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| Editor's Intro |
Wow, the year is almost over! Thanks to your support, 2005 has been a great year for Wannabebig and At Large Nutrition. We have seen 4000+ new members and 300,000+ new posts! That brings our totals to 15,000+ and 1.2+ million respectively. At Large Nutrition has also seen sales increase by 100% and has big plans for 2006! We truly appreciate your continued support!
So what’s in store for the last newsletter of the year? First and foremost, we have an interview with Ryan Kennelly - the Bench Monster. This is the first man to bench press 800lbs and is currently benching 902.5lbs!! Yeah yeah, I can hear all you anti-equipment folks whining - keep in mind he also benches 405x20 RAW. Want proof? Check out his new dvd - The Road to the Arnold.
We also have Q&A with Lyle McDonald, Q&A with Maki Riddington, an interview with one of our most popular forum members, and a review of my new favorite indoor grill. Things have been busy putting this together just before the holidays, so I hope you enjoy it!
As always, feedback is more than welcome. I’d like to get you more involved in what content we publish, so let us know what you want!
Have a great holiday season and try to stay out of trouble on New Year's Eve! ;)
Anthony
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| Articles |
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Challenge the Expert - Ask Lyle McDonald
In December's Challenge The Expert column, Lyle talks about some of the guidelines females can follow to drop fat fast, if the Achilles tendon can be stretched, and how much Green Tea extract is optimal to getting a fat burning effect.
Written by Lyle McDonald
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| Ask Maki |
Question: Hi Maki. I 'm having a bit of a difficult time trying to figure out what I should eat for breakfast. It seems that I'm lacking in the creativity department. Right now, it's just scrambled eggs and toast or toast, peanut butter, and milk.
Answer: Here is a small list that should help ignite some sparks of creativity. If you're trying to put on weight increase the size of the meal. If fat loss is the goal, keep the portions the same, a big breakfast does the body good!
1. Multigrain toast with natural peanut butter and scrambled eggs.
2. Cottage cheese with mixed fruit (not canned fruit, the real stuff).
3. Egg omelet, with fat free ham and chopped veggies thrown in, oatmeal.
4. Oat bran hot cereal, 3-4 strips of fat free ham, and milk.
5. Protein pancakes (blend one scoop protein, half cup of dried oat, cinnamon, one egg, and half cup of milk) topped with real apple sauce.
6. Plain yoghurt mixed with sugar free jam and a protein shake mixed in milk.
7. Egg, spinach, and cheese omelet with multi grain toast.
8. Fruit smoothie (one scoop of vanilla protein, strawberries, half a banana, half cup of milk, and half cup of orange juice).
9. Granola with fresh fruit, plain yoghurt, and a protein shake mixed with water.
10. Cream of wheat, fruit, and boiled eggs.
11. Fat free ham and scrambled eggs on a whole wheat bagel.
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Maki is a BCRPA CPT who specializes in Body Recomposition, Strength, and Conditioning.
He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia and runs www.dynamiconditioning.ca.
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| Member Spotlight: getfit |
Getfit has been tearing up a storm on the site for the past year and a half. Her solid advice and friendly attitude were well received and earlier this year she was asked to become a moderator. Since then she's laid the smack down on countless spammers! If you're looking for someone who walks the walk, this is she.
Hi getfit, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today!
You’re very welcome!
I'll start off by asking the basics - name, location, hobbies, etc.
My name is Sylvia Mavros, currently living in Montreal (Canada), I’m a Personal Trainer, and I enjoy traveling, lifting, gardening, movies, and reading up on martial arts.
I'm surprised you didn't list eating peanut butter as a hobby!
Hush now!
How did you find WBB? And what made you decide to stay?
I was invited by a friend. I liked the warm atmosphere of the forum, felt like it was my 2nd home - so here I am! :)
Well, based on the number of posts, I think it's your first home. ;) How long have you been training?
Four years!
Wow, I would have thought longer than that based on the numbers you are putting up in your journal. What styles of training have you used?
Well, to be honest I was very lost when I first started out. Then I met my former training partner. He told me I had a lot of potential and wanted to guide me the proper way, so we tried different types of routines and worked each muscle group the proper way. He also taught me how to bench, deadlift, and squat. So I give a lot of credit to him.
Obviously what he taught you worked out well! How long did it take before you were on the right track?
It took me about 2 years to figure out what worked for me and what didn't. As I saw myself progressing with lifts, I made adjustments on what routine worked for me the best.
Do you think your progress or knowledge has increased since joining WBB?
Most definitely. I've done a lot of research through WBB, read up on articles written by Maki, read through journals, and there’s a lot of networking through WBB.
Yeah, it's definitely a valuable resource. What are your short and long term goals?
Short term goals - increase strength - I would like to be able to squat 225lbs within 4 months or less time. Long term goals - combine martial arts and bodybuilding, build more strength, speed, and stamina.
So should we expect to see you fighting in the UFC??
I would love to, but I'm not sure if enough women follow that path.
We know you give a lot of advice and guidance on the forums, but if you were to pick a few pieces of advice for people starting out, what would they be?
Okay, first READ AND LEARN on everything you can - diet, nutrition, bodybuilding, fitness, and supplements. Visualize how your body will transform, focus on future goals, learn the equipment, learn proper form, be disciplined, dedicated, make a plan, and do it!
That’s great advice for anyone - new or experienced. You mentioned supplements - which ones are part of your routine?
I currently use Nitrean, Ceatine 500, MultiPlus, B12, E, C, D, calcium, magnesium, zinc, glucosamine, and msm.
Can you give us a quick explanation why you use each one?
B12 was suggested by someone because I'm vegetarian and it helps fill in some gaps. I take vitamin E for the benefits it does for your skin. Vitamin C I take to prevent colds and strengthen my immune system. The calcium and magnesium are for healthy bones. And I take glucosamine for my joints.
Now, let's pretend you were absolutely unable to attend a gym with normal equipment. What would you do to stay in shape?
Well, I'd always count on my martial arts. I’d also learn the GPP method and definitely use resistance bands. I think that would keep me in top shape. :)
Okay, final question - what's your favorite recipe? And don't say peanut butter and gnuttela!
Vegetarian Lasagna!
1 lb of dry lasagna
2-3 cans of Italian tomato sauce
2 small zucchinis
3 large bunches of spinach
1 lb mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb ricotta cheese
Bring the tomato sauce to a boil, stir in the zucchini, and cook for 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 350*F, place lasagna noodles in the pan to form a single layer, spread 1/3 ricotta cheese on the noodles, then lay out 1/3 of the spinach, sprinkle cheese, and cover with tomato sauce. Repeat twice, using 1/3 of ingredients for each layer. Sprinkle the top with cheese. Bake for 1 hour, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted. Cool and then serve - voila!
Nice, I may have to test my cooking skills with this one! Once again, thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Sylvia!
You’re welcome, always my pleasure to help WBB!
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| Review: Cuisinart Griddler |
My beloved George Foreman Grill (GFG) finally met its end. The nonstick plates wore out and cleaning became a major hassle. Well, cleaning was always a major hassle, but it got worse. I decided to pack up this little grease stained plastic grill and ship it to the dump. Sorry GFG, you served me well for almost 2 years, but it’s time to move on.
So now I’m on the market for a new grill. What do I want? The biggest and shiniest grill I can find. Enter the Cuisinart Griddler. It took three stores to track this puppy down, but when I finally stumbled on it I was in awe. Let’s review.
Contact grill, panini press, flat grill and griddle: for those unfamiliar with grills, let me explain. Contact grill means you have cooking grills above and below your food. Panini press is basically a fancy way to make a kick ass grilled cheese sandwich. Flat grill means you can open the grill so it is completely flat which doubles your cooking surface. And the griddle is a flat surface for cooking eggs or pancakes.
Removable, nonstick grill and griddle plates: this was one of the biggest selling points for me. I know other grills have this feature as well, but these were easier to remove and install. They are also dishwasher safe, so cleaning is a breeze.
Cooking plates drain grease for healthy cooking: basic feature available on most grills I’ve seen. The main difference with the Griddler is the grease drains from the corner into a cup instead of down the entire grill. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but the cup takes up less room in my dishwasher.
Hinged, floating cover adjusts to thickness of food: HUGE feature. If you’ve ever cooked a fat steak on the GFG, you know what I’m talking about. The top grill would close on the back half of the steak so it cooked unevenly. Of course, you should be cooking fat steaks on the BBQ, but that’s not always fun during winter months when it’s ~40*C. This floating cover automatically adjusts itself to the height of your food so it cooks evenly every time.
Selector knob, Grill knob, Griddle knob: The grill has a selector knob that allows you to choose one of three options: off, griddle, or grill. The griddle knob displays the actual temperature in F/C, while the grill knob displays warm/low/medium/high. I’m not convinced two knobs are necessary, but at least they offer variable temperature!
Brushed stainless steel and cool-touch housing: this was a big selling point for me. Yes the stainless steel looks sharp, but it also serves a functional purpose. My old grill was a white plastic and after 2 years of almost daily use, the back edges were stained from the greasy smoke. I cleaned that thing after every use and it still wouldn’t go away. With the stainless steel, this is no longer an issue.
Two drip cups and scraping tool: basic features with most grills. The cups are nice and compact so they don’t take up much room in the dishwasher. The scraping tool is pretty much useless as I simply put the grill plates in the dishwasher after a quick rinse.
Instruction/Recipe book: I haven’t tried any of the 18 recipes offered in the book, but the directions are clear and they also include nutrition information.
Cord Storage: I’m not sure if the new grills have this feature, but I thought it was great.
So now that the Griddler has addressed some of the shortcomings of my old GFG, how well does it actually cook?? I’ve made steak, pork chops, chicken breasts, bacon, eggs, and pancakes - all to perfection. If you can’t cook with this grill, you should probably stay away from anything that uses electricity.
Does that mean it is the perfect grill? Well, almost. There are two minor things I would change, but in no way would they stop me from buying this grill again. First, it would be nice if the cover locked to the base when in storage. This would allow for storage in any position, along with easy carrying from the handle. It would also be nice to have the grill edges a bit higher to make it easier to flip those slippery eggs. Overall, this is a great product and I have no hesitation giving it my full recommendation. 4.5 / 5.0
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| Support Wanna Be Big and At Large Nutrition |
Wanna Be Big (WBB) has established itself as one of the top weight training and nutrition websites on the net over the past five years. Updated biweekly with articles from top writers in the industry, WBB is a great place for beginners looking for direction or for advanced athletes looking for that edge.
Wanna Be Big Forums were established to encourage discussion of training and nutrition concepts. Our members include everyone from beginners to national competitors, students to PhDs, bodybuilders, powerlifters, martial artists, and even some horseback riders. If you are looking for to-the-point information on everything about getting bigger/stronger/faster, this is the place.
At Large Nutrition (ALN) is the sports supplement company that funds WBB and the forums. Created by Daniel Clough and Chris Mason, ALN went against the grain and promised to put quality before profit. This attitude helped create a loyal following that continues to grow. Okay, the taste of Nitrean certainly does not hurt. ;) If you haven't tried our products yet, please show your support by considering ALN for your next supplement purchase.
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| No part of this newsletter may be reproduced without permission. Copyright 2005. |
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