Your Complete Guide To Optimal Iron Levels

Low iron stores can have huge effects on how you feel and how you perform. Get the scoop on iron-deficiency symptoms, and learn how you can change your nutrition to improve your energy and performance!

One of the cruel ironies of fitness is that you can spend nearly all of your free time pumping iron but still be deficient in iron. If you're struggling with nagging fatigue and what feels like a never-ending cold, low iron levels could be to blame—and you've got company. Iron deficiency is the most common mineral deficiency in America, and this condition is estimated to impact more than two billion people worldwide.[1]

Are you at risk? Only testing can really say, although if you're a woman and an athlete, you're more likely to be iron-deficient. But even if you just want to hedge your bets, you owe it to yourself to be more strategic about how much iron you get in your diet, and almost as importantly, how you remove the biggest roadblocks to dietary-iron absorption.

Don't let the deficiency stats fool you. You have the ability to get your iron levels right! Find out which symptoms to look for, how to best assess your levels, and how to go about restoring them so you can restore energy and performance.

What Iron Does, Who Needs It, And How To Test

Iron is an essential mineral, meaning that your body can't produce the amount it needs to perform crucial functions. Iron is a chief component of hemoglobin, which is a protein in red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood. Iron is also necessary for optimal growth and development of the muscular and skeletal systems, and to maintain normal cellular functioning, immune function, and synthesis of hormones and connective tissue.[1] If some of that sounds a little vague, that's just because iron does so much, in so many parts of your body, that it's hard to get across without a textbook.

So you much do you need? The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 8 milligrams for men and 18 mg for women, respectively.[1,2] Women have elevated needs due to iron loss that occurs during the menstrual cycle, and as a result are at a higher risk for iron deficiency compared to men. This risk is further heightened in female athletes; in fact, it's estimated that 26-60 percent of female athletes are affected by iron deficiency.[3-5]

Regardless of sex, all athletes are at risk for paltry iron stores due to iron loss in sweat. But if you do a lot of running, you're at particular risk for iron loss due to a phenomenon known as footstrike hemolysis, which is the increased breakdown of red blood cells and ultimate loss of iron due to repetitive impact against the ground.

Not having enough iron can lead to a slew of health and performance-related consequences such as chronic fatigue; frequent illness related to a compromised immune system; unpredictable changes in mood; decreased appetite; and loss of endurance, power, and desire to train. Talk about a recipe for disaster!

If you train hard and notice a recurring pattern of one of the symptoms described above, it may be worthwhile to get your iron levels tested. The gold-standard test is one that looks at serum ferritin, which reveals total iron storage within the body.[6,7] 

There are other methods, but a systematic overview of the diagnostic techniques for iron-deficiency anemia showed that serum ferritin outperformed all others.[8] When discussing options with your physician, opt for this methodology if available.

Where To Get Your Iron

Iron can be found in an abundance of foods. However, not all foods contain the same type of iron.

There are two forms of iron: heme and non-heme. The former is found exclusively in animal products, since it is derived from hemoglobin. The latter is found in plant sources. Your body absorbs and utilizes heme iron far more efficiently than non-heme, but this definitely doesn't mean that vegetarians are doomed to chronically low iron levels.

How To Enhance Iron Absorption

If you think your iron stores are low or a physician has confirmed that they are, don't fret. There are plenty of options you can take to boost iron levels. Make it a priority, and you might be feeling and performing better in a matter of weeks.

1. Eat Red Meat Or Shellfish Twice A Week

Surf and turf, baby! Unless you're a vegetarian, this is a no-brainer. Don't like liver? Maybe you just don't know how to prepare it right. Fried chicken livers and paté both taste a lot better than that dry beef liver your grandparents may have tried to get you to eat. Don't each much shellfish? Maybe you should start.

Steak is also a solid iron source, of course. If you're concerned that eating beef twice a week will negatively impact your waistline, opt for a leaner cut such as top round, flank, sirloin, or filet.

2. Pair Iron-Rich Foods With Vitamin C

Vitamin C enhances non-heme iron absorption. It does so by preventing the formation of nonabsorbable iron compounds and preventing the reduction of ferric iron into insoluble ferrous iron.[9,10] Excellent sources of vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, kiwi, and limes.

A word of caution here, though. Spinach, although rich in vitamin C, also contains a high amount of oxalic acid, which inhibits iron absorption. Some people believe this is sufficient to block iron absorption in a meal, though there are studies indicating it's not a concern.[11]

Still, if iron is a high priority for you, consider having your nutrient-rich spinach at a different time of day.

3. Avoid Pairing Iron-Rich Foods With Dairy, Coffee, Or Teas

When iron is consumed with coffee or tea, absorption rates can be decreased by as much as 35-62 percent. Given that your body only absorbs 2-20 percent of the non-heme iron you consume, any further reduction makes those sources pretty much nonexistent.

If you like to start your day with a bowl of oatmeal and fruit, consider drinking your morning cup of joe an hour before you eat. Or, save that glass of milk for bedtime rather than with your tofu stir-fry.

4. Cook With A Cast-Iron Skillet

When utilizing a cast-iron skillet to sear your steak dinner, you'll actually further boost the meal's iron content, because some of the iron from the pan is absorbed by the cut of beef. Yes, this is safe, and it occurs no matter the type of meat, grain, or veggie you use!

How much iron it ends up conveying is hard to determine, but the use of iron cookware has been a successful intervention in reducing iron deficiency in developing countries.[12]

5. Supplement The Right Way

Research suggests that supplementation is effective in improving iron status and enhancing performance.[13] However, it's important to first seek advice and testing from your physician to determine whether supplementation is appropriate for you.

A traditional women's multivitamin will provide you with the RDA of 18 milligrams per serving; however, if you have low stores, you might benefit from an iron supplement that provides closer to 30 milligrams per serving. When choosing an iron supplement, it's important to choose a supplement that ends in "-ate" such as ferrous sulfate, gluconate, and fumarate. These iron salts are absorbed best.

To optimize absorption and minimize risk of an unsettled stomach when supplementing with iron, most people benefit from taking iron on an empty stomach. However, for some people, taking iron with a small amount of food is necessary to stave off nausea.

Try both approaches, and stick with what works best for you. Be careful not to take too much at once, though, as this may lead to nausea, constipation, and GI distress.

Becoming Fitness Man Model - Top 10 Tips

While bodybuilders pro 300 pounds may seem massive intimidating, it's well proportioned fitness patterns that are pick up from all the hot women and magazine covers. If you want to join these lucky guys at baby paradise, pay attention to our top 10 tips on getting built up as a fitness model.

In all honesty, one of the main reasons why we enjoy bodybuilding is because it attracts attention. After all, what bodybuilder does not like to walk in a restaurant or mall, and everyone having gawk to their massive biceps and huge traps? However, most people pull a line at the waist they are willing to get because - while whimsical built like that of Markus Ruhl or Jay Cutler can get you all the attention of the world - it will not necessarily score you Hot women.


Men's Fitness and EF member Rob wealth

Instead, most bodybuilders ultimately aspire to develop a torn, well proportioned build like that of a male fitness model. It's not hard to see why either because it's usually a model like Sagi Kalev or Rob Riches that we see on the magazine covers with a perfect 10 draped all over him. And believe it or not, things do not change many magazine covers for real life. So if you are interested in getting the look of madly desirable fitness stud that women love, here are our top 10 tips on how to build yourself as a fitness model.

Male Fitness Model Male Fitness Tip # 1 - Be ready to sacrifice strength for looks

No one made New Year's resolution to lose 20 pounds off their press bench during the next year. But when your main goal is to cut yourself, sometimes you will lose some strength in the process. That being said, do what it takes to reach your goal by putting in extra cardio and eating clean - rather than eating to add volume. Also, forget to impress the other guys in the heavy lifting gym when you may have to scale back some rather.

Model # 2 Male Tip - Up Your Anaerobic Threshold

At the risk of seeming too obvious, I would like to say that you will need to increase your current level of cardio in order to get a physical fitness model. However, you only wake up one morning and decide that you are going to walk 1 miles a day at the race 5 miles a day; Instead, you must constantly increase your anaerobic (AT) threshold. Expand the anaerobic threshold, This is the ability of your body to eliminate lactic acid. Simply put, a higher level allows you to work harder, longer, and recover faster the next day. Interval training on the treadmill or on an outdoor track is a great way to increase your AT, although there are various other forms of challenging exercise that can do the job too.

Model Male Tip Fitness # 3 - Behavior consider doing Pilates

The simple mention of this tip could have you rolling your eyes thinking of the mature, minivan-driving moms who fold up in classy gyms for Pilates class. Overcoming the stereotype wimpy, Pilates is actually a fairly solid workout routine that strengthens lean muscle mass, flexibility, and endurance throughout the body. In addition to the physical evidence that benefits Pilates, it also relieves stress and helps to increase agility. So if you are really looking for a new type of exercise that challenges you in a unique way, discover a class a while. You might even encounter some non-middle-aged, -dued mini chicks in the process!

Model # 4 Male Fitness Tip - Gradually reduce your caloric intake

It goes without saying that a great way to lose a few pounds is to cut your calories. But do not forget that significantly reducing your food intake is not a shortcut to getting shredded abs. Of course it can be mathematical logic that, by consuming much less calories, you will lose a lot more weight. But the metabolic process of your body does not work as a calculator. Instead, it goes into starvation mode when you cut up to 1,000 or more out of your daily calorie eating schedule; When this happens, your body stores almost everything that one eats in an effort to maintain homeostasis. Case in point, Start with a 400-500 calorie drop off your daily diet and from there.

Model # 5 Male mouthpiece - Drink water ... and then drink even more

Sometimes it amazes me how many athletes hit the gym regularly and constantly eats clean, forget not yet a very important step in their routine: drinking water. First, water helps you stay hydrated throughout the day, which in turn feeds you through tough workouts. Secondly, water plays a big role in the metabolism of the protein you eat - or at least should not ingest. So instead of opting for sweetened fruit juices or soda, do not forget to keep the water on hand at all times.

Model # 6 Male Fitness Tip - Do not obsess about cracking and sit-ups

A common trend among bodybuilders who suddenly resolve to favor build them more mass is to go crazy with crunches and sit-ups. And this is sometimes even worth people who know that their abs will not get chiseled without a lot of cardio. In all cases, it is important to understand that while crunches and sit ups build your ab muscles and they are more visible, you are not going to see abs really defined until you put on a major cardio work In as well.

Model # 7 Fitness Tip - Test the 50-30-20 Ratio

Let me start this piece of advice by saying that no two people will respond "exactly" the same at a certain rate of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. However, if you are completely at loss for the amount of each nutrient you should not ingest, the answer is not the Atkins diet or fat-free. Instead, a good starting point is to eat 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fat each day. Depending on how your body reacts to the diet, you can tinker with percentages; However, this serves as a nice starting point to get shredded as a fitness model.

Model # 8 Male Fitness Tip - Practical Short Support, Lower Weight

A good way out of the mentality of lifting the aforementioned heavy objects is to throw in a lot of workouts with the remains of shorts and lower weight. For example, you could make sets of 12 REPS where you only take 45 seconds breaks between each set. Assuming that you can follow a brutal workout like this, you will receive in an intense, muscle building session. Of course, this does not mean you have to give up completely heavy weights - just mix in some tough, short sessions - stays too.

Model # 9 Male Fitness Tip - Do not forget to rest

During training as a fitness model can be intense, year-round, This does not mean you should be in the gym 24/7. Instead, your body will respond better if you completely take a few days rest per week. For example, if you work with a couple of different muscle groups every day, you could work for five consecutive days, then take off two consecutive days. Whatever path you choose, just make sure you take a few days so your body has time to rebuild.

Model # 10 male fitness tip -Enter the use of steroids

Depending on the narrowness you want to look like a real male mannequin, you may need to use steroids to get there. The sad fact is that we are not all born with the perfect genetics that allow us to easily cut the fat while gaining effortless muscle. More top fitness models and bodybuilders have used roids to get where they are today, which means that those who are filming for the top should think about doing the same. If you are totally new to juicing, it is extremely important to learn all you can about the subject before you buy a single tablet. The EliteFitness forum is a great place to learn how to use steroids because our site is full of information.

But if your aspirations like fitness model are a little more temperate, you can always develop a better body simply by following the first nine tips in this guide.

 

Collin Joseph - The Best Canadian Model

Collin Joseph Men's Physique Competitor , Published Fitness Model , Actor & Certified Personal Trainer .

Collin Tells how he grew up : "As a teenager entering High school I had always been an athletic child, so when I had learned that my high school had a football team I immediately joined. being only 140lbs and naturally a “hard gainer” I  didn’t have many options for positions. So thus began my “fitness journey” I entered the weight room and got out of my comfort zone and started to lift weights to put on more muscle. My father was an accomplished boxer and military soldier so he had taught me many nutrition and fitness techniques and within 2 years I had gone from 140lbs to 165lbs. Finishing my senior year of high school football at 170lbs and winning my teams MVP defensive back award as well as my league’s All-star defensive back award and settling multiple records, including most interceptions in a single game & season."

Collin's Passion & Vision : I aim to make the world a healthier one. My mission is to inspire the world, empower its people, and achieve this on an international level. Join my growing online community to become part of this great movement.​ I have always been passionate about helping others achieve their goals. Being a true leader is one of the greatest things a personal trainer & coach can be, in order to be a successful trainer you must be a great leader.