FitSugar

Has Natalia Vodianova Grown Major Muscle?

Noria Morales — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:50:57 PST

Natalia Vodianova first won our hearts with her delicate, ethereal presence, personified through her piercing blue eyes and wispy frame. At yesterday's Hakaan show during Paris Fashion Week, a powerful, muscle-toned Natalia strode the runway in a fitted black leather minidress. It looks like she's been hitting the gym when not donning sexy lingerie for photo shoots. What do you think of this new Natalia? Do you prefer her delicate and soft or jacked and fierce?

Ginger: It's Not Just For Tummies

FitSugar — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:00:29 PDT

Motion sickness, tummy problems, and a sore throat: is there anything ginger can't help? Not likely. A new study says that the spicy root also soothes away sore muscles that often come after working out.

In two separate studies, researchers divided 74 healthy adults into two groups - one group of participants were given a daily ginger supplement, while the other group was given a placebo. Over the course of 11 days, all participants performed a variety of exercises that led to the kind of achy, sore muscles that a good workout is prone to do. At the end on the study, the group that was taking the ginger supplements had a reduction in pain of almost 25 percent when compared to the placebo group. Researchers believe that ginger may have anti-inflammatory properties - nature's own ibuprofen! Be sure to read up on other ways to beat post-workout pain.

This Exercise Works What?

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:00:48 PST

If you're into working out, it's important to know which exercises and stretches target which muscles. Take this quiz to see if you know your stuff.

Question 1 of 7

All you runners out there will love this stretch that targets what area?

Which Part of Your Body Is the Most Toned?

FitSugar — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:47:40 PST

I work hard to strengthen my body as a whole, but since I run, bike, swim, hike, and ski, my legs are naturally the most toned. What about you?

5 Foods That Nourish Muscles

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:00:00 PDT

Your muscles are constantly working for you, so feed them well. Muscles mass is essential to good health and the more muscle on your body, the more calories you burn daily. Here are some suggestions from MSNBC on foods to help you maximize your muscle power.

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How Much Do You Know About Muscles?

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:00:00 PDT

Your muscles are most likely one of the main reasons you visit FitSugar, but how much do you really know about them (other than the fact that you want them to be "toned")? Test your smarts with this little muscle quiz.

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Take the Quiz

You Asked: Will My Muscles Ever Stop Feeling Sore?

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:45:00 PDT

You're asking and I'm answering . . .

"Dear Fit,
I have been working out every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday for over a month now. I take a strenuous yoga class on Mondays, run or swim on Wednesdays, and I lift weights on Saturday mornings. The day after my workouts, my muscles are really sore. I thought this would go away after the first week. Will I ever stop feeling sore?"
-Sore Sally

It's great that you are including cardio, strength training, and flexibility training in your workouts, but since you're doing them all on different days, you're working different muscle groups each time you work out. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it's the cause of your soreness.

If being sore bothers you, you may want to think about changing how you work out. Instead of doing each type of workout on different days, one option is to try incorporating all three - cardio, flexibility training, and strength training - on each day that you workout. Do 30 minutes of cardio (running, biking, walking, etc.), then do 20 minutes of stretching, and then another 20 minutes of strength training. That way you're using all your muscle groups on each day, which will make them stronger so they'll be less likely to be sore the next day. Another option is to work out more often, instead of skipping days, try to do a little exercise five to seven days a week. If none of this helps, you may be pushing yourself too hard in your workouts, so toning it down a little can help prevent soreness as well.

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Meathead Turns Himself On

GiggleSugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:00:00 PST

This here muscle man can't help but compliment himself on his 56-inch pecs and 20-inch neck. But as he's talking to himself about himself, while cupping his moobs and yanking his nips, I can't help but wonder what our friend is overcompensating for - maybe that mullet he's sporting up top? Nah, that's a big mistake and our friend sweats the small stuff. Ewwww factor? 10.

You Asked: Muscles, Muscles, Muscles

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:45:00 PST

You're asking and I'm answering.

Hey Fit!
I'd LOVE if you'd do a post about muscle. How long/how much work it takes to build, how long before it atrophies, how many calories it ACTUALLY burns?
I'm really curious and eager for some plain English answers!
Love ya Fit!
– Wanting More on Muscles

So many questions about muscle and all of them great. First off, there are many factors at play when building muscle like diet (what you eat), metabolism (how quickly your body turns what you eat into energy) and age (around age 35 both men and women start to lose muscle mass and have to work harder to keep it and build it). A study performed on overweight men who were new to weight lifting might help explain how long it takes to build muscle. The men performed strength training 3 days a week, along with endurance exercise (aka cardio). After 14 weeks, the men averaged a weight loss of 16.3 pounds of fat and gained 9.5 pounds of muscle.

To build muscle you need to challenge it. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing strength training at least twice a week, but not on back to back days. You should do 8-10 exercises working the major muscle groups: legs, arms, back, abs, and glutes. You should perform 8-12 repetitions of each exercise using a weight that exhausts the muscle. If you can try for two sets of each exercise.

Want to hear the good news about atrophy? Well then, you are just going to have to

read more. Muscle atrophy is usually associated with injury or disease. However, disuse atrophy happens when you don't work your muscle and is unfortunately, common in our sedentary lives. However, when you stop training it takes longer to lose muscular strength than to lose cardiovascular fitness. In a study involving athletes, after taking 14 days off from training, none of the athletes lost any muscular strength. Lastly, a pound of muscle burns about 35 to 50 calories a day where a pound of fat only burns about two calories per day. Talk about a reason to start adding strength training to your exercise routine! Source

Favorite Excuse For Not Doing Yoga: I'm NOT Flexible

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:45:00 PDT

When people find out that I teach Pilates and yoga, they often immediately disclose the reasons they don't practice either exercise form. I hear this excuse most often, "I could never do yoga, I'm so inflexible. I can't even touch my toes."

This is not the first time I've heard this excuse, and I actually love that people confess this to me. It gives me a chance to explain that inflexibility is not an excuse, but rather a reason to do yoga.

Most people aren't naturally flexible, but doing yoga can increase your flexibility almost immediately. Even after just a few classes, you will begin to notice a change in your body. You just have to get over that mental block that tells you you can't do it, and you just have to try.

If you can commit to a couple of classes every week, I guarantee that your muscles will become longer and suppler. That's what is so great about yoga. Our bodies were made to move, and your muscles crave it. Not only does yoga relax your mind and reduce stress, but the increased flexibility you'll feel can alleviate chronic pain and prevent injury.

So go ahead and take a yoga class. It's like with any new thing you try, whether it be playing an instrument or running a marathon. That amazing sense of pride and accomplishment you feel can only come when you witness yourself improving. No one is instantly great in the beginning, but as you practice, you'll get better and better.

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