Dead-Lift Bar

The dead-lift bar is only for dead-lifting! It is longer than your normal bars but is thinner in diameter, weighing in 20KG. Due to it being thin, you can wrap your whole palm around the bar, giving you a stronger grip. This bar is more flexible, which enables you to get into the optimal starting position by pulling the “slack” out of it. The flex in the bar will help with moving heavy loads off the ground faster and a shorter range of motion from floor to lockout. Given its name, please note that this bar should not be used for squatting or benching at any given time.

Squat Bar

The Squat bar is specialised for heavy squatting. It is longer in length and thicker in diameter. This allows the bar to stay rigid when there is a lot of weight loaded on it, preventing it from bending too much which can affect the quality of the squat. Be mindful when loading your weights as it weighs 25KG, which is heavier than your typical barbell.

Power Bar

The power bar is considered the universal bar. It is commonly used for squatting, benching and deadlifting in the sport of powerlifting. The bar weighs 20KG, it is rigid, stiff and can withstand a lot of weight on it.

Safety Squat Bar

When squatting with the safety squat bar, your spine position will be more vertical. It looks more like a front squat or a high-bar back squat. This positioning minimizes shear forces on the lower back and allows for improved range of motion through the hips, knees, and ankles. The Dukes safety squat bar weighs 16KG.

To help you out, we have summarized some training myths which you should stop believing in.

Myth #1: Strength training makes females bulky.

The theory 

Strength training makes you gain more muscle and looks bulky.

Reality

Because of the low testosterone, it is difficult for women to get significant changes from strength training compared to men.

Instead, strength exercises can help you lose weight better.

Because of density, muscles take up less space on your body than fat. Under the same weight, people with more muscle will look more curved and slimmer.

Myth #2: Muscle soreness means you have a good workout.

The theory

Soreness from muscle indicates a good exercise of muscle.

Reality

Fitness people are always wondering if they do a good and efficient workout or not and some of them will define it by using the soreness level of muscle.

BUT, this is not correct.

During fitness, there is one type of soreness which is normal. The delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) for beginners. Since their muscles are not used to exercises, after the first time training, it is normal to feel soreness. But the soreness of the pain will decrease over time and should not occur after the body has adapted to the intensity of the training.

If your body still feels sore after training, there are two possibilities for a high probability. One is that your training intensity is too high, not suitable for continued use at this stage; the second is that your stretching exercise after training is not done or enough.

In all, you need to adjust your training to your personal condition and with targeted stretching exercises.

Myth #3: Cardio is the best way to lose weight.

The theory

Cardio is for losing weight to get lean and strength training is for gaining muscle, so in order to lose weight, you should only do cardio exercises

Reality

Doing cardio is one way to lose weight but only doing cardio is not the best way.

For fitness people whose main purpose is to lose weight, long-term, high-intensity aerobic training may help you achieve your goals, but this is not the best option.

In the long run, the best way is to improve your body composition and make your body difficult to accumulate fat.

Strength training can help you do it!

When your body has more lean muscles through strength training, you will have more muscle groups to help you burn calories while you are exercising; in rest, your body will automatically consume more energy to maintain muscle groups. .

Therefore, the right combination of aerobic training and strength training, combined with a balanced diet plan is the best choice.

“Muscle is metabolically active.”

Adam Rosante, C.S.C.S., author of The 30-Second Body.

Myth #4: You can spot certain body part to lose fat.

The theory

You can choose certain body parts, such as abs, hip and arms, to lose fat.

Reality

Spotting your fat is not real.

Fat cells distribute every part of your body. Reducing overall body fat through persistent calorie deficiency is the only way to reduce localized fat.

Myth #5: Sweating more to make a good workout.

The theory

Sweating means burning fat effectively. More sweating indicates better workout.

Reality

The body’s sweating system is the “air conditioning” in our body. The main function is to regulate the body temperature.

During exercise, our body will maintain temperature and dissipate heat by sweating as the core temperature rises.

If your goal is to lose weight, a lot of sweating means more loss of water in the body, rather than a lot of fat burning. Your body may lose weight briefly after the end of exercise, but when you add enough water, the weight will return.

Myth #6: Females should choose lighter weight with higher reps.

The theory

Heavy weights is for males, lighter weights can prevent females from being manly.

Reality

Many people think that higher reps with lighter weight exercises can consume more fat and “tone” your muscle for not being manly.

In fact, the key to losing fat is that the calories you eat are lower than the calories burned. Exercise is a way to help consume fat outside the diet and the increase in muscle is also for consuming more fat.

In order to stimulate the muscles better, you should choose to use a variety range of weights with flexible reps based on your own fitness condition and increase over time.

Myth #7: Muscle turns into fat if you stop training.

The theory

You should keep training to maintain your muscle, otherwise it will turn into fat in your body.

Reality

Your muscles don’t turn into fat, it just shrinks.

Muscle and fat are two completely different organic compounds. The idea that muscles turn into fat is as unrealistic as saying that metal will turn into glass.

There are many people who gain weight after stopping exercise, but this is not because their muscles have turned into fat. If their diet does not change and they no longer consume extra calories via exercising, there will be extra calories which will accumulate fat in the body.

Myth #8: Squatting is bad for knees.

The theory

Squats put extra pressure on the knees.

Reality

Squats will not put pressure on the knees, and the wrong squats will.

The key to squatting against stress on your knees is during the process, don’t let your knees go beyond your toes.

It may be difficult to keep your knees and toes consistent when you just start squatting. You can choose to do some modified squats, such as doing with some instruments (kettlebell) and then slowly try to do standard ones.

Myth #9: Cardio exercise works after 20mins.

The theory

Every time you do cardio exercise, do it over 20 minutes to make it worth it and effective.

Reality

As long as you are exercising, you are consuming fat.

The only difference is the rate of fat consumption. At the very beginning of your exercise, 10 to 15 minutes, the fat consumption rate is low. After 15 to 20 minutes, the fat consumption rate will increase.

So for aerobic exercise, we recommend that you do more than 30 minutes for maximum effect, but this does not mean that 20 minutes of exercise is meaningless.

Myth #10: You should not hold your breath during lifting.

The theory

The body’s internal circulation of oxygen is very important for exercise.

Reality

Holding your breath is risky for some people with high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. For those who do not have such diseases, as long as they are properly operated, it will be a good help for your strength training.

In strength training, holding in breath after breathing enough oxygen can increase chest pressure, open your core muscles, and improve your fitness.

The following are the basic principles of holding your breath in strength training:

1. Inhale before each rep;
2. Hold your breath during the most difficult part;
3. Exhale slowly after the end.

Conclusion

In short, for any sport, don’t rely on a single one and don’t fully negate another.

Training myths won’t stop showing, don’t waste time on the wrong way of doing fitness.

When you are confused or uncertain, ask your personal trainer or the professionals you believe in.

Happy training 🙂

Losing weight is not an easy process where dieting stands at one of the most fundamental aspects. However, in this era with flooding information, are you tired of being fed up with those unchecked, unconfirmed suggestions?

For now, avoiding the following 10 popular diet myths will help you reach your desired outcome appropriately and efficiently.

Myth #1: Carbs are fattening, you need to avoid them to lose weight.

The Theory

When the body ingests carbohydrates, it converts it into sugar and then stores it into fat.

Reality

Carbohydrates won’t make you fat.

What makes you fat is the excess calories you consume, no matter which form you take, it may be carbohydrates, it may be protein or fat.

Some people around you may have lost weight through low-card diet or even no-carb, but this is only a short-term rapid weight loss, and the effect will be greatly reduced after 10-14 days.

But what you need to know is that carbohydrates are a very important part of your daily intake. Losing carbohydrates can cause you to have low blood sugar level, aggravation of fatigue, and a decline in sleep quality.

For better and smarter weight loss, you can’t refuse to consume carbohydrates, but you can choose the amount of intake and the type of carbohydrates. Choose to use some brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, less “white” carbohydrates and carbohydrates with added sugar.

Myth #2: “No fat” and “Low fat” foods won’t make you gain weight.

The Theory

Fat is causing you fat. No fat food contains zero fat which won’t cause weight gain.

Reality

“No Fat” or “Low Fat” labelled foods sometimes may contain extra sugars, extra salts or other adding ingredients which leads to the same level of calories, or even more.

To choose food for a healthier diet, check the nutrition table to know how much calories the food exactly has to see if it fit into your diet.

Myth #3: No chocolate for a healthy diet.

The Theory

Chocolate contains a large amount of sugar which will be converted into fat in your body.

Reality

Choosing the right type of chocolate and eating it in moderation will not affect your weight loss, and it may help you achieve your goals. Dark chocolate with a high cocoa concentration is a good choice (higher than 70%).

Theobromine in chocolate can promote the release of androgen in the brain which can make people happy; the caffeine in chocolate helps to break down fat and suppress appetite.

Dark chocolate with a higher cocoa concentration also contains more theobromine and caffeine at lower calories.

Myth #4: To lose weight, do not eat after 7pm/8pm.

The Theory

Your system can burn up the food you eat earlier in the morning while it has no time to burn up the late-night meal which will stay in your body and converts into fat.

Reality

Calorie intake is not affected by time.

Many people will eat too much or eat high-calorie foods at night, so they think nighttime food is a big reason for weight loss. 

For the digestive system, do not have a heavy meal before going to bed will make you healthier. But for losing weight, what you eat and how much you eat is most crucial.

Myth #5: Eat small meals frequently to boost your metabolism.

The Theory

Consumption of food will increase the metabolism, a small amount of frequent eating will increase the active time of metabolism and then consume more calories.

Reality

The increase in metabolism helps you grow your daily consumption, but the way food consumed does not affect metabolism.

In the case of the same amount of calories, eating one meal, two meals, three meals a day, or more times does not help the weight loss.

Building more muscles is the best way. At rest, each kilogram of muscle can consume several times more calories than fat; during exercise, each additional muscle in your body is an extra fat consumer to help you drop pounds.

Myth #6: Fat makes you fat.

The Theory

Every fat you consume will directly transfer into fat in your body, so for losing weight, you need to avoid consuming fat.

Reality

Fat is one of the six major nutrients the body needs which include protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, inorganic salts (minerals) and water. The first three will generate energy that supports human activity through metabolism.

Therefore, fat is a nutrient that the body must consume every day. Unhealthy fat and excessive intake can lead to obesity.

Which fats are healthy fats? Avocados, chia seeds, eggs, fish, nuts, and tofu are all healthy fats and recommended to use during weight loss period.

Myth #7: Protein is bad for your kidneys.

The Theory

Nitrogen-containing wastes produced by metabolic proteins are mostly excreted in the urine by the kidneys. Therefore, high protein intake can cause the kidneys to operate at high loads, causing damage.

Reality

Long-term protein intake has no effect on healthy people with no kidney problems.

Many people who want to lose weight or gain muscle will be concerned about protein intake, often by supplementing or directly eating protein powder to ensure adequate protein intake. The right amount of protein supplement is completely problem-free.

BUT! People with kidney disease or poor kidney function need to pay attention to protein intake.

Myth #8: Do your cardio with an empty stomach.

The Theory

Fasted cardio exercise will cause a high proportion of fat consumption.

Reality

Cardio in the fed and fasted stomach does not have a big difference. It is only about you to choose the most suitable way for your body. Do not just copy the way others do.

Here is what you need to think about.

First of all, if you choose high-intensity cardio exercise, such as HIIT, the lack of energy caused by fasting will directly affect your exercise effect; second, the appetite suppression effect after fasting exercise does not perform as well as exercise after eating. Hunger after fasting cardio workout can cause your body to consume more energy from eating afterwards.

Myth #9: You need to “Detox” your body.

The Theory

Detox diets (clean diet) can help you to discharge the toxins accumulated in the body.

Reality

Detox diets are not supported by any toxicological mechanisms or test evidence, and may even be dangerous and harmful to humans.

Our body itself has a detoxification system including your liver, kidneys, lungs and other organs. They operate around the clock to remove harmful substances and discharge metabolic waste. The extra detoxification method is highly likely to hinder the body’s natural detoxification process.

To help our body better detoxify naturally, what we can do is to develop good eating habits and work schedules.

Myth #10: Red meat is bad for you.

The Theory

Red meat leads to cancer.

Reality

The effect of red meat on carcinogenicity has been greatly exaggerated.

Red meat is classified as a Class 2A carcinogen which is “highly likely to cause cancer” and is not “certainly carcinogenic.”

In addition to being rich in essential amino acids, red meat is also an important source of iron and zinc and contains a large amount of B vitamins.

A balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are the most important. The right amount of red meat can supplement the body with essential nutrients.

At the same time, we can improve the way of eating red meat, such as not eating too much fried, roasted red meat, try to steam and boil; and try to eat less processed meat (such as marinated, fermented, dried, smoked meat and other processed meat).

Conclusion

Whether it is for a healthier lifestyle or fat reduction, the 10 diet myths defined above are something you must know and avoid.

For people who want a healthier life, start with changing your eating habits and time.

For those who want to lose fat, just remember a central idea. Burn more energy per day than you consume.

We hope we are helpful.

Have you ever started a fitness journey and started to see some incredible results, only to hit a harsh plateau with no explanation? Or perhaps you’ve made all the changes required to prime your body for weight loss, yet no results? Believe it or not, your hormones play a significant role in either supporting and accelerating your goals, or hindering them. And the latter is much more common than you may realise.

So, the question must be asked: How much do you really understand about your hormones? What they do and how they influence your metabolism? The role they play in progressing or stunting your fat loss or muscle growth? Let’s be honest, the answer is most likely very few of us. So, let’s take a closer look at three key hormones that affect both men and women: Cortisol, Human Growth Hormone, and Thyroid Hormones.

But first, what on earth are hormones? According to the Hormone Health Network, hormones are chemical substances that act as messengers to signal reactions within your body to carry out functions to cells and/or tissues. As such, hormones impact many different processes in your body, including growth, metabolism, sexual function, reproduction and mood.

Cortisol

You don’t have to be a hormone expert to have heard of the word ‘cortisol’. Whether it’s through Facebook or media publications, ‘stress’ has become the hottest buzzword of this decade, and for a legitimate reason. Did you know – According to the World Health Organisation, stress is the health epidemic of the 21st century!

Yet, despite the negative rap it gets, cortisol is extremely important to survival and is certainly not as bad as it’s made out to be. Wondering why? Cortisol is essentially nature’s built-in alarm system and is best known for controlling your body’s fight or flight instinct. Cortisol works with parts of your brain to influence your mood, motivation, and fear.

But, what exactly is cortisol? Cortisol is a hormone (also known as the stress hormone), which is generally released during times of stress. However, cortisol is not only known for stress. As most of the cells in your body have cortisol receptors, it plays an important role in various functions (You and Your Hormones, 2019). As such, cortisol helps to:

• Regulate your metabolism
• Influence memory formation
• Act as an anti-inflammatory
• Control salt and water balance
• Support the growth of a foetus during pregnancy

How does Cortisol work?

Your hypothalamus and pituitary gland (which are both located in your brain) can detect if the correct level of cortisol is in your brain. If the level is too high or low, your brain will generally make adjustments to the number of hormones it’s producing. As a result, your adrenal glands adapt and adjust the amount of cortisol they release, accordingly.

Likewise, your cortisol receptors may have different hormone requirements each day, meaning what and how they receive these hormones may vary daily. For example – If your body is highly stressed or perceives a threat, cortisol may adjust or stop other functions that interfere, such as your digestive or reproductive systems, your immune system, or even your growth processes.

What happens when you produce too much or too little Cortisol?

 If your body is producing too much cortisol, you may experience the following symptoms¹:

• Chronic conditions – ie high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis
• Weight gain (particularly around the face and abdomen) – Cortisol increases appetite and sends signals to the body to store fat.
• Mood swings – Generally shown as anxiety, depression or irritability
• Impaired brain function – Cortisol interferes with memory, resulting in brain fog
• Infections – When cortisol is high, it can impact and compromise your immune system, which makes you more susceptible to infection and illness.

If your body’s producing too little cortisol, you may experience the following symptoms:

• Ongoing tiredness
• Dizziness
• Weight loss
• Weakened muscles
• Mood changes

Note: Without treatment, having too much or too little cortisol are potentially life-threatening conditions and should be treated immediately. If you suspect you fall into either of these categories, we urge you to seek medical attention.

Human Growth Hormone

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is a small protein produced in part of the brain (known as the ‘pituitary gland’) every few hours and more frequently during sleep, particularly our non-REM sleep (Better Health Channel 2019). HGH is responsible for stimulating growth by travelling to all tissues in the body via the bloodstream.

But, how important is HGH? Well, to put it straight – A lack of HGH is suggested to cause slower growth in children and also hinder health and fitness progress for adults (Health Direct 2018). In fact, did you know that growth hormone plays an important role in influencing your height, and helping build your bones and muscles? When secreted, HGH is responsible for stimulating smaller protein hormones that help the following actions and reactions occur in the body:

• The growth and/or maintenance of muscle and bone
• Enhanced tissue repair and skin/injury healing
• The breakdown of fatty acids in the adipose tissue to be used for ATP production
• The regulation of glucose to be used as energy and reserved for times of shortage

There’s no denying that HGH is vital to your overall health and day-to-day functionality, and when it comes to reaching your health and fitness goals, it can either progress your results or hinder them. For instance, according to Better Health Channel, those with growth hormone deficiency may experience a variety of symptoms, including poor bone density, reduced muscle mass, fatigue, depression, poor memory, and increased body fat around the waist.

What can you do to promote the secretion of HGH? Try incorporating the following tips:

• Get serious about your sleep – Non-rapid eye movement sleep, more commonly known as deep sleep, is important for secreting healthy levels of HGH. Try aim for 6-9 hours of sleep per night, if possible.
• Prioritise exercise and lower stress – Try to minimise the amount of stress in your life, and incorporate more exercise to maintain healthy HGH levels (but not too much).
• Keep an eye on other hormones – Other hormones may also play a role in stimulating HGH levels, including insulin, oestrogen, and cortisol. We recommend that you consult your health professional to assess your hormones, should you have concerns or queries.

Additionally, it’s important to be aware that sleep deprivation, a lack of protein and amino acids, an unhealthy amount of fatty acids in your diet, hypothyroidism and obesity can also decrease the production of HGH in your body.

If you’re looking for a fantastic amino acid supplement to enhance your intake of aminos, our go-to is Evolve Damage Control. Whether you want to boost muscle protein synthesis and prevent muscle breakdown or accelerate recovery and enhance performance, Damage Control contains the innovative PeptoPro formula and world-renowned Ajinomoto Aminos to bring you the ultimate full-spectrum EAA protein accelerator.

T4/T3 (Thyroid Hormones)

Ever heard of Triiodothyronine and Thyroxine? Despite what looks like random letters jumbled together, these two words are also known as T3 and T4 and are referred to as your thyroid hormones. Let’s take a closer look at how T3 and T4 work and how they can impact your results!

But first, what are they? To understand what T3 and T4 are, it’s important to first understand what the thyroid gland is. The thyroid gland is a small gland located in the front of your neck that is primarily responsible for taking iodine (which is found in various food sources) and converting it into the thyroid hormones: T4 and T3.

Once released into the bloodstream and transported throughout the body, T3 and T4 regulate and operate your metabolism, which as we know, is essentially the conversion of nutrients into energy.  Every cell in the body relies on thyroid hormones to regulate their metabolism. As such, ensuring a healthy balance is of utmost importance (Sargis 2018).

Hyperthyroidism – Hyperthyroidism is a condition whereby your thyroid gland produces too much T3 and T4, resulting in your metabolism working too fast, and thus, converting your nutrients into energy too fast. According to the Better Health Channel, hyperthyroidism can result in:

• Excessive weight loss
• Muscle depletion
• Sensitivity to heat
• Hair loss
• Anxiety
• Irregular menstrual cycle for women

Hypothyroidism – Hypothyroidism, on the other hand, is much more common and essentially means your body isn’t producing enough T3 and T4, for various reasons (including iodine deficiency, or potentially an autoimmune disease). According to Healthy WA, Hypothyroidism can potentially result in the following symptoms:

• Unexplainable weight gain
• Fluid retention
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Constipation

So, how can you help maintain the right T3 and T4 balance? Well, this is certainly a question for your health professional, as every person is unique and requires unique care. However, if your iodine levels are too low, that’s a great place to start. Try incorporating the following iodine-rich foods into your diet:

• Tuna and salmon
• Oysters and other shellfish
• Eggs
• Sea vegetables like seaweed, nori, kelp, etc.

Let’s recap

From unexplainable weight loss and weight gain, depression, ongoing fatigue, reduced muscle mass, poor memory and more, there’s no denying that a hormonal imbalance can have a detrimental impact on your ability to lose weight, gain muscle, muster up the motivation to make health a priority, and ultimately, reach your goals.

As hormones are vital to memory formation, muscle and bone growth, metabolism, tissue repair and more, it’s no secret that maintaining the right balance of hormones is the key to optimal health, functionality, and results. Just remember, everything we do affects our hormones, which in turn, affects everything we do. So, how much do you really know about your hormones? If you feel you may be struggling with any of the symptoms above, put your health first and visit your local healthcare professional for a checkup!

References:

Better Health Channel 2018, Growth Hormone, Better Health Vic, viewed 9 September 2019, <https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/growth-hormone> 

Better Health Channel 2011, Thyroid – Hyperthyroidism, Better Health Channel, viewed on September 11 2019, <https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/thyroid-hyperthyroidism>

Health Direct 2018, Human Growth Hormone, Health Direct, viewed on 6 September 2019,<https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/human-growth-hormone>

Hormone Health Network 2019, Your Health and Hormones, viewed 9 September 2019, <https://www.hormone.org/your-health-and-hormones>

Sargis, R 2018, How Your Thyroid Works, Endocrineweb, viewed on 10 September 2019, <https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/thyroid/how-your-thyroid-works?legacy=ew>

¹ Thorpe, M 2017, 11 Natural Ways to Lower Your Cortisol Levels, Healthline, viewed on 10 September 2019, <https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ways-to-lower-cortisol#section1>

 You and Your Hormones 2019, Cortisol, viewed 6 September 2019, <https://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/cortisol/>