vince_andrich’s BodyBlog

By Vince Andrich

For the Previous Section Please refer to

Osmotic Anabolic Signaling

Nutrition and Supplement Strategies that Go BEYOND the €˜Perpetual PUMP’ for True Muscle Growth and Cellular Recovery

Substrates that Trigger OAS
By now it should be obvious that what we’re calling the “super pump can be achieved by manipulating muscle cell swelling. In particular, key nutrients have been identified that have the ability to maintain cellular fullness by forcing muscle cells to become maximally engorged with protective fluids €” fluids that possess discrete anabolic properties as well as increase performance and produce full, tight physiques. It is important to note that cell volume is primarily a protective measure to combat muscle protein breakdown. Therefore, the first type of nutrients we will cover have the ability to pull fluids into the cell, making it more resistant to breakdown, all while providing the necessary osmotic pressure to produce massive pumps.

Amino Acids and Osmotic Signaling   
Amino acids are not only important precursors for the synthesis of proteins and other nitrogen-containing compounds, but as you will see, they also participate in the dynamics of increasing cell volume. As we discussed, cell swelling has anabolic effects, which due to enhanced protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, compensates for increases in intracellular osmolarity. In chemistry, the osmole (Osm) is a unit of measurement that defines the number of moles of a chemical compound that contribute to a solution’s osmotic pressure. Mechanisms responsible for cell swelling-induced changes in pathway fluxes include the changes in intracellular ion concentrations and in signal transduction.

Specific amino acids (e.g., leucine) stimulate protein synthesis and inhibit protein degradation independent of changes in cell volume because they stimulate mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), a protein kinase , which is one of the components of a signal transduction pathway used by insulin. When the cellular energy state is low €” for example when following a chronically reduced carbohydrate diet €” stimulation of mTOR by amino acids is prevented in part by a reduction in insulin production.

Surprisingly, it has been show that when subjects ingested a specific combination of amino acids, namely leucine, taurine, isoleucine and tyrosine they experienced a dramatic influx of hypo-osmotically induced cell swelling.

In laymen terms, the right combination of amino acids will send out a strong signal to increase cell swelling when muscle cell volume reaches low concentrations. This is likely due to, 1) a protective mechanism that can be triggered under severe conditions (like those generated by many diets and training methods), and 2) the ability for leucine to increase insulin production . These both are great benefits for those who want to train hard and maintain a full and pumped appearance while on reduced carbohydrates. Moreover, under normal feeding conditions, these amino acids will help maximize the fluids inside your cytoplasm for muscles that are super pumped, fuller, rounder and gorging with vascularity.

Maximizing the Reception of Osmotic Signals
There is no doubt that a powerful link between cell volume and muscle protein synthesis exists. It’s also a fact that muscle cell volume acts as an anabolic signal in response to specific nutritional compounds. In the previous section, we learned that when the available cellular energy inside your muscles is low, the amino acids leucine, taurine, isoleucine and tyrosine appear to signal actions quite similar to that of insulin. This should come as no surprise, since insulin is one of the most potent regulators responsible for controlling muscle growth and muscle breakdown.
What’s truly remarkable is that when you stop and think about it, the link between fuller muscles and anabolism is easy to see. That’s why I’m absolutely convinced the next great frontier in drug-free bodybuilding lies in unlocking the secrets to upgrading your body’s natural muscle cell volume machinery. I personally believe that the dynamics of muscle cell hydration and fluid volume are likely the master regulators at the core of the anabolic response. This theory has been proven in a number of studies by a variety of independent researchers. For example, one of the leading experts on cell volume, Dieter H¤ussinger, displayed evidence that cellular hydration is an important factor in controlling cellular protein turnover, while protein synthesis and degradation are affected inversely by cell shrinking. Moreover, an increase in cellular hydration (swelling) acts as an anabolic agent, whereas, cell reduction is catabolic . In another experiment Professor Siegfried Waldegger found that “cell swelling inhibits proteolysis (protein breakdown), and stimulates protein synthesis, whereas cell shrinkage stimulates proteolysis and inhibits protein synthesis .
Natural Nutrient Sensors and Hyper Cellular Remodeling
After coming to the realization that cell volume regulates anabolic drive, it stands to reason that by increasing the availability of “nutrient sensors it may be possible to maximize the effects, and markedly increase the storage of cellular contents or trigger what we’re calling “Hyper Cell Remodeling.

In the medical community, prescription oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) are commonly used to up-regulate our cells’ ability to utilize nutrients. These compounds work through a variety of mechanisms, most notably by increasing insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal. Fortunately, there are several natural dietary supplements that have been shown to be extremely active at the receptor level and work to enhance the effects of insulin and nutrient disposal. The most effective natural nutrient disposal agents include, R-Alpha Lipoic Acid, (R-ALA), 4-hydroxyisoleucine, chromium polynicotinate and Rhodiola rosea.

Highlighting the Target Cells with R-Alpha Lipoic Acid
R-ALA is the biologically active form of alpha-lipoic acid that has recently demonstrated to possess all beneficial properties for acting as a natural substrate in damaged cell metabolism along with optimizing the actions of insulin. Being a natural isomer, R-ALA is most recognized by the mitochondrial enzymes inside the cytoplasm and in both human and animal models, R-ALA appears to directly activate target cells, which could lead to the stimulation of glucose uptake .

Chromium Polynicotinate the Magnetic Mineral
Chromium Polynicotinate has greater biological activity than other forms of chromium, including sources from picolinate. CP helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and can be critical to the synthesis of cholesterol, fats and proteins. Chromium polynicotinate consists of pure niacin-bound chromium, identified by United States Government researchers as the active component of true GTF (Glucose Tolerance Factor). GTF is responsible for binding insulin to cell membrane receptor sites .

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Amplifying the Insulin Signal with 4-hydroxyisoleucine

Another potent compound is 4-hydroxyisoleucine; an amino acid extracted from fenugreek seeds that interestingly works through activation of the early steps of insulin signaling. This ingredient may stimulate insulin secretion (direct beta-cell stimulation) and help control blood sugar levels. This dual action makes 4-hydroxyisoleucine a potentially very valuable nutrient sensing agent for maximizing the storage of critical muscle cell components.

Rhodiola rosea- … Dual Action Cellular Energy-Boosting Herb    

Rhodiola rosea L., also known as “golden root” or “roseroot” has been used in the traditional medicine of Russia, Scandinavia, and other countries for centuries. Since 1960, more than 180 pharmacological, phytochemical, and clinical studies have been published. At the Tomsk State University and Medical Institute in Tomsk, Russia, scientists examined rhodiola’s effects on fighting fatigue and boosting energy. Mice with weights attached to them were forced to swim to exhaustion twice a day for six days. Half of the mice received an oral rhodiola extract, while the control group was given only water. By day six, the rhodiola-supplemented group had ATP levels that were 17% higher, and creatine phosphate levels that were 45% higher, than those of the control group. Rhodiola’s benefits did not end there, however. The level of muscle glycogen was 53% greater in the supplemented group than in the control group, while concentrations of muscle lactic acid and ammonia (two toxic byproducts of muscular effort) were 18% and 60% lower, respectively . Clearly, the rhodiola extract helped maintain levels of key energy compounds needed for physical activity, which are indispensable to protecting muscle cell volume.

Hyper Hydration…Maximizing Total Body Water Volume

So far, I’ve given you a lot of good news about a totally new and reliable strategy for acute and permanent muscle expansion; now, here’s the bad news. You see, without maximizing your total body water availability, none of the strategies above will make much difference. That’s why I am about to tell you about a substance that occurs naturally in the body, and can dramatically increase the concentration of the fluid in the blood and tissues. The magical substance is glycerol, also known as glycerin, glycerine, 1,2,3-propanetriol and trihydroxypropane. Oral glycerol ingested with added fluid, increases total body water volume. This is known as glycerol hyperhydration. Some athletes use glycerol to improve thermoregulation and endurance during exercise or exposure to hot environments .

The concentration of these fluids is held constant by the body, so water consumed with glycerol is not excreted until the extra glycerol is either removed by the kidneys or broken down by the body. In laymen’s terms, taking glycerol in supplemental form quickly improves hydration and the absorption of other supplements that are taken with it. The end result is faster delivery of nutrients when and where you need them the most and the prolonged “pump effect” during your workouts.
STAY TUNED for the Summary in PART IV

On Your Arms in 15 Workouts!

By Vince Andrich

Quick, what pose would you most likely see if you ask a bodybuilder to flex? Yes, you guessed it, an arm pose. It could be a front double bicep, side tricep or just throwing up one GUN. The fact is, arm development is critical to a great physique, and to your psyche. So how do you train for great arm development?

Gold Standard for Symmetry…Bob Paris

Balance through Specialization
In my opinion, highly developed arms are NOT impressive if the rest of your body is under-developed. Conversely, decent arm development on a balanced physique is very impressive. This is especially true when it comes to sporting a set of arms that get attention, or in a word: attractive.

The Total Package…Rachel McLish
This may seem confusing to comprehend at first, but if you’ve ever studied the various body types that may be on a competition stage, you’ll easily see that your eyes seem to zero in on the athletes €˜flaws’ first. Sure, you will spot impressive body parts, but in the final analysis, he or she who has the least flaws will look the best. This is even truer in real life, and it is simply because the mind likes symmetry. Your mind processes images, but will repeatedly look for the most complete package. A good example is a car with a killer set of dubs (rims). At first you notice the shiny bright chrome, but quickly begin to assess if the car holds up to your initial impression. If the car doesn’t meet your expectation, many times the great looking rims take away from the cars entire look, thus defeating the purpose.

The Mind Loves to Find Flaws…Train Accordingly!

This is why, I have always felt that the goal of any bodybuilder is to eliminate or diminish their flaws…and everyone has them. So if you believe your arms need more development to €˜match’ the rest of your body, here is a 21-day specialization program that will get your GUNS growing again.

The 21-Day Arm Blitz 

1. Focus nearly all of your recuperative power, and energy towards breaking down, and rebuilding your arms
2. Work arms 3 times per week, and limit all other body-parts to 1 workout per week
3. Do six ‘work’ sets of six reps for arm exercises (plus one warm-up set per exercise that is not counted as work set)
4. Perform only one exercise for biceps, and one for triceps each arm workout
5. You are doing low reps for maximum tension, but this does not mean use poor form!
6. A good split is to do arms on M-W-F, but do no upper body work on weekends
7. The best arm exercises are described below. Remember, do only one movement for triceps and one for triceps each arm session
8. You must alternate the exercises below each arm workout for variety

Triceps (specialized exercises to beef up the high/meaty portion of the triceps)

Exercise 1. Triceps Barbell Pullover

This movement looks a bit weird, but it packs slabs of beef on the largest areas of the upper arm. To do the movement properly, lie on a flat bench with the top of your shoulders hanging slightly off the top end (you could look down and see the floor). Now, place a barbell held at arms length over your chest. This is not a pullover position, but a modified lying press position. The reason your shoulders are slightly off the top edge of the bench is to take the power away from them, and fully target the triceps. Your grip should be 12 wide. Keep your elbows in and lower the bar behind and just below your head. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Exercise 2. Barbell Rollover and Press

Lie on the same bench with your body in the same position as described in the previous exercise. From this position pull the bar over, close to your face and rest it on your chest. Now rotate your elbows out to the sides and press the bar to arms length over your chest. Try to press downward toward your feet to get a better contraction. Now lower the bar to the starting position and repeat the movement.

Biceps (specialized exercises to beef up the bottom and the peak portion of the biceps)

Exercise 1. Barbell Preacher Curl
I suggest you perform your preacher curls with the left foot forward under the bench and the right foot back. You can look up the preacher bench on bodybuilding.com for a review of this apparatus. Keep your stomach pressed against the elbow rest and your head and shoulders inclined forward. Your grip should be shoulder width apart and “thumb under fashion. Start the movement by bending your wrists up and curl to the shoulders. Use smooth pumping reps and do not lean back at the top of the movement.

Exercise 2. Alternate Incline Curls

Lie back on an incline bench; keep your chin on your chest and knees slightly bent. Curl your left dumbbell first, keeping your elbows back. As the dumbbell comes up, lean to that side, look at the weight and forcibly contract the bicep when the weight touches the front deltoid. When lowering the left dumbbell, curl the right one using the same techniques.

Conclusion

Stick with this program for three weeks, and then assess your body for other areas that need specialization.

For PART I Refer To;

Osmotic Anabolic Signaling

Nutrition and Supplement Strategies that Go BEYOND the €˜Perpetual PUMP’ for

True Muscle Growth and Cellular Recovery
PART II

By Vince Andrich

The Mirror-Key to Monitoring Low-Carb Diet Success

Using changes in the appearance of your muscles to gauge your nutritional status and/or needs is extremely useful on a carbohydrate-controlled diet, because they are very time sensitive. What I mean is, once you understand what nutrients alter the volume of your muscles, you can make adjustments literally day-by-day. These visible signs are more significant than ever when you understand that as a rule High Protein-Low Carb (HP-LC) Diets cause an overall loss of cell volume making the scale an unreliable measuring tool. Your visual goal will be to keep your muscles looking FIT not flat, which we will cover in detail later. If you desire muscles that are super pumped, fuller, rounder and gorging with vascularity then forget using a HP-LC Diet exclusively. To attain fat loss, and still be able to muster up a pump in the gym, takes some insight. In short, the goal is to “threaten your glycogen stores to a point where your muscles begin to lose fullness, making it difficult to get a great pump, however we must avoid allowing our muscle to go entirely “flat. The €˜trick of the trade’ is to utilize a cyclical carbohydrate cycling approach, where you eat about 100 grams of carbohydrates per day for up to three days, and then jump to about 5 times that number for day four. This would mean you would consume 100 grams of carbs for three days, and then on day four, consume 500 grams to replenish depleted energy stores. Beyond this “carbohydrate-balancing act, there are several recent discoveries that have revealed numerous non-carbohydrate substrates that induce cell swelling so that you can attain maximum muscularity and avoid looking flat and stringy. Since most athletes don’t have much experience assessing their nutritional status as it relates to muscle cell energy, here is a quick guide.

Assessment Tools

Monitoring the “appearance of your muscles is an art form that has been practiced for years by trial and error. Hey, it’s no accident that when you look around any commercial gym all you see is a wall of mirrors. However, beauty is more than skin deep. Today science has uncovered tons of the reasons why gauging muscularity by the mirror is essential to success.
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So What Do I Look For? 
The main storage compound in skeletal muscle is glycogen, which is measured in millimoles per kilogram of muscle (mmol/kg). Luckily, several researchers have found some relevant data regarding glycogen stores to help athletes gauge their cell volume. Here is what we know:

An individual following a normal mixed diet will maintain glycogen levels around 80-100 mmol/kg. Athletes following a mixed diet have higher levels, around 110-130 mmol/kg,  which would represent a fuller looking muscle. As a rule weight trainers and active individuals classify a normal mixed diet as 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat. So then an active individual on a HP-LC Diet should aim for “fit looking muscles which is represented by glycogen levels around 70 mmol/kg. If you are using other cell swelling techniques in this article, your muscles should look a much fuller than non-exercising individuals on a normal mixed diet or about 85 mmol/kg. At these levels of glycogen, fat oxidation increases both at rest and during exercise . Monitoring the “appearance of your muscles is a very non-scientific measuring tool so it is necessary to use visualization. Picture “fit muscles on a HP-LC Diet to look about 35 % smaller in overall cell volume than when you are not dieting (see fig.1).

If you’re still unclear remember how you looked when you were eating more carbs and compare that to these warning signs that tell you’re spiraling out of control:

• A flat or stringy looking muscle would represent about a 70% decrease in your overall cell volume (glycogen at 40 mmol/kg). At this level, workout performance is largely impaired and protein can become an important fuel source during exercise.
• Total exhaustion during exercise occurs when your muscles are about 85% under volumized (glycogen at 15-25 mmol/kg), which is not an environment conducive to favorable changes in body composition.

The Chemical Soup that Determines Muscle Cell Volume
It should come as no surprise that getting nutrients in and out of your muscles is under close scrutiny. The €˜gatekeeper’ that guards working muscles is called a cell membrane, or more specifically the sarcolemma. Covering the entire muscle fiber, the sarcolemma (muscle membrane) is an extremely thin, flexible and elastic substance. The first and most important job of the membrane is to maintain the integrity of the cell and keep the vital contents inside. If this protective cover gets damaged severely then the contents will escape and the cell will die. Further, the sarcolemma acts as a gateway through which substances (i.e. amino acids) can enter and leave, making it selectively permeable. Briefly, here are the main functions of the cell membrane:

• To hold vital energy components inside the muscle cell, such as glycogen and Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the key energy €˜currency’ of your cells
• To transport the waste build up from muscle fiber contraction out of the cell
• To accept nutrients that are critical to the health, maintenance, repair and building of muscle cells. These nutrients are amino acids, carbohydrate molecules (glycogen stores), hormones, oxygen etc

One surefire way to manipulate the permeability of a cell membrane is to workout. Training damages the sarcolemma in a positive way and appears to “unlock the door making it more permeable. This effect has likely been programmed into our genes for survival. The likely scenario is this: after a brutal workout, your body senses that the nutrients and fibers inside the muscle cell have been “torched and damaged, then it allows what is effectively your muscle cell recovery team inside to “reconstruct the crime scene. It appears that feedback provided by a number of mechanisms including amino acid monitoring and Osmotic Anabolic Signaling work in concert to maintain proper cell volume as a consequence of exercise.

The Cytosol €” Key to Muscle Cell Volume
Once past the muscle cell gateway, what exactly do you find inside? You find the cell’s cytoplasm, which in regards to a muscle cell is called the sarcoplasm. This is literally everything inside of the plasma membrane. The muscle fibers are surrounded by a thick fluid or gel, which is called the Cytosol. This is center of the universe when it comes to bodybuilding. I say this because the nutrients that go in and out of the cytosol determine how the muscle cell is remodeled, or basically, rebuilt.
The cytosol is the intracellular fluid inside of the muscle fiber. The outer structure is a virtual superhighway, which takes raw materials from the outside of the cell (passed through the cell membrane), then stores or converts those materials into useable energy. In other words this transparent gel contains such foods as amino acids for maintenance and repair and glycogen (carbohydrates stored in muscle) for energy. You see a muscle fiber must have a fuel source in order to contract. This is why the cytosol also has tiny specialized structures called organelles, or microscopic organs. Perhaps the most significant of these €” at least in terms of energy production €” are mitochondria, because they convert carbohydrates (see chart above) and fats into ATP, which is our muscle cell’s main energy currency or fuel.

Blood Volume €” The Red River That Feeds Cell Volume
The topic of blood volume is somewhat related to the subject we just discussed. That€˜s because extracellular fluid levels that make up your blood volume also make a huge impact on the water content inside your muscle cells. Most bodybuilders don’t realize that even their performance is directly related to the level of hydration (or dehydration) when they step into the gym. Dehydration is defined as a >1% loss of body weight as a result of fluid loss. This is not usually a problem for a weight trainee during exercise, but if you start your training low on fluids it will become a factor. Consider this, if you are normally a 200-lb athlete and your lack of hydration brings your weight down to 196-lbs (2% of your body weight) there is a measurable decrease in muscle cell contraction times, and when fluid losses reach 4% of body weight, there is a 5 to 10% drop in overall performance which can persist for up to 4 hours even after rehydration takes place. When hydration levels plummet it slows recovery. Reparatory processes are so reliant on fluid for transporting anabolic substrates like amino acids and glucose to muscle cells as well as removing waste products from those cells.

So unless you are depleting water for a photo shoot or contest (which require arguably less performance), it is essential to anticipate and regularly replace fluid losses. For the record, thirst is not a reliable indicator of dehydration as it takes a fluid loss of 0.8 - 2% of body weight to trigger thirst. Now you know why many serious athletes carry water around with them in the gym!

There is no doubt that maintaining blood plasma volume is an important strategy to optimize your physical performance, and reaching a mind blowing pump IS a performance feat in it of itself.

Osmotic Anabolic Signaling In Action
I didn’t want to turn this into a piece on water and hydration, but now that we’ve covered the basic determinants of cell volume, though hydration and carbohydrate intake, here is a quick summary of OAS in action.

• For the athlete, nutritional status and training frequency cause extracellular (blood plasma) and intracellular (cytosol) conditions to vary considerably with respect to each other.
• Proteins and other substrates lie at the interface between these two compartments and relay signals relating extracellular conditions to the cell interior
• Nutrient sensors act to regulate cellular contents, and therefore nutrient sensing may culminate in the altered activity of a multitude of cellular intermediates such as hormones, glucose, amino acids and other nutrients.
• Osmotic Anabolic Signaling is triggered by specific nutrients (or their metabolites), or the detection of physiological signals generated as a result of changes in cell volume or cell membrane potential

STAY TUNED FOR PART III

By Vince Andrich

If I hadn’t made me
I would’ve been made somehow
if I hadn’t assembled myself
I’d have fallen apart by now

Incubus, Title Song to the CD Make Yourself

I have no doubt that regular readers of inspiring articles and blogs on bodybuilding.com seek to break out of the norm and become something special. Nevertheless, no matter how many victories you have had in the game of life, or kudos for a job well done, there is a deep secret that lies inside each of us. The secret is this; we are all prone to harbor self-doubt or low self-esteem to varying degrees.

In fact, just two days ago I watched an Oscar winning actress state that although she has many successes; the failures or misses are her most memorable. When I heard this, I immediately wanted to write about the topic, because I knew that when we’re too hard on ourselves, our willingness to try new things, learn and live life to the fullest comes to a grinding halt.

The Seeds of Self-Doubt

According to many researchers, low-self esteem is a common barrier that once recognized as a learned pattern of behavior, is much easier to minimize. Now, just stop and think about it, we spend most of our young impressionable years learning not to think or speak too highly of our selves or we are labeled a braggart. Then as we enter peer influenced social environments. such as throughout school, we must seek approval to make sure we are good enough. You know the deal, be popular, cool and hip, because the alternative is a painful lack of self-worth or esteem.

Over time, people with chronic low self-esteem often sabotage their own success and happiness because they do not think they are worthy of anything good. In essence, they’ve become conditioned to doubt themselves.

Where Does Self-Esteem Come From?

Our self-esteem develops and evolves throughout our lives, as we build an image of ourselves through our experiences with different people and activities. Experiences during our childhood play a significant role in the shaping of our basic self-esteem. For example, as we progress from toddlers to young adults our successes (and failures), and how others treated us, begin to shape our inner self. The most influential people shaping our basic self-esteem are the members of our immediate family, by teachers, coaches, and our friends (peer group).

Distorted Faces of Low Self-Esteem

According to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, most of us have an image of what low self-esteem looks like, but it is not always so easy to recognize. Here are three common faces that low self-esteem may wear:

• The Impostor: acts happy and successful, but is really terrified of failure. This person lives with the constant fear that she or he will be “found out.” Not surprising is the fact that this person needs continuous successes to maintain the mask of positive self-esteem, which may lead to problems with perfectionism, procrastination, competition, and burn out.
• The Rebel: acts like the opinions or good will of others - especially people who are important or powerful - don’t matter. The rebel lives with constant anger about not feeling €˜good enough’. This same person continuously needs to prove that others’ judgments and criticisms don’t hurt, which may lead to problems like blaming others excessively, breaking rules or laws, or fighting authority.
• The Loser: acts helpless and unable to cope with the world and waits for someone to come to the rescue. This same person may use self-pity or indifference as a shield against fear of taking responsibility for changing his or her life. The loser also looks constantly to others for guidance, which can lead to such problems as lacking assertivenes, under-achievement, and excessive reliance on others in relationships.

Do you get the message?

Your self-esteem is your judgment. It is NOT the people around you, not your Parents or your Employers, but ONE HUNDRED PERCENT YOURS.

So all the excuses about what has happened in the past, and all the actions of other people, have nothing to do with your self worth.

Therefore, the simple route to raising your self-valuation is to make a new decision. That decision is to find new information on which to base your self-esteem.

Better still, base your self-valuation on a new understanding within yourself. The understanding that you do not have to do what others think is cool or hip in order to be worthy. You are the ultimate judge of your worth, and the key that unlocks the door to happiness is to pursue the avenues that make you feel good about yourself. By focusing on these areas, no matter how perfect you are, or well you do, the journey has enough meaning to propel your self worth to new heights.

To Make Yourself, You Must Think for Yourself

As the lyrics from the song above reveal, if you don’t assemble yourself, you’ll fall apart. And if you want to Make Yourself you will need to begin thinking for yourself, which is likely one of the hardest things to do, but the ONLY way to gain back any lost self-esteem. Read on and you easily see the benefits of thinking for yourself.

The great artist Rembrandt did not paint the same world as Picasso, and, in general, no world-class artist became a “classic” by doing what somebody else had already done, or even what everybody else in his/her own era did. The great businessman Henry Ford did not get rich copying Fulton’s steamboat; he made a car so cheap that anybody could afford. Finally, Howard Hughes produced movies that nobody else would have dared to attempt, but he was not deterred by his peers, and then went on to revolutionize the airline industry.

We all need to conscious of what breaks down our self-esteem, and how we can breakthrough barriers by focusing on what WE truly want, and only judge ourselves against our best individual effort.

We live in a world where a multitude of very powerful forces have worked upon us, from birth, through school, to work, many times attempting to suppress our individuality, our creativity and, above all, our curiosity. In short, these forces can destroy everything that encourages us to think for ourselves.

Summary
The beauty of searching for new ways to exercise, and maintain a healthy high performance diet, is that no matter how perfect your body becomes, the journey to attain better health, lose body fat and gain lean muscle has enough meaning to propel your self-worth to a higher level.

I know you care enough about yourself to build a better, healthier body, or you wouldn’t be reading this. So, take this to the bank; you already have more self-worth than 99.9999 percent of the population.

Train Hard,

Vince

                Suggested reading;

http://www.amazon.com/Pathways-Bliss-Mythology-Personal-Transforma
tion/dp/1577314719/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b/103-4375356-9194203?ie=UTF8

By Vince Andrich

I have a true love of bodybuilding. That said, the goals I have for my own body are usually shunned by the “bigger is better” fans of bodybuilding and many devoted trainees. Moreover, the majority of people new to weight training do not believe they can re-shape their body and therefore do not understand my concepts.

Then again, it’s not my place to pass judgment on what your fitness goals should or should not be as this is most definitely a personal thing. You see I believe that the ultimate goal for putting in endless hours of training and avoiding junk food is to gain ownership of a body that does not automatically insinuate drug use or turn off the majority of the population. In simple terms my physique goals are to create a body that is pleasing to the eye, while at the same time inspires others to ask “what type of workouts do you do to look like that” versus “how much weight can you bench press”.

In my mind a bodybuilder has tools, which are dumbbells, barbells or weights and in the hands of a sculptor the objective becomes where to put more muscle for a fluid, symmetrical body shape. I call this concept Cosmetic Bodybuilding (admittedly a term coined years ago by the original Iron Guru Vince Gironda) and if your’e interested in working out to get a better body, and not a bigger or skinnier one then this blogg is for you.

The concept of “Cosmetic Bodybuilding” is defined as a fusion of postmodern bodybuilding techniques and purposely thought out strategies that allow you to re-design the gifts nature has given you.

Beyond Nip/Tuck

One of my favorite shows these days is about cosmetic surgery: Nip/Tuck. Fittingly, the most compelling line in the show each week is when the main doctors ask “what don’t you like about yourself”. In essence, that line is what this Cosmetic Bodybuilding is all about. Assessing what you don’t like about your body and finally having the means to alter it.

If you think you have to live with a bone structure flaw such as a wide waist or small and narrow shoulders, and want to make serious aesthetic changes, you will need to forget your pre conceived limitations and adhere to the revolutionary skill and technique of creating an illusion. The concept of illusion as it relates to your body structure is actually very simple and easy to see, once your eyes are trained to see the difference.

What Don’t You Like About Yourself?
Ask yourself, what is your ideal physique, and shoot me a note, because I’d like to know. In any case, stay tuned, in future bloggs we’ll discuss training methods that allow you to hide and improve on your muscular shape and structural weaknesses to attain the body you really want.

Killer New Fat Loss Compounds

By Vince Andrich

Wouldn’t it be nice if science had THE PILL that made bodyfat merely melt away? Sounds great right? Don’t misunderstand me, I am a big fan of science, but I hope the magic pill NEVER comes. The reason is, if hard work, dedication and persistence are taken out of the equation, all the benefits we have as bodybuilding artists will amount to ZERO. I don’t know about you, but I like the fact that what I do with my hobby of diet and exercise makes me different than the €˜normal’ people on the street. So, I am not a fan of getting a FREE ride, but I do appreciate it when science brings us new compounds that will help us build leaner more attractive bodies.

Accelerating Your Fat Loss €˜Investment’

Even if the fat loss miracle PILL never arrives, science is making great strides in uncovering the variables associated with fat gain and loss. One of my good friends Peter Miller at Integrity Nutraceuticals turned me on to two such ingredients that look like KILLER fat loss compounds. Believe me when I tell you, Pete Miller has the science down COLD, so I think both of these compounds are definitely worth looking at (product developers go here www.integritynut.com).

“An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense “intuitive linear view. So we won’t experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century€”it will be more like 20,000 years of progress…at today’s rate … Artificial Intelligence Expert Ray Kurzweil

Razberi-K …Radical Fat Burning Swiss Army Knife
The first interesting compound is called Razberi-K, also known as 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl) butan-2-one, which is a ketone unique to red raspberry. Raspberries contain many bioactive constituents beneficial for health. One particular constituent, 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl) butan-2-one appears to have the potential to decrease body fat.  In a recent study, mice were fed a high fat diet to induce obesity while treated groups were also fed an additional 1 or 2% raspberry ketone. The treated groups gained less body fat than the control groups.

How does Razberi-K work?

In laymen terms, Razberi-K appears to have at least two beneficial effects for losing bodyfat namely, decreasing absorption of dietary fat and increasing norepinephrine-induced lipolysis (see http://blog.bodybuilding.com/vince_andrich/2006/10/12/neuro-chemical-diet-warfare/). Importantly, research suggests that in the reduction of absorption of dietary fat, the inhibition of trioleoylglycerol hydrolysis plays a major role. Further research advocates that enhancing lipolysis may augment glycerol release, increasing the translocation of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) in fat cells, and increasing brown adipose tissue, known to increases thermogensis and oxidation of body fat.
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Application and Serving Size
Razberi-K is appropriate in a product for weight management. It can be administered in a capsule, tablet, powder or liquid. The recommended serving is 100 mgs twice daily.
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Look for products with the Integrity Nutraceuticals Trademarks, to be sure you’re getting the real deal!

iFAS50…Putting the Brakes on Fat Storage
Another very interesting fat loss compound is called iFAS50. According to the R & D staff at Integrity Nutraceuticals, this novel ingredient is comprised of three potent Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS) inhibitors: Green Tea, Tuber Fleeceflower and Parasitic Loranthus. Processed uniquely, the herbs in iFAS50 are blended and then extracted together. This method promotes synergy and provides a consistent and even distribution of the herbs. Research suggests that Green Tea, Tuber Fleeceflower and Parasitic Loranthus are among the most potent inhibitors of FAS.

What the Science Says about iFAS50
As you might already know, Fatty Acid Synthase is a multienzyme process resulting in the synthesis of fatty acids. Regulators of FAS are insulin and glucose; hence by prolonged consumption of high-carbohydrate or fat-free diets, FAS synthesis increases. Fatty acids once produced are esterified and stored in fat cells as an oily substance called triacylglycerol. The process of FAS is mediated by the enzyme acetyl-CoA caboxylase (ACC). Glucagon, an important hormone produced by the alpha cells of the Islets of Langerhans, is known to interfere with ACC thus inhibiting FAS.

The bottom line is that when FAS is inhibited, the body’s ability to store fat is greatly reduced, making iFAS50 an excellent fat loss tool. In addition, inhibiting FAS also exerts numerous indirect properties particularly on hypothalamic neurons. FAS inhibition results in a significant reduction of feeding behavior according to studies. The last benefit is extremely interesting to me since I believe the next generation of fat loss products MUST take into consideration feeding behavior (see my blog, (see http://blog.bodybuilding.com/vince_andrich/2006/10/12/neuro-chemical-diet-warfare/).
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Application and Serving Size
iFAS503 is appropriate in a product for weight management. It can be administered in a capsule, tablet, powder or liquid. A serving of 250 mgs twice daily is suggested.

Again, look for products with the Integrity Nutraceuticals Trademarks; to be sure you’re getting the real deal!

You can reach Integrity Nutraceuticals direct by calling 941.342.0007 or via email at: sales@integritynut.com

I just got a question about glycogen (or stored carbs in muscle  or liver) that asked;

Q: How do you know you’ve used up all your glycogen stores from a workout? When you fatigue and can’t get those last two reps up without help, does that mean you’re muscle glycogen stores are empty/low? I ask because I’m not sure exactly how much post workout gatorade powder to drink. I’m still about 20 lbs away from my goal and at this point I don’t want anything to hinder fat loss.

A: If you want make sure fat loss is still in play keep in mind that for best results your body has to switch gears post workout to refill glycogen and increase anabolic drive, which includes clearing waste products, delivering aminos, ATP, and glucose etc..

In the grand scheme post workout insulin release from glucose will up regulate your glucose burning ability and drop your fat burning rate slightly more than 50
–so unless you really pig out you will be fine…

For more detail here is a small section of a book I wrote called No Mistakes with my buddy Rob Thoburn…

"The see saw aspect of this fuel-burning metabolism lies in the fact that carbohydrate (glucose) and insulin shift your body’s fuel-burning mixture toward glucose oxidation and away from fat oxidation (Flatt et al., 1985; Hussain et al., 1995). At a blood insulin level less than that found following a normal meal, the breakdown of body fat can be reduced by some 50Bonnadonna et al., 1990; Jensen et al., 1989; Swislocki et al., 1987).

But in the grand scheme of things this carbohydrate-induced suppression of your fat-burning metabolism will not necessarily make you fat. Remember that your body must undergo this metabolic shift at mealtime so that it can load your muscle cells with glucose (as glycogen) and stimulate them to oxidize it for energy. The priority of these metabolic events over those governing fat lies in the fact that your storage capacity for carbohydrate is much, much more limited.

So while eating carbohydrate will indeed prompt your metabolism to burn less fat temporarily, it will also cause it to store and oxidize that carbohydrate."

On a side note if you want to be bigger and leaner, don’t skimp on your post workout carbs, just try to make sure you don’t keep insulin spike too long. Safe bets post workout are yams, brown rice and a bit if simple sugars (gatorade is cool).

Vince

Nutrition and Supplement Strategies that Go BEYOND the €˜Perpetual PUMP’ for True Muscle Growth and Cellular Recovery

PART ONE

By Vince Andrich

You want the ability to get a “perpetual pump in any body part you train, every single time you walk into the gym, right? You are in pursuit of the almighty PUMP because you truly believe it holds the key to building more muscle size and strength, correct? You also believe that the magnitude of the pump you get in the gym is an indication that you’re on your way to less bodyfat and more defined muscles, true? Now, what if I said you were right and that the PUMP really was a reliable gauge of your bodybuilding progress? Well it is, but there seems to be a misunderstanding of sorts. You see, if you’ve been following this line of thinking €” that pump equals growth €” you must realize that the traditional mechanisms for accessing a perpetual pump, pale in comparison to a startling new breakthrough in bodybuilding chemistry. Don’t get me wrong, you will still learn about an integrated system that will allow you to attain a maximum pump, but you’ll discover that there is definitely more. This approach represents an entirely new way to look at the mechanisms for bodybuilding success €” one where the benefits are noticeable and, most importantly, permanent.

The Breakthrough is Not For Everyone
The techniques outlined in this article are not intended for everyone, although anyone can benefit. What I mean is simply this: you need to €˜come clean’ and be honest about your bodybuilding goals and how YOU plan to achieve them. Let me explain more. If you are on a sophisticated regimen of bodybuilding pharmaceuticals like growth hormone, testosterone, insulin and the like, your ability to get a pump in the gym should be simple. If this is your approach to bodybuilding, then the rest of this article is of no relevance to you. I am not an expert on bodybuilding drugs, but I do know enough to say that whenever I am working with an athlete who is ON, my traditional nutritional recommendations are not necessarily applicable. This is why my focus is to work with athletes who’s hormone levels are not off €” or all over €” the charts, and therefore do not undergo severe fluctuations. However, even if you choose to go to the “dark side and use bodybuilding drugs, which I do not suggest, you can’t stay on them long term. Eventually, if you want to have your health and a great body too, you’ll be seeking out “legal bodybuilding chemistry, like the information in this article.

Nitric Oxide Boosters and the Rise of the Almighty PUMP
The popular trend in bodybuilding supplementation these days is the use of Nitric Oxide (NO) boosters as a method for increasing your “pump while weight training. The use of nitric oxide supplements (NO is the acronym, for nitric oxide), has gained quite a following since they initially hit the bodybuilding scene around four years ago. I won’t go into the exact mechanisms associated with boosting nitric oxide, but the principle benefit appears to be vasodilatation. By improving vasodilatation, an athlete would experience increased blood flow from dilated blood vessels. As time goes on, more performance supplement companies are marketing various formulas as nitric oxide boosters, thereby dramatically increasing the popularity of the category.

The highly anticipated benefits associated with increasing nitric oxide levels were initially driven by multiple marketing campaigns and by at least one popular book. Many of the marketing claims for nitric oxide products became very similar to those of creatine. For example, fuller muscles, tighter pumps, gains in power and strength, and increased cell volume. As a result, these products were €˜granted’ nearly the same credibility as creatine, when it first hit the market. The hype for the nitric oxide products gave birth to what is now almost indistinguishable from the creatine category, and in fact, many of the most popular formulas include creatine as a major active ingredient.

I have no doubt that the most significant reason these products are in demand is because they are endorsed as a means for promoting massive pumps in the gym, increasing lean mass, enhancing fast twitch muscle, quicker recovery and improving strength, but the purpose of this article is not to dispute or justify these claims. Whether or not nitric oxide supplement claims hold up to the acid test of real-world training is an entirely different subject, so I’ll save it for another time.

What is The Pump?
In bodybuilding circles, the sensation of tight congestion, or swelling, of your muscles with blood during your weight training session is €˜The Pump’. Now, a weight trainer with any experience knows that if you lift a heavy enough weight, and don’t rest too long between sets, your working muscles will become swollen with blood. In scientific jargon, this is referred to as reactive hyperemia because it involves an increase in blood flow (i.e., hyperemia) in response (i.e., reactive) to the exercise stimulus.

Triggering the Osmotic Anabolic Signaling System
So, what’s the big deal with striving to attain what popular bodybuilding jargon refers to as a Super Pump? To be blunt, The Pump is the manifestation of many physique-altering benefits that are not visible to the eye. Ironically, what seems like such a foolishly vain aspect of bodybuilding to the uninformed is, in fact, an excellent means for judging your nutritional status, current anabolic/catabolic condition and measure of training recovery.

In essence, it appears that the magnitude of the PUMP you get in the gym can be traced back to multiple factors associated with muscle growth and recovery, and are intimately related to an intricate cellular swelling mechanism that modern scientific literature calls Osmotic Anabolic Signaling  (OAS). This phenomenon is at the heart of building new muscle year round, and retaining lean mass in the face of hypo-caloric dieting. To maximize this system requires attention to several “puzzle pieces, of which nutrition tops the charts.

Diet and Muscle Cell Dynamics
When you are well fed, i.e., carbohydrates are not restricted, your ability to get a pump should be pretty easy, even if your diet is not optimal. However, it has become increasing popular for weight trainers to follow a diet that carefully considers carbohydrate intake. The modern bodybuilding diet usually allows for 40-50% of your daily calories to come from carbohydrates. This number may increase for athletes who weight train for sports, which make it necessary for additional daily energy calories to be burned beyond those needed for the gym. Typically, carb intake is under strict control when an athlete wants to avoid gaining fat (this could be all year round), or must lose excess bodyfat for a wide range of goals including contest prep. For example, consuming less than 100 grams of carbohydrates is the standard level for a “low-carb day. If this level seems low, it is, but keep in mind these diets usually remove carbohydrate calories and make up the remainder of the daily calorie allotment from increases in protein and/or fat. The best low-carb diets put an emphasis on protein intake due to its ability to promote additional calorie wasting.

The underlying problem with excessive restriction of carbohydrate is that when training intensity is high (and of course intensity is key to keeping or increasing muscle size much less the PUMP), even 200 grams of carbohydrates per day for larger athletes is tremendously meager. Research has shown that a high-protein diet coupled with low-carbohydrate intake creates a metabolic environment called acidosis, which is not conducive to high intensity weight training , . In addition, weight training intensely while simultaneously reducing carbohydrates dramatically depletes stored energy in muscle (glycogen), and therefore we know that low-carb dieting cannot be followed for weeks on end.

Fortunately, most athletes realize that it is best to utilize carb depletion/cycling regimens rather than attempt to stay on reduced carbs for the entire length of their diet. That is, they follow a few days of low-carb eating (usually 2-3) and then allow themselves a day or so of “normalized feeding to drive the replenishment of glycogen so that training intensity can be maintained. The other benefit associated with this diet format is that the athlete enjoys maximum fat burning on low-carb days, and then when carbs are reintroduced in greater amounts, insulin is allowed to help maintain the desired anabolic state. Further, boosting carb intake at this point offers a mechanism to reinvigorate natural thyroid production €” often reduced when on low-carb diets €” for improved metabolic function.

Moreover, a consideration of importance, beyond the aspect of performance, is the anabolic effect of insulin secretion on muscle protein synthesis. Moderate carbohydrate intake at each meal should stimulate the proper insulin levels needed for maximum muscle protein synthesis. Over time depressed insulin secretion may halt any additional muscular progress.  Therefore, my approach to feeding for most of the year is to systematically eat a little less carbs than I need and more protein than I can use. This concept is fully explained in a booklet called ‘No Mistakes’ - The Nutrition Guide to Building Your Best Body Ever. I wrote this guide with my colleague Rob Thoburn, who is an absolute bodybuilding genius and now works for the forward-thinking sports nutrition company BSN.

Nutritional Clues Related to €˜OAS’
I’ve mentioned relative dietary concepts because at the end of the day, your nutritional status will ultimately become the €˜core’ to engaging OAS, and the PUMP you get in the gym. How much does nutrition have to do with OAS? Have you every wondered why your muscles are flat some days and on others full?  As you recall the muscle contains stored carbohydrates. Guess what?  For every carbohydrate gram you store an additional 2.7 grams of water!  Whenever you consume plenty of carbs, your muscle cells become saturated with them, and each carb pulls nearly 3 grams of water into a virtual anabolic Jacuzzi! Therefore, your muscles fill up like a balloon!  You can always tell how anabolic your nutrition is by how full your muscle cells are. As we touched on previously, when you are on a reduced-carb diet, your muscle cells become flat and your skin is loose, and doesn’t look very tight. The initial stages of this are common while dieting, because the athlete is simply low on carbohydrate stores in their muscle cells. However, in speaking with many advanced athletes if your muscle cells are left high and dry for too long, with nothing to hold water inside the cell, you will eventually chew up your hard-earned muscle.

So, this raises the question: Can you get a super pump in the gym while carb intake is low? In my opinion, the answer is no, probably not.
Keep in mind the pump is relative, and is can only be judged against your personal experience. But you will get a better pump when your carb intake allows for stored glycogen in your muscles to be roughly 50% of capacity, and your water intake is adequate. As a reference, adequate fluid intake for a 200-lb athlete is about 1-gallon of water, or 12, 8-ounce glasses. When it comes to gauging your stored muscle glycogen levels, then best assessment is the mirror, which we will discuss in detail in the next section.

Go Here for
PART TWO

http://blog.bodybuilding.com/vince_andrich/2006/10/25/osmotic-anabolic-signaling-part-ii/

The Next Frontier in Legal Fat Loss Pharmacology that

Goes BEYOND €˜Thermogenics’ for Rapid & Permanent Fat Loss

PART ONE

By Vince Andrich

Over the years, I’ve probably been asked more about getting ripped than about any other fitness-related topic. I’m totally cool with that because my focus has always been on the cosmetic aspects of nutrition and exercise. While some may balk at the idea of cosmetic fitness, it is my view that people are more likely to put forth the effort it takes to get the health benefits associated with fitness, if they are doing it the name of vanity. Arguably, improving your appearance seems to have more immediate “benefits than for example, improving heart health, making it a much more motivating pursuit. Ironically, what it takes to improve cosmetic fitness in fact delivers superior health benefits, but that’s another article all together.

Needless to say, the topic of getting ripped is an area that really intrigues me, and I’ve got more than a few theories that I’d like to elaborate on. But beforehand, we all need to get on the same page and understand that if you wanna get ripped €” if you really want to get lean €” there is no such thing as a free ride. Next, let’s agree that any serious “cutting regimen includes an eating strategy based on some type of macronutrient control and manipulation. The wide range of eating strategies includes everything from protein/carb cycling to simple calorie control, but for the sake of this conversation it doesn’t matter. Now, if you’re still with me, understand this: I believe that no matter what “diet you’re on, going beyond your previous best “muscle to fat ratio will eventually come down to a game of mental Russian roulette.

That’s right. Think about it! When you attempt to go beyond your normal limits in any endeavor the mind calls the shots. Those who’ve been there know what I mean. Like Christopher Walken’s character in the Deer Hunter, you take your diet to the point where each day, you roll the cylinder and see if you can escape the bullet in the chamber that will be your mental breaking point.

Don’t be confused; I’m not talking about a breakdown of mental motivation, that’s another discussion. I’m talking about improving your chances of diet success by tweaking the balance of your “mindspace through the use of what I like to call “Neuro Chemical Diet Warfare.

Engineering Irrational Minds To Prevail
I could be way off, but my opinion is that concentrations of neuro chemicals that can benefit dieters are scarcer, or simply less affective when the body is deprived. My reasoning? Well, it seems when deprived, the mind automatically obsesses on the exact thing you’re being deprived of……even if the obsession irrational. For example, I remember during those last weeks of contest dieting, the mere thought of being “allowed to eat anything “extra was always top of mind. I’d often say to myself; “maybe I screwed up my food journal and can eat another meal. Knowing full well that my food journal was always followed to the letter €” to the last morsel. So why would I begin this debate with myself? Sound familiar?

I know it has been written about many times before, but it’s worth mentioning again; dietary restrictions kick in untold years of programming that tells your brain that “you’re starving. So even if you really aren’t starving €” even if you have plentiful food within your reach €” your mind becomes irrationally obsessed with eating.

Quite possibly our starvation radar goes off even sooner when we are simply attempting to go below a certain level of bodyfat, often called the “set point. This effect is most pronounced and extremely exaggerated when restricting water, say for a bodybuilding contest or making a weight class. All you can think about is liquids, or something wetter than your dry like the Sahara desert mouth! Seriously, until you REALLY restrict water intake you just don’t know how good a thimble of water or ice cube sounds. These thoughts take precedence over everything. No doubt food (and more so, water) top the charts for survival and so getting an extra edge in this arena will be tough, but certainly worthwhile. IMO, this survival or pleasure mechanism can be overridden.

Why? Because it happens naturally in everyday life, and is most easily seen when a person either falls in love or they have issues with their love interest such as the possible break-up of a marriage/relationship. Simply stated, the desire for food has been known to significantly change whenever a person experiences something very pleasant or unpleasant.

These are just a few of the reasons I believe tweaking your supply and balance of serotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine is seriously a BIG DEAL when it comes to fat loss. No matter how experienced you are as a dieter, understanding the power of these neurochemicals holds the key to suspending or minimizing those unforgettable feeding signals that are hardwired into our biology.

Talking Points, Theories and Situation Analysis
The talking points set out below outline a possible prototype for future neurochemical diet strategies. Take these points for what they are; theories, but they are theories with the added insight of what really goes on inside the mind of a serious dieter. Some experts in the applicable fields will probably cringe, at least in places, because inevitably, some of my pop neuroscience is simplistic to the point of perversion. But I am not here to cure mental illness; but I do want to give YOU a mental advantage so you can lose more fat with less pain and suffering.

So that’s all the apologies I’ll make. I feel the subject matter is relevant and in the near future will be key a factor in any high level athlete or serious dieter’s fat loss plan. It is almost insane NOT to realize, quite intuitively that is, that the mind is the ultimate decision maker and all diets succeed or fail because of these decisions.

Willpower and Anti-Food Psychotropics
There is a whole host of psychotropic players that can affect food intake, but for the most part your brain levels of two key neurochemicals €” serotonin and dopamine €” seem to be most notable. The problem is that when it comes to making neurochemical connections to food intake, not everyone has the same wiring, and thus, there is not one off-the-shelf solution. Take serotonin for example; this neurochemical has been linked to carbohydrate cravings and is, in fact, released in response to eating carbohydrates. This is why dieters who want to naturally increase their brain levels of serotonin often take the supplement 5-HTP, a precursor to serotonin. The simple reasoning for increasing serotonin in the brain would be to reduce or delay your carbohydrate cravings. Put another way, your mind knows that eating carbs will eventually lead to the release of -serotonin, but if brain levels are “artificially adequate (through supplementation) your cravings might be minimized. On the surface this seems to be a great idea for low-carb dieters or those with heavy carb cravings.

Too bad it’s not that simple

Let’s take a look at some popular drugs that work on serotonin. It is well established that many people who use Prozac®, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), eat less and therefore can lose weight (although in some cases weight gain does occur). In contrast, Paxil®, another brand name SSRI, lists weight GAIN, not LOSS, as a side effect. In fact, I’ve spoke to many people who use Paxil and swear it is the cause of their weight gain. Now, it can be argued that the two SSRI compounds listed above are similar, but not exactly the same. However, it would seem that inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin would result in many of the same side effects or benefits. But it doesn’t always work that way. Something else must be going on.

The answer may be found in a study comparing the effects of fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft®), citalopram (Celexa©) and fluvoxamine (Luvox®) on extracellular concentrations of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. In this study, only fluoxetine (Prozac) showed robust and sustained increases in extracellular concentrations of norepinephrine and dopamine after acute systemic administration. This simple difference might explain why Prozac could be a better drug for dieters. Of course this study doesn’t take into consideration what happens when you’re faced with dietary “restrictions.

Keep that thought:.

On the flip side, dopamine, a naturally produced neurochemical, functions as a neurotransmitter that activates dopamine receptors. Dopamine is also a neuro-hormone released by the hypothalamus. Dopamine is a precursor to epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and is part of the catecholamine family, which plays a key role in releasing energy from fat and inhibiting fat storage. So, maybe we should just find a way to crank up the dopamine, right?

Well, take a look at this:

One drug affects dopamine and IMO, deserves much attention when it comes to dieting. The drug is Bupropion (amfebutamone), which is better known by the brand names Wellbutrin and Zyban.

I’m fascinated because the chemical is both a dopamine reuptake inhibitor and a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. Also, Bupropion has only a small effect on serotonin reuptake. Not surprisingly it is similar in structure to the stimulant cathinone, and to phenethylamines in general. It is a chemical derivative of diethylpropion, an amphetamine-like substance that is prescribed as an appetite suppressant. Pretty, cool so far, right?

For an athlete looking to get ultra ripped however, we want a reduction in appetite, not amphetamine induced anorexia that will grind up our mind and muscle and spit it out. You see if you flip the dopamine switch on high and break off the knob, you’ll be headed for a downhill spiral. This is because the closer you chemically get to amphetamines such as methamphetamines or cocaine, you beat on your dopamine system to the point where the desired signal is always ON and the neurotransmitters are not recycled. The net result is that dopamine gets severely depleted and the user becomes mentally addicted and in no condition to positively alter body composition.

The good news is that when dopamine rises to higher ranges in an intermittent fashion, our body handles the increase by engaging dopamine transporters (DAT’s) to remove excess dopamine from the receptor, effectively ending the signaling of the neurotransmitter and recycling the transmitter. So a transitory boost in dopamine levels when food cravings are imminent could be a very useful appetite suppressor. For sure it seems any positive neurochemical diet protocol would require the availability and proper recycling of serotonin and dopamine. Coincidently, Bupropion is also used to for smoking cessation, and since people who quit smoking seem to gain weight, there must be another food connection. So what’s the big deal with smoking?

Stay tuned for PART TWO

I keep a membership at several different fitness centers or gyms if you will, all of which are part of national chains.  Like many, I do this out of convenience, also because locally owned and operated gyms are becoming increasingly more difficult to find. Nonetheless, for the most part I have found all of the facilities at the chain gyms to be more than sufficient to get a great workout. Keep in mind, I have been weight training for over twenty-five years, so it is much easier for me to get what I need out of almost any gym environment.  For sure, I can get a “workout, but I am concerned with the current atmosphere that has become common in commercial gyms everywhere. When I stop and take time to look around, it is easy for me to see that the elements that gave me years of physical and mental sanctuary are gone. From my perspective, it seems that opposing forces of social interaction and inner peace that can play such a big part in your quest to get a better body, have been replaced by rows of cold soulless exercise paraphernalia. As a result, the participants come to do their workout as if it is another job, mindlessly going through the motions. Yes, the proliferation of fitness centers has undoubtedly made it possible for more people to access the tools necessary for change, but in the process, the mystery, art and inspiration needed for a truly remarkable experience has been lost. In my opinion, the gym as a place of refuge from the problems of everyday life is now just another location to stunt your creativity and “blend in.

Why Lasting Body Transformation is €˜Spiritual’ NOT Mechanical

It wasn’t long ago that gyms were defined by their members’ collective personality. A place for individuality and community, gyms provided the cultural seeds for personal growth that went far beyond building your body. For years, I never really knew why it was so easy for me to get pleasure out of going to the gym. I now realize that my view of going to the gym is much different from people today. My memories of belonging and individual expression are the foundation for the feelings of extreme pleasure that I have whenever I think about going to the gym.

I suppose if I were to start exercising today, I too might think of it as just another place to punch the clock, hindering my progress and weakening the positive influence exercise has in my life. It is difficult for me to explain, but the more mechanical knowledge that becomes hardwired into our consciousness, in the realm of body transformation, the more we must find the courage to listen to our unconscious mind to inspire us to continue our quest. In the end, I believe lasting body transformation is a journey where numerical formulas and logic can de-motivate the most able-bodied individual. Simply put, the most rewarding things in life penetrate the spirit; relationships, music, art and creative freedom, the most unrewarding are mechanical, like many mindless tasks.

Understand your potential for body transformation has no boundaries; allow each step of your journey to become a perfect experience:

So When Did The Gym Experience Change?
I personally witnessed the biggest change in gym life with the introduction of Nautilus weight training machines, and the “express workout phenomenon that started in the early 1980’s. While I have no problem with Nautilus machines per se, or a fast paced workout, I do believe the concepts that were popularized when this equipment was marketed, cut into the very soul of gym life. Like most things, the modernized approach to training during the Nautilus gym era too