You're a wonder, Wonder Woman... Ahh, I had a huge crush on Linda Carter when I was a kid. She really had a hot body! I think that Palicki is a great choice to play Wonder Woman in the new Show!

Adrianne Palicki picked as new Wonder Woman

Little known actress Adrianne Palicki has been chosen as the new Wonder Woman, beating Mad Men star Christina Hendricks to the part.

Adrianne Palicki, left, and Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman in 1976 Photo: REX

By Nick Allen, Los Angeles 5:12PM GMT 17 Feb 2011

Miss Palicki, 27, will play the role made famous by Lynda Carter in the 1970s in a revamped US television series.

Miss Hendricks, 35, had expressed an interest in playing the superheroine, telling an interviewer last year: "I've been wanting to wear that outfit my whole life. I'd love to. That would be such fun." However, she is not believed to have been approached for the role which is being scripted by David E Kelley, the writer behind the Ally McBeal television series.

In it Miss Palicki will play an updated version of Diana Prince, a Los Angeles crime fighter with a double life as a successful corporate executive.

The 5ft 11 ins actress was born in Ohio and was a runner at high school, where she was only named runner-up in a homecoming queen contest.

She describes herself as a "huge comic book fan" and has a tattoo of the character Supergirl. Her brother is a comic book artist.

The actress has just finished appearing in a US television series called Friday Night Lights, in which she plays a cheerleader, and is also due to star in a remake of the 1984 war film Red Dawn.

Wonder Woman, a DC Comics character, was originally created in the Second World War, and Lynda Carter was also a relative unknown when chosen to play her on television.

The 59-year-old actress appeared to approve of her successor. She posted a message on a social networking website saying: "Congratulations Adrianne!"

Beyoncé, the singer and actress, has also made known her interest in the coveted Wonder Woman costume. She wants to be first to play the superheroine on the big screen.

via telegraph.co.uk

I cant wait to see Adrianne Palicki as the new Wonder Woman. I am already picturing her in that outfit. I wonder how they will modify it to be more modern...

5 common myths about exercise

By Nancy Reid, Staff Writer, myOptumHealth

Content provided by

 

While some fitness myths, such as "no pain, no gain," are fading fast, many myths about exercise still exist. Here are some common ones - and the truth about them.

1. Exercise is a waste of time unless you work out hard and often. This kind of thinking keeps a lot of people from sticking to an exercise program. Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, five times a week is all you need to maintain your weight and reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. To lose weight, cut calories from your diet or exercise more. Walking, bicycling, and swimming are all good ways to exercise at a modest pace.
2. Yoga is a completely gentle and safe workout. Some forms of yoga are physically and mentally difficult. While injuries are rare, staying in certain positions can cause nerve damage or back pain. Avoiding certain postures and changing others can make yoga safer for most healthy people - even pregnant women. As with any exercise, proper instruction is needed for a safe workout. If you have a health condition or are pregnant, talk with your doctor before trying yoga.
3. You can lose all the weight you want just by exercising. Increasing physical activity is just one part of a successful weight-loss plan. You need to cut calories, too. How many pounds you lose may also depend on your genes. What works for one person may not work for another. Still, exercise is an important part of any weight-loss program, and it offers many other health benefits.
4. You can "spot reduce" certain areas of your body. Truth be told, you can do a ton of crunches and sit-ups and never get chiseled abs. It's not possible to burn off fat from one area of your body. Regular aerobic exercise, strength training, and a healthy diet is the best way to get rid of extra body fat.
5. If you want to lose weight, don't strength-train. It will make you "bulk up." Experts advise both aerobic and strength-training exercises to maintain a healthy weight. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn - even when you're not working out. This makes it easier to keep off the pounds. Also, try adding crunches, push-ups, lunges, and other exercises to your regular routine to build muscle. A fitness professional can help you create a strength-training routine that works for you. Only very intense strength training exercises combined with certain genetic factors leads to large muscles.

Remember, always talk to your doctor before you start any exercise program.

SOURCES:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How much physical activity do adults need? Accessed: 07/14/2010
• National Institutes of Health. Weight-loss and nutrition myths. How much do you really know? Accessed: 07/14/2010
• American Council on Exercise. ACE lists most common fitness myths. Accessed: 07/14/2010

View the original 5 common myths about exercise article on myOptumHealth.com

via klkntv.com

There are a tone of common myths about exercise, don't be fooled- get your facts straight.

Glee's Darren Criss & Six-Pack Abs

Glee newcomer Darren Criss flaunts his impressive six-pack abs inside Out Magazine's annual Hollywood Issue (on stands February 22) -- but that's not all the 24-year-old actor is revealing.

The March cover boy -- whose cover of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" shot to the top of the iTunes charts last year -- also opens up about why he came out as straight after landing the role of Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, during Glee's second season.

VIDEO: Darren Criss covers "Teenage Dream" for Us Weekly

"I think it's more empowering to everybody, including myself, if I'm articulate about identifying myself as a straight male playing a gay character," the San Francisco native reasons. "Ultimately, that's more powerful for both communities."

Not that his fans should be too surprised -- the University of Michigan alum grew up surrounded by members of the gay community. As a child actor, Criss performed in local musicals (including Les Miserables), where he befriended cast members in their 20s and 30s.

PHOTOS: Love lives of Glee stars

"I was staying out much later than most kids after shows, going to restaurants," Criss tells the mag. "It's not like I was doing body shots off beautiful Castro boys. I was friends with older guys -- they were who I looked up to. It wasn't until later that I put together that they were gay."

And as a straight man and an ally to the LGBT community, portraying a gay character on TV has its perks.

"The coolest part is not that it's a hit show -- that's a bonus," Criss says. "But the real cool thing is I was inadvertently raised by the gay community."

PHOTOS: Behind the scenes of Glee

Just don't expect to see Criss' character fall for Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) anytime soon. According to show creator Ryan Murphy, "it's my job as showrunner to keep them apart as long as possible."

Will their characters ever get together? "When that moment comes -- if it comes -- I want to treat that relationship like we treat all the other relationships on the show," Murphy, 44, asserts. "I want it to be as flawed and as exposed as everyone else's."

via usmagazine.com

Just another example of a fit Hollywood celebrity. Glee is not my favorite show, actually I wouldnt have ever seen it of it weren't for my wife wanting to watch it. I do think that the character Sue Sylvester is hilarious though! And The singing is pretty impressive.

There are a number of celebs on that show that have pretty fit bodies and six pack abs.

Give your Valentines heart a fitness break

Valentine's Day is the day of hearts. So today I thought we would focus on heart heath in relation to exercises fitness. The article below gives a great overall view. I hope you enjoy it.

Hearts are on the minds of many today as we celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Which begs the question: What are you doing to take care of your heart?

My suggestion probably isn’t what you expect.

While most people are aware that cardio exercise is good for heart health, many overlook a key component to their workout: recovery.

This is even more important if you participate in interval training, an ever-growing sector of the exercise world.

You know the kind of exercise of which I speak: short, intense bursts of exercise that leave your muscles searing and you panting for breath.

Many studies have shown intervals improve metabolism. And, since intervals are based on short bursts of exercise — in the 30-second to 2-minute range — it’s an effective way to get a workout without spending half the day in the gym.

This type of exercise hurts good, many would say, because you know without a doubt you are burning calories when you are giving it your all.

No doubt about it, interval training is an awesome way to get into shape.

But for intervals to truly be beneficial, exercisers must allow their bodies to recover appropriately.

Most pro athletes understand this concept and perform intervals only two or three times a week. They enjoy full rest days or they work on other areas of fitness such as strength training.

It is during the recovery time when your body repairs itself and strengthens itself.

If you spend a week in a gym, you’ll see people doing intervals day after day and sometimes more than once a day.

This kind of training isn’t good. Days and weeks of back-to-back intervals tear bodies down and possibly lead to injuries. The body’s hormonal response to such training can even create more fat storage.

It also will lead to mediocre performances because your heart simply can’t hit its max time after time. Which is why pro athletes are so fanatical about getting in their recovery days.

Think of it this way: No one in their right mind would do the maximum set of squats for five days in a row or even think it is a good idea.

Next Page »

via sltrib.com

So perhaps you take a well deserved fitness break today and spend this holiday of sweethearts enjoying your loved one. Take a full days rest every week to help your body and heart get fully recovered from fitness training.

Getting older doesn't mean getting less fit

One of the things that spurred me into starting this blog discussion about building muscle the right way is that I had been fairly inactive for a while and had gained a few unwanted pounds and my fitness level had really dropped. Some would chalk this up to the fact that I am getting older but as Mr. Jones points out in the the article below, getting older doesn't mean getting less fit.

EUGENIE JONES | Getting older doesn't mean getting less fit

Some things get better with age, others don't. If you're a mature adult, which of those would you say best describes your level of fitness?

Of course we aren't the same at 60 as we were at 30, but many of us are under the mistaken impression that a decrease in activity and an increase in girth are foregone conclusions of getting older.

Studies show, however, that many fitness losses, previously associated with age, correlate not with getting older, but with becoming less active. Ah-Haa!

Becoming less physically active can lead to bone density losses, weaker muscles, and reduced metabolic rates (speed at which your body burns calories). Conversely, keeping active contributes to both your physical and emotional well-being.

You can focus on getting better with age by practicing four basic types of exercise — endurance, muscle conditioning, balance, and flexibility.

Endurance activities such as walking, swimming, lite-aerobics, dancing or stationary cardiovascular equipment, are all excellent forms of endurance building activities. They help your heart and lungs stay strong, burn fat, and build your stamina

Get at least 30 minutes of these types of activities on most or all days of the week. You may also break the 30 minutes up into three, 10-minute sessions.

Do your best to move continually and challenge yourself such that your breathing rate increases. You'll know you're exercising at the correct intensity by keeping this rule of thumb in mind: if you can talk without any trouble at all, you're not working hard enough, but if you can hardly speak, you're working too hard.

Muscle conditioning keeps us strong, able to lift ourselves from our chairs, traversing stairs, taking walks with our grandkids, and improving our overall level of functional fitness.

When you include resistance training to your fitness routine, one of the safest and most effective options is to attend a weight-lifting class specifically for seniors — such as the Silver Sneaker classes — or to work with a personal trainer.

Doing so will allow you to build muscle, increase your bone density, ease arthritis pain, and boost your rate of calorie burn while learning proper technique and avoiding the inevitable doctor visits that come from bad exercise form or improper technique. You may also consider using exercise videos such as the, "Sit and Be Fit," series as an excellent in-home, muscle-building option.

Working on balance is very important when it comes to avoiding falls and maintaining a keen sense of equilibrium. In-home activities such as balancing on one foot for thirty-seconds before shifting to the other foot can be done simply and easily while standing behind a nearby dining room chair.

You can also practice walking a straight line heel to toe, with each foot being placed on the floor very close to the heel of the foot in front.

Flexibility is the partner of balance. Stretching exercises, yoga, and even Tai Chi will enable you to stay flexible, move more freely, and maintain a healthy range of motion. There are literally tons of senior videos covering these disciplines and a good source for finding one that you will enjoy is by contacting Collage Video at (800) 433-6769, or at www.collagevideo.com.

You could also look for a class at your favorite gym. Your first step, however, in getting better with age is to speak to your doctor and precede any exercise program with his or her go-ahead, remembering overall that age is not an excuse to avoid exercise, but rather a reason to pursue it.

Now go be great!

Eugenie Jones, M.B.A., ACE, is a workplace performance and lifestyle training expert. Find her fitness column, in its 18th year of running, here each Saturday. Visit her website at www.eugeniejones.com, view Twitter tweets at http://twitter.com/nowgobegreat, or e-mail her at eugeniek@comcast.net.

via kitsapsun.com

It is important to make time for yourself and get some exercise. It tends to help wash away daily stress, not to mention help you body systems regulate better. And any work you do now is put in the back for when you become the elder of your clan. So although getting older doesn't mean getting less fit, you must put in effort to build muscle and cardio fitness.

Too Much Muscle: The Glenn Pendlay Secret

Glenn Pendlay,an Olympic weight lifting team coach discusses too much muscle and his training methods with T-Nation. Below is a portion of their discussion, but if you want the whole story feel free to follow the link provided.

Pendlay: If you look at the physiques of a lot of the guys I coach, whether they're weightlifters or in the NFL, they're not professional bodybuilders, but they possess the physiques that would be looked at as ideal by nine out of ten people who don't want to use drugs. They just want to look good with their shirts off.

Look at the average running back in the NFL – he has a very muscular, very lean, functional physique. Most people will see that physique as more realistic. They don't want to do the drugs necessary to look like a pro-bodybuilder.

In fact, they'd preferto look like the running back rather than a pro-bodybuilder. Ninety-nine percent of people want to look like Jon North or T.J. Ward.

Last year when we did T.J.'s Combine prep, he gained 20 pounds of lean body mass. That guy looks scary without his shirt, just densely muscular and lean.

Methods & Metabolism

T NATION: Okay, let's get to it. How are these guys gaining muscle so quickly?

Pendlay: When weightlifters start doing a ton of extra workouts that are concentric-only, they have a problem: they grow out of their weight class. And that's with lean muscle, not fat.

We do very frequent training. We have a certain number of workouts per week that are very high intensity. We have only a couple of workouts per week that involve heavy eccentric loading, something like squatting.

We do very frequent, very high intensity, concentric loading. We do it for weightlifters, we do it for professional athletes, we do it for guys getting ready for the NFL Combine... we do it for everybody.

You get stronger and you gain lean body mass without gaining fat. You train like that, that often, then it's actually difficult to gain fat; your metabolism is going like a furnace.

T NATION: You've talked in our forums about how this is related to hormones. Can you elaborate?

Pendlay: The research I did getting my master's degree was all hormonal based. I'm always looking at how training influences the hormonal response, and, if you get it right, how hormonal response influences the results you get from training. That made a huge impact on how I've designed my training philosophy.

The whole-body type of workout, where you're doing big, stressful exercises, stimulates a powerful hormonal response. That's one of the reasons why people who aren't on drugs get the most benefits from a completely different training style than those who are on drugs.

Someone who's on drugs already has all the testosterone his system can handle. Someone who's not on drugs needs to train in a way that stimulates his body's production of hormones.

T NATION: That makes sense.

Pendlay: If you're a pro-bodybuilder who's taking the things that pro-bodybuilders take, then you don't have to train the same way or worry about the same things as your average 25-year old guy who wants to build muscle and isn't going to take drugs to do it. Those are two completely different systems of training.

What we're talking about is doing things that stimulate the whole body more. You're not doing isolation work; you're not coming in and doing curls and blasting your biceps once a week with 20 sets. Instead you're doing big exercises, leaning towards a whole-body workout.

Not everyone needs to do a whole-body workout, but they certainly don't need to do chest one day, biceps the next, etc. Whole-body workouts or upper/lower splits are the answer.

You're training more frequently, and as you get into better shape your goal is to start including "extra" workouts where you do very explosive, fast movements and, generally, concentric-only movements.

via t-nation.com

This really fits in to our discussion about needing to do heavy weight lifting to gain muscle and not fat. It also furthers my thoughts on not having to spend all day in the gym (for a normal good body image- not for a pro athlete). So try to get a nice athletic looking body not one with too much muscle.

Celebs In Bikinis!

5. LeAnn Rimes

If you’ve got it, flaunt it, right? LeAnn Rimes not only displayed her toned-to-perfection figure while vacationing in Mexico, but she couldn’t help but proudly show off her sizable engagement bling, courtesy of new fiancé Eddie Cibrian, as well.

via bettyconfidential.com

While I was looking for something to write about today I found this article on celebs in Bikinis. This is only an excerpt and you can visit the link for the other celebrities. I was just very impressed with how LeAnn Rimes is looking these days.

This is the type of celebrity look that I talk about on my site Gain Muscle Not Fat.

The Overload Principle - How To Gain Muscle And Avoid Plateaus

How did you enjoy Suber Bowl Sunday? I watched for a while but I was going into commercial overload... which got me to thinking about today's topic. The principal of muscle overload, or progressive overload has been around for quite some time. I came across the article below when researching some information on overload and though I would share it.

365 tips to the fit body you've always wanted - Tip #33 The overload principle

• February 2nd, 2011 3:21 pm PT

The idea of creating an overload is the principle fitness professionals, including local Personal Trainer Rendy Williams, use with their clients to help them overcome plateaus and continually progress. The overload principle simply states that in order to achieve a certain adaptation (improvement), a greater stress must be placed on the body/muscle than it is used to. In other words, you have to gradually increase the difficulty over time to get the results you want and to continually improve.

Our bodies adapt to the stresses we put on them overtime. These stresses can be defined as the resistance we put on them whether it be through some form of weight lifting, cardio, stretching, etc. If we constantly perform the same exercise at the same intensity, our bodies will strengthen initially, but then they will grow accustomed and further improvement will cease. This is why when we first begin an exercise it is harder, but overtime it grows easier.

Most people hit plateaus because they don’t fully understand the overload principle and as a result get stuck doing the same hour-long workouts day after day. In order to progress, you must slowly increase the overload.

In terms of weight lifting, this could be through the gradual increase of weight used to perform an exercise. In terms of cardio, this could be through an increase in pace, tempo, intensity, and so on.

You can also apply the overload principle through creating variety in your workouts. Periodically change the exercises you do to help promote muscle confusion and create an overload that your body is not yet used to. The manipulation of exercise variables as discussed in Tip #31, is the ideal way to create an overload.

Remember to listen to your body and increase the overload slowly. If you joints start to ache, you may need to reduce the weight, lower the intensity, or take some more time to recover before proceeding.

To contact Personal Trainer Rendy Williams please call her at (501) 626-0312 or e-mail her at RendyWilliams@yahoo.com.

via examiner.com

So the most important thing you should take out of this post is to increase slowly. Of course you need to be at high level of intensity first. If you can bench press 200 pounds for 3 sets of 10 but are only using 180 in your workouts, then you can do small increases for a long time and not get a real benefit.

The key is to push yourself right to the edge each time. Then you add a rep or just a couple of pounds to your workout the next time. When working out with this intensity you should remember to get enough rest between sets AND between workouts. I have discussed this in previous posts.

Good luck with your progressive overload workouts.

Ralph Fiennes & Daniel Craig- Celebrity Fitness in ‘James Bond 23’

I am a real James Bond fan and a big Ralph Fiennes fan so combining the two in the new 007 movie is very exciting. Take a gander at this article for all of the details.

Ralph Fiennes In Talks For ‘James Bond 23’

It looks like director Sam Mendes’ plans for the next installment of the James Bond franchise is attracting some major interest from heavyweight thesps. Javier Bardem has spoken enthusiastically about the villain role he’s being offered (he’s just waiting to read a completed script before he makes a decision) and now another major talent is showing interest.

Baz Bamigboye at the Daily Mail is reporting that Ralph Fiennes is “in discussions” for a role in the still untitled “James Bond 23.” The “darkly complex” part is being kept under wraps, but it’s apparently not the same part that is being offered to Bardem and that Fiennes was approached because according to Bamigboye’s source, “the part is one of extreme complexity and only an actor of great ability and dexterity can take it on.”

“It’s the first of a new generation of Bond films, and the ideas Mendes has push the film into darker territory where the characters are modern, mature and challenging,” a film executive told Bamigboye with Fiennes apparently excited by the “revolutionary” approach of the upcoming film.

More big name actors are apparently being courted and while no names have been given, you can bet they will trickle out soon enough. After the disappointing “Quantum of Solace,” it looks like “James Bond 23” is shifting to be something even grittier than what we’ve seen before. Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are currently the only two thesps confirmed for the film that is eyeing a fall start date and is set for release on November 9, 2012.

via blogs.indiewire.com

Daniel Craig was ripped in Casino Royal and Ralph Fiennes was pretty buff in Red Dragon. So this new movie could be a real show if fitness physiques. You just gotta love the visual impact that they get from their hard bodies.

Kim Kardashian - toned and tanned bikini body

Kim is looking great here in her bikini! Now is the time to start getting yourself ready for the summer beach fun. Learn how to gain muscle not fat at the bottom of this article.

Kim Kardashian flaunts toned and tanned bikini body during photo shoot

BY Cristina Everett
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

twitpic.com

Kim Kardashian proudly posed for a photo while wearing a tiny two-piece bathing suit.

Sorry, men – Kim Kardashian's famous asset is long gone.

The reality show star, best known for her shapely derriere, recently revealed her surprising new bikini-clad figure in a photo posted on Twitter.

"I finally feel I've reached my goal!" Kardashian tweeted.

The 28-year-old wears a pink and white striped two-piece in the photo, flaunting her toned and tanned abs and thighs, as well as a noticeably smaller waistline. The snap was taken during a photo shoot in Miami for Quick Trim, a weight loss product the reality star endorses.

And this isn't the first time Kardashian has proudly flaunted her physique – she snapped a self-portrait during a previous photo shoot in September.

via nydailynews.com

Yes, the above article is a bit out of date, but it suited (excuse the pun) to illustrate the point of this post. Not to mention is serves as eye candy to catch your attention ;-)

You see, now is the time that you should be starting to think about getting in shape for summer. It gives you plenty of time to begin burning calories and losing that fat you gained over the holiday season. And perhaps beef up those muscles a little.

How much weight do you want to shed before summer? When you eat a proper diet for losing fat, you are bound to lose some water weight as well so the initial loss can be quick, but it often slows down after that.

You should expect to loose about 1-2 pounds a week if you are working hard at limiting your calorie intake and doing a bit of exercises. There are about five months until beach season is fully under way (only 3 until spring break!). So if you start now, you could lose about 12-40 pounds depending on how much you need to lose and by when.

If you want to learn what to eat to gain muscle and shed off the unwanted fat then take a look at http://gainmusclenotfat.com.

What To Eat On Super Bowl Sunday

It is Super Bowl time again this weekend and people in training always want to know what to eat on Super Bowl Sunday.  If you are having or are going to a football party then I am sure that you are aware that the snacks you usually find are loaded with calories.  I am not going to give you a bunch of recipes for boring healthy snacks that no one will eat.  I am not even going to suggest that you try not to eat them.  What fun is that?  And besides, you know you are going to eat all of those chips and dips and wash them down with a few beers.

But you see, this is an advantage.  It is like the GI Joe slogan “Knowing is half the battle!”  So, if you know you dont have the will power to abstain from gorging yourself on nachos and hot dogs, then why not prepare yourself for such a giant calorie intake?

Let’s take a different approach than what everyone else will tell you.  We have talked about before that caloric intake is what drives the gain or loss of fat.  Too many calories and you gain fat and too few and you lose fat.  Most of us are trying to get more lean and so try to create a deficit in calorie consumption in order to burn fat off of our frame.  I have said before, that you shouldn’t worry too much about  minute to minute consumption but more like weekly and monthly consumption.  This is really the time frame that affects you (unless you are less than 8% body fat- then each meal can show up within hours).

So if you know that you are going to eat a bunch this sunday watching your teams vie for the Super Bowl Championship then prepare yourself a few days before and a few days after to even out the weekly intake.  So perhaps you eat less at every meal this week and next.  Or maybe you skip lunch all week.  Maybe you go for salads at every meal.  There are several choices available to you for cutting out calories…. maybe you do a mixture of the options.

By doing this, you weekly consumption of calories will balance out.   You can allow yourself this wonderful treat because you already have created a deficit!  So now you can enjoy the festivities and not wonder what to eat on Super Bowl Sunday.

Filed under: Dieting for Fat Loss

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via waytobuildmuscle.net

Hope you have a fun and safe Super Bowl Sunday! Don't stress about your diet. Do your best to cut calories early this week and even all of next week if you need to compensate for one day of fun!