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21 November 2008 19:53

Today's Article

Staying Motivated - by Anthony Ellis

Throughout your program it is essential that you remain focused
and motivated.

- Anthony Ellis

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malek256

20 November 2008
10 days until my vacation!

malek256

14 November 2008
Hey Mr. World Traveller - back to lifting huh? We are off to the Dominican Republic Barnz!

barnz2k

13 November 2008
Hey - still alive. Back IN London. At square one but back in the Gym. Woohoo Malek - where you going?

malek256

12 November 2008
17 days!

malek256

11 November 2008
oh we will!!!!!

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Common Training Questions

What is HIIT?
HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training. It's primarily used for fat loss. You perform a cardiovascular exercise (bicycling, running, etc.) at a very high, strenuous level of intensity for a short burst, and alternate it with a lower level for a longer duration.

ZMA? What is it? Can I just take Zinc?
ZMA is Zinc Magnesium Aspartate and typically includes B6. It has been seen in some studies to elevate testosterone in men who weight train. (Heavy Training depletes the body of vitamins more than sitting around does).

Note the word "aspartate" in there. It's not the same as taking a magnesium supplement and a zinc supplement.

Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate plus Magnesium Aspartate and vitamin B-6

Will a Hot Tub / Hot Bath help my sore muscles get better faster?
Warm bath with epsom salts dissolved will do far more for you than a hot tub will. I love hot tubs (I have one) but honestly, this feels good because your "hot" sensor gets priority over "muscle ache" sensor. Your body knows that "hey I can deal with this muscle ache later but if I don't get away from this heat, I'll burn to death before then" so it wins and the pain messages lose the race for priority to the brain.

P.S. Check into Traumeel cream. Big thumbs up on topical Arnica Montana; this actually does increase the healing rate of soft tissue. Give it a try and see if you don't have rapid improvement :)

Cutting
Cutting is a term for an intense training phases to maximize fat loss while minimizing muscle loss, typically achieved through strict diet control and enhanced activity, usually cardiovascular exercise and weight training.

Brute/Volume Training ("Odd/Even")
This is not a term you will encounter frequently on other sites as it is a training strategem devised by Malek256 based upon many different techiques and simplified for maximum efficiency.

Brute/Volume training is a weight training philosophy, which alternates between a month of heavy but brief exercises and a month of lighter but longer exercises. It is not intended for beginners to training but is suitable for hardgainer and easygainers alike.

Read about it here: Link

Use a Belt for Heavy Lifts?
I don't advise you to use a belt for deadlifts.

A belt constricts your abdomen and as you've noted, there's a lot of compression and strain already. The belt will further increase the pressure on your gut and worse it limits your ability to breathe.

It sounds cliche but if you need that belt for the last set, it's probably actually too heavy a weight for you.

Squats and deadlifts are "weak point" work as well as being power generators - the weak link in your body will get hit hardest. Only when all points have sufficiently strengthened can you hit the next mark.

For more information and to see the ongoing discussion, Follow This Link

What's a Deadlift?
Deadlifts are a key part of a mass plan.

Load a bar with weights either side - then crouch, keeping the upper torso unbent. Grab the bar and press the heels into the floor. Engage the shoulders and, using your legs to drive down, pull the weight up keeping the arms down/hanging. Don't "bounce" at the top but slowly reverse and lower the weight (don't drop it).

It's important NEVER to simply "bend" at the waist - most people without proper training will lower part way then start to bend because the hams/quads aren't strong or flexible enough.

I am "massing" - can I use a "thermo" to reduce bodyfat accumulation?
A "thermo" is a thermogenic - this raises your body temperature and resting metabolism so increases your overall "burn rate" of calories. In addition, stubborn body fat requires activation of specific receptors (think of these as "alpha" and "beta" receptors).

Using a thermo will crank up your "stress" response in addition to activating beta receptors. During periods of fasting (below maintenance calories) that helps you to better mobilize fat if you run out of available energy.

During periods of excess calories such as when people go into a "mass gaining phase", this 'boost' in fat liberating ability from the thermo doesn't have value because your body doesn't go looking for fat. If it did, it could get it more easily - but it doesn't need to because you've given it plenty of "easier" calories in your diet.

That stress kick does do a nice job of elevating cortisol though, which can interfere with muscle repair and promotes storage of abdominal fat.

Will Birth Control make me fat/stop me gaining muscle?
There is conflicting information out there. It is difficult to get an accurate answer.

However, there are many anecdotal reports that birth control does interfere with fat loss and the amount of interference varies by the person. People report that when the birth control is stopped, fat begins to burn off at an accelerated rate.

Why is this? Estrogen and estradiol are made by the body through a chain of natural steroids - the middle step there is testosterone.

You are using a steroid. That is what birth control is. It is not thought of as a steroid because people confuse that term with a certain subset of steroids which are anabolic in nature and can cause increased muscle mass as one of their many effects.

When the body has enough of a steroid, the feedback mechanism says "whoah, there's too much - shut the factory".

That means the body will stop somewhere up the line. Including right at the beginning. So your testosterone levels can also plummet.

It is also a notorious libido killer - alarmingly, recent research is suggesting that if this occurs, the effect can be long-lasting.

The pill is most certainly not risk free.

How Much Protein?
Can you overdo protein? Not really - but after 20-30 grams per meal, it does not help protein synthesis according to Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., Prof. Exercise Phys. University of Connecticut. However, it burns slower than carbs or fat - so you're less likely to get fat on high protein diets.

We recommend 200g as a starting point from good clean sources while avoiding saturated fats. Most fitness enthusiasts and body builders will not benefit from additional protein intake unless they are taking steroids.

I'm vegetarian. Do I need to combine my protein food sources to get a full amino acid profile with each meal?
Amino acids more or less go into a "holding pattern" in the blood. The perceived need to combine them at the same time doesn't seem to hold up in studies, so long as you get the "missing" aminos within the day it seems to be okay -- for the average person.

Now "okay" is not the same thing as "optimal". As far as I'm aware, studies on the effects of combining vegetable foods to provide "optimal" amino profiles and the result on testosterone and/or muscle mass/body composition relative to a control group have not been done. So jury is out on this aspect.

It is known however that relying upon primarily vegetable sources rather than animal sources for protein doesn't have the same boost to your anabolic hormone profile. Studies show a difference of about 30% in the free testosterone profile of men consuming primarily animal-based proteins relative to other men using soy and other vegetable based proteins exclusively.

It is not a question of the protein itself being "better" it seems but some of the "things that come along for the ride" that are within the food.

Soy Protein - Is It Good?
Soy has been shown to have benefits on body recomposition (fat loss) as well as significant prostate protective effects and may have a role in the prevention of breast cancer, and it may have a role in cholesterol management though a number of these studies have significant weaknesses.

Soy is best used when part of the overall diet - not as the prime constituent. Phytic acid is abundant within soy and can block uptake of vitamins, so the question here is the proper balance. Too much of anything brings unpleasant effects and soy is not an exception.

There are also differing qualities of soy isolate - some have more aluminum residue and this is undesirable.

Not surprisingly, for such an active compound which has interactions with hormone receptors, it is definitely an issue for pregnant women as it can interfere with fetal development, and abnormalities with male offspring have been seen such as the urethra ending midway in the penis. This is not an indication that such things happen to adults only that one must be very cautious of disturbing the hormonal milieu during gestation.

How Much Tuna is Safe?
This is the official word: Link

Also, you may find this of use, a (relatively) unbiased check into this:
Link

Note that the rules are VERY different for the young, especially small children - you must be very careful. I allow my daughter who is 2 years old some tuna about once or twice a month and then she gets maybe 1/5 of a can. In other words, it's restricted but it's an issue of bodyweight and enhanced susceptibility during development.

Based upon what I know - a can a day is probably not a good thing to do, again variety in food shows its value as a strategy.

The good news is that one of the foods used in mercury treatment is whey protein because the glutathione and BCAA's bind with methylmercury and slowly reduce it. In other words, since this is a recommended and valuable food item for bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts - odds are you're also taking this in you will be reducing the impact of a can a day of tuna.

Why won't my avatar upload?
The most common reason for this is the presence of a space in the filename. Rename your file then try again.

GPP - what is it?
GPP is "General Physical Preparedness" - this means you can excel at any athletic task you take on. So if you did a sudden sprint or decided to play basketball or climb a rock tower - you got the power.

Muscle Building Supplements
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