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Whether you’re a bodybuilding initiate or a fitness enthusiast squat is the king of all exercises. When you compare squat with Bench Press, it works more muscles with heavier weight. Coming naturally to humans, squat finds favour of American Council of Exercise for a toned butt to expensive butt-busting gadgets. Still, many fitness athletes are unsure about squats fearing that it might damage their knees. Put your worries to rest and learn the right technique to squat, because when done properly, squat helps improve knee stability, strengthens connective tissue along with toning the gluteal muscles. 

BENEFITS

1.      BUILD MUSCLE

Your fitness goal could be either building muscle or losing weight, but you could not go wrong with a squat because no other exercise works better at stressing the quads, hams, and glutes in one single movement. Squats are so intense that they create an anabolic environment and make the body release hormones that are vital for the growth of muscle tissue and improve the strength of your upper and lower body.  

2.      BURN FAT FASTER

A squat is a compound exercise and it each time you do it, you recruit more muscle fibers during a workout and improve your fat loss success. The intensity of squats helps you burn more fat and calories after your workout. Also, when you squat, you build an anabolic environment required for muscle gain. For each pound of muscle gain, your body will burn 50-70 calories per day. Keep squatting and count the calorie burn.

3.      IMPROVED DIGESTION

 Humans are the only animals that have to push feces upwards due to the anatomy of our colon. The muscular action of the squat exercise improves the flow of fluids in your body and eases the passing of waste through your bowels that helps improve your digestion.

4.      MAINTAIN MOBILITY AND BALANCE

 During a squat, you primarily recruit muscles around the hips and knees, but all joints below the belly button (hip, knee, ankle, foot) and most of the spine need both stability and mobility to squat properly. Squats, also work out your core muscles and help prevent injury by improving your flexibility.

5.      BETTER POSTURE

For desk-strapped professionals, a squat comes as a posture saviour. Since it activates glutes it allows you to straighten out your back from the bottom up. Begin squatting with light weights on your shoulder, till your posture becomes better.  

HOW TO SQUAT FOR BEGINNERS

1. Stand with your feet wider than hip-width and your toes turned out slightly. Place your hands by your palms. You can even keep your hands in front of you with palms facing down and parallel to the floor, like they are touching someone’s shoulder.
2. Keep your chin up, chest out and shift your weight back into your heels as your hips begin to push toward the wall behind you.
3. Bend your hips and knees simultaneously and push your weight down. Keep the back straight and engage your core.
4. Keep lowering till your thighs are parallel to the floor. If the stretch is too much for you and your knees buckle, lower back bends, return to the start position.
5. Keep lowering without compromising on the posture till your knees go over the toes.
6. While maintaining your posture exhale and push yourself upward to the start position. The hips and torso should rise together.  The feet remain flat on the floor and knees are aligned to the second toe.

PARALLEL OR FULL SQUATS

For most weight lifters and bodybuilders it is difficult to squat full range of motion or a deep squat while maintaining their spine erect at the same time with that heavy dumbbell on their shoulders.  Rather than compromising on the posture, keep the spine straight and go as low as you can. As you develop the flexibility, begin to sink your squats a few inches below parallel, without rounding the lumber back and your posterior chain muscles, calves, hamstrings, and glutes are activated better.  Increased stress on these muscles helps build more force when you move to the standing position once again. Naturally, deep squats are suited for hypertrophy.

As you begin to get the hang of squats, use weights. Squatting deeper will become more difficult as weights increase. Keep the posture and the form intact because shallow squats with more weights are any day better than deep squats with fewer weights

Proteins constitute almost one-fourth of your muscle fibers. The rest is composed of water and glycogen, (the longer-chain version of glucose). Since 1940s dietary protein began to be consumed resulting in positive muscle building results in resistance and strength training athletes. Protein intake is a part of the nutrient requirements for the regular athlete and is an important component of exercise training because it can also aid in performance and recovery.

On an average, a woman needs 46g of protein in a day and a man requires 56g. If you too like most vegetarians worry about the requisite protein intake, the article is for you.  It’s a myth that protein comes only from flesh foods.  Dairy foods, beans, greens and certain nuts are good sources of protein. 

To get the basics right, proteins are made of amino acids. Chemically, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon and oxygen combine to form a molecule of amino acid. Together, these molecules form protein, which are a necessary part of every living cell in the body. In the human body, protein functions to build and maintain your body, fight off disease, and keep energy levels high so that you can stay alert all day long.  

1. DAIRY PRODUCTS

From milk to cheese, dairy foods provide ample protein and are good sources of calcium.  A cup of milk and yoghurt (240ml) provides similar protein content, but yoghurt is a better source of protein because it is a wholesome package and offers easily absorbable calcium along with the advantage of good bacteria for your gut health. Cottage cheese or paneer, on the other hand, is a powerhouse source of protein, so much so that it is acknowledged as a meat alternative in India in a low-calorie format. It is a delight for weight watchers. A cup of grated cheese is a good source of protein too, in a calorie dense format. Hence, it is good for kids and fitness enthusiasts, who have high protein demands. Rest of us need to exercise caution with cheese.

Skimmed Milk	One Cup	8g
Low-fat yoghurt		8g
Homemade paneer	100 g	18.3

2. ALMONDS

An excellent source of protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats almonds are loaded with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that will aid your body in building muscle and let you remain slim. A handful of almonds has more protein than an egg and contains energy-boosting manganese and copper, a potent antioxidant for anti-ageing effect.

3. QUINOA

A surprising source of high-quality protein, quinoa was grown by Incas in South America, but it is gaining popularity worldwide. A quarter-cup of cooked quinoa provides 5 grams of protein. It is especially rich in the amino acid lysine, which is important for tissue growth and repair. Quinoa works well in soups and salads and can easily serve as a substitute for rice in most recipes.

4. AHA! SOYA

Versatile and nutritious, soybeans are an exceptional source of protein for vegetarians, because they contain the nine essential amino acids that your body can’t process and relies on food to obtain those. Like all plant foods, soy is cholesterol free, a good source of fiber. Apart from these add-ons, soy protein has heart-healthy omega-3s.

5. BEANS AND LENTILS

An economical, high quality, fiber rich and low-fat source of protein, beans are packed with antioxidants. Switch beans and lentils to get ample antioxidant advantage. You can get a 10-18g of protein with a cup of cooked beans. Diets that include beans may reduce your risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Another bean bonus: A recent study found that people who eat beans weighed on average 7 pounds less and had smaller waists than those who didn’t eat beans. To reduce some unpleasant side effects, rinse beans in water to reduce their gas-producing effect.

However, a point to note is that beans are not a wholesome source of proteins hence they need to be paired with whole grains to make complete protein available to the body. Now you know the logic behind rajma chawal and roti daal combo.

OTHER LESSER KNOWN PROTEIN SOURCES 

• Dried spirulina seaweed (8.6g per 1 cup serving)
• Bagels (7.2g per small bagel, 3″ diameter)
• Oatmeal (6g per 1 cup cooked)
• Bulgur (6g per 1 cup cooked)
• Brown rice (5g per 1 cup cooked)
• Spinach (5g per 1 cup cooked)
• Baked potatoes (4.5g per medium potato, skin included)
• Peas (4.5 g per ½ cup serving)
• Avocados (4g per avocado)
• Broccoli (4g per 1 cup cooked)

Now, that you are informed, quit worrying about protein content in your diet, because if you are a healthy eater, chances are high that you are getting ample protein on a vegetarian diet. Just lift and lift heavy and drink your favourite MuscleBlaze Whey Protein as it is made from vegetarian sources. 

Reference

http://nutritiondata.self.com/ 

Favoured alike by young, old and bodybuilders eggs are an inexpensive alternative to meat, a versatile food and a high quality source of protein. Low in calories they are a complete meal by itself and can raise the nutritional quotient of recipes several notches higher. Yet, eating eggs come with a caveat. The perfect makeup of amino-acids in egg whites and the body’s ability to utilize them makes egg whites a must-have source of protein for gym newbies and pros, whereas egg yolks have to withstand the negative reputation of high cholesterol content.

Nutrition Facts of Eggs

 An average large, whole egg contains about 72 calories, 6g protein, 5g of fat, about 200mg of cholesterol and no carbs.

As compared to whole eggs, egg whites contain more than half (four of the six grams) of an egg’s protein in mere 17 calories, fulfilling 5 percent of your daily protein needs.  Egg whites function as a shock absorber. It keeps the albumen in place and provides nutrients to the growing embryo. Around 40 proteins constitute egg white. The high-quality proteins found in egg whites keeps people full for a longer duration.  

Egg white proteins are rich in branched-chain-amino-acids (BCAAs) and arginine and sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine. These amino acids help maintain the structure of many proteins in the body and are critical for optimum joint health and certain hormones.

According to the National Institute of Health, egg whites are a good source of riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2.  This vitamin improves metabolism and enhances energy production. Egg whites also contain micronutrient selenium. It is required for the proper activity of a group of enzymes, responsible for detoxifying the body, called glutathione peroxidases. Additionally, each egg white contains 54mg of potassium and 55mg sodium. A moderate amount of sodium is essential for body functioning.

Egg Yolks

Though it has become more of a norm to avoid egg yolks, it makes sense to reevaluate facts, rather than follow the trend. Other than the deviled cholesterol, egg yolk is loaded with fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K as well as antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin required for healthy eyes.  They also contain more than 90 percent of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamine, folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

Moreover, several research studies go on to prove that having a whole egg in breakfast provides you high-quality protein, keeps you full for longer and helps you lose weight in the long run. In one study, eating eggs instead of bagels for breakfast made people feel fuller so that they ended up eating fewer calories for the next 36 hours. Another study showed that a breakfast of eggs caused 65 percent greater weight loss than a breakfast of bagels, even though both meals contained the same number of calories.
 

Takeaway

Recent research has shown that moderate egg consumption—up to one a day—does not increase heart disease risk in healthy individuals and can be part of a healthy diet. (Make sure to store eggs in the fridge and cook them until the whites and yolks are firm, to prevent food-borne illness. 

However, if you are into serious fitness and have more than normal protein needs, you can safely have two whole eggs to amp your performance. To be on a safe side you can add egg whites to the whole eggs to multiply the nutritional quotient.

Most muscle building enthusiasts and athletes pick whey, workout and repeat. So far so good, because whey helps recover faster after a strenuous workout and assists in new muscle synthesis. However, preventing muscle breakdown is equally important to build muscle size and strength, and here comes in the role of casein. Essentially, both whey and casein are milk-based proteins but they respond differently to muscle synthesis. Whey is the watery remnants of the cheese-making process and casein is the curdled residue.  The protein content in cow’s milk is 20 percent whey and 80 percent casein.

In terms of similarities both whey and casein are complete proteins with similar Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). PDCAAS is a method of evaluating the protein quality based on both the amino acid requirements of humans and their ability to digest it. 

CASE FOR CASEIN

As compared to casein, whey protein is a quick-acting protein.  Hence, the body is able to absorb the nutrients relatively quickly. Researchers have found that drinking whey protein leads to an increase in blood amino acids levels in under an hour, with peak levels at just under 90 minutes.

Whey is a rich source of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Being rich in BCAAs, particularly leucine, an essential amino acid, whey helps protect against muscle damage and strength loss during intense training.  

On the other hand, casein is a slow-digesting protein and takes longer to increase blood amino acids but lasts longer with elevated levels lasting over 300 minutes. The primary amino acid in casein is glutamine, which is the most abundant free amino acid found in the muscles of the body. Glutamine is found in large amounts in muscles and is readily available when needed for the synthesis of skeletal muscle proteins. Because this amino acid helps to build and maintain muscle, supplemental glutamine is useful for dieters and bodybuilders alike.

WHEY VS CASEIN 

PARAMETERS	WHEY	CASEIN
Complete protein	Yes	Yes
High in leucine	Yes	No
High in glutamine	No	Yes
Absorption rate	Fast	Slow
Duration of elevated blood amino acids	Short	Long

WHEN TO HAVE?

Since whey breaks down faster, it reaches muscle fibers quickly after you’ve worked out. Drink it before you head for exercise and you’ve supplied your muscles with nutrients to stimulate protein synthesis. The ideal time for whey is before workout and post workout.

Casein is slow to digest and clots in the stomach. This reduces digestion and facilitates a slower and steadier release of amino acids. Fortified with glutamine, casein helps to preserve muscles. Preventing muscle breakdown is a bit more important than muscle synthesis. Owing to its slow release attribute, casein provides a trickle of amino acids for a longer period. Hence, it makes sense to use casein before bedtime as a lot of muscle repair happens during sleep. 

If you’re still wondering, whey or casein, the answer is both. Together, they pack a powerful punch as whey works to stimulate protein synthesis and casein inhibits the breakdown of protein.  Keep whey handy before and after a workout and rely on the strength of casein during night time to prevent muscle breakdown.

References

http://www.nsca.com/education/articles/whey-protein-vs-casein-protein-and-optimal-recovery/

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/whey-vs-casein

For someone struggling with weight loss, the ectomorph body type is a dream. Blessed with small bone size, long limbs, ectomorphs scarcely put on weight, as they have a super-efficient metabolism that burns extra calories without a fuss. However, there is a twist in the story when the ectomorphs try to pack on muscles, as their metabolism works against them now. Whereas mesomorphs breeze through muscle gain and endomorphs get successful in bulking up, if they plan it right, ectomorphs struggle at each step. No wonder, they are called hard gainers. Should they give up the pursuit of muscles? Of course not, MuscleBlaze has a plan in place which will help ectomorphs make friends with their active metabolism to build muscles.

1.   Recruit progressive overload to build muscles.

Defining progressive overload in the words of Henry Ford, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” Progressive overload challenges muscle fibers to grow gradually so that it adapts to the exposed stress, recovers from the effect and grows stronger. When the muscles grow bigger and firmer, they are challenged with increased weights during the resistance training. The keyword here is gradual. The whole process works to adapt the body to the challenges rather than pushing it through the heaviest set in one go because then the body will be unable to adapt. 

2.   Train with heavier weights

You should keep your reps in the range of 5-10. To build muscles, you’ve to tackle heavier weights eventually, but it has to be done gradually. Ectomorphs need to go slow because if they are pushed with heavy weights right from the start, their body will not adapt to the stress accordingly.  Hence they need to start with lower weights but more volume. This will enable their body to grow in the muscle size. As their body adapts, they can move to heavier weights.  For them the rep range remains 5-10, but not the stocky sets of 5-5-5 or 10-10-10 rather, pyramid style, 8-5-3 so that you don’t overwork your muscles. 

3.   Do compound lifts.

 Isolation exercises, like dumbbell curls engage muscles in silos, but compound lifts involve the use of more than one major muscle group at a time. Usually a compound exercise recruits a larger muscle group primarily and smaller muscle groups secondarily during lifts. Since bigger muscles are involved, it boosts production of testosterone hormone. The best exercises for you are squats, deadlifts, pull ups, dips, rows, bench press.

4.   Avoid cardio.

Cardio is to enhance fat burn, but the ectomorphs need not worry about it, because it’s least of their concern.

5.   Rest longer

Ectomorphs need to rest longer during their training sets. They need to aim at 2-5 minutes of rest to allow their nervous system to recover from the stress of training. Moreover, resting longer with lower reps maximizes the supply of testosterone, the muscle building hormone in the blood stream for bigger muscles.

6.   Get in a calorie surplus.

While the workout is just one aspect of building muscles, nutrition is another more significant aspect. A diet error takes you two steps backward in muscle building. Primarily, to build either muscle mass or to gain fat, you need to have extra calories over and above your regular needs. Ideally, 500 calories and above is a good target. In a week it will result in a pound (0.453g) of weight gain, but the problem with most ectomorphs is that their superfast metabolism will burn this surplus quickly.

7.   Drink your calories.

This is the quickest route to get a healthy dose of carbs, proteins, and fats in a day without going overboard on food. Also, it provides you with measured calories, so you know exactly, how much extra you are having in a day.

8.   Emphasize your protein intake.

The science is simple. Your muscle tissues are composed of protein and you need to get in a positive nitrogen balance to fuel your muscle growth. Try to get 1.3 to 1.5 g of protein per pound of body weight. If you find that your muscle growth is still stunted, increase the amount to 1.75 g per pound of body weight. Get your caloric surplus from Mass Gainer XXL which is the ideal mass gainer supplement if you’re looking for an additional caloric surplus.

9.   Get ample carbohydrates to build muscles faster.

Daily consume 60 to 80 grams of complex carbohydrates in every meal. You should understand that adding fast food, processed food as sources of carbohydrates would not be the correct idea.  You can get a healthy option by choosing low-glycemic, high-fiber carbohydrates instead of moving towards junk food.  Good sources of muscle building carbohydrates are beans, oatmeal, potatoes, pasta, barley, whole-grains. Carbohydrates not only provide you energy but also pump your muscles, somewhat similar to creatine.

10.   Get good fats.

 It’s critical to maintain your testosterone levels. Aim to get a good helping of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats to fuel your muscle growth.

Armed with these tips, ectomorphs can supercharge their muscle growth.