Exercise stimulates muscle growth; hardly anyone would argue with this assertion. In essence, muscle adapts to the additional load you are placing on it by growing. Think of this developmental process as a type of memory. Muscle is anticipating the new heights in physical activity (exercise) that you will be imposing on it. But, as most things in life, this is only a temporary response. And, just as in mental terms, where one can forget a memory if not reminded, muscles will become smaller (memory lost) if not worked (reminded). Admittedly, sort of a strange way of thinking about it but, welcome to my world…
So, train your brain and train your body. Test both on a regular basis and they will stay stronger for longer.
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In previous posts I have stressed the importance of the IGF-1s (Insulin-like growth factors, type 1) in promoting body growth. To reiterate the main message of my last (post): the IGF-1s are likely to be our most important growth promoters, particularly with reference to all types of muscle, bone and connective tissues. Importantly, these are the tissues an athlete must fortify in order to continue making gains.
Not too long ago, however, it was believed (wrongly) that the only way to produce IGF-1 was in response to another hormone called Growth Hormone; it is by no coincidence that “growth” is explicitly stated in this important hormone’s name. This story has recently been revised, which has very important implications for how an athlete trains, rests and eats...
Go here for more information about the IGF-1s: http://www.creatinemonohydrate.net/creatine_newsletter_33.html
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Posted in Muscle Growth, Supplementing Strategies | Tagged athletes, creatine, creatine information, creatine monohydrate, exercise, GH, growth hormone, IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor 1, muscle |
I have studied muscle development for most of my life - 30 of my 52 years - and after all this time there are just a few things I can say with certainty: First, exercise stimulates muscle growth; Second, proper nutrition will make your efforts in the gym pay the greatest dividends and; Third, our most important muscle-developing agents are the insulin-like growth factors type 1 (IGF-1s). You’ll see these three points pounded over and over again in my posts and other publications. In fact, I am staking my scientific career on these three truths and yet another… The fourth I will tell you about one day just as soon as the initial studies become published. Stay tuned.
The first point is simply common sense, the second is also obvious enough, the third point, however, may come as a surprise to most of you. In my reading of popular fitness literature I have rarely seen this extremely important developmental agent “directly” mentioned, which is disturbing given its profound importance in muscle and bone development. On the other hand, nearly everyone who has ever picked up a beauty or fitness magazine has heard of Growth Hormone (GH) and the transformations it can bring about. Here’s the catch, GH’s muscle building and bone fortifying potentials are actually mediated by IGF-1, which is the true muscle-and bone-building agent. Quite frankly, to make the greatest gains in muscle mass you must first understand how to correctly combine exercise and nutrition to directly stimulate IGF-1 production - without GH as an intermediary… GH will still be there later on (mostly at night) to do what it does best, dissolve fat.
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Posted in Elderly, Muscle Growth, Supplementing Strategies | Tagged bone, creatine, exercise, GH, growth hormone, IGF-1, insulin-like growth factors, muscle, nutrition |
CAUTION: Breathing Can Be TOXIC!!
Oxygen is potentially toxic, a seemingly counterintuitive statement, since common knowledge tells us that we need oxygen to live. Specifically, without oxygen we would not be able to produce energy from basic nutrients and would die….
So, how can oxygen be toxic?
Oxygen is an Electron Sponge
Nothing is perfect. The exact same property that makes oxygen a benefit to the cell, makes it a danger to the cell, its ability to absorb electrons.
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Posted in Supplementing Strategies | Tagged Antioxidants, catalase, exercise, free radical, glutathione, overtraining syndrome, Oxidative Stress, Oxygen, Reactive Oxygen Species, ROS, superoxide dismutase, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E |
Last week I explained how high temperatures increase creatine degradation rate and how this might reduce the amount of creatine you are actually ingesting following its mixing in liquids. I now explain how heat also increases creatine’s solubility, effectively increasing the amount of creatine that goes into solution. How to offset these two apparently dichotomous effects in order to optimize creatine availability for maximal absorption is the topic of today’s post.
Creatine’s Insolubility Causes Problems
One of the most problematic aspects of dietary supplementation with creatine monohydrate powders are their poor solubility - this annoying feature gives rise to a range of inconveniences ranging from not being able to get your creatine into solution to persistent diarrhea.
Heating Increases the Amount of Creatine That Goes Into Solution
Although this may sound like a contradiction it is not. Recall from the last post that heat increases the disorder of our “creatine in a glass” system, which translates into more creatine molecules being randomly dispersed (dissolved) in our liquid. In fact, increasing the temperature increases the solubility of creatine in water significantly. In practical terms, going from 10 to 50 degrees Celsius increases the solubility of pure creatine monohydrate about three-fold. This is an important consideration, since creatine is rather insoluble; typically about 14 grams of pure creatine monohydrate can be dissolved in a liter of water at room temperature (25 degrees Celsius). Importantly, this values drops to around only 8 grams of creatine being able to be dissolved in one liter of water right out of the refrigerator (4 degrees Celsius). And, of course, creatinine production will also increase, although much less significantly than the increase in creatine solubility. Can you see where I am going with this? Read More »
