Day 4: June 22, 2007 - Shoulders, Upperback, and Biceps…heh screwed up my
**Warm up sets are not included
HammerStrength Shoulder Presses: 320lbs x 8, 320lbs x 8
superset w/
Dumbell Laterals: 35lb’ers x 12, 35lb’ers x 12
Single Arm FreeMotion Anterior Raises: 12/12, 12/12, 12/12
superset w/
Single Arm FreeMotion Lateral Raises: 12/12, 12/12, 12/12
Rear Delt Rows: 50lb’ers x 10, 50lb’ers x 10
superset w/
Reverse Pec Dec: 160lbs x 10, 160lbs x 10
superset w/
High Rope Pull: 120lbs x failure, 120lbs x failure
Seated Dumbell Curls: 40lb’ers x 10/10, 40lb’ers x 10/10
superset w/
Close Grip Cable Curls: 10, 10
superset w/
High Cable Curls: 10, 10
Daily Macronutrients
Discussion
As mentioned before, I am noticing some definite increases in vasodilation. What’s intriguing about the effect is that it is not isolated to just my training sessions but rather throughout the day. It’s not intense by any means but it is certainly noticeable.
Before starting this log/review I just glanced over a bunch of icariin research but do now feel compelled to actually take a closer look.
Icariin (i.e. Epimedium extract; Horny goat weed extract)
A functional pump so to speak is something I have been interested in quite a while because in case most of you don’t know, high dose arginine based pumps aren’t functional despite a few skewed studies which have recently been released (Campbell B et al. 2006, etc).
I wasn’t expecting a heightened “pump” effect from this so beyond potential test boosting capabilities it is certainly welcomed and worth investigation. In case a lot of you don’t know this, but I don’t walk into many of these “reviews” knowing the detailed physiological mechanisms by which they work. I treat these as a learning experience and hope to ellucidate some of the highs or lows for you as well taking it one compound at a time.
Tomorrow night’s homework will be reading the following:
Xu HB, Huang ZQ. Icariin enhances endothelial nitric-oxide synthase expression on human endothelial cells in vitro. Vascular Pharmacology. 2007 Jul;47(1):18-24. Epub 2007 Mar 24.
Xu HB, Huang ZQ.Vasorelaxant effects of icariin on isolated canine coronary artery. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. 2007 Apr;49(4):207-13
Ning H, Xin ZC, Lin G, Banie L, Lue TF, Lin CS.Effects of icariin on phosphodiesterase-5 activity in vitro and cyclic guanosine monophosphate level in cavernous smooth muscle cells. Urology. 2006 Dec;68(6):1350-4. Jiang Z, Hu B, Wang J, Tang Q, Tan Y, Xiang J, Liu J. Effect of icariin on cyclic GMP levels and on the mRNA expression of cGMP-binding cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE5) in penile cavernosum. Journal of Huazhong University Science & Technology, Medical Science. 2006;26(4):460-2.That should keep me busy for a bit. By the way, if any of you out there have access to the Asian Journal Andrology please let me know. It’s one of the few journals I can’t access.
That should keep me busy for a bit. By the way, if any of you out there have access to the Asian Journal Andrology please let me know. It’s one of the few journals I can’t access.
