iHealthy

Best Power Foods for Working Out

2011-04-29T06:49:00.001-07:00

Every day, you make food choices. Turkey bacon or regular? Whole grain toast or bagel? Milk or juice? The food choices we make each day have an effect on moods, energy levels or something as simple as satisfying a craving. For those who exercise, choosing the right foods is essential in boosting the metabolism and energy to get an efficient workout. Making beneficial food choices also helps us get the nutrition we need to make sure our bodies cooperate before, during and after exercise. If you are working out, there are plenty of foods you can eat to make sure you drop weight, stay satisfied and experience higher levels of energy:

Avocados: Not only are they delicious, but they are healthy for you. Avocados contain healthy fats that improve heart health and strengthen joints and muscles. For those who do strength training and running, avocados are a daily essential. Add a few slices of the fruit to salads and sandwiches to boost healthy fat intake.

Bananas: Ever get a terrible leg or side cramp in the middle of working out? A lack sodium is one of the main causes for cramping, but studies show that adding potassium to the diet can help reduce cramping occurrences. The tasty fruit also contains carbohydrates, perfect for those who want to maintain energy during a workout. Another food that helps with energy boosting and potassium levels? Carrots. The vegetable is also helpful in controlling blood pressure levels. Snack on a banana or carrots prior to working out or add them to your favorite foods for a healthy meal.

Cottage Cheese: This diet staple does more than help you lose weight. Cottage cheese is high in protein, which is essential in repairing muscle after a hard workout. It's also low in fat, which makes it a perfect choice for a mid-afternoon snack paired with fruit or as a side dish to a healthy breakfast or dinner. Pair cottage cheese with banana for a satisfying, but healthy, pre or post-workout snack.

Eggs: Eggs have gotten a bad rap for raising cholesterol levels, but when eaten in moderation they are actually good for you. Whole eggs contain essential minerals, like iron, that helps provide oxygen to the muscles for an effective workout. Eggs also feature lecithin, which maintains healthy brain functioning. Having one egg a day keeps you within the recommended limit of 300 milligrams of cholesterol, and there is plenty you can do with it. They can be hard-boiled for a mid-morning snack or added to a salad or you can scramble one up to pair with a whole-grain English muffin and fruit for a satisfying breakfast.

Yogurt: If you're watching your weight, yogurt is an amazing substitute when you're craving something sweet. The power food is also great for your health. It contains probiotics, which are necessary to maintain healthy bacteria levels in your stomach and intestines. The texture also makes it easy to digest, so you can easily have a snack before a workout. Yogurt contains proteins and carbohydrates, making it an ideal choice before or after working out.

Oranges: No matter what time of year it is, there are always oranges available at the grocery store. Oranges are also a great source of vitamin C, which boosts the immune system and helps muscle repair. Research has also discovered that vitamin C produces collagen, which is essential in skin and bones. Collagen keeps bones strong and prevents pain in the knees - which is perfect for those who love to run.

Each of these foods is not only healthy, but they ensure you get the most out of your workout. By sticking to a healthy diet, you can boost energy and metabolism, as well as help your body repair itself after exercising.

Source: Prevention Magazine

Anatomy of six pack abs

2009-04-19T02:46:00.001-07:00

Anatomy of six pack abs

The most asked about muscle group without a doubt, has to be the abdominals. This is next to the glutes of course. Everyone is looking for that nice flat stomach, or the washboard six pack abs. This muscle group also takes the most work.

Without the right nutrition plan, you can do all of the crunches in the world & it won’t make a difference. Your abs are covered by a layer of body fat. If there’s too much body fat, you won’t see the results of your efforts underneath.

Genetics comes into play too. Some people were born with fitness model bodies. Some people have to work a little bit harder. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen at all, it just means that it will take a hell of a lot more work than the genetically gifted.

So, with nutrition & genetics aside, how do you get the coveted six pack? It all starts with anatomy & working from the inside out.

Most people want to worker their “lower abs”. What they really want to work is their deep internal muscles that support the body. The Transverse Abdominis. The core.

The best way to start working your core is using the “drawing-in maneuver”. It’s as simple as pulling the navel in toward the spine. You want to focus on the region just below the navel pulling in as well.

You should do this all day long. In your computer chair at work, while you’re out & about running errands & most definitely during every single exercise. This maneuver activates your core, not only making it stronger, but stabilizing your body helping to prevent injury to your spine.

If your abs are strong from the inside, the outer muscles, the Rectus Abdominis, will work more efficiently. Then you’ll be on your way to a kick butt set of abs that you’ll want to show off.

Creatine Transport into Muscle Cells from the Blood Stream

2009-01-22T11:38:00.000-08:00

Creatine Transport into Muscle Cells from the Blood Stream
(bringing it all together)

Legend: Creatine harnesses the potential energy of sodium (Na) wanting to enter the muscle cell. Therefore, any agent that increases the extrusion of sodium, should likewise increase the transport of creatine into the muscle cell. Physiological agensts that are well known to increase sodium efflux include insulin and adrenalin (epinephrine).

Two sodiums need to accompany each creatine molecule being transported inward. Therefore, doubling the driving force for sodium inwardly will effectively increase creatine transport by 50%.

Creatine transporter expression is also greatest on type II muscle fibers. Recall that these are the muscle fibers with the greatest requirement for creatine.

Finally, due to its electrical charge creatine becomes trapped within the muscle cell once transported within. PCr is even more highly charged and likewise is trapped once produced. Creatinine, on the other hand, lacks electrical charges at physiological pH and hence is able to escape across the muscle cell membrane.

Creatine Synthesis from the Amino Acids

2009-01-22T11:35:00.001-08:00

Creatine Synthesis from the Amino Acids,
Arginine, Glycine and Methionine

Legend: Reaction 1 (catalyzed by AGAT) is the rate limiting step in creatine biosynthesis. AGAT expression is also reduced by the presence of creatine. This raised concerns that prolonged creatine supplementation might inhibit endogenous creatine synthesis for an indefinite period of time.

Finally, notice that Glycine is completely incorporated into the creatine backbone, whereas Arginine and Methionine only contribute side groups.

Enzymatic Interconversion of PCr and ATP (Creatine Related)

2009-01-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

Enzymatic Interconversion of PCr and ATP

Legend: ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate) is the energy storage molecule of all cells. After donating its energy allotment to the contractile apparatus of muscle, ATP becomes ADP (Adenosine DiPhosphate). During intense physical exertion ATP is rapidly recreated from ADP by the donation of a phosphate group from Phosphocreatine (PCr).

Creatine kinase is the enzyme responsible for swapping the phosphate groups (shown in red) between PCr and ATP. The upward reaction predominates during strenuous exercise when energy (ATP) is needed to fuel explosive movements. The downward reactions primarily takes place during moments of rest and recreates our PCr reserves. The larger our PCr reserves, the longer we can sustain intense muscular activity. This is the basic premise behind creatine supplementation.

Creatine and PCr later spontaneously degrade into creatinine, which is able to escape from the cell.

The production of ATP from PCr has the added advantage that it also neutralizes muscle acidity (H+). This effect should heighten our fatigue threshold during moments of intense physical exertion.

Spontaneous one-way conversion of PCr and Creatine
into Creatinine

Legend: The presence of charged groups on creatine and PCr prevent them from transversing the muscle membrane. Creatinine, by contrast, has no charge and is thus able to freely slip through the muscle membrane escaping to the outside. This leakage pathway sets our requirement for new creatine (~2 grams per day).

Also note that most of the muscle creatine is in the form of PCr, which also degrades at twice the rate of creatine. Hence, degradation rates should be quite appreciable under resting conditions.

Creatine supplements

2009-01-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the biochemistry and physiology of creatine, please see Creatine.

Creatine supplements are athletic aids used to increase high-intensity athletic performance. Though researchers have known of the use of creatine as an energy source by skeletal muscles since the beginning of the 20th century, they were popularized as a performance-enhancing supplement in 1992.

[hide]

[edit]History of creatine supplements

In 1912, Harvard University researchers Otto Folin and Willey Glover Denis found proof that ingesting creatine can dramatically boost the creatine content of the muscle^[1]. In the late 1920s, after finding that the intramuscular stores of creatine can be increased by ingesting creatine in larger than normal amounts, scientists discovered creatine phosphate, and determined that creatine is a key player in the metabolism of skeletal muscle. The substance creatine is naturally formed in vertebrates.

While creatine's influence on physical performance has been well documented since the early twentieth century, it only recently came into public view following the 1992 Olympics inBarcelona. An August 7, 1992 article in The Times reported that Linford Christie, the gold medal winner at 100 meters, had utilized creatine prior to the Olympics, and an article inBodybuilding Monthly named Sally Gunnell, gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdles, as another creatine user. Several medal-winning British rowers also used creatine during their preparations for the Barcelona games.

At the time, low-potency creatine supplements were available in Britain, but creatine supplements designed for strength enhancement were not commercially available until 1993 when a company called Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS) introduced the compound to the sports nutrition market under the name Phosphagen.^[2] Research conducted afterward showed that the consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates in conjunction with creatine increases creatine muscle stores and performance. ^[3] In 1998, MuscleTech Research and Developmentlaunched Cell-Tech, the first creatine-carbohydrate-alpha lipoic acid supplement. Alpha lipoic acid has been demonstrated to enhance muscle phosphocreatine levels and total muscle creatine concentrations. This approach to creatine supplementation was validated in a study performed in 2003.^[4]

Another important event in creatine supplementation occurred in 2004 when the first creatine ethyl ester supplements were launched. Creatine ethyl ester (CEE) is becoming a widely used form of creatine, with many companies now carrying both creatine monohydrate-based supplements and CEE supplements, or combinations of both.

[edit]Creatine and athletic performance

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007)

This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. WikiProject Pharmacology or the Pharmacology Portal may be able to help recruit one. (November 2008)

Creatine is often taken by athletes as a supplement for those wishing to gain muscle mass (bodybuilding). There are a number of forms but the most common are creatine monohydrate - creatine complexed with a molecule of water, and Creatine ethyl ester (CEE). A number of methods for ingestion exist - as a powder mixed into a drink, or as a capsule or caplet. Once ingested, creatine is highly bioavailable, whether it is ingested as the crystalline monohydrate form, the free form in solution, or even in meat. Creatine salts will become the free form when dissolved in aqueous solution. Conventional wisdom recommends the consumption of creatine with high glycemic index carbohydrates, though research indicates that the use of high GI carbs in combination with protein is also beneficial.^[5]

There is scientific evidence that taking creatine supplements can marginally increase athletic performance in high-intensity anaerobic repetitive cycling sprints, but studies in swimmers and runners have been less than promising, most likely because these activities are sustained at a given intensity and thus do not allow for significant intra-exercise synthesis of additional creatine phosphate molecules. Ingesting creatine can increase the level of phosphocreatine in the muscles up to 20%. It must be noted creatine has no significant effect on aerobicendurance, though it will increase power during short sessions of high-intensity aerobic exercise.^[6]^[7]

Since body mass gains of about 1 kg can occur in a week's time, many studies suggest that the gain is simply due to greater water retention inside the muscle cells. However, studies into the long-term effect of creatine supplementation suggest that body mass gains cannot be explained by increases in intracellular water alone.^[8] In the longer term, the increase in total body water is reported to be proportional to the weight gains, which means that the percentage of total body water is not significantly changed. The magnitude of the weight gains during training over a period of several weeks argue against the water-retention theory.

Also, research has shown that creatine increases the activity of satellite cells, which make muscle hypertrophy possible. Creatine supplementation appears to increase the number of myonuclei that satellite cells will 'donate' to damaged muscle fibers, which increases the potential for growth of those fibers. This increase in myonuclei probably stems from creatine's ability to increase levels of the myogenic transcription factor MRF4.^[9]^[10].

In another study, researchers concluded that changes in substrate oxidation may influence the inhibition of fat mass loss associated with creatine after weight training when they discovered that fat mass did not change significantly with creatine but decreased after the placebo trial in a 12-week study on ten active men. The study also showed that 1-RM bench press and total body mass increased after creatine, but not after placebo.^[11] The underlying effect of Creatine on body composition if there is indeed one has yet to be determined, as another study with a similar timeframe suggests no effect on body composition, but had less overall emphasis on metabolic effects. ^[12]

Creatine use is not considered doping and is not banned by the majority of sport-governing bodies. However, in the United States, the NCAA recently ruled that colleges could not provide creatine supplements to their players, though the players are still allowed to obtain and use creatine independently.

[edit]Creatine ethyl ester

Main article: Creatine ethyl ester

CEE is a form of commercially available creatine touted to have higher absorption rates and a longer serum half-life than regular creatine monohydrate by several supplement companies. No peer-reviewed studies have emerged on creatine ethyl ester to conclusively prove these claims, however, a study presented at the 4th International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) annual meeting demonstrated that the addition of the ethyl group to creatine actually reduces acid stability and accelerates its breakdown to creatinine. The researchers concluded that creatine ethyl-ester is inferior to creatine monohydrate as a source of creatine.^[13]

As a supplement, the compound was patented, and licensed through UNeMed, the technology transfer entity of the University of Nebraska Medical Center.^[14]

[edit]Safety

Some current studies indicate that short-term creatine supplementation in healthy individuals is safe, although those with renal disease should avoid it due to possible risks of renal dysfunction, and before using it healthy users should bear these possible risks in mind.^[7]^[15]^[16]^[17] Small-scale, longer-term studies have been done and seem to demonstrate its safety.^[18]^[19]^[20] There have been reports of muscle cramping with the use of creatine, though a study showed no reports of muscle cramping in subjects taking creatine-containing supplements during various exercise training conditions in trained and untrained endurance athletes.^[21]^[22] The cause of the reported cramping by some users may be due to dehydration, and extra water intake is vital when supplementing with creatine.

In addition, experiments have shown that creatine supplementation improved the health and lifespan of mice.^[23] Whether these beneficial effects would also apply to humans is still uncertain. It also led to a rise in allergic lung reactions in an animal test on mice with pre-existent allergic disease.^[24]

Creatine supplementation, in the dosages commonly used, results in urinary concentrations that are 90 times greater than normal. The long term effects of this have not been investigated, but there is possibility for a variety of nephrotoxic, i.e., kidney damaging, events. There is potential for direct toxicity on renal tubules where urine is formed, and for acceleration of kidney stone formation.^[25] Creatine has been shown to accelerate the growth of cysts in rats with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). ^[26] Studies have not yet determined if Creatine supplementation will accelerate the growth of cysts in humans with PKD. PKD is prevelant in approximately 1 in 1000 people and may not be detectable until affected individuals reach their thirties.

One case study suggested that there was increased risk of rhabdomyolysis and thence renal failure after the use of a tourniquet during surgery.^[27]

[edit]Creatine and mental performance

Creatine administration was shown to significantly improve performance in cognitive and memory tests in vegetarian individuals involved in double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trials.^[28] Vegetarian supplementation with creatine seems to be especially beneficial as they appear to have lower average body stores, since meat is a primary source of dietary creatine.^[28]

[edit]References

^ Folin O, Denis W (1912). "Protein metabolism from the standpoint of blood and tissue analysis. Third paper, Further absorption experiments with especial reference to the behavior of creatine and creatinine and to the formation of urea.". Journal of Biological Chemistry 12 (1): 141–61.
^ Stoppani, Jim (May, 2004), Creatine new and improved: recent high-tech advances have made creatine even more powerful. Here's how you can take full advantage of this super supplement, Muscle & Fitness, retrieved on 5 February 2008.
^ Green AL, Hultman E, Macdonald IA, Sewell DA, Greenhaff PL (Nov 1996). "Carbohydrate ingestion augments skeletal muscle creatine accumulation during creatine supplementation in humans". Am. J. Physiol. 271(5 Pt 1): E821–6. PMID 8944667.
^ Burke DG, Chilibeck PD, Parise G, Tarnopolsky MA, Candow DG (2003-09-01). "Effect of alpha-lipoic acid combined with creatine monohydrate on human skeletal muscle creatine and phosphagen concentration".International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (Human Kinetics Publishers) 13 (3): 294–302. PMID 14669930.
^ Steenge GR, Simpson EJ, Greenhaff PL (Sep 2000). "Protein- and carbohydrate-induced augmentation of whole body creatine retention in humans". J. Appl. Physiol. 89 (3): 1165–71. PMID 10956365.
^ Engelhardt, M; Neumann G, Berbalk A, Reuter I (1998-07-01). "Creatine supplementation in endurance sports". Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins) 30 (7): 1123–9.doi:10.1097/00005768-199807000-00016. PMID 9662683.
^ ^a ^b Graham AS, Hatton RC (1999). "Creatine: a review of efficacy and safety". J Am Pharm Assoc (Wash) 39 (6): 803–10; quiz 875–7. PMID 10609446.
^ Powers, M; Arnold B et al (2003). "Creatine Supplementation Increases Total Body Water Without Altering Fluid Distribution". Journal of Athletic Training (National Athletic Trainers' Association, Inc) 38 (Jan-Mar): 44–50. PMID 12937471.
^ Hespel, P; Eijnde BO, Derave W, Richter EA (2001). "Creatine supplementation: exploring the role of the creatine kinase/phosphocreatine system in human muscle". Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology (Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.) 26 (Suppl.): S79–102. PMID 11897886.
^ Olsen, S; Aagaard P, Fawzi K, et al (2006). "Creatine supplementation augments the increase in satellite cell and myonuclei number in human skeletal muscle induced by strength training". The Journal of Physiology573 (Jun 1): 525–34. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2006.107359.
^ Huso, ME; Hampl JS, Johnston CS, Swan PD (2002-08-16). "Creatine supplementation influences substrate utilization at rest". Journal of Applied Physiology 93 (6): 2018–22. doi:10.1152.
^ Huso, ME; Hampl JS, Johnston CS, Swan PD (2007-12-01). "Effect of in-season creatine supplementation on body composition and performance in rugby union football players". Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism 32 (6): 1052–7. doi:10.1139/H07-072. PMID 18059577.
^ Child, R. & Tallon, M.J. (2007). Creatine ethyl ester rapidly degrades to creatinine in stomach acid. International Society of Sports Nutrition 4th Annual Meeting
^ UNeMed 2003 Annual Report, p.4
^ Creatine's Side Effects. Fact or Fiction?, An interview of Professor Jacques R. Poortmans
^ Poortmans J. R., Francaux, M. (September 2000). "Adverse effects of creatine supplementation. Fact or Fiction?". Sports Medicine. PMID 10999421.
^ Robinson, T.M.; Sewell, D.A., Casey, A., Steenge, G. & Greenhaff, P.L. (2000). "Dietary creatine supplementation does not affect some haematological indices, or indices of muscle damage and hepatic and renal function". British Journal of Sports Medicine 34 (4): 284–288. doi:10.1136/bjsm.34.4.284. Retrieved on 12 April 2007.
^ Mayhew DL, Mayhew JL, Ware JS (2002). "Effects of long-term creatine supplementation on liver and kidney functions in American college football players.". Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 12 (4): 453–60. PMID 12500988.
^ Poortmans, J.R.; Francaux, M. (1999-08-01). "Long-term oral creatine supplementation does not impair renal function in healthy athletes". Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.) 31 (8): 1108–1110. doi:10.1097/00005768-199908000-00005. Retrieved on 12 April 2007.
^ Kreider, R.B.; Melton, C., Rasmussen, C.J., Greenwood, M., Lancaster, S., Cantler, E.C., Milnor, P. & Almada, A.L. (2004-11-01). "Long-term creatine supplementation does not significantly affect clinical markers of health in athletes". Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry (Springer Netherlands) 244 (1-2): 95–104. doi:10.1023. Retrieved on 12 April 2007.
^ Kreider R. (1998). "Creatine: The Ergogenic/Anabolic Supplement". Mesomorphosis 1 (4). Retrieved on 12 April 2007.
^ Kreider R, Rasmussen C, Ransom J, Almada AL. (1998). "Effects of creatine supplementation during training on the incidence of muscle cramping, injuries and GI distress.". Journal of Strength Conditioning Research12 (275).
^ Bender A, Beckers J, Schneider I, et al (September 2008). "Creatine improves health and survival of mice". Neurobiol. Aging 29 (9): 1404–11. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2007.03.001. PMID 17416441.
^ Vieira RP, Duarte AC, Claudino RC, et al (Dec 2007). "Creatine supplementation exacerbates allergic lung inflammation and airway remodeling in mice". Am J Respir Cell Mol. Biol. 37 (6): 660–7.doi:10.1165/rcmb.2007-0108OC. PMID 17641295.
^ http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/creatine.html
^ Edmunds JW, Jayapalan S, DiMarco NM, Saboorian MH, Aukema HM (2008). "Creatine supplementation increases renal disease progression in Han:SPRD-cy rats.". American Journal of Kidney Disease 37 (1): 157–9.PMID 11136170.
^ Sheth NP, Sennett B, Berns JS (Feb 2006). "Rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure following arthroscopic knee surgery in a college football player taking creatine supplements". Clin Nephrol. 65 (2): 134–7. PMID 16509464.
^ ^a ^b Rae C, Digney AL, McEwan SR, Bates TC (Oct 2003). "Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial". Proc Biol Sci. 270 (1529): 2147–50. doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2492. PMID 14561278.

Greenhaff PL et al. (1993). "Influence of oral creatine supplementation on muscle torque during repeated bouts of maximal voluntary exercise in men". Clinical Science 84: 565–71. PMID 8504634..

Phillips, Bill. Sports Supplement Review 3rd issue. (2000).

Stout JR et al. (1997). "The effects of a supplement designed to augment creatine uptake on anaerobic reserve capacity". NSCA National Conference Abstract.

Benzi G. (2000). "Is there a rationale for the use of creatine either as nutritional supplementation or drug administration in humans participating in a sport?". Pharmacological Research 41 (3): 255–64.doi:10.1006/phrs.1999.0618. PMID 10675277.

ZMA (supplement)

2009-01-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

ZMA (supplement)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ZMA (Zinc monomethionine aspartate and Magnesium Aspartate) is a supplement used by bodybuilders and athletes. It was developed by Victor Conte (founder of BALCO Laboratories inBurlingame, California) and is a combination of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. The formula is "patent pending" and the name "ZMA" trademarked by SNAC System Inc, also founded by Victor Conte. ZMA is claimed to raise strength levels.^[1].

ZMA is a combination of two minerals, zinc and magnesium, and Vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine. All three of these compounds are important in biological processes, and while studies have shown that most Americans get enough zinc and Vitamin B6,^[2] more than 50% are deficient in magnesium.^[3]

An increase in exercise can lead to the loss of vitamins and minerals making it particularly important for bodybuilding due to the blood sugar level rises and urination increases, increasing the loss of magnesium, zinc, B12, B6, folic acid, and many other nutrients. Although drinking water re-hydrates an athlete, fruit juice, sports drinks or foods high in water such as vegetables are needed to replenish water-soluble nutrients.

The proportion of ingredients generally used in products is 20-30 mg Zinc, 400-500 mg Magnesium and ~10mg B6. According to the label directions, ZMA should be taken before bed on an empty stomach (2 hours after eating your last meal and at least 30 minutes prior to any other supplements). The product should not be taken with calcium (cheese,milk,etc.), the reason being that calcium blocks the absorption of zinc.

[edit]Scientific studies

A 1999 study was undertaken on NCAA Football players during an 8 week spring training program. The control group was told to cease taking any nutritional supplements. Those who took the ZMA tablets showed greater increases in muscle strength.^[4] This study was funded by SNAC Systems Inc. (the patent holders) and one of the study's authors (Victor Conte) has equity in this company.

[edit]History

The supplement played a large role in the controversial non-fiction book Game of Shadows by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams. It is important to note that "of the 57 Western Washington University football players who signed up for the study, 30 quit. By the end, only a dozen players were using ZMA while 15 took the placebo." (Game Of Shadows 46)^[5]

[edit]References

^ Independent research on ZMA is available at nutriline.org
^ "Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet". Retrieved on 2006-08-11.
^ "More than half of Americans don’t get nearly enough magnesium" (PDF). Retrieved on 2006-08-11.
^ Lukaski HC (2000). "Magnesium, zinc, and chromium nutriture and physical activity". American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 72 (2): 585s-593s. PMID 10919964.
^ Fainaru-Wada, Mark, and Lance Williams. Game of Shadows. 1st Edition. New York: Penguin Group , 2006

how create workout schedule.

2008-05-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Instructions

Planning

Step1

Sit down with a weekly calendar and determine how many days of the week you are willing to exercise.

Step2

Decide what specific type of exercise you want to engage in. For instance, cardiovascular exercise will help you lose weight, whereas lifting weights will primarily build muscle.

Step3

See Section 2 for devising a cardiovascular exercise plan.

Step4

See Section 3 for devising a weight-lifting program.

Step5

Commit yourself to exercising according to your plan. This is the most important step.

Step6

Follow your schedule for at least one month. The results you'll see after four weeks should be enough to keep you motivated.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Step1

Incorporate 30-minute exercise sessions into your schedule. Thirty minutes of daily exercise is more than adequate for most people.

Step2

Decide on a form of cardiovascular exercise for a specific day of the week. Using a treadmill or stair-climbing machine, jogging, biking, and swimming are all effective forms of cardiovascular exercise.

Step3

Stretch and warm up for 5 minutes before beginning any activity.

Step4

Exercise at a moderate pace for 20 minutes.

Step5

Follow with a 5-minute cooldown.

Step6

Change your schedule to accommodate longer exercise periods when appropriate.

Step7

Stick to your schedule.

Weight Lifting

Step1

Set aside 45- to 60-minute workout sessions for lifting. If you don't spend a lot of time socializing or resting during your workout you can get a good session of lifting done in that time. Don't rest more than 60 seconds between sets.

Step2

Begin by performing total body workouts aimed at conditioning every major muscle group (upper body, lower body and back). Balanced development is extremely important.

Step3

Split your workouts as you become a more experienced lifter. This will enable you to better concentrate on specific muscle groups and areas. A common split that targets every major muscle group is: chest and triceps, back and biceps, shoulder and legs.

Step4

Rest your muscles between sessions. Allow each muscle group at least 48 hours of rest between sessions. Your muscles can't grow unless they have time to rest and heal.

Step5

Tailor your schedule to best satisfy your goals.

Step6

Stick to your schedule.

Cardio: The best time of the day to

2007-11-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

WARNING: What you are about to read is the answer to the most common question people have about their cardio/aerobic workout. What you are about to read is all 100% true! What you are about to read is the answer to the question that personal trainers and fitness magazines will make you pay for. Enjoy...

This is another time where what I am writing is inspired by questions people have emailed to me. So, be sure to keep those questions coming so I have more material to write about. =]

Now, on to the question. When is the best time of day to do cardio, and why? Well, I bet most people do cardio "whenever they get a chance." Sometimes during the middle of the day, sometimes before bed, sometimes directly after your weightlifting workout, sometimes directly before the weightlifting workout and sometimes first thing in the morning. The truth is, all of those times will get results. It doesn't matter what time of day you do your cardio workout, you will be burning calories every time. BUT, the real question is, which of those times is the most effective? And the answer is (drum roll please).... first thing in the morning!

Doing cardio first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, before you eat anything, is by far, the most effective. Whether you run, jog, walk, swim, jump rope, take an aerobics class, ride a bike, etc., doing it first thing in the morning is the best time to do it for maximum fat loss. Why? Its simple. When you do your cardio workout, you are burning calories. Lets say you wake up, eat breakfast, eat lunch later in the day, and then a few hours after lunch, you do your cardio. All you will be doing during that cardio is burning the calories and carbs of the food you just ate. When you do cardio first thing in the morning, you haven't eaten anything for the last 8 or so hours because you were sleeping. So, when your body sees that there are no carbs to burn, it goes directly to stored bodyfat. And stored bodyfat is the fat that is on your body, which is the fat that you want to lose!

Understand how it works? When you do your cardio sometime during the day other then first thing in the morning, you spend most of that time burning off carbs that you already ate that day. When you do it first thing in the morning, there are no carbs to burn, so all your body can burn is body fat!

Some people have e-mailed me asking what type of cardio I do and I tell them I jog on my treadmill first thing in the morning. Even though I do all of my weightlifting at a gym, I do my cardio in my house on my own treadmill so I can do it first thing in the morning without having to take a shower, get dressed and do whatever else I'd do if I went to the gym to do cardio.

weight loss - free information on losing weight

2007-11-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

When you think of weight loss and losing weight, the first things that probably come to your mind are either those "lose weight fast !!" articles that are in every magazine and newspaper in the world that never work and are written by some personal training idiot that has no idea what they're talking about... or maybe you're thinking of all of those weight loss pills that claim to be safe and allow you to "eat whatever you want and still lose weight because the pill will do all of the work for you" or whatever stupid line they are using to get you to buy their useless unsafe weight loss product. Or, maybe you're thinking of rice cakes and never eating and being hungry all day long.

Well, if you are thinking any of those things, forget it! Forget all of it!

What I am about to give you is totally FREE, detailed, easy to understand information on weight loss and losing weight and how to lose weight and fat without using any type of pill or supplement, without using some "fitness magazine" diet, and by eating not 1, not 2, not 3, but 5 meals a day! Sound impossible? Sound too good to be true? Sound like I'm going to make you buy my "book" or order my "product" first before I tell you? Well I'm not! I don't have a book and I don't a have product. I am not trying to sell you a damn thing! What I am trying to do, no... what I am GOING to do, is tell you exactly how you can lose weight. Enjoy...

Weight loss is simple, burn more calories then you consume. If you can fully understand that then you are on your way to losing weight. There are 6 simple steps. Here they are:

1) Count how many calories you eat in a normal day. That's right, wake up, and eat like you would normally eat and count the calories in everything you eat and everything you drink and keep track of it on a piece of paper or on the computer some where. You might be thinking to yourself, "yeah right, I'm not gonna sit around counting calories all day." Well, if you're thinking that, then you're obviously not dedicated enough to losing weight. If this is the case, then feel free to go waste your money on the newest useless weight loss pill. But, if you are dedicated enough to take 10 minutes out of your day and count the calories, then keep on reading.

2) At the end of that day, add up the number of calories you ate/drank. Be as exact as possible. Once you add it all up, you now have the total number of calories you consume daily. Also, weigh yourself.

3) Starting the day after you counted calories, eat 500 calories LESS then you normally do. So, lets pretend that the day you counted calories you counted 2000. For the rest of the week, you would eat 1500 calories a day. Understand? All you have to do is subtract 500 from the total number of calories you consume in a normal day, and eat this new number of calories every day for the next 7 days.

4) Instead of eating 3 big meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), or eating all day all the time, spread those calories out over 5 smaller meals. Eat one meal every 2 and a half to 3 hours. Doing this will speed up your metabolism.

5) Cardio. Cardio is an important part of weight loss. If you're serious about losing weight, but don't want to do the cardio workouts, then you are requiring your diet to do all of the work. Jog, walk, swim, jump rope, ride a bike, take an aerobics class, whatever... cardio + proper diet = better than just doing one of the two. All it takes is 30 minutes a day, 3 - 5 days a week. I say 3-5 days a week because I don't know if you have 5 pounds to lose, or if you have 50 pounds to lose. So, depending on how much your looking to lose, figure it out. 3 times a week is good starting point though. (For information on the most effective time of the day to do your cardio workout, read doing cardio for maximum weight loss)

6) At the end of that week, weigh yourself. You'll notice a difference just after one week! Now, don't expect to see a 20 pound difference. Losing anymore then 1 or 2 pounds a week is unhealthly. So look for a 1 or 2 pound weight loss at the end of the week. Don't sound like much? You can lose 5-8 pounds a month! That's around 75lbs a year! So if you have A LOT of weight to lose, you can lose it. If have just a few pounds to lose, you can lose it.

Important weight loss tips for losing weight effectively! (extremely important!)

- THE BAD FAT MUST GO! Stay away from "bad" fat! Get rid of all the chips and candy. No more fast food, nothing fried. No more cookies, no more cake, no more of these saturated fats. There is no question about it and there is no way around it, get rid of these types of foods. Don't get me wrong, you should NOT be eating 0 grams of fat every day, but the only places you should be getting your daily fat intake from are lean meats (not the fried fast food kind), chicken (again, not fried!), etc. as well as the foods that contain the "healthy" types of fat, which can be found in just about every type of fish (tuna fish, salmon, fish oil supplements, etc.), nuts, olive oil and flaxseed oil.

- LOWER THE BAD CARBS! Most people think that it is fat that makes people fat and that just by eating less fat, they are on their way to weight loss! WRONG! Certain carbs can be just as bad as fat when it comes to losing weight. Limit foods high in bad carbs. These carbs will eventually turn into fat. Foods like sugar, white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc. are high in simple (bad) carbs. Sure, your body needs carbs, which is why foods like these are ok to eat, but don't go overboard. Stick to high protein/good carb/low fat foods like tuna fish (and other seafood), chicken breast, turkey, whole grains, fruits and vegetables etc. (For more information, go here: Diet Plans And Diets)

- WATER! Drink water! Get rid of the soda, get rid of the beer, and get rid of the sports drinks. Drink around a half gallon a day, more if you can. Spread it out throughout the day, just like your 5 meals. Yes that's a lot of water, but it's that water that will give you energy and speed your weight loss.

- STRENGTH TRAINING! YES! Weightlifting isn't just great for muscles, it's great for losing weight. Muscles burn calories.

- Weigh yourself at the end of every week. If you ever have more then 2 weeks go by without losing 1 pound, it's time to change something. Eat 250 less calories then you've been eating. And keep everything else the same. Each time you see weight loss stop for more then 2 weeks, decrease calorie intake by 250 until you get down to where you want to be. Remember, NEVER starve yourself!

- Sleep! YES! Sleep! The easiest, yet most over looked step. Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Trust me, you're gonna need it! =]

- Food cravings! Can't stop giving in to your food cravings?
Read this: food cravings

- Still don't understand weight loss yet? Read this: How to lose weight: My day in a weight loss chat room

There you have it. You now know everything you need to know about losing weight. You didn't have to buy any weight loss pills or books on losing weight, instead, you should use the money you just saved and go buy some good food or a gym membership.

Now, I never once said this would be easy. If it was easy, you would have done it already. Losing weight isn't something you can just do "on the side." You also can NOT lose weight fast. You are going to have to dedicate your mind and body and your time to doing it! So, you now have the information you need, all you have to do now is use it.

(I've done my best to explain diet and weight loss as simply as possible, for free. However, if you feel you just need something more, I'd definitely recommend Diet.com. For a small membership fee, you receive meal plans that are custom-made for your needs, 24/7 access to a team of doctors and dietitians, online support groups, useful tools, trackers, videos, calorie counters, and more. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, go for it: Diet.com)

The truth about ab workouts, infomercials and getting perfect abs

2007-11-29T16:22:00.000-08:00

The truth about ab workouts, infomercials and getting perfect abs...

WARNING: What you are about to read is what the people from the ab infomercials don't want you to read. What you are about to read is all 100% true! What you are about to read is the truth about ab workouts and how to get "the perfect abs you've always dreamed of." Enjoy...

I have realized that on average, at least once a day I see one of those infomercials about ab workouts. You know them, the ones that have a bunch of guys/girls with pretty good bodies all standing around talking about ab workouts and how great this product is. Maybe they will use it to show how it works, maybe there will be a diagram drawn to show what part of the ab muscles it works, maybe there will be a big speech about why it is better than ANY of the other abdominal machines and abdominal exercises, and better than anything you can possibly do for your abs. Personally, I love the names. The "Ab Doer," the "Ab Dolly," the "Ab Swing," etc., but my question is, why don't they just name it the "Ab machine that will totally waste all of your money and do absolutely nothing for you, except help us people in this stupid, bad acted, infomercial make money."

The truth is, no matter what Chuck Norris or whatever other idiot in the commercial says, it is all a big lie. The truth is, EVERY one of the ab machines you see in EVERY one of these infomercials is 100% useless. The truth is, the ab dolly, the ab doer, the ab slide, the ab lounge, etc. are all a big useless waste of money, and one big lie! The truth is everyone in these infomercials with the perfect 6 packs and flat stomachs all got that way WITHOUT using the dumb abdominal product they are advertising. There is only 1, I repeat, there is only ONE way to get a stomach like that and it has nothing to do with any kind of "magic" ab workouts or abdominal exercises. It's the huge secret that everyone in those commercials don't want you to know because if everyone knew this secret, these infomercial idiots would all have no jobs. So... the BIG secret is...

You have to have a low body fat. It's as simple as that.

You don't have to spend $19.95 to swing in the "Ab Chair" for 8 minutes a day, you don't spend $29.95 to ride the "Ab Dolly" for 3 minutes a day. All you have to do is have a low body fat; not do some kind of magic ab workouts. The brutal truth is we all have perfect abs. The 2000 pound guy who has to be lifted out of his house by a truck because he's so fat, has perfect abs. I have perfect abs, you have perfect abs. EVERYONE has perfect abs. The problem is most people just can't see them. Why? Because their fat body is too high. Eat a perfect diet, and do cardio, and your body fat will get lower, and your abs will be able to be seen. Sure, doing abdominal exercises and working out your abs is good, this helps strengthen and build your ab muscles, but that won't do much for you if you can't see them because there is a layer of fat covering them!

Everyone in these ab infomercials swear that the ab workouts they are advertising are "the best!" They swear that their stupid useless abdominal product is the best, fastest, and most effective way to get the "perfect abs you've always dreamed of." The truth is, you can get those perfect abs by doing 5 minutes of plain old crunches 2 days a week. Hell, that's what I do! My ab workouts consist of a few different types of basic abdominal exercises like crunches (weighted) and leg raises 2 times a week. No machines, no 8 minute abs video tapes, nothing. Just me and the floor. The workout usually lasts about 5-15 minutes. It's the diet and the cardio that give you the low body fat that allows your abs to be visible. Not the Ab doer dolly lounge swing fling thing useless piece of crap blah blah blah! You get my point.

So, the next time you see one of these infomercials, be happy. Feel good about yourself. Why? Because you know the truth. You know the big secret, you know that somewhere out there is someone who is ordering this stupid product right now... and you're not! Be happy that you know what you really have to do to get the perfect abs you've always dreamed of... and lucky you... you even got to save your $19.95!

Triceps Excrise : Dumbbell One Arm Triceps Kickback

2007-10-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Starting Position:

Stagger your feet with the left in front with knees slightly bent. Place your left hand on the left thigh for support.
Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and bend the elbow at a 90-degree angle, pointing behind you with the upper arm not quite parallel to the floor.

Movement:

Contracting your triceps muscles, move your lower arm back until the weight is pointing away from your body, keeping the wrist firm.
Slowly return to the starting position.
After completing the set on the right side, repeat on the left side.

Key Points:

Exhale while extending your elbow.
Inhale while returning to the starting position.
Your upper arm should remain stationary throughout the exercise.
This exercise can also be done with one knee and one arm supported on a bench

Biceps Excrise : Dumbbell Alternating Biceps Curl

2007-10-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

Starting Position:

Sit upright in a chair with your legs bent, feet forward and your head a natural extension of your spine.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with the arms hanging down at your sides and palms facing your body.
Keep your wrists straight throughout the exercise.

Movement:

Contracting the biceps muscles, bend your right arm at the elbow while turning your wrist until your palm is facing the ceiling, stopping when the weight is just short of touching your shoulder.
Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of the elbow fully extending.

Key Points:

Exhale as you lift the weight.
Inhale while returning to the starting position.
The upper arm should remain stationary throughout the exercise.

Shoulder Excrise : Two Arm Lateral Raise

2007-10-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Starting Position

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart with a slight bend in your knees.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms down at your sides and palms facing your legs.

Movement:

Contracting the middle shoulder muscles, raise both arms out to the sides, stopping when your arms are slightly higher than shoulder level.
Slowly return to the starting position stopping just short of the weights touching your body.

Key Points

Exhale while lifting the weights.
Inhale while returning to the starting position.
You may also perform this exercise from a seated position.

Chest Excrise : Machine Compound Row (Back)

2007-10-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

Starting Position:

Adjust yourself in the machine as per the instructions.

Reach for the handles and sit back until your hips and knees form a 90-degree angle.

Movement:
Contracting the upper back muscles, draw your arms back, leading with your elbows and keeping your chest lifted, stopping when you get a full contraction of the upper back muscles.

Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of your arms fully extending and just short of the weight stack touching.

Key Points:

Exhale while lifting the weight.
Inhale while returning to the starting position.
Try to maintain a neutral spine throughout the entire range of motion and keep the shoulder blades squeezed together.
Do not round the upper back or let the chest cave in.

Chest Excrise : Machine Chest Press

2007-10-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Starting Position:

Adjust yourself in the machine as per the instructions.
Hold a handle in each hand with your elbows at a 90-degree angle and the upper arm parallel to the floor.

Movemen

Contracting the chest muscles, extend the arms out until there is a slight bend in the elbow. Slowly return to the starting position stopping just short of the weight stack touching.

Key Points

Exhale while lifting the weight.
Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Ab Exercise - Double Crunch

2007-10-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

I like the double crunch because if performed correctly, you can isolate the lower and upper region of the abdominals. Please note, contrary to popular belief, we do not have separate upper and lower abs.

Starting Position

Lie on the floor face up.

Bend your knees until your legs are at a 45-degree angle with both feet on the floor.

Your back should be comfortably relaxed on the floor.

Place both hands behind your head.

Movement:

Contracting your abdominals, raise your head and legs off the floor toward one another.

Slowly return to the starting position stopping just short of your shoulders and feet touching the floor.

Key Points:

Exhale while raising up.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Ab Exercise - Reverse Ab Curl

2007-10-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

This exercise isolates the lower region of the abs. Don’t worry if you can’t perform a lot of them. Just keep practicing.

Starting Position

Lie on the floor with your back relaxed and your hands on the floor by your hips.
Keep the upper back pressed into the floor throughout the exercise.
Movement
Contracting your abs, raise your butt and gently roll your hips off the floor stopping when you feel a full contraction of the abdominals and can no longer lift your hips.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Key Points
Exhale while lifting your hips.
Inhale while returning to the starting position.
Keep your eyes on the ceiling to avoid pulling with your neck.
Your hands should not be used to lift the head or assist in the movement.

Ab Exercises - Vertical Scissors

2007-10-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

Starting Position

Sit on a chair or bench with your legs extended in front of you.
Your hands should be under your glutes for balance.

Movement

1. Contracting your abdominals, lift your right leg as you lower your left leg. 2. Reverse the positions of your legs by lowering your right leg and raising your left leg, mimicking a scissor.

Key Points

Breathe rhythmically throughout the exercise.

Squeeze your glutes and hip muscles as you switch legs, but make sure to focus on contracting your abs (this is not a leg exercise).

BONUS: Abdominal Vacuum

This exercise is based on time and not reps. The Transverus Abdominis muscle is muscle that holds your abs tight and flat. It’s a thin sheet of muscle running along the sides of the abs and joins connective tissue behind it and is your body’s natural corset. When you suck your stomach in, you have just used your Transversus. This is the only muscle that can help pull the stomach inward.

Position yourself on the floor on all fours. Keep your back flat and maintain this position throughout the exercise.

Start by exhaling absolutely every bit of air from your lungs. Then, relax your abdomen and let it hang like a loose sling, but don't increase the arch in your lower back. Next, pull the navel in as if I just told you to suck in your stomach as tight as possible. Continue to breathe lightly through your nostrils, but make sure you’re pulling your navel in as tight as you can. Hold the contraction for 40 seconds but make sure it’s very tight. In time, you’ll notice the abdominal area pulled in and looking flatter. This exercise provides benefit with no repetitious movement.

Immediately return to the first exercise and repeat the program until 12 minutes is up.

Overtraining

2007-10-14T11:49:00.001-07:00

Overtraining

Making a Difficult Diagnosis and Implementing Targeted Treatment

Arja L.T. Uusitalo, MD, PhD

THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE - VOL 29 - NO.5 - MAY 2001

In Brief: Overtraining syndrome is a serious problem marked by decreased performance, increased fatigue, persistent muscle soreness, mood disturbances, and feeling 'burnt out' or 'stale.' The diagnosis of overtraining is usually complicated, there are no exact diagnostic criteria, and physicians must rule out other diseases before the diagnosis can be made. An orthostatic challenge shows promise as a diagnostic tool, but the subjective feelings of the patient remain one of the most reliable early warning signs. Prevention is still the best treatment, and certain subjective and objective parameters can be used by athletes and their trainers to prevent overtraining. Further studies are needed to find a reliable diagnostic test and determine if proposed aids to speed recovery will be effective.

Overtraining has for decades been one of the most popular topics in meetings and journals dealing with top-level sports. The problem has been well known for 70 years (1), but many specifics concerning overtraining are still very unclear. Researchers have tried to determine what happens to athletes when they begin to overtrain. How does the pathologic condition of the whole body progress? If the pathology and physiology of overtraining were better understood, we could have uniform criteria for the early recognition of impending overtraining and should be able to diagnose and cure the overtraining state with greater efficiency. Prevention is still the best cure, and athletes, coaches, and physicians need to recognize the early warning signs.

What Is Overtraining?

In medical literature, the word "overtraining" has had many meanings. It has been used to mean overload training, overreaching, and overtraining syndrome. Overload training, a few days of hard training followed by short-term fatigue, is an essential part of all athletes' training. The physiologic homeostasis of the body needs to be displaced by intensive training stimuli so that performance capacity can be improved, a process called reaching or supercompensation (2). Several days of intentionally heavy training are followed by some days of less intense training and rest to achieve supercompensation and peak performance.

The time needed for supercompensation is essential to recognize. If an athlete is not allowed to adapt before a new stimulus is given, a greater and progressive imbalance in homeostasis will occur (3). Reaching becomes overreaching when tapering the activity does not yield the desired supercompensation and fatigue is unintentional, resulting in performance decrement with or without other typical stress-related psychological, psychosomatic, and physiologic symptoms and signs. If the intensity and duration of the training are not reduced, overreaching leads to overtraining and overtraining syndrome, due mainly to long-term imbalance of physical training and recovery (figure 1). Overreaching differs from overtraining in its short recovery time. Recovery from overreaching can take 2 to 3 weeks, a safe time for tapering without a decrease in performance capacity (4). The recovery period in overtraining syndrome can take from many months to years.

Overtraining state can be used as a synonym for overtraining syndrome. Overtraining state, also called athlete's maladaptation state, includes performance decrement with other typical stress-related psychological, psychosomatic, and physiologic symptoms and signs that can be graded from mild to severe. A mild form includes low-grade psychological and psychosomatic symptoms (eg, anger, fatigue, tension, loss of appetite, or sexual unwillingness), some short-term sleep problems, and muscle fatigue. It can also include immunologic or hormonal disturbances such as menstrual irregularities. A severe form includes symptoms such as depression, severe long-term insomnia, long-term muscle soreness, or some abnormal sense perceptions. It has been proposed that the duration of overloading time that resulted in the overtraining state is directly proportional to recovery time and also to prognosis (5).

Further Definitions

Two types of overtraining states have been presented (6,7): sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic type is possibly the impending overtraining state, proposed to be identical to acute stress reaction. Individual cases (7) show that the overtraining state seems to develop idiosyncratically due to different training histories and possibly heredity factors. In some cases, the "sympathetic overactivity" phase is missing from the pathophysiologic chain, or could not be detected. The phase slowly progresses to autonomic nervous system exhaustion when intrinsic sympathetic activity presumably decreases in connection with decreased responsiveness of the sympathetic nervous system.

The parasympathetic type can be defined as an advanced overtraining state or an exhaustion state. It could also be called "athlete's burnout." Parasympathetic activity has been proposed to increase with physical endurance-type training, as analyzed by heart rate variability measurements (8-10). Parasympathetic cardiac modulation tends to decrease (7) in all types of the overtraining state (7).

However, there is no real evidence for the aforementioned theories. We do not know in which situations an athlete will demonstrate the sympathetic or parasympathetic type of overtraining state and if these types really exist. Is the type dependent on training modality, training history, individual properties, sex, age, or something else?

According to von Israel (6), the sympathetic type appears mainly in sprinters and power athletes and the parasympathetic type in endurance athletes. It is also possible that young and less experienced athletes tend to react in a "sympathetic" way and experienced athletes in a "parasympathetic" way. We have found both sympathetic and parasympathetic types of overtraining states in endurance athletes (7). It is possible that athletes react individually to overloading and exhaustive training, no matter what kind of training they do. It remains unclear whether athletes reacting in a sympathetic way could develop an exhaustion type of overtraining state if training were continued. Stress researchers have reported that men and women react differently to physical and mental stress; men favor the sympathetic type (11,12). In my experience this seems to be ambiguously so.

The overtraining state has also been categorized as either peripheral or central (5). The peripheral type can mean local overloading, for example, at a muscle level. The central type, more complex and more severe, includes muscle soreness and fatigue due to changes in the central nervous system.

Overtraining research has been very unsystematic, and the terminology and study protocols have varied from study to study. The different overtraining terms make the analysis of literature more complicated. In many studies the various types have not been differentiated, making results difficult to interpret. Physiologic signs and symptoms can be opposite in so-called sympathetic and parasympathetic states, complicating efforts to set uniform criteria for the overtraining state.

Etiology of Overtraining

Factors that influence vulnerability to the overtraining state can be classified as internal and external (table 1). An athlete's stress tolerance is determined by his or her adaptation capacity, coping strategies, and physiologic properties. The total quantity of internal and external stressors determines how an athlete will react. Some athletes are more vulnerable to "burnout" or overtraining, which makes the role of coaches and the self-knowledge of athletes very important.

TABLE 1. Factors That Can Increase Vulnerability to the Overtraining State

Internal
General health
General nutrition
Mood state
Personality (type A) stressors
Hereditary physiologic factors
Age
Sex
Menstrual cycle

External
Intensity of physical training
Volume of physical training
Social, economic, and psychological stressors
Training history
Environmental conditions and time of year
Food intake
Sleep (quality and quantity)
Infections
Medication, alcohol, tobacco, or other substances
Travel (jet lag, altitude)

Of the internal factors, personality types A and B influence stress tolerance and coping strategies (13,14), but it is not known how personality influences the vulnerability to the overtraining state in athletes. As mentioned before, men and women seem to be different in coping with stress and possibly in stress tolerance. The incidence of overtraining is higher in men (15), but both sexes seem to respond to short-term overload training in similar ways (16). Personal experience during an experimental overtraining study shows that women were more vulnerable to the overtraining state.

Of the external factors, a progressive increase in intensive training volume with a considerable increase in total training volume is the strongest cause, inducing an imbalance between an athlete's adaptive capacity and the recovery time required. It is not known whether the main cause is the increase in intensity or the volume of exercise training. According to Lehmann et al (17), the worst two things are training monotony without recovery or easier training days, and an increase in training volume. In studies by my colleaques and I (7,8), both an increase in volume of intensive training and an increase in total training volume were needed to induce the overtraining state in endurance athletes. Koutedakis and Sharp (15) reported that the overtraining state appears mainly during precompetition or competition season when increased intensive training volumes occur.

It is obvious that traveling (jet lag) and strong environmental conditions (eg, altitude, cold, or hot weather) are additional stressors for an athlete's body, increasing vulnerability to the overtraining state. A deficient calorie intake seems to decrease stress tolerance (18), and sleep deprivation seems to affect metabolic and endocrine function (19).

Central Adaptation

There are many theories but not much evidence about the origin and the pathophysiologic changes of the overtraining state.

Possible central pathophysiologic changes are hypothalamic dysfunction (20); changes in concentration and function of neurotransmitters (amino acid imbalance theory) (21); changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and pituitary function, and sensitivity to feedback from the periphery (22-25); decreased central command to skeletal muscles (26); and changes in autonomic nervous system function, which can have both central or peripheral context (7,27-29).

Hypothalamic dysfunction. The role of hypothalamic dysfunction in the pathophysiology, signs, and symptoms of overtraining is appealing; however, only a few studies cite it (20,22,23). Changes in noradrenergic, serotonergic, and/or dopaminergic activity in the brain (specifically in the hypothalamic and suprahypothalamic regions) can cause hypothalamic dysfunction, but the role of neurotransmitter changes in overtraining is unknown. It is assumed that chronic exercise training and stress may modulate the transmitter activity. The transmitters, especially norepinephrine and serotonin, also regulate pituitary hormone release during stress (30). Serotonin influences mood, sleep, temperature regulation, cardiovascular regulation, and higher brain functions.

Amino acid imbalance. An imbalance in amino acids could, in theory, lead to increased serotonin concentration in the brain. Prolonged and intensive exercise (21) and overloading exercise training periods (31) can increase tryptophan concentration and decrease the blood concentration of free branched-chain amino acids, leading to an increased concentration of brain tryptophan that is converted to serotonin. Some evidence has shown that chronic stress could also increase dopamine synthesis in the brain (30). On the other hand, animal studies have shown that reduction in central dopamine during exercise relates to increased fatigability (32).

Changes in the HPA axis. Sufficient evidence for the changes in HPA axis function and pituitary sensitivity in the overtraining state is missing. A very intensive training period during a normal training schedule seems to reduce maximal exercise-related concentration of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and growth hormone and tends to decrease maximal exercise-related cortisol concentration (23). Conversely, resting ACTH concentration seems to be increased after exhaustive marathon races (33), a finding identical to the increased ACTH seen in exercise-trained rats and their response to acute stress (30). This phenomenon with "normal" cortisol concentration is the supposed result of decreased pituitary sensitivity to cortisol feedback and not decreased adrenal sensitivity to ACTH (25).

Autonomic nervous system dysfunction or imbalance has been presented as one reason for the signs and symptoms of the overtraining state (34). Intrinsic nighttime sympathetic activity has been proposed to decrease following intensive training and in the overtraining state as a compensating response to increased sympathetic activity during daytime activity and exercise training sessions (34). The increased low-frequency power of R-R-interval variability on electrocardiogram during supine rest in overloaded and overtrained athletes (34,35) refers to their possibly increased sympathetic activity at the cardiac level during daytime (7). Maximal exercise-related sympathetic activity was also found to increase during short, intensive training, as evidenced by increased catecholamine levels (28,29).

Related to the changes in sympathetic activity, physical training has been shown to change adrenoreceptor sensitivity and density (36). This influences plasma catecholamine levels via the feedback loop and responses to interventions such as exercise. These changes have not been demonstrated to progress during the overtraining state.

Peripheral Adaptation

The ability of peripheral organs to receive information from the central nervous system has been proposed to change in the overtraining state (17). Some changes take place with normal physical training, and this phenomenon is called peripheral adaptation. The question is where the limit between normal training and overtraining lies. For example, in overloaded recreational athletes, adrenal sensitivity to ACTH can decrease (37). This could explain some findings of decreased cortisol release in overtrained athletes (20,38,39) during exercise or hypoglycemia.

Peripheral changes related to overtraining could be changes in sensitivity and hormone secretion of peripheral endocrine glands (eg, decreased adrenal sensitivity to ACTH (32) and decreased secretion of thyroid hormones (40)). Peripheral changes might also include decreased glycogen stores (41), decreased neuromuscular excitability (42), changes in adrenoreceptor sensitivity (36), changes in immunologic function (43-46), and, theoretically, heart and skeletal muscle cell dystrophy.

Koutedakis et al (26) found decreased concentric maximal voluntary contractions in quadriceps muscle in presumably overtrained athletes. At the same time, they found no differences in eccentric maximal contractions between overtrained and normally trained endurance athletes. The authors attributed the discrepancy to impaired excitatory central drive to the spinal motoneurons in overtrained athletes. Six weeks of intensive cycle training decreased neuromuscular excitability (42), but recovery had already occurred in 2 weeks, even if the performance capacity remained decreased. Different recovery of peripheral and central mechanisms could explain this finding.

Diagnosis of Overtraining

Unlike with diagnoses of most diseases, physicians have no exact criteria for the overtraining state. The diagnosis is based on three points: (1) patient history, (2) carefully ruling out other diseases, and (3) laboratory findings.

History-taking includes a careful account of symptoms and signs (see table 1). Changes in training regimen are of utmost importance. Performance decrement with an increased feeling of fatigue (subjective and objective evaluation) is the main sign of overtraining.

The overtraining state can only be diagnosed after clinical examination has ruled out other conditions. Diseases such as Addison's disease, anemia and other nutritional deficiencies, asthma and allergies, cardiac diseases (eg, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), diabetes or glucose intolerance, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, infections, muscle diseases, and psychiatric disorders can mimic overtraining.

Laboratory tests for differential diagnosis (table 2) and laboratory findings that can be connected to decreased performance capacity (table 3) (47-51) are helpful. Several laboratory parameters have been proposed to indicate an impending or actual overtraining state: a decrease in testosterone and increase in cortisol concentration, or a decrease in their ratio (52); decrease in nocturnal catecholamines (27); changes in catecholamine concentration in blood during rest and after exercise (53); decrease in maximal blood lactate concentration (53); decrease in plasma glutamine concentration (43,44); increase in uric acid and creatine kinase concentrations (reflecting overload at the muscle level) (53); decrease in the ratio of blood lactate concentration to ratings of perceived exertion (54); changes in morning heart rate (55); and changes in initial heart rate response to orthostatic stress (56).

TABLE 2. Laboratory Tests for the Differential Diagnosis of the Overtraining State

First Step
Hemoglobin, hematocrit, leukocyte count, thrombocyte count
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
Blood glucose
Sodium, potassium, calcium
Alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase
Thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone
Electrocardiograph (ECG)
Cardiac ultrasound
Clinical ergometric/ergospirometric test (ECG, blood pressure, PEF/FEV₁ blood lactate, Borg scale)

Second Step
Differential leukocyte count
Ferritin
Transferrin, albumin
Creatine kinase
Immunoglobulin (IgE)
Orthostatic test and autonomic nervous system function tests
Cortisol and testosterone (free testosterone)

Third Step
Estrogen, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone
Adrenocorticotropic hormone (stimulation test)
Catecholamines (urine) and catecholamine metabolites
Magnesium, zinc

Further specific examinations if needed

PEF/FEV₁ = Peak expiratory flow/one-second forced expiratory volume


TABLE 3. Recommended Parameters for Detecting Signs of Overtraining
Parameter in the Field	Sign of Impending Overtraining

Subjective Psychological Evaluation
Subjective fatigue ratings	Increased feeling of fatigue despite adequate recovery time (easier training of 1 day to 2 wk)
Mood state	Decreased positive and increased negative feelings
Muscle fatigue ratings	Increased despite recovery time (easier training of 1 day to 2 wk)
Perceived exertion during constant exercise load	Increased

Physical Performance Capacity
Heart rate during constant submaximal load	Increased
Time for a given distance with constant submaximal HR	Increased
Time for a given distance during maximal effort + HR_max, or	Increased; HR_max decreased
Time to exhaustion during constant velocity	Decreased
Power during maximal effort	Decreased

Cardiovascular Factors
Resting morning heart rate	Increased or decreased more than normal individual variation
Heart rate response* to orthostatic test in connection with decreased heart rate variability during standing after standing up**	Increased or decreased more than normal individual variation

Other
Weight and nutrition	Increased or decreased more than normal individual variation
Log of external and internal stress factors (other than exercise training)	See table 1

Parameter in the Laboratory	Sign of Impending Overtraining
Mechanical efficiency during submaximal load	Decreased
Maximal performance capacity (W_max, VO₂max, time to exhaustion***)	Stagnant or decreased
Nutrition and health status	See table 2

Rest vs 3 min after standing—mean of a few heart beats, not the single value (66). First standing minute excluded. **Normal variation 2% to 12% in these parameters (74). HR = heart rate; HR_max = maximal heart rate; W_max = maximal workload

There have been many proposals for tools that could be used to diagnose the overtraining state, but psychological symptoms and signs have been among the most sensitive indicators during very short to long-term training periods (16,57,58). Since the 1920s, psychological changes have been thought to be the main reason for the decrease in performance capacity of overtraining. Decreased positive feelings (eg, vigor) and increased negative feelings (eg, tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion) normally appear, even after a few days, during an intensive training period. The most sensitive sign seems to be an increased self-perceived fatigue rating. Furthermore, increased ratings of perceived exertion during exercise after only 3 days of overloading could indicate a central limit of increasing fatigue (58).

Monitoring Training Effects

Athletes often visit their physician after they have suffered from overtraining symptoms for weeks. In that situation, the symptoms and signs can be attributed to overtraining or detraining or both. Many classic overtraining signs, such as those associated with autonomic nervous system function, cannot be detected after a 1-week recovery. Therefore, if possible, training effects should be regularly monitored by certain objective and subjective parameters. Many factors, most of which are reviewed by Tremblay et al (59),have to be controlled when evaluating the importance of changes in follow-up parameters (see table 4).

TABLE 4. Factors That Should Be Controlled When Monitoring Intraindividual Training Effects by Measuring Physiologic Markers

Standardized Conditions
Time of day (47)
Time of year
Testing environment: humidity, temperature, light
Use of caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, or other substances
Nutrition and previous meal
Medication
Actual health
Menstrual cycle
Training history (48)
Training volume and intensity during previous days (49)
Time interval to previous exercise
Quality and quantity of sleep (50)
Stress level (psychological, social, economic)

Methodologic Factors
Posture
Identical collection, transportation, storage, and analysis protocols

Others
Changes in blood volume (51)
Changes in weight

Training history and a sedentary lifestyle have been shown to influence hormonal changes induced by 1 week of intensive training (48). Some training/overtraining studies (22,37,42) have been performed using sedentary people as subjects, but they are not comparable to studies of athletes.

Changes in plasma volume have rarely been taken into consideration when the influences of training and exercise on blood markers have been measured, but the change in plasma volume is considerable during exercise and as a result of exercise training (51). It is one of the main reasons why heart rate, hemoglobin, and hematocrit changes induced by exercise training are detected after a very short period. Some hormonal changes induced by one exercise session, and possibly also by long-term exercise training, can be explained by a change in plasma volume (60).

Concerning some blood markers such as catecholamines, the acute stress of venous puncture increases the values derived from plasma or serum. After the venous puncture, resting for 30 minutes is recommended before blood sampling. If taken sooner, the values should be interpreted to reflect a degree of psychological stress and physical pain.

There are no overtraining studies in which all the aforementioned factors have been considered. The recommendations for follow-up parameters are presented according to the existing information. These markers can be indicators of an athlete's starting to move from adaptation to maladaptation. In that case, coaches and athletes should be careful to limit the dose of exercise training and other stressors.

Physical Parameters

Natural markers of the training state include changes in performance capacity (time to exhaustion, maximal oxygen uptake, maximal lactate, maximal heart rate) and physical performance-related parameters during submaximal exercise (blood lactate, oxygen uptake, heart rate). Which of these parameters first shows adaptation incompetence? Normally, efficient long-term physical training should improve all maximal and submaximal performance-related parameters. Highly trained athletes, however, require a lot of well-planned training to register some improvement.

In a study by Billat et al (29), endurance-trained male athletes showed some improvement of maximal performance (economy, running velocity) during a normal 4-week training period. Overloading did not immediately decrease performance capacity, and 4 weeks of further overload training did not change any maximal physical-performance-related parameters. Only submaximal heart rate, which already decreased after the normal training session, showed a further decrease (29). This can be partly attributed to increased blood volume and changes in intrinsic heart rate, but also to changes in autonomic nervous system function. Others have reported identical findings of unchanged performance capacity during short-term overloading with a decreased submaximal and/or maximal heart rate (58,59).

The most sensitive physical parameters for follow-up of the training state and overloading seem to be changes in physical efficiency, mechanics, and coordination (16,63) in addition to heart rate changes during submaximal and maximal exercise. Increased submaximal heart rate is a definitive marker of insufficient recovery during a continuing exercise training regimen (detraining excluded). However, results of submaximal exercise tests can be misleading (64). Low heart rate during submaximal exercise does not exclude the possibility of the overtraining state (65), and low blood lactate during submaximal exercise can be evidence of both increased performance capacity and low muscle glycogen concentration (64,66). Therefore, it is also important to measure maximal physical performance in conjunction with submaximal tests.

Secretory Indicators

Many hormonal changes appear first during exercise or some other intervention rather than during rest. Therefore, the most sensitive parameters of an impending overtraining state could be exercise-related hormone concentrations if monitored in follow-up (39). Hormonal changes have not proven to be sensitive or specific indicators of the overtraining state, but many neuroendocrinologic changes are naturally evident during the overtraining phase. Reliable measures of hormone levels during maximal exercise require appropriate laboratory conditions, which are not always possible. For results to be meaningful, identical collection, transportation, storage, and protocols of analysis must be observed.

Serum testosterone. Concentration of serum testosterone has been shown to directly reflect training volume and intensity but is not specific for the overtraining state (39,67-70). Testosterone concentration has been shown to decrease following endurance exercise training (70); however, decreased testosterone release does not appear to stem from functional changes at the testicular level but rather to changes in the function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-testis axis. Resistance exercise overtraining has not been studied as well, but testosterone concentration seems to increase with heavy training and overreaching in resistance-trained athletes (71).

Cortisol. The concentration of this stress-related hormone in serum can be postulated to change during the overtraining state. Findings concerning the changes of cortisol concentration during overtraining are controversial, reflecting different grades or types of overtraining state and individual differences in reaction types. Cortisol levels should decrease in hypothalamic dysfunction (20). Maximal exercise-induced cortisol rise has been reported to decrease with increasing training load and in the overtraining state (39). Saliva tests are preferred to serum tests if cortisol concentration is measured (25).

Catecholamine concentration. Findings of changes in catecholamine levels during overtraining are controversial. Increase in resting plasma norepinephrine concentration seems to reflect an increase in training load (39) and is not specific for the overtraining state. Intensive endurance training, however, seems to decrease exercise-induced catecholamine concentration (39,53). The behavior of stress hormone levels (maximal cortisol decrease and catecholamine increase) seems to be identical in overreached resistance- and endurance-trained athletes (28,71).

Plasma glutamine. Rowbottom et al (72) proposed an increase in plasma glutamine level to be a marker of long-term balanced training and a decrease in concentration to be an indication of overtraining (43,44). Glutamine is needed for optimal functioning of the immune system. Decreased muscle glutamine concentration, decreased secretory immunoglobulin (IgA) concentration (45), and changes in quality, quantity and function of white blood cells could be reasons for immunosuppression and susceptibility to upper respiratory infections in the overtraining state. However, Shephard and Shek (46) have concluded that immunologic parameters do not seem to be potential markers of the overtraining state in clinical practice.

Uric acid and creatine kinase. Plasma uric acid shows some correlation to anaerobic threshold, but creatine kinase concentrations, while they seem to react to acute overloading, are less reliable as potential indicators of overtraining (72).

Heart Rate

Measures of resting heart rate seem to be insensitive for the overtraining state, but a decreasing trend in heart rate variability during standing, in connection with a significantly increased or decreased heart rate response to standing up (orthostatic challenge), seems to indicate the impending overtraining state (7,65). Heart rate changes during an orthostatic challenge are recommended follow-up parameters of the overtraining state and may be a promising new diagnostic tool. Decreased heart rate variability during standing after standing up seems to be a change common to all types of stress reactions and overtraining states of athletes (7,65). Heart rate variability measurements, however, should be used carefully in individual follow-up because they are seldom reproducible (65) and require carefully standardized conditions. The ability to measure short-term heart rate variability during the challenge increases the sensitivity and specificity of the test for the impending overtraining state.

Contrary to this, heavy but tolerated training in a group of endurance athletes seemed to increase heart rate variability during standing, which strengthens the notion of heart rate variability as a promising diagnostic tool of the overtraining state (8).

Prevention and Treatment of Overtraining

Prevention is the best treatment for the overtraining state. Tapering the training regimen combined with rest, proper nutrition, and sleep help the body heal. Recognition and treatment of depression is important. Therapies such as massage and sauna baths can speed recovery.

Periodization of training with enough recovery should prevent overtraining (73) if other stressors and their influence on recovery are also taken into consideration (see table 1). Periodization means that correct loads of training stimuli are administered followed by adequate recovery periods. Periodization also diminishes the monotony of training when done over the short and long term.

Fifty-two training weeks of the year have been divided into phases of training emphasis called macrocycles. Each training week is called a microcycle (microcycles can be also longer—up to 10 days), and each microcycle includes both strenuous and recovery days in an appropriate proportion. Three or 4 microcycles compose a mezzocycle. Each mezzocycle consists of 2 to 3 microcycles with higher training loads and 1 recovery microcycle. Macrocycles with different training regimens can be classified as preparation, precompetition, competition, and tapering; all preparing for optimal performance in competition. As noted before, careful follow-up of athletes' subjective feelings and some objective parameters (table 4) are also an important part of prevention.

If the overtraining state persists in spite of all efforts to prevent it, effective treatment is needed. The best treatment is to rest and avoid sport activities for approximately 2 weeks. After the resting period, the patient can start light training. Athletes should try different sports, refraining from the training modality and intensity that caused the overtraining state. Training should progress very slowly, with the pace determined by carefully listening to the patient's feelings.

Athletes should forget the past and concentrate on the future. Otherwise, they can easily start comparing their performance and feelings to the time before the overtraining state, inducing a neurotic attempt to recapture the previous feeling. This can delay recovery and highlights the huge role of psychological factors in recovery. Professional psychological help is sometimes recommended for athletes who are seeking to overcome an overtraining problem.

Depression is one of the biggest psychological problems among overtrained athletes, and differentiation between primary depression and overtraining with secondary depression is difficult. Training history, discussions with coaches and other athletes, and a family history can help clarify this question.

Both primary and secondary depression need to be addressed with antidepressants and psychotherapy. Overtrained athletes, however, should get therapy for depression as soon as possible because it can speed recovery. This is only a hypothesis because there are no well-controlled studies about how antidepressant use affects recovery time. In secondary depression, the use of medication needs to be considered very carefully.

Adequate nutrition is one of the most important background factors behind a positive training effect and is also very important for overtrained athletes. If the diet is balanced, additional supplements and nutritional modifications have not been proven to speed recovery. The most common deficiency, especially in female endurance athletes, is iron. Zinc, magnesium, and calcium deficiencies have also been reported in endurance athletes, especially those who deliberately restrict their diets (75). In those cases, supplementation is needed.

The most commonly used supplements are the antioxidant vitamins C and E, but long-term, excessive intake of these vitamins can be harmful. Greater-than-recommended doses are not recommended even for overtrained athletes.

Amino acids are often used as supplements among athletes, but there is no consensus about their benefit. Research has not presented evidence for the benefit of valine, leucine, isoleucine, tryptophan, or glutamine supplementation among overtrained athletes (76). Future research is needed concerning this topic.

Adequate sleep is important during recovery. All additional stressors should be minimized. Traveling can increase tiredness, but in some cases, changing the environment and finding new hobbies can be good for recovery. Increased sexual activity may aid a recovering athlete, as it relaxes and modulates neurotransmitters beneficiently (77).

Massage, cryotherapy, and thermotherapy (including sauna bathing) are widely used to speed recovery. However, if an overtrained athlete feels exhausted and phlegmatic (parasympathetic type of overtraining), it is better to refrain from these therapies for several weeks. Powerful massage is also a type of exertion for muscles and may slow the recovery process. For phlegmatic athletes, caffeine can be used as a stimulant, but no evidence exists for its actual effects on recovery.

An All-Encompassing Approach

Unless tapering and adequate recovery time are built into a training schedule, overreaching can lead to overtraining. Objective markers for diagnosis of the overtraining state are few, but changes in heart rate variability during orthostatic challenge may be a promising new diagnostic tool. The subjective feelings of the athlete are still one of the most reliable indicators of an impending overtraining state. Until further studies reveal specific diagnostic indicators and confirm the efficacy of nutritional supplements, physical therapies, and psychotherapy as treatments, prevention is still the best cure.

BODY SPECIFIC: WHAT'S YOUR BODY TYPE

2007-10-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

BODY SPECIFIC: WHAT'S YOUR BODY TYPE


Endomorph	Ectomorph	Mesomorph

Every one of us was given a genetic blueprint when we were born. That blue print was pre-determined by the physical and biological makeup of our parents. If Mom and Dad looked like Tarzan and Jane - great! On the other hand, if they were a little on the heavy side, oh well.

However, thanks to the science of nutrition and weight training exercises, we can alter our physical appearance. The key to doing this is knowing your body type and how it responds to nutrition and weight training.

There are three basic body types - Mesomorph, Endomorph, and Ectomorph. The characteristics of each one vary. Their physical features and the way they assimilate food determines which body type it is.

Mesomorph
The mesomorph has a natural muscular or toned build (male or female). Their body fat percentages are relatively low. Being that they are naturally muscular with a good metabolism, it's not as hard to put on extra muscle. However, the right type of calories and training must be there. The mesomorph must also include extra calories based on his or her activity level, if the goal is to put on more muscle size.

Ectomorph

This body type has a lean thin build and problems keeping weight on. The metabolism burns calories at a rapid rate. The Ectomorph can eat nearly anythingand get away with it. Most people wish they had this problem. In order for the ectomorph to gain weight, the muscles cells must be stimulated through weight-training. There must also be additional calories added to ensure maximum growth. 250 to 500 calories more per day is a good place to start. Check on the weight scale and measuring tape for reference. Also be sure to increase caloric intake to accommodate activity level.

Endomorph

The physical feature of the endomorph is natural body bulk. The body metabolizes calories at a slow rate. For this reason the endomorph must maintain a diet low in fat with a medium to low carbohydrate intake (not dropping below 100 grams of carbs a day). Aerobic work along with a structural weight-training program is a must in lowering body fat. There are also nutritional supplements that may enhance the metabolism.

WEIGHT TRAINING TIPS

2007-10-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

WEIGHT TRAINING TIPS

BEFORE GETTING STARTED.

The most effective way to train and get into shape is through good preparation and taking all necessary precautions to train safely; especially when lifting free weights.

I highly recommend consulting your physician prior to beginning any of these training programs.

When you begin any training program, be sure to start off with a weight that you can control, one that is not too heavy for you to handle. Always begin with a lighter weight and gradually increase the amount of weight as you progress.

Motivation provides the energy needed until success is achieved. Success does not have to mean finishing first, but satisfaction that you've done your best and stayed focused toward your personal goals.
Always warm up properly. This can be done by spending 7-10 minutes on the exercise bike, treadmill, or walking track. Also be careful when stretching. Don't overdo it, especially when the weather is cool.
Muscle responds to resistance and stimulus. It doesn't know the difference between 100 lb. And 400 lb. So train the muscle by using proper form and technique. And keep the ego in check. When performing overhead pressing, rowing, or squatting movements, use a weight belt to protect the lower back.
In order to stimulate muscle mass, basic, explosive training of the muscle groups must be performed. For example, chest-bench press, shoulder-military, biceps-barbell curls, etc. Be mindful that it doesn't take a ton of weight to stimulate a muscle to grow, just the correct stimulus.
Many people use too heavy a weight during an exercise, resulting in imprecise, sloppy form, exercising their egos more than shocking muscles into growth.
It is the quality, not the quantity. Short intense workouts are more beneficial. A constant paced 40-45 minute workout using moderate weight, resting 30-35 seconds or less between sets accomplishes more than the heavy low rep, slow moving 2 hour workouts seen too often in gyms across the country.
It's smart to vary your training routine to keep the muscles stimulated.
Recuperation is key to results. Be sure to incorporate balanced rest periods into your training program. Remember training is approximately 25% of your fitness program. Nutrition, supplements, and proper rest are the crucial 75%.
It is permissible to miss a workout if you are physically under the weather. However, if you have had a long day, just cut back on the intensity and number of sets. For example, instead of doing four sets per exercise, only do two.
Put in perspective the philosophy, "no pain, no gain." The aim should be to train or stimulate, not annihilate. To train in pain could mean over-training or a possible injury.

NUTRITION & DIET TIPS

2007-10-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

NUTRITION & DIET TIPS

Eat for what you are going to be doing, and not for what you have done. This means that the majority of your calories should be taken in during the active part of your day. Most of us are active between the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Stay away from foods high in fat and complex carbohydrates such as pasta, potatoes, breads, etc. when your goal is to lose bodyfat or drop a few pounds. Drink plenty of water during the day. The recommended amount is 8 8 oz. Glasses daily.
Stay away from zero carbohydrate fad diets. These types of diet can cause memory lapse, slow bowels, fatigue, and the loss of muscle, which is important in burning fat.
Do not skip meals when trying to lose weight. This throws the metabolic clock off balance. As a child our bodies were programmed for three main meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). When that sequence is not being followed, the body throws up its own defense mechanism by holding on to fat to protect itself. The body will burn muscle for energy and save the fat just in case.
If you can't flex it, don't carry it. Keep a tab on the scale and mirror. If the bodyfat starts to increase, cut back. Let the last meal of the evening be fruit or a mixed salad with low calorie dressing. Don't forget the water.
Keep a nutritional calorie journal. By measuring your calorie intake, you will know whether to add or take away.
Compare labels for nutritional information on products when grocery shopping. Be especially aware of the fat and sodium content.
Eat four to five small meals a day instead of three large meals. The body will burn the calories more efficiently and the craving for food will not be as great. Keeping in mind that a meal can be the size of a banana, or apple, or bran muffin, or a cup of yogurt.
Never wait until you're starving before having a meal. You are most likely to overeat during that time.
Break the age old habit of eating everything on your plate. Especially when the portions are large. Leave with a slight feeling of satisfaction.
Feed your body quality nutrition. Proper nutrition accounts for 75% of who we are, and our aim should be - "you are what you eat." Quality in and quality out, or junk in and junk out. The body is on a quest, constantly generating new cells and tissue. That process is cut short; however, when empty and worthless calories are given in the body.

FAT-LOSS TIPS

2007-10-14T11:33:00.001-07:00

FAT-LOSS TIPS

When you want to drop body fat (not muscle), there are four safe ways To achieve it:

1. First - lower your caloric intake by 250 calories a day. This can be done by eliminating foods you can do without such as sodas and sweets. Check the calorie content of such products to start the reduction there.

2. Second - increase your activity level. This can be done by incorporating 30 minutes of speed walking, treadmill, or cycling (see activity chart) each day of the week. The combination of aerobic training and weight training is the best way to shed body fat.

3. Third - include supplements to enhance the body's ability to burn fat such as the fat metabolism enhancer.

4. Fourth - system cleansing and detox program (see cleansing and detox). The seven day cleanse will rid the body of waste that can account for up to 5-10 lbs. The recommended supplements used can enhance the overall cleansing effect.

Also, don't forget the importance of including multivitamins and multiminerals in your daily diet. It's the foundation to every good health program.

EXERCISE TIPS FOR BEGINNERS AND SENIORS

2007-10-14T11:30:00.001-07:00

EXERCISE TIPS FOR BEGINNERS AND SENIORS

Before starting an exercise program, get the o.k. from your physician first.

Walking is great to be used as an exercise program. Start walking 10-12 minutes to begin with. Within a week, increase to 20 minutes. The third week, go for 30 minutes. Afterwards you're on the way.
Do light stretching at the end of our walk. Injuries occur when cold muscles are stretched before warming up.
Be cautious when exercising. If you experience a feeling of dizziness, stop and call your physician.
Always keep some cool (not ice cold) water near when exercising.
Use caution when doing resistance training with free weights, selectorized or hydrolic equipment. First familiarize the body with the feel of resistance. Start with light weight or resistance.
Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn't formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them.
Do not exercise on a full stomach. Wait an hour or more.
Change your exercise agenda from time to time. Add variety. There's golf, bowling, gardening, hiking, washing the car, house cleaning, and family athletics fun like softball or basketball.
I recommend maintenance for the lower back/abdominal areas by doing crunches. This is a safe and effective way to keep these areas strong. If you're not familiar with abdominal crunches, call your local fitness center for a certified personal trainer. They will be able to help. Or tune in to TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network) on your local or cable station and watch for additional exercise tips.
When exercising, be sure to focus your attention on what you are doing. The mind and the body must be linked together. Too often people get hurt thinking about fishing while they're doing an overhead press. Stay focused!

CALORIC BURNING CHART

2007-10-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

CALORIC BURNING CHART

(Calories burned per hour for each activity)

Aerobic Class

Bicycling

Bowling

Gardening

Golfing

Hand-ball

Kick Boxing

Rowing

Running

Skiing

Stair Climbing

Swimming

Tennis

Weight Training

Walking

500 Calories Per Hour

200 Calories Per Hour

250 Calories Per Hour

600 Calories Per Hour

550 Calories Per Hour

560 Calories Per Hour

500 Calories Per Hour

1,000 Calories Per Hour

500 Calories Per Hour

ANATOMY GUIDE

2007-10-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

ANATOMY GUIDE

PROTEIN MYTHS

2007-10-14T10:33:00.001-07:00

PROTEIN MYTHS

Lies, fabrications and outright fiction everywhere you turn - you might think you're in the middle of a political party conference.
No, it's just a general discussion about protein in an ordinary gym. At its core, protein is a simple nutrient. The amino acids from dietary protein represent the bricks that lay the foundation a body uses to create new muscle tissue; if you fall short of the appropriate protein intake, you won't grow.
Simple, see?
That's why protein has withstood the test of time among bodybuilders. It's vital for growth, and greats from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Ronnie Coleman have made it the cornerstone of their mass-building plans.
Still, there's quite a bit of misinformation passed around at gyms and on the Web regarding everything from how much protein is needed, to how much can be digested, to what form is better for bodybuilding. Here, we sort through the fact and fiction for you, tackling the seven most common misconceptions and setting the record straight.

1 POWDERS ARE BETTER THAN FOOD

Protein powders are easy to absorb, and absorption is an important part of the mass-building process. However, whole-food animal sources of protein, such as eggs, dairy, poultry, red meat and fish, have complete, though somewhat different, amino-acid profiles. Some are higher in certain amino acids than others, and this may be a reason why bodybuilders like Jay Cutler claim that serious mass can't be built without red meat. Cutler tells FLEX, "When I exclude red meat, I can't add the mass and grow like I do when I eat it daily and sometimes twice daily." Is it the iron, B vitamins or creatine in the meat? Maybe. It's also likely that the unique amino-acid combinations allow greater protein synthesis.
For optimal mass gains, don't succumb to living mainly on powders. Choose a wide variety of foods and include powders before and after workouts, and at times when convenience is essential. The variable amino-acid concentrations among different foods may exert unique effects on you that result in better growth, as opposed to sticking with one or two protein foods or a couple of foods and a protein powder.

2 PROTEIN NEEDS ARE STATIC

Bodybuilders trying to gain mass tend to stick to the same protein intake
day in and day out. For example, a 200-pounder may eat as many as 300 grams of protein a day, with plenty of calories coming from carbohydrates in order to create a calorific surplus. Of course, protein and calories are the basics of muscle building. However, you can stimulate your body by mixing things up: one or two days out of every 10 or so, consume up to 400, 450 or 500 g of protein. Ideally, do this on training days to better stimulate growth. Changing levels - specifically, instigating a surplus of amino acids in the blood - can cause an increase in protein synthesis, the build-up of muscle mass in the body. Remaining faithful to the same protein intake day in and day out is OK, but varying protein intake with an occasional day or two of a very high consumption can lead to greater gains.

3 EVERYONE NEEDS A GRAM OF PROTEIN PER POUND OF BODYWEIGHT

Although the typical recommendation of a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is as close to a rule of thumb as there is - which is why we often tout it in the pages of FLEX - it's not etched in stone. For true hardgainers who bust their butts in the gym, that number should be increased by 50%, to 1.5 g per pound of bodyweight. Keep in mind that you won't grow - regardless of how much protein you consume - if you are slacking in the gym or training like a wuss. The key is to match your protein intake with your training. If you're a beginner, you probably don't train as hard as someone with a lot of experience - and you probably shouldn't anyway - so you may be able to get by on slightly less than a gram per pound of bodyweight. If you are a hardgainer or train with intensity on par with your favourite pro, start with 1 g per pound per day, but don't hesitate to move it up from there if you fail to make significant visible gains.

4 YOU CAN DIGEST ONLY A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PROTEIN PER MEAL

Somewhere along the way, the idea that a body can handle no more than 30 g of protein per sitting wedged its way into nutrition circles. That's an old wives' tale. Do you think Arnold Schwarzenegger grew on 30 g of protein every three hours, the equivalent of eating only 115-140 grams of chicken at each meal? Think again. Protein digestibility and the amount your body can handle per meal is tied to how much you weigh and how hard you train. The more you weigh, the more you need; the harder you train, the more you need. In turn, the more you need, the more you'll be able to digest, absorb and assimilate. A 200-pound male will, in general, need more protein than a 160-pounder and should be able to digest more per meal. Digestibility is also linked to the amount of protein you consume on a regular basis. The more protein you eat regularly, the better your body becomes at digesting large protein meals.

5 DAIRY-BASED PROTEINS PROMOTE FAT GAINS

This myth just won't go away. The idea that dairy-based proteins - semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, cheese and yogurt - lead to gains in fat or added water retention is, well, wrong. Dairy is perfectly fine. It's a great source of protein, and some research even shows that dairy, when combined with a low-calorie intake, could possibly coax fat loss.
The dairy misconception could be connected to the fact that most cheeses, including fat-free cottage cheese and reduced fat sliced cheese, contain excessive sodium, which has the potential to initiate water retention. However, even that's overblown, because bodybuilders need more sodium. It drives glycogen storage and indirectly supports growth by interacting with potassium to turn on pumping mechanisms within cells that govern the exchange of nutrients that lead to muscle repair. Plus, sodium is not the culprit many mistake it to be. If you suddenly change your sodium intake, abruptly increasing it, water retention is likely to be the result. However, if you consume dairy on a regular basis and maintain a relatively consistent sodium intake, you will adapt and probably avoid noticeable fluid retention.

6 PROTEIN CAN'T BE USED AS AN ENERGY SOURCE

This misconception relates to dieting bodybuilders. Some trainers advise against cutting way back on carbohydrates, insisting that a lack of carbs causes a loss of muscle tissue. However, by increasing protein intake while dieting, you offer your body alternatives to muscle tissue for use as fuel. Where a low-calorie or low-carb diet can cause muscle tissue to be broken down, an increase in protein consumption 'attracts' the body to use dietary amino acids found in protein as a substitute for those in muscle tissue. It does so by burning some amino acids directly and by a process known as gluconeogenesis, in which amino acids are converted into glucose. The myth breaker: increase protein when carbs go down, and you'll protect against muscle loss.

7 COMPLEMENTARY PROTEINS PROMOTE GROWTH

A bowl of porridge yields 6 g of protein, a medium bagel provides 11 g and 280 grams of cooked spaghetti supplies about 16 g. That may be a fact, but the type of protein derived from nonanimal sources might not be the best at creating or supporting protein synthesis. That's because they are not complete proteins; they don't contain all the essential amino acids the body needs to build mass. The entire spectrum of amino acids, including all of the essential amino acids, can be found only in foods that are animal based. Poultry, fish, red meat, milk and eggs are best because they are complete proteins; they contain all of the amino acids the body needs to grow. The proteins found in nonanimal sources are called complementary, or 'junk', proteins; they lack sufficient essential and required amino acids that are ideal for creating anabolic and recovery environments within the body.

HOW TO GET BIG

2007-10-14T10:30:00.001-07:00

A There is no "simple" answer to your question, but that doesn't mean getting big is overly complicated. If you're a beginner, the best way to get started is with a basic routine like some regularly featured in FLEX. However, the long-term "secret" is to get to know your body: what exercises it does and does not respond to, and what training frequency suits you best. For instance, I always found that my biceps grew quicker with barbell curls rather than dumbbell curls. As you progress, you must build piece by piece a blueprint that is custom-made for you in terms of exercise selection, volume of sets and reps, workout frequency and all the elements that constitute a total bodybuilding programme. Bodybuilding is an individual journey, and your ultimate goal is to be the one who knows exactly what is best for you. Although I stress that we are all our own best coaches, certain mass-building fundamentals work best for me and for others who have trained with me. Here they are. #1 The best routine I ever used was a three-days-on, one-day-off programme in which I trained the complete body twice in seven days. #2 For large bodyparts, such as legs and chest, do three or four exercises for four sets each. For smaller bodyparts, such as triceps and biceps, do two or three exercises for four sets each. #3 Use at least two heavy compound exercises (see the "Prime Movements" sidebar) as the core of your workouts for each major muscle group. #4 For developing quality mass, keep your reps in the six-to-10 range. If you go lower than six, you're getting into powerlifting territory; above 10, you won't be hitting the muscle with the level of intensity it needs for growth.

#5 To stimulate maximum response, use proper form throughout each rep with a full range of motion. It's the quality of the reps that builds muscles, not the amount of weight you can sling around in a haphazard fashion. #6 Listen to what your body tells you. On days it's not responding as it usually does (for example, your poundages are down and you feel lethargic), don't be afraid to cut back on your workload or stop the workout and go home to rest. Then commit yourself to coming back with renewed energy for your next workout. #7 You can't eat like a bird if you need to train like a horse to pack on muscle mass. The body works by the simple rule of "supply and demand". Eat six or seven nutritious meals a day, with the bedrock being that you should be consuming one gram of protein for each pound of bodyweight per day to meet the demands of hard workouts and muscle recovery. Follow these guidelines, believe in yourself, gauge how your body responds, change and adapt as needed and you'll nail down a template that is right for you. You'll soon be growing faster than a bodybuilding rumour!

PROTEIN CYCLING

2007-10-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

PROTEIN CYCLING

PROTEIN CYCLING

Implement this cutting-edge protein strategy for improved muscle gains
"Take in a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day." That's the baseline held by the bodybuilding community as the gold standard for muscle growth. In the past few years, some bodybuilders have begun to raise the bar, consuming much more protein than that. Some take in as much as three times the recommendation.
Does increasing your protein above the baseline result in greater gains in mass? Yes and no. Eating enough protein is a must for growth, and if you eat more than one gram (g) per pound of bodyweight, you'll certainly cover all your bases, ensuring that you don't fall short. However, eating more for the sake of it may not be as wise as cycling your intake of protein.
In this article, I explain how to move your protein around — eating less protein on some days, more on others. This type of "protein cycling" is a great way to stimulate greater protein retention and muscle growth.

BASICS OF PROTEIN CONSUMPTION
• Take in the protein baseline amount every day: 1 g per pound of bodyweight. The typical intake is highly effective at supporting muscle growth for hard-training bodybuilders. When you eat at least 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily (200 g for a 200-pound bodybuilder), you're supplying your body with sufficient protein to rebuild and repair muscle tissue that has been damaged by training. When you rebuild and repair, the result is obvious — you grow.
Regardless of whether you're training to add mass, dieting for a contest or taking a few weeks off from training, you should strive to take in the baseline recommendation. The exception to this is when you're following the protein-cycling guidelines explained in this article.
• How much is too much? If you think you need 2 g of protein per pound of bodyweight, you would be consuming 400 g of protein a day if you weigh 200 pounds. That's a lot of chicken, meat and eggs. If you rely on protein powders, that's a lot of shakes (and gastric distress is one possible outcome of downing too many shakes).
I believe that such high daily protein consumption is excessive, although it is common among many of today's pro bodybuilders. I don't recommend it because this practice
demonstrates a misguided understanding of how muscles grow. Growth depends on a sufficient intake of protein — not on shedloads — and it is also correlated with carbohydrate intake.
The right combo of carbs and protein tends to promote a muscle-building state better than a diet overloaded with protein and short on carbs. Those who go heavy on protein usually eat far too few carbohydrates. Regardless of a huge daily intake of protein, shortchanging carbs may prevent the body from growing optimally. Plus, there's a limit to how much growing a body can do no matter how much protein is consumed. I contend that 2 g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily is far in excess of any bodybuilder's threshold for growth.
• How much is too little? P.W. Lemon, one of the world's most reputable protein researchers, has often stated that muscle building occurs with a protein consumption of roughly 0.7 g per pound of bodyweight a day (140 g a day for a 200-pounder). If you consumed less than that on a daily basis, you probably wouldn't make significant gains. Although 160 g might be enough protein for a 200-pound bodybuilder, FLEX still recommends 200 g for a trainer that size, just to be on the safe side.

HOW TO CYCLE PROTEIN
The best answer to the question of how much protein should be consumed daily may defy conventional wisdom. Although you will certainly get excellent results by eating 1 g of protein for each pound of bodyweight, you may get even better results from cycling your protein consumption. Here's a protein-cycling programme that you can follow for 14 days at a time.
• STAGE ONE. For five days, eat less protein than usual. Contrary to popular belief, a bodybuilder won't shrivel up overnight if he takes in slightly less protein (0.7-0.8 g per pound of bodyweight; see "Protein-Cycling Schedule"). In fact, the body responds at first by shifting its metabolism to slow the loss of protein. In essence, when you eat less protein, your body quickly adapts and slows the rate at which protein is broken down. Slowing protein breakdown is a classic anticatabolic effect. Anticatabolism, or "muscle protection", is half the battle in supporting muscle growth. In theory, if you could induce an around-the-clock anticatabolic
state, you'd grow like a weed. Temporarily decreasing your protein intake encourages just that — a strong muscle-preservation state.
• STAGE TWO. Boost protein consumption after five days. In stage one, eating less protein caused a release of enzymes to ramp up anticatabolism. Now, after five days in that lower-protein state, switch gears. The additional protein, in the presence of enzymes that are slowing the breakdown of protein, can result in the "hyperstorage" of protein in muscles. Also, a change in protein intake from less to more triggers a strong increase in protein synthesis, a build-up of new muscle tissue.
In stage two, consume 1.5-1.75 g of protein per pound of bodyweight each day (see chart). Do this for nine days during the two-week cycle. This is long enough for the body to benefit from a hyperanabolic state, an enzymatic environment that is favourable to rebuilding.
FINALLY. If you want to try protein cycling, follow the ranges of daily protein consumption listed in the chart. At times when you are not protein cycling, stick with the gold standard: 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. Protein cycling may give you a slight advantage, but adhering to the basic FLEX protein recommendation will also help to ensure that you're feeding your muscles all they need for continued growth. FLEX

If you didn’t exercise when you were younger, it could be dangerous to start when you’re older.

2007-10-14T10:15:00.002-07:00

If you didn’t exercise when you were younger, it could be dangerous to start when you’re older.

“Many people think they’re too old to start an exercise program,” says Tufts University’s Miriam Nelson. “They think it’s unsafe because they have heart disease or diabetes or because they’re too out of shape to start.”
You’re never too old to start, says Nelson. And she ought to know. In one Tufts study, the participants were frail nursing-home residents whose ages ranged from 72 to 98. After just ten weeks, strength-training improved their muscle strength, ability to climb stairs, and walking speed.¹ “When they see what a difference it makes, they’re thrilled,” says Nelson.
The same goes for people with chronic diseases. “People say they can’t exercise because they have arthritis,” she adds. “But we see some of the greatest benefits in people with arthritis. Exercise reduces pain and increases range of motion, strength, and mobility.”
That doesn’t mean that anyone can plunge into a bout of vigorous exercise, regardless of health history. In a recent study, ordinarily inactive people — especially men who had high cholesterol or angina or were smokers or obese — were ten times more likely to have a heart attack within an hour of exerting themselves (usually by jogging or heavy lifting) than at other times.² Anyone with multiple risk factors for heart disease should check with a physician and start slowly.
As for the all-too-common “I don’t have time to exercise,” Nelson responds, “somehow, you’ve got to make the time, or you’re going to have medical problems like heart disease, diabetes, or osteoporosis. And it will take a lot more time to deal with them than it takes to exercise.”

If you can’t exercise regularly, why bother?

2007-10-14T10:15:00.001-07:00

If you can’t exercise regularly, why bother?

It takes ten to 12 weeks of regular exercise to become “fit” — that is, to improve your performance on a treadmill (a measure of your oxygen capacity). But your health can improve after that first brisk walk or run.
“Take a 50-year-old man who is somewhat overweight and typically has moderately elevated blood sugar, triglycerides, or blood pressure,” says Stanford’s William Haskell. “A single bout of exercise of moderate intensity — like 30 to 40 minutes of brisk walking — will lower those numbers.”
And not just while you’re moving. “If you exercise at, say, five o’clock in the afternoon, the improvement will be there the next morning,” he adds.
That may be why postal carriers (or others who are active at work) have a lower risk of heart disease than postal clerks (or others who are sedentary at work). “There’s not much difference in their fitness levels, but the carriers have lower blood sugar, triglycerides, and blood pressure,” says Haskell.
People should still try to at least follow the Center for Disease Control’s modest advice to get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most — or preferably all — days of the week, he adds. But if you can’t, don’t let that stop you from taking even a single walk.
“Every bout has benefits,” says Haskell.

No pain, no gain.

2007-10-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

No pain, no gain.

“Many people still believe that you have to work at a very high intensity in order to get a benefit,” says the Cooper Clinic’s Steven Blair.
In fact, moderate-intensity exercise lowers the risk of dying just as much as high-intensity exercise. For example, says JoAnn Manson of the Harvard Medical School, “in the Nurses’ Health Study, women who regularly engaged in brisk walking reduced their risk of heart disease to the same degree as women who engaged in vigorous exercise. You don’t need to run a marathon.”
The trick is making sure that the exercise is at least moderate-intensity — that is, equivalent to walking at a pace of three to four miles an hour.
“You can vacuum at a very low pace or at a moderately intense pace,” says Blair. Running or jogging is, by definition, high-intensity. But walking, raking leaves, mowing lawns, dusting, and gardening may be either moderate- or low-intensity.
High-intensity exercise does have one advantage: it saves time. It takes less time to burn the same number of calories at higher intensity.
“You can jog for 20 minutes or walk for 40 or 45,” says Blair. “You pay your money and you take your choice.”
Does all the heart-pounding of high-intensity exercise do anything else for you? “Some things probably respond better to high-intensity and some may respond better to moderate-intensity exercise,” says Blair. “But in general, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of difference as long as you expend the same number of calories.”

A dozen other reasons to exercise

2007-10-14T10:12:00.001-07:00

	Sleep A 16-week exercise program (30 to 40 minutes of brisk walking or low-impact aerobics four times a week) improved the quality, duration, and ease of falling asleep in healthy older adults.¹ Exercise may improve sleep by relaxing muscles, reducing stress, or warming the body.
	Gallstones Active women are 30 percent less likely to have gallstone surgery than sedentary women. In one study, women who spent more than 60 hours a week sitting at work or driving were twice as likely to have gallstone surgery as women who sat for less than 40 hours a week.²
	Colon Cancer The most active people have a lower risk of colon cancer — in two studies half the risk — compared to the least active people.^3,4 Exercise may lower levels of prostaglandins that accelerate colon cell proliferation and raise levels of prostaglandins that increase intestinal motility. Increased motility may speed the movement of carcinogens through the colon.
	Diverticular Disease In one of the few studies that have been done, the most active men had a 37 percent lower risk of symptomatic diverticular disease than the least active men.⁵ Most of the protection against diverticular disease--pockets in the wall of the colon that can become inflamed--was due to vigorous activities like jogging and running, rather than moderate activities like walking.
	Arthritis Regular moderate exercise, whether aerobic or strength-training, can reduce joint swelling and pain in people with arthritis.⁶
	Anxiety & Depression Getting people with anxiety or depression to do aerobic exercises like brisk walking or running curbs their symptoms, possibly by releasing natural opiates.^7,8
	Heart Disease In one study, men with low fitness who became fit had a lower risk of heart disease than men who stayed unfit.⁹ In another, women who walked the equivalent of three or more hours per week at a brisk pace had a 35 percent lower risk of heart disease than women who walked infrequently.¹⁰ Exercise boosts the supply of oxygen to the heart muscle by expanding existing arteries and creating tiny new blood vessels. It may also prevent blood clots or promote their breakdown.
	Blood Pressure If your blood pressure is already high or high-normal, low- or moderate-intensity aerobic exercise — three times a week — can lower it.¹¹ If your blood pressure isn't high, regular exercise helps keep it that way.
	Diabetes The more you move, the lower your risk of diabetes, especially if you're already at risk because of excess weight, high blood pressure, or parents with diabetes. In one study, women who walked at least three hours a week had about a 40 percent lower risk of diabetes than sedentary women.¹²
	Falls & Fractures Older women assigned to a home-based (strength- and balance-training) exercise program had fewer falls than women who didn't exercise. ¹³ Exercise may prevent falls and broken bones by improving muscle strength, gait, balance, and reaction time.
	Enlarged Prostate (men only) In one study, men who walked two to three hours a week had a 25 percent lower risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) than men who seldom walked.¹⁴
	Osteoporosis Exercise, especially strength-training, can increase bone density in middle-aged and older people.¹⁵ Bonus: postmenopausal women who take estrogen gain more bone density if they exercise.

You can’t be fit and fat.

2007-10-14T10:10:00.001-07:00

You can’t be fit and fat.

“The notion that all fat people are sedentary and unfit and at high risk of disease is not true,” says Steven Blair of the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. “Overweight and obese individuals who are fit do not have elevated mortality rates. We need to get off those people’s backs.”
But in Blair’s study of 25,000 men who have come to the Cooper Clinic, ten percent of the normal-weight men — and half of the overweight men — were unfit.
Getting all of those unfit people — fat or thin — to move more could make a difference. In Blair’s study, low fitness was as strong (or stronger) a predictor of dying as other risk factors, like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Yet doctors rarely test a patient’s fitness as part of a checkup.
“Fitness is such an important predictor of mortality, it’s inexcusable not to evaluate it as part of a person’s health risk,” says Blair.
It wouldn’t cost much. It’s just a matter of measuring your heart rate — by measuring your pulse with a wristwatch — while you cycle, walk, or run at a given speed.
“A stress test for diagnosis of coronary heart disease at a major medical center can cost several hundred dollars,” he says, “but you can go down to the YMCA and get a fitness test for 25 bucks.”

If you don't lose weight, there's no point in exercising.

2007-10-14T10:09:00.002-07:00

If you don't lose weight, there's no point in exercising.

What gets most people off the couch and into their walking shoes? It’s that unwanted flab that motivates most of us. It shouldn’t.
“Many people don’t see immediate weight loss and say it’s all for naught and stop,” says exercise expert William Haskell of Stanford University Medical School.
In fact, exercise has a laundry list of benefits beyond any impact on your next shopping trip. Among them:
“It improves the ability of insulin to enter cells, so it lowers the risk of diabetes,” says Haskell. “It also lowers the risk of heart disease by improving blood clotting mechanisms, lowering triglycerides, and raising HDL [‘good’] cholesterol.”
Exercise alters not only your risk of disease, but your quality of life, he adds. “In our studies, exercise improved sleep in people with modest sleep dysfunction,” that is, people who take a long time to fall sleep or who wake up frequently at night.
“The psychological benefits of exercise are frequently overlooked,” says Haskell. “Exercise isn’t a panacea, but it has consistently been shown to relieve both depression and anxiety.”

Weight gain is inevitable as you age.

2007-10-14T10:09:00.001-07:00

Weight gain is inevitable as you age.

Most Americans get fatter as they get older... but they don’t have to. “It’s a matter of reduced physical activity levels and lower metabolic rate caused by a loss of lean body mass [muscle],” says JoAnn Manson of Harvard Medical School.
“The lifelong loss of lean body mass reduces our basal metabolic rate as we age,” says Arkansas’s William Evans. “It’s a very subtle change that begins between ages 20 and 30. The percentage of body fat gradually increases, and it produces an ever-decreasing calorie requirement.”
That’s because fat cells burn fewer calories than muscle cells. And a lower metabolic rate means that unless you eat less, you’ll gain weight over the decades.
But exercise can mount a two-pronged attack on middle-age spread and muscle loss. Any activity makes you burn more calories (so you’re less likely to wind up with an excess). And strength-training can offset the loss of muscle mass.
“Starting at age 40 in women and at 60 in men, we lose six to eight percent of our muscle per decade,” says Maryland’s Hurley. “However, after only two months of strength-training, women recover a decade of loss and men recover two decades.”
That’s with three weekly sessions that take 40 minutes each, including warm-up, rest periods, and stretching.¹ “The time spent doing the exercises that increase muscle mass is only about five minutes a session,” says Hurley. Not a bad return on your time.

Overtraining on wikipedia (you have to screen what is for and what is not)

2007-10-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining

For Tight Abs, It's Quality That Counts

2007-10-14T09:51:00.001-07:00

For Tight Abs, It's Quality That Counts

Having trouble developing your abs? To develop tight abs, focus on isolating them fully by using a very short range of motion, but very high intensity, during your abdominal exercises.

With ab training, most people have the tendency to unintentionally use other muscles, most notably the hip flexors, to aid in completing the exercises. This takes a great deal of stress off of the abdominal muscles themselves, which, of course, defeats the purpose of ab training.

Three main reasons why most people fail to sufficiently isolate their abs and train them properly:

1. They simply don't recognize that the correct way to train abs is by squeezing them together very hard in an accordion-type manner rather than by bending excessively at the waist (which is a "waste" of time, forgive the pun).

2. They take the easy way out. It's a lot more difficult to actually contract the abdominal muscles together hard than it is to bounce up and down like a jack-hammer.

3. They are more concerned with how many reps they do than with how intense each rep is. You see it all the time--people in the gym doing sets of 50, 100, even 200 or more crunches.

Total nonsense. If you're really working your abs intensely, a set of 12-15 reps should leave your midsection burning.

Working your abs within a fairly limited range of motion helps combat all of these detrimental tendencies.

When you do Crunches or Reverse Crunches, for instance, you want to focus intently on contracting the abs and really squeezing them together hard, but your body should only actually move about 4-6 inches.

And once you Crunch up hard, don't simply release on the way back down—make the negative portion of the movement work for you as well by maintaining tension in your abs throughout the full range. Give it a try and firm up that midsection intelligently.

L-Glutamine FAQ

2007-10-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

1. What is it and where does it come from?

The extremely popular amino acid L-Glutamine can be found in protein powders, beans, meats, fish, poultry, dairy products, and of course, L-Glutamine supplements from Bodybuilding.com.

2. What does it do and what scientific studies give evidence to support this?

Glutamine is highly in demand throughout the body. It is used in the gut and immune system extensively to maintain optimal performance. 60% of free-form amino acids floating in skeletal muscles is L-glutamine. L-glutamine plays a very important role in protein metabolism, and it appears to be a very important nutrient for body builders. When supplemented, it may help body builders reduce the amount of muscle deterioration that occurs because other tissues that need glutamine will not rob the glutamine stored in the muscle cells.

Research shows that after intensely working out, glutamine levels in the body are reduced by as much as 50%. Since the body relies on glutamine as cellular fuel for the immune system, scientific studies have shown that glutamine supplementation can minimize the breakdown of muscle tissue and improve protein metabolism. Its effects on replenishing the body after stress or trauma have been shown in Europe where it is commonly given to patients in hospitals. Glutamine's cell-volumizing effects have also been shown in several studies. No conclusive studies have been done to evaluate the effects of L-glutamine supplementation on weight-training adults; however, a recent study showed up to a 400% increase in growth-hormone levels when as little as 2 grams of free-form L-glutamine supplement was consumed!

3. Who needs it and what are some symptoms of deficiency?

Bodybuilders can particularly gain from the intake of glutamine. Since bodybuilders use a lot of their glutamine when working out, they are more susceptible to health related problems, as the immune system relies heavily on this amino acid.

Catabolism or muscle break down can occur if the body robs muscles of glutamine for use elsewhere such as nitrogen transport or maintaining the immune system. Glutamine supplementation is certainly important in keeping muscles building--not deteriorating.

4. How much should be taken? Are there any side effects?

Bodybuilders can benefit by taking ten grams of L-glutamine per day, although clinical studies have not determined a precise amount for muscle metabolism optimization.

There are no side effects associated with L-glutamine, because it is a nutrient naturally occurring in the body. Reports of an upset stomach are associated with ingesting a great deal of glutamine, using smaller doses is recommended if this occurs.

The Myths and Dangers of Anabolic Steroid Usage

2007-10-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

What are steroids? How do steroids work? Why are steroids dangerous?

There are a lot of misconceptions about what steroids are, how steroids work, and why steroids are dangerous. If you are curious about the subject of steroids, let's eliminate certain misconceptions that surround these drugs. I have never experimented with steroids and do not endorse their usage but this unbiased and researched report is intended to provide you with objective information of what these drugs are and what they can and cannot do.

What are Anabolic Steroids?

Anabolic steroids are a synthetic copy of the hormone testosterone. They have been the subject of much debate over the last few decades as well as misinformation. Athletes, especially bodybuilders, may feel lured towards them as these drugs do increase muscle size, strength, and stamina.

Steroid Myth #1. Taking Any Kind of Steroid Will Result In Death

The first thing that we need to understand is that steroids are drugs. Even Tylenol and Aspirin can cause serious problems if you take them in large quantities. All drugs when misused and abused have the potential to kill; its not only steroids. However, since taking steroids is against the law, issues of product purity and authenticity as well as innaccurate information surrounding their usage add serious risks to steroid experimentation.

Steroid Myth #2. Steroids are Easy to Get

Another misconception about steroids is that they are easily obtained. As far as accessibility, the truth is that they are illegal substances without a medical prescription, so your accessibility will be through the black market (good luck as far as quality). In addition, if you get caught in their possession without a prescription you may face up to 5 years in a federal prison.

Steroid Myth #3. All Steroids Are Pills

On the issue of variety, there are many different types of steroid out there. There are injectable steroids and oral steroids. The injectable kind are generally more androgenic (provide male characteristics like hair growth and aggression) in nature and less damaging to organs like the liver. The oral versions are more anabolic in nature and cause more side effects than their injectable brothers as they have to be processed by the liver. Different steroids have different properties so there are some that have more tendencies to build muscle mass while others have a tendency to increase strength. As their properties vary, so do their side effects. Usually the stronger the steroid (especially if oral), the more side effects you can expect.

The Good Side of Steroids?

Steroids do increase size and strength. In fact, they do so very significantly. In addition to gains in strength and muscle mass they also seem to provide you with more energy and aggressiveness, things that are conducive to good workouts (but not so in interpersonal relationships). Depending on the steroid used, you may also get cell voluminizing effects that promote a bigger pump. Aside from even just the legal risks of steroids, the "good side" comes at a high price.

The Psychological Effects of Steroids

Based on the fact that steroids give you all of these good effects that bodybuilders constantly look for, it is no surprise that they cause a psychological dependence. Think about it. If you have been taking them for the past 8 weeks, assuming good diet and training, chances are that you got very big and strong quick. You feel unstoppable after the 8 weeks of use. Suddenly you taper them off, up until you completely stop their use. A week later after cessation of use you notice that you are not getting good pumps, that your strength is diminishing regardless of your best effort and that your muscle mass is shrinking! Add to that the fact that for the first few weeks after cessation of use you will feel depressed due to low testosterone levels and it is no wonder that there are people out there that never get off from them.

Other Risks of Steroid Usage

Depression Effects of Steroids

Due to the post cycle low period of testosterone along with the fact that your estrogen levels will rise, depression at this time will be very real. In order to minimize this, you would need to get with a doctor and jump on many post cycle drugs that will re-establish your natural testosterone production along with supressing your estrogen levels. If you have an understanding doctor that is willing to help, he may prescribe you with the medications you need. However, chances are that your medical insurance will not cover these drugs due to the fact that the condition was caused due to illegal steroid use. If you do not get these medications, then expect a very bad depression and total loss of gains.

If you do not know what you are doing (i.e. you used steroids with the most side effects, you abused the dosage, etc) then not only will you get bad side effects during the period of use, but you also will also get worst side effects after the use. Again, the degree of side effects is directly proportional to the dosage and type of the steroid and also dependent of the genetic propensity of the subject to get such side effects. Therefore, it would be impossible for me or anyone else to exactly predict what kind of side effects a user might encounter during a period of use. However, one thing is for certain. If you abused the drugs by using super high dosages and for very long periods of time, you may never be able to re-establish natural testosterone production, so you will then need to get with an endocrinologist and possibly stay on low dose testosterone therapy for life.

Steroid Users Risk:

1) Increased Liver Function.
2) Depression of Natural Testosterone Production.
3) Increase in Cholesterol Levels and Blood Pressure (Not conductive to good cardiovascular health).
4) Altered Thyroid Function.
5) Headeches.
6) Nose bleeds.
7) Cramps.
8) Development of breastlike tissue in men (Gynecomastia).
9) Insulin Insensitivity (Even though Deca Durabolin improves the insulin metabolism).
10) Androgenic Side effects such as thinning hair, enlarged prostate, oily skin, water retention, increased body hair, aggressiveness.
11) Stunted growth if you are a teenager.
12) Oral Steroid specific side effects: In addition to the above, the orals also tend to cause nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and vomiting.
13) May accelerate the growth of tumors.

Again, keep in mind that different steroids offer different side effects and that everything is dosage dependent, so the list above is a generalized list of side effects.

I am not even going to go into the kind of side effects that females encounter when they decide to use these drugs, especially the androgenic ones like testosterone. That could be a whole article by itself, but I think that most people could imagine what happens when you start introducing abnormal amounts of hormones from the opposite sex into your body.

(Note: For a better idea of what each particular steroid does, please visit the following link at Mesomorphosis.com:
http://www.mesomorphosis.com/steroid-profiles/index.htm)

Medical Uses of Steroids

I think anabolic steroids have their rightful place in medicine. For instance, I can see their use in patients with extreme muscle wasting conditions like AIDS, for instance. Also, some steroids can be used to eliminate severe anemia. Finally, I have read alot of European research on the positive effects of low dosages of anabolic steroids like testosterone and deca-durabolin on males suffering from clinically low levels. This is called Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), and I personally see value in it, as in this case you are just replacing a necessary hormone that the body is no longer producing. This is done all of the time. For instance, if your thyroid is not functioning well, then the doctor prescribes you with thyroid medication.

However, again keep in mind that you are still introducing a foreign substance to the body and HRT does not come without risks. Your Doctor can educate you more on that subject.

My Message To Teenagers

Steroids are not the magical substance that some people make them up to be. Training, diet and rest is what will get you the body that you want. I've seen people that are on steroids and train badly, do not diet and hardly rest, and as a result, are still small. Don't expect to take steroids and look like a champion bodybuilder in two weeks because it will not happen.

Teenagers especially should not even think about the use of these drugs as teens already have their testosterone levels at a level equivalent to the one a 300 mg shot of testosterone would increase them to. Alot of complex processes occur on a teen's body that we yet do not even understand so introducing these drugs at this age would interrupt these processes, in addition to killing the best natural production of testosterone that you will ever get. My message to teens is: Eat big, train big and you will get big. These are the best years for good natural growth so do not waste or jeopardize them.

Preserve Lean Muscle Mass with Glutamine

2007-10-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Preserve Lean Muscle Mass with Glutamine

What Is L-Glutamine?
L-Glutamine the most abundant amino acid in muscle cells. It is released from the muscle during times of stress (such as hard weight training workouts) and dieting. This amino acid not only has been shown to be a great anti-catabolic agent (protects the muscle from the catabolic activities of the hormone cortisol), to be a contributor to muscle cell volume, and to have immune system enhancing properties but also to help in the following ways:

Regulation of protein synthesis (this is one of the ways in which steroids exert their muscle building effects).
Accelerating glycogen synthesis after a workout.
Sparing the use of the glycogen stored in the muscle cell (recall that the glycogen stored in the muscle cell is what gives the cell the healthy volume and firmness that you seek).
Faster recuperation from weight training workouts.

How To Use It
Due to its anti-catabolic properties and the fact that it accelerates glycogen synthesis after a workout, glutamine is best taken 20-30 minutes after a workout with a protein shake. On days that you don't workout, just take it with your last protein shake of the day. While there is much debate amongst experts as far as dosage is concerned, I always like to remain on the conservative side. Therefore, I feel that 3-5 grams is a sufficient dosage to start with and as your stomach gets used to it you can increase it to as much as 10-15 grams.

As far as cycling this supplement, there is no evidence that suggests cycling would improve its efficacy.

Side Effects
As far as side effects we only experienced a slight stomach discomfort during the first week of use (I took the straight powder form). Other than that, I did not experience any other side effects and I have not found any literature that links its use to anything bad.

As usual, I recommend that you start with a low dosage (such as only 3 grams a day) in order to assess your tolerance. From there you can build up to 10-15 grams split in 2-3 servings per day (1 in the morning, 1 after the workout and another one before bed). I would reserve the highest dosage schedule for periods of extremely hard training such as pre-contest training.

By looking at the effects that this supplement can provide you with, along with the fact that these days it can be purchased for a very cheap price, we wonder why more athletes don't use it. This is especially important during dieting, as a way to protect the muscle from being cannibalized by the effects of cortisol.

Good Brands
On a final note, please remember that like any supplement you need to stick to high quality brands.

Good brands of Glutamine that I have used are:

Prolab
EAS
Champion Nutrition
Beverly International
Met-Rx
Labrada

Gain Lean Muscle Mass With Creatine

2007-10-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

Gain Lean Muscle Mass With Creatine

What Is Creatine Monohydrate?
Creatine is a metabolite produced in the body composed of three amino acids: l-methionine, l-arginine and l-glycine. Approximately 95% of the concentration is found in skeletal muscle in two forms: creatine phosphate and free chemically unbound creatine. The remaining 5% of the creatine stored in the body is found in the brain, heart and testes. The body of a sedentary person metabolizes and average of 2 grams of creatine a day. Bodybuilders due to their high intensity training metabolize higher amounts than that.

Creatine is generally found in red meats and to some extent in certain types of fish. However it would be hard to get the amount of creatine necessary for performance enhancement as even though 2.2lbs of red meat or tuna contain approximately between 4 to 5 grams of creatine, the compound is destroyed with cooking.
Therefore, the best way to get creatine is by taking it in powder form.

How does it work?
While there is still much debate as to how creatine exerts its performance enhancing benefits and increases lean muscle mass, it is commonly accepted by now that most of its effects are due to two mechanisms:

Intra-cellular water retention.
Creatine's ability to enhance ATP production.

Basically, once the creatine is stored inside the muscle cell, it attracts the water surrounding such cell thereby enlarging it. This super hydrated state of the cell causes nice side effects such as the increase of strength and it also gives the appearance of a fuller muscle. Some studies suggest that a super hydrated cell may also trigger protein synthesis and minimize catabolism.

In addition, creatine provides for faster recovery in between sets and increased tolerance to high volume work. The way it does this is by enhancing the body's ability to produce Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the compound that your muscles use for fuel whenever they contract. ATP provides its energy by releasing one of its phosphate molecules (it has three phosphate molecules). After the release of such molecule, ATP becomes ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) as it now only has two molecules. The problem is that after 10 seconds of contraction time the ATP fuel extinguishes and in order to support further muscle contraction glycolisis (glycogen burning) has to kick in. That is fine and well except for the fact that as a byproduct of that mechanism lactic acid is produced. Lactic acid is what causes the burning sensation at the end of the set. When too much lactic acid is produced, your muscle contractions stop, thereby forcing you to stop the set. However, by taking creatine, you can extend the 10 second limit of your ATP system as creatine provides ADP the phosphate molecule that it is missing (recall that creatine is stored in the muscle as creatine phosphate). By upgrading your body's ability of regenerating ATP, you can exercise longer and harder as you will minimize your lactic acid production and you will be able to take your sets to the next level and reduce fatigue levels. More volume, strength and recovery equals more muscle (assuming nutrition and rest are dialed in).

Creatine also seems to also allow for better pumps during a workout. This may be due to the fact that it possibly improves glycogen synthesis. In addition, studies have shown that creatine helps lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The mechanisms by which it exerts such benefits remain unknown.
How to Use It
If you read the bottle, most companies recommend a loading phase of 20 grams for 5 days and 5-10 grams thereafter. While that is the commonly accepted way to use it, in my own experimentation I have found no benefit to loading. I have even gone as far as loading for 7 days with 40 grams a day and found no difference. As a matter of fact, my training partner only took 5 grams a day after the workout and started getting great results after only a couple of weeks. The reason for this is simple. There is only so much creatine that the body can store. Recall that the creatine is stored every time that you take it. So by taking it every day eventually you will reach the upper levels that provide the performance enhancement. After you reach that level, you could get away with just taking it on your weight training days as it takes two weeks of no use for the body's creatine levels to get back to normal.
Another point to talk about is the issue of cycling creatine. If creatine would be a supplement that loses its effectiveness as time goes by then I would recommend cycling. For example, it is beneficial to cycle fat burning supplements containing caffeine and ephedrine as the body's receptors begin to attenuate after 2 to 3 weeks of continual use. Once the body gets used to them, you need to either increase the dosage or stop their use so that the body begins to respond once again. However, that is not the way that creatine works. Basically, creatine gets stored into your muscles and you get the effects mentioned above, period. It is really straightforward. As far as the initial weight gain that you may experience when you start taking it, whether you cycle it or not, you will get the same amount of initial weight gain as that extra weight is determined by the amount of intracellular fluid retention that your muscle cells can store (something that remains a static figure). The reason I say "the weight gain that you may experience" is because if once you start taking it you concurrently increase the volume of your workouts and remain at the same caloric intake level you may lose fat as you gain your added muscle volume and because of that the scale might not register any weight gain (this is what happened to my training partner). However, the lack of "registered" initial weight gain by the scale does not mean that you are a "non-responder". To gauge creatine's efficacy on you judge it by the muscle appearance effects and the performance enhancement in the gym.

Side Effects
The only adverse side effect that I have experienced in my over two years of continual use is the gastric upset at the beginning of use. After a couple of weeks or so my system adapted to absorbing the powder. Other than that, I have not observed any other side effects. Keep in mind however that the liver and kidneys have to process this compound. Therefore, I would not recommend it for someone with kidney problems or liver problems. Also, even if you are completely healthy ensure more than adequate hydration levels (bodyweight x 0.66 = total ounces of water to drink per day) and if you drink coffee, add an extra 16 ounces of water for every cup that you drink over the day.

A side effect that I have read happened but I am unable to quantify is the fact that your body's production of creatine shuts down. However, after cessation of use, according to all of the literature your body's production kicks in again. No adverse effects have been documented due to the creatine shutdown created by the body.

Glutamine Guide

2007-10-12T12:00:00.001-07:00

Glutamine Guide

You are probably reading this guide because you are wondering if glutamine will work for you. If it will be of any benefit to you. So really you have a problem that needs a solution. The goal of this guide will be to determine, based on the results you are seeking, if your money will be best spent on glutamine or on another product. So first you need to know what results you are seeking from possibly taking glutamine. What do you want from it? Once you have that in your head, we must answer the following question...

What will glutamine do for you?

There’s nothing fancy about glutamine. It’s not a miracle supplement (there's no such thing) and using it won’t bring results overnight (again, no such thing). With that said, it really is a tremendous supplement with one major benefit that we all need. It's this: glutamine will help maintain your muscle. Glutamine prevents your muscle from being eaten away by catabolic effects. You don't have to persuade anyone that to preserve the muscle you've worked so hard to acquire is a big deal. First you acquire, then you preserve. Two very important factors. Next question we have is...

Does science support glutamine?

In all my product guides I've been completely honest and I've built up a level of trust with many you that I don't take for granted. For me it's easy... glutamine works. And I know many of you would take my word on that. But there is science to back it up. Let's start at the beginning. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in muscle tissue. Studies have shown glutamine supplementation can prevent up to 70% of the muscle lost as the result of cortisol in the body (American Journal of Physiology 33:E 912-E917, 1996). Cortisol, as some of you may know, is a catabolic hormone that is often responsible for muscle tissue breakdown. Catabolic is in many ways the opposite of anabolic. Something that is anabolic helps build muscle tissue; something that's catabolic breaks down muscle tissue. Cortisol is catabolic. So it's important for people interested in developing and maintaining muscle mass to keep their cortisol levels in check. That's where glutamine comes in. So the final question to ask is...

Which brand of glutamine should you use?

With over twenty different choices, which one should you go with? Really, they are all the same. Every manufacturer gets their raw product from the same few factories. It’s a level playing field. Then it’s up to the marketing folks to try and convince us of the benefit of their product over the others. I think the question of which product to buy is an economical one. That is, which product will 1) last the longest and 2) be the least expensive per serving.

Check out the comparison chart below of the top five glutamine brands:

Top Five Brands	Size	Cost	Servings	Cost Per Serving
IST Pure Glutamine	500 grams	$24.95	100	$0.25
Optimum Nutrition	300 grams	$17.99	67	$0.27
Prolab Glutamine	400 grams	$18.00	90	$0.20
Beverly Glutamine Select	552 grams	$37.00	60	$0.62
AST GL3	600 grams	$29.97	60	$0.50

Creatine Information & Research

2007-10-12T11:38:00.001-07:00

Creatine Information & Research

Whether you're an accomplished athlete or you've just started an exercise program, you need to know about creatine. Many supplements touted over the years as performance enhancers have come and gone, but creatine is here to stay. I predict that it will be one of the most popular muscle-building nutrients ever made available to you. Why? Because it works. Yes, it really works to increase muscle mass.

Note: Over the past two months I have had reports from three individuals (or family members) who have noted increased aggressiveness and irritability from creatine. A study published in the Nov 29 issue of JAMA reports that some creatine products may have been contaminated with small amounts of androstenedione or other anabolic steriods. Could this account for the irritability and aggressiveness? I don't know for sure at this time.

Q. What is Creatine?
A. When we told our friends that we were writing a book on creatine, some of them had quizzical responses. You're writing on creating? Creating what? Is it an herb?

Creatine is not an herb, mineral, vitamin, hormone, or steroid. Creatine is a natural nutrient found in our bodies and the bodies of most animals. Approximately 95% of the body's creatine supply is found in the skeletal muscles. The remaining 5% is scattered throughout the rest of the body, with the highest concentrations in the heart, brain and testes.

The human body gets most of the creatine it needs from food or dietary supplements. Creatine is easily absorbed from the intestinal tract into the bloodstream. When dietary consumption is inadequate to meet the body's needs, a limited supply can be synthesized from the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. This creatine production occurs in the liver, pancreas and kidneys.

Q. How Does Creatine Work?
A. Creatine is an essential player in the primary energy source used for muscle contraction. It exists in two different forms within the muscle fiber: as free (chemically-unbound) creatine and as creatine phosphate. This later form of creatine makes up two-thirds of the total creatine supply. When your muscles contract, the initial fuel for this movement is a compound called ATP. ATP provides its energy by releasing one of its phosphate molecules. It then becomes a different compound called ADP. Unfortunately, there is only enough ATP to provide energy for about 10 seconds, so for muscle contraction to continue, more ATP must be produced. Creatine phosphate comes to the rescue by giving up its phosphate molecule to ADP, recreating ATP. This ATP can then be burned again as fuel for more muscle contraction.

The bottom line is that your ability to regenerate ATP depends on your supply of creatine. More creatine, more ATP remade, and more ability to train your muscles to their maximum potential. It's that simple. This greater ATP synthesis also keeps your body from relying on another energy system called glycolysis, which has lactic acid as a byproduct. This lactic acid creates the burning sensation you feel during intense exercise. If the amount of acid becomes too great, muscle movement stops. But if you keep on using ATP because of all the creatine you have, you can minimize the amount of lactic acid produced and actually exercise longer and harder. This helps you gain strength, power and muscle size; and you won't get fatigued as easily.

Creatine has also been shown to enhance your body's ability to make proteins, especially the proteins within the muscle fibers. Two of these proteins, actin and myosin, are essential to all muscle contraction. So when you build up your supply of these contractile proteins, you actually increase your muscle's ability to perform physical work. And the more work you do (whether it's lifting weights or running 100-meter dashes), the stronger you become over time. Creatine can also absorb intracellular water, thus resulting in a higher muscle volume. This could lead to the "pumped up" feeling and look. An additional way creatine increases muscle size is thought to be its fluid retention abilities within muscle tissue.

Q. Who Can Benefit From Creatine?
A. Although the research on creatine and exercise performance is relatively new, so far it appears that the greatest benefits occur in those who wish to put on muscle mass. Athletes in bodybuilding, powerlifting, martial arts, and track and field events such as javelin and shot-put may benefit due to greater strength. So could wrestlers and football players. We doubt that creatine will be of any benefit for people who comfortably cruise on a cart around the golf course and occasionally get up to putt. Other sports where creatine is not likely to be of any significant benefit include skeet shooting, and certainly billiards. Body builders and anyone who wishes to have more muscle build will find creatine extremely helpful.

It is still unclear whether athletes involved in endurance activities such as marathon running or long-distance bicycling will benefit from creatine supplementation. There have been anecdotal reports that people in these sports may benefit (Stroud, 1994), although other studies show that creatine either does not help or may actually hurt. The difficulty in these situations appears to center on the increased muscle mass which creatine provides. While that's great if you're a bodybuilder or wrestler, it can be a detriment if you have to carry all that weight around during a marathon or triathlon. It becomes a tradeoff between the increased strength you get from creatine and the increased muscle mass. Further research will provide us with more definitive answers as to what role creatine supplementation can play in endurance-type sports.

Creatine Q & A

2007-10-12T11:34:00.001-07:00

Q. Is there a difference between types of creatines that are currently available?

A. As some people are aware, you can now find creatine on the market in three forms: phosphate, citrate, and monohydrate. My feeling is that the phosphate variety is not easily absorbed by the body and for this reason will not yield effective and substantial results. The citrate variety seemed to be catching on for a time, but again the research is sketchy here. In fact, nearly all the positive clinical studies that have been done on creatine have utilized the monohydrate form, and this is the only form that I currently recommend.

Q. Is all creatine monohydrate alike, or are the name brands really better?

A. There’s a ton of cheap, generic creatine monohydrate on the market (especially on the web), but I’m convinced that most of it is of significantly lower quality than the reputable brand name versions. Supplement companies and distributors in the U.S. currently get their raw creatine from two primary sources: China and Germany. The creatine that comes in from China is almost always less expensive, but it’s also much more likely to be impure. Typically, it’ll be cut with the complex carb maltodextrin. This is the dirt cheap “creatine” that many wholesalers offer. No wonder some people don’t see any results. Reputable creatine suppliers prefer the German version, which is a bit more expensive but tests out at a significantly higher level of quality. With creatine you really do get what you pay for.

Q. Is micronized creatine just hype or is it really better?

A. Micronized creatine is very interesting. Basically, it’s produced through a process that finely grinds or “micronizes” the creatine particles themselves into particles that are 10, 15, even 20 times smaller than regular creatine particles. There’s no doubt that micronized creatine dissolves better in liquid—this just makes sense. It’s also theorized that the smaller particle size leads to easier and faster digestion and uptake into the blood. Individuals who report stomach upset with regular creatine intake almost always find the problem alleviated by switching to the micronized version. Many of the top creatine monohydrate products on the market—including AST’s Creatine HSC—have already switched to using micronized particles. This trend is likely to continue and accelerate in the near future.

Advanced Creatine Cycling Schedule

2007-10-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

Advanced Creatine Cycling Schedule

Many people find that after a few weeks, the gains they make on creatine monohydrate begin to taper off or even disappear altogether. There's an increasing belief among hardcore trainers that cycling creatine intake may help one experience continued progress with this proven supplement.

Here's a typical creatine cycle you might try adding to your supplement program:

week 1: load (20 g / day)
week 2-4 : maintenance (10 g / day)
week 5: load (20 g / day)
week 6-8: OFF
Repeat Cycle.

You're basically "on" for 5 weeks (higher than average doses), then "off" completely for 3 weeks. This seems to work well and can help give you continual progress with creatine supplementation. Of course, another important factor is what type of creatine you're using.

Choosing A Creatine

2007-10-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

Choosing A Creatine

If you're looking to add strength and lean muscle mass, creatine monohydrate is for you. Of all the supplements to come down the pike in the past decade or so, creatine has the most clinically proven track record. Supplementing with creatine increases ATP production measurably. This results in greater explosive strength and overall work load capacity during training sessions.

What will creatine do for you?

Put very simply, the average person can expect to gain 6-12lbs of muscle in the first two weeks of using creatine. Creatine is one of the oldest, most tried and true supplements on the market. The reason it hasn't gone away like so many other hyped up miraclesupplements is because it simply works. Everyone knows that outside of using steroids, the easiest way to put on some weight quickly is by using creatine.

What type of creatine should you use?

For beginners looking for a place to start, I suggest started with a pure creatine powder and mix it up with some juice. It's very economical and should work well for you. I recommend Prolab Creatine . Nothing fancy here. Just a high-quality creatine powder at an unbeatable price.

I used another article creating this topic, i dont suggest Muscle tech product, Prolab, i have used and i am having good result.

[If you are more advanced looking to really blow out your muscles, and prefer an absolutely cutting edge creatine formula, check out the Cell Tech Hardcore from MuscleTech. It's my personal favorite. This formula adds mass like nothing else.]

Quality counts big-time with creatine

One final thought on maximizing your results with creatine: be sure the creatine you’re using is of the highest quality. There are literally dozens of bargain basement creatine companies out there in the health shops and particularly on the web. Most of these companies are selling very low-grade creatine. Some of the creatine powder out there, for instance, is only 30% to 50% pure. it’s better to pay a few bucks more for high-quality products than to go the bargain basement route where you also end up skimping on results.

The Benefits of Omega 3/DHA Esters

2007-10-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Omega 3/DHA Esters

Omega 3/DHA Esters have been proven to be beneficial in a number of health areas, including your:

Heart
Brain
Joints
Skin
Immune system
Vision, and
Digestion

Even specific conditions such as:

Allergies
Diabetes
Arthritis, and
Inflammatory bowel disease.
Memory
ADHD

Have been shown to benefit by the intake of Omega 3 fish oils!

Do you know why Omega 3 with DHA is so good for you?

2007-10-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

Most people don’t - and as a result they do not enjoy the level of vibrant health that they should!

Instead they suffer from avoidable ailments such as heart disease. Even worse, many people as they get older, gradually ‘lose’ their mind and live out their twilight years not even recognizing their friends or family.

Scientists throughout the world believe a great deal of the suffering caused from these diseases could be avoided by adequate intake of an essential Omega 3 fatty acid found in fish oil called DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid)

Omega 3 from fish oil is better than plant based Omega 3 for two main reasons:

Only the Omega 3 in fish oil contains both DHA and EPA
Omega 3 from plants only contains ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) which needs to be converted to DHA and EPA for the body to use.

However there are problems with many fish oils sold on the world market today:

Most of them are low in DHA
Most of them are not concentrated
Most of them are not molecularly distilled to ensure that all contaminants are removed.
Most of them use a mixture of all types of fish oil from around the world which may have become rancid.

Vitamin E Benefits

2007-10-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Benefits of Vitamin E

Vitamin E benefits are well-documented, and scientists continue to find more benefits of Vitamin E as they further their research.

It is important to realize the therapeutic benefits of Vitamin E as well as other vitamins, minerals and nutrients in promoting general health and well-being as well as treating various conditions and diseases.

Facts about Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver and fat tissues of the body. It exists in many different forms, but alpha-tocopherol is the main form found in the human body. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects the body against cell damage and disease.

Vitamin E is found naturally in green, leafy vegetables as well as nuts, oils and fortified cereals. Those following low fat and/or low carb diets tend to avoid these foods and thus need to look for a Vitamin E supplement to include this vital nutrient in their diet.

Vitamin E Benefits

The benefits of Vitamin E lie in its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are protective compounds that neutralize free radicals in the body. Free radicals are toxic chemicals that cause damage to cells, which can lead to premature aging, cancer and other diseases.

Specific Vitamin E benefits

Some research has pointed to Vitamin E benefits in preventing coronary heart disease by limiting the oxidation of bad cholesterol (LDL), a process that leads to blockage of the arteries.

Vitamin E may also help prevent blood clots, which could lead to heart attacks.

Other Vitamin E benefits include its possible role in preventing various types of cancer, by boosting the immune system and fighting off cancer-causing agents. There have also been studies regarding Vitamin E benefits in preventing cataracts and other vision problems.

Are there any Vitamin E side effects?

When taken in recommended doses there are very few Vitamin E side effects. Some people may experience slight headaches.

However in high doses Vitamin E side effects can include increased bleeding problems.

If you are taking anticoagulants, aspirin or other blood thinning medications make sure you consult a physician before taking Vitamin E.

Should you take Vitamin E on its own or as part of a more comprehensive product?

It is always better to take vitamins and minerals together rather than on their own. This has been shown to be the best way to yield the optimal health benefits for your body, for many reasons:

1) Many vitamins and minerals work synergistically together, and in fact some cannot work at all without each other.

For example, Vitamin E needs Vitamin C in order to function properly. These two vitamins work much more effectively together than on their own.

2) Many vitamins, minerals and other nutrients can enhance the therapeutic benefits of each other.

For example, Vitamin E is an important antioxidant, yet there are much more powerful antioxidants such as Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), red clover and green tea extract. These antioxidants working together are much more beneficial for warding off cancer and illness than Vitamin E on its own.

Finding a High Quality Vitamin E Supplement

If you are interested in taking a supplement for the benefits of Vitamin E, you should look for one that has pure, natural Vitamin E.

Most multivitamins on the market do not contain natural vitamins, but rather the synthetic versions. Avoid these vitamins at all costs. Synthetic versions are half as powerful as natural versions.

Here's an example:

In a clinical trial, natural beta carotene (from which Vitamin A is derived) was tested against synthetic beta carotene. The natural beta carotene was shown to eliminate tumors; the synthetic had absolutely no effect.

Most store-bought multivitamins are manufactured from synthetic sources because they are much cheaper to produce. But these supplements do not offer the same therapeutic benefits.

More importantly, synthetic vitamins can be dangerous to your health because many of them are made from unhealthy sources and could contain harmful contaminants. You can minimize serious potential Vitamin E side effects with natural vitamins.

So what should you look for?

The ideal supplement will have a balance of important vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients, all drawn from natural sources. The ingredients will be formulated synergistically to offer the maximum therapeutic benefits.

Some other important things to look for:

The supplement should be manufactured under strict GMP compliance, which are the highest manufacturing standards in the world. This ensures the quality and effectiveness of the ingredients.

The supplement should contain standardized herbal extracts, the purest herbal extracts with the highest quality and therapeutic benefits. Herbal extracts contain more powerful antioxidants than most vitamins.

All of the ingredients should be supported with a Certificate of Analysis (COA) which guarantees their potency and safety.

Lastly, an ideal supplement should be developed by a highly-credentialed product formulator who can blend these ingredients perfectly to ensure that they do not interact adversely and will offer the maximum benefits to your body.

As with all health supplements, please be sure to consult your physician or qualified professional before taking any Vitamin E supplement. Vitamin E benefits are are numerous. A supplement with Vitamin E benefits can be very beneficial to your health. Learn the many Vitamin E benefits by reading the discussion above and see how Vitamin E can improve your health today.

Niacin Side Effects

2007-10-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

Niacin Side Effects

Niacin and Cholesterol

Niacin side effects are relatively mild for the most part when taken in proper dosages. However, it is important that you learn the best ways to take this vitamin and what effects it has on your body.

What is niacin?

Niacin, also known as Vitamin B3, is an important member of the B Family of vitamins that is essential for the metabolism of fat in the body. As you may know vitamins are important compounds that are necessary for many body processes, and are not found naturally within the body. Therefore it is necessary to get all of your vitamins from outside sources.

Niacin and cholesterol are closely linked, and Vitamin B3 is recommended to help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels within your body. Because of its ability to break down fats it is essential for heart attack prevention, as well as treating diabetes and cataracts.

Where can you get niacin from?

Although food is a major source of niacin (meats, beans and dairy), the problem is most of the time vitamins are diluted or eliminated during the processing of the food we eat. Also, most of us do not follow a healthy diet and eat a lot of fast food and junk food, rendering us vitamin deficient.

Vitamin deficiencies can lead to many diseases and medical problems. Therefore it is necessary for most people to supplement vitamins to make sure they are getting the amounts that they need to maintain proper health.

Are there any niacin side effects?

When taken in recommended dosages, there are very few niacin side effects. They may include flushing and itching among other slight allergic reactions.

In very high doses however, niacin side effects can be toxic. Niacin can cause irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias).

Niacin should not be taken by anyone with kidney or liver disease.

Should you take niacin on its own or as part of a more comprehensive product?

It is always better to take vitamins and minerals together rather than on their own. This has been shown to be the best way to yield the optimal health benefits for your body, for many reasons:

1) Many vitamins and minerals work synergistically together, and in fact some cannot work at all without each other.

For example, Vitamin E must be taken with Vitamin C in order to work. Vitamin E and Vitamin C are powerful antioxidants that rid the body of toxic chemicals, and work together much better than they do separately.

2) Many vitamins, minerals and other nutrients can enhance the therapeutic benefits of each other.

For example, niacin can help lower cholesterol much more effectively with other natural cholesterol lowering nutrients such as policosanol, ginger extract and green tea.

Finding a High Quality Niacin Supplement

Most multivitamins on the market do not contain natural vitamins, but rather the synthetic versions. Avoid these vitamins at all costs. Synthetic versions are half as powerful as natural versions.

Here's an example:

In a clinical trial, natural beta carotene (from which Vitamin A is derived) was tested against synthetic beta carotene. The natural beta carotene was shown to eliminate tumors; the synthetic had absolutely no effect.

Most store-bought multivitamins are manufactured from synthetic sources because they are much cheaper to produce. But these supplements do not offer the same therapeutic benefits.

More importantly, synthetic vitamins can be dangerous to your health because many of them are made from unhealthy sources and could contain harmful contaminants. You can minimize serious potential niacin side effects with natural vitamins.

So what should you look for?

The ideal supplement will have a balance of important vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients, all drawn from natural sources. The ingredients will be formulated synergistically to offer the maximum therapeutic benefits.

Some other important things to look for:

The supplement should be manufactured under strict GMP compliance, which are the highest manufacturing standards in the world. This ensures the quality and effectiveness of the ingredients.

The supplment should contain standardized herbal extracts, the purest herbal extracts with the highest quality and therapeutic benefits. Herbal extracts contain more powerful antioxidants than most vitamins.

All of the ingredients should be supported with a Certificate of Analysis (COA) which guarantees their potency and safety.

Lastly, an ideal supplement should be developed by a highly-credentialed product formulator who can blend these ingredients perfectly to ensure that they do not interact adversely and will offer the maximum benefits to your body.

As with all health supplements, be sure to consult your physician or qualified medical professional before taking any niacin or vitamin supplement.

Niacin side effects are generally mild, and if you do experience niacin side effects they usually subside in a short period of time. It is important that you find a high quality niacin product to avoid possible niacin side effects that could be caused by poor quality ingredients or contamination. Learn more about niacin side effects by reading the helpful information above.

Memory Vitamins

2007-10-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Memory Vitamins

Vitamins and Other Nutrients for Memory

Memory vitamins can be quite beneficial in stimulating the brain and promoting proper brain function, and can have a significant impact on memory, concentration and mental awareness.

The human brain is a very complex, sensitive organ which needs to be nourished in order to function properly.

Over the course of time, the buildup of toxins in the body from pollutants, drugs, alcohol and other sources inhibits proper circulation.

As a result, the brain receives less and less of the vitamins and other vital nutrients it needs to function properly. When the brain is not functioning properly, memory loss and a host of other health problems ensues.

FACT: Senility and Alzheimer's will affect 14 million Americans by the year 2020.

There are vitamins for memory that have been shown to help stimulate the mind and prevent memory loss. But vitamins are not the only necessity for proper brain function and memory retention.

There are other essential nutrients, some of which have more health benefits than vitamins, that are crucial to preventing memory loss and brain deterioration.

Memory Vitamins & Essential Brain Nutrients

Vitamin B6 - one of the most important B Vitamins, B6 supports and maintains numerous bodily functions. It has been shown to be beneficial in memory retention as well as maintaining brain health.

Folic Acid - another important B Vitamin, folic acid, or Vitamin B9, aids in the production of red blood cells and can help improve sense of well-being and mental clarity.

Choline - an essential nutrient to form acetylcholine, an important brain neurotransmitter that can prevent memory loss and increase brain function.

Gingko Biloba - one of the most popular memory nutrients, ginkgo biloba has been shown to improve blood circulation in the brain and can improve memory and alertness.

Hawthorn - with strong OPC antioxidants, hawthorn cleans out brain toxins and strengthens blood vessels and tissues. Hawthorn facilitates oxygen and nutrient transport to the brain.

Gotu Kola - an herbal extract native to Asia and Europe, gotu kola also improves brain circulation, as well as mental performance and retention.

Bacopin - can improve intellectual capacity, concentration and memory, as well as shorten learning time.

Rosemary - popular in culinary dishes, rosemary can improve brain function and enhance memory and concentration.

Schisandra - can improve memory as well as sense of well-being and mental awareness.

DMAE - found in high concentrations in fish, and naturally produced in the brain, DMAE is thought to help produce acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter responsible for proper brain activity and function.

Memory Vitamins - What's the best way to improve memory?

Should you take all of these essential nutrients separately or together in one comprehensive formula?

We recommend that you take these nutrients together if possible for many reasons:

1. Taking each memory vitamin and memory nutrient separately could prove very costly as you would have to buy many different supplements.

2. Mixing and matching nutrients on your own could be dangerous to your health.

3. Many memory nutrients acting together can provide more therapeutic benefits than a single nutrient on its own.

4. All of these nutrients have to be balanced perfectly in order to be optimally effective.

Featured Memory Supplement

We have found a nutritional product that contains all of the memory vitamins and nutrients we discuss on this page in a synergized comprehensive product.

It is a special formula called Neuro-Natural Memory with all natural ingredients - memory vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, amino acids and other important nutrients for improving memory, concentration and mental awareness.

We researched the company that makes this natural formula and have found that they adhere to strict GMP compliance, which are the highest manufacturing standards in the world. This ensures the quality and effectiveness of the ingredients.

All of the ingredients in Neuro-Natural Memory are supported with a Certificate of Analysis (COA) which guarantees their potency and safety.

Also, they only use standardized herbal extracts, the purest herbal extracts with the highest quality and therapeutic benefits.

Lastly, all of the nutritional products are formulated by a highly trained, highly credentialed scientific team that can blend these ingredients perfectly to ensure that do not interact adversely and offer the maximum benefits to your body.

Many of our editors as well as our visitors have experienced success with Neuro-Natural Memory. They have used it for its memory vitamins and have noticed significant increases in concentration, memory and mental awareness.

As with all health supplements, be sure to consult your physician or qualified herbal professional before taking any vitamins for memory or other health supplement.

Memory vitamins can be very helpful in stimulating your brain in conjunction with other important nutrients for boosting your memory. Memory vitamins can also help with other conditions, as all they contain other therapeutic properties. Learn about memory vitamin and other healthy nutrients above.

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