tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44472491235196583472024-03-16T08:08:59.659+01:00SuppVersity - Nutrition and Exercise Science for EveryoneWhere BRO- and PRO-Science Unite in the Spirit of True WisdomAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comBlogger3219999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-78074605349107994162017-05-27T02:35:00.000+02:002017-05-29T01:56:18.956+02:00Real Growth Hormone for Athletes - Lean Mass ↗, Fat Mass ↓, Water ↑, but Limited Evidence of Performance Increases
Physique athletes > sprinters > endurance athletes - That's probably the ranking of those athletes who benefit most from GH (ab-)use. Why? Well, its effects on body composition are attractive for BBs & Co, its potential ability to boost anaerobic performance for sprinters and its lack of effect on VO2max limits their use in marathoners to accelerated recovery.
If you believe in the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-82948737818511011742017-04-16T04:07:00.000+02:002017-04-16T04:21:59.504+02:00Eccentric Training Keeps You Gainin' and T & GH Up When, in Weeks 5-10, Traditional Training Stops Yielding Results
Extra gains, testosterone, and GH in one scientific paper? That will catch every gymrats interest, right?
I know, the name SuppVersity implies that gains were all, or at least to a significant degree about supplements. In fact, though, they are about busting your ass out in the gym and eating like a freak. And with respect to the former, a new study from the University of Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-4382843202676665032016-06-11T03:41:00.001+02:002016-06-11T04:12:48.570+02:00Your Post-Workout Testosterone Levels Can Predict Your Gains - Study Takes Novel Approach to the T ↔ Muscle Link
GainZ - Are they all about T and we just didn't do the right statistical tests in previous studies to realize that?
Only recently one of the longstanding "truths" of protein anabolism has been busted (learn why the acute muscle protein synthesis response matters more than prev. thought). And now, a new paper in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (Mangine. 2016), appears to Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-37835535860278624502015-12-25T07:44:00.000+01:002015-12-25T10:42:33.952+01:00Hormonal Response to Exercise, Revisited: A Consequence, not a Determinant of Your Mood, Effort & Performance
Studies in men suggest no effect of the hormonal response on training outcome - What about women? A news study provides insights that may be relevant for both female and male gymrats.
It has been a few years that I last wrote about the "hormonal ghost". Back in the day, Stuart M. Phillips published an excellent paper that debunked the myth of a mechanistic link of post-exercise increases in Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-7581974240375788542015-06-23T15:48:00.000+02:002015-06-23T15:55:44.030+02:00Tryptophan, an Overlooked Natural "Anabolic"? Increased Follistatin (Myostatin Inhibitor), mTOR, and IGF-1 In-Vitro and In-Vivo Shed a Whole New Light on Serotonin Precursor
Poultry is high in tryptophan and so is spirulina, cod, soy beans, parmesan and pork. They all have higher tryptophan contents than turkey. So, it doesn't always have to be poultry ;-)
As a SuppVersity reader you know that "[n]utrition plays a key role in the maintenance of muscle and bone mass, and dietary protein deficiency has in particular been associated with catabolism of both Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-3151929099021914452015-06-18T12:24:00.000+02:002015-06-19T05:26:10.392+02:00Training in Hypoxia Makes You Stronger, Bigger & Leaner | Short Rest Doubles Energy Expenditure During & After Ex. | C+E + NSAID + Whey + Cold Water for "Instant" Recovery
The less you rest, the more you burn.
If you're looking for the latest exercise science news, look no further! In today's installment of the short news you will learn about the effects of different rest intervals on the acute metabolic effects of "battling the rope", the effects of 5-week resistance training in hypoxia on the hormonal response to exercise and muscle strength and exercise Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-15068722508040333142015-02-24T16:30:00.000+01:002015-05-15T05:16:56.070+02:00HMB Powers Abdominal Fat Loss Prowess of Resistance Training - Is This a Result of HMB Increased GH Increases?
Will HMB help you to finally see your abs?
Only recently a study from the Jeremy Townsend et al. reported that the provision of β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate free acid will increase the growth hormone response to resistance training (Townsend. 2015).
Now, we all know that the growth hormone response is not, as some people may still believe, a measure of the total amount of muscle the subjects Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-74154349205789376722015-01-19T16:35:00.000+01:002016-03-28T07:08:25.742+02:00Growth Hormone & GHRH Eliminate Body Fat in the Obese: Up to 23% Subcutaneous & 28% Visceral Fat Loss in 12 Weeks - Natural GH Boosters Still Practically Useless
GHRH analogues like tesamorelin trigger the release of growth hormone.
Beyond its effects on bone growth and musculoskeletal anabolism, growth hormone (GH) plays in important role in the regulation of lipid metabolism, body fat distribution, inflammation and vascular health.
Outside of studies in patients with frank GH deficiency (GHD), there is yet relatively little "non-broscientific" N=1 Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-17160756529730384992014-12-08T13:07:00.000+01:002014-12-08T15:11:25.539+01:00Add Two Pounds of Lean Mass in Three Weeks W/ HIIT. HIIT Sprint Training Builds Muscle & Anaerobic Power While Reducing the Exercise Induced GH Response by 64%
HIIT - A GH diminishing mass builder?
I know it sounds contradictory, at first. If you take into considerations that previous studies show that the post-exercise increase in growth (and other) hormones does not correlate with the beneficial adaptational effects of exercise, it's actually no longer that surprising that researchers from the Department of Exercise Physiology at the Winston-Salem Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-71614292713710889222014-07-20T15:05:00.000+02:002014-07-21T06:37:29.343+02:00Concomitant Training: Cardio Before or After Weights? Cardio First Triggers 916% Increase in Growth Hormone. Plus: 7x Higher Testosterone & 3x Higher IGFBP-3 Peaks
Run first, lift second to end your workouts on an anabolic tune.
I know, judging the anabolic effects of exercise by the post-exercise testosterone, cortisol, growth hormone and IGFBP-3 response is controversial. On the other hand, Claudio Rosa and his colleagues from the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro are right, when they argue that "concurrent training (CT), is an Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-8513106927457735402014-07-16T17:33:00.000+02:002014-07-16T17:33:56.319+02:00HIIT Increases Post-Workout Growth Hormone and Sheds a Marginal Amount of Body Fat, While LISS Decreases GH and Does Nothing for the Physique of Previously Sedentary Men
The HIIT exercise in the study at hand was slightly less demanding ;)
The latest study from the Ritsumeykan University in Japan is another study that compares high intensity interval training (HIIT; 10 sets of 1 min pedaling at 85% of VO2max, 30 s rest between sets) and steady state (LISS; 22 minutes of pedaling at 45% of VO2max) aka classic "cardio" training, but it's a study with a Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-51706768940680481262014-04-25T14:39:00.000+02:002014-04-25T14:39:31.753+02:00Exercise Order Reloaded: Testosterone Advantage of Doing Weights First Does Not Persist over 24 Week Study Period ➲ Strength Gains Identical, But GH Difference is Suspicious
Could the "wrong" exercise order be holding you back?
If you take a look at the SuppVersity articles with the keyword "exercise order" (click here to do that now), you will probably find "good" arguments for both: Doing cardio before and doing cardio after weights - this begs the question, whether it is merely a question of personal preference, doesn't it?
I, for my part, have done Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-90645628621165150312014-03-26T16:36:00.000+01:002014-03-26T17:37:38.742+01:00Pycnogenol-Based Antioxidant Supplement Lactaway(TM) Boosts Resistance Training Performance, But Reduces GH Release by 60% - Is the Growth Hormone "Loss" Relevant?
Performance ↑, Growth Hormone ↓
Alright, I know that no one actually knows how important the post-exercise increase in systemic growth hormone actually is when it comes to building muscle (there is little doubt that the local expression of splice variants is relevant). In spite of that I still feel it's still worth mentioning that a group of researchers from Australia and the United Kingdom Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-53293337158982259742014-02-03T18:02:00.001+01:002014-02-03T18:02:34.625+01:00More BFR Lovin': Can the Cortisol + GH Response to Blood Flow Restriction Explain the Strength Gains We're Seeing?
"Cuffed up and ready to grow"? Yes, but STRONGER, but not necessarily bigger - that's at least what the latest research seems to suggest. Research that's bringing us back to the influence of exercise induced changes in growth hormone, cortisol and co, we all love so much ;-)
If you've read my article "Strength ⇧ | Size ⇩ - That's the Result of 7 Weeks With Three Additional Sets of Blood Flow Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-34328984863342452952013-11-20T18:47:00.001+01:002013-11-20T18:47:41.701+01:00Arginine Blunts Growth Hormone Response to Resistance Training: Will the -41% Reduction in Post-Workout Growth Hormone Release Hamper Your Strength & Size Gains?
Arginine-based pre-workout products are more popular with guys than with girls. Could this be the reason that only women complain about unlovedly rapid muscle gains? ;-)
No, this is not a typo! The verb in the headline of today's SuppVersity article really is "to blunt", as in "to neutralize partially" (OED Online 2013). I have to admit that I was also surprised, when I spotted the study over Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-48197527981142202892013-10-12T16:26:00.000+02:002013-10-12T16:26:39.509+02:00IL-6 - True Muscle Builder or Just a Measure of Workout Intensity? Plus: If Testosterone Does Not Matter, Why Does the Androgen Receptor Density Make a Difference?
No matter how close we look, the influence of previous, i.e. GH, IGF-1 and testosterone, as well as novel, i.e. IL-6 and AR expression, potentially growth promoting suspects remains elusive.
SuppVersity readers know, there is more to "inflammation" than the average mass media article will make you believe. The same "bad cytokines" that will decrease your insulin sensitivity, make you sick and Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-30465813327452665882013-05-30T16:22:00.002+02:002016-06-05T04:13:00.568+02:00Slow Down to Build Up? 4x Higher Growth Hormone After Slow (4s) Eccentric Biceps Curls, But What's It Worth?
Fast or slow for eccentric biceps curls? Is that a question of faith or can science provide us with an adequate answer?
"What the ****? Training slowly is for pussies!" Ok, admittedly the subjects in the study today's SuppVersity article is going to deal with were ladies (obviously no pussies), but I do not need a study, to tell you that the "pussy" training can hurt significantly more than Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-10333505665669032382013-03-06T18:28:00.001+01:002013-03-25T11:55:31.420+01:00Exercise Science - True of False? Large Muscles First for Growth? Cooling Works Before & After Workouts? Senior Olympians Have Healthy Bones? Hypoxia + HIT = WIN?
I know it's difficult to resist guys, but first things first: Study confirms, you better train the large muscle groups of the upper body first, before you go progress to what many of you probably love the most... no, not what you think now, I am talking about training arms ;-)
I know that you probably think that I had forgotten about the exercise science quickie I announced in Saturday's Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-19098921171181625302012-09-30T18:15:00.000+02:002012-10-16T21:01:27.432+02:00The Female(?) Athlete Triad - Part II/III: LH, GH, IGF1, Insulin, Ghrelin, Leptin & Co Form a Self-Perpetuating Vicious Cycle
I usually rant against pizza and beer, but once the athlete triad has struck, they can be an occasional part of the "healing protocol".
In last Sunday's first installment of this series we have taken a look at the prevalence, etiology and fundamental cause of an entity that is, and I am repeating myself here, profoundly mislabeled as the "female athlete triad". In fact, it is, as we have Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-6839124332739346982012-09-20T17:18:00.001+02:002012-09-20T17:18:38.589+02:00Trimethylglycine aka Betaine Sets the Anabolic Stage for Increased Muscle Growth: Higher IGF-1 & Lower Cortisol - Statistically Significant, but Physiologically (Ir-)Relevant?
Figure 1: Betaine content (in mg/100g) in some common food items (data based on Craig. 2004). Makes me wonder if Popeye ate wheat germ as well or whether he was celiac and stuck to spinach to get his daily dose of pro-anabolic betaine?
Trimethylglycine (TMG) the sciency name for a molecule most of you probably know by the name "betaine" is actually no longer a new-comer to the supplement sceneAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-86965009409935491622012-03-10T18:19:00.001+01:002012-03-10T18:33:52.908+01:00OxyElite, Jack3D and PowerFULL - USPLabs' "Own" Studies Find: The Products Are Safe and OxyElite Does Even Work!
Image 1: When the sales of the "crown jewels" in their line-up is at stake, even the average supp company CEO becomes interested in "science"
You know that I am a huge fan of supplement companies spending some of your (the customers) hard earned money on actual research. The latest "science offensive" from USPLabs, however, has a negative connotation. I mean, you should expect that you Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-37463134300776217462011-10-14T17:23:00.001+02:002011-10-15T12:42:22.768+02:00Differences in Growth Hormone, Insulin and IGF-1 Response in Trained and Untrained Resistance Trainees - Further Evidence That GH Builds Neither Muscle Nor Strength
Image 1: Rookie (top) or veteran (bottom, Jack Lalanne), their hormonal response to push-ups is different, but does not explain the different outcomes of strength training.
If you are a regular, here at the SuppVersity, you will have hear me lament the fact that in many of the mainstream studies on the effects of exercise on body composition, endocrine parameters and so on, the study Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-6370616759628454722011-09-11T17:27:00.002+02:002013-02-27T16:23:49.176+01:00Intermittent Thoughts on Intermittent Fasting - The Fast #1: Metabolic and Endocrine Response(s) During the Fast.
Image 1: "Fasting? Man, everyone knows that this makes you fat and miserable - gimme that frickin' Big Mac I need to keep my metabolic rate elevated!"
(photo boners.com).
While the initial three installments of the Intermittent Thoughts on Intermittent Fasting series focused on dispelling three of the most commonly held beliefs that would speak against the use of an intermittent Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-30142167942387799812011-07-27T08:11:00.005+02:002011-07-27T16:40:45.537+02:00Two Weeks on 2.5g Betaine Increase Performance, IGF1 & Growth Hormone by Antagonizing Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone at the Hypothalamic Level
Image 1: You can probably get some cheap betaine (TMG) from your local fishing (not vitamin) shop.
Sometimes, the thing we have been looking for has been there all along. And, no, I am not talking about the love of your life, but the cheap, effective and side-effect free anti-catabolic ergogenic every hard training athlete and fitness fanatic could benefit from. It turns out, Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-23066645857841814402011-05-25T07:28:00.000+02:002011-05-25T07:28:29.404+02:00High and Low Dose of L-Arginine Equally Ineffective in Promoting Nitric Oxide Synthesis in Young Active Men at Rest - GH and IGF-1 Response Negligible.
Image 1: Arginine based first generation
"nitric oxide booster", such as BSN's
NO-Xplode still have a huge fanbase
"No NO from l-arginine", you probably remember this or similar headlines from a few years ago, when the first studies seemed to indicate that l-arginine, the main "working" ingredient in all the (over-)hyped nitric oxide (NO) boosters that had become an integral Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-62514647955826972662011-01-14T03:36:00.003+01:002011-01-14T07:55:52.169+01:00The Great Feast: Overeating With a Macronutrient Emphasis on Carbs Suppresses GH Levels Via HyperinsulinemiaAn interesting study done by scientists from the Department of Internal Medicine (A.L.B.) at the University of Michigan (Cornfold. 2011) reveals a direct influence of overeating (+75% over maintenance) and the associated rise in insulin on growth hormone levels.
Cornfold et al. found that GH levels of seven (formerly ;-) healthy, nonobese men (body mass index, 24 ± 1 kg/m2; age, 25 ± 1 yr) "Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-26753052314169518272010-11-20T04:00:00.003+01:002010-11-20T04:00:00.824+01:001046 ng/dL Increase in Testosterone for 1.5kg Lean Body Mass in 16 WeeksBefore you read on: This was a study done on 112 men aged 65–90 years, so the results are only partly significant in view of the effects of testosterone supplementation on younger men.
In a double-masked 2x3 factorial design the scientists administered testosterone gel (5g/day vs. 10g/day via Leydig cell clamp) and rhGH (0 vs. 3 vs. 5 µg/kg/d) to the subjects who had a mean baseline testosteroneAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-19698176052303291742010-10-25T03:15:00.000+02:002010-10-25T03:15:00.206+02:00Healthy Aging: Multitude of Health Benefits from Growth Hormone SupplementationWe all do get older and, with that, our hormone levels start to decline. I know, dependent on your gender, you are most probably thinking of your "precious" testosterone or estrogen levels. Science is however just about to understand that there is way more than that to make life worth living even well before the the old age. It is this line of research to which a recent study from scientists of Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-14750433107723931102010-09-07T04:00:00.000+02:002010-09-07T04:00:01.863+02:00IGF1/GH Blance: Determining Factor of Longevity!?Next to plain testosterone GH and IGF-1 doping has attracted more and more attentions from bodybuilders and athletes all over the world. Being propagated as recompositioning agents, the injection of growth hormone (GH) or peptides triggering the release thereof is already common practice among juicers, who might have a genuine interest in the results of a recent study by Marino et al. (Marino. Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-25782668673993163122010-08-11T13:46:00.002+02:002010-08-11T13:48:40.284+02:00L-Ornithine: Arginine's Overlooked Metabolic Child
Molecular structure of l-ornithine
(HMDB. V2.5)
Ornithine is an amino acid produced in the urea cycle by the splitting off of urea from arginine. It is a central part of the urea cycle, which allows for the disposal of excess nitrogen. L-Ornithine is also a precursor of citrulline and arginine BUT hardly any of the self-proclaimed supplement gurus know about its proven effects on exercise Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-60931801589501059202010-07-28T04:57:00.000+02:002010-07-28T04:57:00.128+02:00Further Evidence: High Intensity Exercise Elevates Plasma Testosterone and Growth HormoneA recent study by Shark, et.al. (Shark. 2010) found that a 30 minute (or time to exhaustion) submaximal 55' climbing route significantly increased plasma testosterone (T) and growth hormone (GH) in ten male rock climbers at the age of 21-30 years:
T concentrations significantly (p < 0.05) increased from Pre (6.04±0.31 ng/mL) to IP (7.39 ± 0.40 ng/mL), and returned to baseline at P15 [=15 Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-11712780987656758612010-07-22T06:00:00.015+02:002010-07-22T06:00:06.037+02:00Glutamine: Alanyl-Glutamine or L-Alanine + L-Glutamine - Is There a Difference?Some athletes, mostly bodybuilders, swear by it, yet the results of studies on the ergogenic effect of l-glutamine supplementation are quite unequivocal. A recent study (Petry. 2010) investigated the effect of alanyl-glutamine (DIP, at 1.5 g/kg, n=8), L-glutamine + L-alanine (GLN+ALA, at 1 and 0.61 g/kg, respectively; n=8) or water (CONTR, n=8) supplementation on various exercise-related Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.com