2008 Mr. Olympia kicked off yesterday with press conference, be;ow you will find some photos from FLEX:

Kelly Leann Willis Fitness Model

The main problem with alcohol is not the number of calories it contains but rather the effect is has on fat metabolism. A recent study, for example, has shown that even small amounts of alcohol has a large impact on fat metabolism.

In this study eight men were given two drinks of vodka and lemonade separated by 30 minutes. Each drink contained just under 90 calories. Fat metabolism was measured before and after consumption of the drink. For several hours after drinking the vodka, whole body lipid oxidation (a measure of how much fat your body is burning) dropped by 73%.

The reason why alcohol has this dramatic effect on fat metabolism has to do with the way alcohol is handled in the body. When alcohol is consumed, it readily passes from the stomach and intestines into the blood and goes to the liver. In the liver, an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase mediates the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is rapidly converted to acetate by other enzymes. So rather than getting stored as fat, the main fate of alcohol is conversion into acetate, the amount of acetate formed is dose dependant on the amount of alcohol consumed. For example, blood levels of acetate after drinking the vodka were 2.5 times higher than normal. And it appears this sharp rise in acetate puts the brakes on fat loss.

By Julian Gaylor

If you are finding that you are not getting the results that you would like, maybe it's due to one (or more) of the reasons below.

1. You don't have a specific goal
We all go to the gym for a reason. Common reasons include 'To lose weight', 'To get fitter/stronger' or 'To build more muscle'. If you are serious about getting results, these goals are not specific enough. Give yourself a deadline. For example, if your aim is to change your body weight, make it specific by saying 'I want to gain/lose 5 kgs in the next 6 weeks'.

2. You don't keep a training journal
A training journal is your road map to results. If you don't keep one, you don't know where you're going or how fast you are getting there. A training journal can be a program sheet written up by a trainer or your own gym diary. You need to fill this out every session. Write down what exercises you did, how many sets, reps and the weight lifted. For cardio sessions, depending on the machine you use, write down the time, speed, distance, incline or resistance. Because you are documenting your sessions, you know exactly what you have done in each workout and therefore, can try and improve each session.

Brand New Jay Cutler Video

Ronny Rockel 1 Week of Mr.Olympia