What is a Weight Gainer or MRP?

Weight Gainers also known as MRP(Meal Replacement Powders), are powdered meals for bodybuilders to help get them the balanced meal they need conveniently. They contain protein powder and carb powder and extra vitamins/supplements that you mix into water.

Their purpose is not to replace a balanced diet, but only to help get extra protein and calories conveniently. For those with a fast metabolism, weight gainers are crucial to helping bodybuilders gain weight. They are also helpful for bodybuilders while on vacation or on the go.

Weight Gainer Reviews:

N Large 2: This is a very popular cheap weight gainer. Each serving has 52 grams of ion-exchanged whey protein and 89 grams of carbs.

Myoplex Mass: Since it is from EAS it is fairly expensive. It has a decent quality whey protein and casein mix and it tastes well. People not used to Myoplex may find it hard on the stomach at first.

Isopure Mass: Contains 53 grams of protein. They also add BCAA’s and gluatamine. Isopure Mass is also a lot more costly than N Large 2.

Weider Mega Mass 4000: This is an “old school” weight gainer. It is one of the cheapest weight gainers around. The carb to protein ratio is too high.

There is many other popular weight gainers out there.

Tribulus Terrestris is a controversial supplement for the last few years in the bodybuilding community.

What is Tribulus Terrestris?

Tribulus Terrestris is a natural herb used for previous medicinal purposes. The Chinese used it for centuries to treat premature ejaculation, headaches, and other ailments.

Tribulus Terrestris effects:

One of the main benefits tribulus is claimed to have, is it’s role in increasing testosterone. It is claimed that it directly increases gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which ultimately leads to an increase in testosterone.

While there is a few conflicting studies on animals, most legitimate studies show Tribulus Terrestris is a junk supplement. Most bodybuilders also agree from experience, that Tribulus Terrestris does not help muscle gains. A study was recently published J Strength Cond Res. 2007 May;21(2):348-53. where athletes took tribulus terrestris for 5 weeks. Not only was there no difference in muscle gains or in testosterone/epitestosterone ratio. Another study on humans J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Oct 3;101(1-3):319-23. also showed no hormonal change.

Sexual effects of Tribulus Terrestris:

Tribulus Terrestris probably does not increase muscle gains, but it has been long used for it’s aphrodisiac properties in China and India for centuries. One study done on rabbits Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2000 Jan;29(1):22-6 concluded that the release of nitric oxide (the same thing viagra does) in the body may lead to this aphrodisiac effect. Another study done on rats Life Sci. 2002 Aug 9;71(12):1385-96 showed an increase in sexual activity resulting from tribulus Terrestris.

BCAA’s is a common nutritional supplement among Bodybuilders. Find out why…

About BCAA’s:

BCAA stands for Branched Chain Amino Acid. BCAAs supplements contain all the branched chain amino acids together.

BCAA’s & bodybuilding:

BCAAs can increase energy, help burn fat, build muscle, and help with muscle recovery.

Why Take BCAA’s?

If it’s amino acids, and amino acids make up protein, why even bother taking BCAA’s?

A recent study by Doctor Eric Serrano showed that under heavy lifting our body may use BCAAs for up to 40% of our energy needs. This and other benefits of BCAA, makes them a good additive to your pre-workout and post-workout meals.

Research also shows that they have a more powerful effect when taken seperately from your protein meal. For this reason, they would be ideal directly postworkout before you have your normal protein meal an hour later. BCAA’s will also be beneficial in the morning and before bed. You should aim for 30 grams total of BCAAs on workout days and 10 grams on off days.

Milk is a controversial subject among many bodybuilders due to the health and digestion concerns.

Milk controversy:

Many believe that since milk is for babies and cow milk is for calves, than we as adult humans shouldn’t be drinking it. To me, that seems like silly reasoning considering that if it’s good for babies, in their most sensitive time in life, why not for adults?

Another argument is health concerns of IGF-1 and anti-biotics that get leaked into the milk as a result. There is one simple solution to that, you can get organic milk and you won’t have a concern anymore. Organic cows are also fed grass instead of cattle feed full of toxins.

Milk & Lactose

Many bodybuilders do not drink milk for their main source of protein. One reason being, the lactose causes bad side effects for many who are lactose intolerant. Most people have problems digesting lactose to some degree. Lactose is actually a low glycemic carb and isn’t as digested as easily as other carbs. Even if you are lactose intolerant, they have milk available with no lactose, or you can just take the lactaid pill.

So should bodybuilders drink milk?

Protein powder is the better choice because you get more protein for the same amount of carbs. You also don’t have to worry about lactose side effects as much. If you like milk than go ahead though. Just make sure you get organic low fat milk.

Milk also contains many other beneficial ingredients such as calcium, vitamin D, and the important ALA which isn’t be found in protein powder.

Glycemic index is a very commonly touted by nutritionist as the holy grail to losing fat.

Glycemic Index:

Glycemic Index is simply the measure of glucose concentration in the blood stream after ingesting a carbohydrate meal. High Glycemic Indexed foods raise blood sugar very fast, and as a result insulin. Low Glycemic Index foods raise them slowly and steadily, and as a result there is not an extreme insulin “spike”. Glucose tablets is given the reference point with a measure of 100. Foods below 60 are low glycemid, 60 to 70 are mid-glycemic and over 70 are high glycemic.

The results of the glycemic Index have been surprising. Sugars are lower than starches and pasta.

You can find charts of the Glycemic Index all over the net.

Glycemic Index & bodybuilding:

As bodybuilders we want to maintain high insulin sensitivity for general health and for maximizing our gains. We also want to manipulate insulin levels at certain times. As a result, it is important we study the glycemic index chart.

Insulin sensitivity results in better body composition long term. In other words, higher muscle mass and lower fat is acheived better with insulin sensitive individuals. The way to help with insulin sensitivity is to avoid nasty insulin spikes. Insulin spikes usually are brought on by high glycemic foods. A diet that is mainly low to mid glycemic index foods will help keep your body insulin sensitive. Taking a lot of fat with a high glycemic carb will also slow it’s digestion and reduce the insulin spike effect.

In bodybuilding for maximum muscle gains, the ideal time to have something high glycemic is post workout. The reason being, is your glycogen stores are low and your body can absorb the insulin spike without too much negative effects. Many bodybuilders feel it is not even necessary to have a high glycemic index carb post workout either.

Being that I carry the diabetic risk gene, I decided to stop having very high glycemic shakes (maltodextrin or dextrose) after my workout. Instead I will have solid food carbohydrates an hour after workout. To me my insulin sensitivity long term, is more important than maximizing my muscle gains.

Most people are told not to eat before bed due to the concern of fat storage. However, most bodybuilders actually are taught to eat before bed.

Why do bodybuilders have a meal before bed?

Having protein before bed will help combat against muscle loss. During sleep when your glucose levels drop, your body will enter a catabolic state (muscle wasting state). To get the bodies energy it will burn fat, but will also burn a small amount of your hard earned muscle to get the amino acids!

What should you have in the meal before bed?

About a half hour after you fall asleep, your body releases a huge
spike of growth hormone. Unfortunately, high glucose levels will halt production of this growth hormone spike. For this reason, you should leave carbohydrates out of your late night meal. You should have about 40 to 60 grams worth of protein before bed.

In order to slow the release of your protein, you should take fat with your protein shake. Flaxseed oil or peanut butter should be taken with a protein shake before bed. You can also choose to have a slow digesting protein source instead, such as cottage cheese or meat.

Breakfast is the one meal no bodybuilder (or even non-bodybuilders) should not neglect.

Importance of breakfast & bodybuilding:

What you eat for breakfast causes a chain reaction for the rest of your day. When you wake up from sleep, your body is in a catabolic state. It has high levels of cortisol (the muscle breakdown hormone). Your glycogen levels in your liver and skeletal muscle will also have been depleted after hours of “fasting” while you sleep. The only thing that can reverse the cortisol production, is insulin. Carbohydrates create the biggest insulin spike so are the most effective in halting cortisol.

Having a big balanced breakfast will give you energy throughout the day and raise your metabolism. If you don’t get enough calories in your breakfast it will effect your mood and energy for your workouts later in the day.

What Bodybuilders should eat for breakfast:

As bodybuilders, what you eat in your breakfast is important. Having a large amount of carbs is crucial to stop the muscle wasting from cortisol. Insulin tolerance won’t be a concern as much of a concern as your glycogen reserves will be low and your body ripe for a insulin spike.

You will also need a lot of protein to take advantage of the insulin spike. The insulin spike will shuttle your amino acids into your muscle. A large dose of protein also helps combat the high levels of cortisol by having it “eat” your ingested protein instead of your muscle!

Professional bodybuilders often use scrambled egg whites as their source of protein in the morning. Egg whites in a carton is a faster source of eggs to get the amino acids quicker into your bloodstream. Cottage cheese is another option. Protein shakes are a great choice as they are convenient and quickly get the amino acids into the body.

Oatmeal is the best source of high carbohydrates in a meal. Oatmeal gives a nice slow steady of carbohydrates. This will set the tone better for your insulin sensitivity for the rest of the day.

Bodybuilders are so caught up making sure their diet is to a “T” and their workouts are never missed. Getting a good quality sleep however, is just as important for bodybuilding.

Benefits of Sleep:

The average american only gets 7 hours of sleep according to a recent study. According to a recent study done on men 18 to 27, glucose metabolism dropped 30-40% and had increased levels of cortisol. High levels of cortisol can lead to insulin resistance, fat, muscle breakdown, more difficult athletic recovery, and other effects. The lowering of glucose metabolism normally seen in ederly led researches to speculate that prolonged sleep deprivation can increase aging.

Improving sleep improves bodybuilding gains:

The body releases human growth hormone during sleep. Although the biggest spike is after you fall asleep, you will continue to release GH in bursts throughout sleep. Getting a good nights sleep without any interruptions will help make sure you get adequate GH released.

As you can see from the earlier study, sleep deprivation causes cortisol to rise. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone and works in the opposite fashion of testosterone, an anabolic muscle building hormone. The higher cortisol levels and other effects on the body shown by this study shows it is necessary to get quality sleep every night or it will greatly effect your ability to gain muscle or lose fat.

How much sleep do bodybuilders need?

Everyone seems to have slightly different requirements. Age, genetics, and lifestyle play a role. Generally a bodybuilder should aim for at least 8 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Any supplements to help improve sleep?

ZMA is effective in improving sleep. If you are already slightly deficient in zinc the effects will be more profound. You can get the same effect by taking a zinc supplement pill. Melatonin supplements are another option, although I would caution against long term use of them.

Hormone replacement thereapy is becoming more and more common with men in the last few years. It is also a controversial topic in the medical community.

What is HRT for men?

HRT on men is simply replacing a deficiency in Testosterone levels, in order to get them back into the “normal” range. There is legitimate reasons why a man would need to do it. Sometimes low levels can be caused by an injury. Men’s testosterone levels also decline with age. As men’s testosterone levels wane, it has a term called andropause. Unlike menopause, andropause is slow and steady decline over many years. Diet, excercise and lifestyle can help comabat against this decline in your natural testosterone levels. It is estimated 20% of men over 60 have below the low normal range of testosterone.

Benefits of HRT Therapy:

HRT therapy is very beneficial in many things. Increasing testosterone levels back to normal has the following effects: normalize his energy, better sense of well being, increase libido, improve sleep, treat erectile dysfunction, increased lean mass, reduced fat, improved cardiovascular health, reduced risk against osteoporosis, and help combat depression. The lowering of visceral fat from HRT therapy leads to lower risk of chronic ailments associated with visceral fat. HRT also seems to help many men with low testosterone shrink their prostate. I and many others believe that one cause of prostate growth might be low testosterone and high estrogen ratio, so taking HRT to maintain healthy testosterone levels

Controversy with HRT for men:

Many doctors are cautious about giving testosterone replacement therapy to patients for fear of the possible health side effects of the heart and prostate. There is a belief that testosterone therapy might increase the risk of BPH (benign prostate hypertrophy) and Prostate cancer. Although there are questions to the validity of those risks, bodybuilders also use HRT as a legal way to get steroids, and together this has led doctors being cautious about giving testosterone therapy.

In January 2004 New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) suggested caution before administering HRT therapy for men. A significant percentage of middle aged men may have “dormant” prostate cancer in it’s early stages. Prostate cancer is often slow growing and asymptomatic. Most men will eventually develop prostate cancer, if they were to live into their 70’s and 80’s. NEJM wrote in the article, that supplementing with testosterone, may cause these “hidden” cases of prostate cancer to develop into a more aggressive (clinically significant) cancer. This is why doctors check your PSA (prostate specific antigen) before administering a person to a HRT program. It allows them to assess prostate cancer risk.

This theory between testosterone levels and BPH and Prostate Cancer is highly questionable. I recently wrote a very in depth article on this blog about steroid use(testosterone is a steroid too) and the issues of prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia(BPH) here. It will help give a better understanding of hormonal interactions of steroids and HRT on prostate health.

Permanent infertility is one side effect of HRT therapy that will effect all men. You will permanently lose your ability to produce testosterone naturally, once you stay on HRT for an extended period. This is because your testicles stop producing their own testosterone.

Application of HRT therapy:

HRT can be administered in injection, transdermal, implant, and oral form. Some doctors allow patients to inject themselves at home. Testosterone injections are not the best method for trying to mimic natural test production. The injections give a high dose immediately after injection, which then declines steadily over the next 2 or 3 weeks.

Losing substantial fat can be a life changing effect. Unfortunately, loose skin often plagues people after significant fat loss.

Someone who is younger is less likely to have very noticeable loose skin after losing fat, unless they are extremely obese. The older and longer you been overweight, the worse your excess skin will be when you lose the weight.

Luckily, over time the loose skin will slightly tighten up if you continue to maintain your smaller self. However, the only real way to completely get rid of loose skin in moderate to severe cases is with surgery.