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The Best Supplements

Even the greatest of prohormones will not create the type of gains that a steroid cycle can result in. But none the less there are those that are worthy of mention.

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Okay, you've heard it all before but I'm still going to have my say on the bestsupplements. Everyone has their favorites and I'm no exception.

But I think that many get carried away and take excessive amounts in the hopes that they will somehow reach a saturation level which will catepult them into steroid-like growth. Let me settle this, there is no such realm!

Even the greatest of prohormones (or pro-steroids for those of you who love Biotestproducts) will not create the type of gains that a steroid cycle can result in. But none the less there are those that are worthy of mention.

For The Record

For the record, I would like to state that you must get your training and diet in order before you attempt the use of any supplements. If a routine is not working for you now it will not work for you when you use supplement "X". It's that simple.

Supplements serve only one purpose and that is to give the body any nutrients that it may be missing thus correcting any weak link in the biochemical chain. No supplement or combination of supplements is going to fix a bad diet and/or bad training routine.

With that said, let's get to the good stuff. The following are listed in order of importance. If you can't afford them all start at the top of the list with the most basic and add in as you can or just for a trial.

The Good Stuff

I know you think I'm crazy for listing water as the main supplement. First, however, ask yourself what is more important to muscle mass than water. It comprises up to 73% of the mass of muscle tissue! It is what muscle is primarily made of so drink lots of it.

This is one of the reasons why liquid supplements (i.e. protein drinks) are so useful. They flood your muscles with the two prime components: protein and water. Don't neglect fluids in your diet or you will rob yourself of some major muscle building potential. Go for at least 10 cups of pure water per day plus all other fluids.

WATER INTAKE CALCULATOR

Body Weight:  lbs.     Daily Water Intake:  fl. oz.    cups    liters

Since I already spoke a little about these in the previous paragraph it makes sense to include them next. These supplements can be an inexpensive and convenient way to add calories and protein to your diet. What could possibly be simpler than mixing up a powder in a little milk or water and then drinking it?

 To Find Your Optimum Protein Powder, Click Here.

It takes all of 2 minutes and can provide potentially all of the nutrients of a solid meal. In some cases, like "hardgainers", there is a problem with consuming enough solid food to support muscle growth. For such people (I was one of them) these can be of great value.

A weight gainer like N-Large 2 by Prolab (my personal favorite) can be a source of up to 600 calories in one single serving. Two of these per day and you have enough extra calories to put mass on a total skeleton!

For those who don't really have trouble putting on weight but may need a little extra protein for gaining muscle mass there are the protein powders. The most popular form today is Whey protein. Whey protein comes from milk, or more specifically milk whey.

It is comprised of reasonably short chains of amino acids making it very quick to digest and get absorbed. It also seems to have a close to ideal ratio of amino acids to support muscle growth. Whey protein products also tend to taste quite a bit better than most other forms.

There are many other protein powders on the market like soy (especially cheap for those on a budget!), egg, milk and combination products. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Soy protein, for example, is very cheap and is an all vegetable product, great for the vegetarians out there.

It is a complete protein and has very little taste which means it can be mixed with just about anything. In addition, it comes with a host of health benefits that no other protein can match.

But, it is somewhat lacking in its profile of essential amino acids making it somewhat limited in its use as a sole source of protein. If you decide to go with soy, I recommend that you use it in combination with whole food at each serving or combine it with another protein product.

For many years, egg protein was considered the best source. It is still the best natural source. It has a complete protein profile and is easily digested and absorbed. For the most part though, egg protein powders are fairly expensive and tend to taste pretty awful.

Why bother, then, when whey protein powders are reasonably priced and taste much better? The other option of eating a lot of eggs is a reasonable one but, believe me, you'll soon learn to dislike eggs if you begin eating a couple of dozen a day! Not to mention the fat contained in them.

Milk has been used by generations of bodybuilders to gain mass. It is probably still the most convenient and easy to use "supplement" available. It contains complete protein which is slowly digested and absorbed over several hours. This makes it ideal for day to day protein consumption between meals as you get a steady feed of amino acids into the blood over the course of the day.

The added benefit here is that even when you don't have time to mix a shake or eat a meal you could always grab a liter of milk at the nearest corner store and make a snack out of it. A liter of milk contains 32 grams of protein, and 48 grams of carbohydrate and depending on you goals the fat can be controlled by buying different levels from skimmed (0.1%) to whole (3.3%).

It's also even available in a powdered milk protein form, but my question would be why bother? Milk is convenient, cheap and available. Don't mess with a good thing.

Still, the protein of choice is whey. There are so many available. My choice of pure protein powder would be HDT's 5+1 Whey. It's inexpensive and tastes great. If you can't really afford to use whey protein all of the time use it after you workouts to help get some protein into your system immediately. Whey's fast digestion allows the amino acids to get into the blood within about 30 minutes to 1 hour. This is ideal for post workout recovery.

 To View Top-Selling Whey Protein Products, Click Here.

A general multivitamin/multi mineral supplement is more of an insurance policy than anything else. You may not need one but it certainly can't hurt. Because of some bodybuilder's very restricted diets and repetitive consumption of the same foods they are at particular risk of developing deficiencies. So get one and take it. End of story.

The big one. This is by far the most popular supplement on the market right now. And for good reason. Creatine works! No need to get fancy. Just plain Creatine Monohydrate is fine. Creatine is a carrier molecule for phosphate. The creatine monohydrate supplement that you take is converted to creatine phosphate in the muscles.

When your muscles contract they use the energy from the breakdown of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) to do work leaving a less energetic compound Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP). Under anaerobic conditions (weight training) this ATP must then be regenerated from the resulting ADP in order to be reused for energy again.

	What Is ATP? Otherwise known as Adenosine TriPhosphate, ATP is critical to the release of energy. ATP is an adenosine-derived nucleotide that supplies large amounts of energy to cells for various biochemical processes, including muscle contraction and sugar metabolism, through its hydrolysis to ADP.

This is done by taking a phosphate from creatine phosphate and attaching it to the ADP molecule to reform ATP, thus making the molecule useable again. If Creatine is consumed in supplement form more of the Creatine phosphate can be stored and made available thus allowing anaerobic work to be carried out for a longer period of time. The result... you can train harder, longer, and make better gains!

But the story gets even better. When your muscles store creatine, more water is also stored in the muscles in order to maintain homeostasis. This causes the muscles to appear more full and can allow for the gain of up to 10 lbs of lean mass in a matter of about a week!

Initially, this mass gain is almost entirely water but if creatine supplementation is continued the body begins to respond to the equilibrium shift by building more muscle. Thus solidifying the gain. Users will tend to lose some of the weight gain at the end of a creatine cycle but an average muscle mass gain of 2-5 pounds is very common, especially among first time users.

There's lots of info about creatine available onBodybuilding.com and on the supplements labels so I won't go into that here. Sufficed to say that creatine is definitely a must-have supplement if you want to maximize your gains in the gym.

If you can afford it, this is a great supplement. Glutamine is the primary amino acid found in muscle tissue. For many athletes, heavy training can deplete its availability because of the constant state of muscle repair. For this reason, supplemental glutamine can drastically decrease recuperation time meaning you can get back to the gym sooner and make better gains as a result.

Glutamine has been added to intravenous solutions for many years for post surgical patients for this very reason. It lessons healing time. Don't take this as a go ahead to follow Arnold's routines though! Even with such help most people take much longer to recuperate from training than they think. Be smart and listen to your body. It tells you everything you need to know.

Another one of the great effects of glutamine is that it works well with creatine by increasing the volumizing effect. By doing this you can increase the growth potential of both compounds. For best results take creatine and glutamine in the same cycle. They are a winning combination.

 To View Top-Selling Creatine+Glutamine Products, Click Here.

This one is very controversial but I have had great results with it. At the very least it appears to increase my levels of aggression in the gym. It also doesn't hurt that it really increases sex drive - an added benefit!

The best products are those that combine Tribulus with other products like ZMA, vitamin B-6, and Avena Sativa. The added products seem to increase its effectiveness and the duration of its action.

Biotest produces and excellent product called Tribex Tabs which I highly recommend. The claim to fame for this product is that it somehow increases the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the blood. LH is the hormone responsible for controlling the release of testosterone.

Whether or not increasing LH levels artificially actually increases testosteronerelease is still debatable not to mention the fact that there really isn't any proof that increased natural testosterone has anything to do with muscle mass gains.

None the less, as I have said, I think it works pretty well. If you can't afford it don't worry about it. It certainly isn't an essential supplement.

Supplemental Creatine

A very in depth look at creatine and information you need to know if you are looking to use supplements to help get yourself into shape. Author L. Rea covers all the bases from chemical breakdown to affects on your body...

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SUPPLEMENTAL CREATINE
(Methylgluanido-Acetic Acid) 

Creatine is a nitrogenic compound naturally manufactured in the liver from the three amino acids Methionine, Arginine, and Glycine and is transported to the muscles via the circulatory system. Creatine is transformed into phosphocreatine and is stored in the muscle. (Also called Creatine Phosphate or CP)

The conversion of Creatine to C.P. is aided by the enzyme Creatine Kinase (CK) in bonding the Creatine to a high energy phosphate group. Once C.P. is stored in a cell, it remains until it is used as a high energy source called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). Normally the body produces about 1-2 grams of Creatine daily, and of course, metabolizes about 2 grams daily also.

The average person stores over 100 grams of Creatine in muscle tissue and in the liver. When C.P. is utilized in natural ATP regeneration, one of the by-products is called Creatinine which is then removed by the kidneys and eliminated in urine.

Since Creatinine levels are checked as an indicator of proper kidney function (and as a stress indicator for the heart) one might assume supplemental Creatine would place undue stress on the kidneys. This just is not the case. In fact, a 5 year study showed no negative side effects from continuous Creatine supplementation.

Pretty cool, huh? Creatine is also absorbed from animal and fish protein. In fact, I pound of red meat contains about 2 grams.

Loading Phase

Loading phases (contrary to the belief of some half-experts) are very important to bodybuilders and strength athletes when using most supplemental creatine products. The goal is to raise muscle creatine concentrations to a supraphysiological level as quickly as possible.

If the creatine product is simply ingested at a daily so-called maintenance dosage the result will be an action/reaction type response in which the body down-regulates CP storage enzyme secretion thus limiting the actual possible muscle cell CP hyper-concentration (total muscle cell CP content).

Since ATP is the basis of all growth, and CP is the basis of ATP regeneration, does the elimination of a loading-phase seem maximum progress goal oriented?

This increases nitrogen retention and creates an osmotic effect within muscle cells. You have often read about cell volumization in every creatine ad. If a bodybuilder is using creatine stores as fast as they come in, how can a supraphysiological (above normal concentration) saturation exist? Duh! Load first.

Osmotic Effect

All AAS increase nitrogen retention and testosterone tends to notably create an even greater osmotic effect. Both facets increase protein synthesis and strength. Nitrogen retention is anabolic simply because amino acids are not exiting muscle cells. They therefore are available for repair and growth instead of exiting or becoming an energy source.

Osmotic reactions simply mean there is an elevated level of intracellular nutrients, including water, available. The way an osmotic response effects or induces an elevation in strength is basic physics. Try benching on a waterbed. (No, I mean weights) There is little in the way of structural integrity.

Now, if you filled that waterbed with much more water, thus creating a firmer structure, the ability of it and you to support and leverage a higher weight load will improve. The osmotic effect is not simply water retention. It is an increase intracellularly (inside muscle cells) of growth nutrients, including C.P., for increased cellular repair and growth as well. If it were outside of the cells only, you would be very smooth, but this is not the case entirely.

Strength increases from most creatine supplementation range from 5-10% and body weight increases (over a 2 month cycle) range from 3-10%. This means a bodybuilder that weighs 200 LBS and bench presses 200 LBS for 10 reps max can realistically expect to weigh 206-220 LBS and bench press 210-220 LBS for 10 reps by the end of a 2 month cycle.

Results from any following Creatine cycles tend not to be as impressive as first time cycles. Unfortunately about 20% of Creatine users do not respond to Creatine. This is usually due to an inability to get the Creatine into muscle cells. But there is a solution.?.Read on.

CREATINE SUPPLEMENTS

Creatine Monohydrate (CM)

This is the most common form of Creatine in the supplement industry. Creatine Monohydrate contains about 850-880 MG of free Creatine per 1000 MG of weight. When loading on C.M., daily intake will total .3 grams per kilo of bodyweight (a 220 LB bodybuilder would need 30 G per day for 5 days which is 100 KG x 0.3 =30 G) divided into 3-5 daily dosages, followed by a daily maintenance dosage of 5-15 GMS. C.M. dissolves much better in warm water and about 16 OZ per 5 GMS is a must.

Calculate Your Creatine Loading Phase Enter Your Weight:   Select One Pounds Kilograms   Press Calculate To View Results Below! Creatine Per Day For 5 Days:  Grams Take 5 Doses Per Day Of :  Grams

Simple fact is if it does not dissolve, it does not absorb. Undissolved C.M. crystals tend to cause intestinal irritations, and in some cases, the runs. This is due to the body's need to flood the intestinal tract with excess water to flush out the irritant. Try that on a heavy squat day!

The highest purity is a must when buying creatine products. Many brands utilize SKW Creatine (now Tracolabs), which is manufactured in Germany. When tested by HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography) method, SKW creatine usually ranges between 99.5-99.8% pure Creatine Monohydrate. The by-product content is usually Dieyandiamide-20ppm, Creatinine-50 ppm, and Dihydrotriazine-n.d. (none detected).

PPM stands for parts per million. USA produced Creatine normally ranges in purity from 80-95% pure Creatine with by-product contents of Dicyandianmide 300-400-ppm, Creatinine 190-2500-ppm, and Dihydroltriazinde 90-410-ppm. Don't even think about China's Nanjing or Jeangsu produced Creatine.

Purity ranges from 50-70% pure Creatine with other interesting things. Look for the Creapure R registered trademark on Creatine Products. It means SKW manufactured Creatine.

Creatine Citrate (CC)

There are other forms of Creatine. Creatine Citrate is very water-soluble but requires twice the amount to equal the same amount of Creatine Monohydrate. Creatine Phosphate is another option but cost to effectiveness makes the product less effective than Creatine Monohydrate.

Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE)

The newest creatine coming is creatine ethyl ester, which is in my opinion, the most effective creatine source currently possible. Why?

There is a problem with all the creatine's currently on the market...they suck at "absorption". Yup, all of the creatine monohydrates, citrates, malates, and high (or low) tech delivery systems are only getting milligram amounts of creatine into your muscles, even though you are consuming GRAM amounts! And the amazing thing is, most people still get dramatic effects from all of these sub-optimal creatines.

So can you just imagine how impressive your size and strength increases would be if you absorbed nearly 100% of the creatine you swallowed? And guess what? This is now possible with the breakthrough scientific discovery of creatine ethyl esters.

All of the creatines currently on the market have a "dual charge"...one end is positive and the other is negative. In science, this is called a zwitterion. Cool word, huh? Well, it's not so cool when it comes to absorbing creatine!

You see, zwitterions are not able to penetrate lipid (fat) membranes. So, guess what...the membranes that creatine must pass through to venture from your gut to your bloodstream are made of lipids! And before creatine can go from the bloodstream to the muscle cells, it must once again face the same type of lipid membranes that it encountered in the gut.

This means that regular creatine does not readily penetrate these lipid membranes and most of it just sits there in your gut. Naturally since the dual charge creatines by nature draw water with them wherever they go, you tend to become very bloated, gassy, and often get a case of the toilet trots.

Add to this the fact that the longer that creatine sits in the harsh PH environment in the gut, the more it becomes "deactivated" and turned into the useless and potentially toxic substance, creatinine!

However, creatine ethyl esters are different! The chemical attachment of an ester to the creatine molecule makes it incredibly lipophilic, or fat penetrating, allowing it to quickly and very efficiently pass right through the lipid membranes of the gut directly into the bloodstream for direct transport to your creatine hungry muscle cells. (No sugar or other so-called transporters necessary)

Now do you understand why you absorb so little regular creatine?

Just think, only a tiny percentage of the regular old creatine you ingest makes it from your gut to your blood, and of THAT tiny portion, only a small percentage makes it from your blood to your muscle cells. What a near total waste!

And remember what I said before about creatine drawing water with it wherever it goes? As the creatine sits outside of the muscle cells it pulls water into the intracellular space in between muscle cells, giving your physique a bloated, puffy look. Exactly what you do not want from your creatine supplement.

So far CEX (by VPX Sports, tastes very bad) Creatine E? Accelerator (AGR Nutrition in capsules - convenient and no taste) and Cr2 (Applied Lifescience Research Industries) are the best companies offering creatine ethyl ester thus far, but I am sure many will follow soon.

Second Generation Creatine Products

Many people have tried the second-generation creatine products. These are products containing other nutrients to increase muscle cell absorption of C.P. There is a direct correlation between the amount of Creatine absorbed (not merely ingested) and results.

At one time, the market was flooded with products containing Dextrose (glucose) and Creatine. They did improve cellular absorption to some extent. The reason is Insulin. (Yes, go back and read the whole section on Insulin again) Okay, Insulin is a storage hormone. When the body senses excess blood sugar (Glucose), the pancreas releases Insulin to force it into cells including muscle tissue.

So by utilizing a high glycemic carb such as Dextrose, an Insulin spike is created and more carbs and amino acids enter cells. Oh, did I mention Creatine is an amino acid? The idea helped, but the problem is timing. After ingesting Creatine, blood circulatory levels peak at about 90 minutes.

So what? After ingesting Dextrose, circulatory levels peak and cause an Insulin spike after about 30 minutes, and is on the down side when the peak levels of Creatine arrive.

Third Generation Creatine Products

The third generation of Creatine products employed natural Insulin optimizers (they make Insulin receptors more sensitive in muscle tissue) and mimickers. The first real break through was the Insulin mimicker... ALPHA LIPOIC ACID.

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)? Without writing an ad for anybody, let me simply say that Lipoic Acid increases insulin receptor-site sensitivity while also mimicking Insulin's actions. Though my choice for micro-nutrient of the year award for maximum creatine transport without an increase in body fat synthesis would be 4-hydroxy - Isoleucine, ALA has proven itself useful in this area as well.

Many mainstream and knock-off second generation creatine products boast as much as over 800% increase in creatine transport into muscle cells due to ALA?but real world results usually say otherwise.

How Much Creatine?

For Creatine supplementation to result in an increase in strength and protein synthesis, the cellular concentration level must reach 20 MMOL/KG DM. During a 5 day loading periods with a high glycemic carbohydrate such as Dextrose and Creatine, the level reaches MMOL/KG DM.

When Creatine levels increase in muscle cells, the active Creatine transporters are down-regulated, so less Creatine is transported. This could be avoided if the Creatine is fortified with the Creatine substrate 3-guanidinopropionate.

Second, Creatine cannot be diffused across the muscle cell membrane without the co-transports of sodium and chloride ions to cause enough electrical charge to transport the Creatine. (Table salt) Other up-regulators of Creatine transport are Clenbuterol and Ephedrine as well as T-3 thyroid hormone. These are quite potent transporters to say the least.

Of course, Insulin (Humulin) and IGF-1 are very effective Creatine transporters. Though Dextrose is an excellent trigger for Insulin release there is a higher glycemic carbohydrate. Malt extracts contain a mixture of maltodextrins, glucose, and dextrose which are made of glucose chains of 3-7 gycosyl units.

And guess what? The small intestines absorb glucose chains containing 3-7 gycosyl units much faster than dextrose. This means a higher and stronger Insulin spike. So barley malt extract or maltodextrin is a better carb choice and can be utilized in lower levels than 75 GMs per dose. Whey protein also creates an Insulin spike which can prolong the spike from high glycemic carbs.

By the way, caffeine intake over 400 MG daily, as well as the isoflavone genistein in soy protein inhibit creatine transport. Genistein inhibits tyrosine kinases which is necessary for nutrient transport.

The body has 3 periods when creatine uptake is highest:

 After A Nights Sleep

After a nights sleep, the body is in a fasted stated due to a period of natural GH pulses (about half of your daily total GH production is released during the first 4 hours of sleep) and a prolonged period without nutrients. This results in an up-regulation of nutrient transporters and enzymes which favor intramuscular uptake of nutrients, including Creatine.

 Ingestion 45-90 Minutes Before A Work-out

When Creatine is ingested 45-90 minutes before a work-out, an athlete can take advantage of the training induced increases in blood flow to muscle tissue to transport essential nutrients across muscle cell membranes. (This also acts as a buffer to lactic acid).

Since high intensity work-outs trigger the release of adrenal hormones such as Epinephrine and Norepinephrine, the cellular uptake of nutrients is improved. Remember, Ephedrine increases cellular uptake? Well Ephedrine is an Epinephrine Mimicker.

 The First 45-90 Minutes Following A Work-out

Within the first 45-90 minutes following an intense work-out, the body is in a very nutrient receptive state. Heavy training reduces muscle glycogen stores (glycogen comes from blood sugars such as carbs) and receptor-sites for nutrients become sensitive.

This means the body is in a catabolic state requiring nutrient supply. Several storage enzymes are up-regulated and creatine (CP) levels are lower which of course means intramuscular nutrient storage ability is at a high level. It also means the muscle cells need ATP regeneration.

So what was the best Creatine home-brew mixture currently?
16-32 oz. of water	400mg of Lipoic Acid and/or 100mg of D-Pinitol
2g of Creatine	A source of 3-guanidinopropionate
250-500mg of salt	4-25g of Glutamine
20g of Malt Extract	30-50g of whey protein
25mg of Synephrine	1mg of Triacana

Creatine And Muscle Hyperplasia

How many times have you heard some gym supplement expert say that the weight gained from creatine is just water? Well, researchers wrote an interesting paper concerning creatine called: Dangott, B. Schulz, E. Mozdziak, P.E. "Dietary Creatine Monohydrate supplementation increases satellite cell mitotic activity during compensatory hypertrophy" in International Journal of Sports Medicine 21:13-16,2000. What the heck is that, huh?

Satellite-cells are the "stem cells" of skeletal muscle which the body utilizes to produce or add new cells and fibers to existing cells. This means satellite-cells are used to:

• Repair damaged muscle fibers from training
• To add cells to existing fibers to make them larger
• To form new muscle fibers through an action called muscle fiber hyperplasia.

These researchers cut off the soleus and gastrocnemius (calve) muscle on a bunch of rats, then split them into two groups.

One group received a creatine/glucose/water mixture and the other did not. Then they exercised the poor rodents in a manner that the plantaris leg muscles had to compensate for the missing calve muscles.

In both groups, the plantaris showed significant hypertrophy (growth). But the creatine/dextrose supplemental group showed much higher satellite-cell activity. In simple terms, the creatine appears to have increased hyperplasia and total muscle cell numbers.

So what? Okay, go read "Growth Hormone" and come back. So, this supports idea that Creatine Supplementation increased the actual muscle mass on a very important level. More cells, more fibers, bigger muscles.

If you have been reading so far with a close eye upon anabolism (muscle growth) you will already realize the connection between CP, ATP, Anabolic/Androgenic steroids, Growth Hormone, Insulin, thyroid hormones, IGF-1, prohormones, and Creatine. Each is tied to the other by the actions of ATP and cellular CP levels.

When a bodybuilder does a heavy set, intracellular ATP levels decrease. (Remember, muscle contractions depend on available ATP) As the work-out continues, ATP is further depleted. Another adaptive response to training is the up-regulation of androgen receptors.

Simply stated, for several hours after training, your muscle cells have more androgen receptors than they did before training. This allows a greater amount of androgens, (whether naturally produced endogenously, or provided from exogenous sources such as steroids and prohormones) to enter the cell and signal anabolism.

Unfortunately due to depleted ATP levels, the cell lacks the "energy" to do its thing. This results in low anabolism, or at least much less than would occur with higher ATP stores. This in part explains why Methyltestosterone and Oxandrolone made any reported AAS cycle much more effective. Methyltestosterone increases 3-guanidinopropionate and Oxandrolone increases CP synthesis.

Another example is GH and IGF-1. When GH finds a GH receptor-site on a muscle cell, it triggers IGF-1 release within the cell (or from the liver if the GH activates IGF-1 production there) and a high level of anabolism results. But not if ATP/CP levels are low.

This is one of the reasons why, during dieting, it is difficult to increase muscle anabolism. GH works anabolically, only with high calories because high calories increase ATP production, and anabolism depends on ATP for an energy source.

Anabolism is hard work. Again, this is why most anabolic/androgenic steroids work only in an environment of high calories. Every muscle fiber contains satellite-cells just waiting to join the fibers so the fibers can grow thicker and stronger.

More cells, more fibers and thicker fibers, means more cell/fibers to grow. Creatine Monohydrate is an exogenous source of CP which increases ATP production.

I have noted that dieting athletes not using Creatine lose bodyweight more quickly. Yet they also lose much more lean muscle mass as well. Those who used a T-3 thyroid hormone also had higher creatine stores, and those using Creatine supplementation with T-3 had the highest creatine stores.

I have also noted that those using a fast acting glycemic carb, whey protein, creatine drink only after training and during diet phases lost more bodyfat yet actually gained lean muscle mass.

Those who used the mixture of whey, Creatine, D-Pinitol, Triacana, Ephedrine or Synephrine, and Maltodextrin, looked much harder and fuller. So what do you think of Creatine now? There are several good creatine forms such as creatine ethyl ester and effervescent, and those providing transporters and Insulin mimickers are fair as well.

Nutrition Strategies for Ripped Abs

A 6-pack is the hallmark of having a ripped body. No fitness or figure competitor would be caught without one. Try these 10 strategies and soon you'll want bathing suit season to be a year-round event.

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10 Nutrition Strategies For Ripped Abs

A 6-pack is the hallmark of having a ripped body. No fitness or figure competitor would be caught without one. However, for those of us who didn't win the genetic lotto when it comes to flat abs, achieving a 6-pack isn't as simple as doing ab exercises and watching what you eat.

Instead, you need to hunker down and tweak your diet to perfection. Try these 10 strategies and soon you'll want bathing suit season to be a year-round event.

. Whey Less 

Whey helps build muscle tissue, that's old news. But, did you know that its rich leucine content also means it stimulates fatty acid oxidation (leucine also upregulates muscle protein synthesis while decreasing muscle protein breakdown). A 2006 study showed that adding 60 grams of whey protein/day, in comparison to 60 grams of soy protein or 60 grams ofcarbohydrate, led to significant decreases in body fat and weight after 6 months.

Whey protein has also been shown to increase satiety. Increase satiety and theoretically you should eat less later! You'll be less hungry at least. Whether or not you eat is up to you.

2. Bone Up On Dairy 

Aside from the obvious bone-building and blood pressure lowering benefits of dairy, researchers at the University of Tennessee stumbled on a potential connection between calcium and weight several years ago. Dairy companies became giddy about this research and started putting "weight management" claims on yogurt products and in milk commercials.

While some subsequent studies showed that calcium may help with weight management, others revealed that consuming calcium had no effect on weight.

Clinical trial data may be mixed in part due to the study length or the fact that supplemental calcium, versus dairy products, was used in the some of the studies. Why does the source matter? Because dairy products also contain vitamin D.

 Click Image To Enlarge.
Some Studies Showed That Calcium
May Help With Weight Management.

One 24-week weight loss study in obese adults showed that body weightloss was 26% greater in the high calcium group (1,200-1,300 mg calcium/day through diet and supplementation) but an astounding 70% greater in the high dairy group (1,200-1,300 mg calcium/day obtained solely through dairy foods).

Fat loss was also significant in both groups though much greater in the group obtaining calcium through dairy products, 38% and 64% respectively from each group. In this study, dairy was superior over supplemental calcium.

Vitamin D is inextricably linked to calcium because it promotes calcium absorption. In addition to the importance of vitamin D in maintaining normal blood calcium levels, lab research shows that calcium and vitamin D may work together to regulate fat metabolism in fat cells by suppressing fat synthesis and sparking fat oxidation (burning). In addition, low circulating levels of vitamin D have been linked to excess adipose (fat) tissue.

3. Eat Large Quantities Of Food 

Remember the book Eat More, Weigh Less? There was some truth to the title. For several years now, Penn State University researcher Dr. Barbara Rolls, has been studying how the volume of food in a meal affects our satiety and therefore the number of calories we ingest. A concept she has termed Volumetrics.




How does Volumetrics work? Rolls tells us that we should focus on the energy density of foods and consume foods with low energy density, those that are low in calories but fill us up based on their total volume. Low energy density foods include broth-based soups, non-starchy vegetables, many fruits (not dried ones though), and whipped shakes.

4. Eat Often 

This should be a no brainer but some people literally have to set their Blackberry to beep when it is time to eat. When we eat we burn calories (thermogenic effect of eating) and we end up less hungry later. Skip meals and you are setting the stage to overeat at your next meal. So, do what it takes to remember to eat often.

5. Drink Green Tea 

Green tea extract when combined with caffeine, increases energy expenditure (calories burned). Studies have also shown that habitual green tea consumers are better able to maintain their weight.

Researchers have theorized that weight maintenance is easier due to increased thermogenesis and fat oxidation. Tea has a multitude of other benefits as well so you can't go wrong with adding tea to your diet. If you prefer, try an energy drink with green tea extract and caffeine.

6. Ban Trans 

Yes, there are foods that still contain trans fats. Even at very low levels of consumption, 1-3% of total energy intake, trans fats increase your risk for coronary heart disease.

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Trans Fats Increase Your
Risk For Coronary Heart Disease.

In addition to all of the nasty things trans fats do to increase your risk for killing your heart, trans fats are associated with increased abdominal fat deposition. So, read labels. If the product says "partially hydrogenated oil," throw it out. Your heart, gut and the rest of your body will thank you.

7. Eat Fatty Fish 

Omega 3s are tied to a healthy heart, healthy skin, decreased depression and a variety of other benefits. They also reduce adipose tissue, most especially in the abdominal area. Studies have revealed that omega 3s upregulate the expression of genes that lead to fatty acid oxidation and decrease the development of obesity.

So load up on salmon, mackerel, herring, halibut, sardines and tuna steak. If you hate fish, take fish oil supplements (enteric coated ones unless you like fish burps).

8. Be Wary Of Sugar Free Products 

How many people do you know who chew packs of sugar free gum or candies so they won't eat? Sounds like a good idea, especially the sugar free kind. The thing is, many sugar free gums and candies have sugar alcohols in them which can cause bloating and abdominal discomfort.

In large quantities, they can also cause a laxative effect in some people. Many sugar alcohols are known by their "-ol" ending: mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, maltitol. Mannitol is the worst offender when it comes to gas and bloating.

9. Don't Be So Sweet 

It should be obvious by now that sweet, sugary foods like a Cinnabon aren't exactly going to get you to look like a cover model. However, if you still crave sweet foods, you may want to take a look at your intake of artificial sweeteners. You know, the stuff in the blue, yellow and pink packets (I'm waiting for them to come out with something in a pleasant green packet).

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Sugary Foods Aren't Going To
Help You Get That Six-Pack.

Most sweeteners contain few, if any calories, and they won't spike yourinsulin the way sugar does. But, they may increase your desire for sweet foods. Let's face it, you get used to eating sweet stuff and you may crave sweeter stuff. And, there is no convincing evidence that adding these to our diet has helped us take the weight off or maintain our weight.

10. Quit Boozing 

If you are going to drink alcohol, at least drink wine and get a fewantioxidants. But seriously, cut the alcohol.

Do you know anyone who has ripped abs and still drinks on a regular basis (and yes, weekly counts as regularly!)? No, you don't, unless they are agenetic freak of nature. And, if you were a genetic freak of nature with naturally rock-hard abs, you probably wouldn't be reading this article.

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Cut The Alcohol.