What’s the difference between drinking 25 grams of whey protein in the form of a 500 mL shake after exercise and sipping about the same total amount in fifteen separate 33 mL shots spaced 15 minutes apart? A study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise suggests that it’s just a matter of personal preference.

Researchers recruited 12 adult males who had experience lifting weights. Some were assigned to take a shot of whey protein every 15 minutes starting well before exercise began while the others drank the whole whey shake post-workout. Although there were differences in amino acid profiles and intracellular signaling, the enhanced muscle protein synthesis response remained about the same for both groups.

True Strength Moment: Shot or shake, whey protein provides the same level of recovery support after the breakdown of training. If you want to try this experiment on yourself, mix ON’s Whey Gold Standard in 3 to 4 ounces of water for a week’s worth of workouts. The next week, mix up a 6 to 8 ounce shake after each workout. We think you’ll appreciate the 22 grams of all whey protein either way.

Looking to make the absolute most of the long weekend? If realizing the ultimate pump in your upper body is on your to do list, there’s no better method than supersetting the chest and back.

Compound chest exercises involve the pectoral muscles as well as the anterior deltoids and triceps. Basic back movements utilize not only the back muscles but also biceps and rear deltoids. By combining these two major muscle groups, all the muscles in the upper body will be filled with blood to help you end the workout feeling pumped to the max!

This chest-back superset involves doing a set of a chest exercises followed immediately by a set of back exercises. The combination of a pushing movement with a pulling movement won’t interfere with one another because you’re using opposing muscle groups. In fact, by pumping up alternate muscle groups, you’ll be surprised how much stronger you’ll be during the workout. The pump in the opposing muscle group acts as a cushion.

Here’s a great chest-back superset that I’ve used in the past:

Barbell Bench Press – 4 Sets of 10, 8, 8 & 6 Reps
Supersetted with
Wide-Grip Chins – 4 Sets of 10, 8, 8 & 6 Reps

Incline Dumbbell Press – 3 Sets of 10, 8 & 6 Reps
Supersetted with
Barbell Rows – 3 Sets of 10, 8 & 6 Reps

Dumbbell Flat Flyes – 3 Sets of 10, 8 & 8 Reps
Supersetted with
T-Bar Rows – 3 Sets of 10, 8 & 8 Reps

Close-Grip Pulldowns — 2 or 3 Sets of 10 Reps
Supersetted with
Dumbbell Pull-Overs — 2 or 3 Sets of 10 Reps

There are a lot of persistent myths floating around about what you should and shouldn’t do when trying to lose weight. One of the most enduring fallacies is that you have to eat your last meal early in the evening.

In truth, your body will lose weight and fat based on how many calories you take in versus how many calories get used up. There is no time limit on when you can eat your last meal. Your body doesn’t know what time it is, so eating a meal after 6 p.m. doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t burn fat or lose weight. There’s no rule against working out after dinner either.

If you’re trying to lose weight and get leaner, it’s important to eat small meals more often through the day. The more frequent feedings help stimulate your metabolism because your body has to expend energy to digest food. Of course, you have to choose the right foods so you don’t consume an excess amount of calories, sugar or fat.

Not consuming a meal or protein drink at night will prolong the fast your body goes through during the 7 to 9 hours you’re sleeping. This could actually slow down your metabolism and impede the fat burning process.

It’s important to eat the right amount of calories along with the optimal amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats. As long as you balance out the right diet with the best exercise program, your body will still continue to lose fat, even if you eat a meal right before bedtime.

Now Available in All Branches in Lebanon

HP brings the most advanced mass-promoting technology to your nutrition program with Up Your MASS.* The result of over 10 years of research and development, Up Your MASS is so powerful; it can help pack lbs. of muscle onto the frame of the hardest gainer in just 5 weeks!* The superior quality and quantities of muscle building nutrients in Up Your MASS far outweigh those used in competitor weight gain formulas — you will never find another weight gainer that works as quickly and effectively as Up Your MASS!

Up Your MASS – Muscle Building Macrobolic Nutrition® Formula Redefines How People Build Size and Strength

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• 26g Glutamine, 9g Leucine, 7g Arginine, 23g BCAAs

It took months to shrink wrap your physique down to beach body perfection. Keeping yourself lean and muscular all summer long is going to require plenty more smart food choices. Here are some light, easy to prepare, high-protein suggestions from Team ON.

Tuna Salad
Ingredients:
8 oz Can of Tuna Packed in Water
Leaf Lettuce
Onion
Yellow Pepper
Vine Ripe Tomato
Shredded Carrots
Tablespoon of Fat Free Mayo

Directions:
After washing the vegetables, tear leaf lettuce into pieces and toss in a bowl. Chop onion, celery, bell pepper and tomato on a cutting board before adding to bowl with shredded carrots. Drain off water from can of tuna and add to bowl. Stir in one tablespoon of fat free mayonnaise.

Nutrition Tips:
By choosing tuna packed in water rather than oil, you cut about 150 calories out of the meal. Going with fat free mayo instead of the regular kind cuts an additional 90 calories. The ‘rainbow’ of colorful veggies provides a wider range of vitamins and minerals along with antioxidant support for your active lifestyle.

Chicken Caeser Salad
Ingredients:
Chicken Breast
Romaine Lettuce
Whole Wheat Croutons
Low-Fat Parmesan Cheese
Hardboiled Egg
1 Tsp. Lemon Juice
3 Tsp. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tsp. Fat-Free Mayo
Garlic
Black Pepper

Directions:
Cook skinless boneless chicken breast on stove, then slice into strips. Slice hardboiled egg into thin spheres. After washing vegetables, arrange romaine lettuce on plate and sprinkle parmesan cheese, egg slices, chicken strips and croutons on top. Mix together heaping teaspoons of lemon juice, olive oil, mayonnaise, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Then press one clove of garlic and add a dash of black pepper. Toss with salad and enjoy.

Nutrition Tips:
Adding a hardboiled egg increases the protein content of salad by 6½ grams with the addition of just 78 calories. A ¼ cup of low-fat dry grated parmesan cheese weighs in at just 5 grams of fat while providing another 5 grams of protein.

Guacamole Greek Yogurt Dip
Ingredients
5.3 oz. container Greek Yogurt
2 Avocados
Tomato
Red Onion
Jalapeno
2 Limes
Black Pepper

Directions:
Run a sharp knife the long way around both avocadoes, separate into halves and scoop the fruit’s meat into a bowl, discarding skin and core. Mix in Greek Yogurt. Dice red onion and add to mix. Chop up tomato and jalapeno, discarding pulp and seeds, and add to mix. Squeeze in juice from limes and blend to creamy consistency.

Nutrition Tips:
The Greek yogurt increases the protein content of this spreadable dip by an impressive 15 grams. It also brings B vitamins and 20% of your Daily Value for calcium to the mix.
Enjoy on rice cakes or Ezekiel bread.

One look in the mirror tells you that significant progress has been made since the end of your bulking stage. But if your look could stand some physique fine tuning, this physically demanding 4-week program might help. Change the order of exercises and set/rep schemes weeks 2-4 to keep it interesting – and keep your muscles working hard to adapt. The first day you try this you’ll realize the calorie burning and muscle building potential. Be sure to include 25 minutes of cardio each day to maximize fat burning.
Continue reading 4-WEEK CUTTER PROGRAM CHALLENGE →

Over the years, BSN® has supplied the supplement world with a host of novel muscle-building products. In our undying quest to bring exciting and innovative products to the marketplace, we have developed the newest supplement breakthrough with BSN®’s highly-anticipated entry into the amino acid market: AMINO_x™ – the first Effervescent Instantized Amino Acid Endurance and Recovery Agent. AMINO_x™ is designed to support:

• Protein Synthesis*
• Muscle Sparing*
• Recovery from Training Sessions*
• Endurance*

The carbohydrate is your body’s preferred source of energy. Your body can most efficiently turn a carbohydrate into ATP, which is your body’s form of energy. Carbohydrates consist of sugar molecules and exist in simple and complex forms. The difference between a simple and complex carbohydrate lies within the molecular makeup of the carbohydrate.

Think of carbohydrates as chains of sugar molecules. For the body to use these chains, the chain needs to be broken apart into single links (glucose molecules). The longer the chain, the more complex the carbohydrate, because the longer it takes the body to breakdown the chain and utilize the individual links. These chains can also be branched as well, similar to the branches on a tree. The more branched, the more complex as well.

A basic example of a simple sugar is a single glucose molecule. There is no chain, only the single molecule of glucose. An example of a more complex carbohydrate is maltodextrin, which consists of a chain of glucose molecules. Maltodextrin is still fairly simple, but it is more complex than a single glucose molecule alone.

Why does this matter? Well, the simpler the carb, the more dramatic effect it has on your body as a result of its digestion. If you want immediate energy to burn, simple is the way to go. But for times when you aren’t going to be burning your carbs you ingest immediately, complex is best. I can elaborate on this further if you’d like, just email your questions.

Simple carbs can be found in foods such as soda, candy, white bread, white pasta, fruit juice, and white rice. Complex carbs can be found in whole wheat breads, wheat pasta, fibrous vegetables, and brown rice.

For all goal oriented fit people who crave for carbs and cheat from time to time, eating a Pizza or a plate of pasta, there is the solution:

BSN’s

Cheater’s Relief

Cheat Without Consequences with BSN Cheaters Relief

No, we’re not talking about cheating on your spouse. We can’t think of a (legal) supplement that would remove the consequences of that kind of cheating! No, we’re talking about cheating on your diet.

Continue reading Simple Vs Complex Carbs →

From building muscle to keeping your immune system running strong, get your body what it needs with amino acids.*

Some of the major areas amino acids can support are:

• Muscle repair and growth*
• Mood, concentration, and sleep*
• Immune system function and general health maintenance*
• Healthy digestion*

Make sure to help supplement the protein in your diet by making good use of an amino acid product.

There are many amino acids, and one cannot stress enough the importance of having proper amounts of them in your diet. Whether a limiting nutrient such as a BCAA or one of the many other types of amino acids, all are important for general health as well as physical goals such as building muscle or losing fat.* Any house must have a foundation, so make sure yours is strong with amino acids.

However, keep an eye out for the source your amino acids are derived from in order to make sure the product fits your requirements. Amino acids are commonly derived from meats, fish, vegetables, dairy, or legumes.

Related Product

AMINOx

Over the years, BSN® has supplied the supplement world with a host of novel muscle-building products. In our undying quest to bring exciting and innovative products to the marketplace, we have developed the newest supplement breakthrough with BSN®’s highly-anticipated entry into the branched-chain amino acid market with AMINO_X™ – BSN’s first Effervescent, Instantized Amino Acid Endurance and Recovery Support Agent.*

• BSN’s First Effervescent Instantized Amino Acid Product
• 10 g of Micronized Anti-Catabolic Amino Acids per Serving*
• 2:1:1 BCAA Ratio
• 0 Grams of Sugar, 0 Calories, Amazing Taste
• 500 Anabolic IU of Vitamin D per Serving
• Caffeine-Free – Can Be Used Anytime, Day or Night
• Mixes Easily and Completely – No Clumping
• Support Protein Synthesis / Anabolism*
• Anti-Catabolism / Muscle Sparing*
• Promote recovery from Training Sessions*
• Support Muscular Endurance*
• Support Against Muscular Fatigue*

Branched-chain amino acids are three specific amino acids – leucine, isoleucine and valine – that are part of the nine essential amino acids. An interesting aspect of BCAAs is that they are metabolized in the muscle tissue, not the liver. For this reason, BCAAs lend themselves readily to help support muscle recovery as well as offsetting muscle breakdown.* Most notably, leucine has many novel anabolic properties.* Along with stimulating muscle protein synthesis, leucine may also activate the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which is responsible for regulating cell growth.*

In addition to delivering the all-important BCAAs, AMINOX™ also contains the essential amino acids L-Taurine, L-Citrulline and L-Alanine. The amino acid citrulline is known for its promotion of nitric oxide production, while taurine promotes the uptake of nutrients into the muscle cells and alanine is known to convert to pyruvate in the body which may help aid in the production of glucose during intense training.*

To further amplify the blend, AMINOX™ is an effervescent formula. The use of an effervescent delivery system in this instantized formula allows nutrients to be absorbed rapidly and completely – not to mention the convenience of never having to deal with clumping during mixing.*	With zero calories and zero grams of sugar, this non-caffeinated, instantized amino acid formula is an ideal recovery support agent that can be used anytime, day or night.*

Now Available in All Branches in Lebanon

Portable nutrition at the highest level, the OhYeah! ™ RTD delivers a pure and natural taste profile because it is made with fresh diafiltered milk. This high quality, clean taste wasn’t achieved with loads of sugar, preservatives or fat as the OhYeah!™ RTD has only 3 grams of sugar and is lactose free. So delight your senses with 32 grams protein and flavors that will make you say “OhYeah!™ It’s That Good”.

Being inactive can bring negative health consequences that go well beyond lack of muscle tone and problems with weight management. A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology details some of the unseen differences between women who lead sedentary and active lifestyles.

Researchers recruited 20 inactive females in their mid-20s and assigned half of them to train with weights for about an hour 3 times weekly for 12 weeks. Their workouts consisted of chest presses, leg extensions, shoulder presses, leg curls, lat pull downs, leg presses, arm curls and triceps extensions. Resistance was set at 65% to 80% of one rep max. Compared to subjects who remained inactive, the weight training subjects had increased levels of estrogen and testosterone along with improved bone health.

True Strength Moment: The researchers leading this study didn’t report changes in body fat and muscle mass, but you can imagine that those elevated levels of natural growth hormones were helping to build more than just bone density.

Summer is quickly approaching and many of us are now in the final stages of our push to get lean for beach season. Exercise is important to obtaining this look, but if your diet isn’t right, it’s going to be almost impossible to realize that ripped physique.

Reducing your total calorie intake is the first step to losing fat, but which specific food groups should be cut back? Protein is essential for repairing muscle tissue and maintaining or growing lean muscle. However, carbohydrates and fats are the two main macronutrients that supply energy. Cutting back on one of these will result in reduced body fat.

Many people feel that you have to follow a strict low-carb diet to lose fat. That’s not necessarily true. Fats and carbs are both energy sources and, if you consume more than what’s needed, both can be stored as excess fat. So can too much protein. If one is cut back, the other macronutrient does not have to be reduced.

Think you might have a hard time giving up complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice and Ezekiel bread? Try following a reduced fat diet and keep those carbs in your daily eating plan. Fats contain 9 calories per gram while carbs and proteins each contain only 4 calories per gram. Reducing your total fat intake will also dramatically reduce your caloric intake.

Think about it this way: Active adults who’ve been consuming 40 grams of total fats per day might be able to increase their carbohydrate consumption and still lose flab by cutting dietary fat. Keep the protein intake moderately high (approximately 1.25 grams for each pound of body weight), increase your carbs slightly and cut the fat in half.

If you decide to eat more carbs while reducing your overall fat intake, be sure to stick with complex carbohydrates like the ones mentioned above. Keep working your muscles in the gym and watch those abs develop.

Fast carbs help replenish muscle glycogen burned up during a demanding session of lifts, but artificial sweeteners can sap brain power in just 6 weeks a study published in the Journal of Physiologyreported. UCLA researchers fed 2 groups of lab rats a diet rich in high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener commonly used in foods and beverages. Along with the sweetener, some rodents were fed omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

After 6 weeks on this diet, the rodents who didn’t get any omega-3s tested poorly on a maze-based memory test. But the rats who also consumed omega-3s along with sweeteners scored much higher. Since DHA is critical to brain cell signaling, scientists theorized supplementation protected brain synapses from damage.

It’s important to note that fructose from raw fruit comes with a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant support. You can avoid high-fructose corn syrup by consuming whole foods in their natural state and reaching for calorie free energy drinks. Read today’s Daily Fitness News atoptimumnutrition.com for more on good and bad fats.

‘Good’ monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from cold water fish, olive oil, seeds and nuts provide your body with essential fatty acids that play important roles in numerous metabolic functions. Many dieters make the mistake of avoiding all fats when they should be focusing on avoiding the ‘bad’ saturated fats found in red meat and dairy foods. A study published in the Annals of Neurology shows good and bad fats in a whole new light.

Researchers analyzed the self-reported diets of 6,000 women who took part in 3 brain function tests spread across a 4-year timeframe. Regardless of levels of fitness or education, subjects who consumed the most monounsaturated fats posted higher scores, while women who consumed the highest levels of saturated fat scored poorly for memory and brain function performance.

True Strength Moment: From the results of this research, it appears that making smart decisions about what and how much you eat can pay dividends that extend well beyond the weight room and treadmill. For another interesting story on the benefits of good fats, read today’s Performance Blog at ABBperformance.com

While muscle soreness can sometimes be an indicator of a good workout, too much pain is not good and is often a warning sign that you might be overtraining. The soreness you might experience after a tough workout is actually the result of tiny micro tears within the muscle fibers. These tears will trigger an inflammatory response in the muscles that can act on pain receptors, which is actually the direct cause of the painful sensation. However, excessive pain can be counterproductive and limit optimal performance.

As long as you’re always challenging yourself during your workout, going above and beyond your normal limitations, you can rest assured that the muscle will be stimulated and positive growth and development will follow. This is why it is so important to track your progress and record your weight and reps from workout to workout. Just a few extra reps or a couple of extra pounds each time in the gym will make a huge impact at the end of the week or the month!

If you do experience soreness that is very intense and lasts longer than 72 hours, then you may have overdone it. Ask yourself the following: Did you get enough rest? Did you replenish your muscles immediately after your workout? Did you satisfy your protein requirements to ensure adequate recovery and development? If you answered NO to any of these questions, then this awful pain could have been diminished or avoided altogether.

Immediately following your workout, it is critical that you refuel your body. A whey protein supplement can help to replenish exhausted muscles and give you the amino acids you need to start the rebuilding process. Six Star Whey Protein Plus* offers a great-tasting, premium-quality formula without breaking the bank. Meeting your daily protein requirements will help your muscles recover faster, and help you build more lean muscle.

The old bodybuilder mantra ‘no pain, no gain’ gets turned upside down with results from a study published in the journalPain. Researchers compared the pain tolerance of hard-training competitors to people with ‘normal’ activity levels in an analysis of 15 studies that included 550 athletes along with 330 average Janes and Joes.

Although they found no difference in pain threshold, the minimum level of intensity that you feel pain, all types of athletes had a higher tolerance for pain than non-athletes. Pain tolerance is the maximum level of pain you can comfortably withstand. While endurance athletes were fairly uniform in the amount of pain they could tolerate, team sports athletes varied considerably.

True Strength Moment: The pain tolerance comparison between different types of athletes suggests that endurance competitors have a similar mindset. Team sports requires a broader range of skills and abilities, so it makes sense pain tolerance for those competitors might reflect the demands of the position they play.

If there is a period of time that can make or break a physique – it’s the post workout window. In fact, the sixty minutes immediately following a workout carry such an overwhelming importance that many trainers believe if you’re not consuming sufficient nutrients following a workout that your training could be causing more harm than good.

After Max ® employs a 1:1 ratio of proteins to carbs along with creatine monohydrate, glutamine peptides, and digestive enzymes to create a comprehensive post-workout recovery formula.* No more “guestimating” on whether you’re getting the nutrients your body needs, just mix up a serving of After Max ® and you can rest assured that your post-workout needs are satisfied.*

Optimum Nutrition’s After Max is a comprehensive post-workout powder that establishes a foundation for accelerated recovery and serious muscle growth. This state-of-the-art recovery formula supplies a superior blend of 40 grams of the highest quality proteins, with rapidly digesting carbohydrates, free form amino acids and 22 vitamins and essential minerals including antioxidants and electrolytes. After Max also provides 5 grams of Creapure brand Creatine Monohydrate, over 5 grams of Glutamine from L-Glutamine, Glutamine Peptides, and Whey Protein, 1 gram of Taurine and enzyme systems to help maximize post-workout recovery.

BEYOND THE BASICS

• Premium POST-WORKOUT RECOVERY FORMULA
• 40 g of WHEY PROTEIN Blend Featuring Whey Protein Isolates and Hydrolysates
• 40 g of Carbohydrates
• Only 5 g of Sugar
• 5g of L-Glutamine and Glutamine Peptides
• 5 g of Creapure Creatine
• Enhanced with Taurine, Aminogen, and Carbogen
• 22 Vitamins and Essential Minerals

It’s no secret that amino acids from protein help your muscles rebuild bigger and stronger from the breakdown of training. The essential amino acids (EAAs) play a particularly important part, which is why whey, casein, egg and other ‘complete’ proteins containing all of the EAAs are so popular with athletes and active adults.

The Branched Chain Amino Acids leucine, isoleucine and valine are EAAs, and account for approximately one-third of skeletal muscle. A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests that BCAA supplementation before and after exercise can accelerate recovery and reduce muscle soreness.

Researchers had 12 male volunteers in their 20s perform 100 consecutive drop jumps. Some supplemented with BCAAs before and after exercise while other got a placebo. Not only did BCAA supplementation reduce markers of muscle damage, but the BCAA group reported less muscle soreness up to 4 days post-workout. Also, the rate of voluntary muscle contractions recovered more quickly with BCAAs.

True Strength Moment: BCAAs are available in many forms, from the 5.5 grams included in a single serving of Gold Standard 100% Whey to the 5 grams in each scoop of our Instantized BCAA 5000 Powder. We formulated it in two refreshing fruit flavors and also an unflavored powder for stacking.

Most people set out to lose weight by restricting caloric intake and performing many hours of cardiovascular exercise. A study published in the journal Obesity Reviews suggests adding an element of resistance training to your program. The review of literature by Harvard researchers found that weight training helps reduce abdominal fat and inflammation while increasing muscle mass.

True Strength Moment: The physical effort of weight training might not burn up as many calories as a cardio session lasting an equal amount of time, but since most dieters lose almost as much muscle mass as they do fat, hoisting plates can help preserve muscle. Consuming a whey protein shake within 30 minutes of finishing each weight training workout can help enhance the effect without adding many calories at all.

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But did you know that missing breakfast could lead to fat gain?

If you skip breakfast, your levels of the protein hormone leptin change. Leptin regulates your metabolism, lack of leptin allows the body to hold on to extra fat. When your metabolism slows down, it’s called the catabolic muscle wasting state. Ideally, the first thing after waking up is to make sure you are attaining proper protein and carbs through a healthy breakfast.

Adults who eat breakfast regularly are generally thinner with a lower risk of disease. Eating breakfast doesn’t just minimize fat gain. It provides you with energy, better concentration and great problem solving focus. Eating a solid breakfast also fulfills your hunger and prevents binging later on. Other negatives of skipping breakfast are higher cholesterol levels, lower insulin sensitivity and hunger. Hunger increases the urge to consumer more calories when it isn’t mealtime.

When you eat breakfast first thing, this meal jumpstarts your metabolism for the day and feeds you energy so you can function. The best example to give an idea of the importance of breakfast is to think of it as filling your vehicle with gas before a long trip. If you don’t fill that tank, then your vehicle could stop running. If you don’t consume a proper breakfast your energy levels can minimize exponentially as the day progresses. Remember: breakfast to a human being is like gasoline to a vehicle.

A good quality protein will mix right up regardless of the method or utensils that you use. That’s because these powders are instantized. Instantizing is a process that “fluffs-up” the powder so that it dissolves more quickly and completely in water, milk, or juice. They’re a little more costly, but unless you like protein shakes with the consistency of cold lumpy oatmeal, instantized powders are well worth the added expense.

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS

Read the instructions carefully. Some proteins require multiple scoops, more or less liquid, or a blender or shaker cup to prepare.

ALWAYS ADD THE LIQUID FIRST

Regardless of whether you use a blender, shaker cup, or a glass & spoon, always add the water, milk, or juice first. This ensures that you always have the right ratio of liquids and solids.

START ON A SLOWER SPEED

When using a blender, start mixing on a slower speed setting to help prevent the dry powder from sticking to the sides of the container. Also, you’ll get a better smoothie if you pre-blend your protein with water, milk or juice for about 20-30 seconds before mixing in the ice, fruit, peanut butter, and other ingredients

TAKE THE CAP OFF WHEN DRYING

Leave the cap off when air-drying your shaker cup. Doing so, allows any residual moisture to evaporate eliminating musty odors that can develop when water gets trapped inside.

Like a new training program, scheduling-in protein can be a little awkward and overwhelming in the beginning. But, stay with it and you’ll be an expert before you know it. You’ll start to notice some serious performance, recovery, and appearance improvements in just a few short weeks too. Here’s a personalized schedule to get you started; progress through the ranks at your own pace.

DAILY PROTEIN INTAKE

Make sure that you’re eating about 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day from a combination of high protein foods and supplements. If you’re very active, trying to add significant lean mass, or following a low-carb meal plan aim towards the higher end of this guideline.

SPREAD IT OUT

Spread your total daily protein goal out over 4-6 smaller meals & snacks. Doing so, helps ensure better absorption and consistent amino delivery day and night.

PROTEIN TYPES & TIMING

Try to use a faster-acting protein in the morning and before workouts, a recovery formula after workouts, and a slower-digesting protein between meals and before bed.

READ CAREFULLY

Read your labels carefully and stick with a reputable brand, so you’re confident that you’re getting what you’re paying for.

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

Protein provides the building blocks, but even the best sources won’t build new muscle without the proper stimulus and sufficient recuperation. So, make sure that you’re eating a sensible diet, training regularly and intensely, staying well hydrated, and getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night.

To maximize their effectiveness, combine ingredients that work synergistically to enhance both fat release and elimination. Here, we break down the most popular fat-burning ingredients by their mode of action.

Find out here which ingredients to look for in a commercial fat burner, or build your own synergistic stack.

Continue reading Don’t Give Fat A Chance →

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Newbies often make the mistake of assuming muscle size and strength are built in the weight room. In reality, that’s where the breakdown occurs. The post-workout rebuilding process takes about 48 hours to complete and requires nutritional support for best results. A study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness shows how carbohydrates and protein work together to make your recovery more complete.

Researchers had 28 untrained male students complete a weight training session while drinking one of 3 carbohydrate-protein beverages or a placebo. The ratios of carbs to protein were 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1. Right after exercise, all subjects had elevated levels of creatine kinase and myoglobin which are both markers of muscle damage. These levels decreased for the carb+protein drinkers after 24 hours, but remained elevated in subjects who got the placebo. To compare the effects of a combined resistance and cardio workout to straight up cardio, read today’s Breaking Fitness News.

Being inactive can bring negative health consequences that go well beyond lack of muscle tone and problems with weight management. A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology details some of the unseen differences between women who lead sedentary and active lifestyles.

Researchers recruited 20 inactive females in their mid-20s and assigned half of them to train with weights for about an hour 3 times weekly for 12 weeks. Their workouts consisted of chest presses, leg extensions, shoulder presses, leg curls, lat pull downs, leg presses, arm curls and triceps extensions. Resistance was set at 65% to 80% of one rep max. Compared to subjects who remained inactive, the weight training subjects had increased levels of estrogen and testosterone along with improved bone health.

True Strength Moment: The researchers leading this study didn’t report changes in body fat and muscle mass, but you can imagine that those elevated levels of natural growth hormones were helping to build more than just bone density.

Only 10% of the population is left handed, but more than 50% of star baseball players are southpaws. A study published in The Journal of the Royal Society Interface theorizes the discrepancy represents a fundamental difference between cooperation and competition.

According to researchers, cooperation favors same handedness, so people can share tools to build things everyone can use equally well. On the other hand, competition favors uniqueness, which is why a left handed fighter has an advantage over a right handed adversary.

True Strength Moment: There are sports that don’t favor the unusual. Consider golf, where only 4% of the top players are lefties. But where there’s a competitive advantage to be realized, true competitors are going to adapt in unusual ways. What’s the competitive edge keeping you on top of your game?

Physical performance goals often involve developing strength while losing excess body fat. L-carnitine, a compound biosynthesized from the amino acids lysine and methionine, can help you burn fat while augmenting exercise performance.

Research published in the journal Amino Acids showed that L-carnitine helps lower blood glucose levels so that fat is used as an energy source. Another study appearing in the Journal of Physiology found that daily supplementation coupled with carbohydrate ingestion resulted in less muscle glycogen being used during exercise.

True Strength Moment: In your arsenal of performance supporting sports nutrition products, one contains a little boost of L-Carnitine along with a whole lot of other ingredients that support sizable goals. Platinum Hydrobuilder is ON’s most comprehensive muscle constructor formula. And today’s the last day you can vote for this advanced product to win Bodybuilding.com’s New Supplement of the year and Muscle Building Supplement of the Year awards!

To promote muscle hypertrophy, or growth, it’s generally recommended that you work with about 85% of your one rep max (1RM) and keep the reps in a range of between 6 and 8 per set. Of course, resistance training also helps promote bone density and a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research looked at the ideal load for maximizing osteogenic potential.

The word ‘osteogenic’ relates to the formation of bone which many scientists believe is strongly influenced by the magnitude of training loads. Researchers recruited 12 subjects and had them perform back squats at 80%, 100% and 120% of their 1RM. A supermaxial load of 120% performed with a partial range of motion was determined to be best for developing bone density. It’s an interesting change up to any traditional routine, but be sure to bring a spotter to the gym if you want to try this.

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Superior performance for most team sports athletes depends on a player’s ability to produce short bursts of high-intensity power. So what’s the best way to structure a weight training workout for developing power? Consider the results of 19 men in their mid-20s who were assigned to perform different sets of squats. The study appears in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Subjects did either 12 sets of 3 reps with 27 seconds of between sets rest, 12 sets of 3 reps with a full minute break or 6 sets of 6 reps with a minute to catch their breath between sets. Compared to the other workouts, a lower exercise to rest ratio produced the greatest average power production.

True Strength Moment: Looks like a series of short sets with a longer rest interval between sets might help you develop more powerful on-field moves. Try working a 12×3 squat routine with 60-seconds of rest between sets during the off-season. For tips on planning a periodization scheme, read today’s Performance Blog.

Whether your goal at the gym is to improve muscle tone, increase cardio ability, get in shape or just to pursue a healthy lifestyle, you will need to improve both strength and stamina. To achieve a conditioning goal like this and keep building on your accomplishments, it’s advisable to plan out a clean eating diet that continuously fuels muscle rebuilding with amino acids from protein, while also replenishing your body’s stores of the carbohydrate energy known as glycogen.

Here are a few principles to keep in mind to support your training:

• Do short, intense workouts

• Make certain you are getting adequate sleep

• Never miss a meal

• Keep a food diary to monitor how much protein, carbs and fat you’re consuming from whole foods daily

Continue reading THE NUTRITIONAL DEMANDS OF IMPROVING FITNESS IN THE GYM →

If your gym keeps the weight room really warm, the temperature could affect your performance. That’s what a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology suggests. Researchers compared how many leg extensions healthy male subjects could perform at room temperate to what they could manage after being immersed in 107 degree water right before exercise. The difference was a 36% quicker time to exhaustion.

True Strength Moment: While you probably aren’t using a hot tub before lifting, this research shows how heat can decrease your tolerance for exercise. Getting a run in or working on skills drills under a hot sun, or in an overheated gym, might get in the way of your reaching a new personal best. Remember to keep pace with hydration too, even if you’re trudging through winter snow.

If you’re watching what you eat, you already know that all fats are not the same. There’s the ‘good’ poly- and monounsaturated versus the ‘bad’ saturated and trans fats. The same is true of carbohydrates, where you have slow-burning carbs from whole grains versus the rapidly digesting simple sugars that can create energy spikes and crashes. A study published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience suggests varying your protein intake can be beneficial to mood and brain chemistry.

Brain neurotransmitters influence how we think and feel, and lacking certain amino acids can alter how these transmitters operate. Because the amino acid profiles of dairy proteins are different from meat and soy, you should try and get your daily protein intake from a variety of sources. For example, researchers found that the milk protein lactalbumin was very effective for stimulating serotonin synthesis while casein, another milk protein, had very little effect.

True Strength Moment: The essential amino acids might be crucial for muscle rebuilding, but the conditionally and nonessential amino acids have key roles in other important body functions. Including fish, meat, dairy and eggs in your diet will help cover your bases and maybe even contribute to a positive frame of mind for conquering physical goals.

If you’re one of those active adults who really don’t have much enthusiasm for cardio day, a news release from the European Society of Cardiology might help get you motivated. The Copenhagen City Heart Study compared the mortality of joggers to non-joggers beginning in 1976. A total of 20,000 people took part in the study, with ages ranging from 20 to 93. Over the course of 35 years, 10,159 non-joggers died compared to 122 joggers. So jogging reduces your risk of death by 44%

True Strength Moment: The most significant benefits to jogging came to people who took a relatively moderate pace for between an hour and 2½ hours weekly. That’s not much of an investment in running to see significant benefits. Jogging also has a positive impact on oxygen uptake, insulin sensitivity, heart function, lipid profile, immune health and bone density.

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Does putting in some cardio time after a weight training session delay your recovery? A study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine attempts to answer that question by comparing the effects of both types of training to an aerobic training session lasting equally as long.

Researchers had 10 healthy male subjects undertake a combined resistance training and cardio session or stick with aerobic training for the same amount of time. An analysis of knee muscle strength found that the combined workout decreased maximum torque by 6.8% while the continuous cardio reduced output by 17.3%.

True Strength Moment: The length of recovery was not significantly different. So give yourself a good 48 hours per muscle group and kick-start the recovery process with a carbohydrate-protein smoothie made from a recipe at optimumsmoothie.com. For details on how carbs and protein help with recovery, read today’s Performance Blog.

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There are plenty of strategies for increasing the amount of weight you can bench press. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine offers an easy to use tip for upping your bench by as much as 10% in just 3 weeks.

Researchers recruited 20 experienced lifters and had half the group bench at a rep rate they were comfortable using. The rest were told to push the bar up about as quickly as they could. This turned out to be an average of 80% to 100% of their maximal speed. Both groups trained twice a week for 3 weeks using a load equal to 85% of their one rep max. Those practicing fast lifts increased their maximum load by 10.2% while increasing their maximum rep speed by 2.2%.

True Strength Moment: This strategy represents a great way to change up a tired resistance training routine, and might help you develop greater power while upping your bench. Remember that the speed of the lift is only applied on the pushing part. You can take it a little slower and be more careful bringing the barbell back down to your chest.

If your regular workout time is a couple of hours after dinner, here’s a suggestion for your pre-workout meal that might help reduce the potentially damaging effects of free radicals. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests consuming watercress, the aquatic perennial member of the cabbage family of leafy green vegetables, can maximize the benefits of high-intensity exercise.

Researchers assigned healthy men in their early 20s to a demanding 8-week exercise program. Some ate 85 grams (equivalent to a small bag) of watercress 2 hours before training while other didn’t. Increased energy demand can unleash free radicals that have the potential to damage DNA, but the watercress protected these subjects allowing them to get the full benefit from each exercise session.

True Strength Moment: The antioxidant qualities of the oldest known green leafy vegetable are impressive. 85 grams provides 36 mg of vitamin C and 2712 IU of vitamin A. When eating a salad before training isn’t practical, consider ON’s Essential Amino Energy Chewables. A 3-piece serving dishes out 100 mg of vitamin C along with a strong cup of coffee’s worth of caffeinated energy. Check today’s Performance Blog for a muscle building alternative to heavy resistance low rep lifting.