Fitness for Guy

Feb 27, 2015

Washington Also Legalizes Pot For Recreation

Marijuana may become a very integral part of the capital’s culture now that Initiative 71 has been lit ablaze in Washington, the Washington Post reports.

Despite defying threats from Congress, the District of Columbia legalized the possession of marijuana for recreational purposes today. Though Washington won’t come close to the free-blazing freedom known in Amsterdam—pot shops and open-air smoking is banned—its citizens will be able to grow, possess and use small amounts of pot from private residences.

About 70 percent of city voters approved the legalization in November, and now that the nation’s capital has “gone green,” we may see a similar trend sweep the nation. Alaska legalized marijuana just days ago (what a week!) and at least five states are moving toward legalization votes next year, the Washington Post says.

Does Pot Make You A Better Athlete? >>>

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Feb 25, 2015

A Daily Sauna May Prolong Your Life And Protect Your Heart

The Finnish are clearly onto something. Though the Angry Birds ship has sailed—we feel your deep-seeded jealousy toward Rovio’s genius, too—you can jump on Finland’s health bandwagon by stepping into a sauna.

Frequent sauna trips (baths? sits?) may help you live longer, a Finnish study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has found. Saunas are to Finland what Starbucks is to America. For a population of 5.3 million people, there are 3.3. million saunas in Finland, according to InterNations.org. And they have good reason to cherish their sweatboxes.

According to the researchers, saunas are thought to improve blood vessel function, exercise capacity, even lower blood pressure for those suffering hypertension. This new study also suggests there’s an even greater benefit like a lesser likelihood of death from heart, attack, stroke and other heart-related conditions.

About 2,300 Finnish men, averaging 50 years of age, were asked how often they used saunas (at about 174 degrees Fahrenheit); their answers ranged from once weekly to every day. During almost 20 years of follow-up, more than 900 men died. Deaths from heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems were nearly twice as common in once-a-week users than those who frequented a sauna at least four times a week. Time spent sweating mattered, too. Fatal heart-related deaths were less common in men whose sessions lasted over 19 minutes, compared with those who spent less than 11 minutes in the sauna.

Dr. Jari Laukkanen, a University of Eastern Finland researcher and the study's lead author, mused that high temperature and humidity may cause beneficial changes in the cardiovascular system, but more rigorous research is needed to determine how saunas might prolong one's lifespan.

Find Supplements to Power Your Life at GNC Live Well >>>

In the meantime, get sweating. If you can't ward off a heart attack, at least you'll relieve sore muscles and flush toxins from your body.

Is the Sauna Good for Your Workout? >>>

Five Common Training Mistakes and How to Fix Them

You have to vary reps based on the exercise and what muscles you’re training. Upper-body pressing moves train fast-twitch muscle fibers, so they should mainly be done with lower reps (sets of six to eight). Your leg muscles are designed for endurance, so sets of 12 or more reps are appropriate.

Feb 24, 2015

Where the Happiest People in America Live

Three cheers for Alaska. The Last Frontier is the new bastion of well-being, according to the 2014 Gallup-Healthways study of 176,702 Americans.

Alaskans exercise more than people in any other state (remember that the next time you use the weather as an excuse), report the lowest stress levels, have the lowest rate of diabetes, and surprisingly enough, the second lowest rate of depression diagnoses in the country, The Atlantic reports.

The state has actually been in the top 10 well-being rankings multiple times since the inaugural survey in 2008, but has never reigned supreme until this year. Hawaii finished top two for the sixth time, while Kentucky and West Virginia have held spots 49 and 50 for six consecutive years. Other rural (and cold) states were top 10, too: South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado Nebraska and Utah, respectively.

People are scored in five categories In the self-reported survey: “purpose (liking what they do each day, being motivated to achieve goals), social status (having supportive relationships and love in one's life), financial status (having minimal economic stress), community (feeling safe, and having pride in one's community).”

Curious how your state ranked? Find out here >>>

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Winter Is Going to Help You Lose Fat, New Study Says >>>

Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Performance Center Workout

Get in a situp position parallel to a wall. Do a traditional situp, but at the top of the motion turn and slap the wall with both hands. Do 10, then turn and repeat on the opposite side. Next, switch your position so your feet are facing the wall. Now do 10 and slap the wall directly in front of you. Repeat these 30 situps before each cluster.

4 Ways to Totally Blast Your Traps

Stand holding two dumbbells at your sides. Keep your shoulder blades down and draw your elbows up and back as high as you can, pause, and slowly return to the start position. This hits the whole trap hard, versus the traditional shrug which only gets the upper traps.

Feb 21, 2015

4 Reasons to Stop Slouching

Constantly holding that extra 20-pound weight forces your neck and back muscles to work overtime. “They become overused and tired,” says Queiros. Then, when you finally relax them (say, at home after work), the muscles tense up and could spasm, causing nasty tension headaches.

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