Game With Better Focus, Reaction Time and Energy - Top Energy Ingredients Reviewed!

Gamers are always looking for something that pushes them past their limits and increases their reaction time, energy levels and focus. Traditional energy drinks often leave them empty feeling and over stimulated without providing much benefit for the serious gamer. Caffeine is a great ingredient for boosting quick energy, but is it enough to keep the serious gamer protected and focused? Whether you play World of Warcraft or Madden, you will need these killer ingredients to give you every ounce of advantage over the competition!

To get a serious game changing drink we had to look to bodybuilders favorites to make our greatest find. In fact I've identified 5 key ingredients for the serious gamer that will transform their focus and performance. Every gamer can benefit from things like better reaction time, increased energy and serious attention to detail. These 5 key ingredients have everything the serious gamer needs!

Creatine monohydrate is the first killer ingredient! I know what you are saying...CREATINE? Yes, it's a key ingredient because it has an effect on full body energy, including the brain. Gamers are starting to learn what older people have known for years, creatine is great for recharging brain cells and increasing cellular energy! If you are feeling fatigued after 4 or 5 hours of gaming, your cellular energy stores are probably depleted. Creatine is the battery for mitochondrial energy stores and if you want a recharge you need to take it! Creatine will supercharge the bodies ATP stores, which is a natural form of cellular energy and no organ needs as much ATP as the brain. So, if you want to slay the dragon or defeat the wizard, you need creatine to be at your best!

Beta Alanine is the next killer ingredient. It can increase nerve pulses (in fact you may experience a tingle in the first 5-10 minutes, which is your nerves firing faster than ever before) and act as a GABA agonist in the brain. GABA is the body's natural stress control agent, so increasing it along with a stimulant will help you focus better without being stressed and making costly mistakes. Beta Alanine can act like GABA in the brain and when combined with a stimulant like caffeine, GABA will keep you calm and focused, while being totally alert!

Third, the neuro-protective effects of wolfberry are well known among the chinese, where it is called goji berry! Goji berry is all the rage in the health food stores because this anti-oxidant powerhouse can also help protect the brain from over-stimulation. Wolf berry is so good for you, it is being studies for everything from energy to cancer!

Fourth, dextrose is a pure form of sugar that will get into the system immediately and give a quick boost of energy. That combined with another energy source from amino acids, will give your brain the nutrients it needs for a long session of gaming. No energy drink has these building blocks of protein, coupled with pure, pharmaceutical grade dextrose. You need both to get the absolute best effect!

Finally, if you've ever been in a truckstop, you might recognize the icing on the cake, bitter melon. This is a super strong stimulant that is similar to ephedrine, but not as crazy. You want this stimulant in addition to caffeine to get you good and wired for those long sessions. It will also keep you alert and razor focused, since it acts in a slightly different manner than caffeine. No energy drink is going to have synephrine, since they are worried it will be abused, but in a drink like this it absolutely kills!

Of course, only people over 18 should use supplements like these since they are so potent. Make sure you also don't consume over 2-3 servings in any gaming session!

Out of all the ingredients I've looked at, only Anadraulic State GT from LG Sciences has all of these and tastes great. Be sure to not mix it with anything other than water or maybe juice, since it already contains a healthy dose of caffeine and synephrine. Used responsibly, this supplement can make you play harder and better! Enjoy...

Vitamins For Energy

Oxygen needs to be delivered to your brain by your red blood cells for you to feel energetic. Many people are not receiving the oxygen that they need because they do not have enough iron in their system. Iron is obtained through grains, meat, eggs, vegetables and supplements. Absorption of iron is greatly increased when it is in the presence of vitamin C in the stomach. Low iron levels contribute greatly to low energy levels, but so do high iron levels. You should have your doctor check your iron levels before you supplement. You can increase your iron absorption by combining vitamin C supplements or foods high in vitamin C with your meals that contain iron.

Vitamin B12 also acts on your red blood cells to help them deliver oxygen to the brain. Vitamin B12 works best when in the presence of folic acid. It actually helps red blood cells to form and enables the body to draw energy from the fats and carbohydrates that we eat. Low levels of vitamin B12 are a common cause of fatigue and many people benefit from B12 injections. It is important to have a good balance of B vitamins and don't overdo it with any one B vitamin. This is why some doctors recommend a B complex vitamin to their patients. Speak with your doctor about monitoring the levels of B vitamins in your system as you supplement.

Folic acid is another B vitamin that is needed for energy. It, like vitamin B12, helps to form red blood cells. Folic acid deficiencies are common because it is easily destroyed when food is cooked. Have your doctor test for B12 vitamin deficiencies and folic acid deficiencies at the same time because deficiencies in both have the same symptoms. People that are deficient in either experience symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, depression, memory loss, confusion, weakness and pale skin.

Magnesium deficiency is the most common deficiency. Low magnesium levels cause muscle cramps, long-term or chronic fatigue, high blood pressure, and irritability. Magnesium is directly responsible for producing the molecule Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP) which controls our metabolism. Deficiency is so common because, as Americans, we do not consume much magnesium in our diets. Furthermore, we lose our magnesium when we use antibiotics, drink alcohol, or experience anything else that makes us excrete more urine. Testing for magnesium deficiency is usually done through a hair test and is not commonly recommended. Instead, doctors will advise patients to take a magnesium supplement and monitor symptoms. If symptoms worsen, then it can generally be assumed that calcium is deficient, not magnesium.

When our body transforms food into energy, it creates by-products called free radicals. Free radicals cause body-wide inflammation, fatigue, cell damage, and can lead to a multitude of health conditions. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that goes through the body cleaning up free radicals and preventing cell damage. Vitamin C helps other vitamins and minerals to perform their intended functions and can help you to maintain energy in a number of ways. Choosing the best vitamin C can help your other vitamins and supplements to work faster while protecting your body from free radical damage.

Speak with your doctor about supplementing before you buy vitamins to combat fatigue. Choosing vitamins in their most absorbable form can help you get your energy back and replenish vitamin stores more quickly.

A List of Important Bodybuilding Supplements

It is not a must that you use bodybuilding supplements when you are training. However if you decide to use them it can significantly improve your bodybuilding progress. Bodybuilding is a very competitive sport and if you want to increase your chances of becoming the best in this sport then you need to take bodybuilding supplements together with your diet. It is no wonder that many professional bodybuilders use bodybuilding supplements in order to stay on top of there game.

If you are trying to decide which bodybuilding supplement you are going to use, below is a list of some supplements which have proven to be very effective in terms of helping a person build there muscles. They include;

1. Nutrition Bars

The reason why nutrition bars have become so common is because of the busy life styles that most bodybuilders have. Some times a bodybuilder could get so engaged in there daily life style that they lack enough time even to eat a proper meal. This is where nutritional bars come in; you can be able to take them even when you are on the move. Nutritional bars usually come in form of high protein bars or high carbs bars. The good thing about these nutritional bars is that they are able to provide a person with the necessary burst in energy needed to train intensely in the gym. If you are looking to slim there are other nutritional bars which can help you achieve this they are referred to as flapjack nutritional bars.

2. Pre-work out drinks

There are various concoctions in which energy drinks come in form of. Some energy drinks are sugar based while others contain stimulants such as caffeine, ephedra and guarana. When selecting the best energy drink to take you should go for the ones which do not contain a lot of glucose because they have the effect of making a person feel sluggish after an intense workout plus they contain a lot of calories.

3. Fat burners

Fat burning products has become quite a booming business due to its high demand among people who are overweight. The good thing about this product is that it enables a person to burn fat through thermo genesis and when you do this you are able to train even more intensely.

4. Creatine monohydrate

If there is a bodybuilding supplement which will surely help you improve your performance then it is creatine supplements. The science behind it is as follows; for ATP to be used as energy it needs to be first broken down to ADP. This process cannot occur in the absence of Creatine Phosphate (CP) which is present in muscle tissues. Therefore the more CP you have in your muscles the more energy you will be able to generate. For you to be able to lift heavier weights you need as much energy as you can get. For you also to be able to train intensely you also need plenty of energy.

The 5 Most Fat Burning and Efficient Tips to Weight Loss!

You are probably trying to lose a great deal of weight rather quickly! You are in luck, you can lose tons of weight using 5 specific time tested techniques that are underrated and under publicized! All you have to do is to make sure that you start today and create an opportunity for yourself to lose a great deal of weight!

Step #1 - Drink Plenty of Water
You first want to make sure that you are drinking plenty of water. When your muscles are dehydrated, you have less energy to do things such as metabolism. Also your body collects water weight, because you lack water, it's an overall bad thing, and you should avoid dehydration at all costs! Especially if you are trying to achieve a good deal of weight loss!

Step #2 - Short Intense Workouts
It depends on what kind of body you want, but doing the long work outs can be a pain, if you want to save time, you want to do shorter and more intense workouts, you will look in shape and fit. You see the gymnasts? They have incredible shape, and they do short intense workouts, not long overdrawn time killers. You can do either or, but shorter are recommended!

Step #3 - To Carb or Not to Carb
There are many people who are afraid to eat pasta, and other carbs. They do not want to eat them in fear that they may get bigger, gain more fat weight, and so they do not eat carbs. Carbs are for energy and when it is not used then it is stored in the muscle as fat. The thing that you want to do is just make sure you work out if you eat carbs. It is for energy after all and plays an integral role in providing ATP - for your cells energy, which is critical for you to perform all your functions.

Step #4 - Smaller Meals, More Frequently
Eat smaller meals, more frequently? Yes this is key, you see you are only able to use so many calories for energy when you eat gigantic meals. Also remember that calories are not necessarily a bad thing, you need a certain amount of calories, but you do not want to eat more than you can handle. By eating smaller meals more frequently; your body will be able to handle the calories you are putting in it and everything!

Step #5 - Myth Debunk
Many people really believe that if you eat too late, that it's bad for weight loss. Well, I have news for you, I used to eat nachos 3 o'clock in the morning, the point is I used to work out and keep myself slim, that's what is truly key; but I definitely do not eating nachos! Eating in the middle of the night is not the worst idea, as long as it surrounds a schedule and compliments your already dieting plan.

ATP Creatine Serum Review

ATP Creatine Serum claims many things. It claims to go straight to your muscles and require no pre-loading or cycling. I ordered a bottle to find out whether or not it lived it up to my great expectations.

According to the manufacturers, this product is the Creatine brand used by athletes. After my short experience with the stuff, I have to say that I am pretty impressed. When I first took it I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of the serum. It tasted like a really nice and sweet cough medicine and I couldn't wait to take some more. Having said this, taste is not the most important thing in a Creatine supplement.

After taking this stuff before my first workout I did not see much of a change. I was able to do maybe one or two more repetitions on some exercises but nothing special. When I took it before my second workout, however, I noticed a huge change. I was lifting more than I ever had before and shocking my friends with the number of repetitions I was getting done. It is very useful to have the Creatine in a serum form because it means that I can just keep it in my gym bag and not have to worry about mixing shakes at home beforehand.

The real downside with this product is the cost. When I was using powdered Creatine it was costing me much less than it is now. A bottle of this stuff lasts me just over a month, and costs about twice as much as a tub of powdered Creatine. Having said this, I am so impressed with how well the stuff works that I will probably continue ordering it.

Roger Federer Amazing Backhand Smash from Australian Open semi final 2010

Roger Federer amazing backhand smash in HD(1440x1080). This footage was captured from the Australian Open 2010 semi final against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. Federer won 6-2 6-3 6-2 in just 88 minutes. I will have some more footage from this match coming soon (in HD)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2vF9xnL-EU&hl=en

Eat Or Not to Eat Before a Workout?

Is it better to eat 1/2 hour before a workout? An hour before a workout? Don't eat? Yes, eat. Eat what? When? As Personal Trainers, we get these questions all the time.

To answer them properly, one would need to ask a lot of questions about the habits of the person seeking the advice. Often, the client needs to be educated in nutrition and their eating habits. This can be challenging.

Most people wouldn't be able to intelligently break down the percentages of macro nutrients (carbohydrate, fats and proteins) and their amounts. Therefore, they could only make visual examples of how much food they consumed and attempt to paint a mental picture of what the foods looked like. Even if they've prepared the food themselves, they wouldn't be able to assess the caloric value of sauces and spices of the meal either. Even educated ones without a calorimeter (an apparatus that literally burns food to determine the caloric content) really don't know for sure. Remember, a calorie is when the heat from the food burned inside a calorimeter heats 1 gm of water up 1N C. Often, the information they provide can be vague at most.

Even if you knew the specifics, there are so many "diet plans, meal plans, eating plans or philosophies" about eating in general. Most of them are probably valid and will work. These philosophies, principles, doctrines or "tenets" can range from the scientific to the spiritual. Try them all if you want. The focus of this article is for you to understand how the body burns sugar compared to fat. Once you understand those basics, you'll apply this knowledge to any food plan.

How the body uses the food or energy.

Did you know that to decrease body fat you don't necessarily need to burn fat during exercise?

Adipose tissue (fat) is lost during the hours after exercise is completed. (1) Triglycerides or serum lipids (fat in the blood stream) are mostly used during exercise. The amount of fat mobilized post exercise depends, in part, on the intensity of the exercise. Following moderate-high intensity exercise there is a greater increase of fat mobilization than with low-intensity exercise. Protein only accounts for 5 to 10 percent (2) of energy production during exercise. Proteins are primarily used for building and repair. However, the body's requirement for energy is higher up the requirement ladder for survival, so protein can be used as an energy source if there aren't adequate amounts of the other nutrients. At 50-60 percent of your V0² max, fat will provide 50 percent of the energy required. At 70-75 percent of your V0² max, fat only provides 33 percent of the energy required. (3) For example, a study conducted on experienced cyclists by Dr. Jack Wilmore at the University of Texas went like this: One 23-year old subject rode a bicycle ergometer for 30 minutes at 50 percent of V0² max and, on another day at 75 percent of V0² max. At 50-percent intensity, the cyclist burned a total of 222 calories and at 75 percent the cyclist burned a total of 332 calories. The math will show you that 50 percent of 222 calories is 111 fat calories and 33 percent of 332 calories is 110 fat calories. Almost exactly the same amount of fat calories. Double the duration of the exercise bout and you can see it's better to go harder than easier. Progression, and I'll repeat progression, is the key here. The reason for this is EPOC (post-exercise-oxygen consumption). Higher intensity exercise causes great EPOC, therefore burning more calories after the workout. Liken the body's carbohydrate stores to energy "credits". If the stored credits were used during exercise then a "debt" was incurred. The more credits used the greater the debt. The EPOC has to repay those debts by 1) re-establishing the original carbohydrate stores (credits) by re-synthesizing the lactate back to glycogen and 2) catabolize the remaining lactate through the pyruvic acid - Krebs cycle pathway. This phase of recovery, depending on the duration and intensity of the exercise, may take up to 24 hours to replenish. (4) How does this happen and how does this work?

Let's examine how fat is metabolized. For fat to be used for energy, triglycerides stored in the adipose tissue are broken down (Lipolysis) into fatty acids and glycerol. Once in the bloodstream, the free fatty acids (FFA) are attached to a protein carrier, albumin and mobilized to the skeletal muscles. There, they are then oxidized (burned) by a process called beta-oxidation in the mitochondria of the cell. Because this energy system requires so much oxygen the exercise intensity has to be low in order for the pairs of carbon molecules to be stripped away or broken down from the FFA to make acetyl coenzyme (acetyl CoA) which is an intermediary molecule of oxidation and synthesis of fat. The interesting thing is fat somewhat depends on the continual breakdown of carbohydrate. (5) Acetyl CoA enters the Krebs cycle (aerobic oxidation) by combining with oxaloacetic acid which is generated primarily by carbohydrate catabolism. When carbohydrate levels fall, oxaloacetic acid levels may be inadequate to sustain a high level of fat breakdown. Hence, fat burns in the flame of a carbohydrate. As a result of the low carbohydrate stores an imbalance occurs between triglyceride formation and lipolysis caused by low blood sugar. (6) The liver then picks up FFA's and forms Acetyl CoA faster than the liver mitochondria can oxidize it. This compromises the rate which Acetyl CoA can enter the Krebs cycle (aerobic). The excess Acetyl CoA is used to form ketone bodies in the liver. Exercising in this state causes a condition know as ketosis which increases blood acidosis, which can lower exercise performance. Without enough carbohydrates, amino acid (protein) metabolism is increased, which can also be toxic to muscle cells. In summary, it's not a good idea to exercise in carbohydrate depleted state.

Carbohydrates are a readily, more available source of energy.

When carbohydrates are used to produce ATP, either blood glucose or muscle glycogen (the stored form of glucose or carbohydrate) is metabolized by a process know as glycolysis. Its main function is to regenerate ATP (our most available energy "currency") and to generate pyruvate for oxidation in the ninth and final chemical reaction of glycolysis. When the exercise intensity is too high and the demand for oxygen is greater than the supply (i.e., anaerobic conditions), pyruvate is converted to lactate. Lactate may also be used as a source of energy, by converting back into glycogen by a reversal of the reactions of glycolysis or by the liver to make new glucose by a process called gluconeogenisis. If there is enough oxygen available (i.e., aerobic conditions) lactate is not formed and pyruvate enters the mitochondria. With or without oxygen carbohydrates can be used for energy, either 1) anaerobically, with the glycolytic pathway repeating or 2) aerobically, with metabolism continuing on to the Krebs cycle. Therefore, carbohydrates are readily, more available source of energy. Think of carbohydrates as kindling and fat as the log on a fire. The kindling will always burn easier and a lot faster than the log. Total carbohydrate storage capacity in the liver and muscle range from just 200 - 500 grams, (about 800 - 2000 calories of energy). (7) Again, this depends on the individual's capacity for storing carbohydrate. A highly trained endurance athlete will be able to store more in their muscles than an untrained person. This is important. Most people think they'll burn more fat if they do cardio after they strength train. That depends. Keep in mind who you're dealing with. A strength workout is not likely to deplete carbohydrate stores for a few reasons. First, you're usually resting more that half the time. Secondly, a strength workout isn't usually intense enough nor long enough to deplete the glycogen stores. Even if you could deplete your glycogen stores, you wouldn't want to exercise in a glycogen-depleted state for the reasons described earlier. Keep in mind some people are better "fat burners" than others. This has to do with their body composition (body fat vs. lean tissue) and how long and consistent they've ingrained those energy pathways.

Diet will affect which fuel is used.

Fat metabolism is very sensitive to the interval between eating carbohydrate and the onset of exercise. A high carbohydrate meal will cause the pancreas to excrete insulin, which inhibits the breakdown of fat. Hence, the body will be forced to rely on carbohydrates for fuel. The body will always go for the kindling before the log. Therefore, if you're trying to burn fat, then carbohydrates should not be consumed within a couple of hours of the activity. If the exercise or cardio session is going to be a long one (1 hour +), than carbohydrates will have to be consumed at some point during the activity. It's the ability of the muscles to oxidize FFA's, rather than the increase in the mobilization of FFA's from adipose tissue. Like anything else, the more you do something, the better you get at it. You must first learn to become a great "fat burner" through adaptation of exercise. Keep the exercise intensity low, so you can learn these energy pathways. Periodization is key here. Give the body time to adapt before you increase the intensity to take advantage of the effects of EPOC. If you're exercising on an empty stomach in the morning and want to lose fat, go easy and for not longer that 30 - 45 minutes. Then, eat a carbohydrate that is easily digested before you lift weights. Again, it depends on the individual and their ability to store carbohydrates whether or not they'll need to eat before a strength work-out following a cardio session of that length and intensity.

Following an exercise session it is important to elevate glucose as soon as possible to provide a substrate for glycogen synthesis. Glycogen synthesis can occur more rapidly if carbohydrates are consumed within a half hour to an hour after exercise. It helps to have a bagel or sports drink available after a hard work out. Full muscle glycogen replenishment for a competitive endurance athlete requires a diet consisting of greater than 60% of total calories over a two day period. (8) Also, consider the person and the goal. Endurance athletes such as marathon runners and road cyclists or collegiate wrestlers have a problem keeping body fat. They won't be as interested in body composition as opposed to pure weight compared to a body builder. What is the experience of the exerciser, what gender, what age, etc.. Keep in mind these concepts though. An endurance trained athlete relies less on carbohydrate and more on fat as fuel. Fit people are simply more efficient at using fat for energy. A novice exercisers body is inefficient, relying primarily on carbohydrates as a fuel source until the body "learns" to use fat. I hope this helps you reach your fitness goal.

1. Fitness Management, December, 2001
2. Fitness Management, December, 2001
3. Burke, R. Edmund, Velo News, February 23, 1998
4. McCardle, Katch &Katch, Essentials of Exercise Physiology, pgs.70 - 71 Lea & Febiger, 1994
5. McCardle, Katch &Katch, Essentials of Exercise Physiology, pgs.53-54 Lea & Febiger, 1994
6. Fitness Management, December, 2001
7. Newell, Vicki, NCCPT Personal Training Manual , 2000
8. Fitness Management, December, 2001

Australian Open 2010 Final Federer vs Murray Full Match (8/18) HD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa37GhnMWoc&hl=en

Tennis Now News- May 7, 2010

Tennis columnist, Richard Pagliaro reports the latest tennis news on the clay courts this week. In Rome, Jelena Jankovic takes out both Serena and Venus Williams to get to the final against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, after taking out the improving Ana Ivanovic. It will be interesting to see who is the WTA clay court dominator is, Jankovic or Justine Henin? American players, Sam Querrey and John Isner are playing well in their doubles and singles.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iZwIZmA070&hl=en

Serena Williams vs Rafael Nadal Austrailian Open 2010 allotment 3

Mixed Singles match



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjECqWLGnhs&hl=en

GRF : Roger Federer --- Wimbledon 2010 Preview Ad Coming Soon...

Trailer for my next video: "Roger Federer - Wimbledon 2010 Preview Ad". Coming Soon...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZS39cSlekg&hl=en

Ferrer vs. Murray ATP Rome 2010

Highlights of the match between David Ferrer and Andy Murray



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NHqxEBK6Gc&hl=en

What happened to Roger Federer?

Any fan of tennis recently to ask this question, depending on the performance Fedex in the first eight months of calendar 2008 ATP Tennis. His final two Grand Slams in the same period reached - the French Open and Wimbledon - before losing both games in the world No.2 Rafael Nadal is, but Federer total results in tournaments in the first half, and post-Wimbledon, raises serious questions about the world No.1 's (No. 2 in the world the next two weekspossible) game and fitness. have suddenly lost to Roger, his confidence and his movement slowed significantly in the field, that even under the best players that Roger had so easily dispatched a few months ago, could have to beat him with ease. It seems that the weight of his fame, along with the fear of losing weight is much more than his mind-game. Current does not lose either helped the matter.

Perhaps Roger needs a bit 'of peace and time to plan his game. InIn fact, he himself had admitted sit back and examines his game. But a closer ATP Tour calendar means that it can do that only after the U.S. Open is the first.

18th August Come and Federer lost his world No.1 ranking for the first time in recent 237 weeks to Rafael Nadal. But it is certainly capable of a comeback. However, to do that he can play much better than the current needs, and of course a clear head that is notburdened by the monster he had created over the past four years. We hope that Fedex will resume the players has already had 10 months ago.

Australian Open 2010 Quarterfinal Murray vs Nadal Full Match (8/14) HD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iepJw1xEEmc&hl=en

Workout Energy - Maximising Your Energy Supply

Our basic daily energy needs are dictated by our Basal Metabolic Rate - this is your energy use in a rested state to support normal body functioning.

When we add exercise into our day our energy requirements increase. If we don't add sufficient calories, our bodies start burning our energy stores, namely fat. Now for those wanting to lose fat, this probably sounds pretty terrific. But what happens when we don't have sufficient energy stores, or fat stores, or we are burning energy faster than our body can convert fat into available energy.

The common athletic term is bonking but in more moderate forms of exercise we probably start feeling light headed, unco-ordinated, and weak. All of these symptoms are signals that you are demanding more than your body can provide. Your blood sugars have dropped to a level below normal.

To maintain sufficient energy throughout the day to complete your scheduled tasks you need to understand your energy requirements and ensure you meet these in the right way at the right time.

And the right way is NOT reaching for the nearest snack bar every time you start feeling yourself sliding. The right way is about planning in advance to give not only energy but nutrition.

This is particularly important when you are planning strenuous exercise. Most strenuous exercise aims to build muscle. Whether that is heart muscle doing cardio workouts or overall body muscle with weight training. If during and immediately following muscle building exercise your body cannot access sufficient nutrients from muscles, it starts eating away at the existing muscle tissue, effectively reversing your goal to build up and maintain muscle.

Now it's worth getting a little scientific here to understand why you need to manage your energy stores during exercise. So let's look at our body's energy system

When we need energy, our body breaks up a substance called adenosine triphosphate [ATP]. ATP is a high-energy molecule consisting of three phosphates attached by energy bonds to adenosine. Energy is released by breaking off a phosphate from ATP to form adenosine diphosphate [ADP]. This is a continual cycle of energy production with ADP converted back into ATP.

Now obviously for this to work, we need ATP in the body in the first place. ATP is created in the body by three systems, working simultaneously. The contribution from each system depends on the type of exercise we are doing, its intensity and duration.

ATP-CP system [6 second burst] - ATP-CP is our short burst energy system; something your body will tap into during a six second sprint. This system doesn't require oxygen. This is an anaerobic energy support system. CP [creatine phosphate] is a high-energy molecule where the phosphate can be broken off very quickly, releasing energy. It is used to convert ADP back to ATP. Since our muscled don't have large stores of CP, supply is used up very quickly. To increase creatine levels in the muscle, many athletes use creatine supplements.

Anaerobic system [90 second burst] - the high power anaerobic system breaks down glucose for energy, providing two molecules of ATP. Unfortunately this process also produces lactic acid. If lactic acid builds up in the muscles faster than our body can clear it, we get muscle fatigue - that 'hit the wall moment' that all athletes know about.

Aerobic system [Endurance] - our aerobic system supports the slow breakdown of glucose for energy, using oxygen. It provides 38 molecules of ATP; nearly 20 times more than the anaerobic system. It's the aerobic system that also uses fat to produce ATP energy. This is why endurance training can make the muscles use fat more efficiently.

So now that we understand the three energy production systems, lets look at how we can meet those short term demands using energy fuel. The three main energy fuels for exercise are carbohydrates, fat and protein. These nutrients are broken down in the body to provide energy, measured as kilocalories [kcal] per gram [g]. As a rough guide of how much energy is released from each type of nutrient:

carbohydrate provides 3.75kcal/g
protein provides 4kcal/g
fat provides 9kcal/g
Now don't go thinking that fat is the best energy food just because it releases twice as much energy a carbohydrates. The best energy food for exercise, especially intense workouts, is glucose. Glucose is formed in the body from the breakdown of carbohydrates [sugars and starches]. This glucose is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. Unfortunately, just like your home storage constraints, the body can also only store a limited amount of glycogen. An average size adult weighing 70kg [11 stone] stores around 450g, or 1,700 kcal, of glycogen.

If your exercise program is going to use more than 1700 during and immediately following exercise, then your body will run out of supplies are start looking elsewhere. The amount of each fuel [carbohydrate, fat and protein] your body uses during exercise depends on your dietary intake, fitness level, type of exercise, length of workout, training intensity, and frequency of training sessions. For instance, anaerobic exercise uses only glucose, whereas aerobic exercise uses all three fuels. As intensity increases, the demand for protein outstrips the demand for glucose and fat. That's why low-intensity exercise, such as walking is so great for burning a greater proportion of fat.

During moderate and high-intensity exercise, supply for energy starts with glucose, but with time, your body will gradually use more fat and less glucose in an attempt to conserve the limited glucose stores. The fitter you are, the more efficiently your muscles use fat and the longer you can work out. That's why the fitter you are, the more often you can train without draining the body, and the more calories you use. Listen to your body. If you start feeling sluggish, co-ordination and balance start to go a bit wonky, or you feel light headed - YOU ARE IN FATIGUE MODE. Your body has run out of glycogen. [NB: dehydration can also cause these symptoms].

So now you understand the energy system of the body and the additional demands you make on it during exercise, here are a few guidelines to getting the best from your workout, and protecting your body at the same time.

Stay well hydrated before, during and after your workout. Not only does it help your body function better, it avoids confusion as to what is causing any fatigue.
Be proactive with energy supply management. Don't wait until you feel fatigue before you boost your energy stores. Remember it takes time for energy to be released from the food we eat.
Eat more carbohydrates in advance of longer harder training sessions - this is why marathon runners bulk up on pasta for 2-3 days prior to a big race.
Provide your body with additional protein in the 45 minutes following a strenuous workout; then again, with some carbohydrates - about 2-3 hours following.
For serious athletic training programs learn more about the use of safe and effective bodybuilding supplements such as creatine monohydrate, L-carnitine, L-glutamine and protein powder.
And to be safe, always consult your medical advisor before undertaking any exercise program or taking supplements.

Choosing the Right Sport to Bet on

This is a difficult choice because you will want to stick with no more than two sports that you are betting on constantly. The professionals actually stick with only one, so the less sport events you are betting the better. But anyway, how should you start this activity and what should you watch out for when choosing the sport to bet on? Well, people tend to bet on the sport they like the most, say soccer. I find that to be a bit of a mistake because you have 11 players that need to play well in order for you to win. If one of them makes mistakes during the match constantly and your team concedes two goals because of these errors, you will lose the bet. Of course, you will say that betting on Barcelona against some second hand team is usually a sure bet, but considering that, the odds will be very low and if you bet 100 dollars, you will get win a maximum of 10 or 20.

It is important that when betting, you bet on the higher odds, so I would recommend looking for a close match in tennis, for example, where there is only one player to worry about. So, for example two top players are having a go at it and the odds are very close. This would be the perfect situation to bet on, because basically, you have a fifty fifty chance of winning. It is a risk, but a risk worth taking if you double or triple the money. I actually tried this a couple of times last year during Wimbledon, and I bet 100 dollars three times. I lost once and I won twice for a total win of 450 dollars including the 100 dollar bet that I lost. I would have made around 300 dollars even if I won only one of the bets, so I think that this is the way to go.

What I am saying is that you should look into a more manageable and profitable sport for starters, until you have some money to spend on several bets on your favorite sport. The decision is yours, but from personal experience, this is a very good idea to go with because of a lot of factors. You get higher chances of winning and you also get more money if you do. In any case, you should try this method a couple of times, but wait for the large events in the ATP tour for more matches to bet on and for more popular players. Remember, start with small bets and make sure that you don't risk it too much.

Federer vs Baghdatis Indian Wells 2010 Highlights

3rd Round



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvQFZ48kmJI&hl=en