Category: Andrew Howle

Is AI Taking Over the World a Good Thing?

By: Andrew Howle

 Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a sophisticated branch of computer science that creates machines capable of simulating human thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning. It was first developed in 1956 but did not come to light until recently, with the emergence of ChatGPT and OpenAI. These computational machines have the ability to obtain knowledge more efficiently and effectively than humans in a faster and more sophisticated manner. The chatbots learn every time a command is imputed into a site. However, these chatbots are not always right with the answer given to our question. These answers sometimes can be completely wrong or the AI can interpret the question wrongly, leading to a false answer.

Although AI makes mistakes, it becomes more enhanced every day, leading to fewer errors. This super knowledge or super weapon could be the utter downfall of our society. Each country is not going to end the development of intelligence, because another country will catch ahead. This ideology is most noted from the Bible, being called the Problem of Moloch. This problem is described as a situation where groups are driven to destructive outcomes through a series of rational, self-interested decisions, even though no one wants the bad result. An example of this is competitive athletes who inject steroids into their bodies to gain a competitive edge over their opponents. However, this edge leads to health problems, notably in the heart down the road. These steroids are not used by many, but since people have the opportunity to gain an edge many take the shot. This is similar to AI with countries trying to outdo each other with their intelligence. Even though sophisticated AI could lead to job loss and machines taking over the economic system. Countries are still beginning to develop the usage of AI.

Another reason AI is being widely used is the lucrative aspect of intelligence. Companies like OpenAI are making billions of dollars from the usage of AI. There are web companies like Grammarly that have added chat bots to do the work for papers. A notable example in Sumter is the AI drive-thru at Bojangles, taking your order. This AI is taking the job of a human who could be earning money. Although AI seems to be helpful now. It is a very harmful thing for the future. I think that the development needs to be capped so it does not become over humans one day. 

MK-677 Review

By: Andrew Howle

Mk-677 is a growth hormone fitness supplement that has gained recent traction in the fitness world. It has become so famous due to the boost in body growth hormone without the need for an injection. It stimulates your body to naturally produce more GH (growth hormone) and IGF-1. The liquid version is typically taken orally or under the tongue, making it an accessible option for fitness influencers everywhere, ideal for promoting muscle growth. However, is this supplement as good as it is rumored to be?

Those who take Mk-677 claim to have incredible physical benefits. These benefits include lean muscle mass, faster recovery time, and better sleep quality overall. These elements are all crucial to effective training results. Mk-677 has been shown to improve bone density, joint repair, and skin health to the human body. The supplement increases an athlete’s appetite majorly, which can be very helpful in bulking. This shortens the amount of time to retain weight by a large margin. However, this is a double ended sword being harmful for cutting.

Although the MK-677 has many benefits, it is not without drawbacks. Many people have reported severe water retention, fat gain, and intense hunger at higher doses of the supplements. It can become very expensive through long-term use. It is not recommended to people struggling with diabetes. It is reported to mess highly with insulin sensitivity. It is not FDA-approved as well, which can carry some unknowns along with it. These unknowns could range from simple muscle twitches to heart palpitations.

Mk-677 surely does open up a compelling alternative from injectable growth hormones. However, this supplement is not without risks, to be completely honest. I would highly recommend researching this supplement if you have any thoughts of taking it. This goes to show I would not recommend this until more research is performed on it.

How to Bulk for Football Season

By: Andrew Howle

Bulking for football season is not all about eating everything in sight. There is a perfectly good strategy to bulk with purpose. The bulk is typically initiated to increase muscle, strength, and size for improved performance on the field. Whether you are a lineman looking to strictly improve power, or a skilled position player looking to maintain speed while increasing size. The bulk is an essential tool to this progression of performance within limits.

In order to gain weight, you must eat in a large calorie surplus. This surplus is dependent on what you’re looking to improve with the bulk. It could range from 500-2,000 extra calories on top of your usual intake per day. These calories must contain a large amount of protein and carbs. It is usually recommended to eat about one gram of protein per pound of your body weight. The amount of carbs immensely differs depending on your personal goal of the bulk. It is also important not to skip meals of the day. This specifically calls out breakfast, which many people skip.

These extra calories that are being taken into your body must go to something important like muscle building. It is very important to lift constantly throughout the bulk. This stimulates growth in your body and allows you to put on a bigger frame physically. The most efficient way to put on this size is to track your calories and workouts. This allows you to fill your body with the necessary nutrients to perform at its highest. These extra calories are very pivotal for rebuilding the muscle fibers and tissues of your body.

In conclusion, bulking is a very useful tool to improve performance in football if done right. However, a strict diet and consistent exercise is needed to see the results you are looking for on the field.

Why Is Block Blast So Addicting?

By: Andrew Howle

What is Block Blast? Block Blast resembles Tetris, where you match awkward-shaped blocks in a grid. The goal when matching them is to destroy the column to free up space. However, Tetris has blocks that drop from above, putting a time limit on the player to make a placement. At the same time, Block Blast blocks appear at the bottom with no time limit. Mobile puzzle games such as Block Blast uniquely pull us into the common phrase “one more round.” This causes us to spend almost endless time playing the game, which causes us to lose track of time completely. The game lacks a simple undo button to replace your blocks. This causes the player to think ahead and strategize their next moves to reach a new high score. Unlike many other games, the player only has one life. This can drive many people crazy when they make a costly mistake. Several people, especially Coach Rip and Cooper Scott, are very competitive at the game. People fully addicted to the game spend countless days in a row addicted, earning scores like 50000.

I refuse to download the game on my phone because I do not want to get addicted. However, I will play it on the computer during my free time. I admit that the game is really fun and one of my favorites. It is also a popular app for my friends. Although the game is not super complicated, it does a great job of using simple mechanics. These simple mechanics make the game so enjoyable for many users worldwide. The game’s bright, vibrant colors also appeal to the minds of many users. The other reason Block Blast is so popular and addicting is through promoting TikToks. It has lifted the game to new heights with the fanbase that originated particularly from the TikTok app.

In conclusion, Block Blast has taken the internet by storm and amassed a large fanbase. It is potentially the most addicting game out right now online. I recommend not downloading it on your phone unless you’re okay with being on it all day. 

Caffeine In Today’s Society

By: Andrew Howle

To begin with, caffeine is a highly effective central nervous system stimulant to the body. It affects the methylxanthine class of the body and is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance globally. It is found in many widely consumed daily drinks, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks. Even eating substances like chocolate contains amounts of caffeine. Caffeine has become such a staple in so many American lives today. It is almost impossible to fathom a world without caffeine. I love caffeine, but I try not to drink too much daily. It can be very harmful to someone in improper amounts.

Typically, most teenagers my age drink excessive amounts of caffeine a day. This caffeine is most commonly in energy drinks and soft drinks. There is an obsessive taste factor and stimulant feeling that makes these drinks so irresistible to the average teen. I am not a fan of energy drinks or soft drinks in general. They can cause teeth to decay as well as heart complications later in life. There have been way too many people hospitalized due to an overdose of caffeine, making potential heart complications appear. Some people are not as lucky and pass away from continuous overdoses of caffeine.

However, drinking adequate amounts of caffeine a day also has some positive benefits. These benefits can include awakeness and alertness. This can be traditionally helpful during early mornings. I love to drink coffee in the morning to caffeinate my body for the tasks ahead. It helps hugely when coming off a stormy night of rest. I probably drink coffee four days a week to get through tough mornings at school. However, too much coffee can cause a person to crash, resulting in extreme tiredness to the body. A person’s senses all diminish during this period of crashing.

To conclude, caffeine is a prominent staple in today’s society. It just needs to be used in the right amounts to prevent harm to others. I enforce the safety of the right amount of caffeine to drink. There should be no health complications from the use of this psychoactive stimulant.

The Benefit of a Athlete Doing Plyometrics 

By: Andrew Howle

To begin with, many people have little to no knowledge about plyometrics in sports and the vast benefits the exercises reap. The training consists of particularly jump training that advocates for explosiveness on the field. The training involves the rapid extension and contraction of the muscle that helps make quick movements on the sports field. The exercises are very helpful in sports such as football, track, tennis, soccer, and basketball. Many athletes typically start with basic exercise like pogo jumps and acceleration sprints.

I do the jump exercises to build my explosiveness in football and track. The movements are very useful and helpful in football when breaking down to make a tackle. It teaches you to chop your feet and pop the person in front of you using the drive from your whole body. Many people typically try to ankle bite, diving low on someone to tackle rather than rolling their hips into someone, extending their entire body into them. This helps prevent major injuries by having the correct tackling form on the field.

Also, I use the exercises to train my strides on track. This is beneficial when kicking out of blocks in races like the one-hundred-meter and two-hundred-meter dash. It teaches you to propel your body out, which helps you get a better start to the race. I also like to use plyometrics when jumping, especially during long jumps. It helps extend my leg muscles in mid-air, allowing me to land a farther jump in the sandpit. There are plenty more events in which this exercise could be helpful, such as hurdles, high jump, and triple jump. It is a great way to improve your athletic ability in your sport of choice. I highly recommend plyometrics to track athletes specifically.  

To conclude, many athletes should bite the bullet and do plyometrics. It may seem dumb or strenuous at first. However, it is worth it for the athlete to take it seriously while training. I’m optimistic that it will improve their performance in the given sport. All the athlete has to do is give the training a chance, and they will reap the benefits.  

Is Following Fitness Influencers from Social Media Beneficial?

By: Andrew Howle

As far as we know, social media has taken over the world. It is everywhere around us, and there is no escaping it. Everything you do can be posted online and shared with everyone. This may be potentially a good or bad thing in this generation. Many people have taken up the habit of following social media influencers, especially those who promote fitness. This begs the question: Is following people like fitness influencers beneficial for people to do?

Following these influencers can have positives and negatives. One positive of following a fitness influencer is knowledge. I gain a lot of expertise personally from watching people like Sam Sulek perform workouts. These workouts can educate people very well on the basics of fitness. These videos teach new gym goers how to properly lift without causing an injury. So many clueless people in the world have no absolute idea how to lift properly. I know several people have torn pecs or biceps from lifting. Another huge positive to watching influencers is motivation. Many people are inspired daily by pages on social media of people lifting. When I first started lifting, I was motivated to go to the gym by seeing workouts on my Fyp on TikTok. These videos let me know what was achievable by living a healthy lifestyle. This helped me focus on myself a lot. I considered the gym a therapy to escape my problems in the world. Enough about the positives of social media pages. There are a precise amount of negatives that come with social media fitness. The most notable one is self-comparison or body dysmorphia, which is when people compare their bodies to the bodies of social media influencers. This causes people to be hard on themselves and their appearance. This can be very bad for their mental health. Which is why scrolling through social media should be moderated.

In conclusion, there are immense pros and cons to following fitness accounts. People should follow the accounts for the right reason, not the wrong one. They should actively gain knowledge and motivation from the videos. Following social media influencers is beneficial in moderation. 

Body Weight Training Versus Heavy Weight

By: Andrew Howle

To achieve fitness, one can engage in two primary training methods: heavy and bodyweight training. Heavy weight training involves the use of physical, tangible tools to enhance body strength, while bodyweight training leverages one’s own body weight against gravity to build muscle strength. Both training methods offer numerous benefits, and a balanced incorporation of both into your workout routine is key. This balance reassures individuals that they are making the right choices for their fitness journey. 

Heavyweight typically involves leaving your home to go to a gym. This is because many people need adequate training tools at home. In addition, gym equipment is expensive to buy for a house. This is different from bodyweight training because you can train your body weight at home without any cost. A person can achieve the ideal physique using either type of training. I like heavyweight training the most because it is instrumental in playing football. It does not bother me going to the gym daily to train to achieve my goals. I try to work in an average amount of body weight training into my usual workout plan per week. A few heavyweight exercises are loaded bench press, squatting, and deadlift. To compare, a few bodyweight exercises are pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups. These different types of workout training plans can achieve any goal. It is just the preference of the person. The general environment for heavy weight training is usually in a gym surrounded by unknown people. It is a great way to meet new people that have a common interest in working out. Training bodyweight can be done at home in the peace of your home. This is more appealing to some people that are not very social.

To conclude, a person can train using either type of workout plan and still achieve success. This success can be in the form of improved strength, endurance, muscle tone, or overall health. However, I recommend heavy heavyweight training to become stronger at many olympic lifts.

Fitness Watches

By: Andrew Howle

To begin with, fitness watches are a tool to help individuals monitor and improve their health and wellness. These devices track various metrics, including heart rate, steps, calories burned, sleep patterns, and, most specifically, stress levels. Many fitness trackers are equipped with GPS to record distance and pace during outdoor activities such as running, walking, and cycling. These watches link to smartphone apps to help people set personal fitness goals. Ultimately, fitness watches are not only about tracking physical fitness. They are an accurate tool for encouraging a healthier lifestyle to enhance performance and overall well-being. Fitness watches are one of the most underrated things a person can have.

There are many brands that people tend to buy in hopes of finding the right watch for them. These include Whoop, Garmin, Apple, Fitbit, Samsung, and Amazfit. Each of these offers unique tracking experiences for the user. My personal favorite is the Whoop 4.0. I have had this watch for a little over a year. It is a fantastic watch for people trying to get into a fitness lifestyle. Some standout features are blood oxygen monitoring, sleep coaching, five-day battery life, waterproofing, and dustproof. These features are unique to Whoop in terms of the watch’s accuracy. It strives to give accurate readings of athletes’ health and fitness to help them perform to new levels. Unlike any other fitness watch, Whoop is incredibly durable and can be used to perform daily exercises. I have personal experience playing football games, building roofs, and many other strenuous activities performed with the watch. I cannot recommend the watch further for athletes trying to reach personal goals.

In Conclusion, fitness watches are a staple of modern society, improving fitness worldwide. The Whoop 4.0 is a great way to get involved in fitness. I highly recommend buying one from the store. 

The Importance of Meal Prepping

By: Andrew Howle

To begin with, meal prepping is a highly underestimated way to become fit. Most people think that only working out will get you lean. However, this is far from true in the real world. Although working out is essential to reach fitness goals, eating clean is just as important. I speak from experience in my two-year fitness journey. Working out would get you bigger. However, filling your body with essential proteins and macros fuels your body to build muscle. Meal prepping has many other overarching benefits besides building muscle.

It saves me a ton of money in the long run compared to buying fast food every day. This is because, like most kids my age, money is valuable. This valuable asset of money is taken away progressively faster by being spent on fast food like McDonalds. However, meal prepping at the beginning of the week is a much cheaper option for getting my body the nutrients it needs. The money spent on ingredients to make the food can be used for other dishes throughout the day rather than one meal. Routinely making meals saves me roughly one hundred dollars plus a month.

Another vital reason meal prepping is essential is the initial workout gains produced from the meals. I need to be able to hit critical protein, carbs, and fats to help my body recover appropriately from an intense workout. Meal prepping is the number one way to create this muscle. I have been meal-prepping constantly for about a year and a half during my workout journey. I fully endorse the necessity of meal prepping for all athletes and bodybuilders worldwide because it is so monumental to the body.

To Conclude, meal prepping is a very serious way to put on pounds of muscle. I have seen this happen to myself and others around me. This is a call to meal prep your food and live a better lifestyle.