Nitric Oxide Benefits For Intensive Care Patients Suggested By Everest Expedition

The latest results from an expedition to Mount Everest that looked at the body's response to low oxygen levels suggest that drugs or procedures that promote the body's production of a chemical compound called nitric oxide (NO) could improve the recovery of critically ill patients in intensive care.

Oxygen is required by all larger organisms, including humans, to survive. Many critically ill patients suffer from a shortage of oxygen (a condition known as 'hypoxia'), which can be life-threatening. NO is produced by virtually every cell and organ in the body where it serves many important functions including the regulation of blood pressure, learning and memory formation, and protecting us from infectious diseases.

This work, the product of collaboration between scientists at UCL and the University of Warwick, made use of blood samples and results collected during the 2007 Caudwell Xtreme Everest (CXE) expedition. The results show that NO production and activity are elevated in people who live at near sea-level altitudes ('lowlanders') that ascend to altitude, leading to changes in blood flow in the smallest blood vessels.

Published in Scientific Reports, the new open access journal from Nature Publishing Group, the paper suggests that interventions to alter NO production - some of which already exist in the form of drugs or gas - may benefit critically ill patients in whom oxygen availability is limited.

This is the first time such effects have been documented in a larger group of lowlanders and is consistent with earlier data from residents of the Tibetan plateau ('highlanders') showing their normal NO levels to be much elevated compared to people living near sea-level. Doctors believe increased NO may be beneficial for people, particularly patients with low levels of oxygen in their blood, because it increases the body's ability to tolerate and adapt to a low oxygen supply.

The paper is based on experiments carried out at varying altitudes during the CXE expedition, a study masterminded and led by scientists at UCL, with blood and statistical analyses carried out by scientists at the University of Warwick (made possible, in part, by support from the Medical Research Council and the Warwick Systems Biology Doctoral Training Centre).

The study participants consisted of 198 trekkers and 24 climbers, including doctors and scientists. The CXE team made the first ever measurement of the oxygen level in human blood at 8400m on Mount Everest. This was the centrepiece of an extensive and continuing programme of research into hypoxia and human performance at extreme altitude aimed at improving the care of the critically ill and other patients where hypoxia is a fundamental problem.

Dr Denny Levett, joint lead author of the paper from the UCL Centre for Altitude, Space and Extreme Environment Medicine and Deputy Research Lead of the CXE expedition, said: "Climbing to extreme altitudes puts the body in an environment with very low oxygen availability, similar to the experience of patients in intensive care with diseases affecting the heart, lungs or vascular system."

"By taking blood samples from hypoxic, but otherwise healthy, individuals we have been able to show that the body's natural response to low oxygen availability is to increase the production of nitric oxide. Thus, elevated NO occurs not just in those who live at high altitudes permanently, but also in lowlanders who are trying to adapt to high altitude conditions."

The analytical team at Warwick University is world-renowned for its ability to measure the very low levels of NO metabolites in biological samples.

Dr Martin Feelisch, joint senior author of the paper and a Professor of Experimental Medicine and Integrative Biology at Warwick Medical School, who was responsible for the analytical work, said: "In the years ahead, this research may herald a change in emergency treatment and intensive care. It suggests there is an alternative way of alleviating the consequences of low oxygen levels by creating a more sustained tolerance to those low levels through treatments which boost NO production."

The research also shows a difference between individuals in terms of the level of their NO response at altitude. The sample size is too small to say with confidence why this is. However, individuals with greater experience of climbing at altitude had a greater NO response early in the expedition, suggesting their bodily constitution with respect to NO was different from climbers with less experience of ascent to high altitude. Similar factors may explain the differences in disease outcome between patients on the intensive care unit, the reasons of which are not well understood.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
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Eat The White, Avoid The Yellow

Egg is one of the most important sources of protein that can boost up body building. When there were no supplements in the early days, body builders relied on eggs and milk to provide them with the requisite amount of protein.

 Benefits Of Egg Whites
Believe it or not, egg whites are the best absorbing protein you can eat other than whey protein and the most assimilated food. A single egg (with the yolk removed) contains about 3g of high quality protein and about 16 calories. They also contain all eight of the EAAs (essential amino acids), vitamins such as A, E, K, B12, riboflavin, and folic acid. All of these are very important to help not only enhance recovery but to help repair and grow lean muscle tissue after it has been broken down in the gym.

Pre-Packaged Egg Whites

Liquid egg whites are 100% bioavailable in the body for around 4-5 hours (whereas the protein and egg white powders are only around 70-80% bioavailable in the body for around 2-3 hours). This also makes it very convenient and a great choice right before bed. Protein before bed that breaks down slowly as you sleep keeps your body anabolic so you don't waste away any muscle tissue during the fasting period when you sleep. Another nice feature of liquid egg whites is that they are tasteless and odorless which allows you to use them in your protein shakes or for cooking.

There are several places to get your egg whites delivered from. One such place would be Lana's Egg Whites. Lana Battagello, owner/founder, came up with Lana's Egg Whites to help people benefit from a clean protein source. These processed egg whites go through a pasteurization process that leaves the egg whites bacteria free and ready to go straight into your glass or shaker bottle. This particular brand of egg whites come in an 8.5 pound container and each container equates out to 165 egg whites. The containers are to be stored in a refrigerator until ready to be used.

Just one cup of these liquid egg whites will give you 28g of high quality protein with zero fat and cholesterol. There are no chemicals or preservatives used in their egg whites and you can use them for just about anything ranging from protein shakes/smoothies, omelets, baking, just about anything your mind (or stomach) can come up with.

In addition to being good for you, these liquid egg whites take out the work of separating all the eggs you want to cook, all the mess it creates, and all the time you waste prior to eating and refueling your body. Let's face it, we all could use more time in the day to get stuff done. Factor in the time it would take to constantly be cracking normal eggs and separating them and you gained a lot of time over the span of a week by utilizing a liquid egg white such as Lana's Egg Whites. Utilizing these types of products are quick, easy, safe, and effective-and as long as you don't have any allergies to eggs, anyone can use liquid egg whites no matter age, gender, or fitness goal.

Preparing Your Egg Whites

If you prefer to go to the grocery store and buy a few dozen eggs that works as well. When buying them from the grocery store, make sure to get them home as soon as possible and put them directly in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them. When you are ready to prepare them, simply take out the number of eggs you desire and either use a separator to get rid of the yolk or simply use the shell to move the contents back and forth after splitting the shell in half to separate the yolks from the whites.

Happy egg time.

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What Is Heart Rate? What Is A Healthy Heart Rate?

 

A person's heart rate, also known as their pulse, refers to how many times their heart beats per minute. Our heart rates vary tremendously, depending on the demands we make on our bodies - a person who is sleeping will have a much lower heart rate compared to when he/she is doing exercise.

There is a technical difference between heart rate and pulse, although they both should come up with the same number: Heart rate - how many times the heart beats in a unit of time, nearly always per minute. The number of contractions of the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles).Pulse (pulse rate) - as the blood gushes through the artery from a heart beat, it creates a bulge in the artery. The rate at which the artery bulges can be measured by touching it with your fingers, as on the wrist or neck.According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary:

Heart beat is "A complete cardiac cycle, including spread of the electrical impulse and the consequent mechanical contraction."

Pulse is "Rhythmic dilation of an artery, produced by the increased volume of blood thrown into the vessel by the contraction of the heart. A pulse may also at times occur in a vein or a vascular organ, such as the liver."

Doctors and other healthcare professionals measure patients' heart rates when monitoring their health, gauging the effectiveness of certain treatments, or making a diagnosis.

Athletes and sports people usually measure their heart beats so that they can gain maximum efficiency from their training regimes.

For a human aged 18 or more years, a normal resting heart rate can be anything between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Usually the healthier or fitter you are, the lower your rate. A competitive athlete may have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute.

Champion cyclist, Lance Armstrong has had a resting heart rate of about 32 beats per minute (bpm). Fellow cyclist Miguel Indurain once had a resting heart rate of 29 bpm.

According to the National Health Service, UK, the following are ideal normal pulse rates at rest, in bpm (beats per minute): Newborn baby - 120 to 160Baby aged from 1 to 12 months - 80 to 140Baby/toddler aged from 1 to 2 years - 80 to 130Toddler/young child aged 2 to 6 years - 75 to 120Child aged 7 to 12 years - 75 to 110Adult aged 18+ years - 60 to 100Adult athlete - 40 to 60(There is a considerable amount of overlap from 14 to 17 years of age, with younger and older ages, depending on which health authorities you use for data)

Checking your own heart rate:

Testing the pulse rate at the radial artery

An electrocardiograph, also known as an ECG or EKG is a more accurate way of checking a patient's heartbeat. ECGs are commonly used in critical care medicine, and many other fields of medicine.

Sports shops sell heart-rate watches that communicate with a device you strap around your chest. The readings on your watch tell you what your heart rate is - some can even work out heart-rate averages over set periods, such as the whole of an exercise session.

Bear in mind that your heart rate can be influenced by several factors, such as: Your level of physical activity at the timeHow fit you areThe ambient temperatureThe position of your body - standing, sitting, lying down, etc.Your mental and/or emotional state - excitement, anger, fear, anxiety, and other factors can raise your heart beatThe size of your bodySome medicationsBradycardia - a medical term that refers to a heart beat that is too slow, such as below 60 beats per minute (for a non-athlete)

Tachycardia - a medical term that refers to a resting heart beat of more than 100 beats per minute, an excessively fast heart beat for an adult

If you think you have bradycardia or tachycardia, see your doctor, especially if you are also short of breath, feel dizzy, and/or have fainting episodes.

This is the maximum number of times your heart can beat per minute. It is a useful measure for sports people, so they can gauge their training intensities.

There are two ways you can find out what your maximum heart rate is: Have it clinically tested - usually by a cardiologist or an exercise physiologist. People over 35 years of age who are overweight or have not done exercise for a long time are advised to have their maximum heart rates clinically tested by a trained health care professional. The health care professional may use a treadmill and a electrocardiograph.Predicted maximum heart rate - this involves using a mathematical formula, called the age-adjusted formula.

For adult males: 220 minus your age. For a 25 year-old man it would be 195 bpm (220 minus 25)

For adult females: 226 minus your age. For a 25 year-old woman it would be 201 bpm (226 minus 25)

It is important to remember that this formula gives a rough figure, a ballpark figure. Ideally, you should have your maximum heart beat measured clinically.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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posted by Greg S. on 8 Oct 2011 at 6:48 pm

In my experience, as an athlete, it's best to have your max heart rate tested by a medical professional or perform a max effort while wearing a heart rate monitor. Also, there are many formula's for predicting max heart rate. They can be found by searching with your favorite search engine.

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BSN True Mass-One of the Best Weight Gainers

One of the best weight gainers around the supplement sphere is the BSN TRUE MASS. It really works out like a charm. It was awarded the best weight gainer by bodybuilding.com in the year since 2008 and is a tough contender this year too.
I have used it a few times and the results don't disappoint. And truly it soothes the taste. Comes in many flavors, go for the Vanilla taste though. Superb taste.

                                                                            Product details are as follows-
TRUEMASS is a macronutrient-heavy lean mass gainer tailored specifically towards people looking for the additional caloric support necessary to maximize lean muscle mass gains, and for individuals that require a heightened level of nutrients owing to a higher metabolic rate.* TRUEMASS contains a multi-functional A.M. to P.M. protein blend that feeds your muscles for up to 8 hours, a blend of complex carbohydrates that provides useable energy for your muscular frame, along with Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) and Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) for heart health and hormonal support.* Further supporting TRUEMASS is the addition of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA's) for positive nitrogen balance, fiber for nutrient uptake, glutamine peptides for recovery and glutamine alpha ketoglutarate for maximal anti-catabolic effects.*
2009 Supplement Award Winner!

Designed to Support:

    Lean Mass Gain*
Meal Alternative*
Nutrition*
Weight Management*

Product Highlights:

    Sustained Release (8 hours of amino acid nitrogen delivery)
Multi-Funcitional A.M.-P.M. Protein and Carbohydrate Blend (Ideal for post workout)
6 Different Ultra-Premium Proteins
Active Protein Utilization Enzymes for Increase & Efficiency of Use
BCAAs and Essential and Non-Essential Amino Acids
Medium Chain Triglycerides for Fast Burning Energy Source*
Glutamine Peptides and Glutamine AKG
Good Source of Fiber
Aspartame Free

Product Profile:

TRUEMASS-Proprietary Protein Matrix:

Hydrolyzed Whey Protein ( 1/2 - 1 hour digestion rate)

Ultra-Filtered Whey Protein Concentrate (2-3 hour digestion rate)

Microfiltered Whey Protein Isolate (2-3 hour digestion rate)

Egg Albumen (2-3 hour digestion rate)

Milk Protein Concentrate (4-6 hour digestion rate)

Calcium Caseinate (6-8 hour digestion rate)

Micellar Alpha and Beta-Caseins and Caseinates (6-8 hour digestion rate)

Each of TRUEMASS's proteins provides a unique and complimentary profile of amino acids and absorption rates, ensuring that your muslces never run out of protein building blocks.*

Sustained-Release Multi-Functional Micellar Protein Matrix: Contains fast and slow digesting proteins, which supports/elevates circulating amino acid nitrogen levels for up to 7 hours.* Suitable for A.M. or P.M. use.

Glycogen Uptake Matrix: Unique blend of carbohydrates that is suitable for A.M. to P.M. use; assists with recovery and energy for exercise.*

Glutamine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG) and Glutamine Peptides: Glutamine AKG and glutamine peptides serve as efficient and stable forms of glutamine for maintaining whole-body glutamine supplies.*

Bioactive Protein Utilization Enzymes (Aminogen and Papain): Promotes optimum protein digestion and absorption, which improves uptake of amino acids by the muscle.*

Fiber Matrix: Fiber supports gastrointestinal health, increasing the surface area that the body can absorb nutrients across, which increases nutrient uptake and utilization.*

MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides), and EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids): MCTs are a fast-burning energy source, much like a carb.* They promote the oxidation of fat over carbohydrate and help regulate appetite.* EFAs (essential fatty acids) are not produced by the body and must be consumed in order to prevent deficiency.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) and Essential and Non-Essential Amino Acids: Contains more than adequate amounts of every amino acid required in the human diet.

BSN's Exclusive Advanced Flavor Technology: A breakthrough in flavor technology that replicates some of the most mouthwatering shakes you have ever taste.

Nutritional Values-

    Amount Per Serving
Calories 630
Calories From Fat 140
% Daily Value†
Total Fat 16g
25%
Saturated Fat 4.5g
23%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 130mg
43%
Sodium 600mg
25%
Potassium 800mg
23%
Total Carbohydrate 66g
22%
Dietary Fiber 6g
24%
Sugars 15g
Protein 48g
96%

    Vitamin A 100%
Vitamin C 100%
Calcium 50%
Iron 100%
Vitamin D 100%
Vitamin E 100%
Vitamin K 100%
Thiamin 100%
Riboflavin 100%
Niacin 100%
Vitamin B6 100%
Folic Acid 100%
Vitamin B12 100%
Biotin 100%
Pantothenic Acid 100%
Phosphorus 80%
Iodine 100%
Magnesium 100%
Zinc 100%
Selenium 100%
Copper 100%
Manganese 100%
Chromium 100%
Ingredients: Protein & Amino Acid Matrix Consisting of (Whey Protein Concentrate [Milk & Soy], Whey Protein Isolate [Milk & Soy], Calcium Caseinate [Milk & Soy], Micellar Casein [Milk & Soy], Milk Protein Isolate [Milk & Soy], Hydrolyzed Whey Protein [Milk & Soy], Egg Whites [Egg], Glutamine Peptides [Wheat], L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, and L-Valine), Maltodextrin, Sunflower Powder Consisting of (Sunflower Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Sodium Caseinate [Milk], Mono- & Di-Glycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin [Soy], and Tocopherols), Natural & Artificial Flavors [Milk & Soy], Polydextrose, MCT Powder Consisting of (Medium Chain Triglycerides, Non-Fat Dry Milk, Disodium Phosphate, and Silicon Dioxide), Vitamin & Mineral Blend Consisting of (Magnesium Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Biotin, Chromium, Niacinamide, Iron, Vitamin A Palmitate, Selenium, Calcium d-Pantothenate, Zinc, Vitamin K, Copper, Vitamin D, Manganese, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Cyanocobalamin, Folic Acid, and Iodine), Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Acacia (Gum Arabic), Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Lecithin [Soy], Papain, and Bromelain.
Allergen Warning: Manufactured on equipment, which processes products containing milk, egg, soybeans, wheat, shellfish, fish oil, tree nuts, and peanut flavor.

RECOMMENDED USE: As a dietary supplement, mix 3 scoops with 16 oz. of cold water or any beverage of your choice. Vary the amount of liquid to achieve your desired consistency. Drink 2-4 servings daily, or as needed to satisfy your protein or mass-gaining requirements. To increase your protein and calorie intake per serving and to achieve an amazing milkshake taste, use milk.

So you see, there are a lot of plus points. But there is a demerit of it being too costly against its competitor ON Serious Mass which I shall be posting tomorrow.

P.S- I was busy with my projects, academics, had been through a lot these days, laptop was stolen and life sucked up. But I am back and I won't disappoint you guys. Watch out.

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Muscle-Building With Mustard

If you are looking to lean out, add muscle mass, and get ripped, a new research report published in The FASEB Journal suggests that you might want to look to your garden for a little help. That's because scientists have found that when a specific plant steroid was given orally to rats, it triggered a response similar to anabolic steroids, with minimal side effects. In addition, the research found that the stimulatory effect of homobrassinolide (a type of brassinosteroid found in plants) on protein synthesis in muscle cells led to increases in lean body mass, muscle mass and physical performance.

"We hope that one day brassinosteroids may provide an effective, natural, and safe alternative for age- and disease-associated muscle loss, or be used to improve endurance and physical performance," said Slavko Komarnytsky, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Plants for Human Health Institute, FBNS at North Carolina State University in Kannapolis, N.C. "Because some plants we eat contain these compounds, like mustards, in the future we may be able to breed or engineer these plants for higher brassinosteroid content, thus producing functional foods that can treat or prevent diseases and increase physical performance."

To make this discovery, Komarnytsky and colleagues exposed rat skeletal muscle cells to different amounts of homobrassinolide and measured protein synthesis in cell culture. The result was increased protein synthesis and decreased protein degradation in these cells. Healthy rats then received oral administration of homobrassinolide daily for 24 days. Changes in body weight, food consumption, and body composition were measured. Rats receiving homobrassinolide gained more weight and slightly increased their food intake. Body composition was measured using dual-emission X-ray absorptiometry analysis and showed increased lean body mass in treated animals over those who were not treated. This study was repeated in rats fed high protein diet and similar results were observed. Additionally, researchers used surgically castrated peri-pubertal rat models to examine the ability of homobrassinolide to restore androgen-dependent tissues after androgen deprivation following castration. Results showed increased grip strength and an increase in the number and size of muscle fibers crucial for increased physical performance.

"The temptation is to see this discovery as another quick fix to help you go from fat to fit," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal, "and to a very small degree, this may be true. In reality, however, this study identifies an important drug target for a wide range of conditions that cause muscle wasting."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our bones / orthopedics section for the latest news on this subject. Details: Debora Esposito, Slavko Komarnytsky, Sue Shapses, and Ilya Raskin. Anabolic effect of plant brassinosteroid. FASEB J. 2011 25:3708-3719; doi:10.1096/fj.11-181271; http://www.fasebj.org/content/25/10/3708.abstract
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Federation of American Societies for Experimental. "Muscle-Building With Mustard." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 2 Oct. 2011. Web.
9 Oct. 2011. APA

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Do You Read Food Labels?

How often do you look at food labels when you shop? There's a lot of good information there, although I have to admit some parts of the Nutrition Facts labels can be a bit tricky if you're not careful. Like servings per container. Look at a can of condensed soup - there's probably two or three servings there and not just one, so if you eat the whole thing you've got to double or triple the calories, sodium, or fat when you keep track of them. The U.S. FDA is looking at overhauling the Nutrition Facts Labels to help fix problems like that. Hopefully it will help.

Even if it isn't perfect, it's still a good idea to look for the Nutrition Facts labels before you buy something. Especially if there's some impressive looking claim made on the front of the package. Some of those claims made by the manufacturers can be a little sneaky, or at least that's my opinion of them. Like cereal or bread packages that boldly proclaim how many grams of whole grains are found in each serving of the product. Seems to me they're hoping you'll think that means the product is either 100 percent whole grain (it probably isn't or it would make that claim instead) or maybe you'll think that's how many grams of fiber is in a serving of the product - it isn't, it's probably much less. Food labels may also claim they're low-calorie or reduced sodium. It's okay for them to use those claims as long as they're, but words like "reduced" or "low" aren't all that specific - you still need to look at the labels to see what you're consuming.

Need help? Here's how to read food labels.

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Best Supplements For Muscle Gain - Which Ones Actually Work?

After you’ve taken the time to get your workout and diet in order, the next step in gaining muscle mass quickly is assessing which are the best supplements for muscle gain.

Before you head into your local supplement shop and pick up whatever seems to promise the best of results, there are a number of things that you need to take into account.

First, think about what your muscle building diet is like. Could you be suffering from any nutritional deficiencies? If so, that’s the first thing to take care of. Nothing will work better than all around good nutrition for building muscle!

Then once that’s in place, next you want to think about what you most struggle with and what supplement might be able to help you get around this. Low energy? There’s a supplement for that.

Poor recovery? Again, you can get the help you need. Suffering from lower testosterone levels? Supplements can help.

As long as you have a clear idea in your mind what it is you want and have realistic expectations, you will see great results from your chosen products.

Let’s give you a quick run-down of the best supplements for muscle gain to get you started.

First on our list of the best supplements for muscle gain is creatine. Creatine is one of the most commonly recognized products out there and for good reason – it works.

Those who are involved in intense weight lifting activities will notice a big difference when they add creatine into the mix. Creatine is going to provide the precursor to the high energy molecule referred to as ATP, which powers you through each and every rep that you perform.

If your natural creatine stores get depleted, your workout intensity is going to come to a halt so this is an instant way to increase how much work you can perform in every session you do.

 

If recovery is what you’re battling with, glutamine is the top muscle building supplement to turn to. Glutamine is a specific amino acid that’s going to play a key role in the immune response and help you recovery faster after every session in the gym.

One thing that many people overlook as they go about their muscle building program is that it’s not just the workouts that are taxing their body, but daily stressors as well. If you have a stressful job or are in a relationship that’s causing much heartache or tension, that will influence how quickly you’re able to recover from your intense workout sessions.

Even if it’s not physical stress, stress is stress and will drain your recovery reserves.

Glutamine keeps your immune system as strong as possible so you have a maximum reserve for recovery each day.

Moving along, another of the best supplements for muscle gain to help enhance your focus and drive in the gym is nitric oxide. Most people best know this supplement as the one to give you the ‘muscle pump’.

Take this product and when you walk into the gym, you’re going to feel fuller and more powerful than ever. This can serve to provide incredible motivation on its own, so that in fact could bring about better results as well.

Nitric oxide will serve to increase the dilation of blood vessels in the muscle cells, which means you’ll reduce the chances of fatigue during your set and be able to get a higher rate of nutrient delivery.

This means more intense sets in the gym and a faster recovery as well.

Most people who are involved in muscle building already realize that testosterone is one of the key hormones that’s necessary to build significant size. This is the hormone that clearly differentiates males from females and why females don’t pack on nearly the same amount of muscle as a man does.

But, not all men have high testosterone. Various factors can influence your natural testosterone levels such as age, a poor diet, stress, as well as lack of sleep or overtraining, so doing everything possible to keep your levels high is a must.

Tribulus is one of the best muscle building supplements to help out with this. By adding this to your mass building workout, you should notice a faster rate of muscle growth and also be able to train more frequently.

Along with a strong immune system, having sufficient testosterone levels will also enhance recovery ability.

Finally, last but not least, a few other of the best muscle building supplements that you should definitely consider picking up is a high quality whey protein powder as well as some fish oil. While these won’t claim to help you pack on 10 pounds overnight for instance, they are still a must-have for gaining muscle mass as quickly as possible.

If you fail to meet your protein needs, you simply will not grow. It’s as plain as that – protein is what supplies the building blocks for that new muscle tissue. Since most people don’t have time to be in the kitchen cooking up six chicken breasts a day, protein powder makes meeting your daily protein requirement much easier.

Plus, it’s specially formulated to digest very quickly in the body, so is ideal for taking immediately after a workout.

Fish oil on the other hand will offer a wealth of benefits, mostly aimed at improving your overall health, but it’s also great for increasing your insulin sensitivity.

This will play a key role in making sure the extra calories you eat are shuttled towards the muscle cells rather than stored in the body fat cells for long term energy. It’s definitely a must if you want to stay lean while you build muscle mass.

So there you have the best supplements for muscle gain that you need to know about. By choosing these rather than the overly hyped up products that are likely to just waste your money, you can feel good knowing you made an informed decision.

Related Articles:

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Body Building - The History and Present Scenario

Body Building is the ways to sculpt or modify your body by transforming the fats in your body into large muscles. Building muscle is achieved through comprehensive muscle hypertrophy, or the scientific term that means the boost of muscle cells. There are a lot of ways to build your muscles; probably one of the most common and effective forms of body building is weight training. Weight training is one of the ways to improve the size and strength of the skeletal muscles by using assorted kinds of gym equipments such as barbells, weight machines, and dumbbells among others.
Some of the popular body builders are Arnold Schwarzenegger(my fav), Jay Cutler(2nd on my list), Ronnie Coleman(8 times winner) etc.
On left-Jay Cutler-he proved that if you work hard enough, and put enough laboratory-enhanced substances into your system, you too could own a limb that's freakishly bigger than your head.

Eugen Sandow - The father of modern bodybuilding, was the first who displayed his physique to a large number of audience. In those days bodies were displayed to communicate their strength. The audience response was so great that there was a musical film made inspired by Eugen Sandow. Whose role was played y Nat Pendleton.
The New York City - Madison Square Garden witnessed large scale bodybuilding competition on 16 Jan 1904. Al Treloar was declared the winner and was given $1000 as the cash prize. Two weeks later, a film was made on him by Thomas Edison.
World Bodybuilding Federation, in 1990 was created by Vince McMahon. Many of the IIFB stars were employed, but the venture never made it large. Due to the less money generated by it, McMahon was forced to put an end to it after two years, in 1992. The reason for their failure was also that due to the less number of people, repeated competitions took place, and soon interest was lost. Most of the times, it was won by Gary Strydom.
The IIFB in the early 2000's tried to make bodybuilding an Olympic sport. However it did not succeed as bodybuilding is not considered as a sport by some.

Left-Ronnie Coleman-8 times Mr. Olympia-known for his upper back and very developed pectorals-uses BSN supplements.

A person who has qualified in bodybuilding competitions and has earned a pro- card from IIFB. Professional bodybuilders stand a chance to compete at high level competitions such as Arnold Classic and New York Pro. Winner of these also the other good bodybuilders get a chance to compete for Mr. Olympia which is the highest title to be won in the entire field of bodybuilding.
Natural bodybuilding is another form of bodybuilding where the participants are regularly tested for the use of any illegal substances. It is mostly done by urine testing. Natural bodybuilding organizations banned the use of Anabolic steroids, Prohormone etc which is largely used by the professional bodybuilders. NANBF and NPA are a part of Natural bodybuilding organization.
Female Bodybuilding- the first true female bodybuilding competition was held in Ohio, in the year 1978. Basis of judgment was their muscularity. In 1980 the winner of the first Miss Olympia was Rachel McLish. This inspired many women and also a movie, in the year 1985 called Pumping Iron II.
Most body builders don't participate in any contest, common people just build around a good physique to have good confidence which is a very positive aspect and in fact the vast majority of bodybuilders also never compete, but body build for their own personal reasons. Body building nowadays have become a common trend for either show business, personal reasons, gain confidence, attract opposite sex or etc. So for better confidence having a better body is always a win-win situation. What would be your reason?

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Athletes' Streaks Not All In Our (or Their) Heads

When an athlete is doing well, commentators may describe him as being "hot" or "on fire," but scientists have generally thought that such streaks were primarily in the eye of the beholder - until now. In the online journal PLoS ONE, researchers report an analysis of five years of NBA free-throws that supports what is called the "hot hand" phenomenon: that a streak of positive outcomes is likely to continue.

This phenomenon had largely been considered a product of human perception since its coining in 1985, but in this case the researchers were able to use a very large data set (more than 300,000 free throws) to show strong support for the hot hand phenomenon at the individual level. This result sets the stage for further physiological and psychological investigations of the origin of this phenomenon.

According to the authors, "It [the research] sheds new light on an old question that had two contradicting answers: scientists used to treat it as a mis-perception of random patterns by human subjects, while typical sport's fans were convinced in its real existence. The evidence supplied in this research, supports the fans view and opens the door for new physiological and psychological investigations of the origin of this phenomenon.

Furthermore, while the example studied here came from the sporting world, "the implications are much more far reaching," the authors write.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our sports medicine / fitness section for the latest news on this subject. Citation: Yaari G, Eisenmann S (2011) The Hot (Invisible?) Hand: Can Time Sequence Patterns of Success/Failure in Sports Be Modeled as Repeated Random Independent Trials?. PLoS ONE 6(10): e24532. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0024532
Financial Disclosure: Yale University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem supported this research. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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Exercise At Work Boosts Productivity

Devoting work time to physical activity can lead to higher productivity. This is shown in a study performed by researchers at Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet that is being published in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The study shows that it is possible to use work time for exercise or other health-promoting measures and still attain the same or higher production levels. The same production levels with fewer work hours means greater productivity, while at the same time individuals benefit from better health as a result of the physical activity.

"This increased productivity comes, on the one hand, from people getting more done during the hours they are at work, perhaps because of increased stamina and, on the other hand, from less absenteeism owing to sickness," says Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz and Henna Hasson, the researchers behind the study.

In the study, two workplaces in dental care were asked to devote 2.5 hours per week to physical activity, distributed across two sessions. Another group had the same decrease in work hours but without obligatory exercise, and a third group maintained their usual work hours, 40 hours a week.

The results showed that all three groups were able to maintain or even increase their production level, in this case the number of patients treated, during the study period compared with the corresponding time the previous year. Those who exercised also reported improvements in self-assessed productivity they perceived that they got more done at work, had a greater work capacity, and were sick less often.

Sources: Expertanswer, AlphaGalileo Foundation.

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Anabolic Steroids: Is It Worth It?

If you are looking to add serious muscle weight to your body through weight training, there's one muscle building supplement above all others that is virtually guaranteed to work, and work incredibly well: Anabolic Steroids.

...I doubt that answer surprised you as just about anyone who has ever even seen a dumbbell is pretty familiar with steroids. (Or has at least heard of them before.)

On a more technical level, steroids are synthetically engineered products used to increase the production of testosterone in the body. They basically encourage the body to use a higher percentage than normal of the calories one ingests to specifically convert those calories to building muscle.

Testosterone is produced by the body for this purpose, of course, but when adding anabolic steroids to the mix, the results can be phenomenal. Huge gains in strength and muscle can be achieved.

It is widely known that professional athletes such as baseball players, football players, and yes, bodybuilders have been using them for years with obvious positive results.

 

Steroids enhance the muscular and masculine aspects of the body and can help one become stronger, leaner, and incredibly more muscular. If you are looking to build muscle fast, you would think that anabolic steroids are almost the perfect choice... Until you consider their side effects, that is...

To begin with, through the use of controlled steroid use, it is possible to gain the positive results of steroid use while minimizing the negative side effects.

This can only be achieved through the most controlled of scenarios and even then, because dosages vary and it is difficult to ascertain just exactly HOW to use them properly, many who use them end up OVER using them and face unavoidable and negative side effects.

The fact that they are illegal poses a set of inherent risks as well. That being said, the use of steroids has been associated with a whole host of negative side effects. By using steroids, you are basically disrupting the bodies natural system of producing and managing testosterone. Because testosterone regulates so many processes, the list is fairly long.

Starting or increasing hair loss in men is a common problem. A decrease in sex drive is also commonly reported by users. What good is looking great if you don’t even have a sex drive? Testicle shrinkage is also something that a man must potentially deal with if he chooses to take the road of anabolic steroid use. To add insult to injury, men may often develop breasts while on the substance as well. But, if these traits affect men, what about women?

Women can be hit hard by the downside of these drugs as well. Increased facial hair, a deepening of the voice, an increase in the size of the clitoris, and even balding hair are potential side affects that many women report after their use of steroids.

In addition to these specific male/female traits, all who use steroids may face increased risks for skin disorders, strokes, and even cardiovascular disease. Simply looking at these facts should make anyone SERIOUSLY consider whether the risks are truly worth the reward.

There are many natural and healthy testosterone-boosting supplements available today that offer fantastic results with little or no side effects at all.

Still, some see the outcome they receive by using drugs to be worth the associated risks. The choice, as always, is up to the individual, but what good is looking good if you have to gamble with your health and even your life to do it?

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Awesome Chest Exercises

Chests are an important and attractive part of your body. Remember the day you put off your shirt at the beach and no one even noticed you because you had nothing special. A well built chest gives your body a lean, huge and strong look. They are the first noticeable trait of a well toned figure.

Though the chest is made up of one single mass of muscle, it should be trained like it was broken into 3 parts. The upper, middle and lower portions of the chest are stimulated best from changing the angle in which you execute the exercise.
The upper chest is best stimulated from exercises done on a 30-45% incline bench. For example incline barbell and dumbbell bench press or incline dumbbell flyes are great upper chest exercises. The middle chest is best stimulated from exercises done on a flat bench. For example: flat barbell and dumbbell bench press or flat dumbbell flyes are great middle chest exercises.
The lower chest is best stimulated from exercises done on a 30-45% decline bench. For example: decline barbell and dumbbell bench press or decline dumbbell flyes are great lower chest exercises.

5 Of The Best Chest Building Workout Programs

      1. Upper Chest Day:

          o Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 4-6 Reps
o Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 8 Reps
o Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps
o Pushups*: 3 Sets Of 12 Reps

      2. Middle Chest Day:

          o Flat Barbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 4-6 Reps
o Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 8 Reps
o Flat Dumbbell Flyes: 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps
o Pushups*: 3 Sets Of 12 Reps

      3. Lower Chest Day:

          o Decline Barbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 4-6 Reps
o Decline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 8 Reps
o Decline Dumbbell Flyes: 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps
o Pushups*: 3 Sets Of 12 Reps

            *The lowering portion of the exercise should take 5-10 seconds.

      4. Barbell Strength Day:

          o Flat Barbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 4-6 Reps
o Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 4-6 Reps
o Decline Barbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 4-6 Reps
o Dips - Chest Version: 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps

      5. Dumbbell Size Day:

          o Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps
o Decline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps
o Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps
o Dips - Chest Version: 3 Sets Of 8-12 Reps

Conclusion
I want you to pick one of the workouts above and use it for 4-6 weeks trying to increase the weight each workout (while still using perfect form), then rotate to a different chest workout and repeat the process.

Best Weight Gain Supplements

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Body Building Tips Of A Hollywood Star

Most of you know he is a US actor. I admire him a lot for his body and looks. The face is God Gifted but the body build up is on his own. Known to have one of the most sought after bodies of all time. Matthew McConaughey was named People magazine's “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2005. While in high school, he was voted most handsome in the Longview Lobo Yearbook. While most stars spend hours training when it comes time to getting in shape for the movies, since you are not under a deadline, you can create a similar body type by using sound workout principles and maintaining motivation to stick with it.

Develop A Good Muscular Base:
While Matthew is not overly huge, he does still have a good amount of muscle tissue on his frame. Therefore, the first step you need to take if you hope to develop a body that resembles him is developing this muscle mass so when you get to tweaking how it looks, the basic shape is there.
For most individuals, the best way to accomplish this is going to be through heavy lifting on a three or four day split.
Don't make the mistake that too many people make, going into the gym for an 'arms' day, a 'chest' day, a 'back' day, and so on.
Rather, group your muscles together and work them simultaneously in each workout. Studies have demonstrated that muscle tissues tends to respond the best in terms of growth when it's worked at a higher frequency, but in order to accomplish this, you'll have to be using this grouping principle.

This said then, aim for a full body workout three times a week or an upper/lower split, where you work the upper body on two days of the week and the lower on the other two (being sure to allow a day for rest in between similar body parts).

Additionally, as much as possible you should be incorporating in the exercises of bench press, bent over row, squats, deadlifts, and military presses.

These are the most compound exercises that will stimulate the greatest number of muscle fibers at once. Depending on where you are with your current training, this stage could take anywhere from six months to three years since developing a good amount of muscle is a timely process.

Also be sure you are eating more food during this phase so that your body has the nutrition to manufacture new muscle tissue. If you notice yourself putting on body fat too rapidly during this process, then simply cut back on food slightly or consider adding a small amount of cardio training to your program.
Dialing In:
The second stage of the training to achieve this type of body then is going to be dialing in on the muscle mass that's already been built and leaning it down, while bringing out the definition.
In order to lean down, this will be accomplished in two ways - a lower calorie diet and more cardio added into the workouts. Note though that the diet component is going to play a much larger role in achieving the results you're looking for than the cardio, so this is really what you need to put a large amount of focus on.
Try and focus the vast majority of your carbohydrates right around your workout, then eat more lean protein and small amounts of fat throughout the rest of the day.
Play around with your calorie intake until you're starting to see weight loss moving at the rate you'd like it to be. For most people, this happens at an intake somewhere around 10-13 x your bodyweight in pounds. Usually it's best to start at the higher value and then work your way downwards.
When it comes to your cardio training, Matthew McCaughney is known for his desert runs, so if you want to do your best to simulate his training, you are in your best interest to take yourself away from the cardio machines. He claims to have what he's named the 'Burn Hill', which is essentially a steep hill he'll run up to get his heart rate up and muscles working. While this run isn't going to be a sprint, it's definitely not performed at a walking pace either.
The great thing about taking your cardio outdoors is that it will put a better test to your agility abilities, helping to develop speed and quickness better than if you would have performed it on the treadmill.
Next up, to maintain the muscle mass that you've developed in phase one of this, you're going to perform resistance training.
While weight training is one way to go about doing this, Matthew McCaughney typically performs a lot of bodyweight exercises that are inserted right into his run.In this way not only is he increasing his metabolism, but also continually changing the workouts so the body never really knows what will be coming next. Consider also throwing in core and abdominal exercises, along with bodyweight squats so you can work the vast majority of the muscles in the body.
Keep in mind though that while this will be good for when you're away from the gym, ideally it's still smart to maintain some form of intense weight lifting program to keep your muscle mass as strong as possible.
While in the previous stage you really focused on those main core lifts, in this stage you can expand a little and work on any body parts that you feel are lagging a bit, by performing isolation exercises to bring out their size and definition. Do keep total rest in mind still though, as when on a reduced calorie diet, your recovery abilities are even further compromised.
Conclusion
So, if you're looking to achieve a muscular, yet streamlined body, this is the approach you want to take. Rather than focusing long-term on building up as much muscle mass as possible, you'll build up as much as you feel you need, then switch gears and accentuate the looks of that muscle by lowering your body fat and ensuring all your body parts are complimenting each other.

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Aerobic Exercise May Reduce The Risk Of Dementia

Any exercise that gets the heart pumping may reduce the risk of dementia and slow the condition's progression once it starts, reported a Mayo Clinic study published this month in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Researchers examined the role of aerobic exercise in preserving cognitive abilities and concluded that it should not be overlooked as an important therapy against dementia.

The researchers broadly defined exercise as enough aerobic physical activity to raise the heart rate and increase the body's need for oxygen. Examples include walking, gym workouts and activities at home such as shoveling snow or raking leaves.

"We culled through all the scientific literature we could find on the subject of exercise and cognition, including animal studies and observational studies, reviewing over 1,600 papers, with 130 bearing directly on this issue. We attempted to put together a balanced view of the subject," says J. Eric Ahlskog, M.D., Ph.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic. "We concluded that you can make a very compelling argument for exercise as a disease-modifying strategy to prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and for favorably modifying these processes once they have developed." The researchers note that brain imaging studies have consistently revealed objective evidence of favorable effects of exercise on human brain integrity. Also, they note, animal research has shown that exercise generates trophic factors that improve brain functioning, plus exercise facilitates brain connections (neuroplasticity).

More research is needed on the relationship between exercise and cognitive function, the study's authors say, but they encourage exercise, in general, especially for those with or worried about cognitive issues.

"Whether addressing our patients in primary care or neurology clinics, we should continue to encourage exercise for not only general health, but also cognitive health," Dr. Ahlskog says.

Source: Mayo Clinic

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Weight Lifting: Abs

 Abdominals are usually ignored, since their appearance depends on your diet rather than workouts. However, it's important to focus on them when you're lifting weights for mass gain.

Your goal should be to get strong abs as they help support the compound exercises that are essential to help build lean muscle mass quickly. And when you reach the cutting phase of your weight training program, you will be rewarded by the appearance of your abdominals. So remember to spend time on your abs in order to get the best results for your whole body.

If you've ever seen TV infomercials hyping up the latest and greatest abs building product, where all you have to do is use it for a few minutes every day and in no time at all you'll have totally ripped abs, you're not alone. Lots of people want to know the secret to a firm, ripped waist which is why you see all these "miracle" abs products advertised. However, these products very rarely work the way they're supposed to and if you buy one, you'll probably waste your money.

To get awesome, washboard abs, there is a "secret". But it has nothing to do with late night infomercials. Your abdominals need to be trained using the same principles as your other muscle groups.

But before you start focusing on abdominals training, you need to be aware of one thing. An important point to remember is that you need to have a low body fat percentage in order to have totally ripped, washboard abs. In other words, if you can "pinch an inch" of body fat on your stomach, there is no way you'll be able to see your abs, despite doing intense workouts. You may have a 6 pack underneath that fat, but nobody will able to see it!

 
Rectus Abdominals - This is one of the most important abdominal muscles. It's a flat, long muscle that runs down your body between the pubis bone and the fifth, sixth, and seventh ribs. The middle of it is separated and it has three more parallel separations that gives this muscle its ripped, corrugated effect in athletes who are extremely fit with low body fat. The rectus abdominals helps to stretch the spine, narrowing the area between the ribcage and the pelvis. This muscle functions when you bend from side to side and helps support the torso during movements involving the head and hands and feet. All abdominal exercises will thoroughly work the rectus abdominis.
External Obliques - This is a pair of abdominal muscles that are situated just above the internal obliques. The external obliques flow in a V pattern whereas the internal obliques flow in a reverse V position from the base of the ribs to the beginning of the pelvis. Exercises for external obliques: The obliques are used during all abdominal workouts but those exercises that involve the circumrotation of the abdomen will intensify the effect of the exercises on the obliques. Turning to the right will focus on the left external oblique while turning the to the left will focus on the right external oblique.
Internal Obliques - this is a pair of deeper muscles that are situated just below the external obliques. Both pairs of obliques are located at right angles to each other. Exercises for internal obliques: As with the external obliques, all abdominal workouts involve the use of the internal obliques to some degree. However, since internal obliques flow in a different direction to the external obliques, that means that turning to the right will focus on the right internal oblique, and turning to the left will focus on the left internal oblique.
 

Below is a list of the three best abdominal exercises. Of course there are many more than this but the truth is you DON'T need fancy gym equipment or ridiculous gizmos to get a set of washboard abs. All you need is a few of the most effective exercises to work your core hard. And these are the ones I recommend.

Simply click on one of the ab exercises below to see how it's performed:

Mechanics Type: Isolation

Primary Mover: Abdominals

Secondary Movers: Core

To do crunches, you're going to have to lie flat on the floor. Now bend your knees and have your feet one to two feet apart, with the soles of your feet lying flat on the floor. Or you can raise your lower legs and rest them on a bench. Just make sure the small of your back is lying flat to the floor. Now place your hands carefully behind your head, so you're cupping your head, or else place them on your chest, one hand crossed over the other.

What you want to achieve with this exercise is to bring your upper body forward and move your ribcage closer to your pelvis. The rest of your body shouldn't be moving. Make sure you don't bring your body all the way up. Just curling your body up three to four inches and stopping when you achieve major ab contraction should do it. Don't forget to breathe out as you bring your body up, and to breathe in as you gently lower yourself back to the floor.

Tips:

You shouldn't get a sore neck when you do these exercises. So if you do experience a sore neck, you need to relax the muscles in your neck. And remember to keep your hands and neck nice and relaxed. Your hands and neck don't have anything to do with this exercise so they shouldn't be moving at all.

You should be making a nice, gentle and controlled movement with your torso upwards and then back downwards. It shouldn't be jerky or out of control. Remember to work for the best ab contraction you can get and the burn. This exercise is not about how many reps you can do.

Mechanics Type: Isolation

Primary Mover: Abdominals

Secondary Movers: Core

These crunches are usually carried out on a very short incline board, also known as a Roman Chair. Lean back as far as you can, to get the most tension in your abdominals. When you're ready, bring your body forward, using your abs to do so. At the same time, twist your upper body to one side, so your left elbow ends up near your right knee and vice versa. If you don't have any equipment, you can do this exercise on the floor or on a basic incline board. If you do them on the floor, simply twist your upper body to one side as your abs bring your body up and forward.

Tips:

It's important that your hands don't tug on the back of your head or that you don't try to raise your whole body off the bench when you do this exercise. The object of this exercise is to attack only your abs so you need to use a pretty short field of movement. Just raise up your torso until you can feel your abs contracting to the max and then carefully lower your body back down. If you want extra resistance, you can clasp a weight plate in front of your face.

Mechanics Type: Isolation

Primary Mover: Abdominals

Secondary Movers: Core

Hold the pull-up bar with the palms of your hands gripping it in the direction you're facing. Make sure your hands are placed on the bar just beyond your shoulders and let your body dangle easily. Move your pelvis forward and raise up your legs but make sure they're a bit lower than being parallel to the floor. You need to keep your lower back a little rounded. Do not arch it. Stop for a second when you reach the top of the movement and then carefully put down your legs. Do as many reps as you can.

Tips:

You need to have a slight bend in your legs as you do each rep as this will focus the tension in your abs continually. Do not use the momentum of your body or lift your legs up with a swinging motion. If you want extra resistance, you can hold a dumbbell between your feet but you may feel a bit clumsy.

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6 Quick Tips To Gain Weight

 

 If you’re on a mission to put on some quality muscle mass, the following tips to gain weight will be just what you need.

While there are many basic muscle building programs out there that you can use to build up some degree of muscle tissue, it’s only when you apply some advanced principles to that program that you really take things to a whole new level.

The following tips to gain weight will provide you with some ideas to get started.

The very first of the quick tips to gain weight is to try supersets. A superset is where you’re going to take two exercises and stack them immediately back to back, performing them with no rest in between.

This is a great way to up the overall intensity of the program and get the muscles to become more resistant to fatigue.

Most people will choose to stack opposing muscle groups or an upper body muscle with a lower body muscle, but you can also do same muscle supersets if you’re really looking for a challenge.

Or, if a superset is not enough, consider a triset where you perform three exercises in a row without any rest in between.

Another advanced technique that can be used to help you build muscle mass quickly is to utilize pre-fatigue sets. This is great when a major muscle group seems to be lagging behind and you want to do something to jump-start your progress again.

What you’ll do in a pre-fatigue set is perform one or two sets for the smaller assistant muscles that come into play for the main compound lift you’re going to perform, and then once those muscles are fatigued, you’ll move on to do the main compound lift once again.

So for instance, if chest is what you want to target, try doing some tricep extensions first and then do the bench press. This ensures that your triceps aren’t helping the chest too much when you execute that chest press.

One error that some people make is focusing strictly on just a single rep range. While there are rep ranges for each goal (strength, hypertrophy, and endurance), it can be helpful to utilize more than one rep range per workout.

Working in the lower rep range of 5-6 reps for your strength building compound exercises and then taking things higher to the 10-12 rep range for the isolated exercises can spark some additional growth and stimulate the body in new ways.

Some may even wish to take their compound exercises into the higher rep range depending on their overall protocol, so don’t overlook that either.

 

Tempo is yet another area of the workout that you can tweak to bring about faster results. This one of those little-known tips to gain weight that commonly gets looked over as most people are just focused on completing the exercise, not on how fast they’re doing it.

But, varying the tempo can really have quite a strong influence on the results that you get, so it is something that you should give some consideration to.

Many people often use a 2-1-2 tempo pattern, which means two seconds to lift the weight, a one second pause at the top, and then two seconds to lower it, but to change things up, consider a 3-1-2 tempo.

Or, if you want to focus on developing some power along with strength, you may focus on a 1-2-3 tempo instead. This will get you contracting very quickly and forcefully off the start and then lowering the weight in an extremely controlled manner.

Looking to the diet side of things, one advanced technique to consider amongst these tips to build muscle is carbohydrate cycling.

If you’re someone who does have quite a bit of muscle size already and wants to focus on adding a few more pounds of very lean muscle mass, this is likely a good approach for you.

You’ll want to have higher carbohydrate days in your diet on those days you’re training intensely, and then use a lower calorie, lower carb approach on those days you aren’t training or just doing cardio.

This allows you to focus your mass gaining when your body is more ‘primed’ to put on weight, and then possibly even lose a little body fat on the off days when you aren’t.

Carbohydrate cycling is more commonly used by those looking to lose fat, but it can also be an effective strategy for mass building as well.

Finally, the last of the quick tips to gain weight is to consider adjusting your rest period. Taking shorter rest periods overall is one of the fastest ways to dramatically increase the intensity of the workout without making any other change.

Often people will let their rest periods drag on for much longer than they really should, so start timing these rest periods very closely. It may help to actually get a timer to use to monitor it, as then you can be absolutely certain that you’re resting as long as you’re supposed to be.

Just be sure that at no time your rest periods are causing you to sacrifice how much weight you’re lifting total.

So there you have some fast tips to gain weight. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t use all of these strategies at once, but you should consider implementing them one by one into your workout sessions and diet plan so you can track the results.

Each will stimulate the body in a new way and help to keep it guessing and responding as to what comes next.

As you go about using these techniques, be sure to monitor the type of progress they bring you so you can add them to your arsenal of most effective methods to help boost your muscle gains.

If you're still having trouble gaining weight, consider using a complete weight gain program. This is a program that shows you everything you need from start to finish, including what exercises to do, complete workout routines, what foods to eat, when to eat them, what supplements to take, and more.

One trusted weight gain program you can begin following is called "Weight Gain Blueprint." It was created by my good friend Jeff Masterson and it can be found here: www.WeightGainBlueprint.com.

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BCAA's and their use

BCAA (branched chain amino acids) are in short the three essential amino acids - leucine, isoleucine and valine literally. The BCAA are different from the other 17 amino acids in that they are primarily metabolized in skeletal muscle (Layman, 2003) and metabolized at a much lower rate in the liver (Norton, 2005). The rate limiting enzyme in BCAA catabolism is Branched Chain Keto Acid Dehydrogenase, which is much more active in skeletal muscle than in the liver (Norton, 2005). The idea of supplementing with extra branch-chained amino acids (BCAA) in addition to ones protein intake has been around for quite some time. But with all the 'magic elixirs' and 'pump potions' on the market today, BCAA supplementation has never gained popularity outside of the hardcore (as in elite athletes) circles.

One reason for this oversight on BCAA may be that people feel supplementing with additional BCAA on top of an already high protein diet will not be beneficial. Others may simply be uninformed about BCAA.

Because BCAA serve as a "fuel" for skeletal muscle, supplementing with additional BCAA to improve sports performance and to treat various diseases and aliments as been suggested. BCAA have many other roles besides being just a fuel for skeletal muscle.

The Metabolic Roles Of The BCAA Include:

    * Substrate for energy production
* Substrate for protein synthesis
* Precursor for the formation of other amino acids
* Metabolic signals (Primarily Leucine)

Supplementing With BCAA

What is interesting about the BCAA is their ability to participate in the above metabolic processes, energy substrates, substrates for protein synthesis, precursors for alanine and glutamine, and modulators of protein synthesis, is governed by their availability.
Research suggests that first and foremost the BCAA are used for the synthesis of protein structures (Layman, 2003).
Research on leucine shows that once the minimum requirement of leucine for protein synthesis is met leucine can then be used as a precursor for alanine and glutamine or to activate various signaling pathways (Layman, 2003), such as the mTOR pathway. It may sound like leucine is free to exert its powerful effect of mTOR activation, but one must remember that protein breakdown and synthesis is occurring throughout the entire body; the body's protein stores are in a constant state of flux.
The constant body protein flux plus the increased leucine oxidation caused by exercise means that leucine is in high demand and therefore may not be able to participate in muscle growth at its full potential. This is where supplementing with additional BCAA comes into play and importance.
Due to leucine's metabolic properties, many people focus solely on leucine and not the other two BCAAs valine and isoleucine.

Research has shown that leucine-rich diets or administration of leucine alone lead to decreases in valine and isoleucine plasma concentrations and a BCAA imbalance (Shirmomura et al., 2004). While it may be cheaper to supplement with leucine alone instead of all three BCAA, one should supplement with all three BCAA so not to create a BCAA imbalance.
The main question or argument with BCAA supplementation people have is whether additional BCAA supplementation on top of an already high protein intake will produce any benefits, specifically enough benefits justify to the cost of the BCAA. Research and anecdotal findings would definitely suggest yes.
The benefits of free-form BCAA lie in their ability to quickly flood the blood stream and amino acid pools with high amounts of BCAA, specifically leucine. While whey protein is absorbed quickly, ingestion of 10 grams of BCAA from whey does not create the same metabolic response as the ingestion of 10 grams of free-form BCAA.

Once whey protein reaches the gut, it takes about 45 minutes before the amino acids start to be extracted and are absorbed and can be used. This lower absorption means the amino acid pools are not "flooded" with large amounts of BCAA.
the BCAA ability to be utilized in various pathways is governed by their availability. It is my belief that delivering large amounts of BCAA to muscle and keeping BCAA levels elevated will cause a strong and sustained activation of mTOR, leading to skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

The current research available clearly displays that the BCAA (specifically leucine) are very potent stimulators of protein synthesis and have many other beneficial effects to athletes.
In Summary,
The Metabolic Roles Of The BCAA Include:
* Substrate for energy production
* Substrate for protein synthesis
* Precursor for the formation of other amino acids       
* Metabolic signals (Primarily Leucine)
What all this means is ingesting BCAA primes your body for growth (protein synthesis). All of these actions are beneficial to an athlete and should not be overlooked. There is endless research backing BCAA supplementation.

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Aerobic Exercise May Cut Dementia Risk

Aerobic exercise, defined as any physical activity that raises heart rate and increases the body's need for oxygen, may cut the risk of dementia and slow its progress once it starts, according to Mayo clinic researchers who examined the role of aerobic exercise in preserving cognitive abilities and found it should be regarded as an important therapy against dementia. They publish their findings in this month's issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

The researchers, who are based at the Mayo Clinic centers in Rochester, Minnesota and Jacksonville, Florida, said aerobic exercise is not just a gym workout but includes walking, and doing chores around the home like shovelling snow and raking leaves.

They searched all the scientific papers they could find on the subject of exercise and cognition, including animal studies and observational studies, lead author and neurologist Dr J Eric Ahlskog told the press.

"We attempted to put together a balanced view of the subject," he added, explaining that they reviewed more than 1,600 papers, 130 of which dealt directly with the issue.

"We concluded that you can make a very compelling argument for exercise as a disease-modifying strategy to prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and for favorably modifying these processes once they have developed," said Ahlskog.

He and his colleagues point out that studies involving brain scans consistently show objective evidence of the benefits of exercise on preserving the integrity of the human brain. They also note that animal studies show exercise produces trophic factors that improve the functioning of the brain, and it also increases connections between brain cells, known as neuroplasticity.

For their study, where possible, they conducted meta-analyses of prospective studies and randomized controlled trials (that is where possible, treating clusters of studies of similar design and measurements as if they were one large study and pooling the data).

Here are some of their more detailed findings: Some studies showed signficant reductions in dementia risk linked to midlife exercise.
Midlife exercise also appeared to reduced risks of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Patients with dementia or MCI had better scores after 6 to 12 months of exercise compared to sedentary controls.
Healthy adults who did aerobic exercise also showed significantly improved cognitive scores.
In one large trial of seniors, one year of exercise was linked to significantly larger hippocampal volumes and better spatial memory (cross-sectional studies comparing physically fit with unfit seniors appear to confirm this evidence).
In other trials with seniors, aerobic exercise was linked to a smaller loss of age-related gray matter.
fMRI scans showed that connectivity in brain cognitive networks improved after 6 to 12 months of exercise.
Animal studies suggest exercise increases neuroplasticity by several biological routes, resulting in improved learning.
Animal studies also show exercise increases brain neurotrophic factors (these help grow and repair brain cells), and there is indirect evidence of the same in humans.
Exercise may also lessen cognitive decline by cutting cerebrovascular risk, including small vessel disease, which leads to dementia.The researchers conclude that:

"Exercise should not be overlooked as an important therapeutic strategy."

They said more research should be done to look more closely at the relationship between exercise and cognitive function, but they support the idea that in general people should exercise, as Ahlskog explained:

"Whether addressing our patients in primary care or neurology clinics, we should continue to encourage exercise for not only general health, but also cognitive health."

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our alzheimer's / dementia section for the latest news on this subject. "Physical Exercise as a Preventive or Disease-Modifying Treatment of Dementia and Brain Aging."; J. Eric Ahlskog, Yonas E. Geda, Neill R. Graff-Radford, and Ronald C. Petersen; Mayo Clin Proc., September 2011 86(9):876 -884; DOI:10.4065/mcp.2011.0252; Link to Abstract.

Source: Mayo Clinic.

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