Look Ripped

Eat less, live longer and healthier

Eating fewer calories in an effort to extend our lives has been an issue that has been kicked around by the experts for a number of years, now once again a new study using rhesus monkeys has highlighted the positive benefits of eating less. But how does a study on monkeys translate into longer lives for us? It may seem like monkey business but researchers are confident they’re on the cusp of finding out why we age and possibly how we can slow the process down.

 

Love handles free zone

The study carried out on rhesus monkeys in a Wisconsin primate centre identified a striking difference in the physical appearance and overall wellbeing of primates that had been on a 30% restricted calorie diet compared to those that were on a normal diet. Rhesus monkeys live for approximately 27 years; the lean mean fighting machines were found to suffer less from age related diseases and in large outlived their unrestricted calorie mates.

Lifestyle disease free

Another very interesting finding was the rhesus monkeys on the restricted diet had lower incidents (less than 50%) of cancerous tumours and heart disease, age related muscle atrophy and less brain shrinkage  something we all face as we age.

Metabolic rebooting

It is hypothesised that by restricting calories somehow reboots and reprogram the metab olic processes, not just reducing the rate of ageing but also the incident of age related disease. So it would seem that unless our closest relative gets hit by a low flying plane or slips on a banana skin, caloric restriction it would appear will make their lives longer or at the, least seem longer.

Over thirty and over the hill

Ever have that sinking feeling that you’re getting old? Hairs start falling from your head like autumn leaves creating the appearance that your skull is breaking through a follicle challenged canopy, some hairs appearing to find residents and growing profusely from your ears and nose. The skin around your hinge joints starts to sag and resemble a body suite that has seen one too many washing machines. So is getting on in our years really as bad as we are lead to believe? Or are we just falling into the marketing ploy that anything over thirty is over the hill and wrinkles the human stain of ageing that should be removed with every means at our disposal.

Versace a saddle bag with eyes

Donatella Versace has shown us that the pursuit of eternal youth through surgery is far from a guaranteed elixir for youth; Donatella constant battle with ageing is being waged in the public domain under the ever watching paparazzi that place celebrities under their lenses like insects under a microscope; Donatella may occasionally win a battle but she is definitely losing the war. It seems a  to be the antithesis  that Donatella spends so much money and time pushing back those battle lines of age with surgical interventions only to baste the flesh of her hide  in the noon day sun , it’s no wonder she’s occasionally mistaken for one of her handbags.

The less the ambition the greatest the happiness

Great disappointment can come from great expectation, adaptation is the name of the game, bushy eyebrows can be combed back over the head; hairy ears can disguise hearing aids, and sagging skin create a more comfortable fit. I remember an older statesman of body building saying in reply to a question did he ever feel old? His reply “you’re only old when you say you’re old”

Female mountains of muscle

So how big is considered too big? Woman are pushing the boundaries not just sexually but also physically, with steroids it would seem the only limitation for a female body builder is the breaking strain of her G-string, and looking at this photo it would appear the limits are being severely tested. So does anyone find this attractive or is physical attraction just a secondary concern when pushing the iron and the skin to the limits?

Shemales

Come washing up time this bitch ain’t going to be holding a tea towel! Being married to woman that looks like this certainly would have its advantages, just think if you needed to change your tire she could hold the car off the ground without the need for a jack, you could break walnuts in arse flaps or you could just lie around the beach kicking sand in every ones faces. When you think of the time and effort that must have gone into building this androgynous mountain of striated muscle balanced on stilettos one can only wonder what the fuck is going through her head? It’s probably not what’s going on in her head but rather what’s cursing through her veins.

Preying mantas syndrome

Building a body like a Sherman tank has got to have some risks for the partner , just imagine getting caught during the orgasm, this chick is going to tear you to pieces it would be a very brave or silly man that would put his tackle any wear this iron warriors groin vice. Crushing walnuts is one thing crushing your nuts is another, so what sexual position would a female body builder like? Any dame position she wants!

Marion Jones Lies to Oprah

Well it would seem that Marion Jones Thompson may very well be remembered with other sporting infamous legends, recently released from her 6 month sentence, Jones appeared on Oprah and spent the best part of an hour lying through her teeth that she was unaware that she had been taking performance enhancing drugs, jones may have swallowed her “clear” with alacrity but it was obvious Oprah wasn’t swallowing her bullshit.

The Coach did it

How many times have we heard this excuse the athlete was unaware the coach was administering performance enhancing drugs into their supplement regime, time and time again as athletes get caught doing the wrong thing they plead ignorance and lay the blame at the feet of others, well guess what, the Schultz excuse “I know nothing”   no longer flies.

The Clear was lecithin oil

Marion would have Oprah’s viewers believe the supplement given to her by her then coach was she thought lecithin oil, never once did she consider that her improved athletic prowess could be attributed to anything  other than good supplementation. Well  I think we all agree Marion certainly had good supplementation, so good she cleaned up in the 2000 Sydney Olympic games, unfortunately with her admission of guilt not only did her credibility fly out the door but so did her medals and those of her team mates as well.

Just admit it and move on

Jones achievements may be erased from the annals of sporting history,  her medals passed like a baton to the next athlete and her credibility laid in tatters,  but what hurts Jones credibility more than the fact she used performance enhancing drugs is she continues to lie. It’s unfortunate the enhancement didn’t extend to her moral compass.

Hugh Jackman too ripped for tinsel town

Having seen the latest pictures of Hugh Jackman there’s little doubt he is in the best shape of his life, training up for his latest offerings at the flicks “Australia” and his role in “Wolverine” has pushed him to the wall training most days with weights and cardio. Wolverine’s cardio consisted of a 20 minute run to the gym and then hitting the weights for 50 minutes, finishing with another run back home to unwind.

Wolverine work out

Looking at Jackmans physique its not to hard to tell where his strengths and weaknesses lie, his chest is obviously his best body part nicely framed with the elongated vascular ripped biceps that hang from his gangly frame, a refreshing attribute one that isn’t overly apparent in today’s meat market is his hirsute body. Now if I was going to be picky and look for a weakness it would have to be those wheels, those legs are in serious need of some iron.

Benching your way to fame

Bench press is still the best way to increase your upper body strength and get that: I can bust wall nuts in here look. Stick with flat and incline bench and aim for 4 to 5 sets of 8 to 10 reps (increasing the weight incrementally) Cables are good exercise to finish off your Wolverine chest work out they help to stretch and define the pectoral muscles.

Pressing business

There is nothing better than a great a set of shoulders to hang all this muscle on and the best exercise is shoulder press and lateral raises, stick with the same sets and reps as chest and finish with cables or dumbbells and watch those deltoids grow into rockmelons.

Enjoy the oohhs and aaahs!

When “Australia” opened at the cinemas the oohs and aahhs that went up from the audience during Jackmans shower scene clearly identified Jackman was not only a woman’s dream but a man’s man.

Shock tactic overload

Information overload

Ever get those sinking feelings that your health is on the wain?  Well you wouldn’t be Robinson Crusoe every day we are inundated with health messages that are supposed to help us to make better choices in our lives, opening a news paper, listening to the radio or even just walking down the street the health warnings are everywhere but are we getting the message or are we becoming desensitised to the negative health message?

Shock tactics no longer effective

The Grim Reaper came into our lounge rooms during the early 80’s warning us that promiscuity and unprotected sex could cause AIDS, as the Reaper rolled a bowling ball knocking over adult’s children and the elderly it would have us believe no one was immune from the dreaded virus. Today’s Grim Reaper is the  smoking message that  seems to be falling on deaf ears with more teenagers turning to alcohol and cigarettes as a means of asserting their transition to adult hood, the girl with three rotting teeth and abscessed gums grinning from our TV’s is more comical than reality. The trouble is the target audience is switching off, when is the last time you were out and you saw a set of choppers like that never! We don’t believe the message because we don’t see it occurring in our daily lives.

Obesity message a big fat joke

As the fat guy walks the tape measure he progressively becomes the worst for wear, fatter more unfit and suffering chest pains, the last time I saw someone that looked like that they were already dead. The health message is being lost in the translation it’s about time the powers to be treated us like adults not imbeciles’ it’s a fact that if people are given the message in an appropriate manner they usually respond in positive way. Government bodies need to stop wasting taxpayers’ money on advertisements that treat people like idiots and obviously don’t work only then will we start to see our collective wanning health start to improve.

Sisters Doing it For Themselves

What is going on out there? It seems that the demarcation lines between the sexes haven’t just blurred but no longer exist. In the world of celebrities it appears that male to female sexual attraction may have hit the skids, with the likes of Lindsay Lohan and her latest love tryst with Samantha Ronsen AKA Sam, caught sucking face and holding hands on more than one occasion. Then the purported rumour that one of the Veronicas was spending time in the arms of femme fatal Ruby Rose. Is there something in the water or just a male drought?

Oestrogens in the environment

There was theory that the high amount of environmental estrogens could be feminising the male population of reptiles (crocodiles). Polar bears have also come a cropper with environmental estrogens being blamed for the incidents of Bears born with very small tackle, so small some Polar bears may not even be able to treat the misses. Mounting evidence that the male population may is turning into pillow biters but little established too why sisters are doing it for themselves.

Trendy fad

Then there is the trendy fad , young girls are influenced by what they see or hear and like most are fashion victims, when Brittany Spears was planted with a wet one by Madge (Madonna) the writing was on the wall others will follow.

Taste of Cherry lip stick

So girls will be girls and boys will boys and it would seem they also may find love in each other’s arms, even if it is only a momentary trendy infatuation, it certainly doubles your wardrobe.

Weights & Creatine way to go!

A recent study completed by the University of Hamilton Ontario, Canada by professor Mark Tarnopolsky has reaffirmed what we iron warriors always believed, weight training may be turning back the clock. His study was on the effects of weight training upon individuals with specific conditions that interfered with the activity of their mitochondria (the powerhouse for energy in the human body) and how using weights and in some instances taking creatine reverses some of the damaging effects of their conditions.

 

Uncovering the Holy Grail

What Professor Tarnopolsky uncovered was that the mitochondria is the very heart of the ageing process and reversing the damage that occurs at this microbiological level may be the way forward to reversing the ageing process or at least slowing it down. What was found to be the most effective was weight training, apparently as we age the condition called sarcopenia begins to effect us, stringy muscles and eventually the inability to maintain posture and ultimately institutionalized.

 

DNA and mitochondria

Scientists to identify the role of our ageing mitochondria produced knockout mice (breed with a specific defect or gene removed), these mice had damaged mitochondria, their inability to repair themselves (mitochondria) saw the mice age prematurely, proving that the mitochondria plays a very important part in ageing and DNA. 

 

Regenerating the muscle and reversing ageing

It was found that we can regenerate our muscle by tearing it down with weight training, weight training causes muscle tissue damage that is repaired and that’s why we have growth . Not only does the muscle increase in size (hypertrophy) but the mitochondria and muscle satellite cells produce new muscle, the analogy  used was rebooting the old muscle.

 

Training for youth

So it would seem that pumping iron is more than vanity and being buffed it’s a quintessential ingredient in maintaining the health and longevity of our mitochondria and ultimately prolonging our youth. The next time you curl a few kilos and your bicep starts to grow think a little deeper your mitochondria is also renewing not only your muscle but also your DNA.      

Fools and their kidney

If you hadn’t read the latest then you have had your head under a rock or in hole the discussion in the press this week oriented around the ethical considerations we should give to those receiving kidneys and those giving them away. Should kidney donors get paid for their organs? Or should they be given away? Or should those with kidney disease just be allowed to shuffle off the planet?

Why do people have crook kidneys?

A high percentage of those with kidney disease are as a result of lifestyle conditions, like diabetes type 2 which accounts for the majority of those waiting for or needing at some stage a kidney transplant. Why the hell should someone give away a perfectly good kidney to someone that obviously has treated their body like shit and now expects someone to either snuff it to provide a kidney or some bleeding heart break up the pair they were born with.

Healthy maybe not for long

The kidney is an organ that over the course of time starts to decline so if you give one away you’ve just reduced your recovery chances by 50% should you suffer a renal condition. Any number of kidney problems can damage a healthy kidney. Reflux as a result of infection urine backs up and screws with the function of your kidney and can do permanent damage.

The modern day meat tray

I can’t fathom how a complete stranger can compromise their own health for someone they don’t even know, and especially when that someone else has been dunkin one too many donuts. What’s next rip out an eye?   

Testosterone anti ageing hormone or carcinogen?

 

Should ageing men take testosterone to address the decline in production or do the perceived risks outweigh the benefits? For men and women looking for that quintessential ingredient that will extend life and reduce the effects of ageing is an ongoing search that to date has failed to unearth the Holy Grail. We all want to live longer have more productive lives and probably most of all want quality in those years, not just quantity, so should we dabble with exogenous hormone therapy?

Testosterone & big balls

Its not the size of your nuts that dictates how much testosterone you produce but your age. Both females and males produce a level of testosterone with males producing considerable more, that’s the reason men are able to build large muscles and women to a much lesser degree (unless you’re a geared up bitch). Its around the age of forty men start to have a decline in their testosterone production but this is a progressive loss that continues moderately over decades rather than the loses of estrogen experienced by menopausal women. The signs and symptoms for the male Andropause isn’t as significant nor as biologically concerning as those of their female counterparts (unless your suffering from Hypogonadism).

The benefits of testosterone

Increased skin thickening (as we age our skin thins) fat distribution, lean muscle tissue, libido, cognitive function, sperm production and bone density. Testosterone does a number of other things as well but these are probably the ones that concern the ageing male.

The perceived problems with hormone replacement

It is hypothesised that exogenous replacement of testosterone could cause, your nuts too shrink, premature male pattern baldness, increased red blood cell production, acne, gynecomastia, hypertrophy of the prostate & possibly cancer, and a reduction in sperm production.

So what’s the upshot?

At the end of the day its up to the individual to speak with their doctor and weigh up the pros and cons of testosterone hormone replacement therapy, its always better to make a decision based on information than to act on impulse and anecdotal feed back. And it should be noted that if you’re a young gun your already full of testosterone and spunk so don’t fall into the trap of thinking that “if some is good more is better”, it could end up engraved on your headstone (a bit dramatic but you get my point).

Keep pumping it’s the best way to stay lean mean and full of spunk! (Or juice for the females out there)