Showing posts with label physique. Show all posts
Showing posts with label physique. Show all posts
Thursday, April 28, 2016
When Whey Casein Unite in the Spirit of True Physique Improvements BCAAs Glutamine Better Shut the F Up
![]() |
| Ever wondered, why you hit a plateau, "although" youve started to use this whey protein w/ extra aminos? |
You can learn more about protein intake at the SuppVersity

Are You Protein Wheysting?
Cod protein for recovery

Protein requ. of athletes
High EAA protein for fat loss
Fast vs. slow protein

Too much ado about protein?
![]() |
| Table 1: Overview of the resistance training progamm (Kersick. 2006) |
That was a pretty long time, and as you can see in Figure 1, it was long enough to produce significant results. Significant results that tell you that the only addition you want to make to your cheap whey protein is some (not so cheap) micellar casein to achieve what I outlined in Mai 2012 and on countless other occasions, a stable hyper-aminoacidemia (= elevated levels of amino acids in the blood) for several hours (learn more)
As you should be able to see even without scrutinizing the bars in Figure 1, the latter lead to significant increases in lean mass in an already resistant trained group of subjects.
![]() |
| Figure 1: Changes in total body mass, lean mass and fat mass |
"Thats not true, cause Ive had great success with bullocks advanced proteins!"
Now, I obviously know already that there are certain people who dont like to hear facts like this. These people who are actually oftentimes only unwilling to admit that they have been screwed who will now probably be freakin out about "what if"s like "What if the casein made them hungry, so that they ate much more" ... I hear ya, folks, but how would that explain that the fat mass of the whey + casein (WC) group increased by 100g, while the guys on the "advanced" formula gained 200 albeit statistically non-sigificant grams?
![]() |
| Table 2: Energy & macro-nutrient intake in the whey + casein (WC), whey + BCAA + glutamin (WBG) and the carbohydrate control (P) group (Kersick. 2006). |
![]() |
| Figure 2: Leucine balance as a measure of protein balance after the ingestion of different forms of protein / amino acids (same net nitrogen load; Dangin. 2001; Bilsborough. 2006) |
Dangins study did after all demonstrate that the same amino acids you will find in casein will induce a negative leucine balance, when they are administered in their isolated (see Figure 2). If you are still not angry that youve been fooled time and again, you probably havent bought any of the pertaining "improved protein" let alone "pro-anabolic free form amino acid supplements" in the past decade - lucky you; and dont tell me you just couldnt afford it ;-)
- Bilsborough, Shane, and Neil Mann. "A review of issues of dietary protein intake in humans." International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism 16.2 (2006).
- Dangin, Martial, et al. "The digestion rate of protein is an independent regulating factor of postprandial protein retention." American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology And Metabolism 280.2 (2001): E340-E348.
- Kerksick, Chad M., et al. "The effects of protein and amino acid supplementation on performance and training adaptations during ten weeks of resistance training." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 20.3 (2006): 643-653.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Let There Be Light 10 New Studies to Enlighten You About the Health Effects of Light Exposure on Health Physique
![]() |
| No, the sun does not kill you. If you control your exposure it may extend your life and improve your life-quality significantly. |
But is that really all, bright light, or more specifically, the regular and well-timed exposure to bright light can do for you?
The effects on circadian rhythm could be behind the Suns anti-cancer effects

Sunlight, Bluelight, Backlight and Your Clock
Sunlight a La Carte: "Hack" Your Rhythm
Fasting (Re-)Sets the Peripheral Clock
Vitamin A & Caffeine Set the Clock

Pre-Workout Supps Could Ruin Your Sleep
As a SuppVersity reader you do yet know all about those negative effects from the circadian rhythm series, anyway. Reason enough for me, to focus primarily on all the good stuff, the well-timed exposure to bright light can do for you in todays Special of the SuppVersity Short News.
- If you cant let go off your mobile at night, use blue blocker glasses as a countermeasure for alerting effects of evening light-emitting diode screen exposure - According to researchers from the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, blue blocker glasses (BB) significantly attenuate LED-induced melatonin suppression in the evening and decrease vigilant attention and subjective alertness before bedtime.
Strangely, though, visually scored sleep stages and behavioral measures collected the morning after were not modified. Still, van der Lely et al. conclude: "BB glasses may be useful in adolescents as a countermeasure for alerting effects induced by light exposure through LED screens and therefore potentially impede the negative effects modern lighting imposes on circadian physiology in the evening "(van der Lely. 2014). - UV-light protects against "brainflammation" in MS model - Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison report in their latest paper that UV light selectively inhibits spinal cord inflammation and demyelination in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
Previous studies have already shown that UV radiation (UVR) can suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple-sclerosis (MS), independent of vitamin D production. The mechanism of this suppression did yet remain to be elucidated, until Wang et al. (2014) observed that UVR (10kJ/m²) does not just inhibit the inflammation and demyelination of the spinal cord, but will also dramatically and significantly reduce spinal cord chemokine CCL5 mRNA and protein levels.
In conjunction with an increased production of intereron-gamma (IFN-?) and IL-10, which are actually used to treat all sorts of autoimmune diseases, artificial and natural UV light can thus actually "prevent the migration of inflammatory cells into the CNS" (Wang. 2014).
Bright light in the AM and the consumption of a breakfast thats high in tryptophan can help you maintain a healthy circadian rhythm - In case you are asking yourself how you can grasp all the benefits that are associated with having an intact circadian rhythm, you may be intrigued to hear that researchers from the Fukuoka Womens University have been able to show that an increase in tryptophan intake at breakfast combined with daytime light exposure has beneficial effects on melatonin secretion and sleep quality. As you can see in the figure to the left it will significantly elevate the evening melatonin peak, which is critical for an optimal circadian rhythm.
Melatonin conc. after 4 days w/ dim vs. bright light and tryptophan rich vs. poor breakfast (Fukushige. 2014).
If you are looking to optimize your internal clock bright light (either sunlight or a 10,000 Lux daylight lamp) + tryptophan (seeds, nuts, soy, cheese, chicken, turkey, fish, oats, beans and eggs are the TOP10 sources) are the way to go. If you want an extra "kick" add some coffee to the equation. This will increase the light responsiveness of the circadian pacemaker - well, at least in mice it does (Diepen. 2014).
![]() |
| If you want to design your own "dawn simulator" thats the spectrum you need (Virginie. 2014). |
- Bright lights at work will keep you sane, happy and alert - If you are working in an insufficiently lit office without natural sunlight, you should be prepared to develop physiological, sleep and depressive symptoms.
Assuming you have a window in your office, you will get a significantly more pronounced total and peak exposure to bright light thats going to correlate with 33% reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol, a more natural rhythm of melatonin and a reduced risk of minor psychiatric disorders and depressive symptoms (MA) in the evening.
Thats at least what the results of a recent study from the UFRGS in Porto Alegre indicates (Harb. 2014). A study the authors of which proudly say that their "study demonstrated that not only may light pollution affect human physiology but also lack of exposure to natural light is related to high levels of cortisol and lower levels of melatonin at night, and these, in turn, are related to depressive symptoms and poor quality of sleep" (Harb. 2014).
Staying away from nightly night exposure may also help to keep your arteries clean even in the old age - Studies indicate that even after adjustment for confounding factors, including age, gender, body mass index, current smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, sleep medication, estimated glomerular filtration rate, nocturia, bedtime, duration in bed (scotoperiod), day length (photoperiod), urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin excretion and daytime and nighttime physical activity, exposure to light at night is associated with carotid intima-media thickness (Obayashi. 2014).
If you want to light up the darkness, when its actually time to sleep do it with green (555nm) or red, not blue light, which suppresses melatonin (Bonmati-Carrion. 2014).
If you dont want to develop subclinical carotid atherosclerosis, when you are old, it would thus be a good idea to adhere to the basic rules of sleep hygiene: a dark room and/or blindfolds will keep your arteries clean and may thus save your life ;-)- If you have kidney problems, get out in the sun if you want to survive - Scientists from the University of California Irvine Medical Center were able to show that dialysis patients residing in higher UV index regions have lower all-cause mortality compared to those living in moderate-high UV regions (Shapiro. 2014).
More specifically, the ~60year-old subjects residing in moderate-high UV index regions had a 16% reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Those living in very-high UV index regions had a 1% higher risk reduction (17%). Interestingly, there was a similar inverse association between UV index and mortality was observed across all subgroups, but it was more pronounced among whites vs. non-whites. - Wear those shades (or bluelight blocker glasses) before any important sport event - Why? Stupid question. If you dabble around with your smartphone "unprotected" the evening before an important sport event for only 30 minutes, this can influence exercise performance under hot conditions during the subsequent early morning (Thompson. 2014).
![]() |
| Even brief light exposure, when your eyes are closed messes with your circadian rhythm. |
![]() |
| Sleep disturbance and adaptive immunity. Following a night of sleep loss, or during a period of sleep disturbance, nerve fibers from the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) release the neurotransmitter norepinephrine into primary and secondary lymphoid organs and stimulate the adrenal gland to release stored epinephrine into systemic circulation. Both neuromediators stimulate leukocyte adrenergic receptors (e.g., ADRB2) and activate nuclear factor (NF)-?B-mediated inflammatory programs (Irwin. 2015). |
- If your grandparents have Alzheimers install a timer-based light system - This may not just increase their sleep quality, but it will also improve their behavior and mood as indicated by reduced depression scores on the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia and agitation scores from the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (Figueiro. 2014).
I must warn you, though: The recent field study from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is promising, but the results should be replicated using a larger sample size and perhaps using longer treatment duration. - If you have to work night shifts consider using 1-5mg melatonin 1h before you go to bed - Why? You have to counter the natural decline in melatonin production that occurs over consecutive days of night work (Dumont. 2014).
In a recent study from the Sacre-Coeur Hospital of Montreal the melatonin production of the healthy volunteers decreased progressively decreased over consecutive days of simulated night work, both during nighttime and over the 24?h. Interestingly, this decrease was larger in women using oral contraceptives and independent of bright light exposure. - Get out into the sun and cure your back pain - If your back hurts and neither you or your doctor have a clue why, try getting into the sun. A study from the UMIT in Austria shows that only three sessions in front of 5.000?lx lamp improved the depressive symptoms and reduced the pain intensity in CNBP adults with chronic nonspecific back pain (Leichtfried. 2014).
![]() |
| One of the side effects of blue light LED exposure (open circles) in the PM is a sign., but practically prob. irrelevant reduction in energy exp. on the next morning (Kayaba. 2014). |
Against that background I would like to use the last lines to put another emphasis on the results of the recent study by Kayaba et al. (2014) which found that one of the negative consequences smartphone junkies have to suffer on the morning after using their devices before bed is a reduction in energy expenditure.
If you take a look at the data in the figure at the right (open circles = exposed; full circles = non-exposed), you will yet realize that this probably isnt the worst side effect of blue-LED light exposure in the evening. The reduction is significant in the AM, yes, but on its own its not practically relevant | Comment on Facebook!
- Bonmati-Carrion, Maria Angeles, et al. "Protecting the Melatonin Rhythm through Circadian Healthy Light Exposure." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 15.12 (2014): 23448-23500.
- Diepen, Hester C., et al. "Caffeine increases light responsiveness of the mouse circadian pacemaker." European Journal of Neuroscience 40.10 (2014): 3504-3511.
- Dumont, Marie, and Jean Paquet. "Progressive decrease of melatonin production over consecutive days of simulated night work." Chronobiology international 0 (2014): 1-8.
- Figueiro, Mariana G., et al. "Tailored lighting intervention improves measures of sleep, depression, and agitation in persons with Alzheimers disease and related dementia living in long-term care facilities." Clinical interventions in aging 9 (2014): 1527.
- Fukushige, Haruna, et al. "Effects of tryptophan-rich breakfast and light exposure during the daytime on melatonin secretion at night." breast cancer 4 (2014): 9.
- Harb, Francine, Maria Paz Hidalgo, and Betina Martau. "Lack of exposure to natural light in the workspace is associated with physiological, sleep and depressive symptoms." Chronobiology international 0 (2014): 1-8.
- Irwin Michael, R. "Why Sleep Is Important for Health: A Psychoneuroimmunology Perspective." Annual Review of Psychology 66 (2015): 143-172.
- Kayaba, Momoko, et al. "The effect of nocturnal blue light exposure from light-emitting diodes on wakefulness and energy metabolism the following morning." Environmental health and preventive medicine 19.5 (2014): 354-361.
- Leichtfried, Veronika, et al. "Short?Term Effects of Bright Light Therapy in Adults with Chronic Nonspecific Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial." Pain Medicine 15.12 (2014): 2003-2012.
- Obayashi, Kenji, Keigo Saeki, and Norio Kurumatani. "Light exposure at night is associated with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in the general elderly population: The HEIJO-KYO cohort." Chronobiology international 0 (2014): 1-8.
- Okamoto, Yosuke, and Seiji Nakagawa. "Effects of daytime light exposure on cognitive brain activity as measured by the ERP P300." Physiology & behavior 138 (2015): 313-318.
- Partonen, Timo. "Obesity= physical activity+ dietary intake+ sleep stages+ light exposure." Annals of medicine 46.5 (2014): 245-246.
- Shapiro, Bryan B., et al. "The Relationship Between Ultraviolet Light Exposure and Mortality in Dialysis Patients." American journal of nephrology 40.3 (2014): 224-232.
- Thompson, A., et al. "The Effects of Evening Bright Light Exposure on Subsequent Morning Exercise Performance." International journal of sports medicine EFirst (2014).
- van der Lely, Stéphanie, et al. "Blue blocker glasses as a countermeasure for alerting effects of evening light-emitting diode screen exposure in male teenagers." Journal of Adolescent Health (2014).
- Virginie, Gabel, et al. "Dawn simulation light impacts on different cognitive domains under sleep restriction." Behavioural Brain Research (2014).
- Wang, et al. "UV light selectively inhibits spinal cord inflammation and demyelination in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis." Arch Biochem Biophys. (2014). [Epub ahead of print]
- Zeitzer, Jamie M., et al. "Millisecond Flashes of Light Phase Delay the Human Circadian Clock during Sleep." Journal of biological rhythms (2014): 0748730414546532.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Will 2015 Be the Year You Pick up The Kettlebells Find Out If Your Strength Fitness Physique Would Benefit
![]() |
| 2015 may offer a chance to get spice up your routine with kettlebells. |
Those of you who know me are probably aware that I am not a fan of kettle bells, but I am true to the motto of being open to good scientific evidence, like the one from the previously cited review by Girard et al. (2014).
I wont lie to you: I believe there are better muscle builders than kettlebells

Tri- or Multi-Set Training for Body Recomp.?
Alternating Squat & Blood Pressure - Productive?
Pre-Exhaustion Exhausts Your Growth Potential
Full ROM ? Full Gains - Form Counts!
Battle the Rope to Get Ripped & Strong
Study Indicates Cut the Volume Make the Gains!
Speaking of which, the previously cited review found only five studies satisfied the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. The populations studied age range was 1872 years old. Methodological scores based on the PEDro scale ranged from 3 to 7 out of 10. In those studies, ...
Tri- or Multi-Set Training for Body Recomp.?

Alternating Squat & Blood Pressure - Productive?

Pre-Exhaustion Exhausts Your Growth Potential

Full ROM ? Full Gains - Form Counts!

Battle the Rope to Get Ripped & Strong

Study Indicates Cut the Volume Make the Gains!
[k]ettlebell training demonstrated improvements for a number of strength measures: time 6 group for bench press ( P < 0.05) and back extension (P = 0.053), main effect for clean and jerk (P < 0.05) and certain power measures such as improved explosive strength comparable to a jump squat control (19.8% increase). Improved postural control was demonstrated in one study (P = 0.04)" (Girard. 2014).What the kettlebells did not do in any of the five studies by Otto et al. (2012), Manoccia et al. (2013), Lake et al. (2012) and Jay et al. (2011 & 2013) was to have an effect on aerobic endurance as measured by VO2 Max.
![]() |
| Original photos from the study by McGill et al. (2014). |
According to McGill et al. (2014) the "message for coaches is" that the kettlebell offers "several unique training opportunities", for example (a) the opportunity to train rapid muscle contraction-relaxation cycles emphasizing posterior chain power development about the hip. However, the large shear to compression load ratio on the lumbar spine created during swing exercises suggests that this training approach may be contraindicated for some individuals with spine shear load intolerance and (b) enhanced activation of the core musculature during the bottoms-up carry.
Kettlebell, weights, or ergometer, you have to work your ass off to make progress!
Thats much in contrast to Fortner et al. (2014) who had their 14 young (18-25y), non-obese volunteers train three times a week for 8 weeks with 4.5kg and 8kg kettlebells for the female and male subjects, respectively in a "tabata style", i.e. at a twenty-second work to ten-second rest ratio and compared the VO2 response to a traditional protocol, consisting of four sets of work separated by ninety seconds of rest.
![]() |
| Figure 1: Subjective Borg RPE response to Tabata versus traditional kettlebell swing protocols in healthy, young adults. TAB- Tabata, TRADtraditional (left). % of peak VO2 value achieved during Tabata and traditional kettlebell swing protocols in healthy, young adults (right | Fortner. 2014). |
![]() |
| Figure 2: Energy expenditure during two-hand kettlebell exercise and graded treadmill walking (Thomas. 2014). |
A comparison with treadmill walking is yet not enough to confirm that kettlebell training is also superior to "regular" HIIT training. Personally, I suspect it isnt but its at least a good way to diversify your training routines and create a new exercise stimulus that may even help you break through a plateau.
Youre not interested in fitness? What about improve- ments in glucose tolerance, then? Samantha Leigh Greenwald found in her master thesis that kettlebell training can improve glucose clea- rance in young sedentary men" and concludes that the results of her study "suggest that kettlebell training may provide an inexpen- sive home-based approach for prevention or management of type 2 diabetes" (Greenwald. 2014).
So, in case you are just working on your 2015 workout routine, you may want to give kettlebells a chance. In that you may, for example, replace one of your regular HIIT training sessions with a brief, but intense tabata-style kettle bell workout as it was described by James et al. (2014): 2-hand swings and sumo deadlifts with 3-minute | Comment on Facebook!
- Falatic, Jonathan Asher. "The effects of kettlebell training on aerobic capacity." San José state University (2011).
- Fortner, Howard A., et al. "Cardiovascular and metabolic demands of the kettlebell swing using a Tabata interval versus a traditional resistance protocol." International Journal of Exercise Science 7.3 (2014): 2.
- Greenwald, Samantha Leigh. The impact of an acute bout of kettlebell exercise on glucose tolerance in sedentary males. Diss. State University of New York at Buffalo, 2014.
- Jay, Kenneth, et al. "Kettlebell training for musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health: a randomized controlled trial." Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health (2011): 196-203.
- Jay, Kenneth, et al. "Effects of kettlebell training on postural coordination and jump performance: a randomized controlled trial." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 27.5 (2013): 1202-1209.
- Lake, Jason P., and Mike A. Lauder. "Mechanical demands of kettlebell swing exercise." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 26.12 (2012): 3209-3216.
- Manocchia, Pasquale, et al. "Transference of kettlebell training to strength, power, and endurance." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 27.2 (2013): 477-484.
- McGill, Stuart M., and Leigh W. Marshall. "Kettlebell swing, snatch, and bottoms-up carry: back and hip muscle activation, motion, and low back loads." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 26.1 (2012): 16-27.
- Otto III, William H., et al. "Effects of weightlifting vs. kettlebell training on vertical jump, strength, and body composition." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 26.5 (2012): 1199-1202.
- Thomas, James F., et al. "Comparison of Two-Hand Kettlebell Exercise and Graded Treadmill Walking: Effectiveness as a Stimulus for Cardiorespiratory Fitness." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 28.4 (2014): 998-1006.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Hydrogymnastics Weight Training or Dance Whats the Best Workout to Achieve Your 2015 Physique Goals Girls
![]() |
| Do you really need a barbell or will hopping around in a group dance course or working out in the water aka hydrogymnastic suffice to build the 2015 cover model physique thats part of your new years resolution? A recent Portuguese + Brazilian study may hold the answer to this "important" question. |
The study that was conducted by Rosa Maria Soares Costa de Mendonça, Adenilson Targino de Araújo Júnior from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro in Portugal, Maria do Socorro Cirilo de Sousa from the Federal Institute of Technology Education in Brazil and Helder Miguel Fernandes from the Research Centre for Sport in Portugal was designed to investigate the possible effects of 16 weeks of practicing different physical exercise programmes (strength training, dance or hydrogymnastics) on the body composition and anthropometric dimensions of adult women.
If you dont like any of the suggestions, try doing HIIT instead!

Never Train To Burn Calories!

Tabata = 14.2kcal /min ? Fat Loss

30s Intervals + 2:1 Work/Rec.
Making HIIT a Hit Part I/II
Making HIIT a Hit Part II/II

HIIT Aint For Everyone
"[t]hese women were selected using a non probabilistic manner in specific locations, such as fitness clubs, hydrogymnastic gyms and a public municipal institution.The sample was randomly divided into four groups, of which one was designed as the control group consisting of individuals that were sedentary (CG) (n = 25) and three were characterised as experimental groups:
- strength training (SG) (n = 25), in which the ladies trained three times per week under the supervision of a qualified trainer and did 3 sets of 812 repetitions (weights were progressively increased) with a 23 min rest period on each of the 5060 workouts in which all the major muscle groups of the upper and lower limbs were exercised with the use of either machines with weights, free weights or resistance equipment,
- dance (DG) (n = 18), which the women trained three times per week at a moderate to vigorous intensity, which was defined as 60 to 85% of the maximum heart rate as identified by the calculation 220 age for 50 to 60 minutes workouts involving activities activating all the major muscle groups in a continuous manner using basic steps and a minimum of three rhythmic variations of popular dance styles and aerobics per session with songs of a rhythmic cadence of 100 to 160 beats per minute, and
- hydrogymnastics (HG) (n = 21), in which the women trained with a frequency of three days per week at moderate to vigorous intensity, defined as 60 to 85% of the maximum heart rate using exercises that involved the major muscle groups of the upper and lower limbs with a focus on cardiorespiratory exercises, followed by muscular endurance exercises using equipment such as shin pads designed for hydrogymnastics, dumbbells, bars, plates, floating devices and pool edges with each exercise taking from 2 to 3 min to complete and the whole session lasting 45 to 55 min.
![]() |
| Figure 1: Changes in anthropometric parameters after 16 weeks of training (Soares Costa de Mendonça. 2014). |
![]() |
| Figure 2: Changes in body composition (calculated based on caliper data) after 16 weeks of hydrogymnastics, weight training, dance or idleness (Soares Costa de Mendonça. 2014). |
![]() |
| Dont forget: Female Athletes Body Composition Suffers From Chronic Energy Deficits | learn more |
What appears to be clear, though, is that the highly popular dance courses are the least effective 2015 exercise protocol to follow, when your goal is to improve your body composition without dieting | Comment on Facebook!
- Garber, Carol Ewing, et al. "American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 43.7 (2011): 1334-1359.
- Soares Costa de Mendonça, Rosa Maria, et al. "The Effects of Different Exercise Programmes on Female Body Composition." Journal of Human Kinetics 43.1 (2014): 67-78.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)

















