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.comBlogger17619999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-67279212047198591222020-02-23T03:33:00.001+01:002020-02-23T03:41:59.384+01:00'Spiking' (not Replacing) Suboptimal Amounts of #Whey With #EAAs Yields Increase in Net Protein Balance, Yet not(!) Protein Synthesis in Muscle - Acute Response Study
You will probably have read about the results of this recent study from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences elsewhere already - hopefully in an article that applied the same rigorous scrutiny as this one.
"Wait: EAAs are better than whey?" If that's your overgeneralized and essentially wrong (there was no comparison of EAA vs. Whey, but one of EAA+whey vs. whey 😎) Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-54059543003261764012020-02-15T04:39:00.000+01:002020-02-15T04:39:13.328+01:00Blood Flow Restriction Training 2020: What's New on Age, Sex, and Contralateral Gains | Plus: Limiting Discomfort!?
It may sound awesome but eventually training only one arm is no viable long-term strategy. Having learned about the ability of BFR to increase/facilitate contralateral gains in today's SuppVersity article, you could yet well use it when you're injured and unable to train one of your limbs (legs/quads should work, too).
In today's third installment of the 2020 research updates, I Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-29583568926243087392019-10-21T07:49:00.000+02:002019-10-21T07:55:50.382+02:00New Barbell Design: ~20% Increased Pectoralis Activity, Dumbbell-ish + Natural Movement, Lower Load, Lower Injury Risk - Is the 'Free-Grip' Barbell Worth Investing in?
Don't pre-order yet: We don't know if you are a 'responder' and even if you are whether your gains will actually benefit from allegedly increased muscle activity (eventually it's not even clear that high EMG = high motor unit activity, cf. Vigotsky 2017). The promise of achieving greater muscle activity at lower weights while embracing the strengths of barbells (stability, easily rackable) and Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-28676199415845545922019-08-21T04:27:00.000+02:002019-08-21T04:32:25.340+02:00Full vs. Half-Squats - Study Measures Actual Size Gains! A Tie for Quads, a Fail for Hams, and a Small Win for Glutes
The result, the full-squat is slightly superior, is not as clear as you may have expected it to be. Furthermore, the study suggests that you won't get away without an additional hamstring exercise if you want tree-trunk legs and a fabulous behind.
A new study (Kubo 2019) in the "European Journal of Applied Physiology" compared the effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-16927402250451007552019-02-26T03:15:00.000+01:002019-02-26T03:21:46.506+01:00Revisited: Squatting W/ Weightlifting Shoes and "Elevation Masks" - Results of New Studies Appear Initially Surprising
Weight lifting shoes don't make a difference and "elevation masks" (those things that simply impair your ability to breath) work... they increase your cerebral oxygenation - don't rely on the potentially misleading abstracts, alone... read SuppVersity!
Stronger, faster, leaner, ... and obviously more muscular. If you want to achieve all that, you got to invest the effort it takes to trigger Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-69707702199384979472018-10-15T03:35:00.000+02:002018-10-15T03:41:57.364+02:00If the Androgen Receptor Response to Training Determines Your Gainz, the Question is: How Can You Optimize 'ur AR Density? Training-, Diet-, and Supplement-Effects Reviewed
Your androgen receptor status may not just determine how much muscle you gain - the data from Morton et al. seems to suggest that it even determines if you make visible muscle gains, at all.
Unless you've missed following the SuppVersity on Facebook, yet, you will remember my recent, highly popular post which previewed the results of a recent study from the McMaster University in Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-22227016265310449682018-09-30T02:48:00.001+02:002018-09-30T03:07:06.542+02:00'Native' Whey, the Superior Whey? Transient Benefits on 'Recovery', No Size or Performance Gains in 12-Week RCT
'Natural' whey is filtered right out of skim milk, 'regular' whey from the liquid 'waste" that accumulates in the cheese production - that's at least how the scientists in the study at hand define 'natural' - in the literature 'natural whey' often refers to whey concentrate/isolate vs. hydrolysates, ie. quasi-predigested protein with a completely different peptide content.
I've discussed Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-39619876305253465722018-09-01T13:19:00.000+02:002018-09-01T13:25:33.082+02:00Acute Effects of Stretching Before Workouts and Long-Term Effects of Separate Stretches | Plus: Stretch→Hypertrophy?
I am not aware of studies on intra-workout stretching as joggers do it sometimes.
I've recently overheard a discussion about stretching between the two other members of my gym. Both of them were highlighting out how detrimental stretching before workouts was and that, instead, you should do your stretches at the end of your workouts because, after all, you don't wont to lose your flexibility. Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-52891151264104708262018-01-13T03:24:00.002+01:002018-01-13T07:31:45.656+01:00Cold Water or Whole Body Cryotherapy Which (if any) Shall You Use? Active Recovery = ↑ Testosterone = ↑ Gainz?
The use of and effects of post-workout stretching and related purported recovery boosters on the adaptational response to sports is IMHO astonishingly under-researched (Barnett 2006).
The latest issue of the European Journal of Applied Physiology features not one, but rather a bunch of interesting and (in many cases) practically relevant papers. Reason enough for me to address them Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-76348604594401397772017-12-14T01:40:00.001+01:002017-12-14T01:47:20.820+01:00Caffeine & Creatine - Synergists, not Antagonists!? RCT: "Caffeine Potentiates Effects of Creatine" on Torque (+68%)
If you're looking for the extra-kick in leg workouts, the combination of caffeine and creatine may be just what you need.
You will remember that I wrote about the results of Trexel's dissertation from 2015 and that his experimental evidence (real-world) refutes the previously postulated negative feedback of caffeine on the effect of creatine monohydrate on phosphocreatine stores (Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-37092009741063251642017-11-29T02:10:00.000+01:002017-11-29T02:15:31.449+01:00The Ergogenic Effect of 'F*ck', 'Sh*t' & Co: Swearing Boosts Physical Power (+5%, Wingate) & Muscular Strength (Grip)
In case you wondered why 'that guy' at the gym, today, kept swearing despite the critical glances of the rest of the gym members? Well, he has probably read the SuppVersity article at hand before everyone else and decided to put performance before decency, bro ;-)
It may sound odd and unlikely, but eventually the hypothesis Richard Stephens and colleagues came up with is logical: "Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-85277844824877688962017-11-18T13:24:00.003+01:002017-11-18T13:30:53.261+01:00Leucine, Whey Concentrate, Hydro Whey or Soy - How do They Affect Beginner's Early Muscle & Strength Gains?
12 weeks of serious resistance training will transform the body of beginners, but it'll do that regardless of whether you supplement with protein or not, doctoral thesis shows.
The headline of today's SuppVersity article summarizes the research question of a recently published doctoral thesis by Christopher Brooks Mobley (Mobley 2017). In that, Mobley started with the hypothesis thatAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-76692707320960492422017-11-14T04:07:00.002+01:002017-11-14T04:14:58.191+01:00From Hero to Zero - HMB Doesn't Work at All... in Athletes and Trained Individuals, Latest Meta-Analysis Suggests
If we go by the results of this latest meta-analysis, athletes and experienced gymrats don't benefit from HMB supplements.
Roughly 4 years ago, HMB, which, once hailed as "as potent as a weak androgenic steroid", had been forgotten by most fitness enthusiasts, when - all of a sudden - a single study by Wilson et al. put it back into the limelight. In fact, there's hardly a study that has been Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-79836579183430490942017-10-15T05:01:00.000+02:002017-10-16T02:30:42.901+02:00Update on GAINZ: More Muscle & Strength W/ Exercises You Like | Deadlifting Unshoed NO Power Booster | 50% Sugar NOT Anti-Anabolic | Cryotherapy NO Recovery Boost
No, bro - Losing your shoes won't allow you to magically lift thrice your BW when your current 1-RM is only twice your BW.
Who would have thought that? If trained subjects are allowed to chose their 'favorite' exercises (or those they deem most productive) they gain 63% more lean mass in a realistic 9-week study (difference short of sign., though). I guess compared to this result from a recentAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-24690134606492774172017-09-04T02:56:00.001+02:002017-09-05T11:26:06.400+02:00Research Update: Do NSAIDs Augment or Impair Exercise Induced Hypertrophy & Strength Gains in Young and Old?
Are you young and healthy? Then, high-dose NSAIDs may ruin your quad-gainz.
If you browse the SuppVersity Archive, you will find that NSAIDs, i.e. Non-Steroid(=not based on cortisone)-Anti-inflammatory-Drugs like aspirin, celecoxib, diclofenac, ibuprofen, or indomethacin, are not as bad as the bros in the locker-room may have told you.
In fact, a relatively recent study by Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-32160118621906499642017-08-26T03:11:00.000+02:002017-08-26T03:14:47.265+02:0095% Reduced CK (Marker of Muscle Damage) + Pain After Eccentric Curls W/ Ischemic Pre-Conditioning (3x5min BFR)
In the study at hand, the cuffs were applied before, not during the exercise.
This is not the first and it's certainly not going to be the last SuppVersity article about blood flow restriction (BFR). In contrast to previous articles, today's blog post does yet not focus on the effects of acute blood flow restriction on performance or gains. Rather than that, it discusses a recent Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-76378018578876604702017-08-01T02:06:00.000+02:002017-08-02T06:40:35.492+02:00Energy Requirements of Resistance Training: Training Legs Burns 2x More Energy Than Biceps, Squatting 35kcal+/min
Squats feel like and are energy hungry.
I don't know if you own a fitness tracker. If you do, however, you will know that the number it's going to give you when you've been working out (as in lifting weight) is random and usually completely off what you'd estimate you burned in the gym... speaking of which: What's your estimate? How much are you going to burn on that biceps curls and during Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-8854988768170466762017-07-12T01:14:00.001+02:002017-07-12T01:20:07.321+02:00A Set of Elastic Bands W/ Adequate Resistance Can Fully Replace the Gym When You're Travelling - True or False?!
If you're doing only single-joint aka isolation exercises, you could fully replace your gym with a complete set of resistance training bands.
Wouldn't it be nice if all you had to do to be able to continuously make progress in the gym while you're traveling without even having to go there... I mean, to a gym? That's obviously a rhetorical question - a question the results of a recent study Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-64900103472814958532017-06-20T02:16:00.000+02:002017-06-20T02:22:58.999+02:00Velocity Training Revisited: 20% or 40% Reduction in Bar Velocity on Barbell Squats - What'll Yield Greater Gains?
Squats, squats and, you guessed it squats - That's all the subjects did in this 8-week study W/ trained young men.
Back in the early days of the SuppVersity, I reported the results of a resistance training study which showed that interrupting your sets, when you can no longer perform the exercise at maximal velocity yielded quite astonishing increases in muscle gains - despite stopping severalAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-30981969657695396242017-06-06T01:55:00.000+02:002017-06-06T02:00:02.067+02:00Creatine Non-Responder? Age+Meat Intake - Determinants of Creatine's Effect on PCr (±200%) + Probably Performance
Vegetarian strength athletes belong to the group of people who will probably benefit most from creatine supplementation. Their young, meat-eating peers, on the other hand, may well turn out to be non-responders, because they see highly individual, but overall only non-significant increases in phosphocreatine.
It has been a while since I published the last creatine article ("Dubious Effects of Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-21766329530783222962017-04-22T03:46:00.001+02:002017-04-22T10:07:41.289+02:00Visualization Boosts Strength Gains - 'Mental Effort' Boosts Biceps Strength Gains on Low Intensity Workout by 20%!
The study setup looked sign. different.
You will have heard or read about resistance training experts and bodybuilders alike bragging about "focus" and "visualization" being keys to maximal strength and muscle gains. Now, a recent study from the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports in China, the Lerner Research Institute, the Kessler Foundation and the New Jersey Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-91554008382134672332017-03-10T03:41:00.000+01:002017-03-10T03:47:05.869+01:00Where do Your Strength Gains Come From? Muscle Activity > Hypertrophy > Initial Strength - 3/5 Candidates Matter
Find out what's taking you from PR to PR, is it an increase in muscle size or activation on how important is how strong you already are?
Have you ever asked yourselves why you've been adding 20lbs of weight to your squat and your legs still don't look any bigger? If you're a man you're probably not happy about that. I am not sure if the insights into Balshaw et al.'s recent study provide into Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-58785285892138370012017-02-18T04:34:00.001+01:002017-02-18T06:31:28.589+01:00Barbell Squats - Research Update: Bar Placement, ROM and Muscle Activation | Plus: What's 'Best' for Strength & Size?
Where on your traps you place the bar makes a huge difference in biomechanics.
This is not the first article in which I try to shed the light of science on the effects of full vs. partial squats. The effect of where you place the bar during the barbell back squat, however, hasn't been addressed in detail in previous SuppVersity articles.
In fact, I would guess that the novices among the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-21696077296427366672017-02-13T04:17:00.000+01:002017-02-13T04:37:40.517+01:00Bench Press Study: The Higher the Weight, the Less of it Will be Lifted by Your Pecs - What are the Implications?
Lighter weight = relatively larger contribution of the pecs ≠ greater gains
In their latest paper in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, Henryk Król, and Artur Golas (2017) write about an experiment they designed to identify the "prime movers" during the bench press - an interesting and methodologically complex experiment that can tell us one or two things about the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-61617388684998519622017-02-09T03:53:00.004+01:002017-02-11T07:04:09.904+01:00Training to Failure - Overtraining Prone & Useless? | Part 1/2 of a Research Update of 3 Popular 'Intensity Techniques'
No deadlifts in Nóbrega's training to failure study and + there are other issues w/ the "one-legged leg extension, only"-design.
Be honest, even though you may know that there's no convincing evidence of the superiority of training to failure, doing pyramid sets and/or drop-sets for increased size and strength your gut says: "Bro, that feels so damn challenging. It's got to work!"
That'sAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-22330287534880024542017-01-08T04:12:00.000+01:002017-01-08T04:18:36.715+01:00Pyramid-, Synergistic & Antagonistic Supersetting - How do Experienced Resistance Trainees' Brain & Brawn React?
While all subjects in the study at hand were men, there's no reason to believe that the results for women would be fundamentally different.
Ok, let's get the most significant message out right away: the study at hand will not be able to tell you which of the four regimens (the fourth being traditional training) is going to maximize your individual 2017 gains. What it will and does do, Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-78177685470337056752016-12-25T04:00:00.003+01:002016-12-25T07:38:02.498+01:00Upper Body Workout Doesn't Impair 48h Leg-Day Recovery, Lactobacillus for Immunity & Alcohol Impairs Your Gains
PWO alcohol is not for male athletes. But before you rejoice, ladies. The ill health effects of a given amount of alcohol are more severe for the fairer sex.
It's Christmas! And you can almost smell the new year with its smell of alcohol approach... and that's bad news for your gains, as a recent study in the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows. With a Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-84511926708686832772016-12-23T02:30:00.000+01:002016-12-23T02:33:48.420+01:00Synergistic or Non-Synergistic Split Training - Is Intl. Chest + Biceps Monday Dead? Quite the Opposite, Study Says
Yes, we are talking about a study in trained individuals, bros :-)
This is not the first SuppVersity article to address the usefulness and efficacy of different split routines (learn more). What makes the study at hand special, though, is that it addressed the issue in previously resistance trained subjects with at least 2 years of regular training under their weight lifting belts.
The Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-88460544807380202202016-12-21T05:28:00.000+01:002016-12-22T03:39:22.054+01:00Not Making Progress? New RCT: 'Personal Training' Sheds Twice as Much Body Fat and Quadruples Muscle Gains...
Certainly not a photo from the study.
I have to admit that I have never even remotely thought about hiring a personal trainer or coach. A mistake? Well, unlike the lives of the obese subjects in a recent study from the Western State Colorado University (Dalleck. 2016), my life does not depend on it and still, with my tendency to always do too much instead of too little, I am almost Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-48960126810577621192016-10-15T04:49:00.000+02:002016-10-15T04:53:50.836+02:00Cycling Only 10 Min After Workouts Promotes Recovery as Effectively, Cheaper and More Conveniently Than Ice Baths
Active recovery in the form of light intensity exercise, such as walking or cycling on a cycle ergometer may be suitable for every exercise modality and is not more or less effective than the much fancier but rareley available cold water immersion therapy
Cold water immersion and active recovery are common post-exercise recovery treatments you've read about before at the SuppVersity. With the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-27025730107817687412016-10-05T04:00:00.000+02:002017-05-18T02:43:17.710+02:00Hitting it After Weights - Nothing but Benefits? Not Exactly, but Systemically Impaired Strength & Size Gains are a Myth
Has your cardio-addiction held you back in the past? That does not mean that a short HIIT training after an RT workout will do the same, does it?
Right from the University of Athens comes new paper by Tsitkanou et al. (2016). In their study the Greek scientists investigated whether high-intensity interval cycling performed immediately after resistance training would inhibit Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-25250415176371325722016-09-10T13:44:00.003+02:002016-09-10T16:40:18.322+02:00Double Your Muscle, Maximize Your Endurance Gains: Train in the PM, not the AM, and Do Your Cardio Before Weights
Both, time and exercise order matter - at least when untrained subjects have trained for at least 12 weeks.
The debate about whether you should (a) do cardio and weights together and (b) whether you shall do either or both in the AM or PM for maximal muscle anabolism is older than the SuppVersity and has thus been addressed in many of the hitherto published approx. 2300 articles on Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-16690811521189442702016-08-31T04:52:00.000+02:002016-08-31T15:06:53.493+02:00Guanidinoacetic Acid (GAA) 'Superior' to Creatine in Terms of Bioenergetic & Health Effects on Brain, Muscle & More?
Not so fast! Just because it may have shuttled more creatine into the muscle GAA does not have to be able to build more strength or size.
It has been a while since the last creatine article was published. Luckily, the publication of the latest paper from Sergej M. Ostojic lab at the University of Novi Sad (Ostojic. 2016b) will change that... as soon as I've analyzed the study and written Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-39502828087031028542016-08-18T04:53:00.000+02:002016-08-18T08:26:16.596+02:00Drop-Sets Build, Don't Destroy Older Muscle - 50-Y+ Agers Gain >200% More Lean Muscle W/ Extra Creatine | What do Other Studies Say About the Power of Doing Drop-Sets?
Should she drop the weight and add another set? Whether dropsets are superior to regular workouts is unfortu-nately a question the study at hand cannot answer. To learn more, you should read the information in the red box.
What I really like about having a few thousand friends on Facebook is that you point me to the few interesting studies I may not have read yet. One of these studies Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-84080588612386112462016-08-14T04:17:00.000+02:002016-08-14T04:21:08.629+02:00Blood Flow Restricted LISS, but not HIIT, Will Boost VO2Max (5%), as Well as Strength (20%) - Perfect for Athletes' Rehab
I have to admit: Unless you're injured and in rehab or belong to any other group of athletes where high
mechanical loading is contraindicated or impractical, BFR is not exactly something you "have" to do, because everything else was worse.
If you want to improve both strength and conditioning, there is usually no way to train accordingly, i.e. do "cardio" (aerobic training) at high(er) Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-84581341366720816182016-08-12T04:17:00.000+02:002018-09-05T03:56:55.169+02:00Full Squat for Full Size Gains, Partial Squat for Full Strength Benefits - Heavy(/-ier) Weights for Both Size & Strength
In most, but unfortunately not all studies, this would be a partial squat...
The latest resistance training study from the Charles Sturt University comes to a somewhat expected suggestion in the practical implications: "[R]esistance training programs designed to change body composition (e.g., hypertrophy, fat loss) are reliant not so much on power and force but more on total work Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-57665234957395181522016-08-09T14:42:00.000+02:002016-08-09T18:07:27.409+02:00Phosphatidic Acid Supplementation Fails to Augment the Benefits of Resistance Training in Trained Young Men
Phosphatidic Acid Powder, Pills or Whatnot - Yet Another Supp You Do Not Need? Or “Possibly” and “Likely” Good for Individuals with a Minimum of 1 Year Gym Experience (3+ workouts/wk) ?
The observation that phosphatidic acid (PA) will promote the expression of the mTORC1 and thus trigger an increase in protein synthesis has created some excitement among supplement junkies. After all, it wouldAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-46645315238934014372016-08-05T04:18:00.000+02:002016-08-05T04:23:43.382+02:00Building Extra-Strength With Cluster Training (6x1 With 25s Rest) - Works, but Classic Strength Training is also Effective
Cluster training is something most of you will be familiar with. To do it back squats, instead of curls or bench presses, however, is something you don't see very often in the gym, these days - rightly so?
If you want to build muscle strength or size, muscle contractions are obligatory. If that should necessarily be done at high intensities and until failure is still a much debated topic - Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-74237856170581866452016-07-29T08:50:00.000+02:002016-07-29T08:59:45.007+02:00Go Slow to Grow: Almost 3x Bigger Biceps W/ Slow Reps
Beware: Results could differ for e.g. legs.
12 weeks of "[r]esistance training [of the elbow flexors = biceps] with slow speed of movement is better for hypertrophy and muscle strength gains than fast speed of movement," that's the title and conclusion of a recent study from the Federal University of São Paulo (Pereira. 2016), a results that may surprise those of you who have been Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-18144410698213950652016-06-29T03:08:00.000+02:002016-06-29T03:15:00.821+02:00Creatine Uptake, Bioavailability, and Efficacy - We've Gotten it all Wrong and Low Serum Creatine Levels are Better!?
If you put some faith into the marketing campaigns of supp producers, there's a creatine for everyone: one to get lean, one to get strong and one to get big and buffed... bullocks!
It has been a while since I've discussed the bioavailability of different forms of creatine. On various supplement sites, the notion that there was one form of creatine that was significantly more bioavailable and Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-71137813315245061262016-06-27T04:12:00.000+02:002016-12-30T07:52:30.950+01:00Strength Plateau? Try Daily Changing Loads: In Advanced Trainees, A, B, C-Days W/ 15, 10, 5 Reps at 70, 80, 90% 1RM Boost 6-Week Strength Gains on All Major Lifts by ~40%
DCL, i.e. using daily changing loads worked for both, men and women.
The object of today's SuppVersity article comes almost from around the corner: a study conducted by Christoph Eifler, a scientist from the Department of Applied Training Science at the German University of Applied Sciences for Prevention and Health Management (DHfPG) in Saarbrücken (Germany) that is supposed to provide "Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-242295061609526272016-05-11T03:04:00.001+02:002016-05-11T03:18:02.013+02:00Accentuated Eccentric, Extra-Ordinary Gains - Benefits are Exuberant Compared to Trained Subjects' Own Split-Routine
Single-arm dumbbell curls are unquestionably the exercise people will do most frequently with accentuated eccentrics and supra-maximal loads. Unfortunately, the study at hand used only leg exercises. So no information about arm-development, here..
As a very recent paper in Frontiers in Physiology rightly point out, "it becomes more challenging to induce further neuromuscular [...], Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-75660224328595323262016-04-29T03:14:00.000+02:002016-04-29T03:34:51.149+02:00Breakdown aka Drop-Sets, Another Very Popular Advanced Training Technique W/Out Sign. Adaptational Advantages?!
"There are some crossovers between size training and strength training, and using drop-sets and ladder sets will definitely give some benefit ...," this is what you can read on the Internet, but is that true?
In view of the fact that resistance training (RT) leading to momentary muscular failure (MMF) has been evidenced as producing significantly greater muscular strength and hypertrophic Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-41020147617697137192016-04-25T03:56:00.001+02:002016-04-25T04:06:52.714+02:00Discontinuing the Set When You Slow Down on Squats May Boost Strength Gains + Preserve MHC-IIX Fiber Percentage
You want to get rid of those tiny weights and squat big time? Maybe you should watch your squatting velocity... and no, I am not talking about slowing down - rather about keeping your rep speed.
While the headline may suggest that this is yet another article about time under tension, the "speed" I refer to in the headline is only indirectly related to the TUT concept. Rather than that, speed, Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-75152184730370581642016-04-19T14:38:00.000+02:002016-04-19T14:57:28.796+02:00Creatine: 17-20g for Loading is Bogus, 5-7g May be More Than Necessary to Maintain, Study in Gymrats Suggests
Yes, this study suggests that my previous statement that 3g of creatine per day are probably enough.... still direct comparisons of diff. doses are warranted.
You may remember that I wrote about the uselessness and possible negative effects of creatine loading on your body composition in October 2015. In the respective study, the scientists did yet not measure if there wasn't still a benefit Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-2387314077804141792016-04-13T16:39:00.001+02:002016-04-13T16:59:42.688+02:00Resting as Long as You Think Fit Reduces Training Time W/Out Reducing the Workload & (Hopefully) Your Gains
The study provides only preliminary evidence, but it is evidence...
You will certainly remember the SuppVersity article about the beneficial effects of long(er) rest times on strength and size gains from November last year (read more).
Now, after I posted this article, a discussion evolved about whether you actually have to wait that long (3 min) after exercises that don't leave Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-6968975616903288432016-04-06T04:37:00.003+02:002016-04-06T05:28:17.511+02:00Full-Body vs. Split Workouts: Body Composition Changes Favor Volume-Equated FB Workouts in Trained Athletes
I guess that most of you will be training according to a split workout, right? You can do so many great bench press and biceps curl variations on "International Chest + Biceps"-Monday... awesome, right? Ok, enough of the sarcasm and back to the science. In this case, a recent study by scientists from the National Research Institute in Warsaw, the Sports Performance Research Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-63021138596564516172016-04-02T04:38:00.001+02:002016-04-02T07:32:13.879+02:00Cardio Can BOOST Your Gains?! Do it Before Weights and be Rewarded With 28% Increased Fiber Size & VO2 Gains
It may be important that the subjects cycled, because a recent review of the potential interference of cardio w/ strength training shows that cycling is the least likely to affect your gains (Murach. 2016).
In previous articles at the SuppVersity, I have written about the still ubiquitous concern that cardio training (or aerobic training, in general) could hamper your size and strength Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-70762576023737426342016-03-19T11:27:00.002+01:002016-03-19T16:13:50.191+01:00Finally, the 1st Blood-Flow Restriction + Classic Training Periodization Study is There and the Gains are Impressive
No, the study did not use a simple rope or band to restrict blood flow. Instead an automated system was used that kept the pressure at stable 100mmHg.
As a SuppVersity reader you know that blood flow restricted training is - at best - as effective as regular resistance training and can thus only be recommended as an adjunct to your regular training (efficacy unproven) or replacement for Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-91834044329046877532016-02-27T06:40:00.001+01:002016-02-27T10:29:04.048+01:00Mo, We, Fr - Sequence of Hypertrophy, Power & Strength Will Up Your Gains on the Big Three (Squat, Bench, Deadlift)
Squat, bench press, deadlift - All major three benefit from the right order in your daily undulating periodization program (DUP) - This is how it works...
As a SuppVersity reader you are familiar with the term "undulating periodization". In contrast to regular periodization schemes, undulating schemes will have you train in different rep ranges on a weekly or - as in the latest study by Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-89331592912190630432015-12-28T16:41:00.001+01:002015-12-28T17:36:50.827+01:00"HIIT-ing it After Arm Workouts Will Ruin Your Gains", Study Says and Confuses Statistical and Practical Significance
Does this look as if sprinting would impair muscular development of arms or any other muscle? I mean, come on - look at the average sprinter: Many gymrats dream of the arms and overall muscular physique they have; no wonder that the data from the full-text shows a different picture than the abstract would suggest.
I have repeatedly written about combining strength and classic endurance Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-78689757774286481172015-11-27T18:41:00.002+01:002015-11-27T19:02:33.149+01:00Resting 3 vs. 1 Min. Between Sets Pays Off: Greater Size + Strength Gains - Probably Mediated by 15% Higher Volume
Resting long enough to maximize your training volume could be the key to success, i.e. strength and size gains.
If you have been following the various affords to ascribe differences in strength and, even more so, size-increases to a specific training variable, you will remember that the only promising parameters that appear to be supported by more than the literal "outlier study" areAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-84652280560245566352015-11-23T18:47:00.001+01:002016-10-10T08:38:43.102+02:00Training "On Cycle", Done Right - Women See Much Better Results When Periodization is in Line W/ Menstrual Cycle
Yes, I could have exploited the ambiguity and called this article "Training 'On Cycle', Done Right - Women See Much Better Results When Periodization is in Line W/ Their Period", but let's be honest: This is a science website and that's neither scientific, nor actually funny, is it?
As a man, I have to admit to being at best well-read, yet not experienced in all things "menstrual cycle". So, Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-46201509899171268182015-10-30T17:36:00.000+01:002018-11-06T06:32:59.488+01:00Chains & Bands Can Double Your 1RM Strength Gains on the Bench and in the Squat Rack, Meta-Analysis Shows
Dude, it won't suffice to just bring your chains to the gym to show them off, you will also have to attach them to the barbell before squatting and benching to see results... and bro, the science on the benefits of elastic bands is much more solid - even though they are not as "cool"!
I've written about the use of bands and chains in previous SuppVersity articles, but Miguel A. Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-74011357679286057602015-10-17T10:18:00.001+02:002015-10-17T10:30:53.188+02:00BFR Preconditioning Not Better Than Placebo? Long Rest Periods For Sustained Testosterone Increase? Train One Leg, Grow Both? - Resistance Training Update October '14
Single-legged leg presses that make both legs stronger are only one of many topics, today.
Time for an update on the latest resistance training research - just the interesting stuff, obviously ;-) What exactly? Well, let's see: We'll take a look at how long rest periods sustain the exercise induced. Then, we'll dive right into a placebo-controlled study on blood flow restriction as a means of Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-48742344135038553972015-10-13T10:38:00.000+02:002018-11-03T01:50:54.084+01:00Study Probes Muscle Building Effects of Vitamin D in Young and Old and Finds None, but Relative Strength in Old and Fiber Composition & Myostatin in Young Muscle Respond
Old or young, who is going to benefit and who is going to benefit most from vitamin D supplementation during a 12-week resistance training regimen. Unfortunately, we don't have an unambiguous answer - yet!?
Ok, I have to admit, I could have kept up the suspense by not giving away the main result of Jakob Agergaard's and colleagues' latest study in the headline, already. On the other hand, by Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-63227122607818859712015-10-07T10:42:00.005+02:002016-02-09T05:44:27.129+01:00Creatine Loading - Unnecessary or Counterproductive? No Significant Difference, but Slight Advantage for Low Dose, No-Loading Protocol in 10-Week Study W/ Elite Footballers
Not just for women who are always afraid of an increase in water retention, loading protocols may not exactly be the best way of taking creatine monohydrate.
Let's be clear, here: I do not doubt that using 20g of creatine per day for 1-2 weeks aka "creatine loading" is the fastest way to supercompensate one's intra-muscular phosphocreatine and thus short-term energy stores.
What I Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-16284886553914907692015-09-12T16:53:00.000+02:002016-11-21T05:08:33.462+01:00Whey vs. Casein - Casein-Exclusive Increase in GLUT-4 Expression Beats Whey's Insulinogenic Effect // Creatine Builds Legs of Young & Old, Rookie & Pro, BB & Cyclist
If you drink "old school" protein shakes with milk and eggs, you don't have to worry if casein or whey is better on hypercaloric diets ;-)
Creatine, whey and - at least optionally - casein are on the list of "must have" supplements for anyone who has been following a solid workout routine a decent high(er) protein diet for a year or longer. And even though this makes any news study on one of Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-8018330528627919312015-09-10T19:54:00.001+02:002015-09-10T19:54:45.084+02:00Milk Fat Globule Membranes Power Up Strength Gains by Improving the Wiring of Subjects' Muscles | Plus: Its Proven Health, EPO & Immune-Boosting Effects Won't Hurt Either
At the moment it is by no means clear which type of athlete / gymrat would benefit from milk fat globule membrane supplementation and which wouldn't. It's after all well possible that the effects Soga et al. observed in rookies wouldn't occur in adv. trainees or professional athletes.
After the study on nucleotide supplements the Satako Soga's latest paper on the dietary supplementation with Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-37122534917916157282015-08-31T15:30:00.001+02:002015-08-31T16:09:43.349+02:00Training to Failure and Modifying Rest Times: Two Ways to Maximize Muscle Activity? Two Studies, Similar Implications
This is what science looks like... Well, at least in the Hiscock study, where the subjects, 10 young men with at leas 12 months of training experience did regular and hammer dumbbell curls on the preacher bench - (photo | Hiscock. 2015).
In today's SuppVersity feature article, I am going to address not one, but two potentially highly relevant articles from the Journal of Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-34362040486631223002015-08-12T15:05:00.000+02:002015-08-12T16:06:59.327+02:00Is Adding Single Joint Movements on Top of Multi-Joint Exercises Necessary to Build Bigger & Stronger Arms?
If Arnold did them you should do them, too - right? Curls and triceps extensions for bigger arms. A recent study in subjects with at least two years of resistance training experience negates that: Neither size nor strength of the arms will benefit from isolation exercises. At least in trained athletes on an ABAB regimen w/ 4 workouts per week that's the case.
Some people say: "Squats, Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-6449219222687844542015-07-26T19:07:00.001+02:002015-07-27T05:53:50.333+02:00No Additional Gains With PWO Protein + Leucine Shakes in Rookies? Why the "Shocking" Results of a Recent Study Don't Mean That They, Let Alone You, Cannot Benefit at All
You can't expect wonders from protein supplements... no matter, when you take them, by the way. But I wouldn't mark them down as useless - even for rookies - based on the study at hand.
When I look at the 14 year old kids who need an written permission from their mum to train at the gym buying protein tons o powders and dozens of bars from the vending machines at the gym, even I have to shake Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-67189508720283228732015-07-20T16:29:00.000+02:002015-07-20T16:44:23.764+02:00Creatine & Caffeine Don't Mix!? True or False? Recent Study Sheds *New* Light on an Important Supplement Question
Will a small cup of coffee ruin the benefits you can derive from creatine supplementation? Sounds impossible, but it's a die-hard rumor with surprising scientific backing. Now, a new study could finally settle the debate.
As topic for the thesis he submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-25635391250699965862015-07-12T15:40:00.000+02:002015-07-13T09:21:09.512+02:00Explosive Reps May Pay Off - At Least on the Bench: Fast Reps = Higher Muscle Activity, Higher Volume... Gains?
Explosive training can, but it does not have to involve medicine balls and plyometric exercises. You can also do the regular bench press as fast as possible and will - as the study at hand says - achieve higher levels of muscle activity and an increase in rep volume.
You will probably have heard the acronyms EMG = electromyography and TUT = time under tension before, but did you know how they Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-16879331752990702542015-07-01T14:23:00.000+02:002017-06-26T03:32:39.412+02:00Each Body Part Once or Thrice per Week / as Split or Total Body What's Best for Gains? Plus: Kettlebells for Aerobics?
Strength, size and conditioning, you want them all, this article has it all.
Alright, the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research is out and I am going to give you the elevator pitch on what I found to be the most interesting articles in the July 2015 issue.
The first one is Brad Schoenfelds 3x1-day full body vs. 3-day split training comparison in well-trained Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-9650383819333679662015-06-24T14:04:00.000+02:002015-06-24T14:11:28.092+02:00It's the Same (!) Time of the Day That Matters, If You Want to Excel - No Matter if You're in a Training or Detraining Phase
If you have a competition in the AM and usually train in the PM it may make sense to change your training schedule in the weeks leading up to the event.
Alright, in previous SuppVersity training I've already discussed that it's pointless to try and train at maximal volumes and intensities on 365 days a year and 90+ years a life. In addition it's often simply mandatory that you take some time Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-14911129092627256512015-06-15T12:30:00.000+02:002015-06-16T05:22:34.337+02:00Cramp Yourself to Bigger Calves: 9% Size Gain in 6 Weeks With 12 Sessions of Electrically Induced Muscle Cramps
NEMS ➾ Leg raises no more?
Yes, it sounds painful; and yes, it sounds awkward, but if you are having problems growing your calves, you may still be interested to hear what scientists from the Institute of Training Science and Sport Informatics at the German Sport University Cologne did to grow the calves of fifteen male sport students between the ages of 20 and 35 years volunteered Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-52279750391646433192015-05-22T12:47:00.001+02:002015-05-22T13:06:15.381+02:00Lean Mass Advantage of Post- vs. Pre-Workout Creatine Supplementation Confirmed. Older Trainees Benefit Most
As a SuppVersity reader you already know of the post-workout creatine advantage.
I am sure you will remember Jose Antonio's 2013 study on the effect of creatine timing in 19 male recreational bodybuilders (reread the SuppVersity article). The results indicated quite conclusively that taking creatine after the workout is a bit more effective than taking the same amount immediately before the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-22964410163190465522015-04-30T13:19:00.000+02:002015-04-30T14:23:45.506+02:0012-Week Study: 25g Bed-Time Protein Almost Doubles Size & Increases Strength Gains - Where's the Catch?
Fridge raiding allowed, no even suggested! At least if what you take out of the fridge is a chilled protein shake - preferably one with at least some slow-digesting casein.
You will remember my provocative claim that you can "Gain 3.2kg of Lean Mass Over Night" from a 2012 SuppVersity article (read it | Groen. 2012). The claim was based on an extrapolation of the lean mass gains you wouldAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-26575692442446880042015-04-28T15:48:00.001+02:002015-04-28T15:57:31.156+02:00Creatine Will Protect Grandpa's Muscle Even if He Doesn't Train!? One More Reason "Everyone" Should Take Creatine
Creatine, the anti-wheelchair supplement?
If you are still looking for reasons to start taking or keep taking creatine monohydrate, I suggest you go on reading. Researchers from the Cardiff and Worcester Universities in the United Kingdom have recently conducted an extensive review of the literature to elucidate whether resistance training and creatine supplementation have an additive effect Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-26770194562627309772015-04-13T12:07:00.000+02:002015-04-13T12:12:11.037+02:00Low vs. High Load Resistance Training - Yes, You Can Gain Muscle W/ "Low" Loads - Non-Significantly More Even!
It turns out, the biceps may even benefit from higher rep, lower weight training.
You probably remember my Facebook post about Brad Schoenfeld's then unpublished study which proves that you can gain muscle using low(er) weights, as well. Now, that the study has eventually been published, it would appear to be about time to take a closer look at the procedure and results in order to Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-78452901149255684542015-04-03T13:09:00.000+02:002015-04-03T13:09:22.669+02:0090s, 150s or 240s - What's the Effect of Different Rest Intervals on Maximal Power & Muscle Endurance?
The upper body appears to benefit from longer rest times.
There are many studies using 90s, many studies using 150s and many studies using 240s rest between sets in standardized resistance training regimen. Unfortunately, the studies that compare all of the aformentioned inter-set rest periods are scarce.
The latest of these rare studies comes from the Islamic Azad University in Teheran,Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-82976075044293271292015-03-25T13:37:00.000+01:002015-03-25T13:57:41.290+01:00Failure, a Necessary Prerequisite for Max. Muscle Growth & Strength Gains? Another Study Says "No Need to Fail, Bro!"
To Fail or not to fail, the answer is... according to the latest 12-week study "not to fail", well at least the there was no significant difference between the size and strength gains of the subjects in a recent Australian study. On the other hand, who knows if the same is true for other muscle groups than the biceps and/or better-trained subjects?
If you've been following the majority of the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-6040127848553464262015-03-07T13:53:00.000+01:002015-03-07T13:55:39.991+01:00You Can't Be Too Old to Benefit From Creatine! Plus: No Matter How Old You Are, Taking it After Workouts is More Anabolic Than Taking Your Creatine Before Working Out
Whether you are young or old, the benefits of creatine supplementation are something you must not miss.
You know that I am a fan of creatine (and you should be, too). Despite the negative press it gets in regular intervals, it is the one and only truely proven ergogenic amino acid. Still people outside of the fitness community are hesitant to supplement with creatine monohydrate.
Next to the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-797130359783527992015-03-06T16:51:00.001+01:002015-03-06T18:05:25.718+01:00Linear or Undulating Periodization for Maximal Strength & Size Gains? Latest Study Shows Both Work, Differences Between the Two Exist, But May Eventually Be Negligible
Box squats and bench presses were the "core" exercises the trainees periodized differently in the linear and undulating periodization group.
I have previously written about undulating and linear periodization (learn more). While the former term refers to the classic way of starting out with high reps and low weight and gradually decreasing to low reps and high weight, the latter denotes a Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-19635882713613317652015-02-23T13:05:00.000+01:002015-02-23T14:10:27.783+01:00No Soy for Your (Grand-)Parents! Soy Blunts Strength Gains in 12-Week Resistance Training Study - Avg. Gains Approx. 30% Lower Than in Both Dairy and No Protein Group!
In view of the anti-strength effects observed in the study at hand: It's almost sarcastic that many of the proteins that are specifically marketed to older men and women contain soy protein.
While most of you are probably interested in studies on young, resistance trained individuals, studies in older individuals is - and even I have to admit that - significantly more relevant. Why? WellAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-88991092035606000332015-02-12T15:33:00.000+01:002015-02-12T15:33:30.672+01:00Increased Testosterone, Lower Cortisol Within 5-8 Days of Creatine Supplementation - Plus: Many Creatine Products Contain Creatinine & Other Impurities You Don't Want
Ok, I have to admit, eating, socializing, and sleeping may be more important, but I guess creatine monohydrate supplementation ranks 5th in the "things you got to do to get stronger and more muscular" algorithm ;-)
I know, acute hormonal changes in response to resistance training don't matter..., well at least as long as you compare one individual to another! If you take a look at Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-51179307020948662332015-02-09T17:16:00.000+01:002015-03-03T04:33:52.153+01:00Angle, Grip Width, Free Weight or Machine, Failure & More - What Really Works for Building A Bigger Bench & Pecs
If you don't see any results, changing the angle, grip, etc. is unlikely to bring you from "zero" to "extreme" gains.
I don't need a scientific study to tell that the bench press is among the favorite exercises of all (male) trainees. That being said, the science investigating its effects and how to do it is comparably scarce. Leg extensions are after all the favorite exercise of every Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-71780855320902095832015-01-28T09:37:00.001+01:002015-01-28T15:52:40.502+01:00Study Comparing Whey & Pea Protein Finds Superior Gains in Sleeve Size W/ Pea, But the Results May be Misleading
One study wouldn't be enough to prove that pea is superior to whey as muscle builder, anyways.
In a recent study, French scientist investigated the effects of two types of protein supplementation on muscle thickness and strength in 161 moderate physically active (2–6 hours
per week) male participants (mean age 22 years). More specifically, the scientists compared the effects of vegetable Pea
Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-1825426055454348952015-01-22T14:28:00.000+01:002015-01-30T13:08:17.704+01:00No Superior Longterm Muscle/Strength Gain W/ Blood Flow Restriction - W/ Low Weights, BFR Gains Don't Differ From Those of Classic Strength Training to Failure
The benefits of blood flow restriction in healthy athletes may be less pronounced than the advocates would have it.
After the initial hype abated, only few people are still talking about blood flow restriction and its potential beneficial effects on strength and muscle gains. One of the reasons for the reduced enthusiasm among muscle heads is that all beneficial effects were observed in low Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-53163140936206529052015-01-02T14:20:00.002+01:002015-11-24T15:02:41.737+01:00How Much Cardio Messes W/ Your Weight Training Results Depends on Recovery Times: Weight + Cardio in One Session vs. AM + PM Training vs. Doing Each on One Day
Who would have thought that? After dozens of contradictory and highly inconclusive studies, this could finally be the one study designed to yield the answers to many of our questions about the effects of concomitant endurance and strength training.
A "concomitant trainer" that's my way of labeling someone who performs both strength and endurance workouts. Someone like the fifty-eight amateur Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-49854144829448379972014-12-15T16:42:00.001+01:002014-12-15T18:01:07.819+01:00Power Up Your Bench With Maximal Velocity on the Bench: Almost 2x Greater Strength Gains Compared to 50%
Bench press bros, listen up! You better push that weigh up fast, if you want to make maximal strength gains - O-lifting says "Hello" ;-)
Do you train deliberately slow? If so, you may be limiting your strength gains. A recently published paper in the European Journal of Sports Science shows: "Movement velocity can be considered a fundamental component of RT intensity, since, for a given %1RM, Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-5846725195796608542014-12-07T13:36:00.001+01:002014-12-07T15:17:07.266+01:00Ursolic Acid, Leucine or Placebo for mTOR, IGF-1, Irisin, Size & Strength Gains & Fat Loss? Plus: Tart Cherry Powder as Anti-Oxidant Immune Protector for Athletes
Weights are better than pills, but in some cases, they can also work synergistically.
A new month, a new exercise & supplementation research overview for the "SuppVersity Short News". In today's installment I am going to highlight the latest evidence for the beneficial anti-oxidant & immuno-protective effects of tart cherry powder in endurance athletes. I am going to discuss the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-47970114214008536202014-11-06T15:41:00.000+01:002014-11-06T15:41:51.857+01:00Partial Reps, Full Strength? For Squats, Combining Both via Block Periodization Yields Greater Strength Gains During the Early Phase of the Movement in Trained Gymrats
Not full or partial, but full and partial squats will yield maximal performance increases in trained athletes.
In a recent study from the East Tennessee State and the California Lutheran University researchers were able to show the common wisdom that only full reps would guarantee full development is true, but not the be-all and end-all of strength training wisdom.
When it comes to strength Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-89825463049246388032014-10-19T07:36:00.002+02:002014-10-19T12:51:04.374+02:00Intensity or Exercises Switching? What's More Effective to Build Muscle And Strength - Switching Exercises Yields 20% Higher Strength & 5% Higher + Balanced Muscle Gains!
Intensity or exercises switching what's more effective to build muscle and strength - or is it best to do both?
Let's be honest: When was the last time you've switched up your exercise regimen? Kicked out the old boring bench presses and squats and did something totally different? You don't remember? Well, what if I tell you that the latest study from the University of São Paulo, the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-4336964265967376712014-08-23T13:09:00.001+02:002014-08-23T16:43:19.286+02:00Intensify Your Training, Increase Your Gains W/ Combined EMG + Regular Training For 30% Greater Muscle Size Gains
Voluntary & NMES contractions for Monster Quads?
You are always looking for new ways to improve your training outcome? Scientists from the Department of Physiotherapy at the University Cardenal Herrera-CEU might have something for you, then. In their latest study, V. Benavent-Caballer, P. Rosado-Calatayud, E. Segura-Ortí, J.J. Amer-Cuenca, and J.F. Lisón tried to elucidate, whether Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-32825488528343746082014-08-19T14:56:00.002+02:002014-08-19T15:02:20.262+02:00Eurycoma Longifolia aka "Long Jack" a Natural Alternative to Testosterone Replacement Therapy? A Review of Its Effects on Fertility, Muscle, Bone, Boners & More!
As its Western name already implies "Long Jack" has traditionally been used as libido booster. As Tongkat Ali or E. Longifolia extract it is yet also an ingredient of "Testosterone Boosters", these days - rightly so?
In spite of the fact that you'll probably agree, when I say that the risks of classic (hormonal) testosterone replacement therapy are largely overblown in the never-ending debate Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-55346173828671468012014-08-15T13:17:00.001+02:002014-08-15T14:17:06.886+02:00Significant Strength Gains With All-Out Single-Set Full Body Pre-Exhaustion Training - Advantage Over Regular 'Multi - Joint Exercise First' Workouts is Yet Non-Significant
Does it really make sense to pre-exhaust the pectoralis major on cable crosses before you bench to increase your strength and size gains?
You will probably have heard about pre-exhaustion and the idea that doing isolation before compound exercises could help increase the strain on the target muscle over the classic "compound exercise first" training.
In fact, pre-exhaustion training (PreEx) Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-57660406196690753842014-08-12T16:07:00.000+02:002014-08-12T16:17:40.701+02:00Cut the Volume, Still Make Gains! Performance Gains in Sprinters Don't Suffer From Reduced Training Volume. Plus: Best Volume & Frequency for Size & Strength Gains?
A personal trainer who knows what he's doing is that he will push you exactly so far as it is necessary to make maximal progress. Interestingly, even the best trainers will fail doing the same for themselves.
The more is better mentality that's so characteristic of our lives in the Western world of affluence is imho the most important obstacle trainees all around the world meet on their way toAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-39068208495956866072014-08-06T15:06:00.000+02:002014-08-06T15:20:01.367+02:00Is Eccentric Training More Anabolic Than Hypertrophy or HIT Training? If We Go by mTOR, Akt & Other "Anabolic" Signalling Proteins, the Answer is Yes!
Is eccentric training the long-thought shortcut to the body of your dreams?
I have never been a fan of HIT training - at least not in its classic version of doing three to maximal 5 reps with extreme heavy weights. The recently publishes study by Schoenfeld et al. (I wrote about it here) did yet already suggest that volume-matched high(er) intensity training is at least as efficient in Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-16226603310731894662014-08-04T14:38:00.000+02:002014-08-04T14:40:23.796+02:00Rice the Original Bodybuilding Supplement? γ-Oryzanol Supplement Augments Changes in Body Composition & Strength in 9 Week Resistance Training Study
Purple rice sushi could actually replace chicken + rice in the BB std.diet
Chicken and rice, these are the staples of a classic bodybuilding diet. As far as the chicken goes, you will all be aware that it qualifies mostly due to its high protein and low fat content. Rice, on the other hand, is a decent carbohydrate source and as such not exactly zeitgeisty... I guess we could easily get lost Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-26982387739616736702014-07-22T14:05:00.000+02:002014-07-22T17:03:24.143+02:00How Strong is Strong Enough to Stay Healthy? If the Sum of Your 1RMs On Leg & Bench Press Don't Surpass Twice Your Body Weight Your Risk of Metabolic Syndrome Doubles
Don't worry, the sum of both your bench and leg press 1-RM must be ~2.5x your body weight, not each of the dumbbells you use, when you do DB bench presses ;-)
As a SuppVersity reader and Super Human Radio listener, you are well aware of the vital importance of physical strength as a determinant not just of the length, but also and more importantly of the quality of your life.
Scientist from Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-11151790038101421142014-06-19T13:58:00.001+02:002014-06-19T13:58:22.987+02:00Your Meat Consumption is Probably Not the Reason You're a Creatine Non-Responder: 5% Faster 50m-Sprint Time in 6 Days W/ 20g/day of Creatine for Vegetarians & Omnivores
It's hard to be a non-responder andno way to change it.
In some people the ingestion of creatine appears to be ineffective. Aside from minor diarrhea, when they increase the dosage to the 20g+ range per day in a desperate effort to reap the benefits of one of the, if not the only tried and proven natural ergogenic with significant (real world!) effects, these creatine non-responders don't get Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-10063274613934284942014-06-08T13:52:00.004+02:002015-12-24T04:41:22.748+01:00Trying to Build Strength? Periodized Training Yields 30% / 34% / 77% Increases in Bench Press, Squat and Deadlift Performance in Elite(!) Powerlifters over 16 Weeks
With the huge success of Crossfit more and more women are "hitting the weights"
Almost 80% increase in deadlift performance in "elite powerlifters" with 7 ± 3 yrs of training experience and a mean age of 34 ± 5 yrs and a mean body mass of 94.4 ± 16.7 kg? That's catching your attention, right? Now, what would you say that there was no magic supplement involved and that the periodization routineAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-91000934453285117272014-05-26T18:50:00.000+02:002015-12-28T17:19:56.072+01:00Don't Want to Sacrifice Your Strength on the Altar of Cardio Training? Creatine Monohydrate to the Rescue! Differential Effects on HIIT / Steady State, Legs / Chest
Women can use creatine, too ;-)
It's not too long ago that I'd stuck to the word "creatine" in the headline of today's SuppVersity article. In view of the fact that four years after the publication of Ralf Jäger's study on the inefficiency of all super-innovative novel forms of creatine in 2011 people obviously have forgotten that the only ones who benefits from any of these "advanced" Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-1536734069769503192014-05-08T18:19:00.004+02:002014-05-08T18:21:39.227+02:00Squat 8% More For Your 1-RM, NOW! And Generate 200% More Power After 7 Weeks of Training With Band-Aids. Plus: Method Works For Bench Presses (+100% Power), As Well
This is how it should look like, when you are doing variable resistance warm-ups or even complete workouts.
Sometimes it's the little things that can make all the difference. Little things such as resistance bands you'd use in addition to the barbell on your back during your warm-ups to generate 35% of the tension (e.g. 32.5kg from weights, 17.5kg from bands).
In a recent study from the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-90978701423309719342014-04-03T17:13:00.002+02:002014-04-05T13:16:46.148+02:00Bigger Triceps in 8 Weeks of Reduced Oxygen Training - "Bigger" as in "Bigger Than With Regular 10-RM Training
Please, do me a favor and read the info in the red box. Hypoxia ≠ Kaatsu
Assuming that you've read the headline of this article first, you should already have realized what makes this study special: A realistic training regimen that's relevant for to the "average gym context". "10 reps to failure" - and that is actually pretty close to what the average trainee does on one of his / her "arm Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-87283505588618267482014-04-01T16:25:00.003+02:002014-04-01T16:28:31.749+02:00Lat Pulldowns Revisited: What's the "Optimal" Grip Width? A Medium Grip Excels - In Spite or Due to the Increased Biceps Activation? Plus: Harder ≠ More Effective
Building Wings: Is it really about proper grip width or are effort and genetics the real determinants of your wing-size?
As a SuppVersity reader you will be well aware that the term "optimal" in conjunction with grip width will always be goal-specific. It is, for example, well possible that you would have to use completely different grips to "optimally" train the posterior chain of the rotatorAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-45164971803663399182014-03-27T18:58:00.000+01:002014-03-27T18:58:45.521+01:00Time Under Tension (TUT) - Random Numbers or Forgotten Determinant of Training Success? What Does Science Say?
"Go slow, grow fast" - does it really work this way?
I have to admit that I didn't have time to write "complete" article, so I will just work out an introduction and a bottom line to a never-finished draft that discusses an - in my humble opinion - still unresolved question: "Does the time under tension, which must not be confused with the simple number of reps let alone the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-68548230917946736222014-02-26T17:34:00.002+01:002014-02-26T17:37:18.106+01:00Exercise Threesome: The EPO-Effect of Oxygen Shortage ☆ The Training Effects Of Eccentric Flywheel Squats ☆ The Time You'd Have to Work Out If You Wouldn't Watch TV
YoYo flywheel device similar to the one used in the study from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
There is a lot to learn about exercise today! About the blood building effects of intermediate hypoxia, about the impressive effects on strength and power you can elicit, if you do your squats on a flywheel device such as the one to the right, and - let's not forget that - the indisputable Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-42413260556432512542014-02-21T16:19:00.001+01:002014-07-17T08:27:42.126+02:00Double Your Gains With Plain Creatine Monohydrate: Up to 2.6x Greater Strength Gains on the Bench With 5g of Plain Creatine Monohydrate per Day in Trained Rookies
No pain... ah no creatine, no gain ;-)
There have been so many articles about creatine on the Internet that I usually hesitate to add another one to the (mostly accurate) praise of creatine monohydrate. The reason I still want to address the issue today, is a quantitative one: The data Kebrit and Rani present in their recent paper in the Turkish Journal of Sport and Exercise is simply too Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-82252002979980696572014-02-19T16:29:00.001+01:002014-02-19T16:29:35.045+01:00Training For Gains: High Intensity, Low Volume Strength Gains Stick. Low Intensity, High Volume Gains Don't, But They Come With Significant Improvements in Body Comp
It's one thing to make strength and mass gains, it's a whole different story to make them last - if possible, for the rest of your life! Study suggests: Training intense, may help.
Thank God for the Internet. Otherwise we would hardly be able to get our hands on papers that are written by Iranian scientists and published in the Turkish Journal of Sport and Exercise; and that, my dear (mostly) Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-34012921301783543622014-02-08T15:43:00.000+01:002014-07-17T08:27:41.963+02:00Power Up With Bands: Inexpensive "Rubber Gear" Doubles Explosiveness of Professional Athletes and Will Have Similar Effects on the Bench Press of Regular Gymrats
Is "bench from the trench" all bro-science and you better bench with bands - additional bands, of course?
It's been a while since we've had a "simple" workout study here. With all the hypoxia or hyberbaric oxygen training shenanigan, it really seems as if there wouldn't be any simple and practicable ways to improve your training outcomes. Luckily, not all researchers focus on elite athletes Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-44565528536172801932014-02-06T16:36:00.000+01:002014-02-06T16:47:16.349+01:00Block Periodization for Resistance Trainees: 3x Higher Strength Gains on the Bench vs. Zero Benefits for Legs
The deadlift probably won't benefit from blocked periodization either... at least if you do it only once a week anyway.
I hope you all remember my recent article about the beneficial effects of block periodization on the training outcome of trained cyclists (if you don't I'd suggest you read up on it: "Block Periodization - Impressive Performance Gains in Pro-Athletes") and the hypothesis thatAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-90033889781100070122013-12-29T15:33:00.000+01:002013-12-29T15:33:28.448+01:00Build Size & Strength With Isometric Co-Contractions: 4% Increase in Arm Circumference and ~20% More Strength With Less Than 10 Minutes of "Flexing" Per Week
Big guns without weights? True - the question yet remains: "How big?"
I am psyched and the reason is the advanced access publication of the results of the latest study from the Department of Sports and Life Science at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, Japan (Maeo. 2013b).
Why? Well, it claims to solve two of the most urgent issues that keep our sedentary fellow men (andAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-24180318769474009452013-11-26T18:25:00.001+01:002013-11-27T05:23:26.241+01:00High Intensity Training + Mesterolone Yield Muscle- and Fiber-Type Specific Size Gains Of Up To 100% & More
Want to learn more about fiber types? ➫ review past SuppVersity articles
I am not telling you a secret, when I say that testosterone alone - in the absence of training - will lead to significant increases in skeletal muscle mass (if you think that sounds like a secret you must have missed my previous article from the "Intermittent Thoughts on Building Muscle" series | read more). To a certainAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-66568458733845805992013-08-25T16:44:00.000+02:002015-04-19T04:36:53.156+02:00Betaine For Strength, Size & Endurance Gains: 2.5g/Day For 6 Weeks Does the Trick - Even in Advanced Trainees
If you feel like a shadow of yourself, betaine may help - specifically with metabolically demanding workouts.
"Six-weeks of betaine supplementation improved body composition, arm size, bench press
work capacity, attenuated the rise in urinary HCTL, and tended to improve power (p = .07)
but not strength." (Cholewa. 2013) That's not just the conclusion to the latest paper JasonAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-11982443570848041462013-08-11T17:11:00.001+02:002014-07-17T08:27:41.735+02:00Creatine Before or After the Workout? Finally the Answer is Here! Study Says: Better Take it After for Mass & Strength
The old "creatine = water retention" myth is - at least for the majority of athletes - just that: a myth and a result of the old practice of "loading" with copious amounts of creatine and even more high GI carbs. And it is certainly not a problem that's specific to cheap and effective creatine monohydrate.
In case someone of you ever asked me, whether he or she should take his or her creatine Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-45293568689948432672013-08-07T16:06:00.000+02:002013-08-08T15:39:41.261+02:00Sequential or Alternating Resistance Training for Maximal Size, Strength and Endurance Gains!? Plus: Basic Blueprint for a 2x2 Day Alternating Muscle Split Workout
If you want to try something new, but feel that this is a bit over the top, why don't you try an alternate workout regimen to escape the daily grind?
It's funny and sad that studies like the one at hand, which investigate basic training principles and their effect on your real world results in the gym are so scarce. I mean, let's be honest. With a few exceptions, all of us will probably get Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-61599811042630258262013-06-24T16:38:00.001+02:002013-06-24T16:46:21.132+02:00Is Rice the New Whey to Go? Study Shows, Rice and Whey Protein Equally Support Mass & Strength Gains + Fat Loss in Resistance Trained College Aged Men
Is rice the new whey to go? Or just something for the average vegan who realizes that he cannot go without protein?
While I personally considered the study on phosphatidic acid (yesterday's news) most interesting, there were many other presentations on the ISSN conference that are worth mentioning (note: my buddy Sean Casey is about to write a summary of his stay there, I'll let you know on Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-2033476423402238182013-06-17T17:18:00.001+02:002015-09-17T04:09:53.825+02:00Don't Want to Become Bulky, Just Toned & Strong? A Basic Weight Lifting Routine, Time & Consistency Let's You Achieve Both Without Eating Cotton Balls
Basic weight training to get toned, or hours of cardio in the evening and cotton balls a la pret-a-porter for launch, you got the choice. A choice between health and happiness and chronic fatigue and misery.
The unwarranted fear of getting "bulky" (whatever that may be) is still looming large among the female gym-goers. And since the same goes for the adherence to unnecessary and highly Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-87238813102677206312013-06-10T16:31:00.000+02:002015-01-25T13:01:04.489+01:00Intra-Set Rest Periods Boost Power (+38%) & Strength Gains (+65%) Without Hampering Muscle Hypertrophy
Up your strength /check! Up your power /check! Up your muscle gains in the long term /likely!
Intra-Set Rest Periods? No, that's not identical to "clustering" or "cluster training", although it may appear as if it was. Ok, let's briefly summarize what IRS / clustering is: Basically the idea is to perform the exact same amount of reps and thus work with a heavier weight than usual to induce Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-2304180637873875012013-06-09T16:53:00.000+02:002013-06-09T16:54:18.138+02:00Caffeine - 3mg, 6mg or 9mg/kg? What's the Optimal Dosage for Lifting & HIT Cycling and What About the Side Effects?
Wouldn't a single 200mg caffeine be enough to elicit the desired ergogenic effects without side effect like increased urination, headaches and muscle aches on the day after?
Caffeine is not only the world's #1 it is probably also the most (ab-)used ergogenic on the planet and whatever you may think about the longterm consequences of its use, there is not debating that it is part of those few "Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-16085223850715314472013-05-13T16:20:00.002+02:002013-05-13T16:21:53.945+02:00Nautilus? Will a Nautilus-Based "Variable" Training Regimen Yield Greater & More Sustained Muscle & Strength Gains?
Arthur Jones shows a beautiful lady, how his latest Nautilus Pull-Over Machine Works... don't you tell resistance training machines and fitness babes were an invention of the late 1990s ;-)
Although I suspect that most of you are too young to remember the hype surrounding the introduction of the Nautilus Training Systems, I am pretty sure that you will have seen similar machines which are Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-90720652168437785072013-04-27T15:57:00.002+02:002013-04-27T15:58:43.889+02:00Energy Drinks Before Workout Make You Thirsty. Single HIIT Session Every 14 Days Maintains Fitness in the Off-Season. Postprandial Walk Decreases HbA1c by 5%. Cardio Before Weights Increases pAKT +87% Over Weights Alone
You simply cannot start "working out" too early - even if it's just child's play.
"Three for one!" No, I am not trying to sell you three bottles of "uberpotent" test-boosters for the rat of one. Three for one that's the SuppVersity Figure of the Week and it is the ratio of the decrease in breast cancer risk in women and the hours of physical activity per week during their adolescence.
Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-72095844553438525652013-04-15T17:10:00.001+02:002015-06-15T09:58:27.336+02:00Shock Your Calves to Grow Stronger & Recover Faster: $650 EMS Device Works. Is it Really Worth the Money?
You will have heard about "calf shocker" routines, but would you have imagined that it takes electro shocks?
I don't know how often I've been writing about the truth and fallacy of the good old saying "no pain, no gain", here at the SuppVersity. And while it certainly has its merit for the faint-hearted, the notion that "pain" will entail "gain" is fallacious, also because it suggests that Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-79042257750736358962013-03-21T18:02:00.000+01:002013-09-13T11:32:05.332+02:00Greater Strength Without Compromised Size Gains With Rest-Pause. Can Dietary Variety Fight or Cause Obesity? Catabolism & Anabolism Just 2 Sides of the Same Coin. GABA as a GH Promoting Brain Anabolic?
Can't squeeze out another rep? Not a problem have some intra-set rest and continue pumping thereafter.
I guess, I did this before, but I say it again: "Congratulations, Adelfo Cerame Jr.! You are the man."
Obviously, we all knew he is, but as of now, even the judges have
finally acknowledged that. Reason enough to do a Science Round-Up Special today, in the course of which Carl Lenore and meAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-69972737500050237052013-03-05T17:53:00.001+01:002013-03-05T17:53:22.177+01:00Are We Whey-sting Money? Study says: No Increase in Size or Strength Gains With Peri-Workout Protein Supplements. Plus: Pegylated Whey & Leucine - Worth the Extra Bucks?
Protein, sugar or plain water - what if it would not even matter what was in his bottle, as long as he is still young, works out hard and gets his 1.2g+ protein per kg body weight from whole foods?
If this is not the first time you're here at the SuppVersity you are unquestionably aware that the effect size of the tried and proven peri-workout supplementation is totally overrated. Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-69223496817032404102013-02-26T18:37:00.001+01:002015-04-12T03:27:04.996+02:00No Pain no Gain? What Can We Learn From the Time Course of Muscle Damage After Eccentric Workouts. Plus: What's that Got to Do W/ Your Doctor Sending You to the ER
Concentration curls are among those exercises, where eccentrics can easily be incorporate. Plus. As the EMG Series shows, this increases the biceps activity by almost 50% compared to the regular barbell curl (learn more). But will it also make you grow faster?
Just let me get this straight right away: I am well aware that it is still debated if and if so to which extend skeletal muscle damage Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-38708191760481625202013-02-17T18:03:00.001+01:002013-02-18T05:46:36.312+01:00Blood Flow Restriction, Where Are We? "Don't Hold Your Breath", the Valsalva Maneuver Revisited. Ageless Growth, It's Never Too Late to Start. Plus: EMS as Recovery Tool & HIIT to Heal a Scarred Heart After Myocardial Infarctions
I guess it is a cultural thing that there is apparently a lot more of persuading to be done in the US and Europe to familiarize trainees with (a) the idea of limiting the blood supply to their musculature and (b) the notion that heavy weights are not all that counts.
After the huge success of the SuppVersity Exercise Science Week (read all posts), I did actually intend to put a greater Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-26405706949841263852012-12-31T15:24:00.000+01:002014-07-17T08:27:41.868+02:00Exercise Round-Up: HIIT Prevents Angina; Stretching Reduces IGF-1 & Strength Gains; Cardio + Weights Lower TNF-Alpha; Protein Doesn't Works W/ Glucose Depletion; Polarization More Effective Than Threshold Training
That's (hopefully) not the way you want to "kick off" your year 2013, is it? So keep the booze at bay and party away, tonight ;-)
There are three things of which I would hope that they are on the top ranks in the things you are planning to do in 2013. And aside from proposing to your girlfriend, becoming a parent, graduating from whatever you are currently studying and keeping or, in the Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-11174332239778424922012-12-16T18:43:00.000+01:002012-12-16T18:43:48.467+01:00Making HIIT a Hit Part I/II: The Quest for the Optimal Interval to Rest Ratio for Your Type & Goals - Warming up: Selected Studies + Individual Take Home Messages to Set the Scene
This series will not readdress the "HIIT and/or LISS debate", but simply try to do what the title says: Help you to determine the "ideal" form of HIIT for your type & goals.
After posting yet another article about the benefits of high intensity interval training (HIIT) training on Wednesday, I thought it may be a good idea to take a look at the pertinent literature to get a better grasp ofAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-38876721978922698492012-11-21T18:24:00.001+01:002012-11-21T19:39:47.412+01:00"Just One More Set" (2/2): Three Sets of Three Exercises Three Times Per Week - High Volume Can Work. With Appropriate Rest Also to Build Strength & Power
High , not insane (!) volume training can be productive.
I hope that you have already being waiting for this post, so I'll try to cut myself short and get right to the facts. In yesterday's first part of "Just One More Rep" it turned out that a higher training volume sucks, when it comes to what is often thought would be its prerogative, i.e. using strength training to induce excess Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-72707279499168054032012-10-26T19:36:00.001+02:002013-10-27T08:38:02.108+01:00SVSR: Supplement-Drug Interactions, Exercise & Your Pysche, Running vs. O-Lifting vs. Heart Health, N3-to-N6 Ratios, CYP Enzymes, Cannabinoids & Telomeres
The SuppVersity Science Round-Up every Thursday live on Carl Lanore's Super Human Radio -- tune in live at 1PM (EST= 6PM GMT)!
I hope that most of you have already had a chance to listen to yesterday's installment of the SuppVersity Science Round Up on Super Human Radio. In case you didn't, or have been waiting for me to post the link to the podcast (just a reminder: you can always Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-5311939678484060012012-10-23T18:30:00.001+02:002012-10-23T18:30:52.315+02:00When Rodents Squat, Scientists Gain Insights into How Muscles Grow. IGF-1 Response to Exercise Does Matter - Locally, not Systemically, of Course!
You want to build big wheels? Look no further get yourself the "Squat T-Bar" with integrated 15mA electrical 'motivator' (Aguiar. 2012)
"A rodent study investigating strength workouts?" Yeah, I know it does not sound like that would be in any ways news-worthy, but if you take a look at the image on the right, you will immediately realize: This study is different! Instead of using a treadmill 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-90068557845772012222012-08-31T17:52:00.000+02:002012-08-31T19:15:21.922+02:00"Stretching Before Workouts Makes You Weak!" Mostly True, But Your Workout Volume Will Decline Even More. Plus: Stretching vs. Doms & Stretching for Couch Potatoes
Image 1:Avoid performing stretches before your workout; if you don't do them at all, things like this are out of reach and for the avg. 'no stretcher', 'all bencher', the hunched over look is just right around the corner.
Stretching is one of those topics most trainees are not really interested in. In that most of you are probably happy that most researchers agree that passive stretches, as Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-44255738761861054302012-07-19T18:25:00.001+02:002012-07-26T16:39:11.965+02:00Adelfo Cerame & Mr C: A Basic Workout + Nutrition Plan for Average Joes Trying to Get Stronger, Leaner & Healthier
Image 1: Don't worry, since this is a new series, you will soon know who "Mr C" is ;-)
I assume you will be wondering about the title, right? "Adelfo Cerame & Mr C"? Who the f*** is 'Mr C'?" Well, I guess you will have to read the whole post to find out who this mysterious rookie is, but before you do so, I just want to point out that I was really happy that so many of you took the chance,Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-59064918212558405212012-07-15T16:37:00.001+02:002015-09-05T04:44:51.814+02:00Building the Jack-of-All-Traits Legs Workout With Squats, Jump Squats and Body Weight Plyometrics? At Least for Physical Education Students that Seems to Work.
Image 1 (musclemag.com): You don't have to restrict your plyometrics to leg exercises - plyometric push ups, for example can help you to build a bigger chest and a bigger bench.
"How many sets, how many reps, which exercises...?" These are the standard topics people are chatting about at the gym. Things like ROM (range of motion), explosive training or plyometrics, on the other hand, are Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-19424646830551988422012-06-15T17:18:00.000+02:002012-06-15T17:20:30.863+02:00New Role for Glutamine in Protein Synthesis? Study Suggests Direct Effects on Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) - EAAs Alone Won't Produce Optimal Results
Image 1 (Pumping Iron): The guy in the middle, obviously no one else than the Austrian Oak, took glutamine, the rest of the guys forgot about it in all the craze about leucine... no, just kiddin' ;-) Still, someone who trains like Arnold, is probably most likely to benefit from additional l-glutamine
After all those bad news about allegedly effective supplements, I thought it may be about timeAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-80162967658031831082012-04-23T17:39:00.001+02:002012-04-24T07:33:19.183+02:00Meta Analysis Confirms: Strength Gains Depend on Training Status, Age, Workout Frequency, Rest Intervals & More
Image 1: Johanna Quas (86), "Germany's Fittest Granny"; check out this video of her on the high bar to see an extraordinary exception proving the rule - everybody who believes he/she could rival Johanna's gymnastic skills, could try that at the next world cup, where she probably will be competing again.
"Rodents are no little human beings", you will probably have heard or read this sentence atAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-25034347643678682802012-04-22T18:03:00.000+02:002015-04-23T17:23:01.839+02:00Step By Step Guide to Your Own Workout Routine - Part VII: "How Was Your Workout?" Evaluate & Tweak Your Routine
Image 1: It's pointless to "hit your chest from every angle", when none of the 10+ exercises you do hits it at all.
"How was your workout today?" If you consider this question odd, this part of the "Step By Step Guide to your Own Workout Routine", could be the most important one for you to read. After all, squeezing your workouts into your daily routine, finding the right workout type, Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-58843968555798751802012-04-21T17:05:00.001+02:002016-09-04T06:59:11.434+02:00Brocebo? Add 10kg to Your Bench in Days with Sugar-Based "Anabolic Steroids". Old Study Shows, Many "Natural Anabolics" Could Work Solely via Placebo Effects
Image 1: If you start thinking about whether or not the product you just bought at your local supplement store works, it is - for a non-negligible amount of supplements - unlikely that you will see any results (photo Scientific American)
I guess, I don't have to tell you what the term "placebo effect" stands for, right? It is the occurrence of an effect that - assuming the effect could speak -Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-90952243949956421982012-04-18T17:08:00.000+02:002012-04-18T17:37:46.865+02:00Up & Down The Rack: Study Compares Strength & Size Gains from Good Old Double-Pyramid and Reverse Loading
Image 1: Persian Wrestling Champions, Tehran, Persia (Iran), September 1949
Everyone who is following me on Facebook, will be aware that I am currently spending the little free time I have devouring Randy Roach's Muscle Smoke & Mirrors Volume 1 & 2. Aside from the fact that the two volumes are simply amazing (and can come handy, whenever you need some weights and have no dumbbell at Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-85165748069691273892012-04-09T17:46:00.001+02:002012-04-09T17:46:56.625+02:00Step By Step Guide to Your Own Workout Routine - Part V: Example Routines - Round 3: A Detailed Strength Workout
Image 1: Being strong has gotten somewhat out of fashion these days. Apropos fashion, can you imagine David Beckham doing that?
Aside from Thursday, when Adelfo "guest lectures" here at the SuppVersity, you usually have to content yourselves with the sometimes more, sometimes less knowledgeable stuff I am putting out on a daily basis. For today's sixth installment, you are yet lucky that I Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-31222332997302161322012-03-31T18:28:00.002+02:002012-04-01T12:02:16.457+02:00Step By Step Guide to Your Own Workout Routine - Part III: Understanding the Role of Workload, Density and Intensity
Image 1: Simply copying Arnold's routine would probably be a bad idea, but copying the way he played with workload and density to achieve maximal intensity would be.
After reading Part I and Part II of the "Step By Step Guide to Your Own Workout Routine" on the last weekend and a whole week to think about your first / new own workout program, you should by now know
how often and on which daysAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-87961284868979962362012-03-29T17:15:00.003+02:002012-03-29T17:15:49.927+02:00Adelfo Cerame - Back on the Grind! Introducing the World's First Hypertrophy-EDT-5x5 Alternate Cross-Over Regimen!
Image 1: A classic physique, but a novel routine.
I guess, I don't have to tell you that our mutual friend Adelfo is fired up to get back to the gym. I guess if it had not been for the intermediate famine phase after the post-contest binge, he would hardly have endured the one week without drudgery, but alas, the time of laziness is over now and Adelfo is about to return to the gym. Yet not Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-5956087404400524532012-03-25T19:20:00.000+02:002012-03-25T20:51:18.950+02:00Step By Step Guide to Your Own Workout Routine - Part II: Choosing the Right Training Style(s) for Your Goals
Image 1: Maybe it is because I don't have the beard, but for me HIT a la Mike Metzner never worked out ;-)
In the last installment you should have learned "How to Fit Your Training, Rest Days, Strength and Conditioning Workouts into Your Personal Schedule". By now, you should thusly have a general idea of what your future workout week is going to look like. You should, for example, know that Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-34959102290708963902012-03-24T17:56:00.003+01:002012-03-25T19:20:26.473+02:00Step By Step Guide to Your Own Workout Routine - Part I: Fitting the "Right" Number Training Days, Rest Days, Strength and Conditioning Workouts Into Your Schedule
Image 1: The foundation of every training plan is a realistic schedule. Your work, your private life, your training experience, your goals, all must be taken into account, when lay this foundation.
I have been talking with Adelfo about his new training plan earlier today. In the course of our conversation I did realize that even for someone with his expertise it is not always easy to come Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-54128225215419295032012-03-21T17:55:00.002+01:002012-03-22T08:38:47.960+01:00Three is More Than One: Higher Volume Increases Strength Gains in Legs, and Satellite Cell Recruitment and Fiber Size in Legs & Traps. Plus: Data on Myostatin, IGF1, MGF & Co.
Image 1: The green dots that are crowding left and right from the blue myonucleus are the satellite cells (Hanssen. 2012)
In case you are not really sure what a "satellite cell" is and why
you should care abouts it's "recruitment", you have probably missed the
Intermittent Thoughts on Building Muscle series and should get
into detention. Otherwise, here is the news: In a study that has beenAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-24291074700157327002012-03-19T22:13:00.001+01:002012-03-19T22:14:25.106+01:00Ursolic Acid and The Narrow Line Between Anabolism and Myotoxicity: +25% Increased Protein Accretion in In-Vitro Study, But Cell Death With 2x "Effective" Dose
Image 1: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!" And though the ursolic acid in its peel may be part of the underlying mechanism, this does not make it a "natural anabolic", but rather another item on the list of "healthy stuff from real food"
The number of purported natural anabolics increases year by year. Against the background that most of these products are nothing but supplemental Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-76104211954780661892012-01-29T17:17:00.000+01:002017-06-29T02:26:33.679+02:00Intermittent Thoughts on Building Muscle: A Preliminary Conclusion - Exercise, mTOR/AKT/MAPK, IGF-1, Testosterone, Estrogen, DHT, Nutrition, Supps & Sleep
Image 1: Arnold obviously is flabbergast that neither of the factors mentioned in the title of this blogpost was necessary to build the impressive physique of the Arnold statue which now stands in front of the Schwarzenegger Museum.
I don't know if some of you have seen it, but on January 3, 2012, ScienceDaily published a brief news-item titled "How work tells muscles to grow". It relates to aAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-89401747423485978882012-01-22T18:28:00.000+01:002013-11-26T05:56:59.912+01:00Intermittent Thoughts: Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) - Bigger, Stronger, Faster or just Balder, Fatter and Unhealthier?
Image 1: The ancient Greek ideal of the male body has probably more to do with DHT than the freaky physiques of today's IFBB Pro bodybuilders.
I guess after the revelations about the importance of estrogen in the process of skeletal muscle hypertrophy in the last installment of the Intermittent Thoughts you will probably be eager to hear what its male counterpart dihydrotestosterone (DHT), is Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-82367853137383274362012-01-07T18:26:00.001+01:002012-01-07T18:26:32.082+01:00Training, Detraining, Retraining: Build Bigger and Stronger Muscles by Taking 3 Weeks Off!?
Image 1: This dog obviously knows how beneficial it is to take 3 weeks off and detrain. If we go by his physique, he did probably not realize that without (pre-)training and retraining the distinct line between detraining and laziness becomes as blurred - as blurred, by the way, as many it is for training junkies like me ;-)
I plead guilty! Guilty of not taking enough time off - against betterAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-23389671894017703082012-01-02T09:13:00.003+01:002012-05-12T11:47:55.356+02:00Intermittent Thoughts on Building Muscle: Quantifying "The Big T" - Do Testosterone Increases Within the Physiological Range Really Matter? And How Much is too Much?
Image 1: As it turns out, changes within the broad physiological range, have only negligible effects on muscle mass. Their potential negative impact on body fat is yet startlingly pronounced (see also fig. 2)
Welcome back! I am not going back on yesterday's promise and won't let "the Big T" slip out of chokehold of science ;-) So, where was I? Ah, yes... we have seen that out of the >11,000Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-18195177271191973322011-12-11T07:51:00.001+01:002011-12-28T08:35:28.820+01:00Intermittent Thoughts on Building Muscle: The Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy 101 - Part 2: Getting Big Means Growing Beyond Temporary Physiological Limits.
Image 1: This is another type of "dysfunctional muscle"; distinct from the one we are talking about, here
Although I assume that you all have read the last installment of the Intermittent Thoughts, I took FatFree's comment that he (or she?) was missing the "too comlicated check box" from the old design to the heart (I do so with every comment, btw, so keep them coming) and kick off today's Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-83321351311271947352011-12-04T15:39:00.001+01:002011-12-04T18:05:55.131+01:00Intermittent Thoughts on Building Muscle: The Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy 101 - Part 1: What is Hypertrophy?
Image 1: Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as a teen and in his early twenties. What - puberty aside - were the underlying mechanisms of the obvious increase in sleeve-size? I mean on a strictly myocellular level, of course ;-)
Those of you, who have been following the Intermittent Thoughts series over the last weeks will probably already have realized that I finally dropped the "IntermittentAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-63212351970334502932011-12-02T15:28:00.001+01:002014-07-17T08:27:42.469+02:00Green Tea Extracts for Building Strength & Size and Losing Weight - Fact or Fraud? Or, Why It is Always Worth Taking a Look at the Data that Is NOT in the Abstract.
Image 1: If the watery green tea is healthy, then a potent extract must be even more healthy, right? This may well be just another instance of "supplementational idiocy"...
I know people love their Green Tea! After all, Camellia sinensis is one of the staples that has not yet been debunked as another hoax of the supplement of pharmaceutical industry - a real healthfood, right!? Well, you will Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-7685477004241269452011-11-26T15:13:00.001+01:002013-07-09T06:50:30.684+02:00Time Under Tension (TUT) Another Under-Appreciated Determinant of the Protein Synthetic Response to Exercise?
Image 1: Is it really time to buy some revolutionary new exercise equipment to time your time under tension? Or should you keep pumping away like there was no tomorrow?
If you have been following the SuppVersity news for some time now, you know that I am a "fan" of the research Stuart Phillips and his colleagues at the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, are Adel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4447249123519658347.post-79104826256544519342011-11-23T15:49:00.001+01:002011-11-23T17:35:28.228+01:00HMB Exhibits Differential Effects on ATP and Glycogen Content of Fast & Slow Twitch Fibers and Maximizes Tetanic Force Development in Rodent Study
Image 1: This is where HMB could actually make a difference, the two more reps, the one more sprint, which after weeks and months of training can decide over victory or defeat.
Sometimes, or I should say, time and again (!), it amazes me how the same people who are willing to invest hundreds of bucks in a supplement, which (according to the patent holder) "has been shown in scientitfic studiesAdel Moussahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11282066708304898697noreply@blogger.com