GreenerChoices.org | Best organic, fair trade coffee 8/11

Best organic, fair trade coffee 8/11
(This article is adapted from ConsumerReports.org.)


Americans consume about 25 percent of the world's coffee. The average coffee drinker enjoys 3.3 cups a day, or about 1,200 cups a year. Maybe that's why there seems to be a coffee shop on every corner.

Arabica and robusta are the two main types of beans for all coffee. Robusta beans are less expensive and easier to grow. Arabica beans tend to make better coffee. Roasting is what turns green beans into coffee that is ready to grind and brew. The type of roast is often listed on the label—you may have to experiment before finding the one you prefer. And different brands may characterize their roasts differently.

Like wine, coffees come in different varietals, meaning from a single region. While blends are still the best-selling type of coffee, when Consumer Reports last tested blends, none were rated excellent or even very good.

In fact, more and more people are sampling other types of coffee from regions such as Columbia, Kenya, Sumatra and Ethiopia. In taste tests on these varietals, several organic and fair trade brands were high-rated and recommended.

Green recommendations

Columbian: Newman’s Own Organics Colombian Especial, 10 oz., about $8.50

Kenyan: Allegro Kenya Grand Cru (Whole Foods), 12 oz., about $12.99

Sumatran: Green Mountain Coffee Organic Sumatran Reserve, 10 oz., about $8.49

Ethiopian: Caribou Ethiopia Finjal Organic, 16 oz., about $14.99


Coffee label terms to know

Fair trade certified--Part of a nonprofit, international program that advocates sustainable production and fair prices for small farmers. TransFair USA, the certifying organization, also works for safe working conditions (and no forced child labor), limits the use of harmful pesticides, and supports credit plans and training for farm workers.


Organic--Means that the coffee was grown without synthetic fertilizers and most industrial pesticides.


Rainforest Alliance certified--This nonprofit group has determined that chemical pesticide use was limited, water and soil were conserved, and workers were treated fairly.

Tips on storing coffee

Decorative glass canisters may look great on your countertop, but they are not the best way to store coffee. To maintain freshness and flavor, coffee must be kept away from moisture, heat, light, and strong odors. Coffee can pick up strong odors from other foods stored near it. Refrigerating your daily supply of coffee is not ideal because moisture will quickly deteriorate its quality. Instead, try these tips:

Keep it airtight--Invest in an airtight ceramic, glass, or non-reactive metal container. If you buy coffee in large amounts, divide it between two containers, keeping the larger, unused portion airtight until it is needed.


Keep it cool--Store your coffee in a dark, cool location away from the oven. Don't pick a cabinet on an outside wall if it gets a lot of sun during the day.


Purchase smaller quantities--Coffee loses its freshness quite quickly after it has been roasted. Buy fresh roasted coffee in amounts that will last one to two weeks to preserve its freshness and flavor.

Corrective Complexes: The Secret to Feelin' Good

by Michael Ranfone, CSCS – 7/08/2011

As a manual therapist, I often use a multi-modality approach when treating clients for soft tissue problems.

The basic treatment protocol is to address any restrictions, restore lost range of motion, and reeducate the proper activation sequences in hopes the client can return to full function as soon as possible. These modalities can include Active Release Techniques (ART), Active Isolated Stretching (AIS), positional release, myo-fascial release, etc., but the real key to ensuring soft tissue quality is frequency.

Consider how much stress and tension your body absorbs everyday from poor postural habits, adaptive shortening, repetitive tasks, etc. Now, couple that with healthy doses of squats, push presses, sprints and plyometrics. There's just no way a weekly manual therapy session can successfully mitigate all of this to allow you to push to your next level of performance.

At our center we have therapists to help fine-tune our athletes outside their regularly scheduled treatment sessions. More importantly, we employ a very simple and effective strategy called corrective complexes to ensure they're getting the most out of their warm-up periods, as well as their training sessions.

Chances are you already use foam-rolling, range of motion (ROM) and activation drills. The only problem is, you're probably not using them in an optimal format.

Sequence Matters

The warm-up sequence is no different from any other aspect of training: everything has a point and purpose. It's like being told to include power cleans, lunges, and snatches in your program but having no clue where to put them to get the greatest benefit.

Corrective complexes are three pre-workout drills sequenced together to achieve maximum benefit in the shortest amount of time. This sequencing increases the effectiveness of the warm-up drills by producing a synergistic effect, not to mention the endless combination possibilities.

Corrective complexes are also simple to construct. Each of the three components should address the following:

• Soft tissue quality
• Mobilize and lengthen soft tissue
• Activate the antagonist

Soft tissue quality will be addressed by implementing a foam roller, PVC pipe, or lax ball. Since excess scar tissue and adhesions can reduce ROM and strength of a muscle, we want to break down as much scar tissue as possible and induce a release so that the muscles will be more compliant to subsequent work.

After the restrictions have been reduced, the muscles will be more responsive to ROM drills. To that end, immediately following the rolling of a particular muscle or group, we take advantage of its newfound flexibility by taking it through specific mobility exercises.

The last component takes advantage of the law of reciprocal inhibition, which states that as a muscle contracts on one side of a joint, its antagonist must relax.

For example, if your hip flexors are tight/overactive, your hip extensors will not be able to fire completely. After the release and mobilization of a muscle group, all you need to do is perform a standard activation exercise or AIS drill (check out this article for more info) of its antagonist to reap the benefits of a complete muscle activation/relaxation sequence.

Sample Corrective Complexes

Calf

	Pre-Work Drill	Time	Reps
A	Lax ball plantar fascia and calf	30 sec.
B	Wall ankle mobility		10 per side
C	AIS calf stretch/anterior tibialis activation		10 per side

Pec

	Pre-Work Drill	Time	Reps
A	Foam roll pec major/mino	30 sec.
B	Split stance shoulder mobility		10 per side
C	Anterior pull-apart		12

Quad

	Pre-Work Drill	Time	Reps
A	PVC quad/hip flexor	30 sec.
B	Hip flexor mobility		10 per side
C	Single leg hip thrust		10 per side

Back

	Pre-Work Drill	Time	Reps
A	Roll thoracic spine	30 sec.
B	Roll lats	30 sec.
C	T-spine windmills		10 per side
D	Band pulldowns		12

That's it, simple and straightforward – find a restricted muscle, roll it, mobilize it, and then activate its antagonist.

Chances are you're already doing many of these drills, but by following the principles of corrective complexes you'll be able to more effectively treat muscle imbalances, decrease postural distortions, and receive more benefit from your warm-ups, in less time!

Move better, look better, perform better, feel better. It all begins with how you start!

Wikio

Building a Big, Freaky Back

by Matt Kroc – 7/05/2011

Back isn't for pretty-boys. The typical overly-tanned commercial gym prima donna rarely has a back worthy of a second glance, which isn't surprising considering it's not on the list of bar-star approved body parts.

The back is the blue collar muscle group. You can't watch it get all pumped and swole while you train it, and the workouts are usually basic, brutally heavy, and exhausting. So when a new lifter shows up at the gym with yoked traps, wide lats, and 3D rhomboids, you have to respect them a little.

They've spent years pulling some seriously heavy iron to achieve their comic book proportions. They've paid their dues. They deserve the attention.

For bodybuilders, there's no such thing as having a back that's too big. Legs can over shadow the upper body, arms can grow disproportionate to the shoulders or chest, but no judge will ever deduct points for having too much back.

At the highest levels, back is the muscle group that separates the best from the rest, so the bigger and freakier, the better. Haney, Yates, and Ronnie are among the greatest bodybuilders ever to set foot on stage and it's no coincidence that they also possess three of the best backs in bodybuilding history.

Powerlifters and strongman competitors must also have tremendously strong backs. The back is the prime mover in the deadlift, which in a powerlifting competition is performed last and often decides the winner. You can't "gear" a deadlift (use special powerlifting equipment) and the only way to get a bigger one is to earn it through pulling heavy iron.

A strong back is also vital to having a big squat and bench. You can't move huge weights in the squat without the back strength to support it, while in the bench strong lats are critical to being able to lower big weights in the proper groove and driving the bar off the chest. Ed Coan, the greatest powerlifter of all time, has said that the two most important muscle groups for powerlifting are the glutes and the back. Do you need a better endorsement?

Even if stepping on a bodybuilding stage or powerlifting platform isn't in your plans, a big, strong back is still worth working for. For athletes, any sport that involves pulling, climbing, or physical contact will undoubtedly benefit from building a stronger back.

Finally, in the real world, a big strong back is highly functional. Anytime you pick up something heavy, the back is doing the majority of the work, so when you lift a heavy box at work, it's your back strength that will determine your success.

Back Building Basics

Deadlifts

Deadlifting is the base upon which back strength is built. Deadlifts stress every major muscle group in the posterior chain, from the base of the erectors to the top of the traps. Ronnie Coleman and Johnnie Jackson possess two of the thickest and most powerful looking backs to ever grace a bodybuilding stage, and both men are capable of deadlifting over 800 pounds.

Training the deadlift is surprisingly simple. Hit it hard and heavy and then let your body rest and grow. Deadlifting rep schemes are generally lower than most other compound movements. Sets of 5-10 reps work best for bodybuilding purposes, and for pure strength it's common to work up to heavy triples, doubles, even singles on a regular basis.

Deadlifts have no need for fancy techniques like drop sets, super sets, or rest-pause sets. While it isn't a highly complex movement, it's an incredibly taxing one, and you have to be mindful not to over do it. This is especially true if you're also squatting heavy and performing heavy rowing movements.

One effective system involves working in short three-week waves, followed by a down or deload week. Essentially, the weights are increased each week for three weeks with a corresponding decrease in the rep range, and then trained lightly or not at all the fourth week. I've had considerable success with this methodology.

As you get stronger, volume and training frequency will usually need to be decreased to keep overtraining at bay. For those able to deadlift more than 700 pounds, deadlifting every other week works well.

The lower back should still be trained hard during in-between weeks but with different exercises, such as good mornings, weighted back raises, and pull-throughs. This allows the lifter to train consistently heavy, facilitating significant strength gains, but also mitigates the likelihood of overtraining.

Chin-ups

There is no better exercise for back width than good old fashioned chin-ups.

Note: When I refer to chins, it's the variation performed with either an overhand grip (pronated) or palms facing one another (neutral) grip.

Chins are to back width as squats are to leg size. Lat pulldowns can be also used to add back size, but just like the leg press plays second fiddle to the squat, so do pulldowns to old school chins.

Chins are most effective using a relatively high set and rep scheme. One of my favorites is to perform sets to failure using only bodyweight until I hit 100 reps. This usually takes me 4-5 sets, ranging from 25-30 rep sets at the start to 15 or so by the last set.

I make a point of rotating my grip every set to hit the different areas of the upper back for complete back development. I begin with a very wide grip, move to a shoulder width/neutral grip for the second set, and then use a close grip on the third set. I return to the wide grip for the next set and continue the rotation until all reps are completed.

While all variations of chins work the lats, wide grip chins preferentially target the outer lats and teres major, while the medium, close, and underhand grips shift the emphasis to the lower and inner lats. I also perform a very wide grip variation, which I refer to as "ultra wide grip chins," where I take a neutral grip on a special bar that's wider than most wide grip bars. This hits the outer back especially hard.

One other key point is to focus on using the lats and to work through a full stretch of the muscle at the bottom of the movement and a full contraction at the top. Don't concern yourself with whether your chin actually clears the bar; the last few inches of the movement involve mostly the biceps and not the upper back.

Many will have a hard time performing even a few decent reps due to excess body fat or low strength levels. Fortunately, many commercial gyms have chinning machines with counter weights that assist in the chin movement until you can perform bodyweight chins proficiently.

Another effective solution is to use a Jump Stretch band, made popular by Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell fame. Simply loop the band around the center of the chin bar, pull one end through the opening of the other end and cinch it up tight. Then step into the bottom loop with both feet and the band will provide the necessary assistance. Experiment with different strength bands until you can perform chins on your own.

Rows

There are several effective rowing variations and your specific leverages will determine which works best for you. However, rotating between all the movements often yields the best results. The most useful variations for building thick slabs of upper back muscle are the standard barbell row, T-bar rows (done old-school style with a barbell and V-handle), and heavy dumbbell rows. These exercises should all be performed with a moderate to high volume and rep range and with as heavy weight as possible. The upper back is a large, complex body part and needs to be hit heavy and hard, and from multiple angles.

Of course, any back article I write wouldn't be complete without mentioning what Jim Wendler has dubbed the "Kroc row." The Kroc row is nothing more than a very high rep dumbbell row performed with a ridiculously heavy dumbbell. Done correctly, Kroc rows should leave you gasping for air like a drop set of heavy squats while building upper back size and strength like nothing else.

Kroc rows build strength that transfers well to improving the deadlift lockout, and when performed without straps will build a vice-like grip. Emphasis should be placed on the weight and the number of reps achieved. My personal records are 175 lbs. x 40 reps, 205 lbs. x 30 reps (both without straps), and 300 lbs. x 13 reps (with straps). Kroc rows can be performed with one hand and one knee on a flat bench, or while standing bent at the waist with one hand braced against a dumbbell rack.

Focus on getting a good stretch at the bottom by lowering the shoulder until the lats are fully extended, and pulling the dumbbell up in a straight line until it lightly brushes the upper abs/lower chest area.

Do NOT try to keep your elbow tucked and pull the dumbbell to your belt line, the form preached by every pencil necked personal trainer and keyboard warrior. Due to the leverages involved, this overly strict technique severely limits the amount of weight that can be used and is ineffective for all but the newest of trainees.

Think of this overly-strict form as the lat training equivalent of a triceps kickback whereas Kroc rows are heavy close grip bench press. One will add slabs of muscle and build freakish strength while the other only looks good if wearing a pink leotard.

Get Some Back, Baby!

Here's a recap.

• Deadlifting is the base. Train deads with relatively low reps and volume but with very heavy weights. Try working deadlifts in four week wave cycles.
• Chin-ups are the most effective exercise for upper back width. Try them with varying grips for relatively high reps and sets to build a complete back.
• Heavy rows are vital for adding upper back thickness. Barbell rows, old school T-bar rows, and heavy dumbbell rows are among the most effective variations.
• Try the Kroc row to take your back size and strength to a new level.

Sample workout

A. Deadlifts
Week one: Work up to one heavy set of 5 reps in 4-5 sets.
Week two: Work up to one heavy set of 3 reps in 4-5 sets
Week three: Work up to a heavy single in 4-5 sets.
Week four: No deadlifting.
Repeat

B. Chin-ups
Warm up. Then perform as many sets as necessary to total 100 reps, alternating each set between a wide overhand grip, a medium neutral grip, and a close neutral or underhand grip.

Each week try to achieve the 100 reps in fewer sets. When you can achieve this in four or fewer sets, add weight.

C. Kroc rows
Work up to one all-out set (with each arm) of 20-30 reps with as heavy a dumbbell as possible. Every week strive to set a new rep PR. When able to perform 30 reps, increase the weight. Don't do the wimpy where you keep your elbow tucked!

A thick, wide back looks freaky on stage and means serious business wherever life takes you. A thick chest and massive quads might look impressive, but nothing transfers from the gym to the real-world like a powerful set of lats, traps, and erectors.

It's a statement of strength and power that commands respect.

Les parabènes pointés du doigt

Paru le 07 juillet 2011

Par Lorraine Fournier

Sans parabènes, bactéries et champignons envahiraient nos tubes de dentifrice, nos pots de crème hydratante et nos bouteilles de shampoing. Mais en sauvant nos produits de beauté, ces agents de conservation nuisent-ils à notre santé?

Photo: iStockphoto

Le débat est vif en France: les députés ont adopté le 3 mai 2011 une proposition de loi interdisant les phtalates, parabènes et alkylphénols. Le texte a été déposé au Sénat, où il n'a pas encore été débattu.

Des craintes
Point de départ de la controverse: une étude menée en 2004 par Philippa Darbre, Chercheuse de l'Université de Reading, en Grande-Bretagne, a montré que les parabènes pouvaient être absorbés et retenus dans les tissus du corps humains. Les chercheurs ont trouvé des traces de parabène de méthyle dans des tumeurs cancéreuses du sein.

Vivement controversée, cette étude a fait réagir l'Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé en 2005. Bien que l’Agence considère les parabènes comme «peu toxiques et bien tolérés», elle a commandé une étude concernant le propylparaben et son éventuel effet sur la fertilité masculine. Le rapport devrait être rendu public en novembre 2011. Optant pour le principe de précaution, les députés français ont agi sans l’attendre.

Les parabènes au Québec et au Canada
Au Canada aussi on trouve des parabènes, non seulement dans les produits d’hygiène et de beauté, mais aussi dans des centaines de médicaments. Les plus couramment utilisés sont le méthylparaben, l’éthylparaben, le propylparaben et le butylparaben.

Olivia Caron, agente des relations avec les médias à Santé Canada, nous explique que l’organisme ne «considère pas l’utilisation de parabènes dans les produits de consommation et les cosmétiques comme dangereuse pour la santé humaine.» Santé Canada suit en cela les recommandations de la Food and Drug Administration des États-Unis, selon laquelle «les préoccupations relatives à l’innocuité de ces substances ne sont pas encore claires, et qu’il est possible que les parabènes posent un risque seulement à des niveaux d’exposition élevés». Ces conservateurs sont utilisés en moyenne à hauteur de 0,3 % dans les cosmétiques, précise Santé Canada.

Santé Canada nous a toutefois indiqué que plusieurs études sont en cours, notamment sur l’utilisation de matières plastiques et de produits de soins personnels pendant la grossesse. L’Étude mère-enfant sur les composés chimiques de l’environnement, ainsi que l’Enquête canadienne sur les mesures de la santé, qui portent notamment sur l’exposition aux parabènes dans des segments particuliers de la population canadienne, pourraient aussi nous en apprendre plus sur ces substances.

Certaines marques de cosmétiques ont déjà fait leur choix, à l'image de Reversa, qui a lancé sa gamme de produits sans parabène en août 2010. Le fabricant Dermtek Pharmaceutique évoque le principe de précaution, tout comme les députés français qui ont voté le texte d'interdiction. Selon les opposants aux parabènes, des produits de substitution existent, comme des conservateurs naturels utilisés dans les cosmétiques dits «bio».

Wikio

Concilier diabète et activité physique, un équilibre à trouver

C'est un message que l'on nous apprend à l'école : "bien manger et faire de l'exercice". Si ces conseils sont importants pour quiconque souhaite rester en bonne santé, ils sont impératifs pour les plus de 300 millions de personnes atteintes de diabète. Diverses études ont confirmé que le diabète et ses complications peuvent être considérablement retardés ou prévenus par une activité physique régulière et une alimentation saine. Les muscles activés utilisent les sucres et matières grasses emmagasinés et stimulent le foie, qui libère du glucose.

D'ordinaire, les niveaux de glucose dans le sang sont correctement maintenus durant l'activité physique. Cependant, définir une activité physique appropriée pour un diabétique n'est pas si simple. Puisque le diabète perturbe les voies de la libération et de la répartition des sucres, l'activité physique peut mener à des déséquilibres dangereux du taux de sucre dans le sang. Les personnes diabétiques qui ont besoin de s'injecter de l'insuline (une hormone essentielle qui régule le glucose) sont particulièrement vulnérables à ces changements.

Les complications de la maladie rendent délicate l'activité physique pour les personnes atteintes de diabète. Il augmente la quantité de sucre circulant naturellement dans le sang, ce qui peut endommager les tissus de l'organisme. En conséquence, les personnes atteintes de diabète développent des lésions cardiaques, nerveuses et oculaires progressives. Ainsi, une personne ayant des lésions nerveuses au niveau des pieds peut perdre la sensation et ne pas sentir qu'une ampoule se développe, pouvant se transformer en un ulcère ou une infection. Les activités physiques à forte intensité peuvent être ainsi contre-indiquées car sources de complications.

“CORRECTEMENT PRATIQUÉ, LES BÉNÉFICES DU SPORT SONT NOMBREUX”

Les personnes diabétiques doivent d'abord discuter avec leur médecin sur le type d'exercice à faire, la fréquence, le suivi, notamment des contrôles réguliers de la glycémie, des yeux et des pieds. Correctement pratiqué, les bénéfices de l'activité physique sont nombreux. Le plus important est une meilleure maîtrise de la glycémie, en particulier pour les diabétiques de type 2 qui continuent de produire de l'insuline mais sont résistants à ses effets.

Des études ont montré qu'une activité physique régulière peut conduire à une amélioration soutenue de la sensibilité du métabolisme et de l'insuline. Il peut également réduire la pression artérielle, le cholestérol et les chances de développer une maladie cardiovasculaire. En conséquence, l'activité physique est un élément important de la gestion du diabète. Des athlètes souffrant de diabète, comme le marathonien Missy Foy ou le champion olympique de volley-ball Bas Van de Goor, ont fait beaucoup pour briser les barrières et dissiper les idées fausses. Ainsi, si choisir la bonne activité physique et s'y tenir peut être un défi pour les personnes à risque ou atteintes de diabète, le jeu en vaut largement la chandelle.

La Fédération internationale du diabète a pour but de promouvoir les soins, la prévention et la guérison du diabète à travers le monde. Le sport représente un potentiel intéressant au cœur de sa stratégie. Retrouvez l'intégralité de cet article sur le site de Sport et Citoyenneté.

Leonor Guariguata, biostatisticienne, Fédération internationale du diabète

Cinnamon: The latest hope for Alzheimer’s? | Health

Can an extract from this fragrant spice ward off the devastating brain disease - and maybe even diabetes?

Researchers discovered that an extract in the cinnamon can delay the effects of five aggressive strains of Alzheimer's-inducing genes.

A new Israeli study shows that the common spice cinnamon seems to delay the progress of Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative brain condition.

The research builds on the work of Prof. Michael Ovadia of Tel Aviv University, who discovered about a decade ago that an extract of cinnamon -- one of the aromatic ingredients in the incense used in the ancient Jewish Temple - has powerful anti-viral properties.

Curious about other applications, Tel Aviv University PhD student Anat Frydman-Marom added Ovadia's cinnamon extract, CEppt, into her line of research on compounds that may fight Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Initial results surpassed her expectations and took her research in a new direction.

Now her work has the sweet smell of success: CEppt can delay the effects of five aggressive strains of Alzheimer's-inducing genes, according to a multi-lab research paper co-authored by Frydman-Marom, Ovadia, Ehud Gazit, Daniel Segal and Dan Frenkel in the medical journal PLoS ONE.

Could help diabetes as well

Using in-vitro tests and then Drosophila fly and mice models, the team of scientists found that amyloid plaques, which can lead to Alzheimer's, had been dissolved by CEppt.

The extract also showed pharmacological properties that could be more effective against Type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease than other compounds they were studying, Frydman-Marom tells ISRAEL21c.

The notion that cinnamon works to fight disease is "for me, a matter of fact, but it's also a spiritual story," says Frydman-Marom, referring to the biblical connection.

In their paper, the researchers note that cinnamon is one of the world's oldest herbal medicines, mentioned in Exodus, Proverbs and the Song of Songs, as well as Chinese texts as old as 4,000 years.

The special healing abilities of cinnamon are due to components such as cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, cinnamyl acetate and cinnamyl alcohol, and a wide range of other volatile substances like safrole, coumarin and cinnamic acid esters.

Scientists have already shown cinnamon can help control blood sugar and has both anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. The researchers hope that this novel material, as a food additive, drug or vitamin, could be used in younger people to prevent the effects of Alzheimer's later in life.

Toxic effects, take note

"My lab was in charge of the fly work, and in part was involved in the in-vitro work," Segal tells ISRAEL21c. "It's exciting because it seems we are onto finding some kind of molecule that may be able to alleviate some, if not all, the symptoms of Alzheimer's so this could be prevented in younger ages, and in older ages too.

"Since it is an edible fraction of a common edible plant, it should be quickly translated to compounds made available for users pending doctors' instructions. As a food additive in combination with others, we expect it to be highly effective," Segal adds.

He believes that some health benefits could be derived from drinking cinnamon tea, but cautions against self-medicating, since the bark-derived spice also has elements that can be toxic in large doses.

But it's certainly a pleasant material to work with, notes Frydman-Marom. "It's very nice to work in the lab -- where everything smells so bad -- and then suddenly everything smells like cinnamon."

L’huile d’olive aurait un effet protecteur contre les AVC

27 juin 2011 – Les personnes âgées qui consomment beaucoup d’huile d’olive pourraient courir moins de risque de subir unaccident vasculaire cérébral (AVC), selon une étude européenne¹.

Les chercheurs sont arrivés à cette conclusion après avoir analysé - pendant 6 ans - l’apparition d’AVC et la consommation d’huile d’olive chez 7 625 personnes âgées en moyenne de 74 ans, sans antécédent de trouble cardiaque.

En considérant d’autres variables, comme le poids, l’indice de masse corporelle et l’activité physique, les personnes qui utilisaient de l’huile d’olive tant pour la cuisson que pour la vinaigrette ont vu leur risque d’AVC diminuer de 41 % comparativement à celles qui ne consommaient pas d’huile d’olive.

Les participants qui consommaient modérément de l’huile d’olive - pour la cuisson ou dans les vinaigrettes - ont quant à eux réduit leur risque d’être victimes d’un AVC de 20 %. Au total, il y a eu 148 AVC durant l’étude.

Les chercheurs ont aussi analysé en parallèle le taux de l’acide oléinique (marqueur biologique de la consommation d’huile d’olive) dans le sang d’une autre cohorte de 1 245 participants et l’incidence d’AVC. Les résultats montrent que plus la présence de l’acide oléinique était élevée dans le sang, plus le risque d’AVC diminuait chez les sujets.

Les auteurs estiment qu’une consommation élevée d’huile d’olive chez les personnes âgées serait une recommandation peu coûteuse et simple pour prévenir les AVC parmi ce groupe.

Cependant, l’éditorial² qui accompagne l’étude publiée dans la revue Neurology souligne que les bienfaits de l’huile d’olive peuvent être indirects, car elle accompagne souvent des aliments bons pour la santé : légumes, poissons, fruits.

Carole Boulé – PasseportSanté.net

Wikio

Fix Your Front Squat

by Lee Boyce – 6/21/2011

When most lifters boast online about their Herculean squat numbers, I'd guess that 80 percent or more are referring to back squats.

It's the most popular squat variation in the world – and I'll be the first to give it the credit it deserves – but there are times when it might be advantageous to give your traps a break and incorporate front squats.

So why does the front squat so often get thrown under the bus? For one thing, front squats are hard work, something that many commercial gym heroes tend to avoid like egg yolks and body hair. Since moving heavy weight for the cell phone camera is priority number one for your typical egocentric meathead, most stay in their comfort zone and bang out leg presses, leg extensions, and sordid half-rep back squat perversions, complete with more mid-set grunting and groaning than a porn casting.

After all, they reason, what can you get from front squats that you can't get from back squats? Good question.

Why Should I Be Doing Front Squats?

Front squats will do three things if you do them correctly:

• Increase depth achieved
• Improve core strength
• Activate glutes

When a barbell is loaded on the front of the body, the pelvis gets to tilt backwards somewhat, which makes the hamstrings less taut. This gives them the freedom to allow a greater ROM at the bottom of the lift. This pelvic tilt also allows the lower abs to contribute to the lift more, and takes the hip flexors away from "blocking" the movement.

So, just like a goblet squat, you get a hell of a lot lower then you do in a back squat. The torso also gets to stay more upright, which requires the obliques to provide stability.

Finally, due to the tremendous knee extension involved, the front squat is rightly seen as a major quad developer. Since the thighs drop far below parallel to the floor, it's safe to say that hip flexion is greatly increased too, forcing the glutes to assist the concentric half of the lift.

With all of these kick-ass benefits, it seems like a no-brainer that front squats should make a regular appearance in a typical program.

Why You Suck At Front Squats

Other than the obvious (you aren't doing them enough), there are a few things that limit lifters from achieving a decent front squat.

Your Abs Aren't Strong Enough

Front squats require considerable core involvement. You'd do well to incorporate some exercises for anti – extension (to prevent overarch) and oblique work so they function well as stabilizers.

Ab wheel rollouts OR Blast Strap fallouts

Suitcase deadlift OR Paloff press

These are a few of what I consider to be staple movements to improve the function of the abdominals and wake them up for the real stuff.

Your Elbows Won't Stay High Enough

The goal should be to keep the elbows pointing as far upwards as possible to promote parallel lines between the upper arm and the floor at all times.

If you've noticed that every time you front squat your elbows start pointing towards the floor after only two reps, causing you to rack the weight prematurely, there's a reason for that.

In this case, the first thing to do would be to activate your rotator cuff. If these small muscles aren't playing their part in externally rotating the upper arm, your elbows will drop faster than Tiger Woods' "Just Do It" promo.

Luckily, there are a couple of things you can do to remedy that problem.

Face pulls

Seated dumbbell external rotation

Be sure to use a light weight. It won't take much!

You Can't Stand Tall

Proper thoracic extension is very important for front squats, as the Turtleback syndrome affects many when they have to bear a front load.

Take a barbell and perform a set of five front squats. Do you notice your mid-back rolling like the Andes? Have someone watch you if you have any doubts.

Either way, there are a few simple fixes.

• PNF intercostal stretch
• Foam roller extensions
• Trap – 3 raises

(See this article for examples of all three)

Something to keep in mind though – studies have shown that after the sixth rep of a typical set of front squats or front loaded work, the rhomboids begin fatiguing and can no longer hold a constant isometric. For this reason, try to keep sets of front squats towards the lower end of the repetition continuum.

Getting a Grip

Many lifters will use the "California" style or cross-armed grip on the bar to allow it to rest on the shoulders when performing a front squat. Big mistake. Since one elbow stays higher than the other on a cross-armed grip, under substantial load, it can act against proper structural alignment of the shoulders, and has the potential to refer imbalances right through to the hips and knees.

For this reason, I highly recommend using a clean grip, which also has better carryover to proper techniques involved with any Olympic lifts as well as overhead pressing. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but remember to keep a proud chest and get those elbows up!

It's okay to remove a finger or two from under the bar (I like to remove my thumb and pinky finger as it helps take stress off the wrists and allows for the elbows to stay up). Otherwise, make sure the lats, triceps, and forearms get a good stretch before beginning. (See picture below.)

The Cues

Here are some basic tips to look out for when doing front squats.

• Keep the toes pointed slightly outwards, and make sure knees track in the direction the toes point
• Keep the chest up proud
• Elbows high at all times
• Hinge from the hips, and let the glutes fire to come back up
• Press through the full foot, keeping the heel on the ground
• Breathe deep on the eccentric, and hold full of air at the bottom to increase intra-abdominal pressure
• Don't panic – the legs have loads of fight – or – flight in them. You'll get out of the hole!

Lifters Who Should Be All Over Front Squats

Tall Lifters. It's asking a lot of someone who's over six feet to get far below parallel during a back squat. Front loading allows the center of gravity to shift backwards slightly, and unloads the low back and hips enough for them to achieve this depth. Your chicken legs may be due to lack of back squatting depth.

Lifters With Tight Hamstrings. As noted, a front load will make the hamstrings less taut, and therefore promote more range of motion during the negative phase of the squat.

Getting Out of The "Embarrassing" Category

If these pointers alone don't substantially improve your front squat, I've put together a cool quasi-workout that serves as a good tool to bring up your fronts.

Think of this as a "front squat conditioning" workout. The goal is to get the abs firing correctly, get the upper back tight, and start practicing the movement properly and under decent load.

Begin by foam rolling and static stretching hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes, and lats.

Perform the following workout as a sequence. Rest 90 seconds between each exercise.

Front squat workout

	Exercise	Reps	% 1RM
A	Front squat	6	70%
B	Ab wheel rollout	12
–	Foam roller extensions	*
C	Front squat	5	80%
D	Stomach-up pull-ups†	6-8‡
E	Front squat	4	80%
F	Trap-3 raises	12 per arm
–	PNF intercostal stretch
G	Front squat	4	80%
H	DB external rotations	12 per arm
I	Front squat	4	80%

* as many as needed
† see video below – be sure not to allow the feet to do anything but hang straight down to get full stimulation of the abdominals. It should look like you're trying to pull yourself to horizontal.
‡ at a 3010 tempo

This mini-workout will take 20 minutes to get through. You'll notice reps are kept low, as are intensities. The reason for this is the abdominals and upper back muscles are being hit with direct exercises to mildly fatigue them between each set of front squats. Loading aggressively could be inviting injury. An elevated heart rate – thanks to the 90-second rest interval – will allow practicing keeping the elbows high and chest up while slightly fatigued.

There's nothing fancy-shmancy about this workout, and it doesn't even need to replace a real leg workout. Chances are you won't be too sore the next day, either. This workout can find its home on a supplementary day for a few weeks.

Squatting to Oblivion!

Adding load to the body effectively trains muscle, of course. Contrary to popular belief, though, the answer isn't always throwing on heavier and heavier weight. You'd be surprised how added ROM, improved technique, or a bit of both can be game-changers for tapping into sleepy motor units or just plain increasing difficulty.

Moreover, they just may be the missing link to make you the guy whose chicken legs flew the coop.

Wikio

The Best Damn Push-Ups Article, Period!

by Bret Contreras and Elsbeth Vaino – 6/22/2011

Push-ups get no respect.
While other bodyweight exercises like chin-ups and dips boast devoted fans from all corners of the industry, the lowly push-up is the veritable red-headed step-child of the strength and conditioning world.
At the risk of going all Freudian, perhaps it has something to do with childhood?
Come across the word "push-up" in an otherwise blasé strength training program and suddenly you're a pimple-faced 7^th grader again, desperately trying to avoid attention while an overly-caffeinated Mr. Hartmann doles out punishing sets of push-ups for the slightest of offences.

"Class started 17 seconds ago you slimy scumbag! Get on your face and give me 25!"

So rather than re-live that humiliation every time we strap on our Chucks, we label the push-up as "biomechanically inferior," or a "pussy exercise," and strike it from our programs, and our psyche.
But we're here to tell you that's just not fair, and there's much ado about the push-up that warrants your attention.
For example, if they're such a walk in the park, ever wonder why most novices do what they do when first attempting push-ups?
Why do rookies flare their elbows and place their hands high and wide? Why do they tend to sag in the core region, or limit the range of motion and perform "partial reps?"
And why do men just seem to "catch on" much quicker than women?
In this article, we're going to review the literature pertinent to push-ups, discuss common technique errors, offer some corrective exercises to assist in proper push-up performance, and provide a push-up progression list.

Literature Summary

Despite the notable absence of glutes and ass references, this is still a Bret Contreras co-production, which means one thing: research. Here's a brief summary of just some of what the literature says about push-ups.
The abdominal muscles are king when it comes to spinal stability during push-ups. The rectus abdominis is the primary stabilizer for preventing hip sagging, while the obliques do most of the work to prevent lateral shifting and twisting. The transversus abdominis, multifidus, and erector spinae are only minimal contributors to spinal stability during the push-up exercise.
Push-ups are also about arms and chest, with 73-109% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of the triceps, and 95-105% MVC of the pec major. The back is also involved, with serratus anterior as the top back muscle with 75% MVC compared to 27% for the mid traps and 36% for the lower traps.
Hand position plays an important role. A narrow base push-up position significantly increases stress on the elbow joint, but also involves higher muscle activation in the triceps and pecs. Internally rotated hand positions were also shown to produce greater and potentially injurious forces on the elbow joints.
Depending on your goal, you'll want to do different push-up progressions. Push-ups with alternating hands on a ball provided the greatest rectus abdominis and oblique challenge; one arm push-ups hit the lats, anterior deltoid, and erector spinae the hardest; and clapping push-ups were the toughest for the pec major, triceps, and biceps.
Cogley et al. (2005) found that narrow base push-ups led to higher EMG values in the triceps brachii and pectoralis major than wide base push-ups. Popular belief indicates that wide base push-ups activate more pec fibers, but this study showed otherwise.
An et al. (1992) found that peak axial forces on the elbow joint during push-ups averaged around 45% of bodyweight. This increases to 75% in the case of narrow base push-ups. This means that narrow base push-ups (with your hands closer together) increases stress on the elbow joint.
Beach et al. (2008) showed that suspended push-ups activated more core musculature than regular push-ups. Based on this finding you can use blast straps or a TRX to increase the efficacy of the push-ups exercise.
Lehman et al. found in 2008 that elevating the feet above the hands had a greater influence on scapulothoracic stabilizing musculature than placing the hands on a Swiss ball. This means that it's more challenging for the shoulder girdle stabilizers to do push-ups with your feet elevated onto a bench – with your hands on the ground – than to perform push-ups with your hands on a Swiss ball and your feet on the ground.
But don't dump the unstable equipment just yet. Lehman et al. also found in 2006 that as long as you kept the torso angle constant, it would be more effective to perform exercises such as Swiss ball and Bosu push-ups in comparison to bodyweight push-ups – provided you place the hands on the unstable piece of equipment rather than the feet.
Lou et al. (2001) showed that internal rotation of the hand position or full pronation of the forearm during push-ups led to greater posterior and varus forces on the elbow joints that could produce injurious shear forces. Considering this finding, it's recommended that internally rotated hand positions should be avoided for optimal elbow health.
Sandhu et al. (2008) found that push-ups with the hands placed on a Swiss ball significantly increased triceps and pectoralis major activity compared to normal push-ups, but only during the eccentric phase.
Youdas et al (2010) found that depending on the hand position, the push up activated between 73-109% MVC of the triceps brachii, 95-105% MVC of the pectoralis major, 67-87% MVC of the serratus anterior, and 11-21% MVC of the posterior deltoid musculature. The researchers also found that the narrow base position was the most effective position for increasing triceps contribution, and that the Perfect Push up™ device did not enhance muscular recruitment.

Common Biomechanical Errors

Think performing a push-up should come as natural as peeing your name in the fresh fallen snow? Think again.

There are three common push-up performance errors.

T-Set Up

First, when performing push-ups, people often set up with their hand position high and wide. If you took a snapshot from above as in an aerial view, their set up would look like the letter T. People do this to make the exercise easier.
Why is this position easier?

• The alignment of the pec fibers is better suited to produce force from this position.
• This position requires less muscle activation (as measured by EMG) in the pecs and the triceps.
• Shoulder horizontal abduction flexibility is limited, so the structures limiting flexibility will contribute much needed passive force in the bottom position.

Caterpillaring

Second is caterpillaring, or allowing the hips to sag resulting in anterior pelvic tilting and lumbar hyperextension. Here's why this occurs.

• They lack the core strength to stabilize their lumbopelvic region and simply allow their core to gain stability by "hanging" on the structures that limit this motion – namely the hip flexors and lumbar vertebrae. Basically, the hip flexors lengthen and contribute passive tension, and the neural arches of the vertebrae get closer together (aka approximation). This places the posterior elements of the spine at risk.
• People are stuck in anterior pelvic tilt due to tight hip flexors and erector spinae and don't have the muscular strength in the rectus abdominis and gluteus maximus to override this tightness during the push-up.
• By keeping the hips low and hinging at the lumbar spine, a lower percentage of bodyweight is being lifted since much of the body is hanging toward the floor, thereby making the exercise easier.
• People aren't strong in deeper ranges so they sag to "pretend" they're going deeper since their hips will bottom out before their chest, creating the illusion that they're using full ROM.

Stopping Short

Third, people cut the movement short and perform half-reps. Here's typically why this occurs.

• People lack end-range shoulder strength and stability.
• The bottom position of the push-ups involves a higher percentage of bodyweight than the top position, which makes the bottom more difficult. This makes the push-up the opposite of "accommodating resistance" since the loading increases as the push-up is lowered to the ground.
• People want to fool themselves into thinking that they're in better shape than they really are. The ego can handle doing ten half-rep push-ups, but it's tough for a typical person to admit that he or she isn't in good enough shape to perform a single legitimate, full-range push-up.

PPT: To Tilt or Not to Tilt

The push-up naturally encourages anterior pelvic tilt (APT) and lumbar extension due to the posteroanterior forces on the body induced by gravity. Contraction of the rectus abdominis is required to prevent pelvic and lumbar deformation and keep the lumbopelvic region in neutral, but further contraction of the glutes and abs will take you into posterior pelvic tilt (PPT). Whether you should enter into PPT, and the optimal amount of PPT, is up for debate.
Most coaches would agree that doing push-ups in APT is unwise. As long as you can keep a neutral posture, then all is well. However, some coaches believe that the push-up should be performed with a maximal glute and lower ab contraction to facilitate a strong PPT.

The PPT push-ups have three distinct advantages over the traditional push-up.

• Since it requires a strong gluteand lower ab contraction to create the tilt, it serves as a static glute activation exercise. This allows you to kill two birds with one stone by improving the neural drive to the glutes while working the upper body. Take it from the Glute Guy, everyone can benefit from some extra glute activation!
• By shifting the pelvis forward with your glutes, you're no longer "hanging" on your hip flexors and lumbar vertebrae for stability. This will now require a stronger abdominal contraction as now you're using active muscles to keep you stable rather than passive muscles and ligaments. Theextra muscle force from the rectus abdominis and gluteus maximus makes it a more effective core exercise and makes the push-up a "total body exercise."
• Third, it"locks you in" so there's really no chance of losingcore stability. In other words, you maintain a straight line from your shoulders to ankles while you perform push-ups. Now yourhips won't begin to sag as the set ensues, which spares the posterior elements of the lumbar spine.

However, there's one drawback of performing the PPT push-ups.

Pelvic positioning is linked to lumbar and thoracic spine positioning. Specifically, a PPT is associated with increased thoracic kyphosis. Performing push-ups with a hyperkyphotic curve will affect scapulohumeral rhythm and could increase the risk of impingement and rotator cuff issues. While this might not cause any problems initially, it might present problems down the road.
Now, it is important to take a step back and note that you don't need a posterior pelvic tilt in your push-ups; what you need is to avoid anterior pelvic tilt push-ups. If you tend to produce an anterior pelvic tilt when you do push-ups, then encouraging PPT as you work on improving your push-ups is a great approach, but once you're able to maintain a neutral pelvic alignment, you may wish to eliminate the posterior tilt focus. For this reason, our corrections and progressions will be shown using a PPT.

Sex Differences: Men versus Women

Three different factors could explain why women struggle more with push-ups than men.
First, strength levels are different between men and women. When measured as a percentage of lean body mass, the differences are dramatically reduced, especially in the lower body. But upper body strength in men is greater than in women, and because upper body strength is a big part of a push-up (requiring moving around 66% of body weight), it's not a simple task for beginners, especially beginner women.
Second, most women possess a higher proportion of lower body muscle mass relative to upper body muscle mass compared to men. If you want to see how this feels, put yourself in a plank position and have someone place some weight above your chest and see how much of an added challenge that is. Then try this again but have the weight placed above your pelvis. Your core will need to work much more to support the weight at your pelvis than at the chest. For this reason women could find the push-ups more challenging for the core.
Third, push-ups are considered the gold standard for strength in young males. Teenage boys likely attempt far more push-ups than teenage females. The "manliness" factor of push-ups provides an incentive for males to try harder and master the push-up.

The Path to Push-ups Proficiency

There are several corrections that can be implemented to assist with push-up performance.

• No matter which type of push-up you're performing, always set up in the "arrow formation." Basically, this means that if you took a snapshot from the aerial view the push-ups position would look like an arrow, not the letter T. This position is easier on the shoulder joint and leads to higher EMG activation of the pecs and triceps.
• Only perform variations that allow you to keep your core stable and prevent excessive anterior pelvic tilt and lumbar extension. In other words, regress the exercise to a variation you can do correctly and progress from there.
• If you tend to produce an anterior pelvic tilt (APT) during your planks or push-ups, then focus on a posterior pelvic tilt.
• Only perform variations that allow you to use a full range of motion. In other words, regress the exercise to a variation that you can do correctly and progress from there.
• Perform corrective exercises and move up gradually through the progressions.

Push-ups Progressions

Despite the complex tone of this article, performing a push-up so perfect that it will make even the most anal retentive exercise physiologist's heart skip a beat is a breeze.
From the list of push-up progressions below, find the one that you can do with proper form and do a set two-three times per day. Once you can complete a set of 10 with good form, move to the next progression.

Once you can do singles, progress to multiple repetitions of full push-ups. Success!

Corrective Exercises to Assist in Proper Push-ups Performance

Progress not happening fast enough? Then do a couple of sets of these exercises two-three times per week and you'll accelerate your push-ups performance progress.

Advanced Push-up Variations

Once you get the hang of proper push-up form you might find yourself quite smitten with the exercise. You'll want it more, multiple times a day, different ways, different positions, in airplane lavatories after the captain turns off the seatbelt sign. You get the picture.
Fortunately there are many advanced progression options once quality regular push-ups have been achieved, starting with feet elevated push-ups, and moving to:

• One-foot push-ups
• One-arm push-ups
• Diamond push-ups
• Between bench increased range push-ups
• Hindu push-ups (Judo push-ups)
• Dive-bomber push-ups
• Push-ups with rotation (T-push-ups)
• Spiderman push-ups
• Push-ups with hip extension
• Tick tock push-ups
• Corkscrew push-ups
• Suspended push-ups (using TRX, blast straps, or rings)
• Weighted plate push-ups
• Weighted vest push-ups
• Weighted chain push-ups

• Band resisted push-ups
• Clapping push-ups
• Kneeling clapping push-ups
• Bosu ball or stability ball push-ups
• Stability ball push-ups with two balls
• Alternating stability ball push-ups (walkovers)
• Side-to-side push-ups
• Triangle push-ups
• Side-tap push-ups
• Push-up iso-holds
• One-arm one-leg push-ups
• Alligator push-ups
• Grasshopper push-ups (soccer push-ups)
• Pike push-ups
• Push-backs
• Planche push-ups

Push-up Variations for Ballers

Here are some good video demonstrations for push-up variations:
These two are from Roger Lawson.

These two are from Martin Rooney.

Think You're Too Strong for Push-ups? Think Again!

Nobody can ever be too strong for push-ups variations. Here's Ben Bruno doing suspended push-ups with 185 lbs. of extra resistance; more than his own bodyweight!

Here's Cem Eren doing explosive plyometric push-ups; you'll see that he can spin 180 degrees while doing them!

And this is just insane. It's some freak doing clapping planche push-ups, as if regular planche push-ups weren't hard enough!

Conclusion

There are literally hundreds of exercises you can do in the gym to build a healthier, stronger body, but sometimes the basics are the best. Of course, we don't expect you to dump your current strength training routine in favor of just performing push-up variations while you watch the dozen hospital shows you TiVo'd, but we do think it's time to give the much-maligned push-up a second look.
At the very least, you should've picked up some cool factoids that will make you look really smart in front of your meathead friends. Just don't let Mr. Hartmann catch you looking like a caterpillar when you do push-ups!

Wikio