The Year of The Monster Is Coming

Milk
What it is- The good old fashion stuff that comes from a cow.  It does not sound all that special, but milk most certainly is. We all know the benefits of protein on muscle and milk is a great source of it. Milk is a great source of protein containing Casien and Whey protein. It is about 20% Whey and 80% Casein protein. Since milk contains both you are absorbing fast acting proteins and a steady supply of slower acting proteins. One cup of milk has a biological value of 91%.
Biological value (BV) is a measure of the proportion of absorbed protein from a food which becomes incorporated into the proteins of the organism’s body. It summaries how readily the broken down protein can be used in protein synthesis in the cells of the organism.
Milk is also a strong provider of many minerals like iron zinc and calcium. The benefits of calcium for strong bones are very well known, but did you know calcium has a very positive effect on fat loss.
In a 6-month study, University of Tennessee researchers found that overweight people who downed three servings a day of calcium-rich dairy lost more belly fat than those who followed a similar diet minus two or more of the dairy servings. In addition, the researchers discovered that calcium supplements didn’t work as well as milk. Milk worked better because although calcium has a positive effect on fat loss so does protein. Milk is a great combo of the two.
Milk is also a great provider of water.
Milk is also a great source of extra calories. 2 cups of skim milk with a couple of scoops of whey protein will provide you with almost 400 fat free calories. That is pretty good if you are trying to bulk and not worry about excess fat. If your dieting one glass of milk provides 8 grams of protein 13 grams of carbs and anywhere from 0-8 grams of fat depending on the type of milk. It is a good snack supplying less than 150 calories.
How to take it-
For bulking up the more milk the better. If you are not worried about excess fat intake then use whole milk to bulk. If you want to watch your fat intake, then use 2% or less milk for bulking up.
For dieting I recommend skim milk. It provides less calories and no fat. If you are dieting for a show of competition I would tend to avoid milk the last three weeks of contest prep because it can leave a extra film of water on some.
Because milk tends to be somewhat slower digesting you should use it throughout the day for a constant flow of proteins to the body. Milk is also great to use before bedtime as the slower release will provide proteins to your muscles while they are sleeping.
For those that are lactose intolerant* you can always use Lactaid. Lactaid provides all the benefits of milk without the bothersome side effects.
*(Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products, because the required enzyme lactase is absent in the intestinal system or its availability is lowered.

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Sodium-

What it is-
To put it simply sodium is salt. Sodium, a macro mineral, is actually necessary to regulate your blood pressure and blood volume. Without sodium, you wouldn’t have any blood pressure at all. Sodium is an essential mineral you would need to take as it encourages the growth of muscles through increasing our muscle cell fluid volume. Though it is a good water retainer which is good for us if we want to bulk up, it benefits you by enhancing carbohydrate storage and absorption of amino acids into our bodies. Since it can increase our cellular fluid, our joint leverage is improved and hence we gain more strength, suffer lesser muscle strains, and soft tissue injuries from weight training. On top of that, sodium improves the responsiveness of our muscles to insulin. Another benefit for Creatine users is, creatine uptake by the muscle cell is sodium dependent - sodium is required for proper muscle-creatine delivery and utilization. Providing the proper intra / extra-cellular creatine-sodium chemical gradient is crucial to “hyper” creatine transport - getting more creatine in the muscle than normally allowed under ordinary cellular-metabolic states.Sodium is also very important in putting water in your muscles. Water is essential for strong muscle contractions. It starts with the nerve impulse and the chemical reactions that happen at that level. Then the muscle cells require water for the transport of nutrients through the cell wall for energy production. The water also lubricates the muscle fibers, allowing for less friction and stronger contractions. And finally, the fuller, thicker muscle provides greater leverage. Now while excessive amounts of fluid retention is bad for you a little fluid retention while bulking is good because it helps your muscles stay full and get more nutrients in them. The higher the sodium intake, the more the body tries to retain water (to dilute its concentration). Either reduce salt intake or drink more water to avoid excessive fluid retention.
How to take it-
The one problem we tend to have with sodium is people use too much sodium. The American Heart Association recommends that for every 1,000 calories of food you eat, the sodium intake should be 1,000 milligrams or less and should not exceed the 3,300 milligram daily limit for adults. One teaspoon equals 2300 milligrams of sodium. Most foods contain enough sodium so adding salt to food is not necessary.
I would not recommend taking extra sodium while dieting because of it’s fluid retention properties but for bulking it can be a helpful tool.
To help with creatine uptake you can add 1/8 of a teaspoon of sodium to 16 oz of a high carb creatine drink.
Also to help with fluid replenishment and muscle recovery after workouts you can add a 1/8 of a teaspoon of sodium to 16 or more ounces of water with 5 grams of Branched Chain Amino Acids.
 Most premade after workout shakes contain enough sodium so extra sodium is not necessary.
(If you have any type of condition that is affected by the intake of sodium, always consult your doctor first.)
(Part 5 coming soon)
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