Posts

Showing posts with the label mhc

Popular topics

Show more

Extra Protein = Only Marginal Extra-Gains, No Special Effect on Muscle Architecture | Plus: Blend Beats Whey, Again

Written by | published on
Image
No, the message of this article is not that protein shakes don't work. It is that your (hopefully) tasty 20g of serving of whey is not going to build slabs of extra muscle. You all know studies which show that protein supplementation during resistance exercise training enhances muscle hypertrophy. As a SuppVersity  reader, you will yet also be aware of the numerous studies which indicate that extra-protein (before or after workouts) can be wasted if the baseline protein intake of the subjects amounts to 1.2-1.5g/kg protein, already (cf Table 1 ). For some of you, this is yet probably not the only surprise this article holds. The large-scale clinical trial by Reidy, et al. did after all also confirm that protein blends may yield slightly better results than everyone's beloved whey protein. High-protein diets are much safer than some 'experts' say, but there are things to consider... Practical Protein Oxidation 101 5x More Than the FDA Allows! Native Wh...
Read full article »

Study 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

Written by | published on
Image
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 giving away the most relevant information in the headline, I can make sure that future google searchers will immediately refute the claim that "vitamin D is a powerful muscle builder" - it is not. What it may very well be, is a vitamin that is necessary for your long-term success. This is still much different from what you may conclude solely based on the associations that exist between low vitamin D and all sorts of ailments, though. Evidence that vitamin D(3) supplements are able to reduce the risk of bone fractures, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, depressio...
Read full article »

The Way You Train Shapes Your Muscle Size and Function - Study in Powerlifters, Bodybuilders & Controls Suggests Effects Go Beyond Hypertrophy & MHC Fiber Composition

Written by | published on
Image
Don't worry, this exercise is not going to reverse all the effects of your training. Still, in view of the intriguing results of the study at hand, it would be interesting if the fiber-type unspecific effects in powerlifters are reversed when you stop powerlifting / exercise altogether and/or start lifting with higher volumes and lower intensities (bodybuilding style volume training). There are visible and invisible differences between bodybuilders, powerlifters and normal men. The former ones are so obvious that it wouldn't be very interesting to address them in a study. The latter, on the other hand, are, other than you'd expect, hardly researched, but - as the results of a recent study from the Manchester Metropolitan University , and a bunch of other European Universities and research centers shows - more pronounced and significantly more fundamental than some of you may have thought. As Meijer et al. point out in the introduction to their soon-to-be-published pap...
Read full article »

Sedentary Individuals, Endurance & Strength Athletes: Their Fitness, Training & Hormones and How They Effect the Ratio of Fast- to Slow-Twitch Fibers

Written by | published on
Image
ATPase stained cross-section (100x magnification) of the quadriceps muscle of an untrained adult. Type 1 fibers are light, type 2 fibers are dark (McDonald. 2002). Can you change the make up? Is it genetically predetermined? Or is it determine by your hormones - and if so, which ones are responsible - "The Big T", again? Read more about testosterone's role in building muscle, here ! Wednesday, last week , I discussed the immediate effects of "cardio before strength training" vs. "cardio after strength training" and came to the conclusion that the prolonged yet acute elevation of "anabolism" (as measured by higher testosterone levels) in the "cardio before" group is of little significance with respect to the real-world effects the concomitant training regimen is going to have on the hypertrophy and strength gains of the average trainee. Why I am telling you all that? Well, actually I wanted to post this news item last Thursday ...
Read full article »

Speed Up Your Regeneration and Propel Your Gains by Taking a HOT Bath Bath 2-Days Before Arduous Workouts

Written by | published on
Image
Image 1: Are women tougher than men, because bathe more often? If you define toughness by your muscles resistance to eccentric exercise damage, the answer could be "YES!" If you listened to Brooks, Carl and me on Super Human Radio , yesterday ( download the podcast ), you may remember me stating that 48h appears to be a good rule of thumb, as far as the rest periods between workouts for individual body parts are concerned (this assumes that you are young, healthy, reasonably conditioned and lift heavy). A recently published paper by Chad D. Touchberry  does now suggest that there may be another 48h window before your workout ( Touchberry. 2012 ). One you would use a priori to improve your recovery a posteriori - preconditioning in a hot bath for 20 min at 41°C, 48h before a hard workout or competition! Eccentric treadmill running = maximum muscle damage At least in a rodent model, those 20 min of heat exposure in 41°C warm water lead to statistically highly signific...
Read full article »
Disclaimer:The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only. It is by no means intended as professional medical advice. Do not use any of the agents or freely available dietary supplements mentioned on this website without further consultation with your medical practitioner.