Blogging About The Truth To Gain Weight & Build Muscle Mass!

Becky Holman reports in her column that oil taken with meals, whether as fish oil capsules or salad dressing, has been shown to boost absorption of some antioxidants and phytochemicals in vegetables by as much as 10%. She recommends to take a few capsules with every meal.

My take: I’m all about increasing the absorption of the foods you are already eating, especially when you are trying to gain weight fast. I, personally, recommend going the olive oil route, since it is cheaper and a great way to get an extra amount of calories into your daily total.

That’s right, according to Becky Holman in a recent column she penned, seaweed can make junk food healthier by increasing the fiber content of whatever it is you’re eating to gain muscle weight and build muscle fast.

In a study done at the University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom, continues to write Holman, scientists added seaweed to white bread for the health-boosting effect. Hey, whatever it takes, right.

Now, I do want to add that yes, fiber is good to a certain extent, but if you are person that does not have the biggest of appetites, which is more than likely one of the main reasons why you can’t seem to build muscle and gain quality weight because it’s very difficult for you to eat enough calories, then you really don’t want to be eating too much fiber.

The thing to consider about fiber is the fact that it takes a long time for your body to digest it, thus making you feel slightly bloated in the stomach, and, as a result, can kill your appetite…..wonderful if you are trying to cut calories to burn fat and lose weight…..but bad if you are skinny and are trying to gain muscle mass naturally.

In a column written by Becky Holman, she mentions how onions have lots of quercetin, a bioflavonoid that reduces inflammation in the same manner as aspirin. That means onions can do good things for healing joint pain, that could be brought on by intense workout routines, as well as cardiovascular health, which will help in increasing the pump so important for muscle building and weight gaining purposes.

Probiotics are good bacteria that balance out the naturally occurring bad bacteria in your digestive tract, according to a column in MuscleMag. The majority of your immune system is located in your digestive tract, so if you keep it healthy, your entire body can stay healthy.

According to Dr. Alan Logan, continues the same column, several studies have shown that the use of probiotic supplements improves nasal congestion, sinus infections, and other allergies. One of the easiest and cheapest way to obtain probiotics in your every day eating is through yogurt, which contains a lot of these little guys.

Remember, the healthier you are the more likely you are to be able to engage in intense workout routines that will help you gain weight and build muscle mass fast!

The message boards have been lighting up in the last couple of days due to the fact that in one of the latest muscle building magazines IFBB rookie Ben White, who has long been challenging Johnny Jackson to a powerlifting contest, is said to now be claiming that he won’t do the competition because JOJ wants it to be a “3 lift” contest, meaning that they would be competing in the bench press, the squat, and deadlift.

Well, Ben White has long been stating that what he wants to go head to head with JOJ is in benching, since he feels that the deadlift and the squat are dangerous (which I completely agree with. I have always felt that those 2 movements have got to be 2 of the most over-rated exercises for muscle building ever!).

An official list of the prize money breakdown for the 2008 Arnold Classic has been released. It is as follows:

1st Place $130,000 plus Audemars Piquet Watch
2nd Place $70,000
3rd Place $50,000
4th Place $30,000
5th Place $15,000
6th Place $10,000
7th Place $1,000
8th Place $1,000
9th Place $1,000
10th Place $1,000
11th Place $1,000
12th Place $1,000
13th Place $1,000
14th Place $1,000
15th Place $1,000
*Best Poser $10,000

Fitness International
1st Place $25,000
2nd Place $12,500
3rd Place $8,000
4th Place $5,000
5th Place $3,000
6th Place $2,000

Figure International
1st Place $15,000
2nd Place $10,000
3rd Place $8,000
4th Place $5,000
5th Place $3,500
6th Place $2,000

Ms. International
1st Place $25,000
2nd Place $12,500
3rd Place $8,000
4th Place $5,000
5th Place $3,000
6th Place $2,000

According to “Ask The Dietitian”, at www.dietitian.com, amino acids in the real world don’t offer any significant advantages to muscle building than does regular foods that contain protein.

According to the site, “There is no research to support any benefit to taking amino acid supplements for persons who exercise…Weightlifting will increase muscle size and the average U.S. diet and the RDA contains enough protein (females 50 grams and males 63 grams per day) to promote an increase in muscle mass.”.

Interesting quote. However, we always have to be cautious whenever we read any scientific or medical study, being that what may happen in a lab doesn’t always come out the same in the real world.

Saying that, however, I personally agree that amino acid supplements are a waste of money and don’t offer any visible benefits in gaining weight and building muscle mass naturally than does simply ensuring that you are eating enough calories for your particular body. There are plenty of real world proofs of this. Look at IFBB legend Danny Padilla, who back in the day, when preparing for a competition, practically ate only 60 grams of protein per day, according to what he himself has said. Also, take a look at prisoners, who get big and strong, yet they don’t get anywhere near the amount of protein suggested in the bodybuilding magazines or internet sites, yet they manage to build more muscle and gain more weight than your average gym rat / supplement user

According to the February issue of Flex, milk can in fact be better at replenishing your muscles after a hard and intense workout routine than drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade.

The column cites new research being conducted at Loughborough University, located in the United Kingdom, that suggests that skim milk may be better for rehydration.

Subjects exercised in the heat until they lost about 2% of their bodyweight from sweating. Then they drank 150% of their fluid loss either as water, Powerade, or skim milk. As reported in the British Journal of Nutrition, when the subjects drank water or Powerade, they urinated double the amount of fluid that they did when they drank skim milk. This resulted in the subjects staying adequately hydrated after drinking milk, but still dehydrated after downing water or Powerade. The study suggested that sodium and potassium in milk accounted for its effectiveness at rehydration.

Anything that helps maintain proper hydration within muscle mass is always going to help you with your muscle building / weight gaining goals!!!

The official list of the bodybuilders that will be competing in the 2008 Arnold Classic being held in Columbus, Ohio on February 29th – March 2nd is out.

Here’s the list for the Mens competition:
Melvin Anthony
Gustavo Badell
Adorthus Cherry
Toney Freeman
Kai Greene
Deshaun Grimez
Phil Heath
David Henry
Dexter Jackson
Johnnie Jackson
Victor Martinez
Desmond Miller
Ronny Rockel
Silvio Samuel
Branch Warren

The list for Ms. International is as follows:
Lisa Aukland
Tracy Beckham
Dayana Cadeau
Tazzie Colomb
Iris Floyd Kyle
Kristy Hawkins
Rosemary Jennings
Debi Laszewski
Cathy LeFrancois
Mah-Ann Mendoza
Colette Nelson
Yaxeni Oriquen
Betty Pariso
Brenda Raganot
Annie Rivieccio
Antoinette Thompson
Betty Viana-Adkins

The women competing in the Fitness International are:
Regiane Da Silva
Tina Durkin
Bethany Gainey
Tracey Greenwood
Oksana Grishina
Jen Hendershott
Kimberly Klein
Julie Lohre
Tanya Merryman
Mindi O’brien
Julie Palmer
Stacy Simons

And the Figure International competitors are:
Sonia Adcock
Gina Aliotti
Paola Almerico
Catherine Andersen
Natalie Benson
Monica Brant-Peckham
Amy Fry
Bernadette Galvan
Jennifer Gates
Deborah Leung
Juliana Malacarne
Kristal Richardson
Chastity Slone
Brenda Marie Smith
Briana Tindall
Valerie Waugaman
Latisha Wilder
Nicole Wilkins

As always, this display of sheer muscle building mass, athleticism, beauty, and classic physiques will sure be an exciting highlight of the upcoming 2008 professional bodybuilding schedule!

The Weider / AMI company has been signing up new bodybuilders to endorse their muscle building supplments. Some of the new arrivals are Melvin Anthony and Tony Freeman. No longer with them are Darrem Charles and Troy Alves.

So it’s safe to assume that you’ll no longer see Tony and Melvin writing articles for Muscular Development magazine, or Darrem and Troy writing for Flex magazine and Muscle & Fitness magazine.

Regardless, all four of these gentlemen are some of the best bodybuilders in the entire world, so whichever magazine has their services is fortunate….and talk about all of four being class acts.

Are Continuous Sets Better For Muscle Building?

That’s the name of my latest article which is continuous the previous article discussing the hotly debated in the weight gym topic. Take a look at it to find out my personal thoughts on what is more effective for pure muscle building purposes and gaining weight naturally.

In Medicine Science Sports Exercise, 2007, it is stated that dehydration, or lack of enough water within the muscle tissues, lowers muscular endurance and raises the risk of injuries caused by overheating, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

The problems lies in that the lower the amount of fluids flowing within the body the more difficult it becomes to regulate the body’s core temperature….all of which affect negatively the amount of force the muscle can generate. Also, it is less likely you’ll be able to create a nice, tight, muscle building pump, all of which will help you gain weight naturally.

Ever noticed how there are basically two completely different angles to approach how sets, amount of weight used, and rest in between sets is performed?

Some will keep the same weight throughout all sets, while resting as long as it takes to accomplish that, and others, regardless how much they have to drop in weight after each set is completed, will only rest for a very specific amount of time.

Well, which of the two methods are better if muscle building is what you seek?

Read the latest article I’ve just posted on this:
Are Continuous Sets Better For Muscle Building?

According to the February issue of MuscleMag International, a study conducted by the Depression and Clinical Research Program at Massachussetts General Hospital it was concluded that weight gain is a common side effect of antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil.

Some other medications and bodybuilding supplements, such as steroids and antihistamines, can trigger hunger, causing some to overeat.

Again, even if you’re someone that your main goal is muscle building, it is of great importance that you keep body fat gains to a minimum if you don’t want to end up looking like a dough boy!

When it comes to muscle building and gaining quality weight, one of the most important hormones within the body that is directly responsible for this type of growth is none other than testosterone. This is one of the many reasons why it is one of the preferred substances used in bodybuilding and in anti-aging.

Well, researchers at the University of Cincinnati found that the higher your own stress and tension levels are, the lower your natural testosterone levels drop…which obviously isn’t a good thing. The found that there is a direct relationship between the two.

In one of the researches conducted, they noticed that animals that were removed from a stressful environment were able to build more muscle and lose weight faster than when in the tension-filled environment.

This is easier said than done in the real life, with so many pressures that are thrown at us daily, whether it be economic pressure, trying to keep up with the bills, health issues, problems within the family, school, college, etc…..all to which could have a negative impact on our own testosterone levels.

So if muscle building is your primary goal when it comes to your physique, keep you stress levels in check.

Ironman Magazine has some good information on getting some of your fiber from apples. Yes, I realize that fiber is an excellent nutrient to help you lose body fat because, to put it simply, it suppresses the appetite because of its long digestion time. But, even though your main objective may be muscle building, you still need to maintain the definition of your physique, which requires low body fat levels.

However, as the magazine states, apples are higher in fiber than many other fruits. One average-sized apple has 5 grams of fiber, and we need about 25 grams per day. So one apple gives you about 20% of your daily quota.

Again, muscle building or fat burning, you still need your fiber!

Flex magazine has given a very good explanation as to the difference between these two muscle building exercises. Basically, the overhand grip will allow you to use more weight and targets the outer head of the triceps muscle. The underhand grip forces you to use less weight, but better isolates the triceps because it takes the shoulders out of the equation. In addition, it targets slightly more the inner head of the triceps.

Now, my personal take is that neither is better or worse than the other. In my opinion, being that you need to train both the inner and outer head of the muscle, you should somehow incorporate both exercises in your muscle building workout routine.

Chinese Number 10 (NT), a hyped up dietary supplement aimed at burning body fat and suppressing our appetite, in research done at Louisiana State University, has been found to be nothing but garbage!

Yes, keeping low body fat levels during your muscle building phases is very important, but this substance isn’t going to get you there.

Check out the article here: Another Muscle Building / Weight Loss Supplement Bites The Dust

Resveratrol is an antioxidant that may prevent heart disease, stroke, cancer, and premature death. This is the main ingredient found in red wine, to which most are attributing it’s incredible benefits to.

Resveratrol works like insulin to help regulate blood sugar. As a matter of fact, Chinese researchers did a study on mice. In that study that discovered that it protected against diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, which are important factors in not only burning body fat, but also in muscle building.

This substance may improve blood sugar metabolism, lower the severity of Metabolic Syndrome, and increase endurance capacity. Again, all which are a must to gain and build well defined muscle mass.

Legendary bodybuilder Reg Park has passed away at the age of 79 in his native South Africa. He apparently lost his battle with skin cancer.

Reg Park, as many fans know, was the individual that most influenced Arnold Schwarzenegger to pursue bodybuilding, as he has officially stated many times.

Reg was considered one of the strongest bodybuilders of his time, and he competed from 1949 to 1970. Reg Park was a legend in our sport, and we are saddened by his passing. Our thoughts and wishes go to his family, friends and fans.

Recently, many have been saying that you should consume more calcium if you are either trying to lose weight or maintain body fat levels low while building muscle. Well, it has been found that in all reality, there isn’t any evidence that calcium supplements or eating / drinking a large amount of dairy products promotes low body fat levels.

As a result, the Federal Trade Commission asked the National Dairy Council to cancel it’s ad campaign that promoted this. Don’t get me wrong, you need a minimum amount of calcium for healthy reasons, but don’t go thinking it’s some type of “magical pill” that’s going to get you ripped to shreds or help you build more muscle.

Especially since the popularity of High Intensity Training and all of its similar versions, going to failure on every set of an exercise (continuing to perform reps to the point of not being able to do anymore) has become a crucial factor.

However, a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that you’re able to increase total reps for that muscle if you don’t go to failure on the sets. For example, let’s say you’re lifting 200 pounds, and if you were to take the set to the point of failure, you’d probably be able to complete 15 reps. Instead, however, of going to failure, stop 2 or 3 reps short of failure, in other words, stop the set at 12 or 13 reps (even though you could complete 15 reps). This will allow you to be able to do more and more reps in the next sets of that workout. This is because by avoiding failure you’re not draining the muscle, its energy systems, or the nervous system’s capacities.

And, the more reps you can complete overall with the same weight will most definitely lead to more muscle building!

Maybe Juan Valdez knew something about muscle building and coffee way before it was made public!

Anyway, check out the this article just posted on here giving us even more reasons to consider using caffeine as one of our weapons in gaining muscle mass:

Caffeine and Muscle Building!

Many feel that every set of every exercise you perform in your workout routine must “go to failure”, meaning you must take the set to the point where you can’t complete one more rep.

Is this a necessary trigger for muscle building? Many workout programs say yes, such as versions of High Intensity Training and the likes.

Well, many have come to find out that in the REAL WORLD, that’s not the case. As a matter of fact, going to failure on every set could actually slow down the muscle building process.

Scientists in Spain found that when 42 men trained to failure on all working sets for 4 months, they had lower levels of testosterone and IGF-1 (all muscle building hormones), yet had higher levels of cortisol (a muscle-destroying hormone).

If you think popping vitamins or taking supplements will help you feel “more energetic”, you’re wrong. Keep in mind that the main objective of vitamins is to assist you into converting the foods you eat into a biochemical form the body can utilize.

Getting enough sleep, eating correctly, not overtraining, avoiding stress and tension, etc., are what truly will have an impact on your energy levels…..not taking a boatload of vitamins.

Think about: before bodybuilders go workout, what do they make sure they do? Take more vitamins? No. Eat a meal with the proper amount and type of calories to fuel the intense workout the lays ahead? You betcha!

Even when trying to gain lean muscle mass is your main goal, you still want to make sure that you have an efficient metabolism. Hey, no use in gaining all of this weight if most of it is fat….and then when you try to burn it off it refuses to!

An efficient metabolism will make more probable that the weight that you are putting on is mainly muscle weight, in addition to the correct training and eating programs. So out of all the hyped up, expensive metabolism / fat burning dietary supplements out there, which one will give you the biggest bang for your buck??

Hydroxycut? Lipo-6? Thermo-yada-yada? ……….Nope.

It’s good old fashion caffeine!

Everytime you consume caffeine (more than likely in a hot cop of “joe”), you’ll need to drink 200-400 mgs of caffeine.

So, Starbucks, Caribou, Second Cup, Goya, Bustello, Pilon……here I come!!!!

Let’s be honest here, in order to put on a significant amount of lean, high quality muscle on your frame, you have to eat more calories per day than what your body utilizes. Plain and simple. There’s no getting around that.

You can workout until you’re blue in the face, but if you aren’t backing those intense workout programs with enough calories to allow the muscles to recover, recuperate, and then grow, you’ll just find yourself spinning your wheels.

So, on certain days (not everyday) a high calorie diet is a must. But, as with anything, the question arises……how’s this affecting my cholesterol levels?

Well, to ensure that you’re keeping yourself healthy, here’s an article the contains a few facts on this:

Niacin, Blood Cholesterol, & Eating To Gain Muscle

I’m sure you’ve read everywhere or have been told that even though you must eat to gain muscular weight that you still need to keep carbs on the lower end of the scale so as “not to provoke any insulin spikes”…or to “keep insulin under control”.

This is all just all part of the whole carb-phobia phenomenon that has been sweeping the United States in the last couple of years. Everyone seems to be making too much of a big deal about insulin and fat storage.

However, did you know that constant low insulin levels are a predictor of body fat gain in the Pima Indians.

Don’t take my word for it. Check out the study:
“Reduced Insulin Secretion: An Independent Predictor Of Weight Gain. Shwartz 1995″

One excellent way to save a ton of money on the foods you need for your muscle gaining diet is only purchase items at the grocery store that are found along the perimeter of the supermarket. This is known as “shopping around the perimeter”.

Most of the products found along the perimeter of a supermarket are less processed than the items found in the center aisles. And, when you calculate it, they provide more nutrition per dollar than the items in the middle of the grocery store.

Things such as fresh chicken and vegetables are found along the perimeter, while higher priced name-brand items tend to be on the inside of the store……which will always cost you more money.

So, no, it doesn’t take a big bank account to support a nutrition plan aimed at helping you get in the right calories to help you gain muscle mass and size!

Lately, there’s been some talk about how effective is stretching out muscle BEFORE you’re going to train it with weights.

Yes, for years it was a “given”. But you might want to check out this article before doing so….it could be the difference between a muscle gaining workout, or a wasted effort:

Does Stretching Help or Hurt You Gain Muscle?