A SPECIAL BREED

Bodybuilders are a special breed. Sure there are big contests with big prizes. Yep, there are endorsement deals with companies that will give you hardcore nicknames. But, for the vast majority of us, we do it just for the love of it. It comes down to the satisfaction of knowing we’ve earned every ounce of muscle we have. We know that we haven’t taken the easy road, we’ve worked hard, we’ve dedicated ourselves, and we’ve achieved what few do. Hell, most people don’t even get why we do what we do. It’s about taking the body that was dealt to us and making it our best. That’s why bodybuilding is so cool, that’s what makes us a special breed.
Next Issue: July 31st, 2008
Questions? themuscletimes@fusionbodybuilding.com

QUICK GYM TIP
– By: Dave ‘Ballistic’ Naugler

WITHOUT FOOD YOU FAIL

If you don’t feed your muscles after an intense session in the gym you might as well have stayed at home. While training the muscle undergoes intense stress, depleting your body of stored glycogen and electrolytes. You need to reload these lost factors to properly recuperate and rehydrate. If you don’t, your muscles become catabolic, leaking out stress hormones like cortisol. And that eats away at all your hard work. To keep this from happening you need to feed your body what it needs to recover. Add a post-workout shake that has carbs and protein. It should have a whey isolate consisting of 50 grams of protein and 30 to 60 grams of fast-digesting carbohydrates. This will give your muscles the much-needed nutrients to grow.

Dave Naugler, the 2006 National Middleweight Champion, is a gym-rat who is living his bodybuilding dreams. When he’s not training and entering and winning competitions he’s studying bodybuilding and sharing his knowledge. He’s next slated to appear on the National stage in 2008.

TOP TIPS – 10 BODYBUILDING DON’TS

Everyone believes that it’s the top dogs, the bodybuilding professionals, who know the secrets to getting as big as is humanly possible. But there is one secret above all others. Do you want to know what it is? There are no secrets.

The pros know that the truth is in the fundamentals. The basics, if followed, will turn your physique into championship material. The first step to nailing the fundamentals is to avoid the mistakes that will turn your physique from treasure into trash. Avoid these pitfalls and the road to growth will be yours:

MUSCLE SCIENCE
Fighting Muscle Inflammation to Boost Hormones

Of course every bodybuilder knows that working out builds muscle and burns fat. But did you know it also triggers muscle inflammation that can negatively impact your hormone production?
During training, muscular fuels like adenosine triphosphate and phosphocreatine break down. This creates a buildup of negatively-charged hydrogen ions in the muscle cells. This alters the acidity levels (pH) within your muscles and ultimately within your blood in a condition called acidosis. It is this acidosis, coupled with lactic acid buildup that also occurs when you work out, that triggers muscular failure and a massive cortisol release. The cortisol causes catabolism and muscle breakdown, and it also suppresses the anabolic hormones that build muscles. In other words, exercise messes with your body’s acidity level releasing cortisol that breaks down your muscle and prevents new muscle from being built.
Alright then, how do you prevent this problem? To switch your body, and hormones, back into muscle-building mode you need to consume carbs, protein, some branched chain amino acids (BCAA's) and anti-inflammatory enzymes post-workout. Doing so will contain muscle inflammation and its effects and get you into the growth-zone fast.

References:
1: Carli G, Bonifazi M, Lodi L, Lupo C, Martelli G, Viti A. Changes in the exercise-induced hormone response to branched chain amino acid administration. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol, 1992;64(3):2727.
2: Kraemer WJ, et al. The effects of amino acid supplementation on hormone responses to resistance training overreaching. Metabolism, 2006 Mar;55(3):282-91.

“I’m 46 and have trained on and off with weights since I was a teen. When younger I played competitive sports including rugby league and rugby union, and I dabbled in martial arts. Back in 2001 I broke my neck (fractured a vertebrae), but luckily I didn’t sever the spinal cord so I still have use of my limbs. I did, and still do, suffer chronic sever pain and some numbness. I had surgery in 2003 to remove a vertebrae and 2 discs. I had a metal plate and screws inserted, bone grafted from my hip, and the c3-c5 vertebral joint fused. As a result I was inactive for a long time and slipped into depression. I'm only 165cm (5’5”) and my weight increased dramatically from 75kg to 105kg of lard (165lbs to 231lbs), and I lost muscle mass.

Last year I decided enough’s enough and I went out and bought weights, a smith machine and an elliptical. After a slow start I got into it, and I am finally starting to see real results. I’ve lost 24kg (52lbs) and 6" off my waist, while making significant gains in strength and muscle mass. I’ve got my 17" arms back and I am finally starting to see some definition and striations. I can even feel and catch a glimpse of a six pack. I tell people "I’ve got a six pack in the fridge." I still have a ways to go but my journey’s started. I hope to compete in my first bodybuilding competition at the end of the year or early next year. I don’t have to win, just to compete is a victory for me because I’ve got my life, and my health, back.”
Kind regards Dave H (Windang, Australia)

Dave you should be proud of yourself brother! FUSION supports you.

Check this site out.

www.bignationradio.com

Thank you for taking the time to sign-up for The Muscle Times - let us know what you think. If you have a second please drop us a line, we answer all our emails. themuscletimes@fusionbodybuilding.com