Dear KFC, you don't deliver taste, you deliver obesity

A charity run held by KFC in the UAE has been nothing but counterproductive.

On the 25th of March, 2011, KFC have hosted a 5k charity run on Jumeirah beach road in the United Arab Emirates called KFC Bucket Run. The goal behind this run was to celebrate KFC's 20 years of delivery in the UAE, as well as joined hands with the Red Crescent to give back to the orphanages (who are not even identified, which country, # of people who would receive help,...etc.)

Here's the catch though...10 participants gets the chance to win one year worth of free KFC meals (54 family meals as they claim). I am not sure how this hasn't raised alarms with officials like the Ministry of Health or even the media for coverage. Last I checked the obesity rates in the UAE were sky rockets & we're one of the most 10 obese countries in the world. I don't know how this was swept under the rug, but someone needs to get the dirt out. It just had to be me.

In my honest opinion, for charity or not, this run shouldn't have taken place as it sends the wrong message: Run 5K for one day, but clog your arteries for one year with our free meals. 

As an Emirati who likes to take care of her health and fitness in general & is interested in the fitness scene in the UAE, I would never ever stoop down to the level of participating in any event organized for commercial or boosting business purposes. I think people can donate directly to those who are in need, & needn't a charity such as KFC's to donate and help the orphanages. 

I have only heard of this event 3 days prior to the event taking place & wanted to lodge a complaint to whomever responsible of approving it. Sadly enough, I was too late and wasn't able to contact the right people on time. 

I couldn't also find information on how many people participated nor on who the winners are, but if I ever get my hands on this information, expect another article to come out about this to come out & perhaps with quotes. 

Anyway, I thought it's necessary that my readers become a bit more informed about KFC. 

8 pieces of fried chicken served in the family meal mounts up to 2064 calories that's all WITHOUT the fries, bread, drinks, which can go past 3500 calories. In other words, each time the winner gets a free KFC family meal, the whole family gets 0.5kg/1lb in return of weight gain and this is all excluding other meals they consume. Imagine consuming 54 meals a year?

Also check their nutrition info here if you're a frequent eater.

KFC with its obesity promoting strategy have successfully now allowed 10 families to become obese or overweight. 

I have decided to boycott KFC in all of it's forms and reasons. I rather die with good health than clog my artery with another KFC meal. In fact I hardly ever consumed KFC before hearing about this, not more than 3x a year. Now it's never.

I have said it before, and I will say it again:

Dear KFC, you haven't been delivering taste for 20 years in the UAE, you have been delivering obesity.  

Yours truly,
Gym-Freak at 999-fitness.

p.s. Here are some articles quoting the number of obese and overweight people in the UAE click here & click here & click here. 

So what do you think about KFC bucket run? What are its side affects? Do you think it should or shouldn't have been approved - and why? Please leave your comments.

Are you really squatting?

While I was spending sometime researching on squats, proper techniques and different stances, I have come across this poem from this website

Down the road, in a gym far away
A young man was heard to say,
"No matter what I do, my legs won't grow!"
He tried leg extensions, leg curls, leg presses too.
Trying to cheat, these sissy workouts he'd do!
From the corner of the gym where the big guys train,
Through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain,
Where the big iron rides high, and threatin' lives,
Where the noise is made with big forty-fives,
A deep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees,
A very big man with legs like trees,
Laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack,
Chalked his hands and monstrous back,
Said, "Boy, stop lying and don't say you've forgotten!
Trouble with you is you aint been SQUATIN'!!"

- Jeff MADDOG, the ISSA strength coach for the university of North Carolina.

There are a lot of interesting "facts vs. myths" when it comes to exercising, fitness, and health in general. Sometimes it's really hard to distinguish what's true & what's not. When it comes to squatting, you'll hear a lot of different things. 

You gotta go parallel to the floor

Your knees shouldn't go over your toes

                          You should go lower than parallel to the floor

      It's okay if your knees goes over your toes, in fact it's safer. 

So one might wonder which one really is it? In my personal opinion from what I have seen and experimented. As long as I go parallel to the floor, as if I am sitting on a chair like this....

...I think it has been effective enough for me, at least. I also engage in deep squats (lower than parallel to the floor) when I do front squats as it feels like a natural movement for me, while if the weight is on my back - I just go parallel. 

There are also 1/4 and 1/2 of a squat which are used by advanced weight lifters and bodybuilders which hit the quads more than gluts & hams, but definitely not advisable for new lifters/beginners.

There is so much to mention about squats, their benefits, different techniques, the TYPE of squats out there; sumo, front, back, hack...and a lot of more than that - all for another post. 

But the question is, do you REALLY squat? If not, drop the weights & say bye bye to your ego, and squat properly with low weight and then add 'em plates once you've gotten the technique right. That's what I have done. 

Just Remember, squatting is known as "king" & it will definitely load you up with mass if done correctly. 

Yours truly,

GymFreak at 999Fitness.

Review: ContenderMMA

There is one place where I can go physical (almost) on someone and not worry about being stopped by the police in the UAE.

That would be in ContenderMMA.

I have recently joined the recently launched mixed martial arts in the UAE, and all I can say that in less than four weeks I have seen tremendous results regarding my overall fitness.

Those who have been keeping up with my blog know that I am freak when it comes to the words weights & lifting, but one thing I haven't mentioned - is my interest in boxing. By all means, I know NOTHING about the MMA world Per Se, but I always dreamed of owning my own punching bag and before last year, I have bought one and have been practising on my own with my own drills. Oh, little did I know.

But before I move on...

To most people in the UAE, perhaps the class bodycombat by Les Milies seems familiar or have been heard of. I have attended that class for over a year, and have mastered most of the moves. I admit, bodycombat is a high intensity class if you properly follow the movement, but it's nothing like the RAW experience at ContenderMMA where you see your sweat dripping into the floor, bruises and red marks all over your body, all from the aggressive nature of the workouts.

We move on from one thing to the other with very little time to breathe - sometimes you'd think you'd pass out, but if you put your mind into it, you'll find the strength to go on. With a mix of circuit training, drills, kickboxing and boxing - it's the whole package; cardio, strength, and conditioning of the whole body.

Not until today, I did not even sip a tiny bit of water (except my salty sweat), during the 60-minute workout and half an hour before. Just 4 weeks ago, I needed to sip water after just doing 60 jumping jacks (killer, btw!) Not wanting and managing not to drink water could only mean your body is getting stronger and fitter, says our instructor M.M.

I know for a fact that I have neglected my lung & heart fitness for a while with only one cardio-session a week, but now I could say that I look forward to my training sessions at ContenderMMA as much as I look forward to my weight training days.

I do have to mention what parts of the classes are my favorites though, and skip the things I don't like....haha! We have been recently introduced to pounding, and at first I was frightened by it - especially with our instructor's punches, but I have gotten accustomed to liking it and wanting to do it more. Since it's a ladies-class only & we're beginners - we hold a bag on top of us in which the other person pounds on. No worries, we don't get literally hit, but I do have bruises from hitting in my elbow. But you DO feel the straight punches through the bag, the elbows and hammer fists.

Another thing I really enjoy is how each class has different drills and exercises, from spider walks to piggy backs, from punching and kicking, and to punching to sprawling to sprinting - it's extremely high intensity and requires more mind power than physical in my opinion.

That's why I say that Boxing is therapy to my soul. Weightlifting is therapy to my mind. A combination of both is therapy to my body. Strength. - ASA.  

It is truly "Real training. Real Fighters," as written on the walls of the center. No one can deny the hard work of our instructor either, who's doing a great job on trying to help each one of us work on our "weak spots" personally. Mine being my damned roundhouse kicks, but they're getting there.

It's true it has been only 8 sessions, but I can feel the difference. I am definitely looking for more sessions in the near future.
To know more, visit the website: Click Here

Yours truly,
GymFreak at 999-Fitness.

p.s. this is my personal view of the place and the training I am getting. It is not associated with any organization and I am not gaining anything from writing this review - except maybe educating others ;).

What is your body type - and what does it imply?

Have you always wondered why some people eat a pint of ice cream without gaining the slightest amount of noticeable weight or belly? Or those who simply eat a bit of extra meat makes them look buff? Or those who the moment they think of a cake, they gain weight? Well, it is all about your body type & how it functions based on a number of criteria.

There are three basic body types, however, most people are usually a combination of two, they are; the Ectomorph, the Mesomoprh, and the Endomorph.


So lets try to understand each type and how to identify it.


The Ectomorph: is widely known as the hard-gainer. It's that person who can eat whatever they want with very little gains in both; fat and muscles. They are normally have long fingers, long necks, are straight from down to up. In a nutshell... 

• Definitive "Hard Gainer
• Small wrist
• Lean
• Lightly Muscled
• Flat Chest
• Small Shoulders
• Fast metabolism
• Takes Longer to Gain Muscle
• Thin 
• Very carbs tolerant
• Thyroid hormone most active

The Mesomorph:  Known as the lucky ones. They have a well-defined muscle mass and often times have large bones. They gain muscle easily as their testosterone & growth hormone is rather active:

• Athletic
• Hard Body
• Muscular Body
• Excellent Posture
• Gains Muscle Easily
• Gains Fat More Easily Than Ectomorphs
• Thick Skin
• Broad shoulders  
• Can handle carbs, just not excess

 
The Endomorph: Known to be usually round and soft. Often time it may seem that all the fat is in the abdominal area, but not necessarily always the case. They gain fat and muscle easily:

• Soft Body
• Underdeveloped Muscles
• Round Physique
• Weight Loss is Difficult
• Gains Muscle Easily Like the Mesomorph
• Low tolerance of  carbs 
• Insulin hormone most active

So how could you use such knowledge of different body types to your advantage? Firstly you need to identify which one you're most likely to be through the characteristics listed and be aware that you could be more than just one type. For effective gains and fat loss, knowing what to eat and how to exercised based on your body type could go along way.


As for me, I am an ecto-mesmo. How do I know? Well, my weight usually stays the same year round and only if I completely become a couch potato then I will see fat gains that are not apparent to the majority but myself. I have rather broad shoulders and my upper body is way more developed than my lower body. I can gain muscle & strength easily in my upper body when I eat enough and stick to compound lifts. Eating carbs, I recently found out, really doesn't affect me much. It's the unhealthy fat that does!

To know your body type, take This Quiz

Share your results! And tell us what you would like to read about next week: What type of food should you eat or what type of exercise program should you follow based on your body type?

Yours truly,
GymFreak at 999-Fitness.

Weight loss vs Fat loss: are they the same or different?

Whenever people want to start a new quest in a healthy lifestyle, the fist word that comes out of their mouth is: I want to lose weight. It’s only normal when you’re told that being “overweight” could risk your health, the notion sparks that you must lose weight to become healthy. Sadly enough, not everyone knows that “weight loss” is the wrong way to go about becoming healthy. Why? Because weight loss and fat loss are two different things, and when you’re looking to become healthy, you should be looking at fat loss.

Weight loss vs. Fat loss

When you say you want to lose weight, it technically means that you want to lower your body weight in total which constitutes of; lean muscle mass (LMM), body fat, organs, water, and skin. Might as well remove your brains out which weigh an average of 2-4LBS. =P. Also losing LMM can really slow down your metabolism and that’s something you really want to avoid (now that’s for another post.)

On the other hand, fat loss is a whole different thing than weight loss. Fat loss refers to lowering the amount of fat in your body and that is usually what people aim for, but confuse with weight loss.

Body Fat % and what they indiciate for men & women

A lot of people confuse these two concepts and go gaga when they step on the scale because they simply don’t understand that the bathroom scale is really just not accurate. It doesn’t identify how much kilograms of fat your body holds and how much muscle or the level of water either. Do remember that our body weight is mostly about 55% (female) - 60% (male) of water.

Another interesting aspect of “weight loss”, is when people first start to exercise they usually lose an average of 3lbs (1.5kgs) almost immediately and see a lot of weight loss. Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s usually water weight, not fat.  When you lower your carbs intake you body loses water, when you increase it, it does the opposite – gain.

Sometimes when you start exercising, you realize instead of the scale going down it’s going up, yet your pants are fitting you well, if not loose – right? Yeah, I know your nodding your head right now, and here’s the good news. Yes, if this is your case, you HAVE lost fat, but you also have gained muscle, hence the “weight gain” or no progress in #'s, but it doesn’t mean you have gained fat. Again, the scale doesn't tell you that.

Although 5lbs of muscle and 5lbs of fat weigh exactly the same, however, muscle takes less space than fat, hence people who have more lean muscle mass, well, look lean-er. In another words, it’s not the “weight” itself that matters, but “how” the weight is distributed in the body. 

How to differentiate between fat loss vs. weight loss?

1) Don’t weigh yourself daily, you can gain up to 4lbs (2kgs) of water. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning after a nice trip to the rest room.

2) Take pictures bi-weekly & compare.

3) Take tap measurements; chest, arms, legs, waist…etc.

4) If you have access to a gym, they should have a device that measures your BMI, body fat, Lean muscle mass, water…etc. (do it every 6 weeks) to see accurate results.
 

To conclude, you are probably looking to lose body fat and not weight, am I correct or am I even more correct? Personally, I have been trying for one year to “GAIN weight” in the sense of gain more muscles as increasing muscle mass really helps off in burning the fat. Saying I want to gain weight doesn’t mean I want to put on fat.

Hope the message came across. So now, tell me, what do YOU want to lose or gain?

Yours truly,
GymFreak at 999-Fitness.

"Your Body is a Barbell" - Put on muscle mass without the use of weights.

“Your body is a barbell” - Alwyn Cosgrove.

That quote is one of my favorite. Why? Because you cannot imagine how hard it is to train with your own body weight.

So, you want to work out and build your muscles, but think that you really can’t. Time constraints at work or at home are forcing you to pull away from exercise. You would join a gym, but it seems impossible with the time limitation you face every day. No need to worry. Why? Because I have a set of 9 exercises you can do while you’re at home, at work, or even at the park – and best of all, without any gym-related equipment.

Before I move on to the exercises, I want you to know the benefits of body weight exercises.
Other than the fact they are convenient and save money, they not only build endurance, they also build strength. It doesn’t matter if you go to the gym to do a bench press or use your own body to do a push up. Your muscles do not distinguish between the types of resistance you use. Resistance is resistance in any form.

Good news, right?

Even more so, If you look around you, a lot of objects and items can transform your body into a muscle building machine. Instead of using a step to perform step exercises, simply use the stairs! They serve the same purpose. Instead of buying a pull-up bar, go to a playground and hang off a bar by the swing and pull yourself up!

So the exercises are:

Chair Dips:

This is a compound move that targets your triceps in particular. This version is modified for beginners, and to make it harder, straighten your leg out or put your leg up on another chairHow: Sit on the chair with your feet together. Keep your hands next or slightly under the hips. Lift up onto the hands and bring your hips forward. Bend elbows to 90 degrees and lower the hips down close to the chair. And push back up. Do this exercise for 3 sets and 8-12 reps.

Modified push-ups:

 There are different types of pushups, so make sure you pick the one that is at your fitness level. Push-ups work about all muscle groups in the body; it uses muscles in the chest, shoulders, triceps, back, and the core. How: Stand a few feet away from a wall or a rail, and place your hands so they’re just about wider than your shoulders. Pull the abs in and keep the back straight, then lower your body until your elbows are at 90 degrees. Do this for 3 sets and 8-12 reps.

One-legged squat:

There are so many types of squats you could do, from chair squat to wall squats. Squats work your lower body; such as, gluteus, hips, and thighs. The one-legged squats are more challenging and you could do them using stairs. How: Lift your leg in front of you, bend the other leg while bring the hips behind you. Push into the heel to come up. Do this for 3 sets and 10-16 reps.

Lunges:

Lunges are another great exercise for the legs, because you’ll be working your gluteus and hamstrings, quads and calves. To make Lunges harder, try jumping lunges. How: stand with your leg 3 feet apart, both knees should be at a 90 degree angle. To add intensity, hold a bottle with water or sand. Bend your knees and lower the back knee toward the floor, and keep your front heel down. Keep your torso straight and abs tucked in as you push through the front heel. Go back up and repeat for each leg. Do this for 3 sets and 10-16 reps.

One-legged Deadlift:

The deadlift is a primary strength training exercise, even bodybuilders perform. Performing the deadlift on one leg is challenging enough and it primarily works your gluteus, hamstrings and calves. Hold a heavy book to add intensity. How: hold the weight in front of the thighs and place your right leg behind you with the toe lightly touching the floor. Lower the weights and lift your leg up straight. Keep your shoulders back, abs in, and back straight. Bend the knees slightly if your flexibility is not strong. Push into the heel and go back up and repeat for each leg. Do this for 3 sets and 10-16 reps.

Inverted rows:

This exercise is a modification to chin up, and is a great compound exercise that works your upper back, lats, traps, and bicep muscles. All you need is a bar you can hang off. How: your palms should face away from your body with a shoulder width grip. Keep your elbow tucked and close to your body about 45 degrees. Pull up with your chest and keep your chin tucked in. The bar should touch your chest.  Keep your back straight and abs in. Do this for 3 sets and 8-12 reps.

Plank:

Planks are one of the best core exercises you might ever stumble upon, because they work and strengthen your entire core and abs. To make Planks harder, lift one leg up between 5-8 inches off the floor. How:
your forearms and toes should on the floor. Keep your torso straight and rigid and your whole body in a straight line. Do not bend, and keep looking at the floor. Hold between 30-60 seconds, and repeat for 3 sets.

Superman:

This exercise is great for the core as well as the lower back. How: Life face down with your arms stretched above your head. Raise your left arm and right leg about 5 inches off the ground. Hold for 3 seconds and relax, then alternate. Repeat for 3 sets with 6-8 reps.

Burpee (no, not burps!):

Burpees are a great full body workout that will get you sweating in no time. It works your cardiovascular system, your upper and your lower body all at once. How: begin in a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet back; perform a push up, either on your knees or toes. Return to the squat position with your arm. Jump as high as possible from the squat position. Do this for 3 sets with 8-12 reps. 

To conclude, your body needs 48 hours rest between each strength training session and to get the most out of it, combine it with cardio 3x a week.

Off that couch and into the ground. Chop Chop! 


Yours truly,
GymFreak at 999-Fitness.

Is college making you fat?

At some point, we always like to attribute what resulted in a positive manner as our own doings, while the negative to external influences. This concept is known as the self-serving bias in psychology.Well, since this is not a psychology 101 blog, lets just use the concept in relation to college making YOU fat. 

I recently read THIS article on LAtimes, and the study results claim that students in their senior year (4th for most) start to pack up pounds due to the lack of physical activities. When you're a senior student you do put a lot of focus on studies, making sure your GPA is high enough, probably slow down the partying - perhaps increase it? I wouldn't know, but I do know that being a college student & a senior per Se is not directly a factor contributing to the heavy sandbag you're carrying around your waist.

I, myself, am a senior student & graduating in two months. Am I fat? No. Do I have a good metabolism? Up to an extent...Only because I work for it to be (yes, it's something YOU can control). Although, I do admit that, at some point eating lunch 5 days a week at university, with the lack of exercise, and sitting most of the day, did contribute to my weight gain last year (7kgs) among certain medications I had to take. 

Yet, the year before that, in 2007 - I did eat food at university & was exercising and I became skinny as hell with about 90% healthy food choices.

Most of us who go to colleges do know the food offered are not the best options or have good nutritional values. At my university, we have Burger King, HAD KFC & Pizza hut (now removed), another fast food chains with sandwiches, greasy foods, packed with not one table spoon of Alfredo sauce, but 10 times more. Of course such foods will contribute to the waist lines of the students.

But you, as a student, educated, should be able to search about these foods and know their components. It's out there. You can still fit junk food (although unhealthy) into your diet somehow and not gain a lot of weight. I've done it a million times to be honest (not that I am proud), but you also have to find ways to balance the junk with the good.

For example, when I ever decide to eat from Burger King, which I literally do like 3x a semester now in a four months period, I only eat a small hamburger, which is about 300 calories. To keep me full for three hours & then have a small snack (like low fat yogurt & some nuts)....and so on. I was able to stay within a certain weight-range for four years only because I worked for it.

Despite the junk offered, there are some healthy choices or not-so-bad choices. For example if you eat Subway (and include the right food inside) it will work for you - but if you eat subway (with the wrong foods inside; ie, mayo, thousand ranch dressing...etc.) it will work against you. If you eat a salad, don't be shocked to hear it contains over 1,000 calories only because of the dressing. Although lettuce & chicken on its own is about  130-200 calorie (of course depending on portion, but you could never go wrong eating only plain grilled chicken breast & lettuce.)

Anyway, bottom line of this long post is that...only you can decide to let the university life come in the way of your health and weight. Sure there are external factors such as illnesses that may contribute to obesity, it's not always the individual who does *work hard* to gain weight, but in the end of the day - you make the things around you work for you, or fail you.

So college is ≠ fat.

Yours truly,
GymFreak at 999-Fitness

What do you think? Does college make you fat? share your experiences with us.