Researchers wanted to look into the combined effects of CLA, creatine, and whey protein supplementation during strength training. Sixty-nine participants were split into three groups: the 6g CLA + 9g creatine (yes, a pretty high daily dose) + 36g whey group (CCP), the 9g creatine + 36g whey + placebo oil group (CP), and the 36g whey + placebo oil (P). All groups lifted weights for six days per week for five weeks. The results are somewhat surprising. The bench press of the CCP group increased almost twice as much as the CP group, as did the leg press (although the increases themselves weren’t mind-blowing). While all groups added muscle, the CCP group had greater increases than both the CP and P groups. This study echoes the results found by Tarnopolsky M et al in 2007 who found that CLA and creatine improved strength and body composition in the elderly.

Conclusion:  Adding CLA to into a supplement regimen that includes creatine and whey protein can help increase lean mass and strength.

D Aspartic Acid has been shown in human studies to increase testosterone by 42% in as little as 12 days.  D Aspartic Acid has potential for use in a several different ways.  Older men can use it to bring testosterone levels up to levels they had when they where younger.  Both younger and older individuals can use it to help build muscle and get leaner (testosterone will help with both).  And it can be used as a component of post cycle therapy to help get testosterone levels back on track.

D-aspartic acid is an amino acid present in the neuroendocrine tissues of humans, playing a role in the synthesis of both LH (luteinizing hormone) and testosterone. LH, of course, is secreted causing a subsequent release of testosterone from the testes. D-aspartic acid is synthesized when aspartate racemase converts L-aspartic acid into D-aspartic acid. This conversion occurs in the testes as well as other tissues throughout the human body. Supplementation with 3 grams (3,000mgs) per day, orally, resulted in a 42% testosterone increase while raising LH by 33%.

Look for this compound in two new products from Muscle Sport International.  One product will be a protein containing the researched amount of D-Aspartic Acid.  The other will be a capsule delivery system.

Muscle Building Simplified

The key to building muscle is progressive overload which simply means continually applying more stress to the muscle.  In practical terms this means continuing to lift heavier weight each time you go to the gym.  The difficult part is making that happen.  Most people make progress for awhile and then hit plateaus or sticking points.  Good supplement choices should help you make it through these sticking points or even avoid them all together.  There are a couple products that are a must in order to maximize your results. 

1)    In order to grow you must feed your muscle.  Protein is just that, the food for muscle tissue to repair and grow.  Post workout try something like After Glow and to ensure you take in enough protein throughout the day use a blended protein like Intek Evolution Protein.

2)    Workout intensity is also a must and that’s why pre-workouts where invented.  A pre-workout will give you the energy and mindset to make sure each and every workout is productive.  We recommend Juice or Lean Revolution for two of the best pre-workouts available.  If you haven’t had a chance to try one ask us for a free sample.

3)    Handling more reps and more weight means greater strength and more muscle.  This is what creatine is designed to help with.  Creatine works via a couple pathways (depending on the product) and a good one will have you setting personal bests in your favorite lifts.  In this category ANS Diesel Fuel is head and shoulders above the rest.  Anyone who has tried it can attest to the significant results it provides.

4)    Testosterone reigns supreme as a muscle building hormone.  Several products on market can optimize you body’s production of it making it easier to get stronger and build muscle.  Quality products include Test Revolution, Natural Test and TNT.

There are a numerous other products that can help the muscle building process but these are some of the most important.

Pre-Workouts for Energy and Performance
Most people judge their pre-workout based off of how much energy it provides.  Don’t get me wrong I love the energy feel but don’t short change your results by using energy as your only point of evaluation.  A good pre-workout should be designed for four key components.

1)    Energy

2)    Cellular Energy – allows the body to push more weight

3)    Fatigue Buffering – extends time muscle is under tension

4)    Pump (Enhanced Cellular Storage Capacity)

Diesel Fuel

When you step outside of the hormone category Diesel Fuel is probably the most effective muscle and strength building product on the shelf.  In a sense you are combining three potent muscle building pathways in one product. 

1)            Cell Volumization

Diesel Fuel stretches the muscle cell allowing it to super hydrate while at the same time turning on protein synthesis.  The result is quick gains in strength and over time muscle hypertrophy or size gains.

2)            Enhanced ATP Production

Progress in the gym is all about muscle overload.  Being able to hand more weight and more repetitions leads to improved strength and size gains.  ATP is the energy substrate that allows your muscle to do work.  Having more of it allows them to do more work.

3)            Insulin response and Glycogen storage

Diesel Fuel enhances cellular storage capacity for glycogen and by doing so creates an anabolic environment which is beneficial for muscle growth.  It is designed to drive fluids, amino acids, and energy specific nutrients into the muscle cell.

Weight Gainers
The idea behind a weight gainer or high calorie meal replacement is to help the end user take in more quality calories and protein to encourage greater strength and muscle growth.  Be careful when you choose one of these products as the one with the most calories is typically not the best product.  If total calories where the only consideration in what you consume on a weight gaining diet than you would eat all your meals at fast food restaurants.  Quality is just as and probably more important than total calories.  Think about this, would your body function better on steak, potatoes and greens or KFC.

We typically find that most hard gainers have the most success with Optimum Health’s Mass 600.  Not only does it pack 600 calories per serving but it does so by using high quality whey isolates and casein proteins.  It also uses complex carbohydrates and essential fats derived from flax oil.  Muscle is gained when the body is fed with high quality nutrients; unfortunately most people with low quality weight gainers just end up getting fat.

Protein for Fat Loss
When it comes to fat loss the research continues to show that a high protein low carbohydrate diet is best for maintaining muscle tone and losing body fat.  Quite simply the protein feeds the muscle and the lack of excess carbs circulating in the blood stream allows your body to tap into fat as a source of fuel.

When it comes to which protein to choose for fat loss the clear winner is a mix of whey and casein protein.  Although researchers aren’t positive why this combination works best they speculate that the steady flow of amino acids to muscle tissue plays a big role in why the combination of whey and casein is best for fat loss. 

Take a look at Intek Protein Evolution or Optimum Health’s Pro Complete 40 for two products that use this type of protein blend.

Women and Protein

Most women would like to have a toned lean appearance.  When it comes to their diet many are often falling short on protein which can sabotage physique and fitness goals.  Many women also harbor the misconception that protein will get them big.  The truth is that protein should be a woman’s best friend.  Protein tends to keep you satisfied for long periods of time while also keeping your metabolism moving and making sure lean muscle is maintained.  Women should choose a protein that is low in carbohydrates, fats and sodium.  Also look for one that combines whey and casein proteins as this is ideal for maintaining muscle and keeping you metabolism moving.

Tri Pharm Incinerate

Incinerate attacks fat from a couple different angles.  First, it enhances the breakdown of existing body fat for use as fuel, this process will be further improved when combined with exercise.  Second, it helps prevent the formation of new body fat by controlling the enzymatic breakdown of fat.  Last, it stimulates a massive increase in metabolic rate or calories burned for hours.  Because this product doesn’t use stimulants it can be taken at any time during the day.  Incinerate can also be taken with any stimulant based fat burner to make them more effective.

 
Olio for Optimizing Fat Loss and Improving Health

Olio is a combination of olive oil, CLA, fish and flax oil.  It provides essential fats for health purposes with the addition of CLA and olive oil to optimize weight loss.

Research from McGill University in Canada found that olive oil increased resting metabolic rate as well as the energy cost of digesting a meal and post meal energy consumption. 

Fats that Burn Fat??  This may sound like a contradiction but the research on CLA and other healthy fats is clear.  Healthy fats can promote the body’s use of fat as fuel, changing the body’s fuel source from carbohydrates and protein, allowing it to tap into fats as a source of energy.  These fats promote two actions within the body.  The first is the breakdown of fatty acids allowing them to get into the blood stream to be used as fuel.  The second is to keep excess calories from being stored as body fat.

Supplementing with as little as 1100 milligrams of essential fats can increase fat burning by as much as 35% even after a carbohydrate rich meal.  There is mounting scientific evidence that essential fats exert an anti-obesity effect by shifting fat metabolism away from storage as body fat and toward fat burning.

Fat Burners made Simple
Fat burners have three main components.

1)    They can provide energy to help with motivation and workout intensity. 

2)    They can help control appetite so that you are consuming fewer calories throughout the day.

3)    They can have a thermogenic or metabolism boosting effect.  Allowing you to expend more calories even while at rest.

Each product will have varying degrees of potency relating to each of the three components listed above.  For example one fat burner may have a strong appetite component but maybe weaker on the energy component.

 Right or wrong pre-workouts are judged by the energy they provide.  In the case of pre-workouts it is all about stimulant energy as in “energy drink” energy.  Besides protein this is probably the biggest category for sports supplement manufacturers which is evident by the almost daily new product introductions to the category.  This makes it difficult to sort out the good from the bad and causes a lot of general customer confusion.  Each manufacturer has their scientific explanation of why their product is superior and most go on to make exaggerated claims about how their product will reinvent your workouts and change your religion.

 The two main energy ingredients in pre-workouts are geranium and caffeine.  Although some manufacturers would like to have you believe it is b vitamins, nitric oxide or some other ingredient the standard energy (stimulant) component (if it is present) is going to be caffeine and geranium.  Don’t get me wrong I like these ingredients and you should too if you are interested in energy.

 A good pre-workout should also provide performance components to help with strength and endurance, but this article is geared more toward the stimulant aspect.  Take a look around the blog for articles dealing with the performance component of pre-workouts if you are interested in that topic.

 Pre-workouts come in varying strengths and it can take a week or possibly longer to dial in the appropriate dose that you will like.  Keep this in mind if you are trying a new product.  You should give it a week or two before making your final judgment.  Also make sure to adjust the dose based on how each workout is going.  We generally recommend starting with a conservative dose and increasing it by one third to one half scoop based on your requirements.

 To make the most of your pre-workout make sure to take it on an empty stomach.  Any food within an hour of taking it will blunt the energy effect.  Also if you typically use coffee or energy drinks throughout the day and then take your pre-workout you will find it is less effective.  Most people will find the more stimulants they take throughout the day the less effective their pre-workout will become.

 Also keep in mind that your body has a very effective adaptive mechanism to caffeine and other stimulants which reduces their effectiveness the longer you take them.  For this reason we recommend taking pre-workouts only on your training days and that you have no other stimulants that day including coffee or energy drinks.  On your non training days you should try to avoid stimulants (coffee, energy drinks) as much as is possible.

Sleep quality will also play a major role in the energy effect of your pre-workout.  Once your body gets run down no amount of stimulants is going to get you operating at 100%.  It is important not to take your pre-workout to late in the day as the stimulant effect of it can disturb your sleep.  Ideally you would have at least 6 hours or more go by from the time you take your pre-workout until the time you are going to go to sleep.  Personally I have found that when I find my pre-workout feeling less effective I will take a day off from training and get at least 9 hours of sleep.  After doing this you will find that you re-charge your body and the stimulant effect of the pre-workout is much more pronounced.

 Training hard is important but so are days off.  Because pre-workouts allow you to increase the intensity of your training rest days become even more important.  If your pre-workout is helping you do more work in the gym (and it should be) than it only makes sense that you will need more rest to fully recover.  You should shoot for at least 2 days off every week, depending on your individual rate of recovery.  If you find that you are taking your pre-workout and “crashing” right away or if you are lacking motivation take 2-3 days off entirely from working out and get at least 9 hours of sleep each of these nights.  Also try to consume little to no coffee or energy drinks on these days.  You should find after doing this that your body responds better to your pre-workout.

 Approximately every 12 weeks it is a good idea to take between 5 days and one week off from usage of stimulants.  This allows your body to re-sensitize itself to stimulants and you will find after this period of time your pre-workout will be much more effective.  Make sure you are getting adequate sleep during this time period and also make sure you are avoiding coffee and energy drinks.  Expect to feel tired during this time period.

 Rotating pre-workouts can also be helpful for keeping your body from adjusting to them.  We will typically rotate people between two to three products as this seems to be optimal for minimizing adaptation to any one product. 

There are a few other ingredients which you should look for in a good pre-workout.  Tyrosine is nice to have as it will support adrenal function.  Some of the focal adaptors or mood enhancers can really enhance the energy feeling you get from your pre-workout.  You will really notice a euphoric feeling from ingredients like Pikatropin, CDP Choline, and Phenyl ethylamine.

Diet Revolution packs a punch in each single cap.  Not many fat loss products are effective at a single cap dose which is a testament to the potency of the ingredients in this product.  It works by:

1. Enhancing the breakdown of existing fat stores for use as energy
2. Helps to prevent the formation of new body fat by controlling the enzymatic process that breaks fat down
3. Helps control appetite so you are consuming fewer calories
4. Stimulates an increase in metabolism leading to greater calorie burning

As an added bonus this product has a noticeable effect on mood.  There is nothing worse than feeling run down while trying to lose weight. Let’s face it, when you consume less calories and/or increase exercise you can feel run down. Diet Revolution contains a powerful blend of mood elevators and appetite suppressants to make losing fat much easier. Among them is Beta-Phenyl ethylamine (PEA) which is an extraordinary amine with the ability to increase dopamine production. PEA has also been shown to regulate catecholamine levels which may increase the body’s ability to mobilize stored fatty acids due to increased levels of epinephrine and nor epinephrine. You can’t burn stored fat if it’s not first released. Another serious issue when dieting is mental fatigue and not having the ability to focus with high degree of mental clarity. For this reason the addition of N Acetyl Tyrosine and 5Hyrdoxytryptophan were included to round out Diet Revolutions ability to limit mental fatigue during the stresses of training and attempting to burn away fat. Maintaining mental focus and an elevated mood can ensure you are in the “zone” whether in the gym, or just making it through you day.

If getting rid of fat was easy we would all be walking around lean and ripped.  Unfortunately it’s not so a little bit of help can go a long way.  Check out the following product combinations to help super charge your metabolism.

The All Day Burn

Morning

2 Synthrolean with 3 Fat Burner Evolution and 2 Olio

Pre Workout

2 capsules of Yohimbe HCL with 2 Olio and either 2 scoops of BioRhythm Juice or 2 Fat Burner Evolution

Post Workout

Intek Evolution Protein shake

At Night

2 Synthrolean with 3 Deplete

This is a potent combination of products designed to get your metabolism moving.  It’s not overly reliant on stimulants so you won’t feel jittery but it will get you results.  This program hits fat loss from almost every angle possible.

The Cheaters Stack

We all cheat on our diets once in a while and this product combination is designed to get you back on track while minimizing any damage you may have done from cheating on your diet.

Take 2 Liposlim and 2 Tri Pharm Incinerate one half hour before each meal.

Before bed take 2 Detox and Cleanse with at least 12 oz of water.

Stimulant Junky

If you are short on energy and big on stimulants this combination is for you.  It will provide a serious energy boost and as an added plus the focal adaptors in the Intek Thermogenic also will give you a bit of a euphoric feeling. 

Get ready to burn some calories on this combination as well, not only does it elevate metabolism but it also is going to make you more productive during your workouts.

With breakfast take two Intek Thermogenic with 2 Tri-Pharm Incinerate.

Mid afternoon take two Intek Thermogenic with 2 Tri-Pharm Incinerate.

Dietary recommendations for athletes have often provided guidelines for daily amounts of total energy consisting of carbohydrates, proteins and fats with little importance placed on when meals where consumed relative to training.  New research is showing that it is not just what you eat but when you eat it that determines the overall success of a resistance training program.  Long-term consumption of whey protein before and after resistance exercise alters anabolic signaling in a manner that is advantageous for muscle hypertrophy.

Protein ingestion increases muscle protein synthesis in proportion to the essential amino acid content of the protein dose.  In certain situations essential amino acid ingestion can provide advantages over intact proteins.  First EAA (essential amino acid) ingestion results in a rapid concentration and delivery of amino acids to skeletal muscle which increases protein synthesis.  EAA ingestion also maximizes the stimulation of muscle protein synthesis without affecting the metabolic response to subsequent meals.  On a gram per gram basis EAA ingestion results in a 2-fold greater accretion of muscle protein than consuming intact proteins.

Based on the current research we recommend taking an amino acid drink such as Intek BCAA Evolution pre-workout.  Don’t worry if you are currently consuming a pre-workout powder as you can mix BCAA Evolution with almost any conventional pre-workout.  Post workout be sure to take in at least 20 grams of protein with some type of carbohydrate.  For the ideal post-workout drink try BioRhythm After Glow.

The goal of this type of nutrient timing is to increase muscle protein synthesis so that the net protein balance becomes positive or anabolic.  When resistance training is performed in conjunction with amino acid consumption increased blood flow to exercising muscles delivers the higher amino acid concentrations to muscle which serves as a signal to increase protein synthesis.

Endurance supplements can be boiled down to four main categories which consist of hydration, fuel, recovery and performance. 

Hydration is pretty simple.  It consists of proper water intake and electrolyte balance. For electrolyte intake during endurance events we usually recommend Hammer Endurolytes.

Fuel is the energy to keep the body moving which is provided primarily by carbohydrates.  Think of energy gels like Hammer Gel or drinks like Accelerade, Hammer Perpetuem, or Hammer Heed.  These products are designed to be mixed in water and consumed during endurance activities.  They consist of primarily carbohydrates with some electrolytes and some may have amino acids.

Recovery products are designed to be used at the completion of a workout.  Recovery comes in several parts.  The main components to worry about are structural recovery which is concerned with repair of damaged tissue, metabolic recovery which involves replacing cellular energy stores and hormone optimization which requires providing the proper nutrients and rest to normalize testosterone and cortisol.  By far the best product in this category is AfterGlow by BioRhythm, with Hammer Recoverite being our next choice for endurance athletes.

Performance supplements should be considered after you have taken care of the basic needs mentioned in the three paragraphs above.  It doesn’t make sense to try and improve performance if you are not taking a good recovery drink.  Performance supplements are as the name says designed to help improve performance.  For endurance athlete’s beta- alanine, creatine and natural testosterone boosters should all be considered.  Beta-Alanine is a favorite with endurance athletes as it buffers lactic acid so it allows an athlete to work harder and longer.

In future articles we will go into more detail on supplementation for endurance athletes but this should hopefully provide an easy to understand framework from which to create an appropriate supplementation program.

In strength-coaching circles, this method is often called the “ten sets method”, “German volume training” or “10×10”. Olympic athletes and bodybuilders have used it in one form or another since the forties. European countries used the 10×10 method in the off-season to help weightlifters gain lean body mass. It worked so well that lifters routinely moved up a full weight class within 12 weeks. Gains of 7-10lbs are average for a six-week training cycle. No one is sure who actually invented it or what the true name is but everyone agrees that it produces big gains.

        The objective of the program is to do ten sets of ten reps with the same weight for each exercise (sounds easier than it is). While the first two sets might seem easy, most will start falling short of ten reps after about five sets, just think of the ten reps as a goal to shoot for over the six week training cycle. You determine your starting weight by choosing an amount of resistance that you could perform 20 reps with (roughly 60% of your one rep maximum).

        It works by exposing one group of motor units to a high volume of repeated efforts. The body adapts to the incredible amount of stress by growing the targeted fibers at an extremely quick pace. This program mainly uses multi joint lifts and will require an exhaustive amount of work and recovery from large muscle groups so make sure you have proper pre and post workout sups as well as a creatine product like ANS Diesel Fuel to help you get the most out of your hard work. 

Day 1- Chest and Back

                                        Sets          reps         rest interval

A-1 Incline Barbell            10            10            90 sec

        Press

A-2   Chin-Ups                  10            10            90 sec

        (Weighted if needed)

Day 2 – Legs and Abs

                                        Sets          reps         rest interval

A-1 Front Squats              10            10            90 sec

A-2 Prone Leg Curl           10            10            90 sec

        Machine

Day 3 – off

Day 4 – arms and shoulders

                                        Sets          reps         rest interval

A-1 Dips (weighted if needed) 10            10            90 sec

A-2 Seated Dumbbell        10            10            90 sec

        Curls               

B-1 Military Press             10            10            120sec

Day 5 – off

Repeat

                                                                                    Note: “A1” and “A2” indicate that the labeled exercises are to be performed together as a superset with the rest interval between them.

Pre and post workout nutrition are crucial especially when taking on a workout with this much volume.  Pre-workout try mixing MSI Lean Revolution with Intek BCAA’s and for Post Workout Recovery mix 2 scoops of Bio Rhythm After Glow with 1 scoop of ANS Diesel Fuel.