The MuscleTalker - Issue 75 (July 2008)
New articles, interviews and reports in June:
- OTC Steroids - First Cycle Advice - beginner information for prohormones and over-the-counter steroids with product information
- Dos and Don'ts in Muscle Gain Nutrition - 10 dos and 10 don'ts for beginners to bodybuilding!
- Interview with Fiona Demaret (aka RedHotF) with her amazing weight loss achievement
- Mr Peterborough 2008
Past articles at Bodybuilding Articles, with categories of all our main articles and past newsletters contributions.
We've introduced MT Members Interview a Member - interviews will be by way of a sticky in the General forum for 7 days. We've had a couple already, and feel free to ask the members your questions.
*** Best wishes from James Collier and The MuscleTalk team! ***
See you at www.MuscleTalk.co.uk
*** CLT Supplement: Bodybuilding's Best Kept Secret ***
By David Barr, MuscleTalk Contributor from www.RaiseTheBarr.net
Sometimes a supplement comes along that just sounds too good to be true. Actually these products seem to crop up every week, but every now and then there's a rare find. A keeper, if you will. One that is so good that you'll probably be using it for the next 70 years of your life. We may just be on the verge of such a find and there's a good chance that you've heard of it. Let's look at why, based on emerging research, you'll want to give carnitine a second look.
The Updated Information
Carnitine isn't new by any stretch of the imagination. It's been used for decades for fat loss with some success. After all it's part of the machinery that transports fat into our cells to be burned as fuel. However, over the past decade or so, evidence has emerged that makes this supplement more about performance and muscle growth than just fat loss. In fact, there is research to show that carnitine may even have a positive effect on overall health.
Muscle Growth: The New Flavour
Some of the most exciting data shows that carnitine can actually improve training performance. By simple extrapolation it's not difficult to see that the ability to train harder will be associated with greater improvements in body composition, whether it's muscle growth or fat loss.
What's more exciting is that carnitine may have an even more of a direct way of stimulating muscle growth: testosterone. Unlike most traditional 'testosterone boosters', which have a quick rebound affect and subsequently mild efficacy, carnitine has been shown to increase the number of testosterone receptors in muscle after training. This means that there are more docking sites for this anabolic hormone to bind with and deliver its message. That message just happens to be growth and repair, which is exactly what we're all after regardless of your goal.
More Receptors → More Signal To Muscle → More Growth/Recovery
Perhaps even more importantly, carnitine may even be able to affect our neural recovery. This repair of our nerve cells that cause muscle contraction is felt to be the limiting factor in strength recovery, and would be indispensable to athletes. Although the details warrant a full article of its own, it is clear that testosterone itself increases neural repair and size, and other neuroprotective effects are seen with carnitine. Could there be a connection? Time will tell.
Considering the impact of CLT on muscle it shouldn't be surprising to learn that it has one of the highest Anabolic Index Scores available. This means that relative to other supplements CLT is on the 'must have' list for anyone looking to build muscle.
New Information. New Data?
The data supporting carnitine use have been around for several years. In fact there are numerous studies supporting its efficacy, so why haven't you heard of it? It may be due to the fact that the carnitine studied in this research is called carnitine-l-tartrate (CLT), which has emerged as the big daddy of carnitine products.
This type of carnitine is found to be stable (a rare commodity) and is also the best most quickly absorbed type. That is not to say that other 'types' of carnitine won't do the same job, it's just the version that's been studied the most. In fact, there's little reason to think that other carnitines are devoid of the same effect, after all it's the carnitine that's doing all of the work.
Carnitine supplementation may not only assist with performance, muscle growth and fat loss, but it may also have a positive impact on health. Another type of carnitine called ALCAR (acetyl-l-carnitine) has been shown to have antioxidant properties and may even help with diabetes. With all of these research based findings it's not surprising that carnitine is the next 'too good to be true?' supplement.
FAQs
Q. Where do I get CLT?
A. CLT is readily available online and is most commonly just called 'l-carnitine'. Take a look at the supplement details to make sure it's CLT.
Q. How do I use it?
A. Again this could be an entire article unto itself, but I'd start with a minimum of 1g day in divided doses. Many clients are having great success with 2g/200lbs bodyweight, although this is not extrapolated upward in a linear manner. I'm currently optimizing dosages with athletes over 240lbs.
Q. What brand do you suggest?
A. As a matter of policy I do not recommend brands outside of personalized supplement programs.
Conclusions
CLT is going to be a big supplement in the coming years, whether you're concern is performance, body composition, or even health. Only the details need to be worked out, but so far everything looks incredibly positive for this product. Stay tuned to MuscleTalk and my website for updates on carnitine and other effective strategies!
Selected References
- Kraemer WJ, Volek JS, French DN, Rubin MR, Sharman MJ, Gómez AL, Ratamess NA, Newton RU, Jemiolo B, Craig BW, Häkkinen K. The effects of L-carnitine L-tartrate supplementation on hormonal responses to resistance exercise and recovery. J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Aug; 17(3):455-62.
- Kraemer WJ, Spiering BA, Volek JS, Ratamess NA, Sharman MJ, Rubin MR, French DN, Silvestre R, Hatfield DL, Van Heest JL, Vingren JL, Judelson DA, Deschenes MR, Maresh CM. Androgenic responses to resistance exercise: effects of feeding and L-carnitine. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Jul; 38(7):1288-96.
- O'Bryant EL, Jordan CL. Expression of nuclear receptor coactivators in androgen-responsive and -unresponsive motor neurons. Horm Behav. 2005 Jan; 47(1):29-38.
- Spiering BA, Kraemer WJ, Vingren JL, Hatfield DL, Fragala MS, Ho JY, Maresh CM, Anderson JM, Volek JS. Responses of criterion variables to different supplemental doses of L-carnitine L-tartrate. J Strength Cond Res. 2007 Feb;21(1):259-64
David Barr is widely recognized as an industry innovator, most recently for his work on developing The Anabolic Index. As a strength coach and scientist, he brings a unique perspective to the areas of diet, supplementation, and training. His research experience includes work for NASA at the Johnson Space Center, as well as studying the effect of protein on muscle growth. He holds certifications with the NSCA as well as USA Track and Field, and can be contacted through his website: www.RaiseTheBarr.net
*** Muscle Building and Strength with Post-Tetanic Facilitation ***
By Tony Schwartz MuscleTalk Contributor from www.AthleticMuscleBuilding.com
Everyone wants a quick fix to their problems. Whether it's looking for a way to lose fat quickly or pack on muscle at an alarming rate, we are always on the lookout for the 'holy grail.' Unfortunately, it is rare that you find a product or technique that immediately accelerates your progress towards your goals.
Well, today is one of those rare times. Maybe you've heard of post-tetanic facilitation (PTF) before, but I'm going to re-introduce it to you today. If you haven't been using it in your training you are severely short-changing your strength and muscle gains.
In case you haven't realized it already, muscle size and strength are intimately tied together. I am sure we all know that one guy who is huge yet not that strong, or is small yet very strong. However, all things being equal (particularly nutrition), more strength leads to more muscle mass. If you need proof, look at some of the biggest guys on the planet, like Johnnie Jackson and Ronnie Coleman, both 800+ deadlifters. Sure, you can get somewhat bigger without getting stronger, but why wouldn't you want both? By using PTF you will increase your strength immediately, and will see size gains shortly thereafter.
What is PTF?
A tetanic contraction occurs when a motor unit (a motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates) is maximally stimulated. In scientific studies this is often done with an isokinetic 1-rep max or with the help of EMS (electro-myostimulation).
As you may have guessed, PTF occurs after the tetanic contraction. PTF is the result of a variety of neurological processes that combine to make any subsequent work done with any of the motor units used during the tetanic contraction easier. You may have noticed this phenomenon if you have ever used the reverse pyramid system for an exercise. If you start with heavy weight and low reps, you will find that as you decrease the weight and increase the reps the weight will feel very light. PTF is also exploited in other loading schemes, such as wave loading.
The basics of using PTF for strength gains involve using a heavy load prior to using a lighter load. It is important to use as many of the same motor units in the heavy set as you will in the lighter set.
First and foremost, this means that your heavy and light sets should be the same exercise. For example, doing a heavy set of bench presses before a light set of bench presses will be much more effective than doing a heavy set of dips before a light set of bench presses. Similarly, I have heard others recommend simply holding a heavy weight prior to a lighter set. For example, taking the bar out of the racks in the bench press and holding it for a few seconds before doing a lighter set of bench presses. This will not work nearly as well since not all of the necessary motor units will undergo a tetanic contraction.
Now, I know what you're thinking, 'Sure, this is a cool trick, but aren't the strength gains just temporary?' In a way, yes. You are getting a temporary strength increase, but since PTF allows you to lift a lighter weight for more reps than usual, you will cause more muscle breakdown in different muscle fibers than usual. If your recovery protocols are where they should be then these muscle fibers will hypertrophy. This hypertrophy will lead to more strength gains which will allow you to use PTF with larger weights in the future.
Give PTF a try on your first exercise at your next training session. Warm-up and work-up to a single at 90-95% of your 1RM. You don't want to work up to a true max because the fatigue created will negate some of neurological benefits. After your heavy set wait 4-5 minutes and then go for your lighter set. To get the greatest benefit you will want to use 70-80% for your lighter set. Expect to get 1-3 more reps than usual.
Learn more scientific muscle building info and get a free report on "The 13 Reasons You Suck at Gaining Muscle" at www.AthleticMuscleBuilding.com.
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*** Food of the Month - Cinnamon ***
By Big Les - Nutrition Consultant and MuscleTalk Moderator
This spice has a long history, making more than one appearance in the Old Testament. Cinnamon or Cinnamomum zeylancium was a gift for visiting monarchs and potentates, and was commonly used in the funeral pyres of Rome. These days most of the World's cinnamon is produced in Sri Lanka, with Indonesia producing 40% of the cassia variety.
There is more than one type of cinnamon; Moses was commanded to use both sweet cinnamon and cassia in the book of Exodus; these days cassia dominates the market and there is often little distinction made between the two. Although there are up to 250 different varieties depending on which botanist you talk to, it is cassia and Cinnamomum zeylancium that concern us.
Cinnamon is widely used as a spice for flavouring (great on oatmeal for example) yet it also has other useful properties. Cinnamon acts as a preservative for meat due to its phenol content inhibiting the bacteria responsible for spoilage. Herbalists value cinnamon for its curative properties. Its uses include treating; coughing, hoarseness, sore throats, nausea, vomiting. It has mild astringent properties which are recommended for diarrhoea (especially in children), and the cinnamaldehyde component is hypotensive, increasing peripheral blood flow. These medicinal properties are believed to derive from the high terpenoid content of cinnamon.
However, cinnamon has attracted scientific rather than culinary interest because of its interaction with insulin. Cinnamon enhanced the action of insulin in the test tube, and work progressed into studies on human subjects. Cinnamon has showed promise and has an adjunct treatment for those with type 2 diabetes, which is what makes this spice of interest to the athlete.
Work on cinnamon has shown that the phenol compound MCHP is responsible for the insulin potentiating action of cinnamon. MCHP mimics the action of insulin. This water soluble phenol is absent from the oil but is found in the spice, powdered and sticks. Thus an athlete looking for enhanced insulin efficiency could do a lot worse than have a daily cinnamon fix to help this grand-daddy of anabolic hormones strut its stuff.
Having discovered that cinnamon does more than help the morning oatmeal go down, it is time to stock up. Both varieties, proper cinnamon and cassia have the insulin potentiating effect; however cassia contains high levels of coumarin. Coumarin is toxic, and in high concentrations is known to cause both liver and kidney damage - best to stay within the 1g - 6g daily guideline from the cinnamon studies.
Coumarin is found in much lower levels in cinnamon zeylancium. The savvy shopper needs to look for cinnamon that is has a crumbly, fine texture. Cinnamon sticks should be easily ground by a coffee or spice grinder. Cassia is much harder with a dense woody texture and will damage a spice or coffee grinder. For those of a chemical disposition cassia produces a blue tint when tincture of iodine is added.
Nearly all powdered cinnamon is cassia, in the United States it is around 99% if what is sold as powdered cinnamon. Instead powder it yourself and look for a stick that has a fine rolled texture - resembles a cigar, rather than flakes of bark or a stick that resembles and oval straw - and you will be on track for a tasty and physique enhancing addition to your food.
*** MT Powerlifting Totals Competition ***
Check out the latest totals
Also check out the Test your Mettle... What's your best? competition - open to all MuscleTalk members, just for fun so please join in!
Keep lifting and keep working!
*** Recipe - Orange Cappuccino Shake ***
By Nicole Bremner, Recipe Consultant and MT Moderator
Taken from Muscle Menus Shakes, Bars & Smoothies
** Ingredients
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 scoop whey or soya protein powder
1 tbsp instant coffee, made with 2 cups of boiling water, cooled
1 tbsp quark
5 ice cubes
** Method
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well.
** Information
Serves 1. Per serving: 161kcal, 34g protein, 12g carbs, 3g fat, 5g fibre.
More great bodybuilding recipes can be found in the eBooks 'Muscle Menus', 'Muscle Menus 2', 'Muscle Menus Vegetarian' and Muscle Menus Shakes, Bars and Smoothies
*** DVD Review - Mr Olympia 2007 ***
Review by Big Les - MuscleTalk Moderator
This is a 2 disk set with 4 hours of coverage from Jay Cutler's successful defence of his Mr O crown. Being hours long you get plenty of footage of the competitors, so if you like seeing the world's best bodybuilders in contest shape then this one is for you.
This year is such an improvement on previous years, the volume is still a bit low, but that production issue aside this years offering is streets ahead of much if not all of what has come before. The format has been kept simple, no over cheesy production - after all the Olympia is a cheese fest in itself! Instead competition footage from the stage - even including such greats as Ben Weider's sleep-inducing speech. However, for me this is an authentic fan's product, aimed at those who want to watch bodybuilding, this DVD knows what it is. Show presentation from Bob Chick and Shawn Ray is an excellent making for a watchable show. As a fan that doesn't get to see the Olympia live, this DVD really is the next best thing - which it hasn't been previously.
You get to see the athletes; you can see who is in shape and who is not. Sure you can do so much more with the DVD format - but for the fan who wants to see the world's best strut their stuff without having to put up with content aimed at someone who couldn't name someone in the show before watching and who doesn't know their bicep from their glutimus maximus - this is it.
Unlike previous years I won't be lending this one out and forgetting to ask for it back - this one is staying to be watched again. It is even pretty good value for money - I am a happy fan.
The articles in The MuscleTalker are for information purposes only and are the sole expressions of the individual authors opinion and are those not necessarily shared by the owners of www.MuscleTalk.co.uk
