NOTE: this is a re-post of the following Tim Ferris article:

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/05/07/vibram-five-fingers-shoes/

Tim Ferriss on Vibram Shoes from Kevin Rose on Vimeo.

“The human foot is a work of art and a masterpiece of engineering.”
—Leonardo Da Vinci

“OK, dude, what’s up with the goofy shoes?”

It was the second day of Pavel’s RKC kettlebell course, and I’d seen more than a few people wearing what appeared to be gecko feet. The sheer goofiness compelled me to ask Rudy Tapalla, a CrossFit instructor from Chicago, why on earth he would put these ridiculous gloves on his toes. He seemed to have good mojo — he was shorter than me but had a vertical jump to match Michael Jordan — so I figured he might have good reasons.

He did, though I didn’t realize it at the time.

I remained a skeptic but tested them a month later. Now, I have three pairs and find it hard to wear other shoes. Vibram Five Fingers shoes (”VFFs” to the die-hard fans) are worth a closer look.

After two weeks of wearing them, the lower-back pain I’d had for more than 10 years disappeared and hasn’t returned since I started experimentation about 8 weeks ago.

Sound ridiculously implausible?

It doesn’t once we look at how feet and posture adapt…

Nasty Pictures and Maladapted Feet

Each human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles and tendons. It’s a surprisingly malleable structure.

From the cached version of the most excellent Nature’s Magic Bullet, referred to me by Joseph Mascaro:

Most people, including doctors, have never seen a natural foot, unaltered by footwear. The following images of habitually bare feet are taken from a study performed almost 100 years ago, published 1905 in the American Journal of Orthopedic Surgery, which examined the feet of native barefoot populations in the Philippines and Central Africa. A line can be drawn that runs through the heel, ball, and big toe of a habitually bare foot. The little toes spread naturally and fan out to provide a wide, stable base for walking or standing.

How do our shod feet compare? The following more common image, also taken from the 1905 study, demonstrates feet that are shaped like the owner’s shoes. No such line can be drawn, and the little toes crowd to a point—a comparatively unstable, narrow base for walking or standing.

The Simple Biomechanics of Bad Posture

Postural compensation is unavoidable while wearing shoes that elevate the heels. It’s necessary to maintain balance.

Chronic use of heels can result — and usually does — in some degree of kyphosis-lordosis and related pains in the lower back and mid-upper back.

Reversing Degeneration – Embracing the Barefoot Alternative

Vibram Five Finger models: KSO (blue), Classic (brown), Sprint (gray)

Laboratory studies show that the plantar arch alone returns at least 17 percent of the energy of impact. Running shoes have largely replaced our arches, but they are neither as effective nor as durable. Barefoot runners can clearly do as well as shoed runners, but it takes time to develop the strength in the foot to use our natural arch fully.

(Source: The Barefoot Route)

Ethiopian Abebe Bikila ran a world-record 2:15:17 marathon at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

Barefoot.

The unadorned human foot is built for running. In fact, some researchers have proposed that bipedalism is an evolved trait related to “persistence hunting”, which is common among predators like wolves. Don’t think a human can run an antelope to death? Think again.

So how do we reclaim our rightful arch strength, our stability, and undo the damage of years of unnatural posture? Not to mention rediscover the joy of feeling the terrain under our feet?

Going barefoot is one option, and one that I enjoy, but there are limits. In the concrete jungle, glass and other dangers make going Bushman a roll of the dice at best. Tetanus or a trip to the ER? I’ll pass.

The Vibram Five Fingers shoes, to differing degrees, allow you to both walk without a heel (as would wrestling shoes, the Nike Free, Vivo Barefoot shoes, or thin flip-flops) and condition toe-spread, especially the big toe, for lateral stability.

I first tested the KSO (”keep stuff out”) model, which fits most like an aqua sock and has more padding than other models I tested.

I then tested the Classic model, the least complicated of all, and the Sprint model, which is almost a hybrid of the KSO and Classic.

I wear a size 9.5 men’s shoe in the US and tested EU 42 for the KSO and Classic, and an EU 43 for the Sprint.

The results, in brief:

My favorite model is, by far, the Classic. It’s easiest to get on, even with my worthless nub of a little toe, and it most closely mimics the true barefoot feel. The only downside is that, to get a snug fit and not have the heel come off the foot, you must slide the top slip-tie until it is quite tight. This will feel unusual for the first 24 hours or so. I have used the Classic to go trail running in SF and it is euphoric.

I love the KSO, but it is more of a process to get on, and far more conspicuous.At first, it’s fun to get a lot of attention with the shoes (gentlemen, you will not believe the “peacocking” effect of these puppies), but giving each person you meet a 5-minute explanation gets old fast. The Classic blends in more than the KSO or any model with straps. Black will help all models fade into the ground, but I prefer colors.

The Sprint model was so uncomfortable at first that I shelved them, never intending to test them again. It was the only model, and not due to size differences, that oddly pulled my little toe out, causing minor pain but great discomfort after even 10 minutes. I sent an e-mail to their US CEO, who responded back with a suggestion to “seat the heel”, particularly with the Sprint model. This means:

Slide your foot back to nestle your heel into the heel pocket. It’s important to get your heel deeply seated. Secure the instep strap BEFORE latching the heel straps. This will ensure the foot is positioned properly.

I have since been able to wear the Sprint model for 1-2 days at a time, no more than 1 hour of walking at a stretch, but the velcro strap can still bite into the skin without the KSO-like mesh below it. I find it the least comfortable of the three models.

But what about flat feet?

I had clinically-diagnosed arch problems as a child — flat feet supreme — and was prescribed not only custom orthopedic insoles but also exercises for the feet themselves, rolling up towels with the toes, etc.. For those who like random anecdotes, my mom e-mailed me this addition after I published this post:

You didn’t mention that you leapt at the orthopedist examining your feet, like Spidey to a wall.

Sounds like me. I was a little hellion. But we digress…

Needless to say, the exercises fell by the wayside, and I took to increasing levels of support through the shoes themselves. VFFs have been nothing short of spectacular for me, despite my history of flat feet.

Barefoot runners are often asked “but what do you use for arch support?”, to which they respond: “your arches”. I’ve found that my arches, and foot as a whole, feels better with less support rather than more.

Cautions and Cons

-Do not overdo it at first. Chances are that the ligaments and musculature of your feet is underdeveloped. Use them for no more than 1/2 – 1 mile in the first 24 hours, then take a day off. I suggest alternating VFFs with “normal” shoes or flat-soled shoes likeChuck Taylors for the first week. I now use VFFs for no more than three days in a row, as I’ve had some bruising on the heel with more, and such bruising is slow to heal and massively inconvenient. Asphalt is somewhat forgiving, concrete much less so (The Embarcadero in SF, for example), and marble or stone is brutal (casino floors in Las Vegas, etc.).

-Be prepared to wash them. VFFs are machine washable and should be air dried.

In Closing

To embrace barefoot living or the barefoot alternative, you will have to change how you walk and run, avoiding the heel strike we’ve all used since putting thick Nike padding under our soles. No need to obsess, though, as your gait will adapt naturally — reverting to a natural state, as it were — as you avoid the discomfort of doing otherwise.

The fastest runners have a style quite similar to that of a person running without shoes. They absorb shock by landing lightly on their forefeet rather than on their heels, and their landing leg is beneath the torso, with the leg slightly bent to absorb impact.

…

According to exercise physiologist and Olympic marathoner Pete Pfitzinger, the key to starting out is to go slowly. He advises walking barefoot for a few weeks to toughen up the skin on the bottom of the foot as well as the muscles in the ankles and feet. Once you are ready to run, start with a mere five minutes, increasing slowly and running barefoot every couple of days. From there, build to up to 20 minutes over a month. After a few weeks of this, the feet and ankles will be stronger, thus reducing the risk of injury. Possible places to train include sandy beaches and golf courses.

The barefoot running technique has been described as falling forward. It has also been described as gently kissing the ground with the balls of your feet.

(Source: The Barefoot Route)

For those interested in developing the most efficient and low-impact running gait, I suggest starting with the Chi Running DVD (skip the book, which gets into too much pseudo-Asian chi mumbo jumbo) and moving to the Pose Method of Running book if interested in more specific details.

Experiment with rediscovering your feet and proper biomechanics.

If a few weeks can eradicate 10+ years of lower-back pain for me, it might just do something for you.

At the very least, you get to wear some goofy shoes that encourage you to wiggle your toes.

Other things you might not have seen:
Tim Ferriss in NY Times Styles: Too Much Information? Ignore It.
Tim Ferriss on Twitter – what I am doing right now?
Tim Ferriss Investments – what have I invested in recently?

At Professional Whey we stay away from stimulating fat burners and work more with the natural rhythms of the human body. One of the body’s own natural fat burners in the body is carnitine and supplementing with it has not only shown that it increases fat oxidation without any stimulatory effects, but it also improves performance and recovery.

So what is it?

Carnitine is an amino acid that is essential to the metabolisation of fat.  Although it is not strictly speaking an amino acid, it is often referred to as one.

Carnitine is produced naturally and found in nearly all the cells of the human body.  However, it is produced by the liver and kidneys and concentrated in tissues such as skeletal, heart and brain which use fatty acids as a dietary fuel.

Dietary Sources

Common dietary sources include lamb being the highest source at 78mg per 100g, followed by beef (64mg per 100g), pork (28mg per 100g) while there is also some carnitine in dairy products. Fruit and vegetables, however contain little or no carnitine.[1] In Japan there is a trend driven by young women to eat plenty of lamb and mutton as they are aware carnitine’s ability to burn fat and increase energy; especially mutton as older sheep contains almost three times as much as carnitine as lamb at 210mg per 100g of meat.[2]

How it works

The main role of L-Carnitine is to regulate fat metabolism. This makes it of great interest to bodybuilders or those looking to lose weight and improve body composition.

Carnitine works by transporting fat (long-chain fatty acids) into the mitochondria (our energy generators) so they can be burned – this produces the energy rich ATP.  Once the energy is burned, carnitine transports the toxic compounds back out of the mitochondria.  It is thus essential for the supply of energy to the muscles.

Does it work?

L-Carnitine continues to be the subject of much debate among the scientific community, with both supporters and sceptics.  There are three main areas where it is claimed to be of benefit. Obviously fat loss but also improving athletic performance and post-workout recovery.

Fat Burning

Research on both animals and humans has demonstrated that carnitine can increase fat oxidisation.[3]^,[4],[5] Perhaps the most compelling study[6] found a significant increase in fat oxidation where twelve volunteers took 3 grams of carnitine for 10 days on a regular diet.  The carnitine led to a dramatic increase in fat burning while maintaining muscle (no decrease in protein catabolism).

Improved Performance

There are two factors that fuel claims of improved performance from carnitine supplementation; firstly, decreased concentrations of carnitine in muscle can lead to impairment in muscle function.  Secondly, carnitine is effective in helping people who are recovering from various illnesses to tolerate exercise better.

Much research points to the benefits of carnitine in endurance sports. Carnitine enhances aerobic performance, allowing athletes to exercise longer without fatigue. In one study, trained runners given 2g of carnitine per day increased their peak running speed by a remarkable 5.7 percent.[7]

Recovery

The latest evidence for carnitine concerns its role in post-exercise recovery.  Two recent studies have found that carnitine supplementation improved recovery from exercise.[8]^,[9] Dr. Kraemer continued his studies and in 2006 found that supplementing with carnitine for 21 days increased androgen receptors, which is known to stimulate muscle growth through protein synthesis.[10]

What to look for in Carnitine

It is important to remember that dietary carnitine is easily obtained from foods such as meat, particularly beef, sheep, and lamb. However with supplemental carnitine, it does come in two forms, L-Carnitine and D-Carnitine; only the L form is biologically active as the body cannot use D-Carnitine, and there is some evidence to suggest that D-Carnitine may in fact be harmful.[11]

Another alternative is Acetyl L Carnitine (ALCAR), which has been shown to get more into the fatty tissues of the body and mobilise them and also cross through the blood brain barrier. Due to this ALCAR has been touted as the best carnitine by the anti aging community for many years.

However lately there has been increasing interest in L-Carnitine L-Tartrate (which has had 7822 studies listed) as evidence supports that it increases protein synthesis and anabolic response better than other forms of carnitine, making it ideal for bodybuilders or those wanting to lose fat whilst building muscle.[12]^,[13]  In a study which compared the bioavailability (how much is available for the body to use) and absorption rates of a range of different forms of carnitine, the following was observed:[14]

Bioavailability was similar for free L-Carnitine and the L-Carnitine salt L-Carnitine L-Tartrate, while those of the ester version of Carnitine (Acetyl L-Carnitine) was lower.

L-Carnitine L-Tartrate was also shown to be absorbed faster than the other L carnitine compounds.

How to use it

Recommended dosages vary quite widely, but are usually between 1 and 3 grams per day.  Usually take in 1g doses upon rising, 1g pre and post workout or 1g 20-30 minutes before a meal. However the most important time to use L-Carnitine L-Tartrate is with your post workout meal, as this increases recovery and muscle growth.[15]

Although there is no evidence of significant side effects, high doses (above 5 grams per day) can cause diarrhea, a fishy body odor and rashes.

Bottom Line

Thus it would seem that the best carnitine today for those wanting to improve body composition, recovery and performance is L-Carnitine L-Tartrate for its ability to improve protein synthesis aswell as the added benefits of bioavailability and improved absorption rate.

So next time you think about fat burning supplements, remember that most don’t work with your body’s natural ability to oxidise fat, enhance recovery and improve performance the way carnitine does.

That’s why we sell carnitine and offer the best on the market - L-Carnitine L-Tartrate…Click here to buyJ!

Copyright © by Professional Whey

I designed a program for trainees with at least 6 months experience, enabling them to gain 2-4kg of muscle in 4 weeks and a gain a lot more free time.

The Program

Warm up for 10 minutes.

Then make sure that all of your exercises have 3 warm up sets:

• 10 reps at 25% working weight (20kg if you Bench Press 80kg)
• 5 reps at 50% working weight (40kg if you Bench Press 80kg)
• 2 reps at 75% working weight (60kg if you Bench Press 80kg)

This is in order to stimulate your nervous system to lift heavy.

Day 1 i.e. Tuesday

1. Clean and Press – 2 sets of 6-8 reps
2. Squats – 1 set of 6-12 reps, 1 set of 20 reps
3. T-Bar or Bar Bell or Seated Row (underarm grip) 1 set 6-8 reps, 1 set of 10-12 reps
4. Bench Press – 1 set 6-8 reps, 1 set of 12-15 reps
5. Swiss Ball Crunch – 2 sets of 10-12 reps

 

Stay out of the weights room for 3 or 4 days then do:-

Day 2 i.e. Saturday

1. Deadlift – 2 sets of 8-10 reps
2. Parallel Bar Dips (Use the assist if necessary) 1 set of 6-8 reps, 1 set of 12-15 reps
3. Wide Pull-Up (Use the assist if necessary) 1 set of 6-8 reps, 1 set of 12-15 reps
4. Dumb Bell Shoulder Press – 1 set of 6-8 reps 1 set of 10-12 reps
5. Weighted Sit Ups – 2 sets 10-12 reps

Rules

·         Have 2 to 3 minutes rest between working sets.

·         Have 3 to 4 minutes rest between exercises.

·         Do not stretch before weight training.

·         Stretch either after weight training or after cardio sessions.

 

This is a two day a week program with two to four days rest after each session.

 

Speeding Up Recovery

On 2 of your 5 days off do some conditioning work; like a jog, a bike ride, a row, some cross training or boxing training – something that gets a little blood pumping but nothing too intense. This will help speed up recovery and push much needed blood and nutrients into the muscle cells.

 

Final Points

This program will enable your body to stimulate excellent protein synthesis and large amounts of growth hormone.  In order to capitalise on such a great training program and build muscle fast, you must:

 

1. Eat a lot of nutrient dense whole fresh foods.
2. Consume a minimum of 3g per kg of body weight of protein daily.
3. Consume a lot of carb and protein rich foods post workout.
4. Be asleep before 10.30pm to take advantage of your biggest growth hormone release of the day.

 

If you are thinking “no way can this be enough” try it and see how much muscle you build and how much strength you gain.

 

Live Strong & Prosper

 

Disclaimer: It is wise to see your doctor before starting any exercise or nutrition program.

 

Copyright © by Professional Whey

 

If you have ever visited the Pacific Islands or the Philippines you will notice that the local people who have not been heavily influenced by the western diet are very healthy; free from diabetes and obesity. One of the main reasons is due to coconut and coconut oil consumption.

Coconut Oil is the ‘Low-Fat’ Fat

Coconut Oil is a unique natural fat which helps the body burn fat, have more energy and heal. Yes, you heard right – coconut oil in a whey protein shake, chicken curry or straight off the spoon, will help you get lean and feel satisfied.

What Makes Coconut Oil Different?

Structure

Even though it is classified to be 92% saturated fat, its structure and mechanism works completely differently to other saturated fats. Its unique structure makes it a rich source of medium-chain fatty acids, which in turn is rich in lauric acid (approximately 50%).[1]  This gives coconut oil strong anti-fungal properties and protects the body from unwanted bacteria.[2]

Burns Fat

These medium chain fatty acids aid fat loss as they use up energy when they are metabolised. These fats are rapidly oxidised in the body, more so than any other kind of fat, causing the body to create more energy oxidising these fats than the amount of energy they provide.[3]

Increases Metabolic Rate

It has a “thermogenic effect”, raising the body’s temperature, which in turn boosts energy levels and the metabolic rate.[4]  The metabolic rate not only increases, but coconut oil, as a medium chain fatty acid, will also help the body burn long chain fatty acids.[5]

Heat and Light Stable

Other oils like flaxseed or fish oil, which have a high omega 3 content and are used to balance our excess omega 6 western diet (which causes high blood pressure and other ailments), are very susceptible to heat, oxygen and sunlight which quickly oxidise these sensitive fats, creating a toxic by product.[6] Therefore they must be used within a short period of being bottled. However Coconut oil which is the most stable oil dilutes the effects of excess omega 6 intake and is resistant to heats of 350 degrees, sunlight and oxygen and is more commonly used as a food and in cooking over flaxseed or fish oils.[7]

The Body Processes it Differently

Other fats such as polyunsaturated which are long chain fatty acids – are broken down into fat and protein cells called lipoproteins.  The body then directs these into the bloodstream where the fatty acids are injected into our fat cells.  Coconut oil however, is not broken down into lipoproteins. The body recognises its unique structure and sends it to the liver to be immediately converted into energy. Studies, using both humans and animals, have shown that using MCT (medium chain triglycerides such as coconut oil) instead of LCT (long chain triglycerides) results in an increase in lean body mass and reduced body weight.[8],[9],[10],[11]

The Bottom Line

Therefore by replacing vegetable fats, such as canola or sunflower oil and cooking with coconut oil you will speed up fat loss and increase your health. Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditions makes a necessary statement that needs to be heard by consumers of our very financially driven (as opposed to health driven) food and diet industry. 

“Politically correct dietary gurus tell us that polyunsaturated oils are good for us and that saturated fats cause cancer and heart disease. Such misinformation about the relative virtues of saturated fats versus polyunsaturated oils has caused profound changes in western eating habits. At the turn of the century, most of the fatty acids in the diet were either saturated or monounsaturated, primarily from butter, lard, tallow, coconut oil and small amounts of olive oil. Today most of the fats in the diet are polyunsaturated, primarily from vegetable oils…Excess consumption of polyunsaturated oils has been shown to contribute to a large number of diseased conditions” [12]

Having been someone who moderated my saturated fat intake for a long time, I now consume plenty from coconut oil, as well as an abundance of fat from pasture raised organic meats and eggs; both of which contain the small amounts omega 3 and polyunsaturated fats necessary to achieve optimum health and be lean.

Adding Coconut Oil to Your Diet

Replace vegetable oils with coconut oil in all cooking. Coconut oil is a stable fat and can be used at high temperatures.

Coconut can be added to cream and be used in curries and recipes requiring milk. Or use coconut milk.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a whey protein shake and enjoy the delicious taste, as well as the reduction in sugar cravings, more energy and feeling of being satisfied.

Additional Health Benefits

Coconut oil strengthens the immune system.[13] 

It protects against tumours, heart disease, and promotes healthy bones. [14],[15],[16] Coconut oil also helps with proper uptake of omega-3 fatty acids into the tissue.[17] Something most people are uneducated in – that you need healthy saturated fats to absorb omega 3.

Coconut oil is a great skin moisturiser

With the high content of coconut cream and milk in Thai food – this may explain why Thai’s have such beautiful skin.   “It (coconut oil) prevents destructive free-radical formation and provides protection against them. It can help to keep the skin from developing liver spots, and other blemishes caused by aging and over exposure to sunlight. It helps to keep connective tissues strong and supple so that the skin doesn’t sag and wrinkle. In some cases it might even restore damaged or diseased skin”.[18]

Choosing the Best Coconut Oil

Coconut oil, when stored at low temperatures is a solid, white substance and melts at tropical temperatures to a clear or creamy coloured liquid. Dr Mary Enig and Sally Fallon recommend a virgin coconut oil that has been extracted by a gentle low-heat method without any harmful chemicals.[19]  Cheap coconut oils are industrially refined, bleached and deodorised in order to make them edible. Expelled and centrifugal processing methods extract the oils at high heats (minimum 66 degrees Celsius) which destroys important enzymes and therefore diminishes a lot of the health benefits.

Why Aclara Health Coconut Oil?

After much research and testing Professional Whey chose Aclara Health Extra Virgin coconut oil as it was the only one we could find that was genuinely 100% cold pressed, organic, extra virgin and still had all its natural properties intact. Here’s a quick rundown of what we liked about it:

No Chemicals or Heat Damaging Natural Properties

It is biologically 100% pure due to it being extracted from fresh white coconut meat with no chemicals and no temperatures above 27 degrees during the production process. This gentle process allows the oil to retain all its natural goodness including fresh coconut enzymes, essence and vitamin E.

Organic Fresh and the First Cold Pressing

Only fresh coconuts from organically certified plantations are used to produce such a pristine clear extra virgin coconut oil with retained fresh coconut essence. It is cold pressed from the first pressing making it ‘extra virgin’ and contains many of the natural enzymes that are anti bacterial and anti fungal.

It Looks and Tastes Amazing

On a hot day (above 21 degrees) it has no colour at all, as it is pristine looking being crystal clear in its liquid form. However on cold days (below 21 degrees) it is a sparkling white solid, similar to butter texture. To taste it has mild but decadent coconut flavour.

Product Certifications

Product of organic agriculture certified by ECOCERT SA – F 32600

Star K Kosher Certification

Packaged in Australia under HACCP certified conditions

There are many testimonials floating around the internet about how people have increased their energy levels, feel satisfied and have lost a lot of much need weight due to the incorporation of coconut oil into their diet. So if you are still sceptical do your research.

Personal Recommendation

In order to reap the benefits of coconut oil begin with 2 teaspoons a day and work up to 4-6 tablespoons daily. 4 tablespoons are necessary to see the benefits but don’t consume more than 2 tablespoons in one sitting unless you are cooking with it.

Book Recommendation:

Nourishing Traditions is a book I recommend to become more educated with the importance of saturated fats, nutrition and the practicalities. It is deeper in content but you can use for a life time, in and out of the kitchen. However if you want something a little lighter then read Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Dr Mary Enig and Sally Fallon.

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen Morris

Australia is seriously in need of a body transformation solution according to a leading report in 2008 showing that Australia is one of the world’s leading obese nations with figures showing that one in six women and one in seven men are obese or overweight.[1]

Well there could be a simple solution?

Recent research has found that individuals who eat L-Leucine rich protein foods and exercise have more lean muscle tissue, a higher metabolic rate and naturally burn more body fat. [2]^,[3]

So what exactly is L-Leucine?

L-Leucine (aka Leucine) is one of three essential branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) – the other two are L-Valine and L-Isoleucine. Leucine has long been used in conjunction with other BCAA’s as a supplement to help preserve muscle and improve recovery whilst losing fat. However, Leucine has recently emerged to be the most potent and beneficial of all of the Branched Chain Amino Acids after the release of recent research studies between 2006 and 2009 (see footnotes below).

Leucine = The Champion BCAA

What has been determined from the research is that Leucine on its own is one of the most anabolic amino acids a person can ingest. Studies have shown that it can:

• Help to preserve lean muscle tissue[4]^,[5]
• Preserve muscle glycogen[6]
• Improve performance[7] 
• Supply the body with energy during bouts of extreme exertion[8]
• Increase fat loss[9]  
• When consumed alone, Leucine is now believed to be the only amino acid that can increase protein synthesis[10]
• When combined with other proteins give a huge anabolic response[11]  
• It has also been shown to speed up the recovery process and therefore stimulate muscle growth and prevent muscle breakdown.[12] 

Martha Stipanuk, PhD from Cornell University states

“At this point, it seems clear that most of the effects of amino acids on protein synthesis are mediated by Leucine.”[13]

A Little Science

BCCA’s are called “branched chain” because of their molecular carbon side chains which are different to other amino acids.  The BCAA’s make up one third of the amino acid composition of skeletal muscle, but cannot be made by the body, and are therefore only acquired through nutrition; hence they are also essential amino acids.[14]  They function differently to other amino acids in that they are not metabolised in the liver, but in the muscle and contribute to the anabolic effect: increasing muscle tissue. Leucine is the fourth most concentrated amino acid in skeletal muscle tissue and accounts for around eight percent of the total amino-acid count in your whole body. As one of the three BCAA’s it is essential for health as it has both medical and athletic applications. In particular it plays a special role in muscle metabolism, by exerting an anti-catabolic and anabolic effect on protein metabolism.[15],[16]  In fact, Leucine assimilation into skeletal muscle has long been used as an indicator of protein synthesis within the muscle cells[17] and oxidation.[18] 

Because Leucine stimulates protein synthesis amazingly well, even the BBC have reported that Leucine supplementation can combat and prevent sarcopenia – age-associated muscle loss and other muscle wasting disorders – due to its anti catabolic effects.[19]’[20]

So with a little scientific background let’s see how Leucine has worked in the real world of training for improved body composition, increased recovery and improving performance?

Increased Protein Synthesis

Two Universities in 2005; Maastricht (Netherlands) and Birmingham (UK) jointly researched to determine post exercise muscle protein synthesis and whole body protein balance following the combined ingestion of carbohydrate with or without protein and/or Leucine.[21]  The researchers found that taking carbohydrate with protein and (0.1g per kg of bodyweight) Leucine supplement stimulated muscle protein synthesis and optimised whole body protein balance compared with the intake of carbohydrate and protein only.

The authors concluded their work by stating:

“The present data indicates that the additional ingestion of free leucine in combination with protein and carbohydrate likely represents an effective strategy to increase muscle anabolism following resistance exercise,”[22]   

In 2008, research backed this up by showing that Leucine achieves this muscle synthesising effect by activating a receptor on muscle cells called mTORC1, which in turn stimulates the conversion of amino acids into protein and muscle tissue.[23]

Another study done by the Washington University School of Medicine compared the muscle protein synthesis rate in young and elderly men and women.[24]  Before the supplementation, the elderly subjects presented a lower rate of muscle protein synthesis. Following a 2-week exercise regime and intravenous supplementation of Leucine, the rate of muscle protein synthesis had increased to a comparable rate in all subjects.  In addition, the elderly subjects presented a marked decrease in whole body protein breakdown.

Post Workout Recovery

Another study looked at post-workout muscle recovery. The researchers discovered that supplementation with Leucine again stimulated muscle protein synthesis following exercise but it also helped to restore muscle glycogen levels.[25]

Improved Performance

Researchers in 2006, studying canoeists who completed a 6-week training phase, using either capsulated Leucine (45mg per kg of bodyweight) or a placebo found that power output increased significantly more in the Leucine group as well as time to exhaustion rose from a starting time of 6.3mins up to 7.3 minutes. The placebo group experienced no increase in their power or their time to exhaustion. The researchers speculated that this was likely due to lack of muscle damage with training and/or an increase in muscle protein anabolism.[26]

Fat Loss

Finally Leucine has been shown even on low doses to increase fat loss, stabilise blood glucose levels and improve body composition due to its anabolic and catabolic properties, especially when on a calorie restricted diet.[27]^,[28]^,[29]^,[30]

Dr Donald Layman, the foremost authority on Leucine and BCCA’s stated:

“In studying exercise and how muscle develops, we found that leucine has a particularly unique effect in that it spares muscle proteins during weight loss, so you only lose the fat and not the muscle.”[31]

Therefore the benefits of Leucine are staggering and are still being researched to understand the full extent of them. However as more good news keeps rolling in about the potentials of such a powerful amino, one thing is for sure, it won’t be long before everyone knows about it.

Anyhow athletes and anybody wanting to increase muscle growth, preserve lean tissue, increase fat loss, improve on performance and recovery and generally be all round healthy should keep their eyes focused on Leucine nutrient dense diet and maybe look to supplement if necessary.

Why is Leucine So Anabolic?

Leucine seems to be an activating nutrient, in that for your body to make use of the protein you consume, you need adequate amounts of Leucine. The body basically checks for Leucine, and if it is available, the body assumes it has the amino acids it needs to increase protein synthesis. However, if you don’t have enough Leucine in your diet your body will not make use of the protein that you have consumed, regardless of how much protein you have eaten. So basically you can consume a meal high in protein such as (cooked legumes i.e. kidney beans, chick peas and lentils) but without Leucine available the protein will not be absorbed, as well as animal protein which is much higher in Leucine. The table below gives a good average of healthy rich Leucine foods versus non rich Leucine sources.[32]^,[33]

How to take Leucine

Muscle cannot be built by Leucine or BCAA’s alone unless other amino acids are available in the body from a previous meal or supplement. However as Leucine is the amino acid responsible for the anabolic effects of a meal, just adding a few grams of Leucine to it will increase muscle protein synthesis and increases protein turnover.[34] So it is always best used with a meal which has protein already in it, as the other amino acids in the protein help with maximising muscle protein synthesis[35]^,[36] and protein turnover.[37] If it is taken with a meal empty of protein, it will still stimulate some protein synthesis but only for 15-30 minutes.[38]^,[39]

Dosage

Leucine is a safe supplement as it is amongst the most tolerated amino acids and therefore no side effects have been reported.[40]  Studies have been done with a dosage of 0.1g of Leucine per kg of body weight i.e. 8g for an 80 kg male added to a whey and carb shake.[41]   Therefore taking 1-5g with a meal would work well to top up any Leucine deficiency within the meal. However make sure within your post workout shake you have some carbs and a good whey protein to take your Leucine with, and don’t exceed more than 20g per day.

Timing

To get the most out Leucine supplements try to time your consumption to when your body would naturally be breaking down muscle tissue and moving away from protein synthesis. This would always be pre workout, post workout, before bed and in the morning. Also take it regularly when you are on a calorie restricted diet or burning more calories in order to lose fat.  Remember though that if you take it with food, the protein synthesis would last around 4 hours, so only use it a maximum of 4 times a day.

Personal Recommendations

If you want to boost your recovery, performance or build muscle for strength, then look to your diet first to get rich amounts of Leucine.  You can also use a high quality pure Leucine powder which makes these foods even more anabolic and because of the unbelievable amount of the research proving that it works, that’s exactly why we are offering Leucine. It’s available from Professional Whey in 500g for $39.50 or 1kg for $69.50.

Copyright © by Professional Whey

---

[1] Baker Hear Research Institute, Australia Future ‘Fat Bomb’, http://www.bakeridi.edu.au/Assets/Files/fatBomb_report.pdf, April 2008.

 

[2] Layman, D. K and Walker, D. A. Potential Importance of Leucine in Treatment of Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome, Journal of Nutrition; 136:319S-323S, 2006.

 

[3] Layman, D. K. The Role of Leucine in Weight Loss Diets and Glucose Homeostasis, Journal of Nutrition; 133:261S-267S, January 2003.

 

[4] MacLean DA, et al. Branched-chain amino acids augment ammonia metabolism while attenuating protein breakdown during exercise, American Journal of Physiology;267:E1010-22, 1994.

 

[5] Combaret, L, et al Human Nutrition Research Centre of Clermont-Ferrand. A leucine-supplemented diet restores the defective postprandial inhibition of proteasome-dependent proteolysis in aged rat skeletal muscle. Journal of Physiology; Vol 569, issue 2, p. 489-499, 2005.

 

[6] Anthony, J et al. Leucine supplementation enhances skeletal muscle recovery in rats following exercise, Journal of Nutrition; 129:1102-1106, 1999.

 

[7] Crowe, et al. Effects of dietry leucine supplementation on exercise performance, European Journal of Applied Physiology; Vol 97:6, Aug 2006.

 

[8] Mittleman KD, et al. Branched-chain amino acids prolong exercise during heat stress in men and women, Medicine & Science in Sports Exercise;30:83-91, 1998.

 

[9] Layman, D. K. The Role of Leucine in Weight Loss Diets and Glucose Homeostasis, Journal of Nutrition; 133:261S-267S, January 2003.

 

[10] Lang, C.H. Elevated Plasma Free Fatty Acids Decrease Basal Protein Synthesis but

Not the Anabolic Effect of Leucine in Skeletal Muscle. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology & Metabolism; 2006.

 

[11] Rennie MJ. Exercise- and nutrient-controlled mechanisms involved in maintenance of the musculoskeletal mass. Biochemical Society Transactions;35(Pt 5):1302-5, Oct 2007.

 

[12] Norton LE and Layman DK. Leucine regulates translation initiation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle after exercise. Journal of Nutrition; 136(2):533S-537S, 2006.

 

[13] Stipanuk and Martha H. Leucine and protein synthesis: mTOR and beyond. Nutrition Reviews; Vol. 65, No. 3:122-9. Mar 2007.

 

[14] Harper AE et al. Branched-chain amino acid metabolism. Annual Review of Nutrition; 4: 409-454, 1984.

 

[15] Goldberg AL. Protein synthesis during work-induced growth of skeletal muscle. The Journal of Cellular Biology; 36: 653-658, 1968.

 

[16] Kimball SR and Jefferson LS. Signalling pathways and molecular mechanisms through which branched-chain amino acids mediate translational control of protein synthesis. Journal of Nutrition; 136: 227S-231S, 2006.

 

[17] Nair KS et al. Leucine incorporation into mixed skeletal muscle protein in humans. American Journhal of Physiology; 254: E208-213, 1988.

 

[18] Boirie Y, et al, Slow and fast dietary proteins differently modulate postprandial protein accretion. PNAS USA; 94: 14930-14935, 1997.

 

[19] Fujita S and Volpi E. Amino acids and muscle loss with aging. Journal of Nutrition 136: 277S-280S, 2006.

 

[20] BBC, The secret of ‘muscular’ old age, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4502862.stm, 11 Dec 2005.

 

[21] Koopman, R, et al. Combined ingestion of protein and free leucine with carbohydrate increases postexercise muscle protein synthesis in vivo in male subjects, American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology & Metabolism; 288: E645-E653, 2005.

 

[22] Ibid,

 

[23] Dreyer, H.C, et al, Leucine-enriched essential amino acid and carbohydrate ingestion following resistance exercise enhances mTOR signaling and protein synthesis in human muscle, American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology & Metabolism; 294: E392-E400, 2008.

 

[24] Yarasheski, K.E, et al.   Acute effects of resistance exercise on muscle protein synthesis rate in young and elderly men and women, American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology & Metabolism; 265, Issue 2 E210-E214, 1993.

 

[25] Anthony, J, et al. Leucine supplementation enhances skeletal muscle recovery in rats following exercise, Journal of Nutrition; 129:1102-1106, 1999.

 

 

[26] Crowe, Weatherson, Bowden. Effects of dietry leucine supplementation on exercise performance, European Journal of Applied Physiology; 97, 664-672, 2006.

 

[27] Layman, D. K and Walker, D. A. Potential Importance of Leucine in Treatment of Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome, Journal of Nutrition; 136:319S-323S, 2006.

 

[28] Jitomir, J  and Willoughby, J.S. Leucine for Retention of Lean Mass on a Hypocaloric Diet, Journal of Medicinal Food; 10.1089/jmf.2008.0058, 2008.

 

[29] Layman, D. K. The Role of Leucine in Weight Loss Diets and Glucose Homeostasis, Journal of Nutrition; 133:261S-267S, January 2003.

 

[30] Donato, J, et al. Effects of leucine supplementation on the body composition and protein status of rats submitted to food restriction, IJABNS; Pages 520-527, May 2006.

 

[31] Layman, D. K. Leucine may be key to high protein weight loss, Web MD,  http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20030207/protein-diet-may-prompt-weight-loss

 

[32] Nutrition Data, Foods high in leucine, http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-000082000000000000000-2w.html?

 

[33] What foods, Foods high in leucine, http://nutrition.whatfoods.com/nutrition/analyze.do?nutrients=504&group=1300&sort=HL

 

[34] Norton LE and Layman DK. Leucine regulates translation initiation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle after exercise. Journal of Nutrition; 136(2):533S-537S, 2006.

 

[35] Padden-Jones, D, et al. Amino acid ingestion improves muscle protein synthesis in the young and elderly, American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology & Metabolism;286(3):E321-8, Mar 2004.

 

[36] Tipton, KD, et al. Postexercise net protein synthesis in human muscle from orally administered amino acids, American Journal of Physiology;276(4 Pt 1):E628-34, Apr 1999.

 

[37] Rieu, I. Leucine supplementation improves muscle protein synthesis in elderly men independently of hyperaminoacidaemia, Journal of Physiology;575;305-15, 2006.

 

[38] Lang, C.H. Elevated Plasma Free Fatty Acids Decrease Basal Protein Synthesis but

Not the Anabolic Effect of Leucine in Skeletal Muscle. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology & Metabolism; 2006.

 

[39] Kobayashi H, et al.Modulations of muscle protein metabolism by branched-chain amino acids in normal and muscle-atrophying rats.
Journal of Nutrition;136(1 Suppl):234S-6S, Jan 2006.

 

[40] Baker, D. H. Tolerance for branched-chain amino acids in experimental animals and humans, Journal of Nutrition; 135:1585S-1590S, 2005.

 

[41] Koopman, R, et al. Combined ingestion of protein and free leucine with carbohydrate increases postexercise muscle protein synthesis in vivo in male subjects, American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology & Metabolism; 288: E645-E653, 2005.

 

 

Protein is an essential nutrient for life. It allows the body to grow and repair whilst supporting the immune system and enables people to lose fat and gain muscle. People choosing to increase their protein consumption in the form of a protein powder, are not being helped by the dangers of artificial sweeteners, fillers and additives that are in 99% of protein powders.

In part 2 of this article I will highlight some of the other additives found in protein powders, but artificial sweeteners have been on the top of my list for a long while now. A partial list includes: aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame-K and high fructose corn syrup. However here’s a more detailed run down of three of the main culprits and why they should be avoided:

Aspartame – E951:

Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar and has been in widespread use since its approval in 1983 since the diet industry has promoted it as a safe alternative to sugar. However many people believe it to be a dangerous, unstable chemical compound.[1]

Initially approved as a sweetener by the US FDA in July 1974, its approval was revoked in December of the same year when lab tests showed that rats given aspartame developed brain tumours.  It was re-approved for use in 1983 despite no further evidence to support its safety.

Aspartame contains three compounds, each of which has serious side effects:

• Phenylalanine. According to the head of Brain Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Phenylalanine lowers the seizure threshold in some people and can cause seizures and brain tumours.

• Aspartic Acid.  Laboratory tests have found that aspartic acid can cause brain lesions and change the DNA in animals. This means that future generations can experience problems – in laboratory animals, health problems skipped a generation and produced obese and sexually dysfunctional animals in the third generation.

• Methanol.  Methanol (wood alcohol) is used in industry to strip epoxy and urethane coatings and as formaldehyde, for embalming corpses. It causes depression in humans and according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed.”

In humans, users of aspartame report side effects including headaches, joint pain, memory loss, numbness, tinnitus, hearing loss, vision problems, weight gain, rashes, seizures, fatigue, muscle spasms, dizziness, asthma and chest tightness.

In the US, the one place it is banned is in the US Air Force.[2]  We can’t have military pilots losing control of million dollar planes because of an aspartame seizure now can we!!

Many places such as Hawaii, New Mexico and countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia have unsuccessfully tried to ban its importation and use, due to corporate lobbyists. With the global sweetener industry to be worth around $11 billion you can understand why it’s not easy to ban![3]  However in the UK even the leading supermarkets such as Marks and Spencer are banning it from their shelves due to customer pressure.[4],[5]avoid aspartame at all costs and the E-number, E951 by which it also goes by.

Many protein powder brands have switched on to the fact that their customers are very aspartame savvy and so have switched to either Sucralose or Acesulfame-K mentioned below. However not all have switched so avoid aspartame at all costs and the E-number, E951 by which it also goes by.

Sucralose – E955:

Sucralose is made by chlorinating sugar and is chemically known as 1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-BETA-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside. It goes by the brand name Splenda, which with sucralose, sounds a lot better and a lot more natural that its chemical name.

Looks like someone did a good job on the marketing!

Anyhow it was discovered whilst doing research on insecticides.[6] Prior to its approval by the FDA in 1998, only two published trials had taken place, with just 36 subjects involved.[7],[8]  However of the 36 subjects, only 23 total were actually given sucralose for testing – and the longest trial lasted only four days, and it looked at sucralose not from a safety point of view, but in relation to tooth decay.

Since then there have been subsequent tests done on animals, but only six published studies have been on humans – none on children or pregnant women, and the longest test lasted just three months. Similar to the situation with aspartame after it first entered the market; there are no independent, long-term studies on the effects of sucralose consumption and its safety. Most of the studies look at taste preference & tooth decay. The studies used to get the FDA to approve Sucralose are still unpublished, were financed by the manufacturer and are still not open to the public.[9]

Sounds strange to me!

In total only a 191 people have been used to study sucralose. One study which focused on people with diabetes using sucralose showed “a statistically significant increase in glycosylated hemoglobin (Hba1C), which is a marker of long-term blood glucose levels.

The studies that involved rats, mice and rabbits showed sucralose consumption caused shrinking of the thymus gland by up to 40%, enlargement of the liver and kidneys, atrophy of lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus, reduced bodily growth rate, decreased red blood cell count, extension of gestational periods in pregnancy, decreased fetal body weights and placental weights.[10]

What’s worrying about Sucralose is that it is fat soluble, and according to test results, at least 15% of it is not metabolised and stays in your body.[11],[12]  Given that Sucralose closely resembles an insecticide in chemical structure, it’s hardly the sort of substance you would want stored in your fat cells for decades.[13] 

Johnson & Johnson (the owners of sucralose) maintain that sucralose passes through the digestive system without any absorption or metabolisation, but the FDA’s own research has shown that 11 to 27 percent of sucralose is absorbed in humans, while the rest is excreted. The Japanese Food Sanitation Council found that as much as 40 percent of ingested sucralose is absorbed and that it can concentrate in the liver, kidney and gastrointestinal tract. The latest news is very bad for Sucralose with the organisation Citizens for Health demanding it be taken off the market after reports that it severly damages the intestines. Read the report here http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=150785

The bottom line with sucralose is that it is an organochlorine, and these are used in pesticides and insecticides and have the potential to become toxic and cause neurologic and immune dysfunctions.[14]

I don’t think its right that you buy a protein powder which is supposedly a health supplement and you put your health and your future children’s health at risk. Do your research and avoid sucralose also known as E955!

Acesulfame-K or Acesulfame Potassium – E950:

Acesulfame-K also known as 5,6-dimethyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3H)-one-2,2-dioxide has become the most popular artificial sweetener in protein powders as of late, but it is most often blended with either sucralose or aspartame to give a more sugar-like taste as each sweetener masks the other’s aftertaste.[15]  The FDA approved the limited use of acesulfame potassium in 1988 after accepting the manufacturers (Hoechst) own research despite protests by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) that it had not been properly tested for safety.

Similar to sucralose, it is promoted as a non-nutritive sweetener as it is not metabolised by the body, therefore does not provide any caloric content, and is excreted in the urine “harmlessly”. The Hoechst Group studies suggest that this additive might cause cancer in rats and CSPI has continued to protest the inadequate safety studies originally done.[16]  Other studies demonstrated that one of the breakdown products, acetoacetamide, affected the thyroid gland in rats, rabbits and dogs; that rats in particular developed fast-growing benign tumours when fed acetoacetamide daily.[17]

I’m not a scientist but I am aware that if you ingest a chemical substance more often than not, it will be metabolised. Therefore as with aspartame and sucralose, E950 should not be something that you want to be a guinea pig with.

Stevia

In the race to find sweet alternatives to sugar, Stevia is the big new name.  It is ironical, then, that Stevia has been in use in South America for over 1500 years and is a naturally sweet herb native to Paraguay. It has been used to sweeten local teas and medicines but what makes it interesting is that it is non-toxic, has no calories, does not adversely affect blood sugar, is safe for diabetics and it is heat stable up to 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit), so it is safe for cooking and can be added to hot drinks.

Today it has become a popular sweetener in many Asian countries including Japan, Thailand, China and South Korea.  In Japan stevia has been widely used as a sweetener since the 1970’s and is now approximately in over 50% of Japans sweetened products. They consume over 300,000 pounds per year and no side effects have yet been reported after more than 30 years of use. Interestingly, Japan has the highest life expectancy of any country in the world (World Health Organization, 2005).[18]

So why isn’t stevia already in our food supply and protein powders?  The problem for stevia is that because it is a natural substance, it can’t be patented by the huge pharmaceutical corporations.  With no one able to make billions from it, there will be no large scale testing performed to get it approved by the FDA.  Meanwhile, it has always been legal to use artificial chemical products like aspartame and sucralose, with all their attendant health problems.

While many people seek the Holy Grail of a safe artificial sweetener, the choices have remained limited.  Aspartame and sucralose have serious side effects, and are best avoided.  Stevia however has always proved very promising but has never got past the roadblock put in place by the big pharmaceutical companies and the FDA. That is until now!

Good News

Back in October of 2008 The FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) gave steviol glycosides, the extracts within stevia that are responsible for the sweet taste, approval to be used in food and beverages.[19]  Since then the US on 17 December 2008, made radical decision in the right direction for stevia as the FDA approved Cargill & Merisant’s use of 95% or above purity level stevia sweeteners as a food and beverage ingredient. Now both the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo have reported initial FDA approval for stevia based extracts.[20] 

So now the floodgates are opening for stevia extracts, in the USA and Australia with the hopes the EU will follow in early 2010 and then hopefully with some added pressure from the consumer demanding natural ingredients, we will begin to see the end of artificial sweeteners in any product designed for human consumption, especially health supplements.[21]

Personal Recommendation

So for the love of health and living strong use a healthy protein powder with natural ingredients rather than products that are sweetened with chemicals that might taste good but have the ability to be very toxic, put your body under unnecessary stress and be stored in your fat cells.

A good protein powder does not have more than 5 ingredients. So if you were looking at a Chocolate whey protein isolate (wpi) you should see something like the following on the ingredient list:

Whey Protein Isolate – Obviously

Raw Cacao – Flavouring which has been processed naturally

Xanthan Gum – Natural thickener

Lecithin – Instantises the shake

Stevia – Natural Sweetener

At Professional Whey our protein powders are 100% pure with no additives, flavours or sweeteners. We sell separately the very best organic flavours and natural stevia extract powder if you want them, so you can choose how you want your protein powder to taste and are in control of what is going into your body.

We want you empowered, healthy and living strong!

Copyright © by Professional Whey

Dextrose goes by many names, including glucose, d-glucose, or blood sugar.  It occurs naturally in food, and is sweet.  It is a simple carbohydrate.

Maltodextrin is moderately sweet, easily digested carbohydrate.  It does not occur naturally, and is thus generally manufactured from rice, corn or potato starches.  Maltodextrin is technically a complex carbohydrate, but the bonds that compose Maltodextrin are very weak and are readily broken apart in your stomach. 

Exercise Recovery:

Maltodextrin and Dextrose are commonly combined in post workout (PWO) drinks.  This is a critical time for athletes as hard training depletes energy supplies and creates a potentially catabolic (muscle burning) state in the body

This is primarily due to the release of cortisol; a catabolic hormone released during hard workouts.[1]  Among the key functions of cortisol are the reduction of protein synthesis and the halting of tissue growth.

It is thus essential that cortisol release is controlled if you are to benefit from your workouts.  So how do you do that?  By prompting the body to release insulin.  The easiest way to do this is to consume simple carbohydrates as soon as possible after your workout, during what is termed the “window of opportunity”.[2]

Post Workout

Getting the right nutrition Post Workout will therefore help you to:

1.    Gain or maintain lean mass

2.    Recover glycogen stores.

3.    Increase anabolic hormone levels.

By consuming protein and simple carbohydrates as soon as possible following a workout, you will maximise the benefits of your hard work.

However, although there is a need to get carbs in quickly, most simple sugars are not ideal post-workout.  Fructose, sucrose, and lactose all fail to fit the bill for differing reasons:[3]

Ironically, for PWO uses, fructose (fruit sugar) is too low on the Gycemic Index (GI) – it is thus not digested as quickly, and therefore does not significantly raise insulin levels,[4] a crucial factor in reducing the flow of cortisol.  In addition, fructose is used by the body to restore liver glycogen – it does not, therefore restore muscle glycogen.[5]^,[6]  Sorry but your banana just doesn’t cut it.

Sucrose (table sugar) is a disaccharide consisting of one molecule of fructose and one of glucose, and therefore half fructose, so again it will not restore muscle glycogen. Thus consuming products high in sugar (sucrose) is not beneficial PWO. Sorry, no excuse for junk here.

Lactose (milk sugar) has a moderate rating on the GI. It is also a disaccharide (one molecule of galactose and one of glucose), and again, galactose does not restore muscle glycogen.

As a result, the best options PWO are dextrose and maltodextrin. Both are absorbed directly through the gut into the bloodstream, and thus raise blood sugar and insulin levels faster than any other carb.  In addition, because Maltodextrin and Dextrose are in the form the body requires, glucose, they can be used immediately to replace muscle glycogen.

There is a difference between the two though.  Before the body can utilise maltodextrin for glycogen replenishment, it must pass through the liver. Therefore it breaks down slower than dextrose, meaning that when you combine the two you get the best of both worlds – the quick action of the dextrose, and a steady flow of blood sugar and insulin from the maltodextrin.

This has been supported by recent research that found that including two different forms of carbohydrates increased the rate of transportation out of the small intestine and into the blood. This had the additional benefit of increasing the flow of water into the blood (hydration), another key element of PWO recovery.[7]^,[8],[9]

Because of this fast absorption rate, dextrose is therefore the primary ingredient in many isotonic sports drinks. They are simply a 6-7% solution of dextrose, with a little added flavouring and some minerals added. However you can make your own with a pinch of sea salt added for mineral content.

Other Uses:

Creatine Delivery Systems

Because of this fast absorption rate, dextrose is frequently combined with other products – for example, it is commonly added to creatine to create a more effective delivery system. Fast acting carbohydrate helps speed the delivery of the creatine to the muscles.  However, you can achieve a similar effect by simply adding some fruit juice to your creatine when you take it. Even though this may sound contradictory, this works because fruit (and juice) typically contain a mix of fructose, glucose and sucrose. The glucose speeds transport of amino acids into the muscles, while the mix of the three (plus the fibre) means that overall absorption is slower than the individual element (glucose) would be by itself.  Therefore it is not as effective for a PWO recovery drink, but nonetheless effective at other times.

Weight Gain Formulas

Both Maltodextrin and Dextrose crop up regularly in weight-gain formulas, and in PWO recovery drinks.  Given the mechanisms explained above, this is hardly surprising – they will be very effective in both roles. Be warned however if these two sugars are taken at times apart from post workout you are more likely to gain fat than muscle.

Dosage:

Most PWO formulas using these two sugars are based on body weight.  The typical ratio for a PWO recovery drink is a ratio of carbs to protein of between 1:1 to 2:1.  This is ideal for strength athletes, however, endurance athletes will typically aim for a ratio of up to 4:1.

Thus a typical formula might be:

• Carbs: 0.5g per pound of bodyweight (half and half Maltodextrin and Dextrose)
• Protein: 0.25 g per pound of bodyweight (pure whey)

Advanced Dosage

Depending on the amount of muscle mass you are working in any given workout would dictate if you varied these dosages. For example if you are working all of the muscles in your legs very hard, then you warrant this amount of carbohydrate. However if you are just working triceps and biceps there is not that much glycogen needed to replenish, so you may want to reduce your carbohydrates by half to about 0.25g per lb of bodyweight.

Stacks

As you might expect, post workout formulas are also sold that include not only Whey, Maltodextrin and Dextrose, but also other amino acids such as Creatine, Glutamine and Beta Alanine. The more products that are added the greater the marketing hype and the greater the cost. We suggest therefore doing your homework and buying your own pure supplements and mixing them yourself. We as a company have done ours and that’s why well only sell and recommend what works.

Conclusion

There is no doubting the effectiveness of Maltodextrin and Dextrose for post workout recovery.  However, there is no need to spend excessive amounts of money buying weight gainers, delivery systems, or indeed sports drinks.

Both Maltodextrin and Dextrose are inexpensive when bought in bulk, and can easily be mixed to the right proportion to create your own weight gainer or recovery drink.

                                                                                       Copyright © by Professional Whey

Beta Alanine: The Basics

Unlike most amino acids, Beta Alanine is made in the body by the enzyme beta-ureidopropionase via Beta Alanine Synthase from eating protein rich foods. The most effective way to obtain it from natural dietary sources is through eating meat and fish. However to get enough Beta Alanine you would need to eat 1.5-2kg of chicken per day.[1]

Therefore supplementing with Beta Alanine is required to get enough to have a substantial effect upon the body.

How Does Beta Alanine Work?

Most of the evidence of the effectiveness of Beta-Alanine is quite recent, and the mechanism by which it helps athletes is supposed to work by converting Beta Alanine into the amino acid carnosine in the muscles. Muscles with higher carnosine levels can contract harder for longer and produce greater force, leading to better muscular endurance and performance.[2]

Carnosine works as buffering agent, reducing the amount of chemical by-products during intense exercise, such as lactic acid in your muscles.[3]  Not to be confused with bicarbonate of soda which buffers lactic acid in the bloodstream, Beta Alanine serves as an intramuscular buffer, allowing you to do more.[4]  Studies have shown Beta Alanine supplementation can increase intramuscular carnosine levels by up to 64%.[5]^,[6]

• What does that mean? You exercise with less fatigue.
• How?  It buffers the acidity in the muscle.

Very Different to Creatine
So if it’s the next creatine, does that mean that’s the end for creatine? No! Beta Alanine and creatine work very differently. Creatine provides a source of energy to muscle. Beta Alanine is a precursor of another compound – carnosine found in muscle – that buffers acidity and prolongs training.[7] However they can work synergistically and evidence points us to believe that creatine works better for the 1-6 rep range whilst Beta Alanine works better in the 7-12 rep range.
 

The Evidence

Most of the research available agrees that muscle carnosine synthesis is limited by the availability of Beta-Alanine.[8]^,[9] Therefore fatigue kicks in when carnosine levels are low. 

Researchers in 2008 observed Beta Alanine supplementation in 8 male experienced weight trainees taking 4.8 gm per day for 30 days on resistance exercise performance.[10]  Their resistance exercise protocol consisted of 6 sets of 12 repetitions of the squat exercise at 70% of their one-repetition maximum (1-RM) with 1.5 minutes of rest between each set. After 4 weeks, the Beta-Alanine group was able to perform 22% more total repetitions.[11]

There is also evidence that Beta Alanine effects slow twitch muscle fibres as well as fast twitch fibres and therefore helps endurance athletes. Two recent studies found that cyclists who supplemented with Beta-Alanine were able to get 13% more total work done after 4 weeks, and 16% more after 10 weeks compared to a group who didn’t use Beta-Alanine.[12]^,[13]

Dr. Roger Harris, professor at the University of Chichester in the UK who was the earliest researcher of creatine monohydrate and the main proponent of its use in athletes, has been studying and working with Beta Alanine very closely. In 2005-2006 he had the South Korean Speed Skating team use Beta Alanine six months prior to the Winter Olympics and watched them claim a record 6 gold medals, 3 silver and 3 bronze in comparison to 2002 where they achieved 2 gold and 2 silver. [14]^,[15]

Most individuals (male and female) will notice benefits within one week, but research has shown that the maximum benefit is observed after 10 weeks of use, so it is worth persisting with it for at least three months.[16]

I personally noticed the benefits of taking Beta Alanine and within five weeks saw noticeable strength increase; of which I have put an example of in the video below. 

Carnosine

One question that many people ask is whether they shouldn’t simply skip the Beta-Alanine and supplement directly with carnosine – after all, Beta-Alanine seems to work by increasing carnosine levels.

The answer lies in the nature of carnosine itself – unfortunately, when you ingest carnosine itself, most of it is broken down in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.  The little that does escape into the blood suffers the same fate there. Thus it is actually far more effective to take Beta-Alanine.

Beta Alanine & Creatine

While many so called “performance stacks” are based on little more than wishful thinking, there is one that is based on solid and significant research – Beta-Alanine and Creatine combined.[17]

Researchers have shown that combined Beta Alanine and Creatine Monohydrate supplementation produces a synergistic effect whereby total power output, fat-free mass gain, strength increases, and body fat reductions are all significantly greater than with creatine monohydrate supplementation alone.[18]^,[19]  Dr. Hoffman assembled a group of 33 college football players who had a minimum of 5 years weight training experience. In trials over 10 weeks comparing creatine alone and creatine plus Beta Alanine, the creatine plus Beta Alanine group gained 1 pound a week more muscle and lost fat, whilst not following any kind of diet.  Beta Alanine helps to lose fat. Wow!! Creatine by the way has never been shown to lose fat.

Who is Beta Alanine For?

Like creatine it works for just about everybody, and similarly you see and feel the effects. So you know its working.  However Beta Alanine is really for two main types of people:

1 Anybody who wants to train beyond their current threshold. Beta Alanine will push you past any barriers or plateaus you have.

2 Anybody who wants to look good. As you can do more work on Beta Alanine, a higher intensity with less fatigue is achieved therefore more muscle is built and in turn more fat calories are burned.

Although its use as a supplement is still new, studies of up to 12 weeks have shown no negative changes across a wide range of blood, biochemical, haematological and hormonal markers making it safe to consume for up to 3 months.

Dosage

The research that has been conducted has used dosages of between 3.2 grams and 6.4 grams per day. Thus most conservative dosages suggest between 4-5 grams a day, typically taken 30 – 60 minutes before a workout and after a workout. However because of how Beta Alanine works, the goal is to get Beta Alanine saturated within the muscle cells, therefore most research has shown its better to take it in multiple smaller doses throughout the day. So 4-6 x 1g doses would work better. After 4 weeks you can then reduce the daily amount by half – so about 3g per day to keep carnosine levels high.[20] However it is always a good idea to take Beta Alanine with foods, to slow down its release into the body and prevent the body from wasting what it doesn’t need. Anymore than 6g is a dosage that is too excessive and is cautioned against states Dr Roger Harris.[21]

When first used, some people experience a tingling and slight skin flushing similar to that of niacin.  This is completely harmless and will soon stop, but this is a sign that the dose was too high.

Conclusion

With such authoritive figures as, Dr Harris and renowned research scientist Dr. Jeff Stout publishing research on Beta Alanine and promoting its use as a performance enhancing sports supplement, the research and athletic communities are listening very hard, due to the impressive scientific data which supports its use. 

Personal Recommendation

Just buy a Pure Beta-Alanine powder, then work hard and feel it work. It is very inexpensive compared with many supplements that do not have a solid and growing body of research behind it and probably never will. Beta Alanine is one my favourites supplements for living strong, when you try it, I know it will become one of yours…Enjoy! 

Copyright © by Professional Whey  

Along with Whey Protein Powder and Creatine, Glutamine is a sport supplement that is highly recommended for anyone wanting to increase their lean muscle mass and decrease fat.

What is Glutamine?

Glutamine is the most abundant naturally occurring, non-essential amino acid in the human body – it makes up 61% of all the amino acids in the body, and can be found in the blood, the muscles, the gut, the brain and the liver.[1]

Glutamine (or L-Glutamine) is found in a number of foods including meat, fish, eggs, dairy, beans and some vegetables. It is a major source of energy, and performs a variety of essential functions, including playing a vital role in the immune system.

Most dietary Glutamine is derived from the salt form of Glutamic Acid, which converts to Glutamine with the action of the enzyme Glutamine Synthetase. However the supplemental form of a good Glutamine is made from fermented cornstarch or corn syrup.

What does Glutamine do?

Glutamine supplementation not only stimulates immune function, but decreases inflammation and protects muscle cells from the damage caused by hard workouts.[2] Glutamine helps to support the immune system by keeping the health of the gastrointestinal tract high which has the greatest effect on positive immune functions.[3]^,[4],[5],

Increases Nitrogen

Its structure contains two nitrogen atoms which make it the primary transporter of nitrogen, as it transports 35% of the nitrogen that gets into the muscle cell, which can equate to anabolic muscle growth. But let’s not jump the gun just yet!

Anti-Catabolic & Immune Boosting

Following an intense workout, Glutamine levels in the body can fall by as much as 50% and remain low until recovery is completed. This is because an intense workout will take nitrogen carrying Glutamine from muscle tissue and use it to help with recovery and immune function. This fall in Glutamine creates a catabolic environment for muscle tissue.

Increased Protein Synthesis

Therefore by taking a pre and post workout Glutamine supplement, athletes and body builders can minimize the breakdown of the Glutamine already present in the muscle tissue and keep nitrogen levels high which allows for improved protein synthesis.[6]

How Glutamine Really Works

Glutamine only works because it is used to feed the gut and the immune system. This enables the muscle Glutamine to remain high, keeping nitrogen levels and preventing muscle cells from breaking down and going into a catabolic state.[7]

Growth Hormone Release

In addition, research has demonstrated the ability of Glutamine to dramatically increase Human Growth Hormone (HGH) levels – indeed, a meaningful increase was found from as little as 2 grams of free-form L-Glutamine.[8]

Increased Glycogen Uptake

Glutamine taken after exercise can increase the availability of glycogen, thus promoting increased accumulation of muscle glycogen – a key factor in recovery from one workout to the next.[9]^{,[10],[11],[12]}

Gut Health

Finally Glutamine has been shown to contain cleansing properties for the gastrointestinal tract which has been shown to decrease cravings and increase satiety due to it fighting off negative bacteria and preventing harmful pathogens from sticking to your stomach lining.

Which Type of Glutamine?

Although Glutamine intake can be increased through the use of whole foods, it is difficult for many to ingest sufficient amounts, especially at specific times such as pre and post workout. Therefore supplementing with Glutamine is another option.

The main type of supplemental Glutamine on the market is L-Glutamine – it is widely available and the alternative is Glutamine Peptides. The difference between the two is that L-Glutamine is “free form” – it is “free” from being bonded to other amino acids, which makes it less stable. Glutamine Peptides are not “free” as they are bonded to other amino acids with peptide bonds, making them more stable and easier for the body to assimilate. However, despite the many claims made for Glutamine peptides all of the positive research that has been conducted has been with the use of L-Glutamine. What has been worth noting from Glutamine Peptides is that it can cause constipation in some people.[13]

When to Take It

Research suggests that due to its anti-catabolic properties and its ability to accelerate glycogen synthesis, Glutamine is best taken within 20-30 minutes before and after a workout. In addition, many athletes also take a further dosage just before bed.[14] On days that you don’t workout, just can take it first thing in the morning and with your last protein shake of the day.

Conservative Dosage

The recommended conservative dose is 5g. Exceeding this dosage is not recommended by the mainstream as reports of an upset stomach are associated with ingesting large quantities of Glutamine.

There are many people who try 5g per day and state that they feel no difference and then proceed to tell everyone that glutamine doesn’t work. The reality is that at 5g per day the dosage is just too small to notice any considerable benefits. From experience you have to take a minimum of around 15-20g per day for several weeks to see and feel the difference.

Advanced Dosage

Some people can work their way up slowly to taking anywhere between 20-80g per dosage as recommended by Strength Coach, Charles Poliquin who advises his athletes to have this much Glutamine in their post workout shakes to decrease fat, build muscle and increase the lining of the gut so more food can be absorbed.[15] Sounds like he is helping their immune system get a huge boost too! However with this type of dosage needs to be worked up and monitored slowly as upset stomach can occur from as little as 10g.

Personal Recommendations

It is not surprising that a supplement with the potential of Glutamine is frequently combined with other supplements with the hope that it will create a double whammy effect. It is worth noting however, that no combination is supported by any independent research.

Regular consumption of Glutamine pre and post-workout will certainly improve gastrointestinal health and immune function which will keep your muscle cells full of nitrogen allowing your body to fight off the anti catabolic stresses of an intense workout; allowing your body to speed up recovery, increase the release of HGH, increase protein synthesis and therefore lose more fat and build more muscle.[16]^,[17],[18] Just keep your dosage to a level where you are comfortable with seeing the results and not getting any kind of stomach upset.

Despite the many claims made for Glutamine peptides or the various Glutamine “stacks”, all of the positive research that has been conducted has been done with using simple L-Glutamine. Therefore use a 100% pharmaceutical grade pure Glutamine. And if you want to improve on that use a Glutamine that will be absorbed extremely well by the body, such as a 100% Micronised Glutamine. Which we have sourced a fantastic supply of and are able to sell it at the best prices in Australia.

Copyright © by Professional Whey