Those who are relatively new to training, or who’ve been away from the gym for an extended period of time, might not want to focus exclusively on strength or endurance exercise. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine suggests incorporating both styles of training into a weekly routine can optimize muscle size, strength and endurance.

To test this theory, researchers had untrained subjects work exclusively on strength or endurance, or a combination of both for 21 weeks. The strength and endurance groups trained twice weekly, while the concurrent training subjects performed the equivalent of 4 workouts each week. They realized an 11% gain in quad muscle size compared to the 6% gains seen with strength training only. But rate of force development was greatest for subjects who trained either strength or endurance exclusively.

True Strength Moment: Turns out there’s no such thing as the perfect workout. Even though combining strength and endurance training can produce better overall results than either style alone, concurrent training still lacks something. Explosive force would have to be brought up by planning out a different program after the gains realized during 21 weeks. Of course, even those who’ve been training for years can dial in performance improvements for some aspect of their abilities. What’s your biggest weakness?

CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)

CLA is a fatty acid found in beef and dairy products. It has many health benefits including bodyfat loss. Recent research shows our present farming techniques have lowered the amount of CLA in beef and dairy product, which means supplementation of CLA will be critical to receive all the health benefits that CLA offers.

How can a fatty acid help with fat loss you might ask? CLA assists in the body burning existing fat for energy. CLA interferes with the fat storing processes and also has been shown to increase lean muscle mass. More muscle as we have discussed earlier results in more bodyfat burned.

Below are several other health benefits of CLA:

• Increase Metabolic Rate – This will result in more calories burned.
• Helps with the Immune System – Strong immune system will lead to quicker recovery time from workouts.
• Lower Cholesterol
• Lower Risk of Breast Cancer

Recommended Dose: 1-3 Grams at each breakfast, lunch and dinner meals.

Platinum Hydrowhey was recognized by thousands of Bodybuilding.com customers as 2010’s New Supplement of the Year. What else would you expect from Optimum Nutrition’s, fastest, purest and most advanced protein technology?

By hydrolyzing the protein in this premium formula we’ve created our fastest-acting whey protein yet.* Hydrolyzing breaks larger proteins down into smaller pieces that are able to get into your system rapidly, enabling your muscles to start rebuilding quickly.* For added effectiveness, we’ve also enhanced this revolutionary formula with ACTITOR™ peptides, digestive enzymes and micronized branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). In addition to being fast, Platinum Hydrowhey is also ultra-pure.* That’s because it’s made entirely with hydrolyzed whey protein isolates. So there’s no excess fat, cholesterol, or lactose to slow down your progress.

Made With advanced Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolates for Faster Delivery

• 30 Grams of Ultra-Pure Protein Per Serving
• Nearly 9 Grams of Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine (BCAAs)
• Includes Patent-Pending ACTITOR™ Peptides
• No Lactose or Cholesterol
• Contains Digestive Enzymes for Enhanced Utilization*
• Instantized to Mix Easily With a Spoon

ON’s MOST VALUABLE MUSCLE BUILDING PROTEIN YET

By combining the absolute finest ingredients with a series of highly specialized processing techniques Optimum Nutrition (ON) has created its most valuable muscle building protein yet.* Everything about Platinum Hydrowhey® was designed with an uncompromising attitude toward performance – both in the gym and your shaker cup.

PURE PERFORMANCE

Platinum Hydrowhey® is protein in its purest expression. It’s made only with hydrolyzed whey proteins that have been isolated to remove the excess lactose, cholesterol, carbohydrates, and fat. The result is a product that’s ultra-pure, quickly digested, and packed with muscle building and replenishing amino acids.*

FEED YOUR MUSCLES FAST

100% of the proteins in Platinum Hydrowhey® are hydrolyzed to varying degrees. Hydrolyzing is a process through which intact proteins are strategically broken down into smaller fragments, called peptides, for faster delivery and easier utilization by your body. ON’s exclusive combination of mild, moderate, and ultra-hydrolyzed proteins provides di-, tri-, and oligo-peptides while retaining select microfractions naturally found in whey. If this is too much technical talk, all that you really need to understand is that Platinum Hydrowhey® is ideal first thing in the morning, before workouts, and immediately after workouts when your hard-working muscles benefit most from a fast-acting protein.*

THE BEST MADE EVEN BETTER

All proteins are made up of amino acids, but not all amino acids are of equal importance. The three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) are particularly beneficial for athletes because they assist with new muscle synthesis and protect the muscle that you already have against breakdown.* That’s why ON enhanced every serving of Platinum Hydrowhey® with added BCAAs for a total of over 8,800 mg per scoop.

PRECIOUS ON THE PALATE TOO

The only way to reap the results of Platinum Hydrowhey® is to drink it. So from the outset, ON benchmarked the taste and mixibility against the best protein powders on the market. Regardless of whether you choose Turbo Chocolate or Velocity Vanilla, Platinum Hydrowhey® tastes as great as it works and dissolves easily in water, milk, or juice.

STACK THE GAINS

Try using complementary nutrients and mixing in other foods and performance supplements to boost the functionality of your Platinum Hydrowhey® shakes.

EXAMPLE SIZE & STRENGTH STACK

Morning: Platinum Hydrowhey® shake + Opti-Men. Why? Your body needs vitamins and minerals to effectively use protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

Before Workouts: Platinum Hydrowhey® mixed with skim milk + Micronized Creatine powder. Why? Hundreds of clinical studies suggest creatine monohydrate’s ability to boost strength, size, and power.* Combining creatine with protein and carbohydrate increases muscle uptake.*

After Workouts: Platinum Hydrowhey® mixed with iced coffee + Glycomaize + Glutamine Powder. Why? At no other time throughout the day are your muscles as receptive to nutrients as they are post-workout. Fast-acting proteins, free form amino acids, and quickly digested carbohydrates provide building blocks for rebuilding and replenishment.* Recent research also suggests that a shot of caffeine (in this case, from the iced coffee) may also help facilitate greater glycogen resynthesis, which means you’ll be ready to go for your next workout.

Before Bed: Gold Standard 100% Casein + Instantized BCAA 5000 powder. Why? Rapid digestion is beneficial during the day while you are active. But, slower is better at night. Casein proteins and BCAAs help protect and preserve your hard earned muscle tissue throughout the night while you sleep.*

Optimum Nutrition’s Hydrowhey

By hydrolyzing the protein in this premium formula we’ve created our fastest-acting whey protein yet.* Hydrolyzing breaks larger proteins down into smaller pieces that are able to get into your system rapidly, enabling your muscles to start rebuilding quickly.* For added effectiveness, we’ve also enhanced this revolutionary formula with ACTITOR™ peptides, digestive enzymes and micronized branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). In addition to being fast, Platinum Hydrowhey is also ultra-pure.* That’s because it’s made entirely with hydrolyzed whey protein isolates. So there’s no excess fat, cholesterol, or lactose to slow down your progress.

Download “The Complete Guide To Protein”

• Made With advanced Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolates for Faster Delivery
• 30 Grams of Ultra-Pure Protein Per Serving
• Nearly 9 Grams of Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine (BCAAs)
• Includes Patent-Pending ACTITOR™ Peptides
• No Lactose or Cholesterol
• Contains Digestive Enzymes for Enhanced Utilization*
• Instantized to Mix Easily With a Spoon

Optimum Nutrition’s Fitness Fiber

It’s generally recommended that adults consume 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day. Most Americans only get about half of that amount. Fiber’s value to athletes and health conscious individuals is centered on its important role in digestive support.* If you’re not consuming enough fruits and vegetables to meet your fiber needs, adding a teaspoon of Fitness Fiber to your favorite, beverage, protein shake, oatmeal, or bowl of cereal gets you 5 grams closer to meeting your goal – with only 10 additional calories.

Beyond The Basics

• Contains a blend of several different fiber sources
• 5 g of fiber per serving
• Only 10 calories
• Unflavored versatility
• Mixes easily

When you’re working in the weight room, muscle tissue is being broken down from the physical stress of lifting. It’s built back bigger and stronger during the recovery phase with amino acids from protein and about 48 hours of rest. But what happens to this process when you’re under mental stress? A study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise measures the effect on 31 recreational lifters.

After completing a stress questionnaire, these college students engaged in 6 sets of 10 reps on the leg press with resistance set at their 10 rep max. Although mental stress had no impact on soreness, energy levels or fatigue, it did impact the first hour of recovery. Those who weren’t under much stress got their strength back faster.

True Strength Moment: Since mental stress only impacts the first hour of the recovery process, there’s no harm in using weight training as a way to help take some of the load off your mind. Physical stress is a great way to beat down mental stress. Dialing in a healthy balanced diet can also help.

According to a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, a natural milk ingredient known as nicotinamide riboside helps burn more fat while promoting greater endurance capacity. Lab mice getting high doses of this ingredient didn’t become obese despite being put on a high-fat diet. They also became better runners.

True Strength Moment: It’s unlikely that humans could realize these benefits just from drinking milk. But the study does help explain whey protein’s appeal to active adults who are careful about what they eat. Whey has been shown to promote satiety, a feeling of fullness that can be beneficial to dieters. Since about 20% of a glass of milk is whey protein, it might also provide a little extra help with burning fat.

Via @optimumnutrition

www.optimumnutrition.com