Welcome back to the Body-Solid Built for Life & Times blog. We have a few great articles, insights, tips and motivation for you this time including some information on the importance of sleep to building muscle, a post-workout pizza recipe and a great alternative to a popular CrossFit exercise.
#SolidScience – How sleep affects muscle-building
If you’re working out but not sleeping enough, you’re doing yourself and your body a disservice. The better you sleep, the better you live and the more muscle you build, it’s apart of the science.
For males between ages of 17-35, it is recommended you get 7-9 hours. While that amount of time may seem like an impossibility, it’s simply something you have to start doing.
When you sleep your body produces most of your growth hormones. GH increases your calcium retention which helps to maintain bone mass, promotes fat loss, reduces fat storage and supports your immune system. If you don’t sleep your body does not produce an adequate amount of GH and all the workouts in the world won’t help.
When you’re sleeping your body enters a higher anabolic state. This means your body uses the time when you’re sleeping to repair all of the tissue in your body, including muscle tissue.
Additionally, when you’re sleeping your body creates spikes in testosterone and melatonin. Without enough sleep your body cannot properly restore the damage done to your muscles during training.
If you want to fall asleep sooner try reducing ambient light/noise and develop a nighttime ritual. Your body loves repetition so at the same time every day do something that begins the sleep pattern: have a cup of tea, start reading a book, turn your TV off and perhaps most importantly stop checking your phone. Your body needs to calm down before you attempt to go to sleep.
Sleep is at the foundation of living a healthy life and especially if you’re looking to build or maintain muscle mass, there’s no way around it — you need sleep!
#Solidology – Dumbbell Thrusters
Barbell thrusters are designed to work the upper and lower body in a compound movement for a complete body workout.
If you don’t own or have space for a barbell, you can always substitute a dumbbell like the Body-Solid Pro Style Dumbbells.
The exercise remains the same regardless of the tool:
- Start from the standing position, with the dumbbells held against your shoulders.
- Drop into the squat position while keeping the dumbbells at shoulder level.
- Hold the dumbbells with your palms facing up and your elbows extended out.
- Return to the standing position while hoisting the weight over your head.
- Bring the dumbbells back down to your shoulders and drop into another squat.
#SolidEats – Post workout Pizza
No longer does pizza have to be your cheat meal. With this great recipe courtesy of FitMenCook, you can have your cake and eat it too! Or, well, your pizza. This super customizable recipe is great for anyone looking to maintain their strict eating habits but still enjoy a great pizza.
Ingredients:
- Serving size of cooked shrimp or choice of protein
- 1 small multigrain pizza crust or pita bread.
- 3/4 heirloom tomato or Roma tomato cut thinly
- 1/4 cup reduced fat Feta cheese
- fresh cilantro and lime
- 2 roasted green chiles (optional)
- 1/4 cup sautéed red onions (optional)
Cooking instructions:
- Set oven to 405F.
- Sauté or grill your onions in a pan.
- Slice tomatoes and chiles and any other veggies. Place them evenly on top of your pizza crust or pita bread. Add your grilled onions.
- Then, add your choice of protein in pieces and add the pieces evenly on the pizza crust.
- Sprinkle feta cheese on top. You can add cilantro but I like the taste of fresh cilantro so I save that until the end.
- Bake on the oven rack, NOT a baking sheet, for 15-minutes. Remove from the oven and add any extra topping.
Approx.: 542 calories, 56g protein, 55g carbs, 16g fat
#SolidChoice – Product of the Day
BSTWV Body-Solid Weighted Vests
Tricking your body into working out with at a heavier weight than it is accustomed to will lead to better conditioning and increased strength, speed and explosiveness.
Add resistance to your workout with a Body-Sold 20lb or 40 lb. Weighted Vest.
These vests are adjustable allowing you to increase or decrease the amount of resistance between 1-20lbs or 1-40lbs using 1 lb. weight rods.
Features fully adjustable velcro straps which allows customizing the fit to your body and torso and proper placement of the weights, resulting in optimal center of gravity without restricting any type of range of motion.
Find out more about the BSTWV Body-Solid Weighted Vests at http://www.bodysolid.com/Home/BSTWV/Body-Solid_Weighted_Vests/Features
#Solidology – Motivation
Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger.