Inside the Mind of Deserusan

I get asked a lot what supplements I use on a daily basis. I’m fortunate enough to work for a great supplement company like Gaspari Nutrition so a lot of my needs are covered and some of those I was able to help design myself. However, I am a firm believer in taking a well dosed multivitamin especially since I’m an active bodybuilder and am constantly subjecting my body to supraphysiological conditions daily. For this reason, RDA’s (recommended dietary allowances) really don’t apply to me and just as my body requires more macronutrients like protein and carbohydrates to grow it also requires higher daily values of certain vitamins and minerals.

My Vitamin & Mineral Stash

Enzymedica Digest Gold – One of the requirements of being a bodybuilder is eating a lot of protein. There just isn’t a way around it. Unfortunately, eating a lot of protein can sometimes upset the GI tract and taking digestive enzymes can help facilitate greater quality of digestion.

AOR Ortho-Core – A good multivitamin should be a staple for just about everyone unless you are able to get all your vitamins and minerals from whole food. I chose Multi-Core because it contains bioactive forms for its vitamin and mineral sources so they don’t eliminated as waste due to poor bioavailability. I also like how the doses are split throughout the day because from anecdotal experience, it’s not optimal to slam the body once per day with large doses of vitamins and minerals.

NOW Foods Ubiquinol – CoQ10 is a remarkable ingredient for maintaining mitochondrial bioenergetics in skeletal muscle and the heart. Ubiquinol is the reduced form of CoQ10 which is most commonly found in the body and also has a higher bioavailability being upwards of 4-8 times more potent per milligram. I prefer taking this in the morning and sometimes even before training as it helps with aerobic respiration.

Life Extension Mega Silymarin - Proper liver health and function is very important to the active bodybuilder due to the fact the liver plays such an important role in metabolizes many of the supplements we ingest and also filters out many toxins. It is also important for glycogen production which is essential for energy. The particular product I take has a high standardization for silibinin which is one of the key flavonolignans responsible for it’s hepatoprotective properties. Like with many supplements, not all silymarin products share the same efficacy or potency.

NOW Foods Ultra-Omega 3 – I should first tell you that I only take fish oil supplements while bulking. The reason being, I eat a lot of fish when dieting down so I get plenty of O3’s in the form of EPA and DHA. When I bulk I tend to eat a lot more mammalian derived meats so having a good O3 supplement with a high EPA/DHA content is vital. I typically take them before bed as EPA & DHA are critical for neurotransmitter regeneration and overall recovery of the nervous system.

NOW Foods Magnesium Citrate – Unfortunately, most multivitamins don’t provide a lot of magnesium and it’s optimal to take multiple doses per day for proper absorption. I take mine before bed because it does help my sleep quality. Beyond being a critical mineral in hundreds of physiological process supplemental magnesium has been shown to increase hemoglobin levels which can increase your ability to transport oxygen to tissues such as skeletal muscle which is critical for performance and health.

NOW Foods NAC – N-acetyl-cysteine helps maintain healthy gluthionine levels in the liver. This is critical in reducing oxidative stress and overall liver health. One drawback of being a bodybuilder is having to ingest copious amounts of food which can require the liver and associated organ systems to work harder and more efficiently. NAC is just one more measure to help insure your liver is functionally properly as pound down the calories.

Jarrow B-Right – A good B-complex is essential for proper macronutrient assimilation. Being water soluble your body does not store these so when you don’t need the they are eliminated. I only add in a B-complex to my multi when I’m really eating an excessive amount of calories as my multi is sufficient, but I tend to drink a lot of water which causes them to be transported out of my system faster. Like AOR Ortho-Core, B-Right contains an excellent array of bioavailable cofactors which is optimal for the active athlete.

Jarrow GPLC – Carnitine is a great ingredient and while there are numerous forms, I’ve been using glycine propionyl-l-carnitine as of late. GPLC has some decent research which can also be likened to the research available for proprionyl-l-carnitine. It really helps with mitochondrial energy production and even has some mild cognitive effects. I don’t take it daily, but occasionally I’ll pop a few caps before training.

Cognizin Citicoline – This is one of the more exotic nootropics I take and I’ve always been impressed with research for citicoline. It has been shown to increase cognitive performance and assist in maintaining brain health. Being a researcher I spend countless hours pouring over journals and text books which at times is just mentally exhausting. Anecdotally, citicoline helps keep me focused and allows me to hit the books a bit longer by helping maintain optimal levels of numerous neurotransmitters.

As you can see I’m a bit obsessive in my approach to supplementation, but then again I’m constantly exercising put both my mind and body. Beyond maintaining a good diet in my quest to a be a competitive bodybuilder I also want to make sure I’m providing my body with the essential cofactors to help recover properly and to perform optimally both in the gym and at my job. Anyway, this is just a basic look into my supplement regimen beyond the protein powders, creatine, etc. If you have in depth question feel to ask.

Seated Dumbbell Laterals: 50lb’ers x 10 x 3
Smith Machine Military Presses: 245lbs x 8 x 3
Seated Dumbbell Presses: 100lb’ers x 8 x 2
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Upright Rows (wide grip): 75lbs x 10 x 2
Bent-over Cable Laterals: 40lbs x 8 x 2
Reverse Pec Dec: 200lbs x 8 x 2

Barbell Shrugs: 315lbs x 10 x 3
Dumbbell Shrugs: 100lb’ers x 10 x 3

Leg Press Toe Presses: 450lbs x 20 x 4
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Step Toe Presses: BW x 20 x 4
Seated Toe Press: 130lbs x 15 x 4

I haven’t worked in early in the morning in forever so it was a nice change of pace to get in there at 6AM. Typically I’m there around 7pm and it’s just slammed so when I walked into a virtually empty gym it was a nice surprise. Not having to wait for machines is something I’m not used to here in Brooklyn.

Man, it’s about time isn’t it? This project took longer than expected but all you guys and gals out there will certainly appreciate the feel of this product. Here it is hot off the press at my desk! Expect more info to come soon…

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade you are probably well aware of the fact the federal government is not happy with dietary supplement industry. Over the past few months there has been quite a bit of rumbling among industry insiders because of some increased enforcement efforts which have included search and seizure, recalls, and even raids by the DEA for alleged contamination of supplements with controlled substances.

The reason for this increased is because of the lack of quality control in this loosely regulated industry.  However, it seems the times of loose regulation are over once the cGMP’s (current Good Manufacturing Processes) go into effect this month for the majority of supplement firms whether distributors or manufacturers.

Essentially cGMP’s have been put into place because the loose enforcement of DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994) didn’t motivate the vast majority of supplement firms to adhere to strict quality control (QC) protocols. The combination of loose enforcement and poor quality control in some cases has allowed some particularly dangerous products to reach the mass market. It has also allowed for products which do not meet label claims to get into the hands of consumers as well.

In reality, some of the new QC protocols and labeling requirements in this newly cGMP regulated era call for stricter measures and oversight than the pharmaceutical industry. Ultimately, these will greatly benefit the vast majority of consumers but there is a very harsh reality which will be faced along the way.

You would have to assume that one of the driving factors in loose QC would be due to costs. It’s not cheap to manufacture, warehouse, or distribute goods under QC protocols which rival the pharmaceutical industry. Climate controlled warehousing, shelf stability, pre and post production testing, and the documentation to serve as proof that all these processes exist and are monitored on a daily business is relatively expensive for a smaller to medium sized supplement firm. Therefore, corners would have to be cut to preserve the coveted profit margin. I should state this now that not all firms cut corners, however relative to the new regulation it would appear that based on the current FDA perspective, they believe the probability is high.

The reality of the situation is that increased costs of production will be carried over to the consumer or some firms which will probably cease to exist. More than likely we will see a consolidation of manufacturing and supplement distribution firms who use third party manufacturing as well. This is the downside of increased production costs. Unfortunately, some very innovative firms that don’t have the proper funding might go by the wayside should they decide to remain autonomous.

Now I don’t want to worry a lot of you out there because believe it not, many firms have already been adhered to cGMP’s for quite some time now. Organizations like the Natural Products Association and the NSF have helped lead the way to offer certification programs to qualify and feature some of the best in the business. Furthermore, brands that are sold in countries which have their own cGMP requirements like Canada and Australia are well ahead of the curve as well.  These supplement firms don’t have a lot of maneuvering to do because they’ve been exceedingly proactive in their approach to the new regulatory environment.

Ultimately, the FDA is empowered to protect the consumers and to offer guidance to pharma, the food industry, and the dietary supplement industry. Politics aside, the new cGMP’s are here because the vast majority of supplement firms have been somewhat resistant to implementing proper quality control which would benefit the consumer and ultimately their long term vitality in the evolving regulatory environment. As one industry insider put it, “Can you blame them? The industry should have been doing these things all along.” Wholeheartedly ’d have to agree but sincerely hope it doesn’t stifle innovation to the detriment of the consumer and their access to cost effective dietary supplements.

If you want to actively join in a cGMP discussion on the forum please check out this forum thread linked here.

Leg Press: 900lbs x 20 x 3
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Seated Leg Extension: 200lbs x 20 x 3
Barbell Back Squats: 225lbs x 20 x 3
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Dumbbell Walking Lunges: 30lb’ers x 20 paces x 3
Single Leg Curls: 50lbs x 10 x 3
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Single Machine Leg Press: 200lbs x 12 x 3

I’ve been playing with a few compounds as of late so I decided to try them under high volume conditions. I don’t want to shift my workouts out of an anaerobic modality but wanted to see how well volume training would be received with newer formula that’s in the design phase. All in all, it was impressive. I’ve always leaned to towards higher volume workouts. It takes a while for me to warm up and I don’t like resting in between sets. In retrospect, I had been overtraining for years because of this but now have a good handle on when to end the workout.

Close Grip Pulldowns: 200lbs x 10 x 3

Bent Over Rows (4s contraction hold): 225lbs x 8 x 3

Seated Machine Rows (4s contraction hold): 200lbs x 10 x 3

Dumbbell Rows: 100lbs x 10 x 3

Wide Grip Pulldowns: 200lbs x 10 x 3

HammerStrength Pullovers: 140lbs x 10 x 3

Single Arm Curls: 40lb’ers x 10 x 3

Bent Over Bar Curls: 50lbs x 12 x 3

Concentration Curls: 30lbs x 10 x 3

Since I’ve been busy over the past few weeks I’ve lowered my intensity in the gym a bit. The reason being, my focus just isn’t there. I’m not making a big push to get bigger at this point but am just trying to maintain a bit and see if I can’t enhance the quality of my muscle a bit. This is why you are seeing some higher rep ranges, longer contractions, etc. Over the next weeks you’ll notice I’ll be increasing slow negatives and the tempo of rep performed.

I’ve been fairly busy as of late working on a few patents for various sports applications. It’s quite an undertaking but in today’s day and age, it’s the proper step to ensuring your "ideas" aka intellectual property don’t fall into the hands of others. Believe it or not, a hobby of mine has been studying the legal maneuvering of supplement companies as they defend themselves against intellectual property infringement or enforce it. A lot of this doesn’t spill over into public knowledge but you really gain a respect for those companies trying to be novel and protecting their intellectual property. It’s not easy, especially in an industry where knock offs are very  common. Companies are so brash as to even copy the exact look of a competitor’s product and copy their marketing ad copy almost verbatim. It is what it is I guess.

Pec Dec: 150lbs x 20 x 3
Dumbbell Bench Press: 120lbs x 10 x 3
Incline HammerStrength Press: 270lbs x 10 x 3
Decline HammerStrength Press: 270lbs x 10 x 3
Cable Crossovers: 40lbs x 20 x 3

Tricep Pushdown: 150lbs x 12 x 3
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Overhead Reverse Grip Extensions: 100lbs x failure x 3
Single Arm Overhead Cable Extensions: 50lbs x 12 x 3

Calf Press (Incline Leg Press): 450lbs x 20 x 4
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Standing Toe Press: BW x 20 x 4
Rotary Calf Press: 200lbs x 20 x 4
Rotary Calf Press (single leg): 80lbs x 20 x 4

This was my first workout in about eight days. As of late I’ve been super busy and some highlights of my busy lifestyle include traveling to DC for GMP seminar and working on some intellectual property. More or less, when you get into a groove you have to roll with it. My body needed a break anyway and since it’s now fully healed and recovered I’m back in the gym 100%.

My new puppy has kept me extremely busy as well. The first week or so we had him he needed constant attention. So much so he had pretty bad anxiety when we weren’t around which was downright obnoxious. Fortunately, he’s toughened up a bit and can be left alone in small spurts now. We also hired a dog sitter to come in the days I’m not working from home to play with him a bit and feed him. I was surprised to find out it’s not that expensive.

Life is pretty crazy these days. My career has really taken off and while the demands are high, I decided to up the ante a bit and buy a beautiful little puppy with Vanessa. He’s a French Bulldog named Axl. No, we did not name him after Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses. I like Hebrew names and Axl is a variant of Axel meaning “father at peace.” I’m not one for naming a dog Biscuit or Spot. I prefer human names because dogs are a member of the family and should be treated with respect. Axl is a fairly masculine name and isn’t really something you hear that often so it seemed like a good fit for our boisterous little boy. Hopefully Rich doesn’t mind it if I bring him to the office a few days….lol.

Bringing Axl into our lives is also a great opportunity to share with all of you out there my interest in pet supplementation and physical fitness. Obesity is an epidemic that just doesn’t effect humans, but also pets. I’m pretty sure all of you have seen quite a few "fat" dogs and cats recently. I’ll be touching on this subject in future blog entries where I’ll be reviewing various pet supplements and giving some general tips on how to blend your pet’s lifestlyle with your own journey into leading the fit lifestyle. Enough of that though. Here are some pictures of my little pride and joy named Axl!

Workout Song of the Day

Dumbbell Laterals: 65lbs x 8 x 2

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Front Dumbbell Raises: 65lbs x 8 x 2

Barbell Military Press: 225lbs x 8 x 3

Seated Dumbbell Presses: 80lbs x 10 x 3

Single Arm Cable Rear Delt Raises: 40lbs x 10 x 3

Standing Calf Press: 300lbs x 20 x 3

Toe Presses (Leg Press): 600lbs x 20 x 3

Rotary Calf Press: 250lbs x 20 x 3

Single Leg Rotary Calf Press: 80lbs x 10 x 3

Man am I busy. I have to take a second to apologize for not updating my blog for a few days. What has kept me from my normal blogging activity is work. Fortunately, we’ve made a couple of breakthroughs in the R & D department and of course, that means no rest for the weary.

Laying Leg Curls: 160lbs x 10 x 3

Stiff Leg Deadlift (Smith): 315lbs x 8 x 3

Front Squats: 315lbs x 8 x 2

Hamtractor: 150lbs x 8 x 2

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Leg Press (high foot placement): 900lbs x 12 x 2

Single Leg Curls (FST-7): 60lbs x 10 x 7

Decline Sit-ups: BW x 20 x 3

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Hanging Leg Raises: BW x 20 x 3

I split up leg training so I could focus a bit more on my hamstrings which this workout is indicative of. You are probably wondering why I threw front squats in their and it’s primarily because the deep stretch really hit my gluts and hamstrings like a normal squat. It’s more or less for variation. I should mention that I am presently alpha testing a few compounds and they seem to be working well. I wish I could say more at this juncture but my lips are sealed.