2009 OC Muscle Classic - Go Team!

The 32nd annual Orange County Muscle Classic was a monster show! Promoter, Jon Lindsay, reported a very successful event, with over 140 contestants, it looks like the 2009 NPC SoCal competition season is off to a great start!

Team 619 Muscle, in the house, had a great presence once again!
Big Lou Uridel rocked the house, with his "619...619...619" posing routine...awesome brother!
Rory Love presented his best condition yet, earning a hard won 5th in the master's division. Way to go!
Stephanie Love, in only her 2nd contest yet, earned herself a 4th place slot in the 45+ and a 5th place slot in the 35+ categories! Wow, great job, Steph!
And our superstar, 50 years young, Meg Kruse, earned 3 little ladies, kickin' butt to garner the top prize in both the 35+ and the 45+ categories, while strutting her way to 3rd place in a very competitive open Figure C class! Great job, superstars!

Also in the house, friend 0f 619, and Boston boy and oh - 2-time Mr. Olympia, Big Jay Cutler, tore the roof of the house as guest poser! Jay is proof-positive that hard work and focus, consistent effort toward your goal can and do lead to success! After rockin' the stage, jumping down into the packed audience and posing his heart out for the fans, Jay grabbed the mike from MC Mike Stohle, and addressed the crowd. Jay gave his sincere thanks for the support of his fans (dedicated as we all are!) and also left the crowd with the message that dreams really can and do come true, if you stick to your guns and don't ever lose sight of your goals. Jay vowed to achieve his goal this year - a 3rd Sandow trophy! He looked fantastic, healthy and just over 300lbs, Jay's putting in the time, obviously!
Watch out for this superstar to make an appearance on August 22, at 619 Muscle...It has become known as "Jay Cutler day"! in the 619, more details very soon!

rock and roll, Team 619!

Pete

A Fistful of Dollars...

Knowledge is Power...the Glycemic Index
(part 2 of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - as previously published)

The original “Spaghetti Western”, also the prequel to our aforementioned film was called A Fistful of Dollars. It told the tale of the same misguided hero, the opportunistic cowboy, played for the first time by Clint Eastwood. In this prequel, Clint Eastwood’s character struggles to win “a few dollars”, using cunning and even treachery. Likewise, in our fight to get fit, knowledge is power. We need to be clever, keep our eyes open to what we put into our mouths, and make the right food choices in order to succeed. A basic understanding of food groups, carbohydrate categories, the concept of energy-in vs. energy-out, and the importance of the 3 macronutrients and how they impact our bodies, these concepts are out weapons!

Carbohydrates are a vital nutrient, a powerful source of muscle and brain energy and they support increased muscular and mental performance; but ingesting the wrong type of carbs will contribute to unstable blood sugar levels and leave you feeling “bonked” or “crashed”; too much sugar too fast into the bloodstream will cause a rapid rise in insulin, and will contribute to the uptake of excess calories into fat storage. So, how do we utilize this powerful nutrient appropriately to optimize performance, energy and health?

Research in the field of diabetes has given us a tool to assess the impact specific carbohydrates have on blood sugar and insulin levels. The glycemic index (GI) rates carbohydrate foods based on how quickly blood glucose levels rise after ingestion of the food. Pure glucose is the rule, and is scored 100 on the GI scale. The faster the absorption of the carbohydrate food and the more rapid the rise in blood glucose levels, the higher the score on the GI scale. A lower the score on the glycemic index indicates a lesser impact on blood glucose and insulin levels following the ingestion of the specific carbohydrate food. Once again, we can use the GI to plan our meals by choosing the majority of our carbohydrates from low GI sources. Key point: controlling insulin response by monitoring the GI of the carbs we ingest will slow fat storage, and actually increase the body’s ability to use previously stored fat for energy!

So, to utilize the “good” of carbohydrates, choose foods that are high in fiber and have a lower score on the glycemic index. As a general rule, avoid excess sugars to keep the blood sugar stable. Stable blood sugar and insulin levels will prevent the “bonk” or “crash”. Keeping insulin under control is the key to avoiding fat storage.

Here is a brief list of some common carbohydrate foods and their GI scores. Remember, the lower the number, the less impact ingestion of a particular food will have on blood sugar and insulin levels, and the better for health and performance. Choosing low GI carbs - the ones that induce lesser fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels - the trick to reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and is the key to sustainable weight loss and optimal athletic performance. Choose wisely to be sure you get the most out of “the Good” of your carbohydrates!

Low Glycemic foods: (eat more of these) GI score <55
Barley, Oats, whole-wheat pasta, grapefruit, apples, lentils, beans,
Medium Glycemic foods: (eat some of these) GI score 56-69
Oranges, sweet potatoes, whole-grain breads, brown rice
High Glycemic foods: (eat less of these) GI score 70-100
Instant rice, white potatoes, candy, ice cream, white bread, dates.

Sources:
Akermark, C.,I. Jacobs, M. Rasmusson, and J Karlsson. Diet and muscle glycogen concentration in relation to physical performance in Swedish elite ice hockey players. Int. J. Sport Nutr. 6:272-284, 1996

Foster-Powell, K. and J.B. Miller. International tables of glycemic index, Am J. Clin. Nutr. 62:871s-893s. 1995

Maughn, R.J., P.L. Greenhaff, J.B. Leiper, D. Ball, C.P. Lambert, and M. Gleeson. Diet composition and the performance of high-intensity exercise. J. Sports Sci. 15:265-275. 1997.

www.AnneCollins.com/obesity.htm, 2002-2007.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly....

Carbohydrates - Dietary Villain or Superhero
(previously published in Status Fitness magazine, issue 2, 2007)

Speaking of Spaghetti…
In the 1966 Spaghetti Western, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, a young Clint Eastwood played the role of “Blondie”, one of three shady unscrupulous individuals racing through the desert to uncover a treasure of buried gold. For those of you who may have seen this award winning cinematic classic, you may remember asking yourself which one of the three pistol-wielding, treasure-lusting characters was “the Good” and which one was “the Bad” as the title implied. I know I did. I also thought to myself that any one of the three dust-covered, unshaven banditos could probably also have been labeled “the Ugly.” (Fans of Clint Eastwood might argue that last point, but I’m sticking to my guns here.)

In nutrition, the misunderstood role of carbohydrates can leave fitness-minded folk asking a similar question – aren’t carbohydrates bad for me? It can be as confusing as trying to figure out which label belongs to which character in the movie!

Low-carb, no-carb, net carbs, impact carbs, carb-cycles, carb-free – we have become a carbohydrate-confused and hyper-carb sensitive society! What is it about this basic macronutrient that strikes fear into the collective heart of our consumptuous culture? Is it really carbohydrate that packs the excess pounds onto our thighs and butts to the point of morbidity? With obesity fast becoming the #1 health concern of our modern times, and a good many newcomers to the Status Fitness lifestyle, the answers have never been more pertinent. The answer lies within the function and properties of this 6-carbon, 12-hydrogen, 6-oxygen molecule.

The Good:
Carbohydrates are the “go juice” of the active tissues of the body. Carbohydrate molecules are made of the 3 elements, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. All carbohydrates are chains of the basic unit C6-H12-O6, commonly called sugars. Single and two-sugar carbohydrates (mono- and disaccharides) are commonly called simple sugars. Longer, more complex chains of sugars form starches (polysaccharides) and fibers.

Carbohydrates are the primary source of glucose for the cells of the body. Glucose is critical because it is the main source of energy for the brain. It is also a primary source of ATP, the energy currency of the muscles. Increased carbohydrate intake has been shown to have a positive impact on physical performance and work output.

Carbs are critical!:
• The body’s primary fuel source for all activities
• Vital to all cellular functions
• Primary source of glucose for the body
• Glucose is the main fuel for brain function
• So important for body functions, the body will make glucose by breaking down body proteins and fat stores!

The Bad:
In the movie mentioned earlier, Clint Eastwood’s character, Blondie, was revealed to be “the Good”, at the conclusion of the story through a single redeeming act that demonstrated his “goodness”. Similarly, if we look closely at the carbohydrate story, we find that carbs have many redeeming characteristics. So why the bum rap? Propagation of the misunderstanding of the basic tenets of low carb diet plans such as those of Dr. Atkins and his cronies in the last decade has demonized this macronutrient.

“Carbohydrates make you fat.” Yes, there is some truth to this statement but it’s not as simplistic as this basic misunderstanding. More accurately, consuming the wrong type of carbohydrates, at the wrong time of the day, and eating more calories (carbohydrate or otherwise) than your body needs for energy stimulate fat storage. Excessive intake of carbohydrates, especially faster absorbing carbohydrates – “simple sugars” - stimulates a rapid rise in insulin..
Insulin can be thought of as the ‘doorman’ of the cells (including the fat cells). Insulin’s role in the body is to facilitate the partitioning of blood sugar to the appropriate ‘compartment’ in the body – into the muscles to be stored as glycogen for quick muscular energy; or stored in the adipocytes (fat cells) as surplus, back up energy. Simply, when we consume more energy than we need, and that food energy (in the digested form, glucose) moves from the digestive tract into the bloodstream, insulin is called out to get to work packing away the extra, unnecessary energy. Since some carbohydrates pass more quickly (typically, simple sugars) from the food we eat through the digestive system and into the blood stream, certain carbohydrates will contribute to fat storage much more easily than the proteins or fats.

The basic premise of most low-carb or carb-conscious diet plans is – or should be – this:
Control your insulin levels by consuming the proper types of carbohydrates in small amounts throughout the day. OK, that makes sense, but how do we know what types of carbohydrate foods to choose to keep our insulin levels in check? We’ll show you.

The Ugly:
Obesity has become an epidemic in America. Prolific author on the topic of Obesity, Anne Collins, points out that, in America, it’s pretty ugly:

• 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
• Eight out of 10 over 25's Overweight
• 78% of American's not meeting basic activity level recommendations
• 25% completely Sedentary
• 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

This is a heavy burden for our society to bear (no pun intended). Our increasing state of unhealth due to obesity is worrisome. Ms. Collins blames several factors for this current, “ugly” state of affairs, including “over-consumption…the root cause” of obesity today. She also blames the consumption of “too many refined carbs” as another cause of obesity.
Finding this “Ugly” existing in our modern society was easy. The challenge will be discovering what to do about this epidemic that touches nearly all of our lives in some way. Is this trick as elusive as the buried treasure of gold coins in the movie?

Stay tuned for the sequel!

The "619" in FLEX magazine again!

Special thanks to Allan D. and Dave Lee for the ink in the latest FLEX magazine! Check us out on page 90! (it's the one with Moe El Moussawi on the cover) - pick up your copy on newsstands today! (But don't bother going to the 7-11 down the street from the gym - They're already sold out of FLEX this month!)

It's been a special year for the 619 family - and it looks to get even better! Big Brandon and Brandie are new additions to our clan. Here at World Gym and 619 Muscle, it's all about sharing the love of the sport, health, fitness and the pursuit of being the best we can be...

Each and every member, client, competitor, customer, and friend - all come to our house, join the party, and "bring it!" - Times are challenging, but it doesn't cost alot to get down to bare bones, eat right, train hard, stay strong...things are always on the "up" when you can look forward to positive changes, and chase them with your own sweat and blood...

See ya in the "619"

Bigger Than You Thought You Could Be...

This is the essence of what we are chasing, right?

"Nothing average ever stood as a monument to progress. When progress is looking for a partner, it doesn't turn to those who believe they are only average. It turns instead to those who are forever searching and striving to be the best they possibly can be."
-A. Lou Vickery

"Life is not often easy, and it's rarely fair. But, it's not where you end up, but rather how far you go with what you've been given...this is what matters most. Be the best you can be in all you do...

In all things, strive, drive, keep on pushing...We owe it to each other to never stop pursuing our best...remember, we don't often realize who we may influence or inspire with our own personal struggles and pursuits of our dreams. By building our own personal legends, we are contributing to the enrichment of the Universe.

Dream...Believe...Be.

Happy Easter, everyone.

Pete C