For the past week I’ve been laid-low by an awesome head cold, and by awesome I mean awful. The stuffy head wrapped in cotton feel and the giant ropes and plugs of mucus dripping down my throat only to be coughed and hacked up again. The only thing fun about …
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy focuses more on increasing muscle glycogen storage capability (and thus the size of the muscle) where myofibrillar hypertrophy focuses more on increased myofibril (muscle fiber) size. Heavier weights (close to maximal loads) at a lower volume produce greater gains in myofibril size while more moderate weights at higher …
This scientific review article reviews over 150 original research papers about dietary protein, absorption, protein recommendations, how it changes with age, meal protein composition, and more. It’s pretty jargon heavy and rather long. However, if you have an interest in health and fitness, and building muscle in particular, I recommend …
I’ve been working out and paying attention to how much (and what) I eat since I was a teenager, so it gets my knickers in a bunch when one of my out-of-shape and over-weight co-workers tells me how lucky I am to have “good genetics.” When I hear this, I’m …
What is cholesterol anyway? And why are we worried about it? What does it do and why do we have it?When you hear doctors talking about watching your cholesterol, it’s because elevated levels of cholesterol, especially the bad types of cholesterol, have been positively correlated with increased risk of stroke …
Just like my brush with high cholesterol, this year saw me with a blood pressure that seemed to be running high by about 10 points on both sides. So instead of the acceptable 119/79 systolic/diastolic, I was more typically in the range of 125-135/85-95. Blood pressure does tend to increase …
Beta-Hydroxy beta-methylbutyric acid, AKA HMB is a metabolite of the amino acid leucine, and it has been making the advertising rounds and has fired up the Internet rumor mill as a “new” muscle builder. Yet there are few studies to support it’s muscle building capabilities. The few studies there are …
“They should rename these to ‘elbow destroyers’” — me Most of you are familiar with the French Press, aka Skullcrushers, a triceps exercise usually performed lying on a bench, elbows pointed at the ceiling and griping a bar while you raise and lower it to your forehead, or to a …
There seems to be more and more evidence building up that an excess of the wrong type of carbohydrates can be just as detrimental to your health as an excess of saturated fat when it comes to cholesterol levels. One of the best things you can do to help get …
Let’s talk about carbohydrates… and in particular, “white foods” as well as potatoes. One reason I wanted to mention this is because many health and fitness professionals trash talk potatoes about being a bad carbohydrate choice because of their high glycemic index. Some even say such things as “avoid any …
