The least complicated way to diet in order to preserve muscle and burn excess bodyfat.

What I have found out to be the easiest way to explain to our justaddmuscle.com customers with out throwing 5 books of information at them and over whelming them with unnecessary conflicting diets is to teach them the low carb eating method. This is the easiest way to eat healthy,burn excess body fat and even look more muscular with out killing your self or eating boring diets. The best way to do it is to split your meals into 5-6 meals. Each meal should contain a protein source. Weather it is a whey protein shake,a piece of fish,steak or a meal replacer. Every meal should contain a 30-50 gram serving of protein depending on the persons size and protein needs.All the other side items with the protein should come from fibrous veggies. Such fibrous veggies can be string beans,brocolly,cauliflower,brussel sprouts or any other low cab veggies. Meal replacers such as Natures Best Isopure Perfect RX can be used to add a little bit of extra carbs in the day and keep metabolism burning. The idea is to keep carbs restricted for most of the day and manipulate insulin for post work out to immediately transport amino acids and protein after braking down muscle fibers during training. For this post work out drink we like to use fast acting starch carbohydrate called Waxy Maize witch I have talked about in previous post. Since you will be depleting carbs for most of the day except in your post work out drink then your body will readily absorb all the carbs from the waxy maize starch and shuttle them to glucose storages in depleted muscle cells. Along with the carbs it will transport Branched Chain Amino Acids,Glutamine or any other nutrients you find beneficial in putting in your post work out recovery drink. The idea behind this diet here is to keep the body burning fat for energy and deplete it from carbs except in that one hour opportunity window right after your work out when you want to flood it with carbs and nutrients. One day per week you can eat a lot of carbs to flood your muscles and to reset your metabolism so it does not get stale. Try this for a few weeks and I can guarantee you will see amazing results fast with out having to read 50 dieting and training books. For more questions or help you can join our fitness and bodybuilding mailing list at justaddmuscle.com.

Too many of us are too worried about burning fat and are over dieting.

Most people that come into our supplement store today are consumed with loosing weight and being shredded. Well most guys want to get shredded,women for the most part want to wither away to nothing. I think that too many people in American society are being consumed by the pictures they see on the bodybuilding or fitness magazines and once they get used to seeing those images they perceive them attainable 24 hours per day. The truth of the matter is that those perfectly shredded physiques we see in the magazines are a result of many tricks of photography,water,nutrient and carbohydrate depleting and manipulating that can not be maintained by regular humans 24 hours a day on healthy diets. Those pictures that look perfect in the magazines take over 300-400 snapshots to come up with the right one. Do not undermine your training efforts by setting goals that are unrealistic. Look at images of natural looking physiques where fitness is very prominent but look real not oiled up pumped water depleted shredded physiques in pictures that are obviously photo shopped or took lots of work to make them look so perfect.

Very interesting information on Mangosteen. The strongest antioxidant source to fight cancer cells.

History

Named for the French priest and explorer Laurentiers Garcin (1673-1751), the mangosteen is thought to have originated in Southeast Asia. Its scientific name is Garcinia mangostana and today the fruit tree is cultivated in the tropical regions of both the eastern and western hemispheres with commercial plantations in Thailand, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. A number of other countries in both Asia and South and Central America are smaller producers of the fruit. Prized because of its excellent flavor, in Asia it is called “the queen of fruits” and in the French Caribbean “the food of the Gods.” Garcinia mangostana belongs to the family Guttiferae which includes over 800 species of plants. Two of the relatives of the mangosteen, Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort) and Garcinia cambogia have already become well known as medicinal plants. What is amazing is that the mangosteen (no connection with the mango) has never been utilized for its multiple health benefits in North America or Europe despite history and popularity as a folk remedy in Asia, Africa, and South America. Until recently, it has been one of nature’s best-kept secrets. From the time a seed is planted, a mangosteen tree takes from 7 to 10 years to yield fruit. Even though the mangosteen is one of the slowest growing of the tropical fruit trees, it can reach 75 feet in height.

Branched Chain Amino Acid supplementation benefits.

BCAA supplementation does not enhance athletic performance, but has other benefits.
J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2008 Sep;48(3):347-51.
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Branched-chain amino acid supplementation does not enhance athletic performance but affects muscle recovery and the immune system.

Since the 1980's there has been high interest in branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) by sports nutrition scientists. The metabolism of BCAA is involved in some specific biochemical muscle processes and many studies have been carried out to understand whether sports performance can be enhanced by a BCAA supplementation. However, many of these researches have failed to confirm this hypothesis. Thus, in recent years investigators have changed their research target and focused on the effects of BCAA on the muscle protein matrix and the immune system. Data show that BCAA supplementation before and after exercise has beneficial effects for decreasing exercise-induced muscle damage and promoting muscle-protein synthesis. Muscle damage develops delayed onset muscle soreness: a syndrome that occurs 24-48 h after intensive physical activity that can inhibit athletic performance. Other recent works indicate that BCAA supplementation recovers peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation in response to mitogens after a long distance intense exercise, as well as plasma glutamine concentration. The BCAA also modifies the pattern of exercise-related cytokine production, leading to a diversion of the lymphocyte immune response towards a Th1 type. According to these findings, it is possible to consider the BCAA as a useful supplement for muscle recovery and immune regulation for sports events. __________________

Over the counter PCT information. A must read for any one using prohormones.

Over the counter PCT information. A must read for any one using prohormones

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Why you need to do it

Back in the old days (50’s-70’s) when steroids were first popularized in the bodybuilding culture, no one ran PCT. It wasn?t until Dan Duchaine wrote his famous book “The Underground Steroid Handbook” that PCT became widely known. Guys were running 21 week cycles with no PCT and yet gynecomastia was still a fairly rare occurrence. Guys were even able to keep some of their mass gains without doing a PCT. Duchaine advocated the use of Nolvadex as the preferred compound for recovery of HPTA after steroid usage. He also advocated the use of Clomid as it has mimetic properties of LH so the use of both together would block estrogen receptors in the breast and help to raise testosterone levels at the same time. At the time, Duchaine recommended getting the stuff in Mexican pharmacies as no prescription was needed to purchase the drugs. Now these drugs have fallen in to a grey area of the law and are available as research chemicals from several online retailers.

Today there is a growing concern among users of research chemicals as to the purity, the legality and privacy issues. Recently “Operation Raw Deal” closed several research chemical retail sites and has people somewhat on edge about purchasing these chemicals. So what can we use to recover HPTA function as quickly as possible and that has no legal, purity or privacy issues?

Luckily, there is growing evidence that a natural SERM has been found in a compound found in wine grapes. The compound? Trans-Resveratrol. The research body is still growing on this wonderful compound but early indications and independent lab tests show that it acts as an antagonist to estrogen when estrogen is present. Moreover, it is selective to breast tissue estrogen receptors. So what does this mean? A SERM (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator) blocks estrogen from binding to estrogen receptors in breast tissue, which prevents the formation of ?bitch tits? after a cycle of steroids. These small boobs are the most feared side effect of steroid users. The major cause of these “bitch tits” is the sudden rise of testosterone and thus estrogen during the restoration of HPTA and the estrogen exerting an effect on Estrogen Receptors in breast tissue.

Recovering HPTA Function - Testosterone

Recovering HPTA involves getting our hormones back to a normal level or homeostasis. So what does that entail? I have read several articles that said that boosting LH is going to boost test production. While this may be somewhat true there are plenty of study?s that suggest that males suffering hypogonadism have plenty of LH circulating the body but that the testes do not respond to this message to produce testosterone. So getting our test production back online involves using many different pathways to tell the testes to get busy producing testosterone again.

HPTA recovery involves boosting testosterone production. So how exactly does that work? Are there natural compounds that will boost testosterone? Icarrin which is a compound extracted from Horny Goat Weed is just such a compound. In one study it was determined that Icarriin had testosterone mimetic properties and could be used to treat hypoandrogenism or a lack of androgens in the body. Icariin also is a PDE-5 inhibitor as is the active in Viagra. So Icariin can also help you get your libido back online after a steroid cycle. Libido seems to be directly related to the amounts of androgens circulating in the body which is a direct function of HPTA. So far we have covered two compounds that can help to recover HPTA function. Are there more?

Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) is an increasingly promising compound on the market and has very interesting properties. I3C can be found in leafy green, cruciferous vegetables such as green cabbage and broccoli. So what is the buzz around I3C? I3C has been purported to have cancer fighting abilities. Interestingly enough its properties include controlling and metabolizing estrogen. Wow! I3C also blocks estrogen receptors in breast tissue so it adds to the SERM properties of Trans-Resveratrol. Recently study’s have shown that Trans-Resveratrol may have some agonistic properties on e-2 estrogen receptors. In this PCT protocol we include I3C as a secondary ER modulator to make sure that we cover all the bases.

Lastly, we want to include something to inhibit the rise of SHBG or Sex Hormone Binding Globulin. What does SHBG do? SHBG binds to sex hormones (estrogen and Testosterone) and basically renders them inactive in the body. We have all heard about testosterone boosters that free bound testosterone. Bound testosterone means that SHBG has bound to it and rendered it inactive as it is not able to bind to androgen receptors to have the effects we are looking for to help us keep the gains we have worked so hard for. Divanil is one such compound that has a higher affinity for SHBG than testosterone and consequently estrogen as well.

Estrogen

So now we have recovered testosterone and are on our way to homeostasis. We are now three weeks into our PCT and have blocked estrogen from attaching to estrogen receptors in the breast tissue but as testosterone production has skyrocketed, so has estrogen production, especially since we are inhibiting SHBG?s effects. So what should we do to inhibit estrogen?s effects?

This is where an Aromatase Inhibitor (AI) comes into play. Great! Let?s just eradicate estrogen since it is so evil! Well, this isn?t a good idea on several levels. Estrogen is important for muscle generation as well as immune system health and bone health. This is why a lot of people get sick in PCT. Since testosterone and estrogen have likely been suppressed our immune systems are not as strong and have trouble fighting off infection.

There are several AI’s on the market and here we will cover one popular choice in 6-oxo. 6-oxo is a very effective compound which is not a complete inhibitor therefore, it let’s some estrogen exist while eradicating a majority of it. The idea with AI’s is to control estrogen and let it come back to a normal level at a slowed rate. The dosing scheme we will employ starts high in the beginning, and tapers the dose down. This dosing scheme will also help to minimize the possibility of any estrogen rebound as we let the estrogen levels return to a normal state at a controlled rate. AI’s should be run towards the end of PCT (weeks 3-4 through weeks 6-7).

Prolactin

Prolactin is another hormone we must be concerned with. It is released from the
Pituitary when dopamine is suppressed. Prolactin gyno has symptoms such as puffy nipples, lumps under the nipples and a clear leakage of fluid from the nipples when squeezed.

There are several ways to combat these sides. Cabergoline, high dosages of B-6 and L-Dopa have been reported to help with prolactin gyno. Cabergoline has a reputation as being highly toxic. B-6 can be toxic at high dosages for extended periods and L-dopa can have unwanted sides as well. All of these compounds are meant to be taken for short periods only to quell the sides of prolactin. If you feel ill or experience numbing in the extremities stop dosages immediately.

Tying it all Together

Now we are going to tie all this information together into a protocol to follow for PCT. We have laid out all the problems to solve so let?s cover them now as a refresher.

Recover HPTA
Boost Testosterone
Control Estrogen
Inhibit the effects of SHBG
Aromatase Inhibition/Estrogen control

What products can we take that will accomplish all of our goals?
Trans Resveratrol ? Estrogen control
I3C ? Estrogen control
Icariin ? Testosterone Booster
Divanil ? SHBG binder
6-oxo (Trione) ? Estrogen control/LH booster/Testosterone booster
ZMA ? Purported to boost HGH secretion

Now we will go over the dosing protocol and the products we will use to formulate our PCT.

Weeks 1-4

Trans-Resveratrol/Icariin - Post Cycle Support from Anabolic Innovations has seen some very good results for PCT from cycles as mild as H-Drol to cycles as harsh as Bold/P-Plex/Trena. The estrogen receptor modulating properties of Trans-Res are well documented in independent studies. While this compound is promising we still need to include other estrogen antagonistic compounds to be sure all the bases are covered.

I3C - Indole-3-Carbinol has been shown to be an excellent estrogen metabolizer as well as having antagonistic properties on estrogen receptors in breast tissue. It is a great add to our protocol and helps rid the body of estrogens as well as protecting against gyno.

ZMA - Zinc, Magnesium Aspertate. Although studies are mixed on this compound it is a good add as it is purported to boost GH production. GH production is highest while we sleep and the addition of valerian root to most ZMA products helps with a deeper sleep and more REM which is when GH is released. The body is also depleted of magnesium and zinc as we exert high levels of exercise induced stress so the addition of ZMA helps to keep those levels in check.

Weeks 3-5

One element we haven’t talked about is cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that when released makes the body hold onto adipose fat tissue. As the body starts to recover it?s test production the release of cortisol goes up. To combat this rise we add in a cortisol blocker such as 7-OH a metabolite of DHEA. I like Lean Xtreme for this job as it also contains fat metabolizing compounds such as Forskolin and Green Tea Extract. I include this for three weeks to combat any rise in cortisol and to help with leaning out during PCT without cutting caloric intake.

Weeks 4-7

As we continue on our path to recovery it becomes important to control the rise of estrogen as well as the rise of SHBG. We also want to continue to increase the production of testosterone. Two compounds I like to use for this are 6-oxo and Activate Xtreme.

6-oxo - Controls estrogen by eliminating the aromatase enzyme which is responsible for conversion of testosterone to estrogen. Because 6-oxo is not a complete aromatase inhibitor it allows some conversion of estrogen which is preferable in PCT. By inhibiting the production of estrogen it throws the T/E ratio out of whack and prompts the pituitary to release more LH thus boosting the production of testosterone.

Activate Xtreme - This divanil/icariin based testosterone booster helps by utilizing two pathways. Divanil is an SHBG binder with a higher affinity for SHBG than testosterone or estrogen. Since we are inhibiting estrogen conversion it’s boost of estrogen isn’t a big deal. Icariin as we have covered is a testosterone mimetic which boosts the production of testosterone in the body.

Waxy maize bodybuilding supplement for nutritent uptake in post work out drink.

Waxy maize bodybuilding supplement for nutritent uptake in post work out drink.

December 18, 2008 by vervebyvemma

I want to say that waxy maize starch is an amazing product. This can be found in: IDS Waximaize, Prima Force Carb slam and many other products that can be found at justaddmuscle.com.This carbohydrate has been stirring up a big deal of commotion on other boards, but oddly not here.

There have been many people experimenting with Waxy Maize Starch in different ways and the most beneficial ways so far are carbing up and filling out during the last few days of contest prep and as a post work out carbohydrate.

I myself have been experimenting with Waxy Maize Starch. For a while I used 2 scoops post work out only. I could actually feel it working. Because this carb empties the gut so fast some people say they feel “hypOglycemic,” in which I agree.

Lately I have been dosing it differently:
- 1 scoop before meal 1
- 1 scoop before meal 2
- 1 scoop preworkout with 2g Creatine Ethyl Ester. 20 min later, I have my preworkout meal. 40 minutes later… TRAIN.
- 2 scoops postworkout with 2g Creatine Ethyl Ester and 10g L-Leucine. 20 minutes later, 54g WPI shake + 100g Oats.

I guess you can say I am megadosing Waxy Maize Starch.

Holy shit. The past 5-6 weeks have been great. My skin has been feeling tighter than its ever been. The pumps are amazing at the gym. There is a definate increase in muscle fullness no doubt.

The awesome thing is that I am adding about ~130g carbs to my diet and I have not measured any bodyfat gain.

These carbs are obviously not your typical carbohydrate.

I’ve seen feedback on other forums, but I’d like to see some here as well.