five sleep stages are repeated as many as five times during the night. As the night progresses, each cycle lengthens, and REM sleep, during which most dreaming takes place, extends.

Sleep Stage 1

Sleep Stage 2

Sleep Stages 3 and 4

REM

more: http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/sleep/basics/what-happens-when-we-sleep.htm

Now we know the basic, whats next ? Before I go further some people out there need to know that the muscle grow while we are a  sleep not in the gym. Yes, your arm look an inch bigger in the gym after training and that is because the blood is being pump into the muscle so that's the result. Many  gym goer believes going to gym, lifting heavy and consuming some high end range of supplement  is enough with less rest. Partially is true but honestly if that is how it being practice than by consuming sports supplement or not, going to the gym 5 times a week or 3 times a week the result they going to achieve is about the same.

Human growth hormone

One of the top kind of supplement is the one that help to increase hgh. I 'm not talking about Jintropin or Somatropin. As some people know that L-arginine is a precursor to hgh. Low amount of human growth hormone in the body raising levels of fat stored in the body and lowering levels of lean muscle mass, low HGH levels also leads to high total cholesterol, heart disease, low bone density, altered psychological function and a greater risk of dying overall.

Hgh helps to avoid the aging related diseases. In older people, the body starts building up of fat and the decline of muscle mass due to decrease in the HGH secretion level. Human body produces HGH naturally. It is usually produced in the night sleep. There are many studies which show that the HGH is produced during the later stages of nightly sleep, and if you reduce your sleeping time short to five or six hours instead of eight or ten hours, you short-change your HGH generation process. So enough sleep is absolutely essential for staying young, healthy, and vibrant. We should try to get a minimum of eight hours each night. 

Summary 

The most effective way to increase Hgh is by exercising and having enough sleep
   

Sleep Facts

Before and soon after

Here is my before photo taken today. Effectively today I have 12 weeks to transform my body for the max up challenge 2011. Currently I'm standing around 75kg with 24% body fat, not so good standard if I still wish to compete in bodybuilding contest that will take place exactly 12 weeks from now to. I have manage my time for morning cardio and resistant training almost on daily basis. With the support I'm getting and the push I'm receiving from my family, friends, fans from Malaysia and readers I know I will manage to drop my weight and body fat and prove that with a proper nutrition mix with a well plan training regime resulting a perfect transformation.

The reason why I'm holding the news paper is because each contestant need to prove the exact date we begin. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to sell news paper. I'm going to train hard  especially for my mid section as it is obviously bulging out like a pregnant man. As for my love handle, need to do more oblique twist cause "love don't need handle"

"If you want a place in the sun, prepare to put up with a few blister". 

by Abigail Van Buren

12 weeks challenge

Competitive bodybuilding is not just about how the athlete could look good and have a flawless physique on stage. Having a bulging and well separated muscle from area to area takes a lot of time, determination and mental strength to achieve it. 

First before the athlete begin the transformation, he/she need to create a plan and goal that is achievable. I have shown my plan and goal to my readers. Now in the process, I am seeking for the supplement to get myself ready into shape and  MAX's supplement came across into my mind.

WHY I CHOOSE MAX

• Not because of the cool packaging
• Not because of it is affordable to purchase
• Not because it is easy to find

It is just because the products is simple and straight forward that gives what the consumer want. I'm looking for low carbs and high protein supplement and guess what they have not just one or two but seven products. This is what I call variety for the consumer consumption so we as consumer wont feel board with the same s%^t. On top of that they have started a 12 weeks challenge effectively today and it happen just at the right time.

I have personally called them up to ask if I could enter this contest since I'm just staying here as a student not a permanent resident and surprisingly it is open to anyone who is a resident of Australia. I will upload my before after picture this Thursday. 

Further details about the contest, visit Max Challenge

Before and soon after