August-September-October-November 2002 Newsletter

I also will have a few of 8x10 for sale. On of them (this one to the left here) was published in the pictorial in November issue of Ironman magazine. Six Foot Booty Hanging On The Fence.

So these were the most interesting moments of a beautiful summer in Venice Beach. Now, the fall is coming - it gets dark way too early. My fall and winter endeavors are more "quiet". I think I'll be hanging here by the ocean, working on my tennis, because I plan to play tournaments the next year. It's going to be an interesting combination - a bodybuilder and tennis player! I promise to update my web site more often. Now when I have it all set up on my laptop, there shouldn't be any excuses, right? (so now, after creating this page for hours in my new software... of course I didn't read any manual or anything... and without knowing, while testing some buttons, I switched to an "expert" mode... gee, and I thought all these buttons and commends are way to complicated. At least I didn't switch to "hardcore", that would be truly challenging!)

Before I say farewell, thanks for the orders of my video, hope you enjoy it. If you are new, and never heard of it, check it out, "The Lioness" is back in the stock.

Time Saving Cooking Tips for Busy Athletes

Today’s world moves at lighting speed. Busy people often fall prey to the fast food restaurants that have cropped up in response. For the person seeking to build muscle, fast food is not a viable option. Fortunately, with just a little planning and advance preparation, you can keep fast food runs to a minimum.

Six Tips on Healthy Cooking for Lives on the Go

1. Cook in Bulk. Set aside 2 one hour periods per week to cook staples that you can use all week. For example, store a covered container of cooked chicken that you can re-heat plain or turn into a quick stir fry. Cooked chicken can be refrigerated 2-3 days, so you can save time just cooking once to cover several days.
2. Freeze in individual portions. Store pre-measured or weighed foods in individual portions. Plastic "snack" size bags hold approximately 1/2 cup of cooked rice or dry oatmeal so keep a few on hand. When you have leftovers, immediately freeze them in plastic compartment trays with snap-on lids. For example, save leftover rice, broccoli, and chicken for a wonderful homemade frozen meal to take to work.
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3. "Flash" Marinate. Keep those taste buds entertained so you aren't tempted by the desire to eat out. When you get back from the store, cut and measure out your chicken or beef into your specific size portions. Seal each portion and toss in spices, lemon juice, salsa, or any other marinade and freeze. When you take the chicken out to thaw (in the refrigerator to limit bacteria growth, of course), it will simultaneously marinate and defrost.
4. Precut. Wash and precut broccoli and lettuce heads when you get home from the store and store them in a big bowl. A damp paper towel across the top of the greens and a lid will help them keep all week. You can ali more vegetables to the salad if you have time or just use the greens as a base to many kinds of salads you have during the week.
5. Pack meals the night before. Packing your meals the night before ensures you won't be in a scramble for emergency protein at a fast food joint or have to drink protein shakes all day. You can even prepare your breakfast so that all you need to do is warm it up in the morning.
6. Maintain a store of emergency food. Keep a small stock of emergency protein like canned tuna, canned chicken, and protein powder at work, in your car, in gym bag, at home and anywhere else where you are frequently. You may also wish to keep oatmeal and natural peanut butter on hand for carbs and fats.

Fast Food

Some not so healthy MacDonald's choices:

Some MacDonald's better choices:

Some not so healthy Burger King's choices:

Some better Burger King's choices:

Healthy foods shopping list

Proteins

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
• Tuna (water packed)
• Fish (salmon, seabass, halibut)
• Shrimp
• Extra Lean Ground Beef or Ground Round(92-96%)
• Protein Powder
• Egg Whites or Eggs
• Ribeye Steaks or Roast
• Top Round Steaks or Roast (aka Stew Meat, London Broil, Stir Fry)
• Top Sirloin (aka Sirloin Top Butt)
• Beef Tenderloin (aka Filet, Filet Mignon)
• Top Loin (NY Strip Steak)
• Flank Steak (Sir Fry, Fajita)
• Eye of Round (Cube Meat, Stew Meat, Bottom Round , 96% LeandGround Round)
• Ground turkey, Turkey Breast Slices or cutlets (fresh meat, not deli cuts)

Complex Carbs

• Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Quick Oats)
• Sweet Potatoes (Yams)
• Beans (pinto, black, kidney)
• Oat Bran Cereal
• Brown Rice
• Farina (Cream of Wheat)
• Multigrain Hot Cereal
• Pasta
• Rice (white, jasmine, basmati, Arborio, wild)
• Potatoes (red, baking, new)

Fibrous Carbs

• Green Leafy Lettuce (Green Leaf, Red, Leaf, Romaine)
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• String Beans
• Spinach
• Bell Peppers
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Celery

Other Produce & Fruits

• Cucumber
• Green or Red Pepper
• Onions
• Garlic
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Fruit (if acceptable on diet): bananas, apples, grapefruit, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
• Lemons or Limes

Healthy Fats

• Natural Style Peanut Butter
• Olive Oil or Safflower Oil
• Nuts (peanuts, almonds
• Flaxseed Oil

Dairy & Eggs

• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Eggs
• Low or Non-Fat Milk

Beverages

• Bottled Water
• Diet Soda
• Crystal Light

Condiments & Misc.

• Fat Free Mayonnaise
• Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
• Reduced Sodium Teriyaki Sauce
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salsa
• Chili powder
• Mrs. Dash
• Steak Sauce
• Sugar Free Maple Syrup
• Chili Paste
• Mustard
• Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc
• Low Sodium beef or chicken broth
• Plain or reduced sodium tomatoes sauce, puree, paste)

Fasting and protein utilization

A very important factor in building muscle is optimizing the way your body utilizes protein. Fasting has been shown time and again to accelerate the body's ability to produce protein in skeletal muscle. Studies performed at Cornell University show that when subjects are starved for 24 hours, cellular energy decreases but there is no decrease in cell protein. The body relies heavily on fats and carbohydrates for energy during a fast but spares protein, and if you time the breaking of the fast properly, you can optimize your protein utilization.

According to scientists from Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine in Hershey, protein synthesis in skeletal muscle is markedly stimulated (180 percent of control rate) within three hours of eating in subjects who had fasted for 18 hours. This would be the time period between starvation phases II and III.

Researchers at the Gumma University School of Medicine in Maebashi, Japan, found in their studies on protein synthesis and utilization that starvation considerably increased the amount of the peptide transporter present in the small intestine. This peptide transporter is responsible for the uptake of small peptides (amino-acid chains) in the small intestine. Therefore, during starvation more peptides are absorbed for the synthesis of protein. An interesting side note of the study is that dietary administration of amino acids decreased the amount of peptide transporter present in the small intestine.

Another substance critical to protein synthesis is AMP-activated protein kinase. This is an enzyme important in cellular adaptation to the stress of starvation.

In an article in the December 25, 1998, Journal of Biology and Chemistry the authors assert that, thanks to AMP-activated protein kinase, protein production dramatically increased in test subjects who had fasted.

The utilization of proteins and the involvement of lipids (fats) under starvation conditions was investigated by scientists at 15 the Centre d'Ecologie et Physiologie Energetiques, in Strasabourg, France. They that the shift from Phase II (protein sparing) to Phase III (increased protein breakdown) there is a change from the preferential use of lipids to a preferential utilization of proteins. They also found that the total activity of the enzyme carnitine palmitoyl transferase was substantially higher in subjects at the end of Phase II of starvation.

Carnitine palmitoyl transferase is responsible for helping to create palmitoylcarnitine, which facilitates the transfer of long-chain fatty acids from the cytoplasm of the cell into the mitochondria during the oxidation of fatty acids. Carnitine palmitoyl transferase was 48 percent higher in subjects studied at the end of Phase II than it was in fed subjects but was similar in fed subjects and subjects studied at the beginning of Phase III. And the total activity of fatty acyl-CoA (the coenzyme responsible for fat oxidation) was 73 percent lower only in subjects studied at the beginning of Phase III. It appears that a fast must be broken at the end of Phase II or the very beginning of Phase lll for ultimate protein synthesis and fat burning.

A viable option for those who wish to try fasting for muscle growth and health would be to have an early supper, fast overnight (approximately 18 hours), weight train upon waking, and then eat a meal of high-quality proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Or one should fast throughout the day and break the fast with an evening meal.

Interesting note on strength ratio - men vs women

On a funny note - What a difference 30 years makes...

1972: Long hair  
2002: Longing for hair 
  
1972: The perfect high  
2002: The perfect high yield mutual fund 
  
1972: KEG  
2002: EKG 
  
1972: Acid rock  
2002: Acid reflux 
   
1972: Moving to California because it's cool  
2002: Moving to California because it's warm 
  
1972: Growing pot  
2002: Growing pot belly  

1972: Trying to look like Marlon Brando or Liz Taylor  
2002: Trying NOT to look like Marlon Brando or Liz Taylor 
  
1972: Seeds and stems  
2002: Roughage 
  
1972: Popping pills, smoking joints  
2002: Popping joints 

1972: Killer weed  
2002: Weed killer 
  
1972: Hoping for a BMW  
2002: Hoping for a BM 
  
1972: The Grateful Dead  
2002: Dr. Kevorkian  

1972: Going to a new, hip joint  
2002: Receiving a new hip joint 
  
1972: Rolling Stones  
2002: Kidney Stones   

1972: Being called into the principal's office  
2002: Calling the principal's office   

1972: Screw the system  
2002: Upgrade the system   

1972: Disco  
2002: Costco   

1972: Parents begging you to get your hair cut  
2002: Children begging you to get their heads shaved   

1972: Taking acid  
2002: Taking antacid   

1972: Passing the drivers' test  
2002: Passing the vision test   

1972: Whatever  
2002: Depends