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…
Fundamentally, there are two ways you can approach physical activity. You can “exercise,” which is the term normally used when your goal is oriented toward improving your appearance. “Exercisers” tend to view the terrain through the prism of energy balance: if the exerciser wants to be leaner, she’ll restrict calories and increase energy expenditure, with the goal of a net calorie deficit.
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….
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.
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….
The Skinny on Diet Supplements: Fact Vs Fiction, now available!
This comprehensive book covers over 40 of the most common and popular supplement ingredients that create many well-known diet supplements sold on the market. I use my 20+ years in the supplement industry to break through the hype and mystery surrounding the base components of the VAST majority of the diet supplements sold – their ingredients – and explains how they work using easy to understand language.
In this book, I put the power of knowledge into the readers hands by teaching them how to judge if a supplement is likely to be effective for weight loss based on its ingredients; using an easy to understand format for the beginner, but with additional scientific extrapolation for the more advanced and experienced. I cover what really works and what has real science to support it, vs the invented pseudo-science used by many companies to sell ineffective – and potentially dangerous – diet supplements.
This is info most supplement companies wished you didn’t have access to, because a truly informed and educated consumer is not what they want!
Using this book to choose your next supplement purchase allows you to discern the “good” supplement ingredients from the “bad,” and understand why some ingredients are added to supplements in such minute amounts that doing so is known in the industry as “label decoration” and other tricks of the trade.
I have a level of experience and knowledge of the industry that few possess, and even fewer willing to write about it honestly. I’m an industry insider who pulls no punches; I have learned from consulting to major supplement companies, designing supplements, and writing extensively many years for the many international and well-known health and fitness magazines. This information is what I give to the reader of The Skinny on Diet Supplements.
1:1 Consults With Will Brink
After an extensive hiatus from doing 1:1 consulting/training work, I’m going to be offering 1:1 Skype -or phone consults – on a limited schedule. I get a lot of requests for it, and do them sporadically for a few people ‘ (mostly medical professionals and those in the law enforcement and military community), but it’s been limited.
Due to regular requests for the service, I’m opening a few days per week to 1:1 consults where topics such as supplements, nutrition, training, and other topics related to athletes and health conscious people alike, can be covered.
I think those who have read my various articles, watched my vids, and specifically those who have read/followed one of my programs such as BBR or FLR would benefit most from some direct 1:1 counseling, but some may have a specific topic to cover not found in those programs/books.
Sessions would be in one hour blocks, and discounts for multi block purchase, LE/mil, etc exist. If interested in 1:1 consulting, inquire by using “contact me” option on the upper right hand corner of this page or email Will (AT) BrinkZone.com with subject heading “1:1 consults inquiry” and I’ll send a current costs sheet and then a time for a consult can be set up.
No, I’m not inexpensive (think what you would pay a good doctor or lawyer for his expertise per hour…) but if people want a “cheap” consult with a trainer, etc, they may want to approach one at their gym or ask around for a referral. Also, getting either Body Building Revealed or Fat Loss Revealed, or The Sports Supplement Bible, is a highly cost effective way to get started on those topics and will save you years of wasted time and money!
Not that I want to talk people out of getting a 1:1 consult, I just want it to be worth their money and my effort so they receive the most value for their money. Here’s what IFBB pro Milos Sarcev – nicknamed “The Mind” for his high level of knowledge on all things training & nutrition – was nice enough to write regarding yours truly:
“I first met Will many years ago in Niagara Falls. We started talking about exercise physiology and performance nutrition. After about an hour of his monolog I knew that instead of purchasing every bodybuilding piece of research in the world all I needed to remember was his phone number, Will is the most honest and down to earth guru’s in the industry, I trust him implicitly, the changes I was able to make to my physique with his advice are simply amazing.” – Milos Sarcev
More quotes from pro athletes, medical professionals, and others HERE if interested.
To inquire about 1:1 consults: Contact Will
Risk factors and chronic diseases often get more attention among the middle-age and elderly population. And rightly so, since that’s when the manifestations of chronic diseases start to show up, and when people get reminded about their chronological age. An integral component of successful aging (also known as healthy aging) is the freedom of physical disabilities and debilitating chronic diseases 1-3. While it is true that it is never too late to become health conscious and reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle 4,5, the fact remains that the sooner we start the better off we will be as we get older. If you are in your 20s or 30s, or have kids, read on…
Why people have NO EXCUSES not to exercise. I cover – and counter – some common excuses used not to workout like: “I don’t have the money for a gym membership” “I have to get the right equipment before I start” and other classics that are not valid excuses!!! Yes, there are valid reasons why one can’t always exercise (illness, injury, etc.) but most of them I hear, are not valid reasons. 
This vid sets the record straight on what can be done regardless of your situation! I’m not trying to be harsh or mean, and I know it can be difficult, but some straight talk is needed on the topic I feel.
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.
