Whole Eggs or Egg Whites?

For many, many years, we've all heard that the egg yolk was evil.  It would not only increase our waistline, but it would also raise bad cholesterol and increase our risk for coronary artery disease.  So the chicken that we love to eat so much is producing a deadly pill of saturated fat and bad cholesterol?  We'll it's time to do a little investigating.

One study by Qureshi et al (2007) tracked almost 10,000 subjects over 20 years.  The 3 groups were divided into zero egg consumption, 1 to 6 eggs per week, and 6+ eggs per week.  The data concluded that all healthy individuals, even the 6+ egg group, did not increase their risk for heart disease.  There was, however, a possible link between diabetics who consumed 6+ eggs per week and heart disease.

Furthermore, Mayurasakorn et al (2008) concluded that egg consumption might benefit blood cholesterol.  A study of 35 healthy subjects consumed an extra egg every day for 12 weeks.  The experiment produced better HDL (good) cholesterol and no increase in LDL or triglycerides.

Moreover, Goodrow et al (2006) studied the effects of egg consumption and serum lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations in older adults.  Once again, there was no increase in cholesterol after consuming 1 egg per day but there was an increase in serum lutein and zeaxanthin which may minimize age related macular degeneration.

In conclusion, healthy adults seem to benefit from the consumption of 6 to 12 eggs per week.  You no longer have to feel guilty about enjoying your scrambled eggs for breakfast.  More research is needed on the effects of egg consumption on diabetics and other special populations.

The Top 3 Exercises for your Tricep

The triceps brachii consists of 3 heads: the lateral head, the medial head, and the long head.  Along with the anconeus, the tricpes brachii is primarily responsible for elbow extension.  All 3 heads of the tricep are active during all tricep exercises; but, there are some exercises that seem to emphasize one particular head over the other two.

In order to emphasize the lateral head of the triceps surae, perform a tricep pushdown with an overhand grip on the bar with your elbows near your side.  If you would like to emphasize the medial head, perform the same exercise with an underhand grip.

When trying to emphasize the long head, you must move your elbows anterior to your spine, such as an overhead tricep extension exercise, a skull crusher, or a french press.

Adding these 3 exercises to your tricep routine should improve the effectiveness of your tricep workout.  Like all other tricep exercises, try and exercise through a full range of motion, and especially fully extend the elbow at the end of the movement.  Try doing 10 to 12 reps to failure to really add size or 15+ reps to tone your arms.  Happy lifting!!

The BEST Bicep Exercise

As personal trainers, we are always looking for the best exercises to attack each muscle group.  We tell our clients we are trying to get the "most bang for your buck."  Well according to a recent publication by Liliam F. Oliveria et al, the standing dumbbell curl and the inclined dumbbell curl (pictured) had more bicep activation for a broader range of motion as compared to the preacher curl.

All three exercises seem to elicit a good bicep recruitment but the preacher curl had a shorter range of motion thus ranking third among the three bicep exercises for effectiveness in this study.  Moreover, use the preacher as a third bicep exercise if you have the time but be sure to include standing barbell/dumbbell curls and inclined dumbbell curls in your bicep routine for best results.

So which is the most effective?  I believe the most effective exercise has to be the inclined dumbbell curl.  The bicep is primarily responsible for elbow flexion and forearm supination.  The bicep is also an assistor with shoulder flexion.  Therefore, one could argue that the inclined dumbbell curl with a 1/4 twist as you flex your elbow and flex your shoulder should be the most effective bicep exercise.

The Best Post-Workout Meal

The pre-workout meal is important, but just as important, if not more important, is the post-workout meal(s).  After a good workout, your muscles are starving for nutrients, especially fast acting carbohydrates and quick absorbing protein.  Imagine your muscles as little starving birds screaming out for their mama...well what are you waiting for...feed them already!!!  :)

The goals for the post-workout meal is (1) get into anabolic state, (2) eliminate metabolic waste, (3) replenish glycogen, (4) start building muscle, and (5) bolster immune system.  However, the window of opportunity opens and shuts very quickly so you need to act fast.  After 1 hour, the window begins to close; after 4 hours, the window is shut!  And these goals are for everyone...not just bodybuilders!

Just like the pre-workout meal, the best ratio appears to be 3 carbs to 1 protein; therefore, about 30 grams of carbohydrates mixed with 10 grams of protein will work great!  I prefer orange juice and whey protein isolate but the peanut butter and banana sandwich will work just fine.  The trick is, feed them again 2 hours later...and then again 2 hours after that.  So in summary, a small post-workout meal immediately following your workout plus 2 more small meals within 4 hours.  Afterward, go back to your normal diet consisting of unsaturated fat, low glycemic carbohydrates, and complete proteins.