Mr. Aries’s BodyBlog

Muscle Protein Synthesis Refractory Period Experiment
by John Lee

Limited information exists on documenting what the refractory period is before amino acid stimulated muscle protein synthesis (MPS) can reoccur. Existing litereature on this subject all seem to concur that there are several contributing factors which must be considered:

1) Composition (i.e. Free Form Amino Acids, Whey, Casein, Whole Food etc.):
It seems the more rapidly digestable the source will yield a quicker rise in extra cellular amino acid (AA) levels, and consequent onset of MPS. Latency and duration of amino acid stimulated MPS is characterized by a rapid rise in MPS as AA concentrations increase. Extra cellular rise in AA concernetation is said to singal the use of intra cellular AAs for protein synthesis.

2) Amount:
Not only are the latecy and duration caused by the PRO source of key consequence, but also identifying the optimal dose. It well documented that over dosing AAs does not linearly increase MPS. Thus, determing the dose is also important.

3) Pattern of Ingestion:
This is perhaps the most understudies of the three, and poses the greatest challenge. Administering protein, in an intravenous-like method, can create the onset of an inhibitory mechanism which can possibly down regulate MPS.

Conclusion:
When determing how to best create a regimen, designed to optimize AA stimulated MPS, we must consider the composition/source of Amino Acids, proper dose, and pattern of ingestion.

Experiment Purpose:

The purpose of this experiment is gauging/measuring the MPS refratory period. I will not add kcals to my baseline, and the only increase will be total grams of daily PRO at the specified times outlined below. If gains ensue, then the argument can be made that ingestion of WPI, 90 min post meal, is long enough to satisfy the MPS refractory period. Provided eveything else remains unchanged during this experiment, and gains do not ensue, these results can be used to purport that 90min is not a long enough MPS refractory period, and administering PRO at this short of duration is a waste of money.

Note:
I understand why many of you wanted me to eradicate 100g of PRO from my dietary baseline, and that too might make for an excellent study, however, gains would have likely been hindered some due to a lack of AA availablity at regular feedings. Thus, levels of AA and MPS may have been more frequent, but at the same time, spikes in AA/MPS would be attenuated due to not maximizing the MPS/Leucine thresholds. The gains from the added protein that some are worried about is really a non-issue. Reason being is, if 90 min is too short to stimulate MPS again, then the WPI shakes will have done nothing except keep me at my baseline kcal level for duration of this experiement (and we both know PRO is an expensive fuel source).

Experiment Markers:

Markers for this experiment will be:

1) Changes in overall body weight.
2) Bicep, Shoulder, Chest, Thigh, Calf & Waistline Measurements.
3) Before and after pictures.

[b]the above was a copy/paste job from Hal, who is heading this experiment :p [/b]

As you can see, i’m just tagging along for this experiment.. Everything i take and do has been stable for the past month, so any deviation from this point on will be a direct reflection of the whey isolate ingestion between meals.

Measurements:

chest:
Arms:
Waist:
Upper leg:
Calves:

Before Picture:

6′1″ 220-225lbs currently. Still lifting very hard, but adding in other interests lately as well including sprinting/jogging/biking/martial arts… I will be competing in a race in Austin on May 20th with my partner. We will be covering 7 miles total distance with a combination of run/bike.

About 90% of the time, I like to think of myself as a machine, an unrelenting machine.. I always figure I’m the type of person who put the laser dot on my goal and then dive head-first into them.. It’s how I’ve chosen to live my life: passionate, focused, unwavering..

Of course, just like life, as soon as I have myself penciled in as this "beast", life throws me the curveball. I’m sitting here tonite, feeling more vulnerable, and more human (if you will), than ever. For the past 24 hours, the person who have grown to be the closest to me has gone missing. It’s hard to define who she is, partially because I’ve never really had anyone like her in my life. I can only use the word "close", because no one has been closer than this.. Even in my relationships of the past, I’ve chosen to keep a side of me all to myself.. This is different.. This is special… She is my star; and I am a little bit lost without her.

I don’t know where she is or what happened. If i don’t see her tomorrow I’m going to comb heaven and earth to find out. Somewhere between yesterday and today, I think i’ve finally come to understand exactly what she means to me. To put it simply, if the Arnold Classic was this weekend and this happened, I would NOT have gotten on that plane…

Currently about 220lbs in the morning and less than 10%. Feeling pretty lean and muscle shape is coming back.. I have the type of physique that looks best with very little bodyfat… It’s the shape that counts :p

 Anyhow, not too much to say today.. It’s the beginning of the Chinese New Year, but in actuality just another training day for me.. I have to stay focused now.. It’s gonna be a gigantic year for me.

This quote comes from the signature of PHILRAYHO… I found it very thought-provoking and true…

 It says " u laugh cos im different, I laugh cos your all the same…"

 Very good message there.. Be different, be true, be you….

Not gonna write about myself tonite.. Instead, I’m gonna wish a friend good luck in his first pro MMA fight.. You know who you are. I hope you do well and come back with your first win along with the prize money. You have a family to take care of, and every little bit helps.. To be able to step in the ring toe to toe with someone takes more courage than most will ever know. For that reason, you are already a champion in my eyes..

I’ll see you when you get back…

John

So it begins, the march towards 6% bf once again.. I can already sense my strength wavering in the face of my low-calorie diet, but realistically, so what? Things gotta be done, and the weight has got to be moved.

 Today I was presented with a huge opportunity.. I can’t jump the gun and start dreaming up wild fantasies, but I have to say, I’m quite floored when I heard the news.. I guess we’ll see how it plays out in the next few weeks.. If it works out, I’m truly blessed.. If it doesn’t, I’m still blessed to have even been mentioned in light of this opportunity.

 Today was chest/bi day.. Here is how it went down:

 Barbell Bench:

135×15, 225×15, 315×5; 315×8 dropped to 225×3 dropped to 135×5.

Incline Dumbbell: 100×10, 100×10

Incline Flyes (45 sec rest between sets) 50×15, 65×8, 65×6

Machine Flyes/Machine press superset (45 sec rest between sets): 3 sets of 10-15 reps on each exercise.

Dumbbell Curls: 35×10, 50×10, 70×8

Preacher Curls: 60×12, 80×12, 100×10

Overhead cable curls (45 sec rest): 60×12, 60×12, 60×8

Machine Curls (45 sec rest): 100×12, 110×10, 110×6

That’s it.. Super intense.. Almost puked… It is what it is.. Tomorrow is another day

Today I weighed in at 224lbs.. By the time the Arnold arrives, I plan to be a lean mean 220 solid. I can’t wait..

 Today was a easy day at the gym.. I ran for 10 minutes on the treadmill at various intensities and stretched for about 30 minutes.. I’m back on top of my stretching now because I’ve been thinking about MMA again lately and how much I miss it.. I just found someone in town who’s about to have his first PRO fight this Sat.. He and I have the same goals in the future for fitness so we plan to start training MMA together.. It’s a good form of cardio and develops great situation awareness as well as agility/hand-eye coordination.

 No longer a heavy 245lbs, I also feel more nimble now.. It’s time to get back to my athletic days.. Watch out for future vids

So it’s Superbowl sunday… So what? A workout is a workout; it’s just another day to me.. Not surprisingly, the gym was empty. No matter, I had my mp3 and my workout partner there; that was enough.

 Today was really the first time since being sick for a week that I was able to go balls to the wall again at the gym.. Needless to say, strength was not optimal; but being able to go full blast again made me feel grateful enough to keep going..

 Today was our day to change up the routines.. The old routine worked, and worked well, for about 6 months.. We decided to go old school and back to the good old chest/tri combo. No longer my winter 245lbs, I expected my strength to drop.. Nowadays, I’m a trim 225 again, aiming to go as low as 215 for this year’s on-season.. Here’s how my workout went:

barbell press: 135×15; 225×15; 345×3; 295×5

Flat db flyes: 45×12; 55×12; 70×8

Incline db press: 100×9; 100×9

Crossovers: 60×20; 80×15; 100×8

That was for chest.. Now down to triceps.. THey were already pre-exhausted and shot by now, so I didn’t expect much. However, I sure wasn’t ready for the super-weakness in my tris when I attempted the close-grip bench.. lol.. Next time, we might have to re-think the routine.

Close grip bench: 135×10; 135×15; 185×10

Wide-EZbar pressdowns: 5 sets pyramiding up.. Just burning out the tris..

That’s it.. It felt great being back in the gym again without symptoms of sickness.. I’m looking forward to tomorrow already.. The fire is burning ever-so-brightly yet again.. I can’t wait for this year’s improvements.

If anyone will be at the Arnold Classic this year, look for me.. I’ll be the 6′1" asian guy

JOhn

Had one of those mornings where I just woke up and sat on the couch for an hour. No appetite, no desire to move.. I guess it’s been a stressful few weeks, and I’m more tired than ever. The arnold classic is a month away, and I really want to go there in high spirits. I haven’t seen some friends since the Olympia of last year, and I’m looking forward to visiting with them again.

 Bodybuilding is a pretty lonesome sport, isn’t it? After a long workout, i’m basically done for the rest of the day.. I don’t even feel like using my phone anymore, even though it’s right next to me at the moment.. What’s the point? The next meal is 2 hours away.. I really hope I find someone who shares my lifestyle to share my life with.. Otherwise, it’ll just be a long drawn out battle of the sexes… all over again.

It’s no surprise to me that I might have finally outgrown my small town.. Having moved here after 6 years in Austin, I came searching for the inner peace that I had lost after the fast-paced lifestyle of Austin. I was excited for the change of scenary, and excited for the new things in store for me..

Now, I feel like I have ran out of room to grow.. The daily grind has become just that, a grind.. I’m no longer excited, and my circle of friends has stopped expanding.. i think I’ve exhausted all the resources available to me here.

 So much has happened in the past year.. I’m now completely on my feet and own my businesses. Controlled Labs has been generous with me and I am well represented in most of the fitness mags.. BB.com has given me an avenue to reach out, and I have done so with great pride.. The local sports journal has given me a column to write, and will feature me in the upcoming bi-monthly issue..

Away from the spotlight, off of the net, my life has grown every-so-empty. It’s become monotonic and I’ve grown more distant. I may have sacrificed too much of my personal life to be where I am, and every night as I look up at the ceiling alone in the dark, I wonder if it’s all been worth it.. No, I’m not complaining. I had my choices.. I wanted more.. Now I have it.. It may be time to revisit some of the glaring gaps I’ve left in my wake..