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Unstable Squatting = Dangerous Bogus

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Some strength coaches like being different and advice their athletes to perform squats and similar exercises on instable grounds. A recent study by McBride et.al. found ( McBride. 2010 ) investigated the effect of absolute and relative loading on muscle activity during stable and unstable squatting and found: The  stable trials resulted in the same or a significantly higher value for Vastus lateralis (VL), biceps femoris (BF) and erector spinae (L1) muscle activity in comparison with the unstable trials for all twelve conditions. So if this exercise is not specific to your discipline, avoid squatting on unstable grounds at every cost. This might well keep you from being injured.
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Further Evidence: Sunlight Alone is Insufficient to Rise Vitamin D Levels in Non-Western Immigrants

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Wicherts et.al. ( Wicherts. 2010 ) published the results of an investigation into the effectiveness of a) sun exposure or b) supplementation with daily 800 IU or 100,000 IU once in three months on serum 25(OH)-D3 levels in 211 otherwise healthy non-western immigrant in the Netherlands.  As you can see in table 1, the initial high dose of 100.000 IU raised 25(OH)D levels significantly faster but to a lower extent than the 800 IU daily dosing: Table 1: Proportion (%) of participants with serum 25(OH)D<25, 25−50, 50−75, or >75 nmol/l at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months according to treatment group 800 IU/day, 100,000 IU/3 months or sunshine exposure ( Wicherts. 2010. Table 2 ) Otherwise, Wickerts' study confirms the results of earlier investigations, mean serum 25(OH)D increased to 53 nmol/l with 800 IU/day, to 50.5 nmol/l with 100,000 IU/3 months, and to 29.1 nmol/l with advised sunlight exposure. ...
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Muscle Carnosine as a Determinant of Rowing Performance

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Chemical structure of beta alanine (HMDB v2.5) It is no news to SuppVersity students that beta-alanine supplementation has been found to elevate exercise performance. Thus it is not the result that supplementation of 5g beta-alanine per day increased muscle carnosine content and exercise performance vs. placebo, but rather the inclusion of pre-supplementation values and respective rowing performance in the analysis, which is of interest in a recent study by Baguet et.al. ( Baguet. 2010 ). Even before intervention muscle carnosine levels and exercise performance were correlated , so that the scientists conclude: the positive correlation between baseline muscle carnosine levels and rowing performance and the positive correlation between changes in muscle carnosine and performance improvement suggest that muscle carnosine is a new determinant of rowing performance . In view of the recently reported antagonism of beta-alanine and taurine and the importance of the latter for ...
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Naringenin Improves Insulin Signaling and Sensitivity

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"Eat Grapefruit and lean out!" Using google, you will find similar sentences all over the web. Yet, although it sounds too good to be true - as it is often the case - there is some truth at the bottom of this rumor. A few weeks ago scientists from the Annamalai University in India published a paper ( Kannappan. 2010 ) that established a positive effect of naringenin, a bioflavonoid, from grapefruit an other citrus fruits, on insulin signaling and sensitivity. Fig.1: Oral glucose tolerance test curves of experimental animals. Values are mean ± SD (n = 6). CON control rats, FRU fructose-fed rats, FRU + NAR fructose-fed rats treated with naringenin (50 mg/kg b.w.), CON + NAR control rats treated with naringenin (50 mg/kg b.w.). ( Kannappan. 2010 )   It is easy to see from Fig. 1 that the supplementation of 50mg/kg naringenin prevented the rise in blood glucose and restored insulin sensitivity in high-fructose fed rats. Not only diabetics may benefit from these findings...
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Blood Flow Restriction Boosts Strength and Muscle Gains on Low Intensity Bench Press Exercise

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Would you wear elastic plastic cuffs on your arms while doing 4 sets of 75 reps at 30% of your 1-RM max [what you can bench for a single rep] on the bench press? No? Well, you better revise your initial skepticism in view of the results of a recent investigation ( Yasuda. 2010 ) on the effect of blood flow restriction on upper body muscle growth and strength gains. Effect of training on strength and muscle size for blood flow restricted (BFR) and normal bench press (CON) exercise. (data adapted from Yasuda. 2010 ) Low intensity training triggered muscle growth and increased strength only in blood flow restricted trainees. This is of particular interest for bodybuilders and fitness-athletes, because it suggests that by "pumping", i.e. by deliberately increasing blood supply to your arms on high rep sets at the end of an intense training session, one may well achieve similar effects and thus further stimulate muscle growth by combining the best of the two worlds (HIT vs. ...
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Gender Bias: Women Recover Faster From All Out Benching Than Men

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We all know, women are tough, but would you have expected them to recover much faster from an all out bench press session at the gym? Judge et.al. ( Judge. 2010 ) investigated the effect of recovery time on strength performance following a high-intensity bench press workout in 12 athletes (6 males and 6 females) and age-matched college students of both genders (4 males and 4 females). The subjects completed a 3-wk resistance training program involving a bench press exercise, 3 d/wk, to become familiar with the testing procedure. After the completion of the resistance training program, the subjects, on three consecutive weeks, participated in two testing sessions per week, baseline session and recovery session. During the testing sessions, subjects performed five sets of the bench press exercise at 50% to 100% of perceived five repetition maximum (5-RM). After resting 4-, 24-, or 48-h strength measurements were estimates of one repetition maximum (1-RM), using equivalent perce...
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Anti-Oxidant Supplements Beneficial - At least in Patients With Multiple Cardiovascular Risk Factors

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Molecular structure of vitamin E ( HMBD v2.5 ) In the course of the last years studies on the beneficial effects of anti-oxidant supplements on athletic performance have been inconsistent. A recent study by Shagordosky et.al. does yet underline the usefullness of  low/moderate dose anti-oxidant supplementation in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The scientists found that the participants who received an anti-oxidant supplement with 500 mg vitamin C , 200 iu vitamin E , 60mg co-enzyme Q10 and 100mcg selenium exhibited significant increases in large arterial elasticity index (LAEI) as well as small arterial elasticity index (SAEI). A significant decline HbA1C and a significant increase in HDL-cholesterol were also observed. I would suspect that the different effects of anti-oxidants in healthy and unhealthy individuals may well be attributed to different levels of "pro-oxidant" activity. Recent studies (e.g. Ristow et.al. 2009 ) have shown that a c...
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