July 20, 2012 by Monica

Testosterone Replacement Therapy – why is it so controversial?

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. - Voltaire

Printer friendly pdf, 9 pages, 98 references (right-click to download and save):

For reasons that are not readily apparent, there appears to be a conservative political movement that opposes the use of testosterone in older men. This was clearly demonstrated by the report of the Institute of Medicine, which felt that testosterone is not yet ready for prime time and that there is still a need for studies to prove its efficacy ¹. Along the same lines, the guidelines of the Endocrine Society on testosterone use in older men seem to be ultra-cautious ². But fortunately, there are also other, more liberal guidelines and recommendations ^3-5.

Probably no other medical issue has been bombarded by the influx of “expert” views from all walks of life; from endocrinologists and psychiatrists to urological surgeons and gerontologists, from the lay press to the regulatory agencies and from the pharmaceutical to the entertainment industries. The dismal result of all this free-for all cacophony of opinions is a great deal of confusion, erroneous information and significant detriment to patients and physicians alike.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the reasons for the negative attitudes to male testosterone replacement therapy (I will cover post-menopausal testosterone replacement in an upcoming article), and the hard scientific data that refutes it…

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June 28, 2012 by Will Brink

Hypertrophy Max Review and Effective Programs.

One of the questions I’m asked most is “Why can’t I gain more muscle Will“?

5x out of 10, it’s because your nutrition is sub par (a nice way of saying it sucks…), the other 5x it’s because you’re following a linear program which doesn’t accommodate the body’s significant abilities of adaptation. Do the same thing week in, week out, month in, month out, and year after year, and expect to make no improvements. That’s the harsh reality of it, yet that’s how most people train!

This is one of the primary reasons, after a very long time of simply recommending nothing to my readers but my own programs, I’ve stuck my neck out and given the Hypertrophy Max program a thumbs up, because it delivers the most important principles needed to gain mass from a training perspective … you can hear my thoughts on that in the video.

I’ve probably received 3 dozen emails asking my opinion on the Hypertrophy Max program, to that end I’ve put together a video review you can watch below.

In the video I cover what I like about the program, who it’s for, the techniques and their origins and also what I really don’t like about the program; it’s 8 minutes long as I also cover a bunch of factors that make up an effective training program in general.

The Hypertrophy Max program is only on sale until Friday night I believe, then they yank it for 4-5 months, so if you’re interested in learning more about this program hit HERE or hit the banner picture below!

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June 27, 2012 by Ben Pakulski

20 DUMB Things Bodybuilders Say!

By IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski
Creator of the Hypertrophy MAX Program

1) Chicken, egg whites, rice, and rice cakes ONLY…..If you want to get shredded.

PLEASE DO NOT do this! Your body needs micro nutrients and vitamins.
I know of so many aspiring bodybuilders and people that just want to better
their physique that hire people who tell them to follow this diet. FIRE THEM!

2) Fats make you fat.

Fats are essential for countless essential body processes. All fats are good
(trans fats excluded) in the correct ratio. Rotate your fat sources and watch
your libido and test levels skyrocket. I’m just saying…

3) You’ve gotta lift heavy to grow

C’mon people! If you’ve ever read anything I’ve written you know this is not true. You’ve got to lift properly, and maximize tension to grow! Don’t worry, its easier than it sounds once you “get it.”

4) A calorie is a calorie (all calories are created equal)

Sounds like meathead math to me! Even when trying to get as big as possible, the WORST thing you can do is eat indiscriminately.This will set you up for insulin resistance and LESS muscle growth. I can’t believe all the kids brainwashed into thinking pop tarts are okay!

5) I’m trying to work my “tie ins”

I still laugh when I read this. J WTH is a “tie in” There is NO SUCH THING
people. A muscle is a muscle, and its structure is what it is. Where two
muscles tie together is simply where two muscles tie together. You CAN’T
train that. You can certainly train a muscles ENTIRE length, but not the
space between two muscles.

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May 20, 2012 by Monica

Red Meat and Health – have we been blaming the wrong thing?

Frequent consumption of red and processed meat has been shown in population studies to be positively correlated with cardiovascular disease [1-3], cancer and type 2 diabetes. Recent meta-analyses also indicate that it increases total mortality [4]. Hence, a high meat intake (regardless of its fat quantity and quality) is generally perceived to be unhealthy and something that should be avoided. However, although there are many studies documenting these associations, results are not always consistent and there are several methodological issues which weakens the strength of their findings (more on that in a bit). In the same way as the putative health risks of red meat consumption is investigated, its documented health benefits (which I will cover below) are equally as important and must be given a fair chance in the establishment of public health messages in relation to red meat consumption. In this article I will therefore cover both the risks and benefits associated with red meat consumption, and after having taken all the scientific data into consideration, argue that meat has been unfairly blamed…

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May 9, 2012 by Monica

Red Meat – good or bad for fat loss and body fat control?

Consumption of red meat has been associated with fat gain (and weight gain) because of its high energy and fat content. Even though the role of fat intake as a causative factor for obesity recently has been seriously questioned, and rightly so, red meat still is a food that’s on the forbidden or avoid list of most diet plans. And while there are studies showing an association between meat intake and obesity [1-3], there are also studies not showing this [3-5]. And when digging deeper in the data, many of the studies that have reported a significant association with meat intake and fat gain / obesity have several flaws that invalidate their conclusions….

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April 28, 2012 by Monica

Is there a place for high-rep sets in serious weight training programs?

Recent studies have shown some controversial findings that high-rep training is as effective as the traditional medium rep training for muscle growth. If you missed it, check out my two previous articles:

Training for maximal muscle growth – is heavy low-medium reps really the best way to go?

Muscle growth with high rep training – has time come to challenge our egos?

In this article I will show some examples of how high-rep sets can be implemented in a serious weight lifting program, and look at the results of some studies that have investigated this.

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April 22, 2012 by Monica

Muscle growth with high rep training – has time come to challenge our egos?

In a previous article I reported the controversial results of a study that compared the muscle (myofibrillar) protein synthetic response of a traditional “bodybuilding” high-load low rep workout (90FAIL) to a higher rep low load workout (30FAIL), both taken to failure ¹. If you haven’t read that article, here’s a lowdown:

The workout with higher rep lower load sets (30FAIL) was equally effective in stimulating muscle (myofibrillar) protein synthesis as a workout with low rep high load sets (90FAIL) ¹. But more notably, the high-rep low load workout (30FAIL) resulted in a more prolonged muscle protein synthetic response and a greater elevation of muscle protein synthesis rates than the low rep high load workout (90FAIL) 24h after exercise, and also induced a greater stimulation of anabolic signalling pathways ¹.

However, this study was an acute study with measurements taken for only 24 hours after one single workout bout. This doesn’t tell us whether higher rep sets would lead to long term increases in muscle mass, which is what we are ultimately interested in. Well, the same research group just published an actual 10 week training study ² to find the answer to this nerve-itching question….

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February 1, 2012 by Monica

Cheating on a diet – good or bad?

In discussions about dieting, a topic that often comes up is that of “cheating”; is it good or bad to cheat once in a while during a diet?

In order to answer this questions appropriately, it is necessary to look at both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of dieting, and the physiological and psychological responses they each elicit.

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October 24, 2011 by Monica

Exercise Mimetics & Mitochondrial Boosters

Mitochondria are the ‘energy powerhouse of the cell’ that convert the foods we eat to usable energy our body uses to fuel life sustaining reactions within cells, our daily activities and athletic performance ^1-4. While energy production capability and muscle performance might seem to be more relevant to sports, it also equally important for achievement and maintenance of health throughout the life span. In this article I will describe how chronological aging affects our mitochondria, its implications and the ins-and-outs of a new type of supplements marketed at “exercise mimetics”.

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September 28, 2011 by Monica

Fish Oil for Muscle Growth

Most supplements are used for one specific outcome, for example fat loss, muscle growth or general health promotion. However, there are a few exceptions. Fish oil is one of them.

We all know about the cardiovascular health benefits of fish oil, and in a previous article I covered the fat loss effect of fish oil. Now let’s take a look at the potential application of fish oil for those of us who are interested in muscle growth…

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Testosterone Replacement Therapy – why is it so controversial?

Hypertrophy Max Review and Effective Programs.

The Hypertrophy Max program is only on sale until Friday night I believe, then they yank it for 4-5 months, so if you’re interested in learning more about this program hit HERE or hit the banner picture below!

20 DUMB Things Bodybuilders Say!

Red Meat and Health – have we been blaming the wrong thing?

Red Meat – good or bad for fat loss and body fat control?

Is there a place for high-rep sets in serious weight training programs?

Muscle growth with high rep training – has time come to challenge our egos?

Cheating on a diet – good or bad?

Exercise Mimetics & Mitochondrial Boosters

Fish Oil for Muscle Growth

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