Sports Training, Sports Fitness Training, Athlete Training Program, Sports Workouts

Creatine Ethyl Ester vs. Creatine Monohydrate for an Athlete’s Sports Training Program

Posted by admin on November 16th, 2010

Creatine is a powder that is used by many athletes today to improve their sports training. It has been proven time and time again to increase strength, increase power endurance and help athletes gain weight.

I started using creatine in 1993 after my senior year playing football at San Diego State University. It was the new hot thing in the then top muscle magazine Muscle Media 2000. Honestly it worked and I have used it on and off for years.

I saw an increase in my bench press which took my repetitions at 315 lbs. for 7 reps to 11 reps in a short period of time. Not bad for something completely natural and legal!

There are many different versions of creatine out there but two of the most popular are creatine ethyl ester and creatine monohydrate. Both have their places and certain athletes like one version over another.

In a nutshell some athletes feel that creatine monohydrate makes them stronger where creatine ethyl ester makes them feel stronger without feeling bloated.

I’ve have many of my athlete over the years use creatine and most like it. One kid in particular that plays linebacker for the Rice University Owls likes that monohydrate version better. However another kid I train that plays for University of Nevada likes the creatine ethyl ester.

Everyone will have their own opinion about creatine. Here is some good information to learn more about these versions of creatine before starting out adding it to your sports diet.

Creatine Ethyl Ester is made up of three amino acids – Arginine, Glycine and Methionine. Our liver has the ability to combine these three amino acids and make creatine. The other way we get creatine is from our diet.

What is it and where does it come from?

Creatine Ethyl Ester HCL (CEE) is creatine monohydrate with an ester attached. Esters are organic compounds that are formed by esterification – the reaction of carboxylic acid and alcohols.

However, regular creatine monohydrate is absorbed poorly by the body – and its effectiveness is dependant upon the cells ability to absorb it. The poor absorption rate of regular creatine monohydrate requires the creatine user to ingest large dosages of creatine to achieve desired effect.

Because creatine draws water to the cell, and because most ingested creatine monohydrate is not absorbed, unabsorbed creatine will sit outside of the target cell with the water, and this will result in the “creatine bloat.”

What does it do?

Long-term clinical studies have proven that creatine monohydrate is safe for use by persons free of medical complication, but why would you want to ingest more creatine monohydrate than you have to simply because your creatine is inefficient?

Creatine ethyl ester is creatine monohydrate with an ester attached. The attachment of an ester is significant, because esters are found in the fat tissue of animals. But, why is this important? What role does this have in the absorption of creatine?

All substances that you put into your body will affect its operation. There are three ways that substances can affect a cells operation. They are:

Ligand binding to protein receptor sites.
Secondary messenger / metabotropic systems
Passive permeation of the cell wall via lipids

When a substance enters the body and affects the bodies operation, it is known as a ligand. The soma and dendrites of the cell have protein receptor sites to which ligands can bind. The process of a ligand binding with a receptor site is akin to a lock and key: only keys of a certain shape work with certain locks. When they work and cause the cells stimulation they are called agonists. When they block the cell from functioning they are called antagonists.

When a ligand binds with the receptor site of a target cell, the cell, in the simplest of cases, changes its shape, opens up its ion channels and changes its function. In so-called “secondary messenger” or metabotropic cells, the ligand binds with the receptor site and an internal protein known as a g-protein is released. This released protein then binds to an internal site inside of the cell, and then the cell changes its behavior by opening its ion channels. Cells that operate in this way are known as metabotropic cells because their operation requires metabolic energy.

Passive permeation is a process that describes the diffusion of a substance across a cell membrane through the use of lipids as transport mechanisms. Because no “work” is being done by the cell in this model, this model is called passive permeation.

Why CEE instead of Monohydrate?

Works faster and is more efficiently absorbed.

This is likely because the esterification of creatine, CEE, will increase its lipopholic abilities, and thus esterified creatine will use fat more efficiently to permeate the cell wall and exert its effects on cellular function than its unesterified creatine monohydrate counterpart.

Requires a smaller dosage

This is likely because regular creatine monohydrate is absorbed poorly by the body, and its effectiveness is dependent on the cells’ ability to absorb it. As a result, the poor absorption rate of regular creatine monohydrate requires users to ingest larger amounts of creatine monohydrate (5 to 20 grams, daily) to achieve a desired effect, versus the three to six grams of esterfied creatine, daily.

Eliminates the infamous “water bloat” look

Thus is likely because creatine draws water into the cell (cell volumization), and because most ingested creatine monohydrate is not all absorbed, any unabsorbed creatine will sit outside of the target cell with the water. As a result, this may cause the dreaded “creatine water bloat.” Whereas, esterfied creatine is said to pull nearly all of the water into the muscle cell, thereby creating a harder, more solid appearance of muscularity.

In the end my advice to you would be taking one version for 4-6 weeks and monitor your training. Then take 2 weeks off and start the same cycle of the other version and see what works best for you!

If you are looking for a good source at a reasonable price go to www.bulknutrition.com.

To Specialize or Not Specialize Young Athletes in Their Sports Training

Posted by admin on November 15th, 2010

They say that once is a fluke and that twice is a coincidence, but a third time is a definite pattern. Well if my friend Frank Ruben had one more boy who played quarterback there may very well be a pattern.

He has had two boys that play High School Quarterback and have done something no other quarterbacks before them have done in the state of Arizona history. The boys Tim and Teddy both rushed for 2000 yards and passed for 2000 yard in the same season. Michael Vick never did that in college!

Tim did it first in 2007 and now Ted did it in 2010. When Tim did it first it was unheard of and thought to be just about impossible. Tim won the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year award in 2007 and at the time of this writing Ted is still playing in the state playoffs.

The point to this article is that Frank allowed the boys to specialize primarily in their sport of football. They dedicated themselves to my Athlete Training Program that focuses on a small amount of exercises but produces specific results in speed, strength, agility and endurance.

Watch This Video of Tim to See What I Mean. Ted’s Will Come Later!

Many of my thoughts have come from the Bulgarian system of specialization for individual sports. These kids are not the first to do it and I am sure not the last. I’m not saying you have to specialize it’s just that it is a system that is out there to try. I have had multiple athlete’s have tremendous success with the program.

It basically guarantees that an athlete will be 10-20 lbs. of muscle bigger than playing 3 sports and competing year round in those sports. I have also seen it make a kid much faster in a 40 yard dash than kids running track. I can’t tell you how many times I tell this story to parents who send their kids out for track and the look I get after I explain my rationale.

The Bulgarians believed in training athlete’s young and preparing them for their sport through specialization.

In college I studied some of the Bulgarian weight lifting methods and used them on myself. The pioneer of this information is Ivan Abadijiev.

Ivan Abadijiev is considered to be the greatest coach in the history of weight lifting. After the sad performance of the Bulgarian weight-lifters in the 1968 Olympics, he was appointed as the coach of the national weight-lifting team and due to his efforts, Bulgarian lifters won three gold and three silver medals in the next Olympics.

Abadijiev became famous due to his strict training methodologies, which enabled the Bulgarian weight-lifters to win the Olympic gold medal many times.

Abadijiev’s greatest disciple was Naim Suleymanoglu, who won the gold medal in three Olympics. Abadijiev is considered as a coach who revolutionized the training style of weight-lifters. He started training athletes at a young age, mostly before their teenage years and trained them hard so that were up for the real competitive challenges in their early ages.

This idea of early age training is opposed to the philosophy of many American medical organizations who state that weight-lifting should be started after kids are teen-agers so that the bone structure of an athlete has matured. Benefits of Abaijiev’s style of coaching is not limited to weight-lifting only, it can produce results in any form of sport. Some of his coaching thoughts and drills are discussed below:

Early Specialization

Before Abadijiev, Bulgarian athletes started rigorous weight-lifting only when they were well into their teen years. But Abadijiev introduced the concept of early specialization for weight-lifters. Athletes started specializing in weight-lifting at a very young age. Because of this Bulgaria dominated world junior weight-lifting championships. Nowadays, many famous athletes in different sports have proved the effectiveness of this concept.

Specificity in Exercises

Abadijiev believed in specificity when it came to workouts and drills. Before him, the Bulgarian national team had 19 basic exercises but with Abadijiev, the number was reduced to around six. He made sure that every single exercise contributed its maximum to the training program. His lifters would train at their highest levels and lifted weights as heavy as possible but stayed very specific in their choice of exercises to maximize their output.

Hard, Heavy and Fast Training

Abadijiev believed that the training session should be short and brief to maximize the athletes results and not cut into their total recovery time. He believed that testosterone levels reach their peak after fifteen minutes of a workout and then level-off after thirty to forty minutes. Such brief training sessions are vital in enhancing the overall output when performed numerous times in a week.

A Competitive Training Environment

Abadijiev created an environment of competitiveness. He had a strict attitude and didn’t favor any athlete because of their past performances. He carefully chose his athletes who were consistent with their training routine, so that no one would disturb the intensity of his workouts. He used to say “I am here in the gym to produce results, not to make friends”.

Regular Competitions

Abadijiev believed in the idea of regular competitions. Frequent competition can help an athlete in maintaining his standards of fitness. Athletes have a psychological tendency of training harder for competitions and other sporting events where results are made public. So Abadijiev organized weekly mock competitions to energize his athletes.

One example regarding such frequent competitions is that of the battle between Russian Vasily Alexeev and Belgium’s Serge Reding. Reding was considered the favorite to be the winner but when they competed Alexeev always dominated as he competed regularly and could better handle the pressure of the public viewing his performance.

Every Monday in my off-season workouts is combine day. We pair athletes up according to their sprint times and have them run races in different but similar events. All events are sport specific so that they are transferring their off-season work effectively to what they will do in season.

These are some of the interesting viewpoints of this legendary coach. Even though there is much debate surrounding whether to specialize or not, you can’t argue that his system was successful and has to be looked at closely. I find myself using many of these techniques in my preparing the teams that I train. These are all outlined in my Athlete Training Program.

Using Glycine to Maximize an Athlete’s Sports Diet

Posted by admin on November 13th, 2010

How Can Glycine Benefit You?

Glycine when taken in 20 gram amounts, in a whey protein isolate shake can help decrease cortisol levels and increase growth hormone levels. These two hormones are cirtical to control if you are trying to get leaner, stronger and more athletic.

This basically means you will recover from your workouts faster and that will lead to better training improvements.

Glycine can also help in detoxifying the liver. A healthy liver can lead to better immune system function due to the fact that your body if more efficient at removing harmful substances from your body.

What is it?

L-Glycine is an amino acid used by the body to build proteins. L-Glycine promotes health of the thymus gland, spleen, and bone marrow and balance white cell production.

L-Glycine slows down muscle degeneration by supplying additional creatine, which is a compound that is present in muscle tissue. It is utilized in the construction of DNA and RHA.

L-Glycine is essential for the synthesis of nucleic acids, bile acids and other nonessential amino acids in the body. It has been used in the treatment of manic depression and is also effective in the treatment of hyperactivity.

Where is it From?

Glycine is also taken in through a healthy diet of meat, fish, dairy and legumes. Glycine is considered the simplest amino acid in the body and has many important roles.

Glycine is a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and of major importance to the creation of protein, peptides, creatine, purines, bile salts, glycogen, hemoglobin, ATP, nucleic acids, porphyrins, glutathione, glucose, and other amino acids.
Glycine is a water-soluble protein amino acid that displays anti-inflammatory, antispastic, and antipsychotic activity.

Side Effects?

Glycine has reportedly made symptoms worse when taken with clozapine in people with schizophrenia. Although this effect has not been reported in connection to other antipsychotic drugs, it is not recommended that glycine be combined with any.

Recommended Usage

Post Workout
10-20 grams with a whey protein isolate shake post-workout. Effectiveness can be further enhanced by adding 10-20 grams of L-Glutamine.

Pre-Bedtime
10 grams with a micellar casein protein shake. This can be further enhanced by adding 10 grams of L-Glutamine.

The Alkaline Diet for an Athletes Sports Training Program

Posted by admin on October 15th, 2010

The pH/Alkaline diet is a great tool for any athlete’s toolbox. It is still very important to stick to a diet of consistent calorie intake and blood sugar levels. The pH diet can add to the effectiveness by increasing your health and energy levels. This is something that is still relatively unknown but I think will be a very important factor for people’s diets in the years to come.

The general concept of the alkaline diet plan is that by keeping your blood levels at a certain pH level you will avoid sickness and allow for a state of health and regeneration. This will lead to a more effective and healthy lifestyle that leads to successful body composition.

The goal is to eat alkaline (higher pH foods) like fruits, vegetables and other natural whole food protein sources like, eggs, chicken and cottage cheese and whey or micellar casein protein powder. It is another goal to stay away from processed foods like bread, pasta, cereal, meat, coffee and artificial sweeteners.

The way to stay on track with this type of diet is consistent testing of your saliva or urine to see if you are at an optimal pH level. Certain foods like eggs, fish, and cottage cheese are actually acidic but if eaten with certain foods and supplemented with other alkalizing products you can stay alkaline and stick to this diet to see great results.

Understanding pH

pH (potential of hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14—the lower the pH the more acidic the solution, the higher the pH the more alkaline (or base) the solution. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7, which is neutral.

pH stands for “potential of Hydrogen”, which is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, such as a mixture of liquids. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14 — the lower the pH the more acidic the solution, and the higher the pH the more alkaline the solution. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7 (exactly in the middle), which is neutral. Your body’s pH is best when between 7.36 and 7.44, which of course, is slightly alkaline.

Water is the most abundant and important compound in the human body, making up 70% of the body. The body has an acid-alkaline (or acid-base) ratio called the pH, which is a balance between positively charges ions (acid-forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline-forming.) The body continually strives to balance pH. When this balance is compromised many problems can occur.

It is important to understand that we are not talking about stomach acid or the pH of the stomach. We are talking about the pH of the body’s fluids and tissues, which is an entirely different matter. This is one of the misconceptions of the alkaline diet plan.

Test Your Body’s Acidity or Alkalinity with pH Strips:

It is recommended that you test your pH levels to begin with to see where your body’s pH level is. By using pH test strips, you can determine your pH level quickly and easily in the privacy of your own home. If you’re urinary pH is between 6.0 to 6.5 in the morning and between 6.5 and 7.0 in the evening, your body is functioning within a healthy range. If your saliva stays between 6.5 and 7.5 all day, your body is functioning within a healthy range. The best time to test pH levels is first thing in the morning upon awakening. You can also test your pH is about one hour before a meal and two hours after a meal. Test your pH two days a week.

Why Acid Alkaline Imbalance is Bad for you

The alkaline diet plan is important because over acidity can become a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems. This is very common today for most people. It sets up an internal environment for the body that is conducive to disease, as opposed to a pH-balanced environment, which allows normal body function necessary for the body to resist disease. A healthy body maintains enough alkaline reserves to meet emergency needs. When excess acids must be neutralized our alkaline reserves are used up leaving the body in a weakened condition. A pH balanced diet, according to many experts, is a vital key to health maintenance.

An acidic state in the body drains so much of our energy that the body doesn’t have enough energy to fight off viruses and disease. In other words, the immune system is weakened. More so, when the body is overly acidic there is more vulnerability to germs, yeast, bacteria, molds and fungi.

Why? Because all these microorganisms thrive in acidity! In an alkaline environment they are weakened and cannot multiply as well. Therefore, by keeping the body alkaline it can prevent colds, the flu, and many other illnesses.

Low (pH) and Weight Loss/Fat Loss

To protect against acid buildup, the body begins to create and store fat. Even if you are on a weight loss diet and you exercise, your body will try to hold on to this fat because it is important for protection against acids. That is why many people whom restore alkalinity in their body find it incredibly easier to lose weight.

There are so many weight loss pills available today. However, more pills are not the solution. The true way to lose weight is to do so naturally and with permanent results and a healthier body.

Why Is an Acidic State (low pH) Common?

The reason acidosis (low pH) is more common in our society is mostly due to the typical American diet, which is far too high in acid-producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and far too low in alkaline-producing foods like fresh vegetables. Additionally, we eat acid-producing processed foods like white flour and sugar and drink acid-producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks. The alkaline diet plan is important because we use too many drugs, which are acid forming; and we use artificial chemical sweeteners like NutraSweet, Equal, or aspartame, which are extremely acid forming. One of the best things we can do to correct an overly acid body is to clean up the diet and lifestyle.

A food’s acid or alkaline-forming purpose in the body has nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. For example, lemons are very acidic; however the end products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline so lemons are alkaline-forming in the body. Likewise, meat will test alkaline before digestion but it leaves very acidic residue in the body so, like nearly all animal products, meat is very acid-forming.

Supplements like Optimum EFX Green Fuel, Red 54 and Apple Cider Vinegar are excellent for promoting alkalinity in the body.

I created a list of alkaline diet foods for you. In order to succeed on the pH diet and pick the right foods this was needed. This list of alkaline diet foods will be a valuable asset for choosing the foods to alkalize and keep your body at the proper pH level.

ALKALIZING VEGETABLES

Garlic

Asparagus

Fermented Veggies

Watercress

Beets

Broccoli

Brussel sprouts

Cabbage

Carrot

Cauliflower

Celery

Chard

Chlorella

Collard Greens

Cucumber

Eggplant

Kale

Kohlrabi

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Mustard Greens

Dulce

Dandelions

Edible Flowers

Onions

Parsnips

Peas

Peppers

Pumpkin

Rutabaga

Sea Veggies

Spirulina

Sprouts

Squashes

Alfalfa

Barley Grass

Wheat Grass

Wild Greens

Nightshade Veggies

Maitake

Daikon

Dandelion Root

Shitake

Kombu

Reishi

Nori

Umeboshi

Wakame

Sea Veggies

ALKALIZING FRUITS

Apple

Avocado

Banana

Cantaloupe

Cherries

Currants

Dates/Figs

Grapes

Grapefruit

Lime

Honeydew Melon

Nectarine

Orange

Lemon

Peach

Pear

Pineapple

All Berries

Tangerine

Tomato

Tropical Fruits

Watermelon

ALKALIZING PROTEIN

Technically this list of animal protein is not alkaline and is actually an acidic food. However I feel it is important to eat some animal protein for quality amino acid sources and other helpful nutrients.

These are the least acidic of the animal protein sources. If eaten with other high alkaline foods it is possible to keep your overall pH level between 6.5 and 7.5. You can manage the balance of higher and lower pH foods by using pH-testing strips to adjust your diet.

Eggs

Whey Protein Powder

Cottage Cheese

Chicken Breast

Yogurt

ALKALIZING NUTS AND SEEDS

Almonds

Chestnuts

Tofu (fermented)

Flax Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds

Tempeh (fermented)

Squash Seeds

Sunflower Seeds

Millet

Sprouted Seeds

Nuts

ALKALIZING OTHER

Apple Cider Vinegar

Bee Pollen

Lecithin Granules

Probiotic Cultures

Green Juices

Veggies Juices

Fresh Fruit Juice

Organic Milk (unpasteurized)

Mineral Water

Alkaline Antioxidant Water

Green Tea

Herbal Tea

Dandelion Tea

Ginseng Tea

Banchi Tea

Kombucha

ALKALIZING SWEETENERS

Stevia

ALKALIZING MINERALS

Cesium: pH 14

Potassium: pH 14

Sodium: pH 14

Calcium: pH 12

Magnesium: pH 9

I have created a list of acidic foods for you to look at. This list will help you understand what foods should be eliminated or kept to a minimum in order to maintain a balanced pH level.

ACIDIFYING FATS & OILS

Avacado Oil

Canola Oil

Corn Oil

Hemp Seed Oil

Flax Oil

Lard

Olive Oil

Safflower Oil

Sesame Oil

Sunflower Oil

ACIDIFYING FRUITS

Cranberries

ACIDIFYING GRAINS

Rice Cakes

Wheat Cakes

Amaranth

Barley

Buckwheat

Corn

Oats (rolled)

Quinoi

Rice (all)

Rye

Spelt

Kamut

Wheat

Hemp Seed Flour

ACIDIFYING DAIRY

Cheese, Cow

Cheese, Goat

Cheese, Processed

Cheese, Sheep

Milk

Butter

ACIDIFYING NUTS & BUTTERS

Cashews

Brazil Nuts

Peanuts

Peanut Butter

Pecans

Tahini

Walnuts

ACIDIFYING ANIMAL PROTEIN

Beef

Carp

Clams

Fish

Lamb

Lobster

Mussels

Oyster

Pork

Rabbit

Salmon

Shrimp

Scallops

Tuna

Turkey

Venison

ACIDIFYING PASTA (WHITE)

Noodles

Macaroni

Spaghetti

ACIDIFYING OTHER

Distilled Vinegar

Wheat Germ

Potatoes

ACIDIFYING DRUGS & CHEMICALS

Chemicals

Drugs, Medicinal

Drugs, Psychedelic

Pesticides

Herbicides

ACIDIFYING ALCOHOL

Beer

Spirits

Hard Liquor

Wine

ACIDIFYING BEANS & LEGUMES

Black Beans

Chick Peas

Green Peas

Kidney Beans

Lentils

Lima Beans

Pinto Beans

Red Beans

Soy Beans

Soy Milk

White Beans

Rice Milk

Almond Milk

ACIDIFYING JUNK FOOD

Coca-Cola: pH 2

Beer: pH 2.5

Coffee: pH 4

If you are serious about maximizing your performance as an athlete try the tips mentioned and add them to your athlete’s sports diet and training program.

Six Tips for Gaining Muscle Weight in an Athlete Training Program

Posted by admin on October 14th, 2010

The truth is, just about any weight training program will produce positive results in muscle mass if you work hard and strive to use more weight on basic compound movements like squats, dips, chin ups and dead lifts.

What I see today in most athletes is they don’t follow the basics for consistent weight gain. The goal for most athletes is to gain muscle and not excessive body fat. Many athletes today might spend money on their car stereo system or I-phone’s but they don’t spend those hard earned dollars on things that will get them bigger and stronger.

After all, all things being equal the stronger athlete wins.

When I was in college I made tremendous gains by working out 2-3 times per day, sleeping and eating. And what I mean in that list is literally in that order. Over and over I would repeat the pattern and I got big and strong.

If you’re interested in being the stronger athlete, here are some good tips to start with.

Tip 1: Start the day with a liquid meal.

Start the day with 40-60 grams of high quality whey protein isolate. Add 20 grams of glutamine, 5 grams of creatine monohydrate, and 3 grams of Acetyl-L Carnitine Propionate. This form of Actetyl-L Carnitine has specific, positive effects on the brain and on testosterone levels.

An hour later, you should have a solid meal like steak and eggs. Whenever I lose muscle mass because skipping meals from life’s activities I’ll often gain back five pounds of muscle in as little as five days following this advice.

Tip 2: Set your stop watch for every two and a half hours to eat.

Making a conscious decision to take the time to eat is one of the best keys to gaining mass. Sounds simple, but if you’re busy with other interests and obligations, it becomes easy to skip meals. Once you have had a meal, set your watch so that it rings two and a half hours later, indicating when it’s time for your next feeding.

Tip 3: Take a power nap.

Taking power naps makes you strong! The more naps I took, the more I grew. A good nap should be 20 to 60 minutes, no longer; otherwise you will become too sleepy and have a hard time waking up. Whenever I can I will take a nap to charge my brain and feel great. So nap as often as possible and watch what happens to your weight and strength!

Tip 4: Go on a 150 percent calorie cheat day.

This tip I have used over the years with my athletes on the weekend. Once every five or seven days (depending on what training schedule you are on) consume 50 percent more calories than you regularly do. You can get away with eating foods that are not necessarily the healthiest, but be sure to avoid trans fats such as you might find in many junk foods or poorly made protein bars. This tip really works. I have seen athletes gain a consisten 1-2 lbs. of bodyweight per week on a bulking phase.

Personally, I prefer to use high-calorie foods such as waffles with maple butter, and oatmeal cookies. Consume these extra calories on an off day from training, and spread them out over six or seven meals.

As a general guideline to determine your caloric needs, take your bodyweight in pounds and multiply by 16. If you weigh 225, you would need 3,600 calories to maintain your weight, so therefore you would consume 5400 calories on your hypercaloric day.

You will not only see a jump in weight but you should also see a nice jump in strength on Monday if you do this calorie/carb load on Sunday.

Tip 5: Take BCAAs consistently.

BCAA stands for branched chain amino acid, and amino acids are the basic components of protein (or, as some say in the iron game, “the building blocks of muscle”). Always carry a bottle of BCAA’s in the form of Amino Matrix or Scivation with you to prevent muscle breakdown, which is the process by which the body breaks down muscle tissue to use as an energy source. If a meal is going to get delayed when your watch goes off indicating it’s time to eat, get some water and take a scoop or two.

Tip 6: Have on hand a secret high-calorie bag or jar.

In one of my pockets on my travel bag, I keep what I like to call a “secret high-calorie bag or jar.” It’s a mixture of nuts and dried fruits. If my feeding times get delayed, I reach in and take two handfuls from the premixed jar to keep my blood sugar constant. My concoction contains dried fruits (apricots, blueberries, raisins, figs, cherries, mango slices), nuts (pistachios, cashews, walnuts, dates, pecans, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamias) and seeds (pumpkin, sesame). Besides providing myself with a load of quality calories, I’m also getting many valuable nutrients, such as selenium from the Brazil nuts, magnesium from the cashews, and antioxidants from the dried fruits. Occasionally I’ll add some BCAA’s to help prevent muscle breakdown (catabolism)

As you can see, these tips are easy to do and don’t take much effort. Each tip is extremely effective individually, and if you use them all, you should notice a tremendous increase in your training drive and your muscle-building gains.

Meats and Nuts for Breakfast to Accelerate Fat Loss on The Sport Diet

Posted by admin on October 13th, 2010

I was talking to one of my good friends today Mike Enzler after football practice about how much better he looked after losing almost 30 lbs. following a reduced calorie version of the SPORTS DIET.

He started the diet in early August and has gone from 230 to 206. I calculate 30 lbs. due to the fact that he has probably gained lean muscle as a byproduct of the diet.

He had mentioned that he had hit a plateau in weight loss and I made a few suggestions. One would be starting with a meat and nuts breakfast. He could of course later start using nuts, and vegetables in place of his current carbohydrate sources like beans, yams and fruit and make another drop in body fat reduction.

Many people ask me for the best single nutrition tip for optimal leanness, energy and sustained mental focus. I usually tell them to try a rotating meat and nuts breakfast. I have many clients tell me about how much their increased mental focus and energy have improved from this food combination.

The meat allows for a slow and steady rise in blood sugar. The nuts provide a great source of healthy smart fats that allows the blood sugar to remain stable for many hours.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It breaks the fast from the sleep of overnight and puts your metabolism into gear. What you eat for breakfast sets up your entire brain function for the day.

Multiple studies on employee productivity or on children’s attention patterns have demonstrated that a high protein breakfast does not only impact on the energy and productivity levels of morning till noon, but extended its positive way in the late afternoon.

Here is sample 5 day rotation of the meat/nuts breakfast. DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO IT in terms of food or beverage.

Tea, coffee or calorie free herbal drinks are alright, Milk and juice or other liquids containing calories or carbohydrates are not acceptable.

Day 1
• 1-2 Buffalo meat patties
• 1 handful of macadamia nuts

Day 2
• 1 large venison steak
• 1 handful of cashew nuts

Day 3
• 1-2 Lean turkey burgers
• 1 handful of almonds

Day 4
• 2 lean ground beef patties
• 1 handful of brazil nuts

Day 5
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 handful of hazelnuts

One of the other advantages of this system is that is reduces the development of food allergies which are known to increase cortisol in people. Many people believe it or not are allergic to the foods they eat. This is even more true in athletes where it is not uncommon to see them have allergies to beef, eggs, whey, casein, tuna and oatmeal, the basic bodybuilding staples.

What about if you are allergic to nuts?

I personally think fruits that have the darkest skins are best due to their lower glycemic rating and high amounts of anti-oxidants.

Here are some to try.

apricot
avocado
blackberries
blueberries
grapefruit
loganberries
nectarines
olives
papaya
peach
plum
raspberries
strawberries

Make sure that the fruits are organic if your budget permits, especially the strawberries, as they are one of the most sprayed crops in the World.

If your interested in losing body fat, feeling better and getting stronger, click here.

Glutamine – A Sports Nutrition Supplement for Improving Weight Lifting Training

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2010

Many athletes and sports fitness enthusiasts are using sports nutrition supplements like L-Glutamine and glutamine peptides to maximize their weight lifting training.

Weight lifting training done correctly can have many positive effects on athletes like improved strength, speed and power along with increased muscle mass and finally a better chance of avoiding injury.

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in muscle tissue. From what I have heard from many top level sports nutrition experts and coaches is that glutamine makes up over 60% of the total intramuscular amino acids.

Skeletal muscle is where most glutamine production occurs and provides the majority of glutamine required by other tissues. Glutamine is the most widely used amino acid in the body, during stress (high intensity weightlifting, dieting and malnutrition) glutamine levels in the body decrease by almost 50%.

A bad thing for athletes and bodybuilders hoping to benefit from glutamine is that protein production (muscle building) takes a back seat to the more important functions the body considers essential for survival, such as the immune system. In other words, the body can only produce a certain amount of glutamine per day.

This sets up the need for a supplemental supply of glutamine. In order for athletes to stay in a muscle building (anabolic) mode adding glutamine to their nutrition program is a smart move.

Glutamine is known to act as a regulator of protein production, increasing protein production and decreasing protein breakdown of working muscles. The effectiveness of this is dependent on how much glutamine is in the system.

Glutamine in addition to alanine, is the major interorgan NITROGEN carrier. 90% of nitrogen is released as glutamine.

Here are some tips that I have learned over the years on how to use glutamine

Glutamine itself is thought to be the direct precursor to muscle glycogen replenishment after exercise. Try adding 20-40 grams of glutamine a day in a post-workout shake.
2grams of glutamine significantly elevated growth hormone release (REF).

L-Glutamine or glutamine powder is the amino acid in its free-form, which means it’s in its whole food state, whenever you eat foods such as almonds and peanuts your eating glutamine amino acids.

L-Glutamine is basically the same thing. It’s glutamine in its free-form (whole food). The majority of sports nutrition supplement companies sell L-glutamine and say it is the best form of glutamine. There are many people out there who think glutamine peptides are even better for promoting an anabolic state in the body.

Glutamine vs. Glutamine Peptides

Peptides are amino acids broken down into smaller parts. This is done through a process called hydrolyzation. The scientific thought is that peptides are easier for the body to digest because of their smaller size.

Only hydrolyzation can produce the smaller peptides. Currently this is the most effective way to break down amino acids into their smallest form. Many of the most expensive forms of protein powder and amino acid supplements use this process. This is the reason why they have a higher price tag.

It is accepted by most people that hydrolyzed products are superior to free form and larger peptides found in most whey protein powders.

Several studies have shown that smaller peptides are better absorbed than larger peptides and regularly manufactured protein. Here are the conclusive thoughts.

Amino acids from peptides are more readily absorbed than free-form amino acids, thus producing a greater insulin reaction.
Humans fed smaller peptides compared to whole-protein foods had a greater increase in amino acid levels.
Hydrolysated products produce greater pharmacological effects (increasing GH and insulin response).
OLIGOPEPTIDES are LARGER PEPTIDES, which are absorbed much SLOWER than small tri and di peptides. Supplement companies try to use the word “oligopeptides” to fool the customer with scientific mumbo-jumbo when they’re actually stabbing themselves in the back!

Some people believe that glutamine peptides work much better than L-Glutamine powder. Personally I would try both forms and see if there is a noticeable difference to determine if the extra expense is worth it. This should be evident by a noticeable increase in your weight lifting training.

Is High Protein Bad in a Sports Diet?

Posted by admin on October 8th, 2010

Over the years I have had numerous parents ask, “Is high protein bad in a sports diet”? Many of these parents would take their kids that were clients of mine to the doctor and the doctor would say that the amount of protein I was advocating was going to be harmful to their child. Of course I always defended my knowledge.

These same doctors would them encourage the kids to go on a high carbohydrate diet that included many sources of wheat based high glycemic index carbohydrates. This obviously can lead to high body fat levels and potential adult onset diabetes.

Over the years after playing collegiate and professional sports and consulting with some of the best trainers and coaches in the world I was able to form my opinion on protein levels. These top level coaches advocate a higher protein, low glycemic, low- carb diet that is supplemented with high amounts of carbs after workouts (in cases where body fat levels are optimal) and many special sports nutrition supplements like pro-biotics, essential amino acid powder, anti-oxidant powders and fish oil capsules.

There is obviously a battle going on between these doctors and the real pros as to what the true information is. On one hand you have these excellent trainers who make good money (a few command over $1500.00 per week- per client) training loyal professional athletes saying one thing and doctors saying another. In my opinion I always go with what is working in real time.

Many of these doctors are hypothesizing theories where these coaches are dealing with athletes day to day for years on end. I would have to believe that if these top level athletes that are coming back year after year and referring friends that join every off-season something good must be happening.

Anyway I found some good information as a starting point from one of the best trainers in the world named Charles Poliquin. He had an article on his site I would like to share with everyone that visits my site and also a reference to new parents who may want to cross check what their family physician has to say about a high protein diet.

High Protein Diet Myths

An excerpt from “Living Low Carb: Controlled Carbohydrate Eating for Long Term Weight Loss”

By Jonny Bowden

The following is an excerpt from “Living Low Carb: Controlled Carbohydrate Eating for Long Term Weight Loss” (Revised and expanded edition, 2010) by Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS

References and footnotes can be found in the original.

MYTH #5: High-Protein Diets Cause Damage to the Kidneys

You will often hear from ill-informed sources that a high-protein diet damages the kidneys. Not so. Consider the following: everyone knows about step classes and aerobics. They are great calorie burners, get the blood and oxygen flowing, are good conditioners of the cardiovascular system, and, with certain variations, can even be good for muscle toning. So they’re a good thing, right?

Yes.

Except if you have a broken leg.

If you have a broken leg, or a sprained ankle, or shin splints, I’m going to suggest that you not take a step class until the injury heals. Under these special circumstances, the very weight-bearing that does so much good for the normal person is going to be more stress than you need during the healing phase. I’m going to tell you to stay off the leg, let it heal, and avoid putting additional stress on it at this time.

Does the fact that step class is not good for a person with a broken leg mean that the step class led to the broken leg?

No. And ketogenic diets do not—I repeat, do not—cause kidney disease. If your doctor says they do, politely ask him or her to show you the studies. (They don’t exist.) Ketogenic diets are, however, not a good thing if you have an existing kidney disease, much the way a step class is not a good thing if your leg is already broken.

High Protein Causes Kidney Disease? Not.

The oft-repeated medical legend that high-protein diets cause kidney disease came from reversing a medical fact. The medical fact is that reducing protein (up to a point) lessens the decline of renal (kidney) function in people who already have kidney disease. Because restricting protein seems to be a good strategy for those with existing kidney failure (or even some kidney weakness), some people drew the illogical conclusion that the obverse must also be true—that large amounts of protein lead to kidney failure.

In any case, it is not proteins per se that cause problems, even for those who already have renal disease: it is the glycolated proteins (see chapter 2). These sugar-sticky proteins, you may remember, are the result of excess sugar in the blood bumping into protein molecules. These sugar-coated proteins are called AGES, advanced glycolated end-products. The AGES themselves then stick together, forming even bigger collections of molecules, which are too large to pass through the filtering mechanisms of the glomerulus, the network of blood capillaries in the kidneys that acts as a filter for waste products from the blood. This reduces GFR (glomerular filtration rate), a measure of kidney function.

High protein intake does not cause this to happen in normally functioning kidneys. A recent study of 1,624 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study concluded that “high protein intake was not associated with renal function decline in women with normal renal function.”17 Another study in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases showed that protein intake had no effect on GFR in healthy male subjects.18 And a third study in the International Journal of Obesity compared a high-protein with a low-protein weight-loss diet and concluded that healthy kidneys adapted to protein intake and that the high-protein diet caused no adverse effects.19

If you don’t currently have kidney disease, a low-carbohydrate diet is actually an ideal way to help control the blood-sugar levels that can eventually lead to kidney disease. Of course, just to be safe, you should check with your doctor to make sure you don’t have any undiagnosed kidney impairment; but if you don’t, you’re sure not going to develop it from being on a low-carb diet.

BOTTOM LINE
Higher protein intakes do not cause any damage whatsoever to healthy kidneys.

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS is the author of the Poliquin Manual for Nutrition. He’s a board certified nutritionist, a nationally known expert on weight loss, health and nutrition, and the best-selling author of 8 books including “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth”. Visit him at www.jonnybowden.com

Improve Sports Performance Training in Young Athletes with These Supplement Tips

Posted by admin on October 7th, 2010

Today many young athletes are experimenting with supplements to improve sports performance training without understanding exactly what they are putting into their bodies. With this fact in mind I think some sound advice should be given to young athletes regarding supplements?

Many parents have asked me if there is anything that should be a part of their sports nutritional supplement program and is there anything they should stay away from? For the most part, I believe that this is a personal choice but there a few great recommendations.

Most young athletes need to focus on developing good eating habits. That is the most important thing. Basic supplements like quality protein powders in the form of whey protein isolate as a post workout shake and micellar casein as a meal replacement shake are a start.

From there a good essential fatty acid supplement like fish oil capsules is a great addition. This is important because essential fatty acids are not produced in the body and most athletes’ diets don’t contain them!

Next a multi-vitamin that contains high amounts of C and D is a great addition. Once again many athletes diet don’t supply all the vitamins and minerals necessary to run the body at optimal levels.

And then possibly an essential amino acid blend (EAA) would be a good place to start. Just like essential fatty acids are not produced by the body so are essential amino acids. Adding these in the right amount will ensure your body is growing and repairing in the most efficient way possible.

But again, getting the eating habits in place is priority number one. Focus on eating protein with every meal, then learning about and eating low glycemic carbohydrates and avoid trans fats and replace them with unsaturated sources like olive oil and nuts.

This may seem simple but a very high percentage of young athletes don’t do this. Following some if not all of this advice will improve your sports performance training

Sports Nutrition Supplements Designed by Ian Danney

Posted by admin on October 7th, 2010

Ian Danney is a high demand sports performance specialist who trains some of the top professional athletes in the world. As a former Olympic athlete and highly educated sports nutrition supplement specialist, Ian is one of the most qualified people on the planet to consult with on this subject.

His company Optimum EFX formulations is a sports nutrition supplement company dedicated to developing supplements that are effective and safe. They focus on unique formulations of ingredients that work synergistically together.

The products have a huge advantage in that not only are they based on scientific evidence; they are also the accumulation of many tests at Ian’s training facility.

This helps because he has plenty of real world evaluations. “It’s great to have guys whose training is completely controlled and are on eating plans that are also controlled (all prepared by a chef that works for my facility)”.

This controlled environment really allows Ian to see what the supplements are doing. So the Optimum EFX line is an accumulation of science and real world testing on hundreds of professional and Olympic athletes.

If you are interested in learning more about these incredible products, click here.

The top formulas used by his clients are GREEN FUEL (alkalinity and anti-oxidant maximizer), AMINO MATRIX (essential amino acid recovery drink), and RED 54 (potent fruit anti-oxidant blend).

These sports nutrition supplements are now available to the public so that serious athletes and fitness enthusiasts can benefit from these products just like Ian’s personal clients.

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