By Janet Angel, PhD-Nutritional Biochemist

You might be surprised to discover that athletes are often nutritionally deficient or nutritionally imbalanced. Recent scientific studies are proving that even the most conditioned athletes; those that boast top nutritional status, high energy output may be overworking their organs and systems and creating greater free radical damage along with inadequate nutrient absorption.

It doesn’t matter what type of exhaustive athletic training a person participates in, what matters most is that protein pathways may be disturbed and therefore amino acid breakdown and transmission suffer…muscles suffer. When micro nutrients become unavailable metabolism is inadequate and therefore the body is stressed making the immune system less than vibrant.

As we age the human body does not manufacture as many enzymes and often by the time a person is in their thirties digestive upsets occur and later more dramatic insufficiencies and symptoms appear.  Amino acids are the building blocks to life yet even those athletes consuming huge amounts of protein in any form will be less likely to fully metabolize protein without the appropriate enzymes available to assist. You may not know that your body is lacking enzymes…most likely it is.

Once food is heated above 119 degrees all of the enzymes are destroyed; the average American diet contains mainly of cooked foods and processed foods which are enzyme exhausted. Other issues play a role as well; for example, a person may consume several different types of foods at one sitting making the call for multiple enzymes critical to absorption.  Only raw foods contain enzymes and only enough to break down that specific food. Human beings will always be dependent upon exogenous enzymes, those existing outside the human body. Professional athletes, including professional body builders around the world, understand the importance of adding a quality multi-dimensional enzyme formula to their health regime. Athletes around the globe are choosing AbsorbAid Platinum® to help get lean, stay lean, build muscle and be stronger longer!!

AbsorbAid® is a 100% vegetarian complex enzyme formula to help turn more of what you eat into energy! AbsorbAid® has been clinically tested and scientifically proven by Roche and Mayo Clinic laboratories to increase the absorption of vital nutrients by up to 71%!! AbsorbAid® Platinum helps the body safely and effectively digest and absorb proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vegetables, beans, and dairy and reduces them to valuable micro-nutrient form.

AbsorbAid® Platinum is so unique because it is not destroyed by stomach acids and therefore reaches the small intestine where nutrients are distributed into the blood.  Enzymes catalyze all metabolic processes and we cannot live without them! AbsorbAid® has been the leader in enzymes since 1995 and hundreds of thousands of people have used it with great success in improving digestion and ultimately their health. When your body gets the benefit of having more vital nutrients available for metabolism every system works better!

Many athletes put an unnatural demand upon the human body whether it be lifting hundreds of pounds, doing more repetitions, running a marathon, or getting lean using less than healthful methods.  AbsorbAid® Platinum is a comprehensive digestive blend of 12 proprietary enzymes and 2 heat stable probiotics to help support digestion and your immune system!

AbsorbAid® is highly recommended by physicians and trainers all over the world. AbsorbAid® will improve the absorption of nutrients from other supplements too – so  it is a wonderful complement to your entire health program.

Don’t miss out on what the competition is doing to get the edge. Even Olympic Teams are incorporating enzymes into their nutrient regime. Whether you are an Olympic Athlete, a professional sports player, or someone that just wants to perform and look like one—-you will want to add AbsorbAid® Platinum to your diet.

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Listen – I personally have no problem whatsoever looking at women barely dressed cavorting on a stage and not feeling guilty about it, but for the sake of the sports world, bodybuilding differs greatly from the other three. As a man, staring intently at someone like Heather Mae French and calling it work is a great thing. But when I put on my sportswriter’s hat, it just doesn’t cut the mustard.

Interviewing Dennis Wolf or Iris Kyle is the other end of the spectrum. No knock against the smaller, svelte figures out there, but it’s similar to comparing an offensive lineman and a tennis player. Both are professional athletes, but prepare for their jobs completely different.

Surely, the marketing strategy has been to separate the women’s bodybuilding from the men’s so that ticket sales would be equally distributed both nights. But in the past few years, women’s bodybuilding has become less popular and only followed by a niche group of fans that seems to shrink more and more. The three other categories have grown in popularity and surely can handle the headliner spot now without suffering at the box office.

Using this strategy, the more mainstream audience would have their own night and the old school will not have to sit around for hours on end waiting for the completion of a contest. The best of both worlds, if you will.

There is certainly a place for fitness, figure and bikini. But just not on the same stage, same night as bodybuilding.

It was last March in Columbus, Ohio that Heath finished as the runner-up to ‘The Predator’ in a contest that Heath deserved to win. And then he took second in the Mr. Olympia show to his good friend Jay Cutler. If someone was ever poised to win their first major show, it is Heath.

Not that it will be an easy task. Greene will be looking to make up for his weak showing at the O and hold onto his title and Dennis Wolf, who finished fifth in Las Vegas, is on a comeback trail that may be hard to stop. Factor in Branch Warren and Dexter Jackson and the line-up will be a tough one as usual.

Heath looked superb at both shows in 2010 and may be the next great bodybuilder. He is on the cusp of it right now and winning an Arnold will be the first step towards making that a reality. The chances are better than good that he will do it in March.

PHIL HEATH CONTEST HISTORY

2006 Shawn Ray Colorado Pro                       1st

2006 New York Pro                                            1st

2007 Arnold Classic                                          5th

2008 Iron Man Pro                                           1st

2008 Arnold Classic                                         2nd

2008 Mr. Olympia                                            3rd

2009 Mr. Olympia                                             5th

2010 Arnold Classic                                          2nd

2010 Mr. Olympia                                              2nd

But a scuffle during an event is fairly commonplace (it’s in the hockey rule book and the main attraction for many fans) and is usually explained by very competitive athletes losing it a bit in the heat of competition. Sweet chin music and hard fouls are merely part of their respective games.

In a sport as physical as mixed martial arts, things get heated and trash talk are part of the show. Saturday night’s StrikeForce event in Nashville was no exception. What makes this totally different than your average baseball bean brawl or pushing and shoving at a boxing press conference is because it happened during a MMA event on national television.

Jake Shields had just won his bout against Dan Henderson to improve his record to 21-4-1 and was being interviewed in the cage by CBS’ Gus Johnson, one hell of a basketball announcer but is out of his element calling MMA fights. Jason “Mayhem” Miller, who lost via decision to Shields back in November, somehow entered the cage and interrupted the live interview.

“Where’s my rematch, buddy?” Miller asked with a smile. Shields shoved him and a melee ensued. Miller’s corner men pulled him away while others went after Shields. The overhead camera clearly shows punches and kicks being thrown on a fallen Miller.

“Sometimes these things happen in MMA,” said Johnson, who was still in the crowded cage with his microphone, being heard not only over the television but also in the arena. “A lot of testosterone in the cage. Gentlemen, we’re on national television,” he futilely pleaded before announcing that they were going to step away for a commercial break.

What Johnson needed to do – and Monday morning quarterbacking is not our norm but in this case we feel the need to make an exception – was not to single out MMA. Saying that these things happen in sports would have sufficed. Even the testosterone remark can be overlooked. Hopefully the educated viewer understood what he meant and will not jump to any conclusions or accusations.

StrikeForce CEO Scott Coker reserved judgement on what action he would take until reviewing the video, although he said that he would indeed do so. “There is no place for that type of behavior in StrikeForce or any other MMA league,” said Coker, who was en route to the press conference area when the incident took place and did not witness it.

Coker also did not know why Miller (23-7), who had won an earlier fight against Tin Stout, was in the cage. “When you have the corner men that Jake has and something like that happens, you know there’s going to be an issue,” commented Coker. “I don’t know why [Miller] couldn’t have thought that out because I could have told you that prior to that. We should have kept them apart. I had no idea that he was going to do something like that but it will never happen again.”

Now we await the fallout from the mainstream media, who will undoubtedly use this incident as ammunition why MMA is ‘barbaric.’ “This is bad for the, which is still in its infancy,” Coker said. As it is, the media treats MMA as a second-class citizen and barely gives it a sniff. And having periodic network coverage result in an incident that even a member of their own announcing team mishandled will not do it any favors.

So the next time there is a fight on the basketball court or baseball diamond, listen to the reaction of the broadcast booth and see if there are any consistencies with Johnson’s rant.

Stock Photo: Esther Lin/StrikeForce

FIGHT CAMP 360°: Fedor vs. Rogers will feature unrestricted access to one of the most enigmatic professional athletes of today, Fedor Emelianenko and his next opponent, the undefeated Brett Rogers, as they prepare to headline “STRIKEFORCE/M-1 Global Saturday Night Fights” to be broadcast LIVE on Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.

FIGHT CAMP 360°: Fedor vs. Rogers will premiere on SHOWTIME® on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.  The CBS Television Network will also make the show available to its 203 affiliated stations for broadcast in advance of the fight.

From director Ron Yassen, who is embedded in Fedor’s training camp in Stary Oskol, Russia: “Fedor is beyond captivating as a fighter, and more so, as a man.  It’s a pure joy to film him so intimately as he strives for perfection in life and sport with grace and charm.  While training for this most important match, he kindly opened up his life to us in and out of the ring, without the ego that often comes with being the very best at one’s craft.”

Produced in conjunction with Roadside Entertainment, FIGHT CAMP 360°: Fedor vs. Rogers will showcase both fighters as they prepare for this historic fight.  Nov. 7 marks the first time Fedor, widely considered the sport’s No. 1 fighter, will appear in front of a national broadcast television audience.  Despite his iconic status within the sport, Fedor (30-1) remains shrouded in mystery, living and training in seclusion in a remote mining village in Russia far away from the spotlight afforded the sports’ very best.

Rogers lives and trains in Minneapolis, and enters the fight with an impressive 10-0 record after most recently dismantling former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. Rogers, a quiet, soft-spoken giant outside the cage, who earlier this year quit his job as a tire technician at Sam’s Club, has the opportunity of a lifetime to dethrone the sport’s greatest in front of a national television audience.

“The response to our inaugural episode of Fight Camp 360°: Inside The Super Six World Boxing Classic chronicling the boxing tournament has been overwhelming,” said SHOWTIME Sports General Manager Ken Hershman, who commissioned the project. “Because of the subjects involved-the mysterious world champion set to fight a man living the American dream-we had to turn our lens in this direction. Special thanks to M-1 Global and STRIKEFORCE for affording us a level of access to both men that has been unparalleled in their respective careers.”

Scott Coker, president of STRIKEFORCE, added, “This is a one of a kind opportunity for fans to go behind the scenes and take a close look at the extraordinary, number one fighter in the world – Fedor – and his opponent who has become a symbol of The American Dream.”

Below are the air dates and times for FIGHT CAMP 360°: Fedor vs. Rogers on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME 2®.

Tuesday, Nov. 3          9:30p (premiere)         SHO

Tuesday, Nov. 3          10:00p                         SHO2

Wednesday, Nov. 4    11p                              SHO2

Thursday, Nov. 5         10p                              SHO2

Friday, Nov. 6  10p                              SHO2

Saturday, Nov. 7         4:30p                           SHO

Note: all times ET/PT

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2(tm), SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL(tm) XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL(tm) HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL(tm) ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <https://mail.svse.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold out record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

About M-1 Global

M-1 Global (www.m-1global.com <https://mail.svse.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.m-1global.com/> ) has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. M-1 has promoted over 150 shows worldwide since 1995.  Billed as the “World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts,” the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA events that showcases some of the best up and coming MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 90 countries around the world, including HDNet in the United States, the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five fighters representing their respective countries against each other for international bragging rights and the title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the M-1 Challenge’s international breeding ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional partners such as STRIKEFORCE.

How convenient has the “I just used a supplement from GNC” become for professional athletes getting caught using steroids? It’s getting a bit redundant and now add two more to the list – lefty relievers J.C. Romero of the Philadelphia Philles and Sergio Mitre of the New York Yankees. Both were handed 50-game suspensions by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a still-unnamed banned substance.

Mediocre at best, both of these guys have no excuse not to do everything to enhance their performance, including hitting the juice. Neither of them will ever be mistaken for Victor Martinez, so one has to surmise that whatever they used was not a bulk builder.

The funny part about this is that it was only a few years ago that Romero tested positive for ‘a precursor of testosterone,’ which he promptly blamed on it being a fertility supplement that he and the missus were taking. No punishment was handed down back in 2006, but MLB has to be saying, ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’ Another thing Romero should do is avoid pulling out the always-ready race card, which he sunk to doing pursuant to the suspension being handed down.

What makes the Romero situation even more peculiar is that he was informed on September 23, 2008 that he tested positive and hearings were conducted in Tampa during the World Series, without the knowledge of anyone in the Phillies organization (other than Romero and strength coach Dong Lien) aware of the entire situation. “I had no knowledge at all that he was in a hearing. None,” Philadelphia general manager Rubem Amaro told reporters.

When all else fails, point the finger and blame it on prejudice. The only thing that sounded more ignorant than blaming baby-maker pills was this classic from Romero: “If people are intimidated because Major League Baseball is a big organization, so be it,” he said in a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer. “But they are not going to make an example of me thinking that I’m just a dumb-ass Puerto Rican. It’s not going to happen. It’s not the way I’m built.”

OK, let me get this straight. Because you claimed that the banned substance was caused by a legal supplement bought at a GNC in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, MLB is picking on you because you’re a Puerto Rican, and/or a “dumb-ass.” Is it possible that Romero did test positive from a supp? Of course it is, and he can join the ‘Star Caps Five’ symphony right after he sits out the start of the season. I suppose that Romero hopes that spewing venom and pulling a Johnny Cochran still get his suspension reduced or lifted.

If you have been a faithful reader of this site, then you know that I have no love lost for Roger Clemens. So to actually use him in a reference that almost defends his actions is rare, indeed. To try to look at this in a different light, Barry Bonds has alluded to some of his problems being racially motivated; Romero has his say on the subject; but Clemens – who has been raked over the coals – hasn’t blamed him being a ‘dumb hick’ on any of this, has he?

If you used steroids, just man up and admit to it. Romero (who actually had an incredible year in 1992 for Minnesota with a 9-2, 1.89 ERA) sucked in ’06 when he used his ‘performance-enhancing fertility drug’ with an ERA over six. The following year, he had an ERA under two and a 2.75 last summer for the World Series champs. Judging by those numbers, he either used something totally bunk or didn’t do it properly.

Whatever the case may be, both suspended pitchers will have to live with it. I may be totally off base with my assessment of the situation, but what do I know? I’m just a dumb-ass Italian.

They say misery loves company, but if you’re Donovan McNabb, you probably wish that your own teammates would just be quiet and let this thing die already. No matter what defense is put forth, the fact of the matter is that professional athletes – numerous on one team alone – were totally unaware of a very simple overtime rule.

Brian Dawkins was the latest Eagle to jump on the stupid sword and admit that he, too, was in the dark at one time with the game ending in a tie. His mistake was back in 1997, so maybe he should have made sure that the rest of the guys knew the situation.

Dawkins’ not only sounded ridiculous by getting so uptight over the situation, he didn’t even explain himself correctly. At a press conference, he told reporters that if the Eagles had “won the game and he (McNabb) had said what he said, would it be a big deal now?” Oh…yes! Why not, Brian? He would look just as stupid regardless of the outcome of the game. Then, Dawkins takes it a step further by saying, “But because we lost the game, now it’s a huge deal.” Hey, Brian…you didn’t lose the game. It was a tie, and that’s where all of this nonsense started.

Don’t get me wrong. McNabb has been a class act and could be given a pass here, but that is impossible. You are getting paid millions of dollars to play a game and you should know a rule like that cold. It isn’t some obscure section in the back of the rule book. Just because it does not happen often doesn’t make it something to fluff off.

To cap off a session that made him look like the most uneducated person on this planet, Dawkins got on the media for taking the team to task, which has been richly deserved this season. “You can’t have it both ways,” he said. “Either get on us when we know the rules and win or leave us alone both ways. It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous.”

It certainly is, Brian. You said it yourself – twice for emphasis.

When the Giants were shopping Jeremy Shockey, the opinions ranged from one extreme to the other. What the Pro Bowl tight end brought to the table as far as receptions and blocking went were never disputed, but the multiple distractions he caused added up to make him expendable.

Big Blue rid themselves of one problem child when they pulled the trigger on the offseason trade of Shockey to New Orleans, but were still stuck with perhaps a bigger one in Plaxico Burress. The veteran wide receiver recently came back following a two-week suspension after playing hooky from practice and not even bothering to phone in.

Most reasonable people – even professional athletes – would be apologetic and remorseful, especially one that just signed a five-year, $35 million contract extension. But not Burress, who seemed defiant during a conference call on Monday.

“I don’t have any regrets for that at all,” he said. “I haven’t lost any sleep. I enjoyed my week off.”

If that is hard to digest, then the reason that Burress gave for missing practice will go down even harder. Explaining that the “family emergency” (which came out without further details when he was suspended) was taking his son to school, Burress said, “I felt it was and the situation that I had to deal with that morning as far as my son…I made the right decision. It’s not like I purposely missed out or that was my intention. It just seemed to happen that way and I didn’t feel any reason to explain to them what happened or why I missed because I don’t feel it is really anybody’s business.”

Not showing up to work nary a phone call to your boss – that might constitute reason enough for a notification. Not in Burress’ eyes, a player who was practically bragging about being fined nearly 50 times since signing with the Giants four years ago.

“I really don’t know the amount of times, but I do know that I have been fined quite a bit and some things and some of the demands that they as me to do, I just don’t meet.

“It hasn’t really bothered me or affected me though.”

That last statement says it all. Yes, he is talented and can be a force at times. Catching the winning touchdown pass in the Super Bowl was merely the exclamation point on a productive season and playoff for Burress. No one can take that away from him. But the question remains – would the Giants be better off without him?

Last Sunday’s game proved that there are other talented receivers on this team, even though the 44-6 win came against a weak Seahawks club. Domenik Hixon took Burress’ spot in the starting lineup and accumulated four receptions (one for a touchdown) and 102 yards in less than a half before being forced from the game with a concussion. Sinorice Moss caught two touchdown passes and Amani Toomer also pitched in with four catches.

Head coach Tom Coughlin has mellowed some, but definitely showed Burress and the rest of the team who is running this ship. He has the total respect of the locker room and both quarterback Eli Manning and linebacker Antonio Pierce said that the team is moving on and putting this situation past them.

This is a team that is riding high and playing extremely well at 4-0 in the first quarter of the season. Distractions such as the ones that Shockey brought have definitely not been missed. If Burress feels that he can do whatever he pleases, he should take a look at number 88 on the Saints.