Dragon Fruit - Fuel Your Post-Workout Gains With An Exotic Addition

 Calories: 60           Protein: 2g            Fat: 2g              Carbs: 9g          (per 1 fruit or 100g)

“Dragon fruit, like most fruit, contains carbohydrates, the body’s preferred source of energy during a lifting session,” says Tara Gidus, R.D., team dietitian for the Orlando Magic. The carbohydrates that make up dragon fruit (also known as a pitahaya) are not complex, so your body can easily break them down as fuel for your muscles. Specifically, the carb content consists of glucose and fructose, and the majority of its fiber is formed from oligosaccharides, powerful prebiotics that spur the growth of good bacteria in your stomach, which can lead to better digestive health and an improved immune system.

Dragon fruit is also an excellent source of vitamin C, providing about 15% of your daily value, along with 10% of potassium and 8% of iron. all of these micronutrients are instrumental in protecting your body from free radicals, producing collagen for strong ligaments and tendons, and for enhancing the function of your blood, bones, and muscles. These spiny wonders are also filled with B vitamins like B1, which aids proper carb metabolism, and B3, which can improve cholesterol levels and improve circulation. The seeds, which are embedded in the flesh, are also nourishing and beneficial as they contain a healthy ratio of the essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6. “These types of fats work together to help reduce inflammation, which is key after heavy weightlifting, and may help to reduce sore muscles and fatigue,” Gidus says.

Treat them like an avocado to find the proper level of ripeness-ideally, they’ll be firm with a little bit of give. Eating the pitahaya is simple; just cut it down the middle and quarter, if you like, or leave in two halves so you can scoop out the soft, kiwi-like flesh with a spoon. Toss it on your next salad or into a post-workout protein shake to drive nutrients into your cells after a hard training session.

 

By Adam Bible

Dragon Fruit - Fuel Your Post-Workout Gains With An Exotic Addition

BBQ Chicken Southwestern-Style - By Chef Robert Irvine

Photo by Food Network

Chicken breast is perhaps the most popular bodybuilding staple of all time for a few good reasons: It provides plenty of muscle-building protein; it’s almost totally lean; it’s effortless to prepare; and it’s fine to eat hot or cold. Despite all it has in its favor, though, chicken breast can become almost unbearably boring over time- and boredom can find you reaching for all sorts of unhealthy options. This southwestern-style BBQ chicken breast will stave off boredom with flavor to spare. It features my own smoky seasoning, and still retains versatility–enjoy it as is, or get creative and add some corn, jalapenos, or salsa.

Enjoy!

You Will Need:

Utensils

• Kitchen knife
• Cutting board
• Large bowl
• Gas or charcoal grill or large saute pan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breast
• 1/2 – 1 oz Smokey Rotisserie Seasoning (Irvine Spice Blend)
• 2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp BBQ sauce
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine chicken, seasoning, chopped garlic, BBQ sauce, oil, salt, and pepper in a large bow. Mix and coat chicken well.
2. Cover chicken and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
3. Cook on a hot grill or in a saute pan until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Serve with a steamed vegetable like broccoli.

Quick Tip

Shred the leftover chicken and enjoy as a taco, sandwich, or omelet filling.

Nutrition Facts

Calories – 305

Protein – 35 g

Carbs – 4 g

Fats – 4 g

BBQ Chicken Southwestern-Style - By Chef Robert Irvine

Supplements

 

Soy Protein For Better Muscle Growth & Recovery

Many of the nutrition experts have debated whether the soy protein had any effect on muscle growth. Some argued that it had negative effects on testosterone in men due to the phytoestrogens that is found in soy. Phytoestrogens is a natural chemical with a structure similar to estrogen. They believed that the phytochemicals would potentially

Read More…

Supplements

Classic Salmon Cakes!

Photo by http://www.myrecipes.com

Here is a nice recipe by chef Ashif Tejani for an excellent high protien dish with a good dose of healthy fats and on the low side with carbs. Recipe is easy to make, takes 10 minutes to prep, 12 minutes to cook and makes 2 servings.

Ingredients you will need:

7-oz can wild salmon

1 egg white

2 tbsp. oats

2 tbsp. finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp. diced green bell pepper

1/4 tsp. dried dill

Pinch of black pepper

Pinch of garlic powder

Directions

Combine all ingredients well in a mixing bowl. Divide into two portions and make two half-inch-thick patties. Heat a skillet to medium high and spray with cooking oil. Cook salmon cakes for 5-6 minutes or until brown. Flip gently so that they don’t break and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Serve with Greek yogurt (optional).

Nutritional Information:

Per serving [1 cake]

Calories: 215

Protein: 21 g

Carbs: 4 g

Fats: 10 g

 

 

Classic Salmon Cakes!

Troubleshooting: Dumbbell Bench Press By Jimmy Peña, MS, CSCS

One of these photos shows a critical but common mistake at the top of the flat-bench dumbbell bench press. Find out the answer here!

Troubleshooting: Dumbbell Bench Press By Jimmy Peña, MS, CSCS

Tim Kennedy's Arm Workout

Fill out your sleeves with this routine from the Most Dangerous Man in the world.

By M&F Editors

Since he’s a combat-tested Army Green Beret sniper with a Bronze Star to his credit, Tim Kennedy could easily have served as our military representative for our 21-Gun Salute. Hell, Kennedy’s story is so incredible that we’ve featured him twice over the past two years. Since he also happens to be one of the top-ranked middleweight MMA fighters in the world, however, we’re including him for an MMA-flavored approach to great guns. Either way, you can’t argue with the man’s physique—or his results in the cage.

One exercise of note is the Cuddyer Killer, which you won’t find with a Google search (trust us, we tried). “We got it from the football staff at the University of Texas,” Kennedy says. “They do it with their wide receivers. Anchor your fingers down with your thumb, then just ‘flick boogers’ as hard as you can with all five fingers at the same time. You can do it either for reps or for time.”

Tim Kennedy’s Arm Routine

Excercise	Sets	Reps
Chinup	3	8
EZ-bar Curl	4	8
Isometric Barbell Curl Hold	4	10-15 sec
Chain-weighted Dip	4	5-8
^ Superset w/ Cable Chop with Triceps Rotation	4	8 each side
Single-arm Chain Curl	-	12 each side
Band Triceps Extension*	-	100 reps
Barbell Forearm Curl	3	10
^ Superset w/ Cuddyer Killer	3	20 each side

*Perform as many sets as it takes to complete 100 reps

Tim Kennedy's Arm Workout

Calf Truth - Get More Out Of Calf Raises By Bending Your Knees

We probably can’t persuade you to put calves first in your workout or to spend more time on them than the paltry three sets you can employ to garner more calf growth that doesn’t require any extra effort. Simply bending and extending your knees on standing calf raises can activate more muscle.

It’s well known that standing calf raises with knees locked work the gastrocnemius- the big, meaty part of the calf- and that seated calf raises with knees bent target the soleus-the part that runs down the side of your calf below the teardrop shape. By combining a little bit of the latter movement with the former; you can work the entire calf area. On any standing calf raise, bend your knees a few degrees on the descent as you lower your heels. Hold the bottom position for a moment, and then extend your knees as you raise your heels and lock out. Bending your knees involves the soleus muscles in what would otherwise be a gastroc-only exercise, and it challenges your balance, so the gastrocs have to work harder to flex the feet. Because of the extra balance aspect, however; you’ll need to be more conservative with the weight you use at first.

Also Try

You can apply the same logic to get in extra work for your calves while training other leg exercises. Try Siff squats and Siff lunges: Perform squats or lunges while balancing on the balls of your feet (heels raised the entire time). It’s very challenging but ensures constant tension on your calves. It also builds strong and stable ankles.

Muscle & Fitness

Calf Truth - Get More Out Of Calf Raises By Bending Your Knees