by: L. Rea
Ask any of the elite who has become truly massive beasts which anabolic substance has had the most profound effect upon their physique and the answer from the largest mammals will unanimously be insulin.
Though GH has brought to the forefront of competitive stages the well retained lean muscle mass tissue displayed beneath an onion skin exterior of today, it is the symbiotic relationship insulin has with all other physical enhancement chemistry that has made beasts what they are in the new millenium.
Insulin is predominantly a storage hormone in that it initiates a cascade of cellular events that result in up-regulation of cellular nutrient content. It obviously goes without saying then that supraphysiological plasma levels of insulin result in supraphysiological cellular levels of nutrients. This in itself allows for a highly anabolic effect known as an osmotic response. A cellular osmotic response is nothing more than an increase in water and growth potentiating nutrients intracellularly that has a effect similar to increasing the amount of air in a balloon. More air in the balloon means a larger balloon. More water and proportionate growth nutrients means a larger cell. Interesting enough is the fact that this also triggers another survival mechanism that tells the stretched cell wall to increase in thickness to accommodate the osmotic response. This is due to an up-regulation in localized IGF-1 and MGF production and the synergistic response initialize. Oh ya. That is anabolism in the form of hypertrophy. Unfortunately, insulin is quite anabolic to fat cells too.
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by: Andrew Natale & Leah Wynne
Top Ten Myths of Losing Fat
As we go through life on our Journey from newborn to our "mature years", we travel a "Nutritional" road, with many changes in nutrition and metabolism along the way. These changes often require directional maneuvers, turns here and there....and many alternate routes.
Often, we wind up in the "Fatlands". Meandering from one false destination to another.......still stuck, or coming full circle....back to the "Fatlands"! What is needed is a map, a plan so to speak. This map shows the main highways, surface streets, even down to the most obscure paths to our goal....."Leanville". While there are many directions one could take on this journey.....we need a map that points out the major hazards and roadblocks along the way. Such a map keeps us going in a positive direction "all of the time"....without taking unnecessary sidetrips, or going "full circle" along the way. With that in mind, the 10 most common "myths" in regards to losing fat. |
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by: Christopher Phelps
BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate is described as "the number of calories your body needs to operate. This doesn't account for any activity, it's simply the energy needed to sustain a heartbeat, breathing and normal body temperature. It measures the body at rest, not sleep, at room temperature". (1) Your BMR can be very useful in your fitness plan.
There are certain individuals that eat anything they want, work out once a week and still look like they could be on the cover of insert your favorite mag here. Then there are those that eat and eat, train all day and can't seem to gain a pound. Lastly, there are those that never eat and workout religiously and still they look like the doughboy.
The fact is, if they would take some time to look at their BMR they may be able to reach some personal goals. BMR is more than a caloric value that each individual needs to survive. It is also a key to developing the perfect nutritional program for each person. BMR is the starting point for those that want to gain weight, lose weight and can also be used to help you maintain weight.
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by: Lisa van den Berg
Do you often complain of one or more of the following ailments?
-I feel tired all the time
-I have no energy or stamina
-I can't concentrate and my memory is shot
-I've always got a cold or sore throat
-How come I'm developing allergies?
-I ache all over
-I can't seem to eat what I used to, without suffering painful indigestion
How does this affect your quality of life? Must make it pretty miserable to get up in the morning, right?
Even though studies show that most of us have sufficient proteins, carbohydrates and fats in our diets, we are lacking in vital nutrients. These nutrients are obtained from plentiful portions of fresh fruit and vegetables. |
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by: Rotamic Chiral
LET'S STUDY THE ENEMY HORMONE. ONCE UNDERSTOOD WE CAN PARTLY CONTROL IT (IT WORKS, EVEN IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE METHOD USED).
Everyone knows about the beneficial effects of testosterone on muscular strength and size. Anabolic steroids have been around for several decades now and even the established medical community cannot deny their bodybuilding effects.
Androgens are not the only form of steroids, which are Synthetically manufactured to mimic the body's functional substances. There is the "so called" enemy of bodybuilding, known as cortisol, which is naturally produced by the organs on top of the kidneys called the adrenal glands.
Guys survive normal longevity without their nuts. Castration is by no means fatal. Yep, guys you read it right; testosterone is not required for life. Cortisol, on the other hand, is required. If your adrenal glands fail to produce cortisol, and you do not take a synthetic replacement steroid like "Prednisone" you will surely die soon thereafter.
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by: Christopher Phelps
As the warmer weather reaches all parts of the country most fitness enthusiasts find themselves tempted to fall off the good eatin' wagon. The warm weather brings more parties, more holidays, more alcohol, and more empty calories than one body can stand. This doesn't mean that you have to lock yourself in the gym and stop taking calls or accepting invitations to summer gatherings.
Let's face it, working hard to make our bodies look good only pays off if you can show off every once in a while; and what better place to do that then a party with friends and hot chicks. (Or hot men if you're a woman)
So how do you manage to make all the great parties and still eat right? How do you manage to keep all the fat off for the summer? How can you enjoy summertime food and still feel good about yourself by Labor Day? Easy! The word is moderation.
As with all your diet needs you should keep in mindmoderation. Eating too much of one thing or too much of the same thing makes your diet boring and extremely difficult to follow. Moderation, in the case of summer eating, means do not go to every party and drink and eat yourself FAT.
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by: Andrew Natale
As bodybuilders we are concerned with body composition rather than body weight. Put bluntly, we want to be huge and ripped! So after a period of adding muscle, it’s time to shed the fat. So what’s the best way to lose fat while maintaining our precious LBM? First- know your body! Find out what works for you. Sounds simple, but this can take a considerable amount of experimentation and time. That's why other people's plans sort of work generically (for the masses).use them, but adapt or tweak them to your own needs.
Second- what worked yesterday, doesn't always work today- or say the next time you cut- or after a few weeks and the body has adapted to a program. So have a Plan A, B, C..., the same way you change up your workouts to recruit more muscle fibers- you alter your cutting, maintaining or bulking program to keep you body from adapting and slowing progress! This is why mini-cycles of 3-4 weeks work so well, especially to stay lean (i.e. 3 week bulk- 2 week cut, then repeat. or cut, then tweak, then tweak harder etc)
Now the part you have been waiting for: Use those clean carbs to fuel your metabolism at your (I repeat your) level to bulk, add in enough protein for positive nitrogen balance, and then fat and fiber to slow insulin and digestion down so that you don't go thermo when bulking (this is also why we use clean-slow burners). If your carbs are not high enough, your body does hepatic gluconeogenisis (makes glucose not amino peptides) with your protein, that's also why high levels of protein give you a little edge on muscle building if you are carb deficient. |
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by: Leah Wynne
I am always amazed at how little food some people eat. Maybe I'm just a glutton, but I could not survive on what some people call meals. A lot of times, people don't even realize they're not eating enough food until I get them to figure out their daily caloric needs with this formula. Once they do, they're often shocked to see how little they eat.
Use the following formula as a guideline for determining your daily caloric needs. There are more accurate formulas which take into consideration your bodyfat percentage, however I suspect that only a few actually know they're bf%this one will still give a good indication of your needs. Because it doesn't take into consideration bf% however, it will underestimate your needs if you are overly muscular (hmmm, I didn't know that was possible).
First you need to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) with the following equation. Your BMR is the total number of calories your body needs if you did nothing but lie in bed all day with no activity at all.
Men:
BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years) |
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by: Chris Aceto
One simple reason people become overweight is their overindulgence in food; they eat too much. While there are several reasons people overeat, one may be due to a lack of serotonin . Serotonin is the brain messenger that is associated with “feeling good”. A lack of serotonin is associated with depression and irritability and some studies are showing it to be a potential aid for those seeking to control body fat.
It appears that increasing the amount of serotonin that reaches the brain may decrease the appetite and in the US, Redux, a drug that increases serotonin levels had been a favorite among dieters as it was a very strong appetite suppressant. Within a year of being introduced to the American market, Redux was discontinued as it was shown to cause dangerous drops in blood pressure and could damage the heart.
Researchers have found animals and humans fed a diet lacking tryptophan, the amino acid that produces serotonin in the body, will over eat and gain weight. (1) Other studies show dieting can cause a drop in serotonin levels which causes an increase in hunger and food cravings! (2) With these facts in mind, supplement companies have been marketing 5-HTP, a natural substance that increases serotonin levels, to people trying to rid themselves of depression and to maintain or lose bodyweight. |
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