Monday, December 3, 2018

AEROBICS FOR BODYBUILDING BY JERRY BRAINUM




Twenty years ago the thought of doing any kind of aerobics was anathema to bodybuilders. If a gym had a stationary bike, it usually rusted in a distant corner like an obsolete prop. Bodybuilders in those days looked at the physiques of runners and concluded that aerobic exercise was a sure route to a skinny body.

As bodybuilders turned more to scientific modes of training, however, they realized that aerobic training was the best definition-producing exercise. The reason was simple: You need large amounts of oxygen to burn fat, and aerobics literally means "with oxygen." Today, its rare to find a competitive-level body-builder who doesn't do some form of aerobics.

A champion who once harbored a fear of aerobics was Vince Taylor. Vince has a high metabolism, and once thought that adding aerobics to his bodybuilding program would result in a severe loss of hard-earned gains. But shortly before last year's Schwarzenegger Classic pro show, Vince consulted with eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney. Haney told Taylor that adding precontest aerobics would allow him to eat more, thus preserving his muscle mass while simultaneously burning fat. Taylor took his advice and won the show in the best shape of his life -- with no loss of muscle.

But questions about combining aerobics and bodybuilding still confuse many people. Most bodybuilders realize that aerobics offer several advantages, such as burning off excess calories, turning the body into an efficient fat-burning machine, and allowing one to eat more to prevent catabolic muscle loss stemming from starvation diets.


Perils And Pitfalls

THE HEALTH ASPECT : To be truly physically fit requires attention to three main aspects of fitness: 
muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. Achieving balanced fitness means training all three aspects. Normal bodybuilding covers muscular strength and endurance, stretching helps you become limber and flexible, and aerobics build the cardiovascular system.


Conditioning the cardiovascular system should concern every bodybuilder, becuase cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in America. In 1988, for example, heart disease killed nearly a million Americans, as many as cancer, pneumonia, influenca and all other diseases combined.


Aerobic exercise helps prevent cardiovascular disease by lowering such risk factors as elevated blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, glucose intolerance and stress. While recent research shows that weight training is also capable of modifying these risk factors, aerobic training still more potent in this regard. ANAEROBIC VS. AEROBIC As usually practiced bodybuilding is anaerobic. This means that bodybuilding doesn't depend on oxygen, as aerobic activity does. The primary fuel for bodybuilding is stored carbohydrates ( glycogen) in muscle and liver. Since oxidizing (burning) fat requires oxygen, weight training isn't the best exercise for fat-burning.

Because of a larger oxygen intake, aerobics do promote fat-burning. Many bodybuilders, however, believe that aerobics burn only fat. In fact, you burn both sugar and fat in the course of a typical aerobic workout. For example, during a one-hour ride on a stationary bike, you burn fuel in the following proportions:
Blood-free fatty acids -- 11%
Blood glucose -- 13%
Muscle triglycerides -- 32%
Muscle glycogen -- 44%

This breaks down to 76% of total energy derived from muscle energy stores (triglycerides/glycogen),and 24% from circulating blood fuels (free fatty acids/glucose). For fat-burning purposes, the longer the session, the more you tap into fat stores. As the body's carbohydrate stores deplete -- first glycogen, later glucose -- your body gradually begins to use more fat to power the exercise. But maximizing fat-burning means performing a relatively low-intensity form of exercise. This is the reason that weight training burns mostly sugar; its high-intensity aspect requires this quick burning of fuel sources. Sugar in this instance refers mainly to stored forms of carbohydrate (i.e., muscle glycogen).


Recent research shows that doing aerobics in the morning before your first meal increases fat-burning by nearly 200%. This relates to lowered glycogen levels when you awaken. The decreased glycogen forces the body to dip into fat stores faster than usual. Drinking about two cups of coffee potentiates the fat release even more. But do the exercise right after drinking the coffee, since caffeine on a empty stomach may cause hypoglycemia (low-blood sugar). In addition, consuming a carbohydrate meal with the coffee will negate the fat-mobilizing effects of caffeine. On the other hand, more recent studies show that fasting aerobics is no more efficient at fat-burning than is eating prior to training. Perhaps the best way to determine if fasting aerobics will work for you is to try it.



According to guidelines set by the American Council of Sports Medicine, the ideal frequency, duration and intensity of aerobic exercise is: three to five days a week, 15-60 minutes, 60-90% of maximum heart rate.


To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from the figure 220, then determine 60-85  % of that figure. Training within that range is called the target heart zone. You can figure out your pulse by holding your index finger lightly to the radial artery in your wrist for 10 seconds, then multiplying that figure by six. Or else simply count your pulse for six seconds and add a zero to that number.

As you become for fit, your resting pulse will decrease. The average pulse is about 72; some endurance athletes show pulse levels as low as 30-40 beats per minute. This reflects a greater stroke volume of the heart, and means that your heart is pumping more blood with each beat. While this is obviously an advantage, a low resting pulse isn't the best indicator of fitness. A better indicator is how quickly your pulse returns to normal after being elevated during exercise.


Studies show that cardiovascular fitness can be built through as little as three aerobic sessions a week for 20 to 30 minutes each session. But the longer the workout, the more fat you burn. The same holds true for frequency: The more you train, the more fat you burn. You need at least four aerobic sessions for 30 minutes each per week to affect body composition. In practice, 60 minutes is ideal. Any longer than that increases the incidence of both injuries and over-training.


While one long session of aerobics is best for fat-burning, many bodybuilders prefer to divide their aerobics into two or more daily sessions. They feel this imparts a greater boost to metabolism, thus burning more fat. Past studies showed that aerobics raised the post-exercise metabolic rate anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours.


But more recent studies indicate that the post-exercise metabolic rise may not amount to much. How long you continue to burn calories after exercise appears to depend on the intensity of the workout (the higher  the better) and your level of conditioning. Doing aerobics regularly builds oxidative enzymes in the mitochondria of cells that promote fat-burning. But the body works on a "use it or lose it" principle. This means that if not needed, you lose this superior fat-burning ability.


This is one reason why a bodybuilder should always include aerobics in a year-round training program. The old notion of bulking up went out with high-button shoes. The de rigueur look of bodybuilders today is lean and mean. Maintaining the fat-burning apparatus within cells through year-round aerobics helps promote this look. DO AEROBICS INTERFERE WITH STRENGTH GAINS? Several studies show that aerobics may indeed do so. This relates to the physiological principle of exercise specificity. In short, doing endurance exercise such as aerobics builds structures in the cells (mitochondria, increased blood capillaries, slow-twitch muscle fibers) that are the opposite of those produced by strength training. These past studies show that building the endurance aspects of muscles interferes with development of strength factors in muscle, such as an increase in intramuscular contractile proteins (actin, myosin).


The cause of this interference is speculative, but may involve a drop in the ability of a muscle to produce force, increased muscle-protein breakdown as a result of decreased testosterone due to over training, a decrease in anaerobic muscle enzymes needed for efficient strength function, or an interference with muscle-fiber recruitment patterns.


Does this mean that bodybuilders trying to increase strength and size should avoid aerobics? Not necessarily. What's needed is a dose of common sense. Since many bodybuilders cycle their training into different periods throughout the year, it's a good idea to use a maintenance aerobic program when trying to add muscle mass, particularly if you're not that big to begin with. A maintenance program could be as little as two to three days a week of 20-30 minutes. Studies show that even this minimal level of aerobics will maintain both cardiovascular and fat-burning systems. The key is maintaining training intensity if you reduce frequency and duration.


Obviously, bodybuilders who do four hours of daily aerobics before a contest are courting disaster. Such bodybuilders often drastically reduce either calories or carbohydrates. If their body-fat levels are already low, where does the energy to power all that aerobic exercise come from? Muscle.

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS Boredom is a frequently encountered problem with aerobics. You don't get the same feedback, such as increased poundages, that you get with weights. The remedy involves using variety in your aerobic training while sticking to the aforementioned guidelines of frequency and intensity levels.


The boom in exercise over the last decade has produced many excellent modes of aerobic training. Each has advantages and disadvantages, but all are capable of providing excellent aerobic conditioning.


Most bodybuilders avoid jogging and other forms of running. Experience shows that jogging and other forms of running. Experience shows that jogging imposes too much stress on weight-bearing joints, such as knees, hips and  the lower back. With every step you take in running, you pound these joint  structures with three to five times your body weight, depending on the surface you run on. For a 200-pound bodybuilder, a one-mile jog produces 500 tons of stress on those joints. Something eventually has to give.


Many bodybuilders -- particularly women -- enjoy taking aerobic dance classes. How good these classes are depends on several factors, including the ability of the instructor. In addition, during an average 50-minute class, only 20-30 minutes involve target heart-rate-level exercise, and the average person takes such classes only one to three times per week.


Past studies have shown that such classes have produced a 76% injury rate in instructors and 43% in students. These injuries usually occurred in the shins, calves, lower back, feet, ankles and knees. Later analysis showed that the actual injury rate was 20% for instructors and 10% for students. But even this rate is unacceptably high. Such figures led to low-impact aerobics, where one foot is always kept in contact with the floor. The problem with low-impact aerobics is that it may not be intense enough to reach target heart-rate levels.


Most bodybuilders, however avoid aerobic classes, preferring low-impact exercise such as stationary cycling. A 170-pound man riding a stationary bike at 20mph burns a hefty 700 calories per hour. The more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn. With stationary cycling, it's important to adjust the seat properly to avoid knee trauma. While seated, your extended leg should stop just short of lockout. Use toe clips to maintain an equal up-and-down force on the pedals.

Don't go overboard in intensity while doing aerobics. Your goal is simply to burn fat and work the cardiovascular system. Use a level of intensity that prevents you from huffing and puffing; you should be able to talk without difficulty. If you feel a burn in your legs, it indicates a buildup of lactic acid. This means you've approached your anaerobic threshold and your body then shifts into burning sugar, not fat.

Other forms of aerobics popular with bodybuilders include:
■ Treadmill walking: Raising the incline increases intensity and focuses on tightening upper thighs and buttocks. Holding weights in hands increases energy use by only 5-10%


■ Rowing machine: Advantageous because it works both the upper and lower body. A great calorie burner, but use legs to prevent excess stress on the lower back.


■ Stair machine: May not be suitable for those with previous knee injuries. Maintain upright position and don't lean forward, which reduces workload by 30% or more.


■ Cross-country ski machine: Usually avoided because it's no fun, but it's the best conditioner and calorie burner of all. Proper coordination between upper and lower body takes practice, however.


Aerobic training should be a part of every bodybuilder's training regimen. It's simply the best way to burn fat, increase endurance and condition the cardiovascular system.



©,2018 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited


Have you been ripped off  by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

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Thursday, September 6, 2018

Should you supplement with Gamma-linoleic acid? Video by Jerry Brainum


 Gamma-linoleic acid is available in several supplements, such as evening of primrose oil and borage oil. Although it is an omega-6 fatty acid, it provides anti-inflammatory activity in the body. For more information about nutrition, exercise science, anti-aging research, fat-loss techniques that work, hormonal therapy, and other topics, subscribe today to Jerry Brainum's Applied Metabolics Newsletter (www.appliedmetabolics.com). And please tell others to subscribe to this channel.



 

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©,2018 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited

Have you been ripped off  by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

 See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

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Monday, May 21, 2018

What Is Scientifically The Best Bodybuilding Workout For Mass Muscle? | Straight Facts by Jerry Brainum



Weight training has been around for a very, very long time. This had led to the invention and evolution of various workout programs that aim to help you build muscle in the best way possible. If you check out any bodybuilding website or magazine you will see constant tips, training programs, and breakdowns - all being consumed by the fitness obsessed trying to find out the "ultimate secret" to best build muscle. With so many options it can get a bit confusing. So could there be scientific proof on what kind of workout works best for the max results? Jerry Brainum breaks through key studies and offers advice on how you could potentially create the actual "perfect" bodybuilding workout. Check it out above.



©,2018 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited


Have you been ripped off  by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

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Sunday, April 15, 2018

What Are The Downsides Of High Dosage GH? | Straight Facts By Jerry Brainum


Jerry Brainum is back with another in depth answer to a bodybuilding fan question. This week a bodybuilder asks, "What are the downsides to high dosage use of Growth Hormones for men over 40?" Steroids and growth hormones are an (almost) unavoidable element behind the bodybuilding industry. So it's good to have real knowledge before jumping into some serious drugs. That's why Jerry goes deep into the facts and realities behind using growth hormones at a high level - and how it can really effect your body and life. Get the straight facts in our latest episode above


©,2018 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited


Have you been ripped off  by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

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Tuesday, March 6, 2018

SOME LIKE IT HOT SOME LIKE IT COLD BY JERRY BRAINUM/

There's no getting around hard work required to build massive muscles. The so-called "overnight sensations" in bodybuilding have all been busting it for years. One of the more interesting aspects of bodybuilding is that you can generally increase muscle size and strength, ( but not power as much), even as you approach 40. Contrast a 100 meter sprinter who may be 'over the hill' at 25!

We all know that there are NO shortcuts in bodybuilding beyond super nutrition, super training (and of course, super steroids). But, in recent years, a few studies have suggested a quicker road to muscle size and strength. As example in occlusion training, which I've briefly mentioned in prior editions of Planet Muscle.

Occlusion training involves a minor disruption of blood flow to a working muscle through use of a special cuff device. This blunting of blood flow may subsequently increase intramuscular metabolism and local anabolic hormone release. One study revealed a 290% increase of GH over baseline. Occlusion training was initially developed (and/or expanded) by a Japanese bodybuilder. He discovered it by chance, while recuperating from an injury. He called the system Kaatsu.

A few studies on this type of training even with only as 15-20% of one's maximum one rep load may work because training with partially-restricted blood flow for whatever reason, activates more type-2 fibers and these are amenable to growth.

Training  raises core body temperature where more energy is released by ATP, adenosine triphosphate in muscle. ATP is the base energy for muscular contraction. Food calories are converted into ATP in the cells.

When you raise body temperature during exercise, you also release more specific stress-modulating proteins aptly named 'Heat shock protein-HSP'. These help protect cellular integrity from the effects of stress inducing intense exercise. From and exercise standpoint, they also are involved in maintaining androgen cell receptors for muscle hypertrophy.

In initial studies, Japanese researchers found that subjects who engage in light intensity exercise, accompanied by external heat, get increased size and strength (in this case, arm muscles). The researchers argue for an anabolic effect from applied heat directly to muscle, due to activating an insulin-related anabolic signaling pathway which augments muscle size and strength. Their most recent study on the subject utilized only 8 males. They did no training.

Special heat sheets were developed and placed over their thighs. This raised the intramuscular temperature of their quadriceps way up. After 28 days, their average quad strength was up 5.8% and muscle size increased by about 6%. The researchers suggest the applied heat may have increased the myo-nuclear number, thereby increasing muscle protein synthesis for more size and strength. This is exactly what happens with normal training and training plus steroids.

I think the point is to keep your muscles warm before and during training. You may consider taking a hot shower or bath before training.

Many champs go cool. Reg Park, Arnold's inspiration, while training in England and who was thrice Mr.Universe (51, 58, and 65) and a big-screen Hercules did so in an unheated garage while he wore 3 pairs of sweats. (Reg passed a few years ago at 79 from melanoma skin cancer). One recent study required that 15 men and 15 women stand in a cool chamber for ten sessions 3 minutes in length. The chamber was very cold. With post-tests, the study suggested that while exposure to cold did nothing for aerobic oxygen uptake, anaerobic capacity increased (only in male subjects). This may have been due to an increase in the activity of energy-producing pathways, as well as increased norepinephrine, release (both tapping into stored body fat for energy). No suggestion was given for the women not responding.

Other studies in colder temperatures suggests that growth hormone release, (which may be increased during exercise) is blunted. Whether GH, (post-maturity), actually works in building more size and strength has never been firmly proven with adequate independent, replicated studies. But, most scientists do agree that increased GH increases fat burning g for energy, as compared to carbohydrate during exercise.

Training in very cold conditions is problematic for those with exercise-induced asthma (the lungs become constricted from exposure to cold air, impeding breathing), those with a history of vascular problems, or those with osteoarthritis.

Some recent studies show that men exposed to very cold temperatures boost production of something called adiponectin - (by 23 to 70%) . This is a special protein secreted by fat cells. Fat cells are not just dormant blobs of storage goo, but are active and fat cells can be inflammatory. Adiponectin is a 'white-hat' fat. It in anti-inflammatory and boosts insulin sensitivity and fat oxidation. Exercise normally has little or no effect on adiponectin release, but cold does. In fact, in his book, 'The Four Hour Body,' Timothy Ferris claims that he lost a significant amount of fat by adding three 10-minute cold showers a day, to his existing training and diet. If so, this may have something to do with a substance known as BAT or brown adipose tissue. BAT, unlike the usual white adipose tissue found all over the body, is highly thermionic due to the presence of increased mitochondria and the chemical 'uncoupling' of certain proteins there. This results in increased fat oxidation of fat to heat. Until recently, scientists believed that BAT disappeared after infancy, after keeping newborns at the right temperature. Recent research shows that BAT is more prevalent than believed and that adults can increase BAT through cold exposure, Ferris might have increased fat-burning with cold showers via increased BAT!

Both heat and cold can enhance training and both, greatly influence injuries. Post injury, ice/cold is usually applied to decrease bleeding and inflammatory swelling and pain. In most cases, heat should not be applied for about 48-72 hours after and initial injury. But now look at it all this way -- both cold and heat help you grow bigger muscle faster!


©,2018 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited


Have you been ripped off  by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

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Monday, January 29, 2018

Bulbs With Benefits : The Surprising Effects of Garlic by Jerry Brainum

In this era of high-tech super supplements, it's easy to overlook some of the good old standbys. One such is supplement is garlic or even eating garlic itself. Garlic is not found in the typical bodybuilding nutrition regimen. If more bodybuilders knew about the good things that garlic does, though, they might consider adding a garlic supplement.

Garlic's benefits come from its sulfur content, which is also is true to an extent of onions. The sulfur compounds in garlic have been showing clinical studies to lower elevated blood lipids, such as cholesterol, provide antioxidant activity and lower elevated blood glucose, which may help prevent diabetes. In addition, garlic has shown anticancer activity in a number of studies, most famously lowering blood pressure. In fact a new study turned up that effect.

How garlic brings down blood pressure is of interest to bodybuilders. Just a few years ago nitric oxide was an obscure substance known only to medical researchers. It gained prominence in the bodybuilding community with the advent of supplements touted to boost its presence in the body. The reasoning: Since one of the primary effects of NO is that it dilates  blood vessels, the enhanced blood flow that results will increase the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to working muscle, which will have an ergogenic effect. In addition, NO is involved in the release of anabolic hormones, including testosterone and growth hormone.




Typical NO bodybuilding supplements contain the amino acid L-arginine as their primary ingredient. Arginine is the immediate precursor of NO synthesis in the body. Still, what determines how much NO is produced isn't arginine but rather the activity of enzymes that convert arginine into NO.

It turns out that garlic also boosts NO in the body. That's likely the reason that garlic lowers blood pressure, since the increased NO that results from eating garlic will dilate blood vessels. In addition, NO is rapidly degraded because of oxidants, and garlic's antioxidant activity should help extend NO activity.

Garlic is also great for your brain. Studies show that garlic helps protect the brain through its antioxidant activity. That's significant because the brain is loaded with polyunsaturated fat, such as the omega-3 fatty acid DHA. Such fats are highly prone to oxidation, however, and that opens the door to brain degeneration. Oxidation often produces excess inflammation, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease and other brain ills. 

Animal-based studies show that garlic intake appears to help prevent various brain maladies. Research done with rats given garlic shows increased memory retention.1 The mechanism is increased delivery of the amino acid L-tryptophan to the brain. Tryptophan is the precursor of the brain neurotransmitter serotonin, which helps memory and learning. Garlic helps shunt more tryptophan into the brain for conversion into serotonin.

                                                 In ancient Egypt garlic 

                                                 was distributed to the 

                                                 laborers on the pyramids 

                                                 because it decreased

                                                fatigue and aided recovery.

 

From an exercise standpoint, garlic offers several benefits.For one thing, it may reduce fatigue. In ancient Egypt garlic was freely distributed to the laborers who built the pyramids because it decreased fatigue and aided rapid recovery. For the same reasons it was given as a tonic to soldiers and athletes in ancient Rome. Other studies link garlic to increased muscle strength. No doubt the enhanced blood circulation that it brings plays a role. Mice and other lab animals supplemented with garlic show increased running times to exhaustion on treadmills, as well as longer swimming times.




Human studies with garlic show that it reduces the workload on the heart during exercise and reduces peak heart rate, which points to less heart stress during vigorous exercise. By helping lower high counts of cytokines, immune proteins that increase during exercise, garlic helps lower excess inflammation and speed up and improve exercise recovery.

A more recent study showed that an active ingredient in garlic may even help prevent excess muscle breakdown.2 The research involved isolated-muscle-cell exposure to garlic, specifically an ingredient in aged garlic called daillyl sulfide, or DAS. The cells were exposed to high heat, which results in cell breakdown, but when DAS was added to the muscle cell culture, the breakdown was blocked.



In another part of the study, rats with implanted tumors, who experience cachexia, or the accelerated loss of muscle that occurs in 80 percent of human cancer patients, were given DAS. So was a group of normal rats. While the cancer stricken rats didn't show any effects from the garlic compound, the normal rats had significant increases in muscle. Again, the mechanism was thought to be a blunting of the normal catabolic effects in muscle, which would tip the metabolic scales toward anabolism, or growth. Anabolic steroid drugs produce larger muscles because they provide both anabolic and anticatabolic effects.

While garlic cannot be characterized as a "super muscle growth" supplement, the fact that it helps prevent excess muscle breakdown in normal animals suggests that it may encourage similar effects in bodybuilders when used in conjunction with other anticatabolic supplements, such as whey and casein proteins, HMB and fish oil.

References


1 Haider,S.,et al.(2008). Repeated administration of fresh garlic increases memory retention in rats.J Med Food 11:675-79

2 Olivan,M.,et al.(2010) Nutraceutical inhibition of muscle proteolysis: A role of diallyl sulphide in the treatment of muscle wasting. Clin Nutr. In press

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©,2018 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited


Have you been ripped off  by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

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