Whey Protein

Our age recognizes the importance of proper nutrition intake and at the same time realizes the lack of it due to busy schedules and diet imbalances. Protein gets prime importance due to its role in enhancing energy levels and strength, muscle development, immune system support, bones, metabolism and suggested favorable effect on cardiovascular health. Protein sources are abundant milk, soy, whey, eggs and more. Why then is whey considered a gold standard in protein nutrition regime? Well, whey protein is the best combination of essential and non-essential amino acids derived from cow’s milk. It contains just the right combination of these amino acids and in right proportion and concentration to have an optimum effect on the functioning of human body. It is a by-product of cheese making process.

There are two forms in which whey protein is processed which gives us Whey protein isolate (WPI) and Whey protein concentrate (WPC). It is also available in combination of protein varieties and in liquid form. Whey protein facts give an insight into to the benefits of whey protein and the possible reasons for their preference over egg, soy and other proteins in various cases.

Highest biological value of all proteins: Biological value is the measure of how well is the nitrogen from the protein absorbed and used by the body. Nitrogen not only has a role in boosting up muscle strength but also in recovery from stress, injury and even genetics. Whey protein has the highest biological value (104) amongst all proteins above eggs (88), milk (85) and soy (59). Thus, primary benefits of whey protein include nitrogen retention in the muscle thus accelerating muscle growth and recovery.

Richest natural source of branched chain amino acids: Whey protein is a rich source of branch chain amino acids (BCAA) which may prevent muscle degeneration from intensive stress, exercise, heat and medical treatments and helps revitalize the body. They have highest naturally occurring leucine, isoleucine and valine which are directly and quickly absorbed into the muscles improving muscles mass and repairing the depleted tissues.

A rich source of Leucine: Leucine is an amino acid responsible for keeping the muscle tissue lean yet strong. Whey protein has high amounts of leucine which makes it an obvious choice not only for athletes and body builders who want to keep their muscles lean yet strong and also for people who want to lose fat and manage weight. It is suggested that whey protein has more leucine than egg protein, milk protein and can have about 50% more leucine than soy protein. Apart from leucine helping in keeping muscles strong and lean, whey protein’s benefits into weight management go a step further.

Rich source of calcium: The calcium in whey protein may also help in prevention of bone loss and stress fractures in athletes. Benefits of whey protein can be immense at old age as people can progress into healthy ageing as whey protein supplements may help in deterrence of bone loss, may assist in revitalization, may support metabolism, may prevent muscle degeneration and may help manage age relating weight gain problems.

There is a lot to gain from whey protein supplement for people of almost all ages and differing requirements. It is being suggested to people with more protein requirements like sportsmen, body builders, expectant mothers, and elderly people and even for premature infants. The choice of product though should be made with caution as the strength of the product should match your requirement and medical consultation would help determine your exact needs. Also, with modern techniques, denaturing of the protein can be prevented and products are available that give optimum benefits.

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A poker player’s hand is said to be ‘dominated’ in the game of poker when they share cards with their opponent but have a weaker kicker or accompanying hole card, and thus are a rather large underdog for the pot. An Ace King, for instance, would be said to dominate an Ace Queen, as if both hands go unimproved, the ace king will win.

The opponent with a dominated poker hand has only one ‘live card,’ so to say, as the ace is no good for him, and he therefore needs to catch a queen or some variation of cards to make a straight or a flush (assuming the opponent doesn’t also make a better straight or flush at the same time.

In instances such as these, the dominated hand is usually a 2 to 1 favorite to win the pot before the flop; therefore, though the hand is ‘dominating’ it is by no means a cinch. Many players will get flabbergasted when the hand that dominated before any other cards came out gets caught up with (which seems to happen even more than the 2-1 odds would suggest, simply because it’s easier to remember the times when your dominating hand lost than when you yourself sucked out).

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Hamstring tears are very common soccer injuries. A study in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports shows that preseason strength training helps to prevent injuries to these muscles in the back of the upper legs (Volume 13, Issue 4, 2003). Players from two of the best soccer teams in Sweden were divided into two groups. One group received specific hamstring training of 10 weeks of twice a week, using a special device to overload the hamstrings eccentrically. The trained group had less than one third the hamstring injuries of the untrained group, and also had greater improvement in hamstring strength and running speed.

The findings of this study should encourage preseason strength training for other muscle groups stressed in any sports. While stretching can make muscles longer to exert a greater torque on joints, it has not been shown to prevent injuries. Muscles are injured because the force on them is greater than their inherent strength, so they tear. Resistance training makes muscles stronger so that they can withstand greater forces and therefore helps to prevent injuries.

You can help to prevent injuries by stopping exercise when you feel pain and by not exercising intensely when your muscles feel heavy or sore.

Muscles are made up of millions of individual fibers. When you first contact a muscle, you use only one percent of the fibers. As you continue to exercise, you contract more fibers, which share the load, place less force on each fiber and help prevent injuries. So go slow before you go fast. When you feel pain in one muscle during exercise, that’s a signal that it may be starting to tear and you should stop exercising. Every time that you exercise intensely, your muscles are damaged, causing them to feel sore on the next day. Exercising intensely when muscles feel sore injures them. So do not exercise intensely when muscle feel sore. It usually takes at least 48 hours for muscles to recover from hard exercise.

Read my Good Food Book FREE, with 100 healthful recipes.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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There is so much conflicting information out there when it comes to the topic of building muscle, and sometimes it can be very difficult to know where to start. If you’re an average beginner looking for some basic guidelines to follow in the gym, the following 8 points will start you off on the right track.

1) Train With Weights and Focus On Compound, Free Weight Movements.

If you want to make solid, noteworthy gains in muscle size and strength, you absolutely must train with free weights and focus on basic, compound exercises. A compound exercise is any lift that stimulates more than one muscle group at a time. Examples of these lifts are the squat, deadlift, bench press, chin up, barbell row, overhead press, dip and lunge. Compound movements allow you to handle the most weight and will stimulate the greatest amount of total muscle fibers.

2) Be Prepared To Train Hard.

One of the biggest factors that separates those who make modest gains from those who make serious gains is their level of training intensity. In order to stimulate your muscle fibers to their utmost potential, you must be willing to take every set you perform in the gym to the point of muscular failure.

Muscular Failure: The point at which no further repetitions can be completed using proper form.

Sub-maximal training intensity will leave you with sub-maximal results, plain and simple.

3) Track Your Progress In The Gym From Week To Week.

Our bodies build muscle because of an adaptive response to the environment. When you go to the gym, you break down your muscle fibers by training with weights. Your body senses this as a potential threat to its survival and will react accordingly by rebuilding the damaged fibers larger and stronger in order to protect against any possible future threat. Therefore, in order to make continual gains in muscle size and strength, you must always focus on progressing in the gym from week to week. This could mean performing 1 or 2 more reps for each exercise or adding more weight to the bar. Keep a detailed training log to track your progress as your strength increases over time.

4) Avoid Overtraining.

Overtraining is your number one enemy when it comes to building muscle size and strength. When most people begin a workout program, they are stuck with the misguided notion that more is better. They naturally assume that the more time they spend in the gym, the better results they will achieve. When it comes to building muscle, nothing could be farther from the truth! If you spend too much time in the gym, you will actually take yourself farther away from your goals rather than closer to them. Remember, your muscles do not grow in the gym; they grow out of the gym, while you are resting and eating. Recovery is absolutely vital to the muscle growth process. If you don’t provide your body with the proper recovery time in between workouts, your muscles will never have a chance to grow.

5) Eat More Frequently.

The main area where most people fail miserably on their muscle-building mission is on the all-too important task of proper nutrition. Training with weights is only half of the equation! You break down your muscle fibers in the gym, but if you don’t provide your body with the proper nutrients at the proper times, the muscle growth process will be next to impossible. You should be eating anywhere from 5-7 meals per day, spaced every 2-3 hours in order to keep your body in an anabolic, muscle-building state at all times. Each meal should consist of high quality protein and complex carbohydrates.

6) Increase Your Protein Intake.

Of the 3 major nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) protein is without a doubt the most important for those who are looking to gain muscle size and strength. Protein is found in literally every single one of the 30 trillion cells that your body is made up of and its main role is to build and repair body tissues. Without sufficient protein intake, it will be physically impossible for your body to synthesize a significant amount of lean muscle mass. If your body were a house, think of protein as the bricks. A general guideline is to consume 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day from high quality sources such as fish, poultry, eggs, beef, milk, peanut butter and cottage cheese.

7) Increase Your Water Intake.

If you want a simple, easy and highly effective way to maximize your muscle gains, drinking more water is it. Water plays so many vital roles in the body and its importance cannot be overstated. In fact, your muscles alone are made up of 70% water! Not only will drinking more water cause your muscles to appear fuller and more vascular, but it will also increase your strength as well. Research has shown that merely a 3-4% drop in your body’s water levels can impact muscle contractions by 10-20%! Aim to consume 0.6 ounces for every pound of bodyweight each day for optimal gains.

Be Consistent!

Consistency is everything. Those who make the greatest gains in muscular size and strength are the ones who are able to implement the proper techniques on a highly consistent basis. Simply knowing is not enough, you must apply!

Building muscle is a result of the cumulative effect of small steps. Sure, performing 1 extra rep on your bench press will not make a huge difference to your overall results, and neither will consuming a single meal. However, over the long haul, all of those extra reps you perform and all of those small meals you consume will decide your overall success. If you work hard and complete all of your muscle-building tasks in a consistent fashion, all of those individual steps will equate to massive gains in overall size and strength.

Sean Nalewanyj is a bodybuilding expert, fitness author and writer of top-selling Internet Bodybuilding E-Book: The Truth About Building Muscle. If you want to learn how to build maximum muscle in minimum time, visit his website: www.MuscleGainTruth.com/

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When thinking about mobile networks, there are regularly the popular few that pop into our minds and are the most popular; all of these are 3G, 02, Orange, T-mobile and Vodafone.

Built in 1983 as Rascal Telecom, the mobile corporation then became independent in 1991. Situated in Berkshire England; the mobile firm are the largest mobile brand in the world by phone sales and has value in the market of more or less 76 billion pounds. The mobile retailer has equity interests in twenty eight nations around five continents, nearly 187 m proportionate mobile phone users and 33 partner mobile networks.

For over twenty years the company have been on the driving seat of the mobile phone revolution. The company is preferred by a lot of people since the retailer is well famous for their good service. The mobile firm channels enormous investments into enlarging a telecommunication network that lets every one of Vodafone’s clients dial lots of telephone calls from more areas than every other mobile phone company, cheaply and while continuing to continue supplying sensational quality and reliability to all there customers. In the past three years The mobile corporation has cut there rates more than five times, as if they had cut their charges and services by 0.5 per client. The mobile retailer has enlarged its range of uncostly handsets and introduced further flexible payment schemes. Find the latest Vodafone mobile phones.

Telephone technology is improving rapidly every day. The retailer is aware that their mobile phone clients are their main concern hence the mobile retailer have the responsibility to make sure that the mobile phone users can use all the products safely and confidently. What makes the mobile business the principal mobile phone network to be with is that the retailer in fact care about what their clients think. If you do have issues there’s no need to dread calling as all their call centres can be found in England and will help you find an answer to your problems and queries particularly quickly. The mobile corporation ordinarily ask their mobile phone users about their problems of using the retailer as their specific company and what they can do to make it better for their customers.

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Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders’ training regimes.

It is useful, therefore, to describe in detail the processes involved in actually doing these exercises. This will help beginners to start out using the correct techniques before moving on to potentially more dangerous heavy weights. If it also helps more experienced lifters to redress some of the little faults that have almost imperceptibly crept in over the years, all the better.

In this article we’ll take a close look at the crunch.

MUSCLES TARGETED: rectus abdominis

STARTING POSITION

Assume a supine position on the floor.
Place the calves and ankles on a bench with the hips and knees flexed to roughly 90 degrees.
Fold the arms across the chest.

UPWARD MOVEMENT

Flex the neck to move the chin to the chest.
Curl the torso toward the thighs until ONLY the upper back is off the mat.

DOWNWARD MOVEMENT

Allow the torso to uncurl, then the neck to extend back to the starting position.
Repeat or finish set.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Exercises to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

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A diamond wedding ring represents one of the most important purchases you will make in your life. The right ring can make just the right impression with your bride, while also serving as the perfect expression of your love. But how can you make such an expensive purchase with confidence? By having a firm understanding of the 4 C’s of course, and we’re not talking bread crumbs. The 4 C’s of a diamond determine its overall value and eye appeal. In this article, we’ll break down these important details while giving you the tips for buying an expensive diamond wedding ring

If you are unfamiliar with the 4 C’s, they simply stand for a diamond’s cut, color, clarity, and carat. These four characteristics are the benchmarks by which all diamonds are measured, and having a solid understanding of them will make buying an expensive diamond wedding ring a lot easier. Before we get started though, it is recommended that you only buy from a reputable jeweler. This will work to your advantage in a couple of ways. 1) The jeweler will be able to further discuss the 4 C’s with you in a knowledgeable fashion and 2) you will be sure that you are receiving the highest quality diamond. So, let’s take a look at the first C - cut.

The cut of the diamond refers to just that - the manner in which the diamond was originally shaped. The cut of the diamond is arguably the most important factor to consider when choosing a ring. The reason for this is because a well cut diamond will perpetually reflect light and create a visually stunning effect. If a diamond is poorly cut, the diamond may not reach its full potential, and you will most likely be wasting your money. Always be sure your expensive diamond wedding ring is cut to perfection, regardless of its actual shape (round, oval, pear, square, etc).

The second C is color. You may assume that a diamond is white, and this is true to some extent. However, diamonds have different shades of white, and these shades are graded using a letter system from D to Z. Naturally, diamonds with colors graded in the first few letters (D-G) tend to be very rare and therefore very expensive. But that’s not to say that diamonds graded with higher numbers aren’t just as stunning. Remember, the four factors taken as a whole will make the ultimate determination.

The third C is clarity, and this refers to the often undistinguishable “imperfections” of a diamond. As you probably know, diamonds are formed in nature, so they most times have some sort of inconsistency. What you are looking for (and what a reputable jeweler can help you find) is a diamond that has the least amount of these marks. These diamonds will have high clarity grades, and these are the diamonds that will be most worth your money.

The fourth and final C is carat. The diamond’s carat refers to its weight and size. It is important for you to know that jewelers will refer to carats as points in the business. For example, even though a carat actually weighs .2 grams, a jeweler will refer to a carat as 100 points. This tip will keep you from getting confused when looking at diamond specifications.

You now possess the necessary tips for buying an expensive diamond wedding ring. In addition to choosing a high quality jeweler, your new found knowledge of the 4 C’s will ensure that you make a wise and beautiful wedding ring purchase.

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The Hope Diamond’s Legendary Power

Evalyn Walsh MacLean was the last private owner of the Hope Diamond. She died in 1947 at the age of 60, and she left behind one of the most beautiful and well-known pieces of jewelry known to man. This diamond had a tragic history that appealed to the public and made headlines for many years. It was a massive diamond of incredible beauty and unimaginable value, but today is like any other old lady, leading a rather uneventful existence.

Ms. MacLean’s staff were unsure about how to deal with the Hope Diamond after she died, since the diamond had such a remarkable history and a superb value. They turned to a friend of Ms. MacLean’s, Frank Murphy, who they thought would give them the best advice. This Mr. Murphy, in addition to being a long-time friend of the MacLeans, was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Judge Murphy very quickly secured the jewels in the MacLean collection as soon as he came to Ms. MacClean’s house the night she died. He immediately left by cab, but since he couldn’t think of a safe place to put the the diamond at twelve o’clock at night, he decided to ride around in the cab until the banks opened in the morning.

Murphy approached a bank officer at the Riggs National Bank that morning and requested that the entire collection be deposited. When he gave bank officer the inventory of what was in the sack, he didn’t believe the Hope Diamond was one of the items. So he asked for proof that it was the Hope Diamond and when he saw for himself, he realized it had to be. In addition, the fact that a judge of the United States Supreme Court was the courier of this parcel, that he had just picked it up at midnight from the MacClean mansion, he became convinced that it most certainly must be the famous Hope Diamond.

Finally accepting the responsibility of securing such a gem, the bankers agreed to store the diamond, which was soon procured by Murphy, himself, in a sealed bid to purchase it, since no-one else wanted to take it into their possession. There it sat for several years, until he decided to donate it to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. How did he transport it to its new home? By placing it in a regular mailing package with a number of other gems which were of low quality and sending it by way of the U.S. Postal Service.

The beautiful Hope Diamond rests in its case of velvet at the Smithsonian to this day. Any tourist who strolls into the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. can have a glimpse of the most beautiful diamond in the world, which seems an ignoble ending for a gem whose history is steeped in greed, corruption, tragedy and insanity. Even Ms. MacClean died an untimely death at only 60 years of age. The mail carrier who was responsible for its delivery was in two separate car accidents, both resulting in serious injury. The stone had its final revenge.

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At some point of time, you may be interested in buying diamonds. Before you throw your life savings into the stone, please do your homework and know a little bit about the basic 4 c’s of diamond before getting that cheque book out.

4C’s of Diamond Quality

Diamonds are graded by four characteristics: cut, carat (weight), clarity, and color. All four of these properties determine how much a diamond is worth.

* Cut - What is the proportion of the diamond? Round brilliant diamonds are commonly cut with 58 facets. The better proportioned these facets are on the diamond, the more light will be reflected back to the viewer’s eye. This is extremely important. When cut properly, the diamond will sparkle more. Diamond cuts are measured by the table percentage, so always ask for it. A good table percentage is between 55-60%. Cut also refers to the shape such as: round, pear, and oval.
If you are having a diamond mounted, write down the measurements of your stone. Measurements never change. Measure the stone after it is mounted and verify that it matches the appraisal and/or certificate.

* Carat - How big is the diamond? Larger diamonds often cost more per carat due to their size. There are 100 points to a carat. Hence a 50 point diamond is 1/2 a carat. (There are 5 carats to a gram.) Always get the actual point size of a diamond rather than a fractional weight. Sometimes jewelers will try to sell a .90 diamond as a 1 carat diamond. A .90 diamond should be substantially less expensive.

* Clarity - How clear is the stone? Clarity ranges from flawless (perfect) to I (included). Here is a chart:

Flawless: perfect inside and out

Internally Flawless: may have minor blemishes on the outside

VVS1, VVS2: have very very small inclusions. VVS1 inclusions can only be seen through the pavilion. VVS2 inclusions are more visible.

VS1, VS2: have very small inclusions. VS1 inclusions are harder to see than VS2.

SI1, SI2, SI3: have small inclusions

I1, I2, I3: have inclusions visible to the naked eye

* Color: Diamond colors generally range from D - X for white and yellow diamonds. D is the whitest. Around S they become “Fancy” yellow Diamonds. One can also find green, pink, red, blue and brown diamonds - though these are usually irradiated.

Be certain to ask: Do you guarantee the color and clarity of your stones? Many states allow dealers to be off by one color and/or one clarity.

The price per carat does not increase smoothly with increasing size. Instead, there are sharp jumps around milestone carat weights, as demand is much higher for diamonds weighing just more than a milestone than for those weighing just less. As an example, a 0.95 carat diamond may have a significantly lower price per carat than a comparable 1.05 carat diamond, because of differences in demand. All else being equal, the value of a diamond increases exponentially in relation to carat weight, since larger diamonds are both rarer and more desirable for use as gemstones.

Therefore if you are to invest in a diamond try and get one at 1/2 carat or even better 1 carat.
With a GIA certificate that won’t be wrong.

Now go ahead and get that stone!

Ally Too is the owner of
http://diamond4me.blogspot.com/
Feel free to check for more information and resources about diamonds.

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