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Bodybuilders, power lifters, strength and power athletes and certain team sports athletes can greatly benefit from having increased lean body mass in the form of muscle. Hell, for bodybuilders it’s the goal of the sport! While for performance athletes it’s a means to an end. Total muscle mass, strength and power can benefit athletes in many ways depen[...]

To get high-quality seal of approval, a protein must contain all eight essential amino acids. Animal proteins, dairy products, eggs and whey all stand tall in this category. But research now indicates that the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) isoleucine, leucine and valine are the real drivers behind muscle gain in this family, and that regularly suppl[...]

Ever since the ancient Chinese brewed the first cup of tea and Ethiopian herders noticed their goats jumping about after munching coffee beans, we've been hooked on caffeine. Each day, nine out of 10 Americans ingest some form of caffeine. Two-thirds comes from the morning coffee slam, and the rest is spread across sodas, tea, energy drinks, supplements and [...]

In Part I of this series it was explained that sarcoplasmic hypertrophy produces only moderate increases in muscle size. It was also mentioned that there were other important reasons why such adaptations are desirable. In this section we'll take a look at those reasons. Rational and Irrational Hypertrophy Metabolic processes within the cell require ATP t[...]

In concept, weight training is a very simple practice. You lift weights, you wait a while, you do it again. You improve over time and eventually you are stronger and bigger than you were before. When you strip it down it's really quite simple isn't it? The problem is things don't always go as smoothly as the above description would imply. The Size And Str[...]

Although ketogenic diets are useful for fat loss, while simultaneously sparing muscle loss, they have one significant drawback: they cannot sustain high intensity exercise. Activities like weight training can only use carbohydrates as an energy source, ketones and free fatty acids (FFA) cannot be used. Therefore the lack of carbohydrates on a ketogenic diet [...]

It sounds like a compendium off elementary school facts: The Earth's surface is more water than land; our bodies are mostly water; you cart survive for weeks without eating but will likely die within a few days of your last drink. Despite all the discussions about water we've been having since grade school, a lot of confusion remains. Not so much about the g[...]

It goes like this, a client looking to lead a healthier life hires me, a nutritionist, to help him improve his diet. I analyze what he's been eating, factor in his food preferences, and together we create an eating plan that fits his lifestyle and goals. Soon after, he's noticeably leaner and more energetic a happy customer. That's when the trouble starts[...]

When implemented properly and consistently, strategic pre- and post-workout supplementation can greatly increase the effectiveness of your training. Without optimum nutritional strategies, the body's response to training can only be considered a compromise at best. From this perspective, training and diet cannot be considered as separate factors. The food[...]