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126 JANUARY 2006 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
Muscle- Science12 Recent Research Reports That Can Jump-Start Your Muscle Growth and Fat LossCompiled by Steve Holman
Photography by Michael Neveux
Roundup
nother year’s gone by, which means it’s time for anotherblast of the hottest research that can help you get biggerand leaner. It’s January 2006, the perfect time to lookback at some of the key findings that we reported overthe past year—stuff you may have missed. Most of the
studies discussed here were reported by Jerry Brainum,IRON MAN’s most dedicated and reliable researcher.Good stuff to get you buff. Let’s get to the info.
A
1) L-CarnitineTurns You Into aMass Machine
Whether supplemental carnitineactually helps increase fat oxidationis a matter of debate, but the nutri-ent has other, lesser known featuresthat can improve training efficien-cy.
Carnitine helps decrease lactatelevels during intense exercise,which may lead to less fatigue andgreater endurance. Several studieshave shown that it promotes recov-ery after intense training. Subjectswho took three grams of it daily forthree weeks had less muscle sore-ness and lower levels of a muscleenzyme associated with muscledamage after their workouts. Scien-tists believe the effect occurs be-cause carnitine promotes increasedcellular membrane stabilization. Italso helps lessen the effects of freeradicals, by-products of oxygenmetabolism that induce muscleinflammation and delay full mus-cular recovery.
Hard training tends to temporar-ily depress the immune system, soyou are more vulnerable to infec-tion. Carnitine appears to helpstabilize and promote immune-system competence after training.It also helps promote the develop-ment of new red blood cells, whichincreases oxygen delivery to mus-cles.
Karlic, H., et al. (2004). Supple-mentation of L-carnitine in ath-letes: does it make sense? Nutrition.20:709-15.
Conclusion:Take two grams of L-carnitine
after a workout, and you should getbetter recovery and less musclesoreness.
128 JANUARY 2006 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
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Carnitine helps
decrease lactate levels
during intense exercise,
which may lead to less
fatigue and greater
endurance.
Carnitine also promotesimmune-systemcompetence aftertraining.
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2) Snooze or LoseYour Anabolic Edge
While exercise is the primarycatalyst for muscle growth, thegrowth occurs when you’re at rest.That’s why adequate recovery is sovital to making muscular gains. Thebody secretes maximum levels ofgrowth hormone during sleep, andstudies also show that if you don’tget enough sleep, your testosteronelevels may plummet as much as 40percent.
A new study using lab rats assubjects tested the hormonal ef-fects of sleep deprivation. In previ-ous studies animals deprived ofsleep showed lower levels of thyroidhormones and a blunted immuneresponse. Since the low thyroidoutput occurred in the hypothala-mus, the researchers wanted to seehow other hormones secreted inthe same area of the brain were
affected by sleep.They found that sleep depriva-
tion resulted in a suppression ofother hormones in the rats, includ-ing growth hormone, insulinlikegrowth factor 1 (IGF-1), prolactinand leptin, while corticosterone,the rodent version of cortisol, wasunaffected. That hormonal milieutends to depress anabolic reactionsin the body, boosting cataboliceffects, including possible muscleloss. If your goal is to make any typeof muscular progress, don’t takesleep for granted.
130 JANUARY 2006 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
On that note, wearing socks tobed may help. According to podia-trist Nicholas Romansky, as repor-ted in Bottom Line/Health, wearinga clean pair of socks to bed can helpyou fall asleep faster because itstabilizes your core body tempera-ture. Sock it to catabolism!
Also, research at Emory Universi-ty School of Medicine in Atlantafound that sleep-deprived peoplemay eat more, increasing their dailycalorie intake up to 15 percent. Sosocking your feet at night may helpyour fat-loss efforts as well.
Everson, C.A., et al. (2004). Re-ductions in circulating anabolichormones induced by sustainedsleep deprivation in rats. Am J Phys-iol Endocrinol Metab. 286:E1060-E1070.
Conclusion:Get restful, uninterrupted sleep
to amplify anabolism and curtailcatabolism. Wearing socks to bedmay help.
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Sleep deprivation can result in thesupression of anumber of hormones,including anabolicones.
Exercise is the catalyst.Growth occurs when you rest.
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3) Burn Blubber DownBelow With Blood Flow
A new study pinpoints the differ-ences in fat mobilization betweenupper- and lower-body fat. Britishand French scientists teamed tocome up with a technique for mea-suring direct fat use, and they ap-plied the new technique to upper-and lower-body fat release in sixlean male subjects aged 22 to 43.
They found that gluteal fat tissueshows a 67 percent lower level ofblood flow than upper-body fat. Italso has an 87 percent lower rate ofactivity of hormone-sensitive lipase,
an enzyme that catalyzes fat releasefrom fat cells, than abdominal-fatcells.
One theory is that the bodystores fat in the lower body to pro-tect against high levels of free fattyacids in the blood, a condition thatinterferes with glucose uptake incells. That, in turn, leads to insulinresistance and the diseases linkedto it, such as diabetes and cardio-vascular disease. The body shuttlesexcess fatty acids directly to lower-body fat stores, where they’re“locked in,” which buffers the effectof high levels of fat in the blood.
The fact that lower-body fat mayprotect against potentially deadly
132 JANUARY 2006 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
diseases offers little solace to defi-nition-minded bodybuilders. Thebody won’t use lower-body fat untilnearly all its upper-body fat is oxi-dized through exercise and diet. Sothe ultimate answer to eliminatinglower-body fat involves persistenceand patience. Continuing to exer-cise and diet will eventually enableyou to make progress in getting ridof it.
For those in a hurry, some evi-dence shows that using an alpha-2adrenergic blocker can also helpbodybuilders tap into lower-bodyfat stores. The fat cells in the lowerbody, unlike those in the upperbody, have a preponderance ofalpha-2 adrenergic cell receptors.(Upper-body fat cells have a pre-ponderance of beta-adrenergic cellreceptors, which permit more rapidrelease of fat.)
One natural alpha-adrenergicblocker is yohimbe at a dose of 0.2milligrams per kilogram (2.2pounds) of bodyweight. It must betaken on an empty stomach, how-ever, since any release of insulintotally negates yohimbe’s fat-mobi-lizing effects.
From a training standpoint, ifyour goal is increased definition, itmay be a good idea to use higherreps, in the range of 15 and up, forlower-body training. That mayincrease blood flow, giving yougreater mobilization of lower-bodyfat.
Tan, G.D., et al. (2004). Upper-and lower-body adipose tissuefunction: A direct comparison of fatmobilization in humans. ObesityRes. 12:114-118.
Conclusion:Doing higher reps on leg exercis-
es can help you burn lower-body fatfaster. A yohimbe supplement mayaccelerate the process, but be sureto take it on an empty stomach.
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Doing higher reps, in
the range of 15 and up,
on lower-body training
may increase blood
flow, giving you greater
mobilization of lower-
body fat.
The body won’tuse lower-bodyfat until nearlyall its upper-body fat is oxi-dized throughexercise anddiet.
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4) Volume Downto T Up
How does exercise affect the 24-hour secretion of testosterone? Tofind out, researchers followed eightmen who completed three trainingsessions separated by at least amonth. The subjects were assignedto a nonexercising control group, amoderate-volume group that did 25sets total and a high-volume groupthat did 50 sets per workout. Theactual workouts consisted of squats,bench presses, leg presses and latpulldowns done for five to 10 repsper set, with the subjects getting 90to 120 seconds’ rest between sets.The researchers measured the men’stestosterone levels every hour for 24hours after each session.
The high-volume group trainedfor an average of two hours per ses-sion and showed a marked suppres-sion of testosterone over 24 hours.
The moderate-volume grouptrained for one hour and showedno adverse effects ontestosterone. Apparently, there’s athreshold of training beyondwhich testosterone levels dropprecipitously. In practical terms,that means that those who advo-cate marathon workouts areprobably wasting their time.
Alemany, J.A., et al. (2004). 24-hour serum testosterone concen-trations following acutemoderate and high-volume resis-tance exercise. Med Sci SportsExerc. 36:S238.
Conclusion:Limit your workouts to no
more than about 25 work sets, tobe completed in around an hour.[Note: Most of the training pro-grams in IRON MAN’s publica-tions, including 10-Week SizeSurge and Train, Eat, Grow, ad-here to that rule.]
www.ironmanmagazine.com \ JANUARY 2006 133
Training toolong canblunt testos-terone.
Muscle-Science Roundup
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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF NEW YORK
ERIC AYALA, THOMAS HANNON, LOUIS SILVERSMITH and LOUIS SPITALE, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated,
Index No, 02/126276
Plaintiffs,
vs.
NATROL, INC. and PROLAB NUTRITION, INC.
Defendant.
TO: Purchasers of Androbolic, 19Norandrostenedione/5Androstenediol, Andro 19Norandrostenedione Caps, Andro 4 Androstenediol 100mg Caps, Androsten Tribulus Caps, AndroCyclo 4 Androdiol, Androstenedione 100mg Caps, Chrysin-Andro-Tribulus Caps, 19-Nor-4-Androstenediol and 5-Androstenediol (together, the “Andro Products”)
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Natrol, Inc. and Prolab Nutrition, Inc. (collectively,“Natrol”) challenging Natrol’s marketing and sale of Andro Products. Natrol has vigorously deniedany wrongdoing or liability but solely to avoid the further cost of litigation and to minimize disruptionand inconvenience caused by this and related suits, it has agreed to a settlement. A nationwidesettlement with Natrol totaling $5 million in cash, discount cards and coupons has been preliminarilyapproved by the Court. The proposed settlement is a compromise of disputed claims and does notmean that Natrol or anyone else is guilty of the claims brought by the Plaintiffs. By preliminarilyapproving the Settlement, the Court has not made any determination that, if disputed, the classwould be properly certified or that the Plaintiffs’ claims against Natrol have any merit. TheSettlement Agreement also resolves, and, upon payment of all commitments in accordance withthe Settlement Agreement, Plaintiffs and the Class shall release Natrol and other parties from anyand all claims by Plaintiffs and the Class for costs and attorneys’ fees, including but not limited toexpert witness fees, claims for costs, and attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with the negotiation,execution, implementation, and administration of the Settlement Agreement; provided, however,that if Plaintiffs or the Class are required to take legal action to enforce the terms of theSettlement Agreement, then the costs and fees for such legal action shall not be included in theRelease.
If you purchased at retail any Andro Product, you may be entitled to a share of the proceeds of the
settlement. You are not, however, entitled to participate in the settlement if you are or have been
a distributor or wholesale purchaser of an Andro Product, or if you timely elect to exclude yourself
from the class.
If you are within this group of class members and do not elect to exclude yourself from the class,
your claims against Natrol for the marketing, labeling and/or sale of Andro Products will be
resolved as part of this settlement and will be ultimately barred. It is therefore important for you
to review the complete notice and to submit a claim form as described below.
The Court will hold a hearing in Courtroom 438, New York County Supreme Court, 60 Centre Street,
New York, New York at 9:30 a.m., on the 21st day of October, 2005 (“Final Hearing”), to determine
whether, as recommended by Class Counsel, the class representatives and Natrol, it should
approve the proposed settlement. Objections to the proposed settlement or the amount of attorneys’
fees requested by Class Counsel, or requests to be excluded from the Class must be filed by
October 13, 2005. Claims must be filed by April 21, 2006. Delay in filing the claim form, objections
or exclusion notice may result in the loss of benefits or rights to which you might otherwise be
entitled.
Full copies of the Notice of Pendency of Class Action, Settlement Agreement, Claim Form, and
Exclusion Notice, which describe the method by which the cash funds, discount cards and coupons
will be distributed, eligibility requirements, and the action that must be taken by eligible persons
to obtain a share of the proceeds, to object to the settlement, or to be excluded from the class, are
available at www.prolab.com/androsettlement.html and from Andro Class Action Settlement
c/o Complete Claim Solutions, Inc., PO Box 24674, West Palm Beach, FL 33416. You may also call
1-800-930-0057 with any questions.
Dated: September 7, 2005
SUMMARY NOTICE OF PENDENCY OF CLASS ACTION AND OF SETTLEMENT OF CLAIMS
5) Time Your Creatinefor Big-Time Mass
Many bodybuilders wonderabout the best time to take creatine.Taking it before a workout mayincrease the muscles’ energeticefficiency and act as a buffer thatlimits the accumulation ofmetabolic waste products. Thatwould lead to increased energy andless fatigue during intense training.The greater blood flow resultingfrom exercise, however, also causesgreater uptake of creatine intomuscle. The scientists who con-
ducted a recent study aren’t surewhether the gains in muscle thick-ness that their subjects experiencedwhile taking creatine after exercisecame from water retention in themuscle or actual protein synthesis.If the latter proves true, the besttime to take creatine would be,obviously, following a workout.
Chilbeck, P.D., et al. (2004). Effectof creatine ingestion after exerciseon muscle thickness in males andfemales. Med Sci Sports Exerc.36:1781-88.
Conclusion:You may want to take half your
creatine before—or during—your
134 JANUARY 2006 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
workout and the other half after.That way you get the buffering aswell as the muscle-thickness ef-fects.
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The greater bloodflow resulting fromexercise causesgreater uptake ofcreatine into muscle,but taking it aftertraining may beef upmuscle fibers.
Creatine may act as a bufferduring training, enabling youto get more reps.
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A study presented at the NSCAconference by researchers from theUniversity of Connecticut exam-ined whether taking short restsbetween sets influences the releaseof growth hormone during exer-cise. The subjects included 10bodybuilders with at least fouryears of training experience and 10untrained but physically activemen. The bodybuilders had previ-ously trained on programs thatfeatured short rests between sets.
For the study both groups did sixsets of 10 reps on the squat, restingtwo minutes between sets.
Both the trained and untrainedmen had similar resting GH levels,
136 JANUARY 2006 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
and both groups showed a signifi-cant rise in the hormone after theworkout. The trained men, howev-er, produced more lactic acid,which stimulates GH release dur-ing exercise. The ability to train ata higher level of lactic acid releaseappears to enable more-experi-enced bodybuilders to produce asuperior GH response to exercise.
Conclusion:Rep through the burn to up your
growth hormone levels. Set-ex-tending techniques like X Reps canhelp. Remember, growth hormoneamplifies other anabolichormones, like testosterone.
The ability to train at a
higher level of lactic
acid release appears
to enable more-
experienced
bodybuilders to produce
a superior GH response
to exercise.
Go for the burn toenhance growthhormone release.
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rally in animal protein sources: 2-to-1-to-1. Taking excessive amountsof a single BCAA, such as leucine,activates enzymes that degrade theother BCAAs, leading to a possibleamino acid imbalance.
www.ironmanmagazine.com \ JANUARY 2006 137
Conclusion:Use branched-chain amino acids
before you do cardio and evenbefore your weight-training work-outs to derail catabolic effects.
Muscle-Science Roundup
Taking branched-chain amino acidsbefore doing cardiomay help preventmuscle breakdown.
The men using BCAAs
had lower levels of
cortisol, the body’s
primary catabolic
hormone, and higher
testosterone levels.
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7) De-CatabolizeYour Cardio
It stands to reason that ifbranched-chain amino acids haveanabolic properties, they’re aneffective supplement for thoseengaged in weight training. A studypresented at the National Strengthand Conditioning Association’sannual conference examined therelationship of BCAA intake tomuscle gains. Six healthy, untrainedmen took either BCAA supplementsor a placebo. Both groups took thesupplements for three weeks, fol-lowed by another week of supple-ment use combined with intenseweight-training sessions.
The men using BCAAs had lowerlevels of the enzyme creatine ki-nase, which is associated with mus-cle damage during exercise, andlower levels of cortisol, the body’sprimary catabolic hormone. Theyalso had consistently higher testos-terone levels than the subjects inthe placebo group.
BCAA oxidation in muscle isactivated by fatty acid oxidation. Sowhen you do exercise that uses fatas an energy source, the fat releasedpromotes the burning of BCAAs.That implies that BCAAs takenbefore you do aerobics will exert asparing action on muscle protein,something that would be particu-larly helpful during periods of calo-rie restriction. The precise dosageof BCAAs for that purpose isn’testablished, but good results havebeen obtained with five gramstaken prior to exercise.
One thing to keep in mind whensupplementing is that you mustmaintain a certain ratio of the threeBCAAs. Research shows that it’s bestto replicate the ratio of leucine,isoleucine and valine found natu-
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8) Cardio Time:Before or After?
A recent study turned up anotherreason not to do aerobics before aweight workout. Ten men did low-intensity cycling for an hour, then aweight workout. On another daythe same men did only a five-minute-warmup cycling sessionbefore their workout. When theydid an hour of aerobics first, theirgrowth hormone response to theweight session was nil. Other hor-mones, such as cortisol and testos-terone, weren’t affected by theaerobics, however. That’s the goodnews, since it shows that moderateaerobic work doesn’t negativelyaffect hormones related to musclegrowth.
Still, doing the aerobics first did
blunt growth hor-mone release. What isit about aerobics thatwould do that?
Aerobic exerciseuses greater amountsof fat as fuel, especial-ly as the exercisecontinues beyond 30minutes. That ele-vates levels of freefatty acids in theblood, which, likeelevated blood glu-cose levels, blunts therelease of GH. Elevat-ed free-fatty-acidlevels also promotethe release of somato-statin, a protein pro-duced in the brain’shypothalamus thatopposes GH release.
138 JANUARY 2006 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
Goto, K., et al. (2005). Prior en-durance exercise attenuatesgrowth hormone response to sub-sequent resistance exercise. Eur JAppl Physiol. 94:333-338.
Conclusion:If you’re after more muscle, it’s
just plain dumb to do an extendedaerobics session before an intenseweight workout. Not only do youdeplete limited energy stores(glycogen), but you also block GHrelease during the workout. Savethe aerobics for afterward.
Elevated free-fatty-acid levels induced bycardio work promotethe release ofsomatostatin, aprotein that opposesGH release.
If you do youraerobics first,you may bluntgrowth hormonerelease.
Train withweights first;then do yourcardio.
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Forskolin may boostfat loss and increasetestosteronerelease.
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Muscle-Science Roundup
Forskolin differs from
ephedrine in that it
doesn’t interact with
beta-receptors in fat,
so it has none of
ephedrine’s
stimulation effects.
al adaptations associated withforskolin consumption in over-weight and obese males. Med SciSports Exer. 37:S39.
Conclusion:Taking 250 milligrams of 10 per-
cent forskolin extract twice dailymay supercharge your fat-burningefforts—and your muscle-buildingresults—thanks to elevated free-testosterone levels.
9) Fat-BurningFirepower Without
Ephedrine
Forskolin differs fromephedrine in that it doesn’tinteract with beta-receptors infat cells, so it has none of thestimulation effect associatedwith ephedrine. In effect,forskolin is a biochemical short-cut as far as fat release is con-cerned.Several studies have shown
significant fat-loss effects withhuman subjects who took aforskolin-based supplement.Unfortunately, they were spon-sored by the company that holdsthe forskolin use patent, SabinaCorporation. While such spon-sorship may not negate theresults of the studies, it doesengender a degree of skepticism,since Sabina has much to gainfinancially from them.Some critics have noted that
the mechanism through whichforskolin works, activating cyclicAMP, can have far-reachingeffects throughout the body. Buttoxicity studies have shown noserious side effects or any ad-verse changes in cardiovascularfunction. If anything, forskolinappears to lower blood pressureand increase beneficial high-density lipoprotein, or HDL.The most recent study found
an additional bonus. Thirtysubjects were divided into aforskolin group and a placebogroup for a 12-week experiment.Those in the first group took asupplement containing 250milligrams of 10 percentforskolin extract twice daily.Forskolin produced a signifi-
cant improvement in fat losscompared to what subjectsexperienced with the placebo,but those in the forskolin groupalso showed a significant in-crease in free testosterone, theactive form of the hormone.Total T levels remainedunchanged, but the elevatedfree-testosterone levels may be abonus from using forskolin.Godard, M.P., et al. (2005).
Body composition and hormon-
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Bodybuilding has biganti-aging benefits.
10) Anti-Aging Ammo
A new study by a group of re-searchers from the Mayo Clinicexamined the effects of aging onmuscle in 146 healthy men andwomen, aged 18 to 89. The primaryfinding was that muscle aging iscaused by cumulative damage tomuscle DNA, which is required toreplicate muscle cells. When DNA isdamaged, the cells don’t repairthemselves correctly and eventuallydie. On a grand scale, that means agradual loss of muscle with eachpassing year.
The researchers also found thatthe DNA in muscle mitochondria,where energy is produced in cells,reduces with age. Having fewermitochondria means less produc-tion of adenosine triphosphate(ATP), the source of cellular energy.Without adequate ATP the cell’s“housekeeping” functions shutdown, and the cell dies. The loss ofmuscle mitochondrial DNA leads tosuch symptoms as age-relatedweakness, loss of muscle mass andrelated diseases, such as insulinresistance, diabetes and heart dis-ease.
Thanks to this study, scientistsnow know exactly how the processof muscle aging begins and candesign therapies to block it. Whatcauses the loss of muscle and mito-chondrial DNA is long-term, out-of-control oxidation. Mitochondriaare highly prone to oxidation be-cause ATP production releases a lotof oxygen in the cell. That promotesthe activity of free radicals, by-products of oxygen metabolismthat are the destructive elements inoxidative reactions.
As people age, the built-in an-tioxidant systems of the body, suchas the superoxide dismutase systemof enzymes, begin to falter. Thatsets the stage for the degenerativeaspects of oxidation in cells. In fact,how those effects work is a majortheory of the aging process. It’sespecially troublesome in peoplewho don’t exercise, as exercise pro-motes the body’s built-in antioxida-tion system. Some scientists thinkthat may be the main value of exer-cise in helping to forestall the agingprocess and the degeneration ofbrain and body.
The scientists who found thiselemental cause of muscle agingsuggest that the process begins atage 30. The same is true of suchother conditions as osteoporosis, abone-wasting disease more com-mon in women than in men, whichbegins at about age 30 but doesn’tusually become apparent until afterage 60. By then, however, the dam-age is extensive, resulting in fragilebones and hip fractures.
Can exercise block the loss ofmitochondrial DNA in muscle? TheMayo researchers didn’t get to thatquestion, but common sense andobservation of people who stayactive and continue to exercise asthey age indicate that it probablyhelps.
Also, taking in nutrients thatprotect the vulnerable mitochon-drial DNA from oxidation, such ascoenzyme Q10, lipoic acid andacetyl L-carnitine, can help. Re-search conducted at the Universityof California, Berkeley, showed thatintake of those nutrients led tocomplete regeneration of musclemitochondria and protected
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against further damage. Typicaldoses would be 30 to 60 milligramsa day of CoQ10, 200 milligrams oflipoic acid and 1,000 milligrams ofacetyl L-carnitine.
Short, K.R., et al. (2005). Declinein skeletal muscle mitochondrialfunction with aging in humans.Proced Nat Acd Sci. 102(15):5618-23.
Conclusion:Keep exercising as you age to
curtail cell degeneration. Also takeantioxidants every day; for exam-ple, 30 to 60 milligrams a day ofCoQ10, 200 milligrams of lipoicacid and 1,000 milligrams of acetylL-carnitine.
Muscle-Science Roundup
Scientists whodiscovered the causeof muscle agingsuggest that theprocess begins atage 30.
Specificnutrients canwork in tandemwith exercise asan anti-agingsmart bomb.
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11) Torrential T Time
If you look at the advertisementsfor estrogen suppressors, or aro-matase inhibitors, you’ll note thatthe main benefit touted for them istheir ability to increase naturaltestosterone levels. The healthbenefits of controlling estrogen arerarely mentioned. The question is,Do those supplements work?
The initial answer comes fromtwo recently published studies. Thefirst examined the effects of twounnamed but naturally occurringaromatase inhibitors in 15 men,aged 21 to 71, over a 28-day period.The subjects’ average age was 39,
and none of them had taken anytype of testosterone-boosting sup-plements or medications in the threemonths prior to the study. The aro-matase inhibitors were combined inone capsule, taken as three singlecaps once daily.
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After 10 days total and free testos-terone increased by 244 percent and358 percent from baseline levels. Atthe 28-day mark total testosteronehad jumped to 314 percent abovebaseline, while free levels increasedto 492 percent. Estrogen, mean-while, was undetectable in 10 out of15 subjects by the 10th day. By the28th day it was undetectable in 13out of 15 subjects. No significantalterations in lipid, liver or otherblood chemistry values occurred inthe men while they were using thesupplement.
The second study was sponsoredby a company that advertises andsells products in this magazine.Normally, that sponsorship would
Total testosteroneincreased 145 percent,183 percent, 232percent and 240percent over the firstfour weeks of thestudy.
Compound exercisescan increase testos-terone, and so canthe new aromataseinhibitors. Wouldyou believe morethan 200 percent?
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(continued from page 143)
raise some degree of skepticism,since the company has somethingto gain from favorable study results.The scientific protocols used wereup to par, however, and there’s noreason to suspect any rigging. Be-sides, someone has to pay for suchstudies, and no drug companywould, since it’s a natural product; itdoes have a use patent.The study featured five men,
average age 31, who took four cap-sules of the aromatase-inhibitingsupplement before bed for 28 days.As in the first study, using the sup-plement significantly increasedboth total and free testosterone.Total test increased 145 percent, 183percent, 232 percent and 240 per-cent over the first four weeks of thestudy. Free test likewise increasedfrom baseline levels—300 percent,402 percent, 511 percent and 528percent—during that time. Even so,no significant conversion to estro-gen occurred. Blood chemistry testsshowed no adverse changes, nor
were any other side effectsobserved.Some might complain that the
small experimental sample—onlyfive subjects—calls the study’svalidity into question. On the otherhand, it was just a look-see trial todetermine whether OTC estrogeninhibitors might be effective. Thedramatic results would temptmany to use the supplement year-round, but even the manufactureradvises using it for no longer thaneight weeks, then stopping usealtogether.Advice like that makes sense
from a health-and-performanceperspective because estrogen mayhave cardiovascular benefits formen, such as helping maintainvital HDL levels. It may also helpmaintain the androgen receptorswithout which testosterone isworthless. Plus it has a relationshipwith growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1);women release greater levels of
www.ironmanmagazine.com \ JANUARY 2006 151
growth hormone during exercisebecause of their higher estrogencounts. Indeed, some studies sug-gest that estrogen protects againstexcessive muscle breakdown duringexercise.Trimmer, R. et al. (2005). Effects
of two naturally occurringaromatase inhibitors on male hor-monal and blood chemistry pro-files. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2:14.Ziegenfuss, T., et al. (2005). Safety
and efficacy of a commerciallyavailable, naturally occurring aro-matase inhibitor in healthy men. JInt Soc Sports Nutr. 2:28.
Conclusion:If you’re looking for optimal
testosterone production, which isespecially important for over-40bodybuilders, you may want to trycycling some of the new aromataseinhibitors. One study shows freetestosterone increases of more than300 percent in four weeks. Veryimpressive!
Muscle-Science Roundup
Muscle-Science RoundupM
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12) Turnaround TNT toTurn Up Muscle Gains
A recent study verifies the impor-tance of turnaround, the point inan exercise at which you reverse thedirection of the weight, such as atthe bottom of an incline press—although the researchers seem tomiss that result. Jose Antonio,Ph.D., discussed it in his AnabolicDrive column in the October ’05IRON MAN:
“Twelve 24-year-old subjectsperformed maximal resistivelengtheningisokineticexercise withboth arms foreight weeks,three days perweek, duringwhich theytrained onearm at a fastvelocity andthe other at aslow velocity.Type 1 musclefiber sizeincreased inboth cases.Type 2a and 2xmuscle fiberincreased inboth arms, butthe increaseswere greaterin the fast-trained arm.
“The re-searchersconcludedthat trainingusing fast(3.66 radiansper second)lengthening contractions leads togreater hypertrophy (growth) andstrength gains than slow (0.35 radi-ans per second) lengthening con-tractions. The greater hypertrophyseen in the fast-trained arm may berelated to a greater amount of pro-tein remodeling.”
Why is the conclusion somewhatoff the mark? Well, from the resultsit appears that training faster stim-ulated more muscle. But was thespeed of movement really whattriggered the extra growth or was it
max-force overload right at thesemistretched position, the so-called turnaround point?
Realize that when you move fast,it takes more effort to stop the resis-tance and/or reverse it. In fact,
research indicates that when atrainee standing on forceplates moves fast and usesmomentum, the actual weighthe has to reverse at theturnaround of a rep can bedouble or triple the poundagehe’s lifting. The reason? Gravityplus momentum. As the weightis quickly lowered and then heavedat the turnaround to reverse itsdirection, the force is multipliedtwo- to threefold.
How does that cause more mus-
152 JANUARY 2006 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
cle growth? Excessive overload atthe key hypertrophic point, the spotnear the turnaround on thestroke—a.k.a. the semistretchedpoint—where maximum forcegeneration can occur.
When you move fast through thenegative phase of the stroke, as inthe study, it takes more effort toreverse or stop the poundage atthat max-force point, so youachieve more target-muscle over-load right at the muscle’s sweetspot. (Imagine dropping a heavyweight through the eccentric phaseof a leg curl and then stopping itright before your legs are straight—as opposed to lowering it slowlyunder control.)
Obviously, training fast is muchmore dangerous than using a slow-er, controlled cadence. Fast ballisticmovements aren’t recommended;instead, try power partials at theturnaround spot after you reachexhaustion on full-range reps.Those X Reps, as they are called,will extend your set, activate moremuscle fibers and enhance GHrelease (as indicated in item 6above). Performing X Reps and X-Rep hybrid techniques, like Dou-ble-X Overload, on stretch-positionexercises may also trigger hyperpla-sia, or fiber splitting. [For more onthat research and those techniques,visit www.BeyondX-Rep.com.]
Conclusion:Overload the turnaround point of
your exercises to get a bigger massX-plosion. IM
The key fiber-activation point onthe stroke is near theturnaround—thesemistretched point.
Partials doneat the max-force pointcan producebigger gains.
Getting at more muscle fibers willbuild more mass fast.
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MUSCLE BUILDING
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