The Supplement Moneyball

Looking for a good protein powder in a nice shiny box with big numbers and huge claims printed all over it? 

Super! You've come to the right place!

Walk into any supplement shop and you will get a headache looking at a thousand different boxes of mass gainers, whey proteins, caesin proteins, fat burners, this supplement, that supplement.

The big question- Do you need it ? If yes, which one?

Every individual needs a certain amount of protein, carbs and fats a day to be able to carry on day to day operations without consuming the "existing set up". 

During exercise, we are required to alter the ratio and quantity of proteins, carbs and fats or macronutirients to accomodate and aid the body's recovery. 

The problem is, it can become quite difficult to eat 180 grams of protein in the form of food we need to chew. 

To solve the problem, along came the innovative industrialist and said, "Hey, drink this! One scoop will give you protein equivalent to 100 grams of chicken!"

Say what?

Give it here! 

Protien powders are not substitutes to meals, they only supplement the process of increasing the quantity of protein required by us to help reach the daily mark. 

Should you take it?

That depends on what your target is! 

For those looking to gain:

While gaining size we are required to move heavy weights and later supplement the recovery process. 

If you are able to eat all the daily protein requirement in the form of food, great! You do not require a protein supplement. 

But, most companies add amino acids or creatine to help you reach your goals, which might make it worth your while to experiment with a protein supplement! 

Consider a weight gainer which includes a higher carbohydrate content to be used in recovering the muscles you worked so hard to tear during the workout. 

For those looking to lean down:

There is no magic word for leaning down but the formula is fairly simple, reduce the carbs, maintain high protein and moderate fat levels.

The same story here, to keep those numbers up, a protein supplement can help achieve the target.

For those looking to keep fit:

You do not require a protein supplement.

An average male and an average female between the age of 16 and 70, with none to moderate level of exercie require approx 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day to maintain the current weight. 

Do the quick math and see what category you fall under and consider whether you should invest in a supplement.

Here is the protein content in some of our favorite foods:

1 whole egg- 6 grams

100 grams of chicken breast - 25 grams

1 Slice of Processed Cheese - 4 grams

1 cup of whole milk (250 ml) - 8 grams

Do the math or send a message and ask the million dollar question, "What should I be eating?"

Anabolic vs Catabolic Exercise.. What the hell is that?

As a new kid on the block in the world of fitness, you may hear a lot of jargon which can get confusing.

Inclines, declines, ranges, repetitions, sets, pyramid training, isolation training, concentration, anabolic & catabolic, etc...etc...etc... Whoa! Kinda familiar but not exactly sure what the last few ones are? Let's explain what they mean and how you'd use them.

Training is broadly classified into two categories - Anabolic Training and Catabolic Training.

On the surface, Anabolic Training is the training that promotes growth in mass (or bulking) while Catabolic Training is the training that promotes mass loss (or cutting). You guessed it. Anabolic is for build-up and Catabolic, break down.

Anabolic workouts are strength training workouts mediated by hormones such as testosterone, growth hormone and insulin.

They are performed by overloading muscle groups, creating minute tears in the muscle and allowing its recovery. So, those looking to add bulk, your routine will primarily consist of anabolic sets.

Catabolic workouts are mediated by cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine which will result in very little or no "growth" but will burn tons of calories and improve your cardiovascular conditioning. 

As fitness enthusiasts, the form of exercise best suited to you can be easily decided by your preferences; would you rather lift weights or go for a run? 

Performing both provides you with a lot of variety to your exercise routine, which will help you stay motivated and avoid boredom.

A combination of both will also ensure you continue to shock your body to continue shedding fat.

Over the years, the combination of both has evolved into a form of training called HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training which involves pushing your body to the limits for shorter durations. This results in a "debt" of Oxygen in your body post exercise which keeps it working even after you left the gym which means you will still be burning long after your workout! 

Here's an example of a simple HIIT Routine you can try at home:

Round One: 

> Burpees

> Mountain Climbers 

> Jumping Jacks 

15 repitiotions each

Rest 1 minute

Round One: 

> Lunges

> Pushups

> High Knees

15 repitiotions each

Rest 1 minute

Repeat the Circuit thrice.

Make sure you do all the exercises with the correct form to avoid injury! 
What does that mean? It will follow in the next article! 

The Garlic Way

Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”

Serious health freaks, food connoisseurs and regular folk alike all know that besides adding immense flavor to food, Garlic is packed with health benefits.

Granny's quick fix for a common cold in practically every culture - shove garlic down the victim's throat; sometimes with warm water and honey, and sometimes just by it's pungent self! Phew!

Garlic has been used for many years not just as an all natural cure for cold, it has antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic and antioxidant properties. Imagine, that one little clove has the power to rid your body of all kinds of bugs and boost your immunity. 

High doses of Garlic also appear to improve hypertension (high blood pressure) and lower the LDL Cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels in the body. 

Garlic has been shown to prevent and control Alzheimers and Dementia. 

This does not mean we go about eating Garlic all day. The average adult should consume about 4 cloves a day. 

Garlic is extremely easy to include in our daily meals and cooks very easily. 

It is common in every cuisine of the world and honestly, is the king of the kitchen. 

Yes yes, we know all that

Hold up...

Here is something you did not know..

To gain the gobsmacking health benefits of Garlic, here is a little piece of info that most cookbooks leave out.

Garlic contains a sulfur compound known as Allicin which is believed to be the compound that delivers all the health benefits. 

Cut or minced Garlic must rest for around 8-10 minutes before it is cooked.

Garlic contains a heat sensitive enzyme called allinase and a protein compound called allin. The mixture of the two, after rapture or fracture of the clove's skin produces the wonder compound that makes Garlic such a health sensation. The entire process of mixing takes between 8 and 10 minutes. 

Cooking the garlic before the compounds mix destroys the heat sensitive allinase and away go all the benefits.

To sum up:

Step 1:

Include Garlic in your diet, science; both ancient and modern have proved its medical benefits.

Step 2:

When you use Garlic, let it rest 8-10 minutes to get the good stuff going! 

Step 3:

Keep a toothbrush and toothpaste handy 

And of course, the best way to keep those vampires away. YES you got it! Those pesky mosquitoes can't stand the smell of it. But you might alienate more than just them.

Crossfit Ahoy!

Crossfit has been judged, bashed, loved, hated, called many a thing over the years ranging from absolute insanity to the best functional fitness routine. With the Crossfit Games; "The Sport of Fitness" spread around the world like wild fire with Crossfit gyms a.k.a 'Boxes' opening in every corner. 

We took a test drive at Pune's own Crossfit Chakra! 

Location:




4th Floor, 43, Suyojana Housing Society, Modern Cakes Premises, Lane No.5, Koregaon Park, Pune, Maharashtra







Box Menu:

Annual: Rs. 20,000
3 Months: Rs. 9,000
1 Month: Rs. 3,500

Set Up:

What better way to train than on the rooftop of a building overlooking Koregaon Park with all it's picturesque parks and gardens?

Crossfit Chakra is the definition of Raw!

No elevators. Warm up, take the stairs up to the terrace - won't take you long, just 4 flights. Follow the sound of the countdown Workout Clock. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Crossfit Chakra's converted an empty terrace into a truly functional workout area with soft shock absorbing rubber tiles.

Two Crossfit cages stand side by side and are decorated with TRX (suspension training belts), Olympic Rings and industrial grade Resistence Bands that can take a load of upto 60 kg. 

Olympic bars, medicine balls, boxes and kettle bells are stacked neatly in the corner. 
The bumper plates are rubberised and range from 2.5 to 25 kg.

The equipment is made by Nelco - the official equipment manufacturer for India's competitive weightlifting games. 

The Box walls are painted with the Crossfit Chakra colors (Blue and Orange) and mantras that describe Crossfit best - Power, Strength, Flexibility, Stamina, etc. 

The Goal wall lists members and the goals they are looking to achieve. 

The bathrooms and changing rooms are extremely clean and well maintained. 

Extra Classes at the Gym:

The Box offers no extra classes but you are most welcome to stay back and work on the aspects you would like to improve on, with the help of the team. The nice thing about a community fitness center - it makes you feel like you not just belong, but you own it. Great job CF Chakra! We love! 

Ambience:

The nicest thing about the Box is the use of open space! Sunlight fills up the place during the day and fluourecent lights do the job at night. 

The music compliments the Workout of the Day which of course you've figured changes every time. 

Staff and Trainers:

Crossfit Chakra Team are extremely professional, friendly and always want to help. They play a big role in keeping the members motivated throughout the workout. 

Summary:

Crossfit Chakra encompasses Community. With Crossfit taking over the world, we are excited to see a Box open here in Pune. 

The Sport of Fitness mimics daily work relying heavily on strength and conditioning. 
Crossfit consists of Structured workouts that revolve around functional training. 

A must try for all true fitness enthusiasts. 

On a scale of 0 to 10:

Signage: 7
Parking: 5
Design & Set up : 7
Changing Rooms: 8
Ambience: 8
Extra Classes/extra training: 9
Membership Cost: 5
Trainers & Staff: 7

Overall score: 7

We love: 
The Box! The training style, the trainers and the energy! 

What we didnt love:
The open space can get a little warm 

Can you be a fit smoker?

Smoking has been around for generations, not only for the social aspect but also for medicinal purposes ( all you potheads ) ;)

Cigarette and tobacco industries were the ones that changed the game with celebrities advertising smoking, cigarettes and the activity.
For a long time, the idea of smoking causing lung cancer, increase in blood pressure or decoloration of the teeth was rebuked and argued by tobacco companies and smokers.
It took a long time for people to accept the health hazards of smoking.

For years researchers have shown that smoking shoots up the chances of becoming a cancer patient and quitting the habit reduces the chances substantially, although not completely to zero.

So how come some smokers out live even the healthiest of humans?
The answer is simple- our bodies are incredible machines that are capable of repairing themselves, some faster than others.

According to the Southwestern Medical Institute, many of the cancer causing elements of cigarette smoking cause mutations in the lung cell's DNA.
The more mutations caused, the more abnormally the cell behaves until it is eventually capable of growing, dividing and replicating other mutated cells (cancer cells).

One needs to accumulate enough of these mutations before the cell becomes cancerous but some people are simply ,more susceptible to these mutations than others.

An age old theory that has recently come to light describes how people who maintain good health and an active lifestyle are more likey to develop a smoking induced illness.
A very simple explanation is: the cells in your body are already being used to repair your body from day to day activities. This exhausts them because they also need to repair or flush out the toxins (carbon) induced by cigarette smoking.

The statistics show that one in ten smokers will suffer from cancer and one of three smokers will die from a smoking induced illness.

There is no sure way of knowing how capable our bodies are of fighting off the cell mutations caused by smoking, it is a gamble you as a smoker make. Make a wise choice.

Talwalkars Gym, Koregaon Park

Talwalkars Gym- One of the most successful gym brands in India today, was established in 1932.
We took a look at Talwalkars Koregaon Park, had a great chest workout and returned with some 
conclusions...

LOCATION

2nd Floor, Out Of The World, Lane no 7

Above Copper Chimney, Koregaon Park

Pune, Maharashtra 411001

http://talwalkars.net/

GYM MENU

Annual: Rs. 16,000
6 months: Rs. 11,000
3 months: Rs. 8,500
1 month: Rs. 4,500


Set up:

Welcome to Koregaon Park; you'll be parking your wheels on the street.

I took the fancy touch screen elevator to the second floor and was greeted by a very polite receptionist. So far so good!

Walk on to the main gym floor with mirrors all around that will feed every lifters narcissism. On the right is the group class studio with a wood floor.

The changing rooms are compact with a small sitting area and lockers all around. Get your own  lock!
The washrooms are little with three showers, a two person steam and a loo. Reward for the missing tissue paper.

The well equipped gym floor is quite cozy and compact which makes Talwalkars Koregaon Park an efficient gym.

For all the machine buffs, I dedicate this to you; lat pull down, rowing machine, chin dip assist, shoulder press machine, chest press machine and flyes machine occupy the wall right infront of the door and a legs station with 90 degree leg press, leg extention, leg curl and a standing abductor adductor machine. Hold your horses, we are not yet done with the machines!

For the indoor runners, do not be alarmed! The left side of the room has four Precor treadmills and three cross trainers!

The gym also has two unique vertical stepper kits which we haven't seen with any other gym brand.

Watch out you cross trainer fans, the two cross trainers in the center of the room are for those of you who really love an audience but beware of the cyclists sitting next to you . They might just steal the show ;)

The right side of the room is covered with rubber tiles and enjoys a squat rack, a smith machine, a wrist curl machine, an incline chest press, 4 benches and last but certainly not the least, dumbells ranging from 5 pounts to 85 pounds.

Bars of different sizes including one Olympic Bar of 44 pounds (20 kg) are stacked neatly in the bar rack. The bumper plates range from 2.5 pounds to 45 pounds.

All the weights and plates are rubberised.

The machines are by Matrix - an American fitness brand with an international presence.
The rest of the kit is made by Indus - a fitness brand based in Mumbai.

Central air conditioning is fully functional and fans are installed just in case the system goes down. (We love!).

The studio has its own music system, skipping ropes, aerobic steps, mats and of course mirrors.

The gym has a discussion room to sit down with your trainer, and set your goals and targets.

Ambience:

The gym is extremely well lit. They have a great music system and the playlist is prepared before hand. Requests are entertained but if you must workout to your own tunes, make sure you carry your own beats.

Bollywood rhythms rock the gym from noon till you ask the trainers to stop.

Staff and Trainers:

Trainers are friendly, smile and speak both Hindi and English (we love!). They radiate good energy and are keen to help (we love!).

If you are really unlucky, you will walk in on a staff meeting which may leave you a lone soldier in the field of steel.

Personal training is offered at an additional cost and is well worth trying at least till you get your bearings.

Extra classes at the gym:

Two forms of Yoga, Zumba, Hip Hop/Latin and Bollywood Fitness classes are offered free of cost to members.

And NO, you can't just buy the studio group sessions.

Summary:

Talwalkars Koregaon Park is a great homely gym which can take care of all your fitness needs, whether you are a bodybuilder or a newbie.. The staff is great, helpful and add a lot to the energy of the gym.

Drum roll.... Finally the Scores:

On a scale of 0 to 10:

Signage: 8
Parking: 5
Design & Set up : 7
Changing Rooms: 6
Ambience: 8
Extra Classes: 8
Membership Cost: 8
Trainers & Staff: 7
P.T. Cost:  5

Overall score: 6.8

We love:
The energy.

What we didnt love:
The missing toilet rolls.

From Birth to Hercules

Why do some people have muscles and how did others accumulate excess fat?

Lets take a quick walk down memory lane. The first sets of muscles you worked were your vocal chords.

 Then very quickly your tongue and cheeks to receive nutrition and of course, the sphincter muscles in your throat, to swallow. 

Soon after, your eyes curious about everything around you and then your brain – absorbing it all in. Fingers and toes, and rather quickly, fine and gross motor skills. 

You might not remember what it was like when you first sat upright, held your head up, crawled or walked. 

But that's where your major muscles as you'd recognize today, started to develop. Your core muscles to hold you upright and ensure your spine and skeletal structure receives adequate support.

A growing child that's encouraged to play, continues to grow muscles and develops a solid and stable structure. 

You have limbs, because you're meant to use them. Your torso holds your limbs in place. 

So when did things start going awry? When did people start needing hip replacement surgery or knee cap replacement done? Why do people develop spondilitis or vertigo?

As you age, with added responsibilities, your lifestyle changes. No more running and playing outdoors, no jumping and crawling and no one telling you to eat your vegetables!

Bound to happen. You feel that shortness of breath after climbing two flights of stairs, muscles ache in different parts of the body after minimal activity, chronic fatigue and low vitality often have physiological effects and you suffer from irritability, insomnia, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart diease and depression.

Should you recognize these signs, they are often enough to drive us to change but when the signs don't work, its family and friends who come up and say, "its time to change". OUCH...

With the hectic schedules and growing 'needs' young people have these days, becoming 'unfit' is a phase many go through before some life changing event forces you to visit a gym because that's 'THE ONLY PLACE' you'll make a change.

Do you REALLY need to go to a gym? Is that the only way? What about Yoga? What about pilates? Walking? Yes, you'll start by just walking every day. And do a few stretches... good enough?

Thankfully, there are enough options out there to help us commit to our fitness journey, depending on what our fitness goals are.

When was the first time you walked into a gymnasium? Unless you are one of those Muscle Kids, we would assume around the age of 16.
It all looked pretty exciting! The weight rack, the machines, loud music and mirrors all around- narcissistic heaven.

We can bet you had a quick chat with one of the trainers, walked up to the weight rack and lifted a weight which was impossible to handle, trying to curl those bells and hit the biceps, with zero knowledge, no technique, guaranteed injury.

You place the weight back in its place (you are quite far from becoming the gym scumbag- the one that leaves weights all around the room) and pick up a lighter dumbell. It makes you feel weak, looking at the other guy with the 18 inch arms.. How embarassing.

That day, you decided you are going to change..
Blow the horns, let the people of Muscleland know there is a new beast in town (a beast in the making).

You are determined, pumped with testosterone and the need to become greater, become better, become stronger and faster.
And slowly but surely, all the determination helped.. You are now a beast of the Land yourself!

We are The Gym Critics and we are here to show you where you can become the best version of yourself!
We test gyms around the country for service, equipment, atmosphere and experience and tell you where You, mighty beast of Muscleland, can get the best value for your buck, the best service and best workout experience that will take you to a whole new level!

We invite you to comment and share your workout photos, experiences and opinions! The more we hear from you, the better for us all!