The Arnold Sports Festival is more than sports and games; it’s a road map to human potential.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s reign as governor of California ends in January 2011. His future career plans are anybody’s guess. But there is one of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s initiatives that has no term limit: the annual Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Arnold has never ceased to embrace the sport that made his name; on the contrary, he celebrates the bodybuilding and fitness lifestyle as much as ever. He has often credited the drive and work ethic that he nurtured as a seven-time Mr. Olympia for helping him master other careers. Building your body can build your character and strengthen your will, leading to that revelatory moment when you realize that you can indeed control your own destiny.

That empowering message is the fundamental appeal of the Arnold Sports Festival. It’s why as many as 170,000 people from around the world trek to chilly Columbus in early March.

“People who work out regularly have a tremendous advantage in their energy levels, the way they feel about themselves, the discipline that comes from knowing they’re doing something every day for themselves. It just has a great impact,” says Arnold.

He’s living proof. And in his quest to leave the world a better place than he found it, he’s put that message into action by creating the largest multisport event on the planet. It’s a celebration of not only fitness and athletic competition, but human potential as well.

If you missed this year’s ASF (March 4–7), don’t worry — it’ll be bigger and better in 2011 (visit arnoldsportsfestvial.com for updates). And getting better every year is what it’s all about.

Labels, Restaurants Undercount Calories
Labels lie. So do restaurant menus and nutritional postings. That’s according to a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, which found that labels and menus undercounted calorie totals by an average of 18%, and in some cases, the foods had double the amount of calories listed. The study did not speculate on what caused the discrepancy.

This is disturbing news to anybody who counts calories. Our advice? Stay vigilant. Don’t let faulty info destroy your diet.

Tip
Unfortunately, you can’t trust labels and restaurants to be accurate with calorie totals. Purchase a book of calorie counts and do it yourself.


Does Beef Bash The Brain?
Those of us who like to eat meat regularly (and that includes most of you), listen up: A recent report by Temple University researchers found a significant correlation between methionine intake (an amino acid found mainly in meat, fish, beans, eggs, garlic, lentils, onions, yogurt and seeds) and amyloid plaque formation in the brain. According to one theory, when methionine levels get too high, the body converts the excess amino to homocysteine, a compound linked to dementia, heart disease and stroke. Even though the Temple research was performed in mice, if you eat foods high in methionine on a regular basis, consider supplementing with betaine as well as vitamins B-6, B-12 and folic acid to reduce its conversion to homocysteine.

Tip
If you eat meat, fish and eggs regularly, consume 1,000 mg of betaine, 30 mg of B-6, 500 mcg of B-12 and 800 mcg of folic acid most days of the week.


Exercise: The Real Fountain of Youth
In flies, mice and monkeys, cutting calories by 20–30% increases life span and reduces the risk of many chronic diseases. Although direct evidence of this effect in humans is lacking, caloric restriction does improve biomarkers of aging (blood sugar, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, fasting insulin, etc.).

According to a recent report from Germany, long-term exercise training may have similar benefits. Researchers from the University of Hamburg reported that physical exercise prevents aging at the cellular level by reducing telomere shortening. Telomeres are DNA bookends that protect the ends of chromosomes from damage. Each time a cell undergoes normal division, the telomeres shorten, and once they reach a critical length the cell dies. This type of programmed cell death is called the “biological clock” theory of aging. Scientists measured telomere length in blood samples from two groups of professional athletes and two groups of age-matched, healthy nonexercisers. Telomere length and stability were greatest in exercisers, indicating a beneficial antiaging effect at the molecular level.

Tip
Before you ask, scientists have not yet figured out whether cardio is superior to weight training (or vice versa). But the evidence is clear: work out!


Semper Fat
The United States military continues to be the greatest fighting force in the history of mankind, but it’s going to start to become harder to find a few good men if we don’t shape up as a country. That’s according to the Pentagon, which estimates that more than 75% of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 aren’t healthy enough to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. While a portion of the unqualified are restricted due to mental problems, drug abuse and criminal records/imprisonment, many are not worthy of serving due to obesity and related physical disorders from bad lifestyle choices. Shape up, future soldiers, or risk becoming like those fatties who fiddled while Rome burned.

Ask Dr. Z
What is the best exercise for burning body fat?

A: Without a doubt, an exercise complex. An exercise complex is actually a combination of several different exercises performed in a series with no rest. Complexes are used by many mixed martial arts and physique athletes who need to drop body fat as quickly as possible. Here are two great complexes to get you started. Perform 5–8 repetitions of each exercise before moving on to the next exercise. The catch is you are not allowed to put the barbell or dumbbell down until all five exercises are complete.

► Dumbbell Complex (all exercises 5–8 reps):?arm curl, to a shoulder press, to a front squat with the dumbbells on your shoulders, to a bent-over row, to a Romanian deadlift. Use the same-weight dumbbells for the entire complex. Rest 60–90 seconds and then repeat three more times.

► Barbell Complex (all exercises 5–8 reps): wide-stance deadlift, to an upright row, to a military press, to a jump squat, to a good morning. Rest 60–90 seconds and then repeat three more times.

Fair warning, I’ve seen really tough guys in good shape go down in a ball of flames using these complexes. Start using light weights and the lower end of the rep range and work your way up from there. Expect your heart to race and muscles to burn. The good news is that your whole body will be toast in less than 30 minutes, and you’ll drop body fat like never before.

My personal trainer wants me to undergo a “movement analysis screen” before he puts together my workout program. Is that really necessary, and if so, what should I expect?

A: First, congratulations on finding a good personal trainer. Very few even know about movement analyses, and if yours is certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), you are in good hands. Simply put, a movement analysis is based on how the muscular, nervous and skeletal systems interact to produce movement. When one or more of these systems are not working properly, it can result in a movement-system impairment, which over time can lead to muscle/joint stress and injury. One of the best exercises to simultaneously assess how the body moves is the overhead squat (where the arms are held over the head). To perform this exercise correctly, the ankles, knees, hips, core and shoulders must function in a coordinated manner with an optimal range of motion. A NASM-certified trainer will catch subtle variations in your joints, and be able to provide you with specific flexibility and strengthening exercises to correct your altered movement pattern. Over time, this approach will maximize your performance and minimize your risk of injury. Good luck!

Tim Ziegenfuss, PhD, CSCS, is an internationally recognized exercise and supplement scientist. Got a Question? E-mail him at drz@muscleandbodymag.com.

 
28 oz
That’s the average amount of sugar-laden drinks Americans consume every day. That’s about 300 calories — up 46 calories from just a decade ago!