This page is going to consist of information from various websites, as well as myself, that I think is/are useful for newbies to lifting and fitness and veterans alike.

10 Exercise Myths

Although some old fitness fictions, such as “no pain, no gain” and “spot reducing” are fading fast, plenty of popular exercise misconceptions still exist. Here are some of the most common exercise myths as well as the not-so-common facts based on current exercise research.

Exercise Myth 1. You Will Burn More Fat If You Exercise Longer at a Lower Intensity. The most important focus in exercise and fat weight control is not the percentage of exercise energy coming from fat but the total energy cost, or how many calories are burned during the activity. The faster you walk, step or run, for example, the more calories you use per minute. However, high-intensity exercise is difficult to sustain if you are just beginning or returning to exercise, so you may not exercise very long at this level. It is safer, and more practical, to start out at a lower intensity and work your way up gradually.

Exercise Myth 2. If You’re Not Going to Work Out Hard and Often, Exercise Is a Waste of Time. This kind of thinking keeps a lot of people from maintaining or even starting an exercise program. Research continues to show that any exercise is better than none. For example, regular walking or gardening for as little as an hour a week has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Exercise Myth 3. Yoga Is a Completely Gentle and Safe Exercise. Yoga is an excellent form of exercise, but some styles are quite rigorous and demanding both physically and mentally. As with any form of exercise, qualified, careful instruction is necessary for a safe, effective workout.

Exercise Myth 4. If You Exercise Long and Hard Enough, You Will Always Get the Results You Want. In reality, genetics plays an important role in how people respond to exercise. Studies have shown a wide variation in how different exercisers respond to the same training program. Your development of strength, speed and endurance may be very different from that of other people you know.

Exercise Myth 5. Exercise Is One Sure Way to Lose All the Weight You Desire. As with all responses to exercise, weight gain or loss is impacted by many factors, including dietary intake and genetics. All individuals will not lose the same amount of weight on the same exercise program. It is possible to be active and overweight. However, although exercise alone cannot guarantee your ideal weight, regular physical activity is one of the most important factors for successful long-term weight management.

Exercise Myth 6. If You Want to Lose Weight, Stay Away From Strength Training Because You Will Bulk Up. Most exercise experts believe that cardiovascular exercise and strength training are both valuable for maintaining a healthy weight. Strength training helps maintain muscle mass and decrease body fat percentage.

Exercise Myth 7. Water Fitness Programs Are Primarily for Older People or Exercisers With Injuries. Recent research has shown that water fitness programs can be highly challenging and effective for both improving fitness and losing weight. Even top athletes integrate water fitness workouts into their training programs.

Exercise Myth 8. The Health and Fitness Benefits of Mind-Body Exercise Like Tai Chi and Yoga Are Questionable. In fact, research showing the benefits of these exercises continues to grow. Tai chi, for example, has been shown to help treat low-back pain and fibromyalgia. Improved flexibility, balance, coordination, posture, strength and stress management are just some of the potential results of mind-body exercise.

Exercise Myth 9. Overweight People Are Unlikely to Benefit Much From Exercise. Studies show that obese people who participate in regular exercise programs have a lower risk of all-cause mortality than sedentary individuals, regardless of weight. Both men and women of all sizes and fitness levels can improve their health with modest increases in activity.

Exercise Myth 10. Home Workouts Are Fine, But Going to a Gym Is the Best Way to Get Fit. Research has shown that some people find it easier to stick to a home-based fitness program. In spite of all the hype on trendy exercise programs and facilities, the “best” program for you is the one you will participate in consistently.

How to Lose Weight Step by Step

At it's most basic, losing weight is about burning more calories than you eat. That seems simple enough, but if were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem. Too often we take drastic measures to see results -- diets, pills or those weird fitness gadgets on infomercials that promise instant success. Maybe you lose weight but what happens when you go off that diet or stop that crazy workout program? You gain it all back and more. The real secret to weight loss is to make small, lasting changes. The key is to forget about instant results and settle in for the long run. Rules of Weight Loss
To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories and you certainly wouldn't want to try to burn 3500 calories in one day. However, by taking it step-by-step, you can determine just what you need to do each day to burn or cut out those extra calories. Below is a step by step process for getting started.

1. Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain basic bodily functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you learn more about your own metabolism.
2. Calculate your activity level. For a week or so, keep an activity journal and use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day. Another, easier option is to wear a heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned. After a week, add your totals for each day and average them out to get a general idea of how many calories you burn each day.
3. Keep track of how many calories you eat. For at least a week, enter and track your calories online (e.g., with Calorie Count) or use a food journal to write down what you eat and drink each day. Be as accurate as possible, measuring when you need to or looking up nutritional information for restaurants, if you eat out. After a week, add your totals for each day and average them out to get a general idea of how many calories you eat each day.
4. Add it up. Take your BMR number and add your activity calories. Then subtract your food calories from that total. If you're eating more than your BMR + your activity calories, you're at risk for gaining weight.

Example:
Mary's BMR is 1400 calories and she burns 900 calories with regular exercise, walking around and doing household chores. To maintain her weight, she should be eating 2300 calories (1400 + 900= 2300). However, after keeping a food journal, Mary finds that she's eating 2550 calories every day. By eating 250 more calories than her body needs, Mary will gain about a pound every 2-3 weeks.
This example shows how easy it is to gain weight without even knowing it. However, it's also easy to lose weight, even if the process itself can be slow. You can start by making small changes in your diet and activity levels and immediately start burning more calories than you're eating. If you can find a way to burn an extra 200 to 500 calories each day with both exercise and diet, you're on the right track. Try these ideas:

Instead of...	Do this...
An afternoon Coke	Drink a glass of water. (calories saved: 97)
An Egg McMuffin	Eat a small whole wheat bagel +1 Tbsp of peanut butter (calories saved: 185)
Using your break eat sweets	Walk up and down a flight of stairs for 10 minutes (calories burned: 100)
Hitting the snooze button	Get up 10 minutes early and go for a brisk walk (calories burned: 100)
Watching TV after work	Do 10 minutes of yoga (calories burned: 50)

Total Calories Saved: 532 (based on a 140-pound person)

Top 5 Bodybuilding supplements!

The Top 5 Supplements For Faster Muscle Gain

1. Creatine

Creatine is a natural occurring substance within our muscle cells, primarily around the skeletal muscle tissue where approximately 95% of the body's Creatine supply can be found. The remainder is stored throughout the rest of the body.
This naturally occurring metabolite has been reproduced as Creatine monohydrate for dietary supplement purposes. It's used for cellular energy production and modulation.

The Perks of Creatine Supplementation:

• The promotion of lean muscle tissue
• Increased muscle cell volume
• Faster post-workout recovery
• Increased glycogen synthesis
• Increase high intensity muscle performance

Athletes typically prefer Creatine when weight training and bodybuilding because of the rapid pace at which lean muscle mass is built. Likewise, for many it's easy to stop taking Creatine because it's naturally produced by the body. When an athlete stops taking this supplement, the Creatine levels in the body return to normal within 3-4 weeks.
Recommended Dosing: 5-10 grams. Take half of your daily serving with your pre-workout meal and second half of your daily serving with your post-workout shake.

2. Beta Alanine

This is a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid that comes into the body through foods that are rich in protein such as poultry. The performance enhancement in Beta Alanine (BA) is due to its ability to increase intra-muscular levels of carnosine. This increase in Beta Alanine through supplementation suggests carnosine levels are raised by over 60% in as quickly as 4 weeks.
This is significant because during high intensity exercise our bodies accumulate a large amount of hydrogen which causes our pH to drop (whereby we become more acidic). This acidification (lactic acid) can cause severe fatigue, decrease muscle performance and shuts down the neural drive which can force muscle failure. By maintaining increased levels of carnosine through BA supplementation a bodybuilder is able to the delay the accumulation of hydrogen and the resulting acidity which can, subsequently, delay muscle fatigue and failure.

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During High Intensity Exercise Our Bodies Accumulate A
Large Amount Of Hydrogen Which Causes Our pH To Drop.

Additional benefits of Beta Alanine Supplementation:

• Elevated endurance
• Improved force output
• Reduced fatigue
• Improved body composition
• Works synergistically with Creatine
• Enhanced performance for athletes regardless of intensity or duration

Recommended Dosing: 2-3 grams pre-workout is sufficient if you are an advanced lifter an additional 2-3 grams post-workout has shown to help with the recovery process.

3. Whey Protein

It's been systematically surmised that body builders and trainers can improve performance and lean muscle gain when consuming whey protein shakes or supplements. Whey protein supplies the body with a high amount of protein as well as high concentrations of calcium, magnesium and other minerals that are easily digested in liquid form.

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Whey Protein Supplies The Body With A High Amount Of Protein As Well As High Concentrations Of Calcium, Magnesium And Other Minerals.

Whey is typically taken before and after a workout to improve muscle recovery and restoration. Whether you are on a muscle gain diet or concerned with losing body fat, a whey protein supplementation to an exercise routine can speed the gain and loss process. Here are some key benefits to whey protein supplementation.

Easily Digested:

Weight trainers and athletes on the go can save time by consuming a whey protein shake right after their workouts to gain the benefit of the nutrients that are rapidly absorbed. Because these supplements contain a number of vitamins and minerals not available in everyday meals, this is a great supplement for anyone with a busy lifestyle.

Lactose Intolerant:

Anyone who is lactose intolerant knows the cramping and discomfort of trying to take everyday dairy shakes. Whey protein shakes are generally made with a combination of egg proteins, soy proteins and calcium caseinate protein. That means there are no similar negative side effects to pure milk products.

Note: Please read the label carefully and if you have a recommendation about Lactose Free Protein Powder please email me.

Improved Muscle Repair:

When you complete an intense weight lifting workout or sporting event the body needs to repair itself. In order to do that it needs specific nutrition. Protein is the essential building block for muscle repair and comes packed in whey protein shakes and supplements. When taken immediately after a workout the protein triggers rapid muscle recovery.

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Whey Is Typically Taken Before And After A Workout
To Improve Muscle Recovery And Restoration.

Natural Appetite Suppressant:

Eating a high protein diet can stave off hunger, making it easier to consume a low-calorie diet without suffering from severe hunger. Whey protein supplements and shakes can be used as a meal replacement or as a snack between meals.

Amino Acids:

Our bodies need a substantial amount of quality protein and amino acids in order to function. Whey protein supplements contain very high concentrations of amino acids that provide assistance in protein synthesis.

Improved Metabolism:

Consuming a large amount of protein is fuel for the furnace. When consumed throughout the day it serves as a great source of energy to keep the fire lit for metabolism. With improved metabolism you get a higher calorie burn and reduced hunger.

Recommended Dosing: consume 30-40 grams of whey protein at a time. Best used pre and post-workout, but also is a convenient way to get in the necessary amount of protein when whole food is not an option. Never rely on shakes - though having a whey protein shake is ideal post-workout, at all other times in the day do your best to get in whole food sources.4. Branch-Chain Amino Acid (BCAA)

Another common supplement that weight trainers and bodybuilders turn to is branch-chained amino acids (BCAA's) to improve workout results. Of the 21 amino acids in the body, three are referred to as BCAA's: leucine, isoleucine and valine. These are the main elements of protein and combine to make up about 30% of the skeletal muscle within the body.
The body uses BCAA's to help the muscles recover. Like a whey protein supplement, BCAA's drive nutrients to the muscle tissue allowing for improved workout recovery. The body will burn off BCAA's as you work out, so taking a supplement can restore the same nutrients lost during intense exercise. This supplement also reduces pain from muscle fatigue and improves metabolic recovery.

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The Body Will Burn Off BCAA's As You Work Out, So Taking A Supplement Can Restore The Same Nutrients Lost During Intense Exercise.

There is also some measure of proof in its use that BCAA's can help improve endurance by keeping muscles fueled - something that is of interest to long distance workouts such as backpacking or long distance running (marathons), distance swimming, or any other prolonged workout.
Recommended Dosing: 3-5 grams upon waking and 3-5 grams pre and post-workout.

5. Glutamine

Glutamine is touted for its ability to slow muscle tissue breakdown during intensive exercise which can help in improved strength thresholds and elevated endurance. Those weight training will find that they can lift heavier weights for longer periods and train more often. Pushing the limits of the muscles of course inspires the body to produce greater lean muscle to compensate.
Glutamine also has a number of other benefits associated with taking it in supplement form:

• Preservation of muscle tissue allows your body to burn additional fat - as the more lean muscle your body has the more effective your metabolism is. When training to lose weight, the body will also shed lean muscle so it's important to slow this muscle loss.

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Glutamine Is Touted For Its Ability To Slow Muscle Tissue Breakdown
During Intensive Exercise Which Can Help In Improved Strength.

• Glutamine has shown positive results with the improvement of the immune system in many who take this supplement. When you're under intense training, it places stress not only on the muscles but on our entire immune system. Glutamine restores not only the health of the muscle tissue but it feeds into the immune system as well, ensuring rapid recovery for the body as a whole.
• Glutamine is cited for its ability to enhance growth hormone levels in the body. This is a major draw for those who want to focus on building muscle, as studies have suggested that just 2 grams of glutamine supplementation can increase growth hormone.
• Muscle tissues require nitrogen, and glutamine supplements (L-glutamine) is made up of approximately 20% nitrogen which makes it one of the best suppliers of nitrogen for muscle tissue. When stacked with other muscle recovery and building agents like creatine and whey protein there is a significant increase in the potential for hitting rapid training goals.

Recommended Dosing: 5 grams upon waking; 5 grams post-workout and 5 grams before bed.

source: bodybuilding.com

Grow stronger in just 31 days!

10 Ways To Grow Stronger In 31 Days Just about everyone has the desire to look good naked, but too often we focus on form over function. Muscles should have form and perform! If you want to look like Hercules and wrestle like him, this article is for you. Here are 10 pillars for building Herculean strength, straight from Olympus. 1. Use free weights and compound movements To be strong and huge, your workouts must rely on a Greek god's exercises: squat, bench press, deadlift, military press, rows, power cleans, and other variations of these movements. They recruit the largest amount of muscle mass. Click Image To Enlarge. Barbell Squat Click Here For A Video Demonstration Of Barbell Squat. Free weights require you to stabilize the load and allow weights to be moved exactly as the body is designed to move them. Since the trainee is controlling every aspect of the movement, every aspect of it is being trained. 2. Learn perfect technique This separates the men from the boys. The seasoned expert is always working on technique, whereas your average Joe isn't too concerned about improving. Increasing strength is a neuromuscular venture, a skill. By improving and practicing technique, the nervous system becomes more efficient at telling muscles to work. Additionally, improving technique helps prevent injury. 3. Use a low repetition range For fast increases in strength, we must force the nervous system to cause increased force production, which is best done in the 1 to 5 rep range. Higher than that, and your nervous system will start focusing on other areas. Additionally, an athlete must avoid cumulative fatigue to reach peak strength levels. 285 x 2 (95% one rep max) = 600 lbs volume 210 x 10 (70 % one rep max) = 2100 lbs volume Click To Enlarge. An Athlete Must Avoid Cumulative Fatigue To Reach Peak Strength Levels. 4. Warm up properly Yes, some of the strongest men in the world will take the bar for their first set, you don't have to lift heavy every set to build strength. In order to build a godlike body, you must understand the purpose of warm up sets. Say your best bench is 315 pounds. Most trainees would probably go with something like 135 x 10, 225 x 10, 275 x 3, and 315 x 1, right? Wrong! In this example, the trainee does 4425 pounds of work over 23 "warm up" repetitions. It would be of much better benefit to take your warm-ups with 45 x 10, 135 x 3, 225 x 2, 275 x 1, and 315 x 1. You get a full 16 practice repetitions and only 1580 lbs of work. That's plenty of proper warm up to get blood moving to the affected areas and perfect your technique. 5. Increase the resistance every time you train If you don't attempt to add weight to the bar at every training session, then your body has nothing to adapt to. This doesn't mean adding an extra 45-pound plate each set; in fact, smaller jumps in weight translate into consistent progress. Compromising movement technique and integrity for more weight won't produce results. Follow the principles outlined in this article and you should be able to add some weight each time you train. Record your training sessions to keep track of progress. Click To Enlarge. Smaller Jumps In Weight Translate Into Consistent Progress. 6. Train your weak points Other than the primary lifts you'll be doing, the only other focus you should have for now is on assistance movements. They work by strengthening a part of the movement or an area that carries over to your primary lifts. For example, if your deadlift is weakest at the top, a rack pull could be used to specifically train the lockout portion of your deadlift. 7. Limit your exercise selection More work is not necessarily better. Beyond your primary lifts and assistance exercises, the only work that should be done is speed/skill work or general physical preparedness (GPP). As Dan John would say, "the goal is to make sure the goal remains the goal." We can flex our big guns and shapely pecs after we have built a good base. Click To Enlarge. More Work Is Not Necessarily Better. 8. Train like a strongman We can build functional, Herculean strength by finishing our training with movements that will tax the entire system. Impress the ladies in the aerobics area by carrying sandbags, doing farmer's carries, or flipping tractor tires. 9. Eat You won't see huge and strong guys that don't. If you aren't getting bigger and you aren't getting stronger, then you need to eat more food. Still not growing? Eat more food. Repeat until yoked. Get the point? Click To Enlarge. Still Not Growing? Eat More Food. 10. Supplement Wisely You should be taking things to augment nutritional gaps such as multivitamins, fish oil, and protein. Remember to include nutrients that are congruent with getting stronger. Creatine is one of the most studied supplements out there, and should be included in any program for someone who wants to increase strength and muscle size. Additionally, consider beta-alanine, which is the limiting factor for carnosine production. Add these supplements to your program, and Zeus would be proud. www.bodybuilding.com

Beta-Alanine: Next Creatine?

With literally hundreds of different supplements available and so many that are based on bogus claims and ridiculous hype, it’s almost impossible to find even one that delivers results. If you’ve rummaged through the garbage of the supplement scrap heap, you know that finding any science or real-world proof is a waste of time. Beta-Alanine is the exception. Finally, a supplement that actually lives up to its claims. Beta-Alanine efficacy is backed by major university, peer-reviewed studies performed on humans, not a cell, rat or goat study upon which other products typically base claims. The science behind beta-alanine is simple, it makes sense and it works. The information on this site, was designed to be used as a beta-alanine guide and is organized in a hands-on, easy-to-follow approach manner- with no fancy biochemistry or confusing graphs.

What is Beta-Alanine and where do we get it?
Beta-Alanine is a non-essential amino acid and is the only naturally occurring beta-amino acid. Not to be confused with regular alanine, beta- alanine is classified as a non-proteinogenic amino acid, as it is not believed to be used in the building of proteins.
The greatest natural dietary sources of beta-alanine are believed to be obtained through ingesting the beta-alanine containing dipeptides: carnosine, anserine and balenine, rather than directly ingesting beta-alanine. These dipeptides are found in protein rich foods such as chicken, beef, pork and fish. It is predominantly through ingesting the dipeptide carnosine that we ingest most of our beta-alanine, as the two other dipeptides are not found nearly as plentiful in our typical coniferous diet. However, obtaining beta-alanine through these dipeptides is not the only way, as our bodies can synthesize it in the liver from the catabolism of pyrimidine nucleotides which are broken down into uracil and thymine and then metabolized into beta-alanine and B-aminoisobutyrate. Of course, it can also be ingested through direct supplementation which is the focus of this article.
Below is a list of the benefits from beta-alanine, supported by peer-reviewed university research, published in reputable science journals.

Benefits of Beta-Alanine as supported by scientific studies:

• Increase Muscular Strength & Power Output.
• Increases Muscle Mass
• Increase Anaerobic Endurance
• Increases Aerobic Endurance
• Delay Muscular Fatigue- Train Harder & Longer

Who can benefit from beta-alanine?
1. Weight lifters & Bodybuilders
2. High Intensity Cross Trained Athletes, Military Personal
3. MMA Fighters and sport specific training that require both strength and endurance.
4. Runners, Cyclists, soccer players, hockey players
5. Active individuals who have reached a training plateau and are looking for something to take them to the next level.
6. Men and women
What causes our muscles to lose strength,power and endurance during intense exercise?

When we exercise, especially when it’s high intensity exercise, our bodies accumulate a large amount of hydrogen ions (H+), causing our muscles pH to drop (become more acidic). This process is occurring whether you feel a burn or not.

The breakdown of ATP and the subsequent rise in H+ concentrations occur in all of our energy systems but H+ buildup is most prevalent in an energy system called glycolysis, which also produces lactic acid. At physiological pH, lactic acid dissociates H+ and is the primary source of released H+ ions during exercise, causing pH to drop. It is the released H+ from lactic acid that causes muscular performance problems, not the leftover lactate ions as many incorrectly believe. While lactic acid is the primary source of released H+, it is not the only source. H+ ions are also being released at a rapid rate when you break down the high energy compound ATP during exercise. With the presence of many sources during energy production releasing H+, pH drops quickly.

As our muscles pH quickly drops, so does their ability to contract forcibly and maintain a high level of performance throughout your workout session. Not being able to perform and maintain forceful muscular contractions and push your body to the limit during your workout session, seriously hampers your ability to maximally overload your muscles and force new muscle gains.

In a nutshell, H+ causes your muscles pH to drop, in tern decreasing your strength and causing you to fatigue faster. These limitations stop you from adequately overloading your muscles and forcing NEW muscle gains

So how can beta-alanine help us overcome this drop in pH that limits exercise performance?

To understand how beta-alanine works to fight the drop in pH within our muscle, you must first understand how carnosine works. The reason being is, beta-alanine’s performance benefits are not direct but realized through its ability to boost the synthesis of carnosine.

Background on carnosine:

The Russian scientist Gulewitsch was the first to identify carnosine in 1900. Eleven years later, he would discover and identify its constituent amino acids, beta-alanine and histidine. Seven years later, Barger and Tutin and Baumann and Ingvaldsen confirmed Gulewitsch’s findings. However, it wasn’t until 1938 that the first research on carnosine and its effects on muscle buffering were published.

Carnosine is a naturally occurring di-peptide that is found in both type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers, but is in significantly higher concentrations in type 2 fibers. Type 2 muscle fibers are primarily used in high intensity strength workouts and are most responsive to muscular growth.

How does carnosine work?

There are a handful of ways carnosine is thought to impact performance but its most studied function, and the focus of this article, is its role as an intracellular buffer. Carnosine helps stabilize muscular pH by soaking up hydrogen ions (H+) that are released at an accelerated rate during exercise.

Our bodies work to keep our pH in balance by utilizing various buffering systems. Buffers largely work by soaking up H+ to maintain optimal pH balance, which we need to function most effectively. As mentioned above, our muscles function best in a specific pH range. When pH drops below that range, so does muscular performance. By helping to keep us in a more optimal pH range, our muscles can continue to contract forcibly for a longer time.

There are a handful of buffering systems that work in our bodies. Some maintain pH in extra cellular fluids (ECF) outside of the cell, while others perform their duties in intracellular fluids (ICF) inside the cell and some perform in both. Our focus in this article is on exercise performance and, as mentioned above, the primary source of H+ released during exercise is from lactic acid and ATP breakdown. Take a guess where this breakdown and release of H+ is occurring? If you guessed inside our muscles or intracellular, you would be correct. As a result, the first line of defense in absorbing the H+ is going to be the cell from intracellular buffers such as carnosine, not from extra cellular buffers.

Aside from carnosine being just where we need it, buffering H+ inside our cells, it has additional, unique attributes that make it really shine. Carnosine is unique; in that, other natural buffering systems our bodies use are also used in many other cellular reactions aside from buffering, watering down much of their buffering abilities. However, what makes carnosine really exciting, is that by supplementing with extra beta-alanine, we can specifically and dramatically increase carnosine levels. How much, you ask?

Researchers have shown that when supplementing with beta-alanine for just 4 weeks, we can increase our carnosine concentration by 42-65%. Longer beta-alanine studies going up to 10-12 weeks, show carnosine concentrations increased up to 80%. This is a tremendous increase in an already powerful intracellular buffer. It is this large increase in buffering capacity within our muscles that is largely responsible for the strength, lean body mass, power and muscular endurance gains that researchers are seeing from beta-alanine studies.

Section summary:

By boosting carnosine concentrations, with beta-alanine, our type 2 muscle fibers can soak up more H+ and stay in an optimal pH range. By keeping our type 2 muscle fibers in an optimal pH range, they are better able to maintain maximal strength and endurance throughout your workout session and bring on new muscle gains

Frequently asked questions

Is beta-alanine safe?

While this is not a frequently asked question, it should be. We understand many people care most about gaining muscle, looking great and performing at their best. But safety should not be overlooked. We believe it should actually be the first question asked when considering a new supplement, even before you question efficacy.

The answer to the safety question is a resounding YES. Studies, going up to 12 weeks of continued beta-alanine use, have looked at a large array of blood biochemical, hematological and hormonal markers and no negative changes have occurred whatsoever. While it is impossible to say beta-alanine is one hundred percent safe until longer term studies are complete, we do know that up to 12 weeks of continued beta-alanine supplementation is indeed safe.

Why not just take carnosine instead of beta-alanine?

When you ingest carnosine intact, most of it is broken down in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract into its constituent amino acids, beta-alanine and histidine. Some intact carnosine does escape the GI tract freely but even that amount is quickly broken down in our blood by the enzyme carnosinase. In a very short time, all the carnosine you just ingested is either eliminated or broken down into beta-alanine and histidine. These two amino acids are then taken into the muscle, where they are converted back into carnosine with the help of the enzyme carnosine synthetase.

Unfortunately, only about 40% of the carnosine you take actually contains beta-alanine, making it an inefficient source at best. You are better off, from both efficiency and a financial standpoint, taking beta-alanine directly. You would have to take substantially more carnosine just to approach the increased concentrations of carnosine achieved by taking the scientifically recommended dose of beta-alanine. Clearly, taking beta-alanine is the superior solution to increasing carnosine levels.

Shouldn’t I take extra histidine along with beta-alanine since histidine is a component of carnosine?

No, as histidine is already present in high concentrations in muscle, while beta-alanine is only present only in small amounts. Researchers have determined that it is beta-alanine that drives carnosine synthesis, not histidine. Since this has been proven repeatedly in research, there is no need to supplement with extra histidine to increase carnosine levels. There are potentially some select populations like vegans, vegetarians or the elderly that may not get enough histidine in their diets and are thus deficient, which may compromise optimal carnosine levels. But, we still don’t recommend taking just extra histidine with beta-alanine. Instead, we recommend these groups and simply bump up their total protein intake which will in turn solve their possible histidine deficiency. For the majority of healthy people, only beta-alanine is needed as histidine deficiency is rare and no extra supplementation is needed to increase carnosine concentrations.

How much Beta-Alanine is needed to cause performance increases?
Research has shown that you can take an amount between 3.2 grams and 6.4 grams per day to significantly boost carnosine levels and improve performance. The most recent research, now using 4-5 grams a day, is showing comparable carnosine concentration and performance improvements to those using 6.4 g daily. Based off the current research, we suggest 4 grams of beta-alanine a day, with an optional 2 week loading phase of 6 grams a day during the first month of use.
How long will it take to start noticing benefits?
Performance benefits typically occur in as little as two weeks, although some individuals will notice benefits within one week. As carnosine levels increase, the benefits will follow. The most dramatic results are generally experienced within the 3-4 week range but they don’t stop there. Recent research is now showing carnosine levels continue to increase for a minimum of 12 weeks which is why we recommend staying on Beta-Alanine for at least three months to optimize your carnosine levels.
Immediate benefits: Many users experience intense vasodilatation/pumps from the very first dose of Beta-Alanine. Because Beta-Alanine increases carnosine and carnosine is a powerful precursor in generating nitric oxide synthase (a group of enzymes necessary for making the powerful vasodilator nitric oxide), this is an added, immediate benefit of Beta-Alanine.

What NOT to do at the gym

1) Taking 6 minute+ breaks. The guy occupies the only incline-bench in the gym--has turned it FLAT while there are empty flat benches available--and is taking a 7 minute zone-out looking into the ceiling. You're wasting your time.

Most optimum break-time for muscle hypertrophy, would be anywhere from 60 seconds to 5 minutes for between each set. Some researchers say that 2 minute+ breaks for hypertrophy and strength, while only 1 minute or less for endurance. The shorter breaks, the more it becomes similar to cardiovascular exercises. I tend to take around 1 minute breaks, but I think I will be more careful about going a bit over 1 minute.

2) Doing too many reps. More work = more muscle right? Yes in weight sizes, not in amount of reps. Doing more than 15 reps on any exercise is actually endurance training. You're better off just doing a 4th or 5th set.

3) Doing the same work out for over a year or simply not sweating. Sometimes you need to change your routine so that your body doesn't get use to the same cardio or same weights/sets. The importance of failing in doing your exercises/weights is significant. You have to fail to see gains.

Don't come to the gym, and do exercises, and leave without even breaking a sweat. If you're not sweating even in a cold gym---YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.

4) Doing light cardio, or low intensity cardio for a long time coupled with high expectations of huge losses of fat Cardio is always useful, but if you're only working out slow-twitch muscles (walking for 40 minutes), or only fast-twitch muscles (running for 20 minutes), you will not burn as much calories as someone doing HIIT (15 minutes of sprinting and walking/slow-jogging). HIIT is known to burn way more fat and burn more calories post-workout than LI training.

5) Doing 100-300 crunches per day and expecting rock hard 8-pack. My friend use to do this all the time, 300 crunches every work out, and said "hey look, I can barely see a border for my abs today--awesome!" after like 4-6 months of doing it.

First, one type of crunches doesn't work out all 8 packs. Secondly, abs are made in the kitchen--with really low body fat %. (This same friend didn't quit drinking scotch every night while working hard [in fact, today, he still drinks scotch]).

Abs are not the thickest muscle, they will show if you go low enough and do regular 3-4 sets of ab crunches. If you were to integrate some twisting incline ab crunches or work outs for the obliques, you will definitely start seeing an 8 pack, eventually, unless you have the worst genetics. But you gotta be below 10% body fat. I do crunches regularly, but you will never see my abs until I get down to 10% body fat (even if they are particularly strong and worked out currently).

6) Being too perfectly neat. We've all seen the guy or girl who goes and grabs tissues or wipes down all equipment before and after use. They give glaring stares if you happen to forgot to wipe down one equipment.

First of all, if your gym is maintained at all, there are people hired to specifically clean all equipment every week (otherwise, that's just a bad gym). Secondly, unless you just did cardio and you're all sweaty, you probably won't get the equipment that dirty. Third, if you're a clean person, you should have washed your hands and taken a shower anyway [as well as afterward], so stop wasting your time being the cleaning lady. Instead do more sets.

How about the guy who tries to lower the dumbbells to the floor after a bench. Ah yes, thanks for not dropping the dumbbells and not making some minor noises--you've saved us all. In the meantime, you could risk injury to your shoulders or other muscles. I sure hope you have a dependable health insurance. Face it, if you're lifting over 40 pounds of dumbbells, you have to drop the weights after your sets-----for those neurotic OCD people in the gym that don't like that, grow up, stop assuming you can control everyone and stop getting annoyed by every little thing or you'll live an unhappy life.

7) Doing only cardio with no weight training, expecting huge fat loss. I know a really really fat guy in the gym, and every day he does 40 minutes of elliptical, 30 minutes of bicycle, and 15 minutes of walking. He's burning calories, sure. However, it's not the most efficient way to lose the 300+ pound weight he has. Weight training is a necessity.

8) Chatting, giving advice, talking nonsense. It's perfectly fine to chat with a couple people to get to know them. It's perfectly fine to ask advice from someone about a certain exercise when they are done with their sets. --- What's not fine is when you're going out of your way to give advice to someone else. Unless you're Schwarzenegger himself, or a professional body builder or trainer, you have no reason to give advice unless what the person is doing can lead to injury (then go ahead give advice).

Also don't be annoyed when people give you advice, I take their advice and give my appreciation even when I find it annoying. It's good to chat and make friends with people who work out often, but don't get in the way of their work-out and don't waste their time.

9) Form. I cannot stress how important the correct form is. Using your whole body to curl 80lb DBs for 2 reps just because you want to look big is only going to result in an injury. It also doesn't work your muscles as much! Just drop the weight to where you can effectively keep form!


Brian94 @ bodybuilding.com

All you need to know about Creatine

MYTH
The More Creatine You Take, The Better.

TRUTH
You've seen those sick bodybuilders chugging down 10-20 grams of creatine. Is it worth it? According to scientists at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, at 0.1 grams per kilogram of bodyweight, male athletes excreted 46% of the ingested creatine within 24 hours. For a 220 pound lifter, this means that if he consumes 10g of creatine, 46%, or 4.6g of creatine, is wasted. In another study performed at the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University, scientists confirmed that lower doses of creatine monohydrate (5g/day) are effective, and that results can even be achieved without a loading phase.


MYTH
Creatine Loading Is Mandatory.

TRUTH
Once again, research is proving that less creatine is needed to deliver results. The research cited above also suggests that creatine loading may be nothing more than a waste. Should you load? In most cases, probably not. If you're an elite athlete, a professional bodybuilder or competitive powerlifter, you may want to consider loading, just in case. For the rest of us, 5g is all it takes.


MYTH
Creatine Harms The Kidneys And Liver.

TRUTH
Unless you have a pre-existing medical condition, creatine use should not damage your kidneys or liver. Most of the hype has been the result of anecdotal reports. In one study which tracked healthy athletes over a five-year period, football players who used creatine at levels up to 15.75g of creatine per day showed no effect on markers of renal or kidney stress. In another study conducted by Dr. Kerry Kuehl at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland and presented at the 2000 annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, the kidney function of 36 healthy male and female athletes who consumed 10g of creatine per day was examined. After twelve weeks, Dr. Kuehl found that creatine did not adversely affect kidney function.


MYTH
Creatine Causes Excessive Water Retention.

TRUTH
More bull****. A recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that, after three months of creatine use, test subjects showed no significant increase in body water. In fact, the creatine group showed greater gains in total body mass and fat-free mass. Best of all, this recent study employed the latest in body composition measurements-deuterated water isotopic analysis which utilizes a non-radioactive "tracer". Now it is possible that some inferior-grade creatine may actually promote water gain that results in a soft, puffy look. However, this can be due to several reasons. One, it may not be due to the creatine, but excess sodium. When cheaply manufactured, excess sodium remains in the finished product.


MYTH
Creatine Causes Cramping.

TRUTH
The idea that creatine use causes muscle cramping is anecdotal with no clinical evidence to support this claim. On the contrary, clinical studies show that creatine use is not associated with cramping. In one study, researchers examine 16 men who either supplemented with creatine or a placebo. Under specific dehydration conditions, the occurrence of cramping and tightness were reported in both groups, but "nothing that would suggest a greater incidence associated with creatine supplementation." Two other studies conducted at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro fond that creatine use by 61 Division I athletes during training camps had no effects on the incidence of muscle cramps, injury or illness. These athletes used 15-25g per day on the loading phase, and another 5g/day as maintenance.


MYTH
Creatine Needs To Be Taken With Grape Juice.

TRUTH
The concept behind taking creatine with sugar such as grape juice is sound. But the trick is not the grape juice per serving. It has to do with insulin's function in the body. For creatine uptake to be enhanced, insulin release should be encouraged. Insulin functions as a kind of creatine pump, pushing it into muscles. If you're going to stick to juice, make sure you get at least 100g of juice for every 5g of creatine. Depending on your level and your goals, juice loaded with sugars may not be suitable. Newer research indicates that you can take your creatine with protein for the same results. A new study reports that taking 5g of creatine with 50g of protein/47g of carbs produced the same results as taking 5g with 96g of carbs.


MYTH
Creatine Works Better In A Liquid Form.

TRUTH
In fact, in liquid form, you may not even be getting creatine, but creatinine, a by-product of creatine breakdown. Creatine, in powder form, is extremely stable. When exposed to an acidic environment or moisture for a long time, creatine will begin to break down into worthless creatinine. The citric and phosphoric acids found in many liquid creatines, which are used to preserve the shelf life of these products, actually helps break creatine down. So as a rule of thumb, if you're going to make a creatine shake, drink it by the end of the day.


MYTH
All Creatines Are The Same.

TRUTH
Just as there is a difference between $100 champagne and $15 dollar champagne, there's a difference between high-quality creatine and inferior-grade creatine. Traditionally, Chinese creatine is a lower quality product, with more contaminants such as creatinine, sodium, dicyandiamide, and dihydrotriazine. German creatine, from companies such as SKW (Creapure™), are cleaner, purer products.


MYTH
New Forms Of Creatine Work Better.

TRUTH
News flash: no form of creatine has been proven in published studies to work better than plain old creatine monohydrate powder. Whether you're spending your extra dollar on effervescent, liquid or chewable creatine, the most important consideration is the creatine. And whether you decide to splurge and buy creatine citrate or creatine phosphate remember one thing: the major clinical studies have been performed on plain creatine monohydrate powder. Numerous studies have also shown that creatine powder is easily assimilated by the body. So unless you've got money to burn, stick with creatine monohydrate powder. Products such as effervescent creatine or creatine chewables offer convenience and a novel way to take plain old creatine powder. For real value, there's no better choice than powder.


MYTH
Creatine Will Affect By Body's Anabolic Hormone Function.

TRUTH
While creatine can boost strength and lean mass, research from the University of Leuven in Belgium has shown that it doesn't not alter anabolic hormone response to training. These hormones included growth hormone, testosterone, and cortisol. This research also might suggest that stacking creatine with prohormones or GH secretagogues might be a beneficial.


MYTH

Creatine Use Is 100% Safe. False.

TRUTH
While creatine is non-toxic, creatine use is not wholly risk-free. As with all other nutritional supplements, individuals with pre-existing medical conditions should not take creatine or other sports supplements. For example, there have been at least one case study which reported kidney inflammation in subjects who used creatine. However, in one case, the patient had a pre-existing kidney problem. So before you begin supplementing with anything, the best advice is to see your physician.


MYTH
Creatine Is Ideal For All Athletes.

TRUTH
Some athletes stand to benefit a great deal, others very little. Athletes who require sudden, high intensity bursts of power and strength are ideal candidates for creatine supplements. These athlete might include powerlifters, bodybuilders, sprinters, football, baseball, and basketball players, and the like. Endurance athletes or those who participate in sports which require steady aerobic output may not benefit from creatine use.


MYTH
Creatine Must Be Taken At A Specific Time.

TRUTH
While it has been proven that you can maximize creatine uptake by taking it with a 1:1 ratio of protein to carbs, no real evidence suggests that there's a best time to take creatine. As a supplement, creatine increases your body's pool of creatine. Whether you take it in the morning, afternoon, or evening probably won't make a significant difference. For convenience sake, you might take it with your post-training protein/carb shake.


MYTH
Cycling Creatine Will Produce Better Results. False.

TRUTH
There's no significant evidence which shows that cycling creatine is better than taking it continuously. There's no compelling proof which shoes that creatine supplementation in athletes will down-regulate the body's own ability to produce creatine.


MYTH
You Can Get Enough Creatine From Your Diet.

TRUTH
The average person gets only about 1g of creatine per day from his diet. When you cook your meals, you also destroy a good part of the creatine found in foods such as beef, cod, salmon, and herring.


Sources

Brenner M, et al. The effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training in women. J Strength Cond Res 2000;14(2): 207-213.

Burke DG, et al. "The effect of 7 days of creatine supplementation on 24-hour urinary creatine excretion.

J Strength Cond Res 2001;15(1):59-62.Eijnde B, et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2001;33:449-453.

Greenhaff PL, Steenge GR, Simpson EJ. Protein and carbohydrate-induced augmentation of whole body creatine retention in humans.

J Appl Physiol 2000;89:1165-71.Guerrero-Ontiveros ML, Walliman T. Creatine supplementation I n health and disease. Effects of chronic creatine ingestion in vivo: down-regulation of the expression of creatine transporter isoforms in skeletal muscle.

Mol Cell Biochem 1998;184:427-437.Poortmans JR, et al. Long-term oral creatine supplementation does not impair renal function in healthy athletes. Med Sci Sports Exer 1999;31(8):1108-1110.Poortmans JR, Francaux M. Adverse effects of creatine supplementation. Sports Med 2000;30:155-170.