The Capitol Club Bangkok

Alcohol and Athletes

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:43:00 +0000

Myths of Women's Weight Training and Female Bodybuilding

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:43:00 +0000

The myths about women's weight training and female bodybuilding do not ever seem to go away. With this article, I'd like to share the facts regarding weight training and female bodybuilding.

Women's Weight Training Myth #1 -Weight training makes you bulky and masculine.
Due to the fact that women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass by merely touching some weights. Unfortunately, the image that may come to your mind is that of professional female bodybuilders. Most of these women, unfortunately, use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that high degree of muscularity.

In addition, most also have good genetics coupled with an unbelievable work ethic that enable them to gain muscle quickly when they spend hours in the gym lifting very heavy weights. Believe me when I say that they do not look like that by accident. Women who conduct weight training without the use of steroids get the firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that you see in most fitness/figure shows these days.

Women's Weight Training Myth #2 - Exercise increases your chest size.

Sorry girls. Women’s breasts are composed mostly of fatty tissue. Therefore, it is impossible to increase breast size through weight training. As a matter of fact, if you go below 12 percent body fat, your breast size will decrease. Weight training does increase the size of the back, so this misconception probably comes from confusing an increase in back size with an increase in cup size. The only way to increase your breast size is by gaining fat or getting breast implants.

Women's Weight Training Myth #3 - Weight training makes you stiff and muscle bound.
If you perform all exercises through their full range of motion, flexibility will increase. Exercises like flies, stiff-legged deadlifts, dumbbell presses, and chin-ups stretch the muscle in the bottom range of the movement. Therefore, by performing these exercises correctly, your stretching capabilities will increase.

Women's Weight Training Myth #4 - If you stop weight training your muscles turn into fat.

This is like saying that gold can turn into brass. Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue. What happens many times is that when people decide to go off their weight training programs they start losing muscle due to inactivity (use it or lose it) and they also usually drop the diet as well. Therefore bad eating habits combined with the fact that their metabolism is lower due to inactivity, and lower degrees of muscle mass, give the impression that the subject’s muscle is being turned into fat while in reality what is happening is that muscle is being lost and fat is being accumulated.

Women's Weight Training Myth #5 - Weight training turns fat into muscle.

This is the equivalent of saying that you can turn any metal into gold; don't we wish! The way a body transformation occurs is by gaining muscle through weight training and losing fat through aerobics and diets simultaneously. Again, muscle and fat are very different types of tissue. We cannot turn one into the other.

Women's Weight Training Myth #6 - As long as you exercise you can eat anything that you want.

How I wish this was true also! However, this could not be further from the truth. Our individual metabolism determines how many calories we burn at rest and while us exercise. If we eat more calories than we burn on a consistent basis, our bodies will accumulate these extra calories as fat regardless of the amount of exercise that we do. This myth may have been created by people with such high metabolic rates that no matter how much they eat or what they eat, they rarely meet or exceed the amount of calories that they burn in one day unless they put their mind to doing so. Therefore, their weight either remains stable or goes down.

Women's Weight Training Myth #7 - Women only need to do cardio and if they decide to lift weights, they should be very light.

First of all, if you only did cardio then muscle and fat would be burned for fuel. One needs to do weights in order to get the muscle building machine going and thus prevent any loss of muscle tissue. Women that only concentrate on cardio will have a very hard time achieving the look that they want. As far as the lifting of very light weights, this is just more nonsense. Muscle responds to resistance and if the resistance is too light, then there will be no reason for the body to change.

Women Should Train Hard

I have trained with girls that train as hard as I do and they look nothing but feminine. If you want to look great, don't be afraid to pick up the weights and lift hard!

For more information at www.bodybuilding.about.com

Club Educate: At Fitness area if member or guest used dumbbell barbell or any equipment please return all equipment to its place after use.

President Park Promotion!

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:04:00 +0000

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Perfect 6 Pack Abs

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:56:00 +0000

Employee of the Month - February, 2008

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:27:00 +0000

Meditation Lesson #2

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:37:00 +0000

"Meditation For Starters" video with Swami Kriyananda.
Watch demonstration of the proper yogic breathing, and a non-sectarian "Hong-Sau" technique of concentration. The video is ideal for beginning meditators, and for those wishing to deepen their meditation practice.

WWW.ANANDA.ORG

“Can You Burn Fat And Build Muscle At The Same Time?”

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:13:00 +0000

If there is one question that I’ve been asked the most, it’s how to burn fat and build muscle at the same time. It seems there is a lot of confusion about whether or not one can actually burn fat while building muscle at the same time.

Well, it’s no wonder. Just take a look around the internet and you’ll find 101 different answers to this question. Some sites say you can build huge amounts of muscle while reducing fat and others say you can’t build muscle if you are trying to lose body fat. So, who’s right?
Where do I stand on the issue of burning fat and building muscle at the same time? Well, I find myself caught in the middle of this question. That is, it is sort of like a balancing act when it comes to building muscle and burning fat. You see, it all depends on what you want and where you currently stand with your training program. Now, there are a whole lot of you out there who want the best of both worlds - Including me, which is to build the maximum amount of muscle while burning fat.

However, I can’t possibly say that you can actually build the maximum amount of muscle while at the same time, losing the maximum amount body fat. I tried this and it doesn’t work. Well it worked when I first started training but that soon stopped.

Now, I mean, when a person is training hard and heavy, their body is relying on a huge supply of nutrients to fuel and build their bodies. In order to grow, you need to feed your body the correct amount of nutrients that is required for growth. You cannot grow by reducing your overall caloric intake that is needed to lose weight and burn fat.

However, with that being said, there is a very fine line between gaining muscle and gaining body fat. You see, in order to get big muscles, you need to get strong first. When you are training, your muscles start to get strong and when they start to get strong, they get bigger and bigger to meet the demands of more weight being stressed upon them. Once this happens, they need more and more nutrients to keep growing. This is the only way the cycle of getting big muscles work.
As you get stronger, your muscles will start to get larger and your body will actually demand that you feed them a certain amount of nutrients to sustain this new growth. If you don’t feed your body the nutrients that it demands, it will get weaker. Once it gets weaker, your muscles will start to get smaller and it will draw on other sources of energy.

The general line of thinking to building muscle is this. To build muscle, you need to create what is called a calorie surplus. That is, you need to ingest more calories than your body is burning per day. Let’s say you need 2,500 calories on a daily basis, taking into account your exercise levels, to sustain your current body weight. Now, if you want to add body weight and build the maximum amount of muscle, you will need to adjust your training schedule to exert new demands on your body but more importantly, ingest more calories to support these new demands. You will need additional calories on a daily basis to support new growth.

Now, if you want to burn fat, you have to create what is called a calorie deficit. That is, you must ingest fewer calories than your body is burning on a daily basis. Of course, your training regiment will have to change but to alter your body fat levels; you will need to cut down on calories to burn the maximum amount of body fat.

So, to build muscle, you need to get strong. Once you start getting stronger, your body will demand more nutrients to sustain these new strength and muscle levels. However, this is where the balancing act comes into play. You know that in order to build muscle you need more and more nutrients to support new strength levels that is needed to get bigger muscles. Ok, now, that means more and more food. Let me be very clear about this. You need clean, powerful, muscle building food to support this new growth. All increase in calories should come from clean, body building foods.

You see, muscle is a very active tissue and once they start working, they turn into mini metabolism machines that are constantly going. Once they start to get strong, they crave more and more nutrients to keep that machine going. And if you feed them the right nutrients and in the right order, they will keep on going.

However, this process depends on a variety of factors such as age, gender, training styles, and so forth. But, all things being equal, the process of building muscle stands the same which is:

Get strong with hard and heavy weight training;

• Muscle gets larger to sustain strength levels;

• Body needs more nutrients to sustain new growth;

This is the basic process of growth. Now, this is very important for you to remember. The foods you choose to sustain new growth will have a direct impact as to how much fat you gain as compared to how much muscle you build. Yes, the foods you choose will be one of the deciding factors as to the kind of mass you want to gain. I’m a firm believer that calories are not all created equally. And this is where most people get confused when it comes to building maximum amount of muscle while losing or maintaining current fat levels.

You want to eat just enough calories to help with the growth process. If you ingest more calories than your body can use to sustain new growth, some of it will go to fat. This is the trick to maintaining body fat levels during growth phases. By gorging yourself with high fat foods, you will ultimately ingest too many calories to sustain new growth. However, if you eat clean, muscle building foods, your body will use up most of those calories for fuel and growth.

Yes, there are some sites on the internet will insist that all calories are created equally and the body doesn’t recognize one calorie from the next. I cannot agree with this statement. Eating 3,000 calories from cheeseburgers and Hagan daze is not the same as eating 3,000 calories from whole foods such as lean meat sources and complex, fibrous carbohydrates.

If you want to eat fatty, high calorie foods, you will gain a lot more fat than muscle. I think this is where most people get confused. When you get right down to it, it will come down to the foods that you choose that will be the deciding factor when trying to build the maximum amount of muscle while maintaining current body fat levels. A diet high in quality nutrients will produce much better results for building muscle mass and maintaining body fat levels than a diet high in fat and processed foods. Don’t believe me? Try cutting out all high fat foods and sugars from your diet and replace them with lean protein sources and complex carbohydrates. Do this for a week and see how it impacts your training. I can say with 100% certainty that you workouts will improve drastically and your body will take on a whole new look.

Now, there is an exception to this rule. It is during this period of growth that certain individuals can actually experience a certain level of body fat reduction while building muscle. However, before you get confused with this statement, let me explain. For beginners and those of you who are already out of shape, this is very possible.

That is, your body is in a state of growth from the weight training and your testosterone levels are increasing. Since your body is using up everything to build muscle, your fat levels are actually being reduced. For those of you who have been training for awhile, you can probably remember how fantastic those times were. You could eat just about anything and still build muscle without getting really fat.

But, this happens only for a certain period of time before your body needs more and more food to sustain strength levels and where most people experience plateaus. By not feeding your body the necessary nutrients to grow, it will stop growing. That means no more strength gains and why a lot of you reading this page now, are not getting stronger and bigger.

Now, most sources on the internet and other fitness publications will say that you have to choose one or the other - Build muscle or lose fat. It is true, you have to decide what you want to do and since you want to build muscle, you need to increase overall caloric intake. However, you have to be smart about this. Increasing caloric intake doesn’t mean increasing your consumption of cheeseburgers and chili fries. You have to increase calories from high powered, clean body building foods.

So, if you want to build the maximum amount of muscle you are going to have to increase your overall caloric intake. The trick is to increase your calorie intake with only quality, high powered muscle building foods. If you can do this, while training hard and heavy, you will gain quality muscle mass while maintaining current body fat levels. Choice of food is the real key to building lean muscle mass.

This is what I suggest. You don’t want to consume so many calories that you become fat. You want to consume enough calories that will support new growth but keep fat levels to a minimum. If you simply gorge yourself with food, it can be difficult to get rid of those extra pounds when it comes to stripping off body fat. I suggest you do the following:

1) Find your starting point;
Multiply your body weight by 20 to get your base starting caloric intake for adding mass. If you weight 165 pounds, multiply that by 20 to get 3,300 calories. This will be your base caloric intake.

2) Decide who much protein, carbohydrates, and fat you need.
You should be consuming at least 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. That is, if you weight 165 pounds, you should be consuming anywhere between 165 grams to 198 grams of protein per day. You should also be consuming about 3 to 5 grams of quality complex carbohydrates per pound of body weight. Keep fat down to about 15% to 20% of your overall caloric intake.

You will also need to eat, at the minimum 5 to 6 meals per day. If you skip breakfast, this won’t work. If you wait 4 to 5 hours in between meals, this won’t work. If you skip a meal or two, this won’t work. You must, eat 5 to 6 meals per day, spaced 2 to 3 hours apart. No questions about this part.

3) Decide on what kinds of foods you want to eat
Cut out all junk foods! This is a priority. Cut out all sugars and processed foods. Eat only high quality protein, carbohydrate and fat sources. Remember, you don’t want to add a lot of fat but muscle. I can guarantee all of you who are reading this page now that if you cut out all junk food and sugars, and replace them with whole foods such as lean protein sources, fibrous carbohydrates, and clean fats, your workouts will shoot through the roof.

For more information at www.building-muscle101.com

Meditation Week #1

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:37:00 +0000

Beginning Technique....

Make yourself comfortable, sitting upright, with a straight spine. With your eyes closed, look at the point midway between the eyebrows on your forehead.

Inhale slowly, counting to eight. Hold the breath for the same eight counts while concentrating your attention at the point between the eyebrows. Now exhale slowly to the same count of eight. Repeat three to six times.

After inhaling and exhaling completely, as the next breath comes in, mentally say 'In'. Then, as you exhale, mentally say 'Out'. Make no attempt to control your breathing, just let its flow be completely natural. Initially try to feel the breath at the point where it enters the nostrils.

Be as attentive as possible. If you have difficulty feeling the breath, you can concentrate, for a while, on the breathing process itself, feeling your diaphragm and chest expanding and contracting.

Gradually as you become more calm, try to feel the breath higher and higher in the nose. Be sure that your gaze is kept steady at the point between the eyebrows throughout your practice. Don't allow your eyes to follow the movement of the breath. If you find that your mind has wandered, simply bring it back to an awareness of the breath and the mantra.

As you become calmer, be more aware of the breath itself, higher and higher in the nose. Be sure to keep your gaze steady at the point between the eyebrows throughout your practice. Don't allow your eyes to follow the movement of the breath. If you find that your mind has wandered, simply bring it back to an awareness of the breath and the mantra.

By concentration on the breath, the breath actually diminishes; its gradual refinement leads naturally to an interiorized meditative state.

Practice this technique as long as you feel to.

Some Tips to Help Your Meditation

Controlling Your Breath At no time during the practice of this technique should you make any effort to control the breath. Let it flow naturally. Gradually, you may notice that the pauses between the inhalation and exhalation are becoming longer. Enjoy these pauses, for they are a glimpse of the deep peace state of advanced meditation. As you grow very calm you may notice that the breath is becoming so shallow (or the pauses so prolonged) that it hardly seems necessary to breathe at all.

How Long to Practice The amount of time you practice is entirely up to you but end your practice of the technique by taking a deep breath, and exhaling three times. Then, keeping your mind focused and your energy completely internalized and try to feel peace, love and joy within your self. Sit for at least five minutes enjoying the deeply relaxed state you are in. Aim for 15 minutes.

Where to Meditate If possible, set aside an area that is used only to meditate. This will create a meditative mood. A small room or closet is ideal as long as it can be well ventilated. Your area can be kept very simple—all you really need is a chair or small cushion to sit on.

Posture for Meditation There are many ways of sitting that are equally good. You can sit either in a straight-backed chair or on the floor in any of several poses. Two things, however, are essential: Your spine must be straight, and you must be able to relax completely.

Eye Position Focus your attention at the point between the eyebrows. This area, called "the spiritual eye," is a center of great spiritual energy. Your eyes should be closed and held steady, and looking slightly upwards, as if looking at a point about an arm's length away and level with the top of your head.
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If you should have any questions or comments about this technique please use this forum. Click on 'comments'. I will do my best to answer them. As my teacher told me, "There is no such thing as a question only more silence." However, in the beginning questions are important to make sure we are traveling the correct way!

Each Breath is a new beginning.

Asaf

Indian Promotion

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:27:00 +0000

International Buffet on Wednesday Nights

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 07:25:00 +0000

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My Mountain

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:41:00 +0000

In 2008, The Capitol Club has made one of the most fundamental changes in years to the Fitness Dome when we implemented 11 new televisions with more channels, in order to ensure that all members are entertained while working out. And we are also pleased to introduce our newest equipment called “My Mountain”.

My Mountain is ‘low impact’ equipment on the same principle as walking slope to have maximal effect do exercise to loose calories. The slope controls automatically from –5% to –50% as the first domestic, and it has various climbing courses as well. It’s a fixture which enjoy indoors.

These new fascinating equipments include all functions as same as treadmill, nevertheless the size is extremely smaller and noiseless. The dynamic spring system creates a smooth and natural feel that’s more like actually walking and it helps minimizing impact by the impact control system.
The slope being controlled automatically and has been programmed various mountain - climbing courses.

My Mountains are not made for running because they come with a much smaller base – however that is the key to low impact exercise. You can still burn many calories but keep your body in good condition. Please stop by and ask a fitness trainer to show you how to operate the My Mountain today!

Healthy Valentines Day!

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 03:44:00 +0000

How many of us have a difficult time of fitting some form of physical activities into our daily routine? During the hectic times like Christmas, New Year's Eve and so on, many of us simply give up without a fight, cutting back on our fitness routines because of the demands of the holiday season. Nevertheless, my article is "January is gone' and 'February is coming!" So the longer you stay away from your routine, the harder it will be to get going again and to get back to where you were. With a new approach and some planning, this holiday season can mark the beginning of some new fitness traditions.

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Strength training: OK for kids when done correctly

The Capitol Club in Bangkok — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:50:00 +0000

Strength training: OK for kids when done correctly

Strength training for kids is OK. But bodybuilding is dangerous. Know the differences and follow these guidelines to keep your kids safe.

The young athlete in your family is disciplined and devoted, squeezing in practice whenever he or she can. Now your child wants to start strength training. You've heard coaches and other parents talk about strength training, but you wonder — is strength training really good for a child?

The answer is yes. Strength training exercises that are supervised, safe and age-appropriate offer many bonuses to young athletes.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association all support strength training for kids — if it's done properly. Today's children are increasingly overweight and out of shape. Strength training can help put them on the lifetime path to better health and fitness.

Strength training, not weightlifting

Strength training for kids — not to be confused with weightlifting, bodybuilding or power lifting — is a carefully designed program of exercises to increase muscle strength and endurance. Weightlifting, bodybuilding and power lifting are largely driven by competition, with participants vying to lift heavier weights or build bigger muscles than other athletes. This can put too much strain on young muscles, tendons and growth plates, especially when proper technique is sacrificed in favor of lifting larger amounts of weight.

Strength training for kids, however, isn't about lifting the heaviest weight possible. Instead, the focus is on lighter weights and controlled movements, with a special emphasis on proper technique and safety.

Your child can build muscle strength using:

Free weights
Weight machines
Resistance bands
His or her own body weight

Benefits for young athletes

Strength training for kids has gotten a bad reputation over the years. Lifting weights, for example, was once thought to damage young growth plates — areas of cartilage that have not yet turned to bone. Experts now realize that with good technique and the right amount of resistance, young athletes can avoid growth plate injuries. Strengthening exercises, with proper training and supervision, provide many benefits to a young athlete.

Supervised strength training that emphasizes proper technique:

Increases your child's muscle strength and endurance
Protects your child's muscles and joints from injury
Helps improve performance in a particular sport
Your child may gain other health benefits from strength training, too.

These include:

Better heart and lung function
A healthy body composition
Stronger bones
Lower blood cholesterol levels
A good fitness habit that lasts a lifetime

Some studies suggest that improved self-esteem and a decreased chance of depression also are upshots of strength training. Your child may get a feel-good boost after improving his or her performance.

Who benefits most?

Strength training benefits older preteens more than younger kids. At the age of 5 to 6, kids should be focusing on body awareness and body control, balance, running, jumping and throwing.
Strength training also helps those kids who have a focused interest in a particular sport. For example, a figure skater or dancer who has a goal of jumping higher can improve with strength training. Football players, soccer players — just about all young athletes — can enhance their performance with a strength training program.

Because technique and proper form are so important, don't let your child begin strength training until he or she is mature enough to accept directions. A good rule of thumb is if your child is old enough to participate in organized sports, such as hockey, soccer or gymnastics, he or she is ready for some form of strength training.

Guidelines for youth strength training

The right strength training program for your child isn't just a scaled-down version of what an adult would do. Many adult programs focus on fewer repetitions and heavier weights. A youth strength training program needs to focus on:

Correct technique
Smooth, controlled motions
Less resistance and many repetitions

Your child's coach can tailor a strength training program for your child according to your child's age, size, skills and sports interests. The general principles of youth strength training are:

Provide instruction. Show your child how to perform strength training exercises using controlled breathing and proper form. You might ask a trained professional to demonstrate. If you enroll your child in a class, make sure there's at least one instructor for every 10 students to ensure that your child receives proper instruction.
Supervise. Adult supervision is important to reinforce safety and good technique. For instance, if your child lifts weights to strength train, a spotter — someone who stands ready to grab the weights — can step in if the weight becomes too heavy. As a parent, you can get involved in strength training, too. You can supervise your child and serve as a positive reinforcement for healthy lifestyle habits.

Warm up; cool down. Have your child begin each workout with 5 to 10 minutes of a warm-up activity, such as walking, jogging in place or jumping rope. This makes muscles warm and ready for action, all the while minimizing the risk of injury. End each workout with a cool down, including some light stretching.
Think light weights, controlled repetitions. One set of 12 to 20 repetitions at a lighter weight is all it takes. Kids don't need weights specially sized for them. They can safely lift adult-size weights as long as the weight isn't too heavy. The resistance doesn't have to come from weights, either. Resistance tubing can be just as effective — especially for younger kids.
Rest between workouts. Establish a rest period of at least a day between strength training workouts. Two or three sessions per week are plenty.
Track progress. Teach your child how to fill out a chart of which exercises, how many repetitions, and what weights or resistance he or she uses during a workout. It will be helpful in monitoring progress.
Add weight gradually. Only when your child masters proper form should you add weight. If your child can't do 10 repetitions at a certain weight, it's too heavy.
Keep it fun. Vary the routine often. Kids are more likely to stick with strength training if they don't get bored by it.

Results won't come overnight. But over time, you and your child will notice a difference in your child's muscle strength and endurance.
More information at http://www.mayoclinic.com/

Club Educate : Please be informed that only proper sport shoes can be worn in the gym area. Should our staff find you wear such as high-heeled shoes or any other than what we’ve mentioned, we will ask you to stop working out immediately.