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Unless
you're training to be a power-lifter-you know, those really strong
guys who grab and snatch and lift unbelievable amounts of iron
at competitions-in your quest for fitness you will, at some point
(once you're passably de-flabbed), look for a ripped, defined
body, where your body fat levels are low enough and muscle toning
levels high enough to give you that perfect, sculpted look. And
you don't have to be 20 to get there. Madonna's got that physique.
And she's what? 47? Or is it 48? I've seen guys in their 50s with
lean, ripped bodies, six-pack abs and all.
How do you get there? First, a caveat: there's
no easy way. Behind every ripped body are a regular, hard-driving
exercise regime and a no-nonsense, yet nutritive diet. In other
words, there are no short-cuts. But then, if you're at a stage
where you're looking to get cuts and definitions in your body,
I'm assuming that the two-an exercise regime and a sensible diet-are
already part of your life.
The way to a ripped body is a twin path.
The first aims at keeping your body fat levels under control via
regular cardiovascular exercise and a sensible diet. Incorporate
a 7minute cardio session into your daily workout-seven minutes
before your weight training session and 15 minutes after it. The
second path is aimed at toning and sculpting your muscles. For
that you have to train intensively. What you need to do is to
slow down your movements while weight training. For example, when
you're doing biceps curls, concentrate on the movement and slow
down-count 2-3 seconds on the upward movement and 4 seconds on
the downward movement. Maintain proper form by not struggling
with the maximum weight that you can normally lift by lifting
weights that are only around 70-80 per cent of your max.
Now, for the best part. Shake up your schedule
by introducing a week of intensive circuit training every month.
Your normal schedule may be exercising one or two muscle groups
a day, four or five days a week-i.e. chest and triceps on Day
1, back and biceps on Day 2, shoulders Day 3 and legs on Day 4.
Once every four weeks, introduce a week of circuit training (ct).
ct involves a day of working out various parts of your upper body-chest,
shoulders, back and arms-alternated with a day of working out
parts of your lower body-thighs, calves, lower back. Choose one
exercise for each of these body parts and do them one after another,
performing one set of 10-12 repetitions for each. Complete the
circuit twice without breaks between sets. For instance, do a
set of bench presses, followed by a set of shoulder presses, followed
by a set of lat pulldowns, followed by a set of dumb-bell curls,
followed by a set of triceps extensions. Now, take a minute's
rest and do the same routine once again. That's circuit training.
And here's a tip: it is definitely harder than what it seems.
-Muscles
Mani
write to musclesmani@intoday.com
Caveat: The physical exercises described
in Treadmill are not recommendations. Readers should exercise
caution and consult a physician before attempting to follow any
of these.
SKINCARE
SIMPLIFIED
If
you are over 40, and prone to checking the mirror way too often
before dashing for another power point presentation, wrinkles
may not be a laughing matter.
What Is It: Wrinkles and age spots are normal
skin conditions that occur as a person ages. Fat cells beneath
the inner skin begin to wither and consequently skin loses its
elasticity. The skin's ability to retain moisture diminishes and
it becomes dry and scaly. According to Dr R.K. Joshi, Senior Dermatology
Consultant, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, "normally a person
starts developing wrinkles and pigmentation changes at around
40 years of age. In addition, the ability of the skin to repair
itself diminishes with age; as a result wounds take time to heal."
Causes: Wind, heat, chemicals and the effects
of ageing cause a certain amount of wrinkling in everyone, but
it is much worse in people who spend a lot of time in the sun.
Other factors that may hasten ageing of skin include smoking and
exposure to pollution. Adds Dr Joshi: "It is known that some
people may have a genetic predisposition to severe wrinkling."
Prevention: The best way to prevent skin
damage is to avoid excessive exposure to the sun, particularly
between 10 am and 4 pm when sunlight pours down 80 per cent of
its daily Ultraviolet (UV) emissions. Use sunscreens that block
out UV radiation. Also wear protective clothing and sunglasses.
And wash your face with a mild non-soap cleanser.
Treatment: A diet with plenty of whole grains,
fresh fruits and vegetables may protect skin. Daily exercise brings
oxygen to the skin, an important ingredient for a healthy skin.
"Common antioxidants like Vitamin A, C, E and beta carotene
assist in skin repair and the strengthening of blood vessels,"
adds Dr Joshi. However, reducing stress and tension may also have
beneficial effects on the skin.
-Manu
Kaushik
PRINTED
CIRCUIT
Thumb Rule
Brighter, Lighter BlackBerry
 My
first dalliance with the blackberry was in February last year
when I tested one and wrote in this magazine about the wonders
of the 'berry and how good-at least for a while-it felt to be
always connected via e-mail. I toyed with the idea of subscribing
to the BlackBerry service, provided in India by Airtel, but before
I could do that I found myself succumbing to the functional ease
of a Nokia 9300 communicator-you know the silver candy bar phone
that opens up to reveal a qwerty keyboard and a horizontal screen
where you can access your e-mail. The main advantage of the Nokia
was that you didn't look like an idiot if you were talking on
the phone. The BlackBerry 7730 (the model I'd tested last year),
in contrast, was like a square artificial palm that looked ungainly
pressed against your ear. Besides, its audio quality wasn't something
to call home about. So, if you had a BlackBerry, you'd need to
also carry a cellphone-not a great prospect.
Not so with the BlackBerry 8700g. This cutie
is smaller and lighter and yet has a bright new screen that is
easy to read. What's more, the sound quality has vastly improved
and it looks a lot less clunky than its predecessors. The BlackBerry
8700g features a completely re-engineered device platform with
an Intel(r) XScale(r) cellular processor, 64 MB flash memory and
16 MB SDRAM. What all this means is that it's faster for web browsing,
attachment viewing and, most important; you don't look like a
monkey when you speak on it.
Price: Rs 29,990.
-SN
"It's Not Me Talking"
Talking Beer Mug
Available
on www.bimbambanana.com is a beer mug that will never allow itself
to go empty. It will repeat such phrases as, "Your Beer is running
dangerously low", "Refill immediately, danger of sobering up"
and "Cheers". We predict, that despite its $21 (Rs 945) price
tag, this will be a big hit on college campuses across the world.
Ka Redux
Nokia's New Snake
 Talking
about mobile-phone games might seem silly in an era of phones
that come with 2-megapixel still cameras and mp3 players. Then,
this piece is about Snake, the cult game that old-time Nokia users
swear by. The latest iteration of the game has made its way into
one of the company's new phones, the n70. This fourth generation
Snake takes the game 3d and boasts such features as hexagonal
directional ability and power bonuses. You can switch the game
over to a 2d view, but that isn't half as much fun.
 Finger
File
Bio-Swipe
Some cars come
with music systems onto which you can load an USB-drive, but what
if you don't want anyone else to hear your secret collection of
indipop music? Or, what if you carry lots of sensitive data on
an USB-storage device and do not want anyone else to access it?
Well, you could use Imation 'Bio-Swipe', a USB device which has
an in-built fingerprint scanner so that your music and other important
files are never compromised as your fingerprint is the only thing
that can unlock it. How much: Priced between Rs 5,800 (128 MB)
to Rs 14,400 (1 GB).
-Compiled by Kushan Mitra
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