Cottage Cheese Egg White Omelette

Cottage cheese and egg whites, when those two are in the same recipe you already know that it's going to be protein, protein and of course more protein.

This recipe as I'm sure you already guessed is high in protein, low in carbohydrates and fats, which also makes it low in calories.

It's great for cutting and overall dieting.

You will need:

• 7 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 100g fat-free cottage cheese
• 1/3 bunch of parsley
• 1/2 medium sized tomato

How to:

1. Separate the egg whites in a bowl.
2. Add the whole egg.Stir until the egg whites and the yolk are mixed nicely.
3. Add the minced parsley and the cottage cheese.Salt to your liking.
4. Pour the mixture onto a pre-heated non-stick pan.
5. After 3-4 minutes the omelette is flipped to cook the other side.
6. A minute or two later the meal should be taken off the stove.
7. Add the diced tomato alongside a little bit of black pepper.

You could also add some:

• Red pepper
• Spinach
• Onions
• Diced Ham
• Other types of cheese

Macros
48g	Protein
7g	Carbohydrates
3g	Fats
247	Calories

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Barbell Bench Press

The Barbell Bench Press is a compound exercise. This movement is one of the best exercises for developing strength, strength endurance and mass in the chest muscles, due to the fact that when we are performing the exercise, the bar is precisely over our chest.

This, however, does not make it the best exercise for developing the chest muscles as many people might
claim. In this article we'll go over what we should do, what we shouldn't do and what is the bench press used for.

Muscles

Target

• Pectoralis Major, Sternal

Synergists

• Pectoralis Major, Clavicular
• Deltoid, Anterior
• Triceps Brachii

Dynamic Stabilizers

• Biceps Brachii, Short Head

Variations:

• Power Focus - typical for power lifters, but inexplicably often practiced by people with bodybuilding goals.
• Classic - this variation will be described in this article and it has universal applications.It's most commonly used for "power bodybuilding" and also as a part of routines of professional athletes.It is also used as a balance strengthening technique for the shoulder girdle.
• Isolation (guillotine), most often used in bodybuilding.Usually used by amateurs trying to increase the size/strength of their pecs.Professionals use it far more successfully by combining it with the classic bench press variation and flyes, pec-deck, etc. .
• Unbalanced - versions of the variations above are implemented with unilateral or bilateral imbalance between agonists, antagonists and stabilizers.

To sum it up, the difference between the classic and power performance is that the power technique uses a bigger arch and a greater involvement of the abductors in the shoulder girdle (serratus and minor pectoral muscles) and shoulder flexors(anterior shoulder head).

Grip:

• Classic grip - the bar lays on the middle of the palm with the thumb on top;
• Inverted (tilted wrist) grip - the bar lays at the base of the palm and thumb, the thumb is over the bar but the wrist is tilted back so there is less pressure on the forearm flexors, however there is much more pressure on the wrist itself;
• Inverted thumb less grip(suicide grip) - the bar lays on the middle or on the base of the palm, the thumb is under the bar.

All variations of the inverted grip are steering away from the classic barbell bench press and going towards the guillotine.The classic variation suffers greatly if performed with an inverted grip.

Trainees that perform the exercise with heavy weight, tilted wrists and a suicide(thumbless) grip, inevitably lower the bar like the classic bench press variation and are forced to push it back up guillotine "style" or drop the bar.In other words do not go heavy with a thumbless grip, you can get a very serious injury or even die.
According to the ROM

• full range of motion
• partial upper or partial lower (1/2, 1/3 or 2/3 of the movement) range of motion

According to the pace (lower, pause, press back up)

• classic 3-1-1, 2-1-1, 3-1-2, 2-1-2 ;
• bodybuilding 4-1-2, 4-1-3
• explosiveness 1-0-3, 1-0-2
• strength 2-1-1, 1-1-1

Method of execution

preparation

1. Lie supine on bench.
2. Arch your back.
3. Pull your shoulders in and back.
4. Plant your feet.
5. Dismount barbell from rack over upper chest.
6. Take a moderately wide classical grip.

performance

1. Lower weight to mid-chest.
2. Try to keep your elbows from flaring out.
3. Press bar upward until arms are extended.
4. Repeat.

Recommendations

• Do not let the weight free fall, focus on the negative.
• Do not push the bar off your chest.
• Keep your shoulders pulled back and down.
• Don't let your shoulders go towards towards your ears, if you do that you'll be doing a bad version of the Guillotine Press.
• In the lower parts of the movement keep your elbows close to your body.If you are having trouble with this and your elbows are flaring out, try to separate the bar, pull the bar apart, that's not possible of course, but by doing that you will tuck your elbows in.

Relevancy

The Barbell Bench Press can be found in almost any routine aiming to increase and maintain muscle mass.

It is important to understand that this is not just a chest exercise, it is a complex and a compound movement that recruits many muscle groups. Attempting to isolate the chest with the classic variation of the Barbell Bench Press such is almost meaningless, as there are many alternatives that will do just that in a much more effective fashion.Like these:
Guillotine Press, Chest Flies, Hammer Strength Chest Press, Cable Crossovers etc.

The Barbell Bench Press is a great exercise for the overall pressing strength of the upper body, it used in most power lifting competitions around the world, and is considered a margin of strength alongside the Squat and Deadlift.

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Frank Zane

Frank Zane was born on June 28, 1942 in Kingston, Pennsylvania. Over the years he built a reputation in the professional bodybuilding scene as a three-time "Mr. Olympia".Known by his nickname "the chemist " he also happens to have gotten a Bachelor's in that field.He also says: "Before I used to use a lot of supplements and tons of amino acids. I still do. But back then it was considered highly unusual, so people gave me that nickname."

Zane is a three-time "Mr. Olympia " (1977 , 1978 , 1979).His "Reign" is remembered by the change of focus - from mass to aesthetics.

Frank Zane is the man with the second most narrow waist of all the "Mr.Olympia" winners (after Sergio Oliva).
Proportionately his shoulders and waist form a perfect V.

An interesting fact is that Frank Zane was one of the only three people that have beaten Arnold Schwarzenegger in a bodybuilding contest (Miami 1968 -" Mr. Universe") and one of the few winners of the title "Mr. Olympia" with a body weight under 90 kilograms(200 pounds).

His bodybuilding career spans over 20 years and during that period he earned the titles "Mr. America","Mr. Universe", "Mr. World" and "Mr. Olympia".

Youth

1959 - At the age of 17 he was honored by the Boy Scouts of America for collecting 50 badges.He also served as an archery instructor in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania.

1960 - graduates high school with excellent grades and received a scholarship in Wilkes University, Pennsylvania.

1961 - At age 18, he won his first trophy in the bodybuilding contest "Mr. America."

1964 - Receives a Bachelor's degree at a University for science, chemistry and mathematics. Three months later, he began working as a teacher of algebra, geometry and trigonometry at the Hamburg High School in Pennsylvania. There he also founded his first weightlifting school club.

1965 - He began teaching mathematics and science in New Jersey. In the same year he won the title "Mr. North America" and "Mr. Eastern America".

1966 - He moves to Tampa, Florida in search of better training conditions.

"The five factors for change"

Frank Zane is the author of the methodology "Five factors for change": exercise, attitude, recovery, nutrition and tracking.
He says: "Change your body and you will change your life."
I. Exercises
  1.Motivation

• Lack of motivation
• Motivation for success

  2.Goals

• Priorities
• Duration

  3.Way of Training
  4.Weight training

• Full body workouts
• Pump
• Number of sets , number of repetitions
• Rhythm
• Positive and negative moments

  5.Aerobics

• Heart rate
• How many and what
• Stretching

II. Attitude
  1.Thoughts

• Self talk
• Meditation

  2 .Speech

• What you say is what you do
• Negative metaphors
• The power of words

III.Recovery

• Sleep
• The need to rest
• Treatment

IV. nutrition

• Fast life , fast food - NO!
• Distribution of protein , fats and carbohydrates
• Supplements
• Counting Calories: Calories from protein + calories from carbs = 3 \ 4 of all calories

V. tracking

• Awareness of results
• The need to stay motivated
• Photos against measurements

Brief bio about Frank Zane

• Born : June 28, 1942
• Birth Place: Kingston, Pennsylvania , USA
• Nickname: "the chemist"
• Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
• Contest weight: 200 lbs (90 kg)
• Off-season weight: 220 lbs (99 kg)

Measurements

Arms: 18" (45.7 cm)
Neck: 17.5" (44.5 cm)
Chest: 52" (129.5 cm)
Waist: 29" (73.7 cm)
Thighs: 26" (66 cm)
Calves: 16.5" (41.9 cm)
Wrist: 6.5" (16.5 cm)
Ankle: 8" (20.3 cm)

Awards:

1961 Mr. Pennsylvania (17th place)
1962 Mr. Keystone (Winner)
1963 Mr. Keystone (2nd)
1965 Mr. Sunshine State (Winner)
1965 IFBB Mr. Universe (1st, Medium Height category)
1966 IFBB Mr. America (1st, Medium)
1967 IFBB Mr. America (1st, Medium)
1967 IFBB Mr. Universe (3rd, Tall)
1968 IFBB Mr. America (Winner)
1968 IFBB Mr. Universe (Winner)
1970 NABBA Mr. Universe (Winner)
1971 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe (1st, Short)
1972 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe (Winner)
1972 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200lbs, 4th)
1974 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200lbs, 2nd)
1975 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200lbs, 4th)
1976 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200lbs, 2nd)
1977 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200lbs & Overall Winner)
1978 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200lbs & Overall Winner)
1979 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Under 200lbs & Overall Winner)
1980 IFBB Mr. Olympia (3rd, after suffering a near-fatal injury at his home, requiring lengthy hospitalization)
1981 - did not compete (boycotted the Mr Olympia contest after the controversial 1980 contest)
1982 IFBB Mr. Olympia (2nd)
1983 IFBB Mr. Olympia (4th, after suffering another accident on his bicycle, requiring extensive shoulder surgery shortly after the contest)
(sources:wikipedia)

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The Training Plateau.How to get out and avoid.

You will be hard pressed to find an active athlete who hasn't been in a plateau.
The possible causes for this "wall" often reside in our diet and/or recovery.
You can't hope to gain muscle and develop a strong body without giving that body the required nutrients and enough recovery time.

How to avoid a plateau ?

To develop your musculature, get stronger and get your muscles bigger you need to have three things;

• Good nutrition;
• Recovery time;
• A workout that coincides with your goals;

Your workout should have: 

• intensity;
• volume;
• a challenge;

Getting enough protein in your diet is vital for the recovery of your muscles.

Carbohydrates are needed to fuel your workout, to provide the energy you need.

And you need fats for your body's hormonal production which is vital not only for your training, but for your well being as well.

Recommended foods:

• chicken;
• milk;
• cottage cheese;
• eggs;
• fish;
• potatoes;
• rice;
• fruits;
• spinach;

The time needed for sleep is between 8-10 hours.

If you implement the recommendations above, the dangers of a plateau will be minimal.

A possible cause of a training plateau is using the same workout routine for more than 5 months.

The body adapts to the load, thus hypertrophy and strength gains cease.

Change your way of training often. Change the sequence of the exercises and alternate workout days.This should be enough to avoid a plateau.

Sound training, good nutrition and sufficient time to recover will ensure you steady progress.

Neglecting one leads to stagnation or even atrophy of the muscles.

Your goals are to gain muscle and strength. This will not happen if you don't provide your body with the building blocks - food.
If you train hard, but your diet is unbalanced, you will lose more than you will gain.

When we workout we tear our muscles fibers, just to have them grow even larger when we rest afterwards.
But if we don't provide our muscles with enough food or rest, they won't be able to grow bigger and stronger.

Not only will they not progress, but there's a possible negative effect -  an actual loss of muscle mass.

Resting is just as important as eating.

If you train hard, eat well, yet you do not rest enough, again you will encounter undesirable results .

Success lies in the proper and reasonable way of training.
Train hard, eat smart and rest well.
Good luck!

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