ShutDown the Smokestack

If you still light up, you’ve probably accepted your increased risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and bladder cancer. But how about dying young and impotent? A study published in the Journal of Urology found that smoking causes arterial damage that doubles a man’s risk of total erectile dysfunction. The good news: “If men quit in their 50s or earlier, we can usually reverse the damage,” says Andre Guay, M.D., director of the Lahey Clinic for Sexual Function, in Massachusetts.

When Dr. Guay measured nighttime erections in 10 impotent smokers (average age 49), he noted a 40 percent improvement after just 1 smoke-free day. Swap the cancer sticks for fish sticks: Researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland discovered that taurine, an amino acid found in fish, helps heal smoke-damaged arteries.

Salad Dressing

Be aware that salad dressing is the number-one source of fat in the diets of American women between the ages of 18 and 55. It accounts for up to 15% of the fat intake among women in this age group. Don’t drown your food!

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 Fatty Acids are the Good Guys in the Fat Pool. To up your good cholesterol, down the bad cholesterol, and reduce the risk of heart disease, include Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Foods containing these heart-healthy fatty acids are fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, sword fish and albacore tuna. For vegetarians, the best way to get stroke-busting fatty acids is to cook with flaxseed oil and flaxseed flour.

Lower Abs Myth Explained

Of all the myths floating around in the wide world of fitness, one of my favorites is the legend of the “upper and lower abs.” One of the reasons this ranks high on my list is because even though its so easy to debunk, this myth is so persistent, that it just refuses to go away.
Hundreds of years of anatomical research are conveniently brushed aside in seconds by every late night infomercial selling the latest gadget or contraption to help sculpt, tone or chisel your lower abs for a perfect washboard, six-pack stomach. And, it’ll do it in less than five minutes a day, for as little as three payments of $39.99.
The simple truth is there is no such thing as upper or lower abs. They are one and the same, just plain old abs, or more accurately the Rectus Abdominis muscle.
The Rectus Abdominis runs the length of the abdomen from the Xiphoid Process (the bottom tip of the sternum) to the Pubis bone (in the pelvis). It is split into right and left halves, NOT upper and lower halves. These right and left halves are separated by the Linea Alba, a thick band of connective tissue, and also crossed by three fibrous bands that give the appearance of the six-pack. In rare cases, some individuals may have a fourth fibrous band, resulting in an eight-pack configuration.
Where the myth of upper & lower abs first came from I am not totally sure. But if we take a closer look at how muscles contract we might be able to shed some light on the subject.
Skeletal muscles generally have at least two ends that attach across either side of at least one joint. When the muscle contracts it shortens, pulling on these two ends, which in turn, pull on the bones, they are attached to, causing one or more of the bones to move. Many times, one of the ends, the origin, is attached to a bone that is stable or doesn’t move. The other end, the insertion, is the one where you see the most amount of movement. This is the case with the Rectus Abdominis.
The main function of the Rectus Abdominis muscle is flexion of the spine. The spine is made up of 33 individual bones allowing you to flex it at many different points. So when you flex one portion of the spine, a certain end of the Rectus Abdominis is moving, while the other end remains stable to allow for this movement. This does not mean that only one part of the muscle is working, it means that the ends are working differently.
So the muscle as a whole may contract differently in certain areas, depending on the exercise. For example, while performing a classic crunch with your lower body stationary, the upper portion of the Rectus Abdominis may contract with stronger force than the lower half. Or if you were performing a reverse crunch, where you bring your knees into your chest while keeping your upper body stable, the lower portion of the Rectus Abdominis is contracting differently than the upper. Also, there are a few nerves that innervate different sections of the Rectus Abdominis, which can result in these sections being activated separately.
It is also important to note here that the Rectus Abdominis attaches at the hip, not the legs. Therefore you are not using your abs when you raise your legs either in a lying or hanging position. This movement is performed by the hip flexor muscles, which lie deeper than the abs.
There are some studies that appear to show that certain exercises are more effective for the lower portion of the abs than others. Scientists from the University of Nebraska Medical Center used electromyography (EMG) to measure abdominal muscle activity during various exercises, including the trunk curl, reverse curl, v-sit, and twist curl. Their findings suggest that a greater emphasis may be placed on the upper or lower portions of the Rectus Abdominis, depending on the exercise performed.
All this means is that there are a variety of exercises that activate the Rectus Abdominis muscle in different ways. All the more reason to use a progressive program that has plenty of variation with exercises that target all planes of motion, joint angles and muscle activation patterns.
There you have it – the infamous upper & lower abs are in fact all just one muscle. So next time you hear someone tell you they know a great exercise to target your lower abs, you can give them a little anatomy lesson. Unfortunately as long as there are late night infomercials, there will always be the MYTH of upper and lower abs.

5 Key Components to Bareknuckle Power

 

To strike with power and be effective you need to be able to generate speed and force and be able to drive it to its destination.

Also you need to be able to do it without losing balance and stability or you will give your adversary the advantage.

Below are five key components that will help you be a more powerful Bareknuckle Striker.

 

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1. Move the feet from under the center of mass to quickly drive the body in the direction it needs to go.

In order for you to develop the power to knock someone out quickly, you need to bring yourbody weight behind your punch.

Footwork is the key but it must be a coordinated effort with your body mass.

You must be able to move as one unit, not as fragmented parts.

Both feet must be under your hips and on the ground or your punch will loose up to forty percent of its power output.

Drop Stepping and Trigger Stepping, two powerful components of power punching use the drive created from footwork to generate a large amount of force.

But, it must bring the body’s mass with it or your punch will not have knockout power.

2. Keep the hips low and level when moving linearly, laterally or diagonally.

If your hips are moving up and down like a buoy being tossed around on rough seas, you will be wasting your strength, energy and sacrificing speed.

Keeping the hips level as you move takes advantage of leverage and gravity to help increase your speed and movement.

Having your hips low gives you explosive balanced energy.

Your legs become compressed springs ready to explode and drive the body.

3. Be quick with your fists.

Never let your fists get behind the drive of your legs, hips and torso or your punches will lack power and follow through.

The fists must move in a coordinated effort with the feet and torso to be able to generate maximum power.

This will speed up your strikes without losing power.

This is what I call “Striking Off Your Move”, this principle is very important to use in a street fight.

Remember never drag your weapons to war.

4. Decelerate with purpose.

Nothing is more dangerous than to throw a punch with such force that it throws you off balance and leaves you open for a counter attack.

What is the use of throwing bombs that end up being duds and draining you of precious energy you can’t afford to lose?

You need to develop what I call “Controlled Aggression”, to be able to control your power and not let it get away from you.

Using this powerful principle will allow you to harness your power, you will be able to flow smoothly and chain your punches more effectively.

Having intent with every strike and step you take is the tactic you want to cultivate for better knockout stopping power in astreet fight.

And if you miss, you will be able to instantly fire off another powerful strike, as you will be balanced, controlled and explosive without missing a beat.

5. Stop the power leakage.

Improper fist and body alignment will contribute to power leakage in your strikes and slow you down.

You will leak out power through your joints if they are not properly aligned when you throw a punch.

Adjusting and aligning your structure will go a long way to developing your power when striking.

 

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So there you have it five key components to help you unleashbareknuckle power on your unlucky adversary.

Using these five keys will help to unlock your potential to strike with power and destruction.

It will also take you less time and energy to do what needs to be done in a dangerous situation.

When violence tries to touch your life, take it out with Speed,Power and Intent using these five key components in your fight game.

Daniel Sambrano
“Keep It Simple and Savage”