As a bodybuilder, you will likely see the phrase “amino acids” splashed about as you conduct your research into how to make gains in muscular size and strength. But what does it mean? Why are they so important? What are they, and what function do they serve in helping you to become a better bodybuilder? Let’s learn more about them. Amino acids are essentially the small pieces that work together to form protein. In nature, amino acids can be found in the food we eat. You might think they would be limited to meats such as eggs, chicken, beef and turkey. However, amino acids are also present in many vegetables, including grains and legumes. If you’re a bodybuilder who follows decent dietary practices already, you probably consume a lot of whey protein. Whey ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Energy for a body builder and non-body builder alike usually comes from carbohydrates and fats. In all normal metabolic processes, the carbohydrate sources of energy account for 90% of the body’s requirement of energy, especially among non-body builders. For body builders however, and other athletes who are in intensively active lifestyles, carbohydrate sources of energy are sometimes inadequate. And to add on to the energy supply, some non-carbohydrate sources of energy argument. There are however very many misconceptions and fallacies that circulate in the body building industry today, about resultant muscle wastage when the body starts using of energy substrates from non-carb sources. This usually happens during the heavy during heavy and highly intensity weight exercises that are part of their daily training routines. It is said that the moment the body starts to get energy from any other source besides ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Different forms of amino acids go through different levels of metabolism. In accounting for the metabolic speed and efficiency of the different amino acid forms, it is useful to consider their bio-availability Bio-availability refers to the speed and ability of nutrients to be absorbed and availed to the tissues after ingestion. More bio-available forms take shorter delays after ingestion before they are available to body tissues. The free-form amino acids for instance, do not require any digestion. They are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream immediately after ingestion without any conversion or breakdown processes taking place. Consequently, the free form amino acids become more available to the muscles than any other amino acid form. Once they get absorbed into blood, the free form amino acids are readily available to the muscles and any other body tissues. One key advantage of ingesting adequate ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Soreness is something from which every bodybuilder, regardless of experience, suffers.  Beginner bodybuilders often find themselves on their back for a week following their first “all-out” day in the gym.  Intermediate bodybuilders, once they discover the “one body part per day” training methodology, will discover their bodies’ painful response to twenty-set chest days.  Advanced bodybuilders, despite their years of experience and often chemical assistance, will learn those chest/back or biceps/triceps combination days using 30+ sets leaves their central nervous system in shambles and their body parts aching.  Whatever your bodybuilding experience, every time you push your body to perform in new ways in the gym, you open yourself up on the potential for soreness. Delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, is the type of soreness with which most bodybuilders are most familiar.  You might feel terrific at the conclusion of your ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Open up any bodybuilding magazine (any publisher from any year), and you’ll very likely see two things. First, you’ll see a lot of advertisements for protein supplements and weight gain/loss supplements. Second, you’ll see a lot of ghostwritten articles by pro bodybuilders in which they espouse their own use of 400+ grams of protein daily. You’ll see some training articles and show coverage as well. But the importance of protein will be the number one focus in every single issue, from 1950 until 2050. It’s true that protein is important. You need it to make gains in muscle mass. You stimulate the muscle fibers with training, and then your blood delivers blood rich in amino acids to these muscle fibers, which allows them to grow while you sleep. However, the amount of protein which ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

In bodybuilding circles, the term “Amino acids” is often thrown around casually. Most bodybuilders know it has to do with protein. And some know if from that green syrup you can sip after workouts. But what are they, and how are they the building blocks for everything muscle? Amino acids are literally the building blocks of protein. They are the 20 chemicals in the body that bond together to form muscle tissue. Five of these twenty are essential, or required, for muscle building, with the other fifteen being useful but not required. The Branched-Chain Amino Acids, or BCAAs, are those three that are the main source of fuel of skeletal muscle tissue, or the muscles we like to flex in the mirror. Their names are leucine, valine, and isoleucine. Complete proteins – or those foods ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

A top professional bodybuilder trainer introduced an idea in 2003. He claimed it would add ten pounds of muscle to any man in a month. He said that the body is most highly receptive to nutrients DURING a workout, and that trainers should ingest shakes containing amino acid blends. He believed that a steady flow of nutrients DURING the workout was they key to muscle growth. A small “window” existed when the muscle fibers were being stressed, and if the bodybuilder was able to flood the area with nitrogen-rich blood containing vital amino acids, growth would occur. He also said that this nutrition was to be coupled with compound set training – jumping from one exercise to the next in succession – in order to flush this nutrient rich blood into the muscle. Despite ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Q:  I wanted to know about a supplement I'm not familiar with - Beta Alanine. What is it, what does it do for you and can you add it to a stack of creatine, whey and glutamine? A: Beta-Alanine is nonessential amino acid that has been touted to increase muscle mass, boost strength and power during workouts, increase aerobic endurance, and allow you to train longer. That's because it prevents a drop in pH during training - which is what happens when lactic acid sets in and you fatigue. Drops in pH mean less contractivity of muscles. Beta-Alanine allows the body to boost the synthesis of carnosine. Carnosine impacts muscle performance because it soaks up toxins as we train. We need a lot of it to keep going. The exciting thing about Beta-Alanine is that it not only ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) are essential for human life, and essential for building muscle. Every bodybuilder should have a firm grasp of what they are, how they work, and why they are required for building new muscle. Additionally, supplementation with synthesized BCAA supplements should be considered as bodybuilders enter advanced status and their presence in the body is absolutely crucial for keeping existing, as well as adding new, muscle mass. Basics BCAAs are required for human life. They include L-leucine, L-Isoleucine and L-Valine as well as others. They play a key role in nitrogen retention as well as protein synthesis for brain, organ, and muscle functions. BCAAs compose 1/3 of all muscle protein. For the bodybuilder specifically, they are the anti-catabolic agent which slows protein from breaking down in the body, thereby allowing the body ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Bodybuilders may slather oil over the peaks and valleys of contest-ready muscle for maximum sheen, but it's the oil they gulp during the off season, and during pre-contest training, that matters the very most. But while fat is fat is fat when it comes to gaining, losing or shredding, and in terms of how the body sees all fats as mostly equal when it comes to weight gain and loss, fats are far from created equal. That's because some oils serve the body and metabolism much better than others in the long run. Health may be a six-letter word uttered often by Birkenstock-wearing hippies, but it's also important to your longevity as a bodybuilder. Types of fats found in oils: Monounsaturated fats help lower what health professionals call "bad" fats - those are the low-density lipoproteins known as "LDL" fats. They represent the ...

If you like this article, click here to share: