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Browse published articles attributed to Yuri Elkaim, with full-archive search.
Recently I was asked if resistance bands could be used to build strength and muscle size similarly to dumbbells. Here is what was asked… “Hi Yuri, I’ve watched all of your YouTube videos on different types of exercises. I would like to ask you if it’s possible to ...
Sugar may taste sweet but its health effects are anything but. Excessive sugar consumption throws the body’s pH levels out of balance making it harder for us to lose weight and maintain good health. The sugar, and the acidity that it creates, provides an internal environment that is ripe ...
Traditionally, it was thought that low intensity exercise was more beneficial for fat loss nthan high intensity exercise. And for good reason since physiologically the body burns a greater percentage of fat calories is at a lower intensity. It was therefore thought that this equated to more ...
Recently I was asked the following question by someone who was watching one of my YouTube videos on cardio interval training.... "I saw your video and it encouraged me to try this system out because I am pressed for time a lot. I have heard that the treadmill is not the best thing to use ...
After an embarrassing 2-0 loss last week to a team that we totally outplayed, I decided to take action and get the members of my soccer team (university of toronto alumni - also known as Toronto Blues FC) in better running shape. See the problem with playing men's soccer is that, unlike ...
Trans-Fats The name trans-fat is short for transformed fat. And transformed fats have no place in the human body. They are artificially created by scientists in laboratories when they hydrogenate liquid oils to make them solid so they can withstand longer shelf lives. Trans-fats are also ...
Today I’d like to give you an exciting full body workout that will burn tons of calories and leave you feeling great in just 40 minutes. So if you want to burn fat, tone up, and get fit then this workout is for you. n Another great advantage of this workout is that all you need to ...
Do want run but don’t feel that you can? Do you enjoy walking but are looking for the added fat burning benefit of running? Well if so, then the workout I’m about to take you through will make your day a happier one. When most people start running (at whatever stage of their ...
It’s no surprise that antioxidants are all the rage nowadays, and for good reason. An antioxidant is defined as “a substance in food that significantly decreases the adverse effects of reactive species, such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, on normal physiological function in ...
It has been my experience that, in general, women are at a distinct disadvantage when compared to men when it comes to obesity and their ability to lose weight. There are a couple of reasons that can help explain this phenomenon. n First, women generally have smaller body sizes, and, as a ...
Interval training has been shown to be the most effective cardiovascular training method for improving cardiovascular endurance, sport-specific performance, boosting metabolic rate, and burning fat! With such amazing accolades to its name, interval training should be used by anyone and everyone ...
For all those vegans (and non-vegans) out there who are hesitant to supplement with fish oil there’s an even better solution for you. It’s called spirulina and it is one of the most incredible foods our planet has to offer. Spirulina is a blue-green algae. Spirulina usually grows in waters of ...
In a previous article we talked about the best type of interval training for burning fat. Today we're going to discuss the best type of interval training to improve your running performance. Specificity, specificity, specificity! The key to achieving the best running results from your interval ...
Fish oil or flaxseed oil? That is the question posed by millions of health-conscious people each day. But what is the main reason why millions of people are reaching for either fish oil or flaxseed oil? If you said omega-3 fatty acids then you’re correct. But what if I told you that one of ...
Having trained thousands of individuals from all walks of life I would say that one of the most common goals among exercisers is to develop a “visible” 6-pack. Perhaps you fall into this category as well. I know I did at one point. Let’s see how you can accomplish this goal ...
For most people, losing weight is life-long battle. One that can be amazingly fulfilling while at other times utterly depressing. Having worked with 1000s of individuals whose goals have been centered around weight loss (and specifically fat loss) I've noticed certain predispositions that ...
The human body operates most efficiently when it is in balance, or has achieved a state known as homeostasis. As such, optimal recovery means that all body systems have returned to the state they were in before exercise (homeostasis). However, for most avid exercisers, recovery is a limiting ...
One of the easiest ways of getting tons of nutrition while helping your chances of losing weight is through a liquid diet. Now I’m not talking about packaged protein shakes or low calorie drinks but rather whole food smoothies and juices that pack tons of fruits and vegetables into a ...
If you’ve stepped into a gym in the last 10 years you’ve most likely noticed those big rubber balls known as exercise balls (or stability balls or Swiss balls). In my experience, most times these balls would sit all alone in the corner unless they were being used in a special “ball class” or ...
The pursuit of fat loss boils down to 2 main factors: diet and exercise. There’s no way around this fact. Unfortunately, our culture’s dependence on quick weight loss fixes has led people to believe that there are secret fat loss “cheats” (such as pills, magical herbs, ...
Enzymes are needed for every single metabolic process in the body. If we didn’t have them, we would simply die. There are 3 types: metabolic, digestive, and food enzymes. Metabolic enzymes are those involved in all bodily processes except digestion, which the digestive enzymes control. Food ...
Interval training (HIT) involves a combination of high and low-intensity training within a single workout session. In this session, the individual alternates between a bout of higher intensity exercise followed by a lower intensity or “active recovery” bout. This type of training is in ...
Milk is one of the most important foods we consume in life: breast milk that is. Cow’s milk is made exclusively for baby calves. Likewise, human milk is made exclusively for human babies. Cows grow to their adult weight by eating grass for heaven’s sake! Babies’ intestinal ...
Many people say that "abdominals are made in the kitchen, not in the gym," and there's a lot of truth to that. You can do thousands of reps of ab work every week, but if your nutrition is not in order, you can forget about getting a great set of 6-pack abs. 1. If you’re a calorie-counter ...
A recent fat loss study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology (2005) has shown that women burn more fat than men during exercise. The researchers studied the effects of an incremental treadmill test to fatigue on 300 male and female subjects of varying fitness levels. They wanted to ...
1. Eat At Least ONE Green Salad Each Day North Americans are only consuming on average 2-3 servings of fruits and vegetables per day! When you consider that the recommendation is for 5-10 servings per day and that most of our produce is nowhere near as mineral-rich as it was just 50 years ago, ...
The goal in any fat loss exercise regimen is to choose activities that consume large amounts of oxygen. This is because the body burns 5 calories for every liter of oxygen that it consumes. Therefore, what do you think would be the best type of cardio to do for fat loss? Well, let’s ...
One of the best ways to burn more calories in your workouts is simply to use more full body movements. The reason for this is simple. Your body burns 5 calories for every liter of oxygen it consumes and the more muscle required for a given movement, the more oxygen it needs. If, for example, ...
Over the past decade the popularity of interval training for fat loss and performance improvements has been amazing. There have been so many studies investigating the fat loss and performance benefits of using intervals versus long boring cardio – and the results truly speak for ...
No, actually I haven't! Walking backwards or jogging backwards on the treadmill works muscles in an entirely different way than walking forwards. Specifically, by walking backwards on the treadmill (especially on an incline) you engage the quad muscles (front of thigh) and calves to a great ...
This is one of the most frequently asked questions I've been asked in my life as a fitness expert. So, here is the answer - hopefully it makes sense to you! Your body’s first choice of fuel during exercise is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are stored in the body as glycogen, both in the liver and ...
The average person in North America consumes 150 lbs of refined sugar per year! This is astronomical in contrast to the 5 lbs per year consumed by the average person at the turn of the 20th century. Sugar, especially in its refined state, has many detrimental effects on the body. First and ...
If you ever find yourself at a loss for workout ideas, don’t feel like using weights or machines, or traveling, or looking for some great workouts to enjoy at home then you’ll be happy to know that you’ve already got everything you need. What I mean is that by simply using ...
With the hot weather now approaching (at least for us in the northern hemisphere) the importance of proper hydration cannot be forgotten. n As a base, you should be drinking half your weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 lbs, then you should be drinking at least 75 oz of water per day. If ...
The concept of eating natural raw foods in their living state makes sense to every species in the world except for humans. It’s also quite funny that we’re the only species that struggles with obesity and a contrasting weight obsessed culture. How many wild animals suffer from ...
According to the Mayo Clinic (and every other authority for that matter), there has been an upswing in coronary disease over the last 20 years. In fact, a recent study found clogged arteries in young adults, age 16 on up – suggesting heart disease doesn’t only affect men and women in their 50s ...
Do you want to run faster? Would you like to be able to run longer without huffing and puffing? Well, here’s how: Interval train! You might be asking “How on earth is interval training going to make me a faster and more endurant runner?” Well my friend, the key lies in its ability to raise ...
The importance of post workout nutrition cannot be undermined. In order to recover properly from your workouts your body needs essential nutrients to rebuild and re-energize. You’ve worked hard in the gym, or just completed your run, or just finished an intense game and don’t want your sweat ...
When your body notices that the blood has become to acidic and there are no longer any alkaline reserves, it quickly makes the decision to alleviate this dangerous situation. One of the first things your body does to alkalize the blood is remove acid from within the blood stream, storing it in ...
A ton of research has been done investigating why some people lose weight while others don't, why some people succeed at keeping weight off once they've lost it while others don't, and what factors tend to influence your ability to successfully maintain a healthy body weight. What it boils down ...
It has been well established that a diet high in fruits and vegetables is helpful in preventing many diseases including cancer. What has also been feverishly investigated is the effects of berries on the body. Some researchers have studied the health benefit of specific berries while others ...
When it comes to fat loss and losing weight there is an overwhelming amount of information. If you’re like most people who want to lose weight you may feel somewhat bewildered and confused by all the diet and nutrition advice given by so many different fat loss experts. The tough part is ...
Do you feel tired or lethargic? Are your nails, skin, and hair unhealthy looking? Do you suffer from frequent colds, illnesses, or joint pain? If so, then your body may be too acidic! Why is pH Important?npH is a measure of how acid or alkaline a substance is and is based on a scale of 0 ...
Recently we asked the following question on our blog “What’s your biggest challenge to exercising regularly?” What was revealed was some pretty interesting, yet expected, results. A whopping 83% of respondents said that a lack of motivation is what kept them from exercising regularly. The ...
Many people say that "abdominals are made in the kitchen, not in the gym," and there's a lot of truth to that. You can do thousands of reps of ab work every week, but if your nutrition is not in order, you can forget about getting a great set of 6-pack abs. 1. If you’re a calorie-counter ...