The Creatine Experiment

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Those of you who have been following my blog may remember a post I did on the benefits of creatine. Click CLICK HERE to read it.

Well I have continued doing research and have still not been able to find anything wrong with it. In fact, the only proven adverse side effects are weight gain and water retention... which actually aren't adverse at all since the whole purpose of taking the supplement is to gain mass. I am comfortable recommending this supplement to anyone 18 years and older because Creatine, the most studied supplement behind whey protein, has not been proven to cause any adverse health effects. Also, your body naturally produces Creatine, so it's not like you're adding anything to your system that might send your hormones into a tailspin. Now, because the supplement industry is highly unregulated you're going to want to heavily research the company from which you buy your products. Make sure their top dogs aren't criminals and check to see that their products have never been tainted with things like testosterone, steroids, or meth.

All the being said, I am going to use myself as a guinea pig for a 12 week cycle of Creatine supplementation. I purchased my Creatine powder from #truenaturals.com (a reliable source of supplements!) for $16 after shipping. Pretty affordable if you ask me. I will begin with a 5 day, 20 gram per day #LoadingPhase, and the rest of the cycle will be a 5 gram per day maintenance phase. I will take the 5 grams within 15 minutes postworkout (aka post swoll fest). Periodically, I will report my progress on here and at the end, I will give a full report. If I find any negative side effects I will stop taking it immediately. I have taken Creatine (and a sh*t ton of other legal supplements) in the past, but I did not take it properly, so this should be a pretty interesting experiment.

This is not a gateway supplement, so I still will not be taking #WheyProtein, #pre-workout supplements, #BCAAs, or anything else of the sort. And I STILL hold strong to the fact that proper nutrition can yield better results at a cheaper cost than any supplement can. But Creatine may be different. It is found naturally in beef and other meats, but to get the 5 grams per day that your muscles need to see a benefit from it, you would need to eat 32kg!!! of beef every day. That means eating a 64+ ounce steak every damn day! Also, at $16 for a 100 day supply, it's a pretty damn good value. So I invite you to follow along with me on this journey. In the end, I'll either recommend or I'll toss it in the same shitastic group as every other supplement on the market today. Cheers!

Amino Acids... Explained!!

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A pretty hot topic in the fitness world right now is the importance of amino acids in building muscle. We covered this topic pretty extensively in my Nutrition class and I've done a lot of independent research on it, so I'm going to break it down for you in an easy to follow manner. This should save you the trouble of going all over the internet looking for answers...

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and protein is the main component of muscle (next to water, of course). There are 21 amino acids and they are broken down into 2 groups: essential and non-essential. In all, there are 9 essential amino acids and 12 non-essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are named as such because your body cannot create these amino acids on its own which means it is essential for them to be included in your diet. Without both essential and non-essential amino acids, your body will not be able to synthesize protein, which means less gains from the weight room... which means severe depression and an overwhelming sense of failure. Just kidding... but seriously.

So where can you get your hands on these amino acids? The best source is through animal protein because animal protein contains all 9 essential amino acids. That is why we call animal protein "complete" protein sources. Examples are beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. If you want to get big... eat animals.

Plant protein is called "incomplete" protein because, you guessed it, it does not contain all 9 essential amino acids. People on a plant based diet (vegetarians and vegans) must be sure to mix and match their sources of protein to ensure they are getting all their amino acids. This means eating different kinds of beans, nuts, and grains, and varied colors of vegetables. Scientists and nutritionists are not sure which plants contain which types of amino acids, but it has been proven that if you just eat a variety of plant based protein sources you will get all 9 essential amino acids from your diet. Which means that even on a vegetarian diet, you can still see big gains.

I do NOT recommend it, but a third source of amino acids is through BCAA supplements. These are expensive! but have been proven to work (I just read a double blind, placebo controlled government study that showed positive results from BCAA supplements). However, long term ingestion of BCAA supplements could result in dependency... which means your body could slowly lose the ability to process amino acids from natural sources (plants and animals). And, as with ALL supplements nowadays, YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS THAT THE MANUFACTURER PUT IN THE PRODUCT. For more info on the dangers of supplements, read my post on pre-workout supplements. Again, BCAA supplements work, but are NOT necessary if you follow a proper diet.

Protein powders also claim to have amino acids in them. This is probably true, especially for Whey protein powders since Whey is made from milk, but again, not necessary if you follow a proper diet. If for some dumb ass reason your main source of protein is protein powder, I do recommend buying a powder that contains essential amino acids, or BCAAs. Before you buy your next jug of powder though, watch my YouTube video on Protein Powders (and subscribe to my channel!) to find out why this is a bonehead decision.

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Women's Health: Keys to a Sexy Booty, Thighs, and Hips - Part I

Two big things influence a woman's fat content outside of their diet and exercise routine... hormones and genetics.

Women naturally deposit fat in their thighs and buttocks due to a high presence of the hormone estrogen. In fact, a lot of female body builders and physique models actually take estrogen reduction pills in order to prevent fat deposits  in these parts of their bodies.

Sir Mix-a-Lot was right. Males are programmed to like big
butts, and they cannot not lie. This is a sub-conscious
predisposition.

Genetics predispose people to a certain body type. The natural inclination towards a certain body type can be fought against and significantly changed with diet and exercise, but it cannot be totally negated. If you have bigger hips or thighs than the average woman, you need to accept that and embrace your curves! Men like curves more than stick figures anyways. Thicker thighs, buttocks, and hips signify increased estrogen and a child bearing potential. These two things draw on the sub-conscious, primal instincts of the male species and attract them to their female counterparts... so women should work to perfect their curves, not eliminate them!

Alright I'm off my soapbox... moving on now. In order to understand how to lose undesired fat, you must first understand the sources from which your body draws energy:

1. The first source is carbs which are stored in the body as glycogen. If you want to have the best workouts possible, YOU NEED TO EAT CARBS! Carbs will allow you to work harder in the gym and consequently burn more fat. Like a car, your muscles need fuel to run.
2. Your body's secondary energy source is fat, which is stored in the body as glycerol. 
3. The third source of energy your body uses is protein. This is only used in extreme circumstances such as marathons or triathlons. When your body is using this form of energy, it is basically eating away your muscles to survive.
4. So in summary, first you burn carbs, then when that is used up you burn fat, then finally you burn protein as a last resort.

To lose weight and fat you're going to have to create a "calorie deficit" at the end of each day. This means you have to burn more calories than you take in. It's that simple. It is physically impossible to lose weight if you don't do this. I recommend tracking your calories each day by using a calorie counting app on your smart phone. The one I use is called My Fitness Pal, and it's free!

To help you create a calorie deficit, you're going to have to exercise. Light exercise, such as walking, uses fat almost exclusively as an energy source. Shocking right? Now this doesn't mean that walking is the best way to reduce fat (it doesn't contribute enough to that calorie deficit that I told you you need to create), but it certainly helps. Moderate exercise such as jogging burns 40-60% fat and the rest is carbs. And high intensity exercise, weight lifting and sprints, burns through your glycogen stores (carbs) almost exclusively.

The most effective way to burn fat is to walk 15-30 minutes in the morning to get your metabolism going for the day. Next you want to lift weights and do sprints. I'LL LAY OUT A DETAILED WORKOUT PLAN IN PART II of this series. JOGGING IS NOT THE WAY TO GO if you're trying to burn fat. Weight lifting is paramount... as an example, just 3 sets of 8 reps of bicep curls burns through 70% of your glycogen stores (carbs). Once you burn through 100% of the glycogen stores in any muscle group, you begin burning through your fat stores. Weight lifting and high intensity sprints, not jogging on a treadmill, is the fastest way to do this. Additionally, jogging only increases your metabolism for the one day that you do it. So if you skip a day, you're metabolism is not sped up for that day. Weight lifting on the other hand speeds your metabolism up for multiple days afterwards as your body works to repair the small muscle abrasions created during your lifting session.

In short, to burn off that stubborn hip, thigh, and booty fat, you need to create a calorie deficit, lift weights, and run high intensity sprints. Stay tuned for Part II of this series!

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THIS is the Only Proven and Safe Supplement on the Market

I read a few studies on this supplement and went ahead and summarized one of them below. The last 2 paragraphs are pretty detailed so if you're a health nerd like me, you'll like them, otherwise just read the next 3 paragraphs. So what ergogenic actually works as advertised?

CREATINE is PROVEN to work! Not only that, but there are no negative side effects associated with taking it! It's the only supplement on the market that I would recommend adults (not high schoolers) taking. One of the best things about creatine is that it is naturally produced by your body, which means you're not putting something into your body that it isn't used to having.  When you supersaturate your muscles through creatine supplementation, you will put on mass and you'll see increases in strength and power. It goes without saying that you need to lift weights to see these gains... but I figured I'd say it just in case.

If you're going to take a creatine supplement, I recommend CREATINE MONOHYDRATE. There are many different types of creatines that manufacturers claim will turn you into some sort of a super human, but creatine monohydrate is the only one that has been proven to work by academic, non-biased studies. 

How to take it: Start with a LOADING PHASE of 5 grams 4 times per day for 5-7 days. This loading phase is important to seeing the best results. Very few studies have shown positive results in people who skipped the loading phase. After the loading phase just take 3-5 grams immediately after working out. You will see benefits if you take creatine prior to your workout, but for BEST results, take it afterwards. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water while your taking this supplement (aim for a gallon per day), and don't forget to lift weights. You're likely to get "bitch tits" if you take it and don't lift weights.

Now for the super informative, but slightly boring technical-term-filled summary of one of the studies I read about creatine...


Creatine monohydrate supplementation increases performance by giving the muscles more energy during workouts. The way this works is that the creatine monohydrate molecules that are ingested via a supplement bond with Adenosine Di-Phosphate (ADP) molecules that the human body naturally produces. When this happens, Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP) is formed, thus resulting in more energy and decreased recovery time during workouts. As we learned in class, this is the primary storage form of energy in the muscles of the body. ADP molecules naturally bond together to form ATP molecules in the body. The benefit of taking a creatine monohydrate supplement is that these bonds occur at a much higher rate because there are more free molecules in the body for ADP molecules to bond with in order to form ATP. Creatine monohydrate supplementation has been proven to increase lean muscle mass, so this study was conducted in order to determine if creatine supplementation was more beneficial when taken pre or post workout.

The results of this study showed that creatine monohydrate supplementation was more beneficial when taken post workout vs. pre-workout. When taken both pre and post workout, fat free mass increased, fat mass decreased, and muscular strength increased. However, those participants that ingested creatine monohydrate after they worked out showed greater benefits than those that took the supplement prior to working out.  The participants were taken off all other supplements 4 weeks prior to the study commencing and they were put on the exact same workout routine for four weeks, and their diets were spot checked throughout the study and found to be relatively congruent amongst all participants. 

Reference

Antonio, J., & Ciccone, V. (2013). The effects of pre vs. post workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition and strength. Journal of the International Study of Sports Nutrition, 10, 36.

Pre-workout Supplements...WTF Is in This Sh*t??

I’ve tried virtually every pre-workout supplement on the market at least once. I was hooked for a while and convinced that I couldn’t lift without drinking one. About 6 months ago though, I went clean. And what made me stop taking these things? Knowledge. I started researching this stuff and finding out some disturbing things…

The main active ingredient in pre-workout drinks is almost always caffeine. A single serving often contains anywhere from 2-4 cups, far exceeding the recommended limit of 200mg per day. The secondary energy sources include ingredients such as Acetyl L-Carnitine, taurine, argenine, methylhexaline, and the list goes on and on and on and… well you get it. With the exception of caffeine, NOT A SINGLE SCIENTIFIC STUDY to date has proven that any of the ingredients in pre-workout drinks (with the exception of caffeine and sugar) actually provide a stimulant effect for the body.

Manufacturers of pre-workout supplements strive to make us believe that their product gains separation from the others through this magical thing called the PROPRIETARY BLEND.

The proprietary blend often contains 20+ grams of a mixture of many of the ingredients listed above. The problem is, the percentages of each ingredient is not listed which means you are unsure if you’re taking 10g of argenine or 2g of taurine or 18g of caffeine, etc. This can make a crucial difference as to if you are ingesting 200mg of caffeine and caffeine related substances or 2,000mg of caffeine. It is these magical proprietary blends that lead to many adverse effects within your body including hormonal imbalances, heart palpitations, and for some athletes, even heart attacks. How is this possible in America though with so many rules and regulations governing our food?

Well, the supplement industry is largely unregulated. Unlike almost all other items meant for human consumption in the US, the Food and Drug Administration has no oversight over these types of products. As a result, manufacturers often make grossly false claims. They use shiny packaging designed to catch your eye, throw in words like EXPLOSIVE and INSANITY, and always claim to be the best on the market. And that’s not even the most dangerous part...

In recent years, the supplement industry has gotten extremely competitive. With more and more products on the market, companies have been going to extreme lengths to gain an edge over their competition. They’ve begun putting things like steroids and HGH in their products and NOT PUTTING THESE ON THE LABLE because there is no law right now that forces them to do so. If you think you’ve never taken steroids before because the only supplements you take are pre-workout products, chances are you’re wrong. Seriously. Even protein supplements are coming up dirty nowadays. Here’s a link to a list of dangerous supplements: http://www.usada.org/supplement411/high-risk-list

So the bottom line is, stay away from these things. Realize that the main reason you take them is for that kick they provide… that buzz that provides focus and motivation in the gym. The BEST, SAFEST, and CHEAPEST way to create this buzz and focus is black coffee. Brew yourself a cup to go next time you hit the gym. If you don’t have time for that then try Hyphy M.U.D. (the M.U.D stands for Make U Dangerous). This is a spoonful or 2 of instant coffee mixed with about 2 fingers of coke or any caffeinated soda. Watch my video on this one (posted right below this article) for a full tutorial. That shit hits you quick and hard.

The key to sustained energy in your body is carbs. But that’s a whole other subject for another time.

Since I know some of you are still going to take pre-workouts in the future, I’ll post a review/ranking of some popular ones real soon.

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VIDEO: Hyphy M.U.D. by Kali Muscle

Supplement Review- Optimum Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein

This is the number #1 selling and highest reviewed protein supplement on the market today. Is it really composed of 100% protein and nothing else, as the name of the product implies? 

For this review, I highlighted the product's ingredients and their functional purpose. In other words, I don't explain what each ingredient is, rather, I tell you WHY the manufacturer put each ingredient in the product. 

                                                               Ingredients & Their Purpose

Protein Blend: this blend is what comprises the protein portion of the protein supplement. The respective percentages of each ingredient is not specified.

• Whey Protein Isolates: Isolates are processed to remove the fats and lactose from the protein. They are composed of approximately 90% protein by weight.
• Whey Protein Concentrate: Concentrates are approximately 29-89% protein by weight.
• Whey Peptides: Peptides are short chains of amino acids that have very similar chemical properties to protein molecules.

Cocoa: this ingredient is added into the product for the purpose of adding flavor.

Lecithin: this ingredient helps to smooth the texture of the product.

Natural and Artificial Flavors: these ingredients, though not specified exactly what flavors they are, are added into the product for the purpose of making it taste better.

Acesulfame Pottasium: this is a low calorie sweetener that is added to the product for flavoring purposes.

Aminogen: this is a manufactured ingredient that is put in the product to improve the effectiveness of the protein blend by improving the body’s ability to digest protein properly.

Lactase: aids the body in digesting the product, especially for lactose intolerant individuals. The manufacturer uses this ingredient because without it, the product may irritate peoples’ bowels and the amount of repeat customers would decrease.

                                 

Nutrition Information

• Serving Size: 1 Scoop (30.4 g)
• Calories: 120 (Calories from Fat, 10)
• Total Fat: 1g
• Saturated Fat: 0.5g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 30mg
• Sodium: 130mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 3g
• Sugars: 1g
• Protein: 24g

                                                                     Product Overview

If I were to use a protein supplement, this is the one that I would use. Compared to other protein supplements whose ingredients I have reviewed, this product has a very high concentration of protein in comparison to the other ingredients in the product. Additionally, I have not seen any negative customer reviews for this product. However, based on my experience and research, chocolate milk is just as, if not more effective than chocolate protein powders after a workout, and it is more affordable as well.

Want to see another supplement? Let me know in the comments below!

                                                                          References

Lecithin Applications. (n.d.). American Lecithin Company. Retrieved September 8, 2013, from      http://www.americanlecithin.com/leci_appfood.html

Optimum Nutrition: True Strength. (n.d.). Optimum Nutrition: True Strength. Retrieved September 8,  2013, from http://OptimumNutrition.com

Volek, J. S., Ph.D.., & R.D.. (n.d.). NutritionExpress.com . NutritionExpress.com. Retrieved September  8, 2013, from http://nutritionexpress.com

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved September 8, 2013, from http://www.Wikipedia.com

3 Keys to Bulking Up (Beyond Lifting Weights)

                    Increased Portion Sizes, Plus Snacks

     In order to gain weight you need to increase your normal portion sizes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to eating one to two snacks throughout the day. The key to eating snacks is packing them in advance when you are on the go. Put them in your gym bag, book bag, or your locker at school or work. When you know that food will not be readily available, it is up to you to make sure you have the food you need for your diet. In order to get the maximum benefit from your increased calorie intake, your timing needs to be right.
               

                   Timing is Key

     After lifting weights your protein and glycogen synthesis levels are at their peak. In order to take advantage of this and thus maximize the benefits of resistance training, you need to ingest protein within 45 minutes of completing your workout and carbohydrates within 15 minutes. So how much protein and carbohydrates should you take in? Make sure to ingest 10-20g of protein within 45 minutes of completing your workout and you should take in the appropriate amount of carbs within 15 minutes of lifting.  To figure out how many grams of carbohydrates you should eat, simply divide your body weight by 2. 

Example: a 200 pound person needs 100g of carbs (200/2 = 100). They then need to continue to take in 100g of carbs every 30 minutes for the next 4 to 5 hours. 

     The combination of protein and carbohydrate will also reduce cortisol in your body, which is a hormone that breaks down muscle fiber. Studies have shown that athletes who consume protein and carbohydrates immediately before and after their workouts gained more muscle mass than those who did not time their protein and carb intake in this way. Beyond working out, you should aim to eat at least every four hours throughout the day. Break up long gaps between your three main meals with healthful, calorie dense snacks as discussed above.

Perseverance

Weight gain of this nature is going to take patience and increasing your calorie intake this much is going to be hard work. Do not give up. Think of your food as your weight gaining medicine. You will not get over a virus by skipping on your antibiotics the same way you will not gain weight by skimping on your food intake. Your weight gain will not happen overnight, but instead will happen gradually. It will be tempting to take supplements such as protein and weight gaining shakes. These are a waste of money and have not been proven to add any benefit for those who eat correctly. You will reach your goals without supplements by lifting weights and sticking with larger portions of healthful foods for meals and snacks.

For a 3 day healthy, mass gaining meal plan... shoot me an email! strengthbymatt@gmail.com

       Real soon here, I'll highlight a proven, easy to follow weight lifting strategy that'll get ya allllll kinds of gains!

Protein Supplements: a Complete WASTE of Money

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Strength by Matt's YouTube Channel

Before I dive into why protein supplements are a waste of money, I’m going to explain a couple of things first. Your body draws energy from 3 sources:

1.       Primary source is carbs (stored in your body as glycogen)

2.       Next is Fat (stored in your body as glycerol)

3.       Last is Protein (you only use protein for energy in extreme situations such as running marathons)

During weight lifting your body rapidly burns through its glycogen stores.

Also during weight lifting, you create tiny tears or abrasions in your muscles that require protein to repair. During this process, you build muscle.

So, after a good weight lifting session you need 2 thing:

1.       Carbs to restore your depleted glycogen stores and

2.       Protein to repair and build your muscles.

After a workout, your glycogen and protein synthesis levels are spiked. Therefore, you must take in protein following your exercise session.

How much protein do you need though to satisfy this peaked level of protein synthesis? Ask most muscle heads at the gym and they will tell you to take in as much as possible as soon as possible. I’ve heard guys swearing that if you don’t take in half your body weight in grams of protein within 10 minutes of working out, you might as well have not lifted at all.

This is totally false!!! Studies have shown that the human body only needs 10-20g of protein to satisfy its peaked protein synthesis levels after a lift. That’s all… 10-20g within 45 minutes of finishing your workout.

What’s the best/cheapest way to get this protein in your system? A simple glass of chocolate milk. That’s all. Protein supplements are completely unnecessary and a huge waste of money. Other good sources are yogurt with some granola mixed in, a peanut butter and banana sandwich, or a bowl of oatmeal.

Alright so there you have it… Don’t fall for the advertisements and the advice of the huge guys at the gym…they’re huge not because they waste money on protein supplements, they’re huge from genetics and hard work along with the large amount of carbs and calories they’re most likely eating throughout the day. Listen to the science and save a shit ton of money. 10-20g of protein is all you need.

 I’ll talk about restoring your glycogen stores (which might be even more important than taking in protein after a workout!) in a future post.

Deuces.