BodyBuilding 101

Another popular supplement among bodybuilders is glutamine. Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid that is produced naturally by the body. Sixty percent of glutamine is found in the skeletal muscles. The remainder is in the lung, liver, brain, and stomach tissues.

Over 60% of our amino acids come in the form of glutamine. Under normal conditions, our body can produce more than enough. However, during times of stress, glutamine reserves are depleted and must be replenished through supplementation. This includes stress that the body is under during periods of exercise.

If you have too little glutamine in your system, it can result in muscle loss. This amino acid is essential to muscle building because it helps nitrogen in the body move around to where it needs to be. You have to have a positive nitrogen balance in order to gain muscle mass.
Creatine is also thought to prevent sickness, promote healing, prevent sore muscles, and speed up growth hormone production.

The typical American diet provides 3.5 to 7 grams of glutamine daily which is found in animal and plant proteins. Many people are choosing to supplement daily due to the long growing list of benefits.

Research shows levels of supplementation from 2 to 40 grams daily. Two to three grams has been found to help symptoms of queasiness. This two to three gram dosage used post workout builds protein, repairs and builds muscle and can induce levels of growth hormone found in the body.

If you want to build a ripped body, you’ll need both creatine and glutamine alike. Again, it usually comes in powder form, so you’ll want to take it with milk or in a shake.

Creatine is the most popular and commonly used sports supplement available today. There are numerous studies backed by anecdotal evidence that support the efficacy of creatine supplementation. For the majority of the population, including both elite athletes and untrained individuals, creatine supplementation increases fat free mass and improves anaerobic and possibly aerobic performance.

Creatine is a natural constituent of meat, mainly found in red meat. Creatine is manufactured naturally in the body from the amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine. This process takes place in the kidneys, liver, and pancreas.

Approximately 40% of the body’s creatine stores are free creatine (Cr), while the remaining 60% is stored in form of creatine phosphate (CP). The typical male adult processes 2 grams of creatine per day, and replaces that amount through dietary intake and fabrication within the body.
Creatine is used for the resynthesis of ATP. ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is the “power” that drives muscular energetics. When a muscle is required to contract, the bonds in the ATP molecule are split, yielding ADP (adenosine-diphosphate). The energy released by breaking this bond powers the contraction of the muscle.

When ATP is depleted within the cell, the cell can no longer contract. There are several methods by which the body rebuilds ATP. The fastest method, without oxygen, is through CP. Creatine phosphate is “split” to yield the phosphate portion of the molecule. This phosphate portion bonds to the ADP, turning it back to ATP. Once CP stores within the cell are depleted, the body must use other methods to replenish ATP.

Supplementation with creatine increases Cr and CP within the muscle, allowing further capacity to regenerate ATP. In other words, the creatine enhances the ability of the muscle to maintain power output during brief periods of high-intensity exercise. The periods are brief because the ability of a cell to store CP is limited, therefore the body will quickly move to other methods of replenishing ATP.

There are two way to decide what dosage of creatine you should take. In the “loading phase” which is where you begin adding creatine to your diet, the dosage is 20 grams a day for five to seven days. After that, it’s recommended that you stick to 5 grams per day.

You can also calculate creatine dosage according to body weight and mass. Follow along closely, this could get confusing! Not really, though. Experts say in the “loading phase”, you should be consuming .3 grams of creatine per kilogram of body weight. So if you weight 200 pounds, the formula would look like this:

After the loading phase, your weight is multiplied by .03, so you would require 2.7 grams in the maintenance phase.

Essentially, creatine can create muscle fullness as well as create an environment within your body that is conducive to muscle growth. It can also delay fatigue during repeated workouts. However, you must use your creatine regularly instead of sporadically for it to be effective.

Creatine is also thought to increase the body’s aerobic abilities. One study showed that using creatine supplements help to reduce the oxygen cost of activity so less strain is placed on the cardiovascular system while performing aerobic activity. This is a huge advantage for the bodybuilder as this means you will be able to work harder and longer losing fat and building up muscle.

Creatine is safe for most everyone to take with the exception of people with renal issues. Doctors are even beginning to endorse creatine which is generally unheard of with supplements.

Many people like to take their creatine in a shake as it most often comes in the form of powder. You can mix the creatine powder with some skim or soy milk and even add some fresh fruit for flavor. It is generally a good idea to have your creatine after you workout so that the glycogen in your body is replenished and recovery can be enhanced.

There are literally hundreds of supplements on the market targeted at bodybuilders and meant to increase your body size. They are designed to maximize the body’s natural abilities and help you get the body mass you want.

How do you decide which supplement is right for you?

Rest is one of the most overlooked parts of an exercise regimen, but the reality is it is actually a quite important principle. Sleep is one of your most valuable tools for growth that you can have in your bodybuilding arsenal.

Muscle adaptation and growth often occurs at night. During the suspended state of animation you are in, your body is doing exactly what you have been asking it to do during your workouts – build muscle.
Lack of sleep can have an intoxicating effect on your body. According to the Journal of Applied Sports Science, being awake for 24 hours has the same physical effect as a blood alcohol content of 0.096, which is above the legal driving limit in most states.

Working out in this state has its obvious downside. For starters, your lack of muscular coordination places you at a much higher risk for injury. Just as you’d never head to the gym after drinking a few beers at your local tavern, you should never work out after not sleeping the night before. You’re better off waiting until the next day when your body has been given proper rest.

What are the best practices when it comes to getting enough sleep? Here are some pointers:

• Don’t exercise before bedtime. Body temperature has a huge effect on our ability to fall asleep. As your body temperature lowers, you start to feel sleepy. If you work up a sweat before trying to sleep, you will have difficulty falling asleep and it could take your body several hours to cool down enough so that you can drift off.
• Try having a light snack before bedtime. Some people disagree with this theory, but if you go to bed on an empty stomach, it can distract from your ability to fall asleep. Make sure this snack is light, though.
• Get at least eight hours of quality sleep per night. This will insure that you get the rest and recovery that your body needs to be able to function effectively during the day.
• Keep your bedroom dark and cool. Try having some white noise in the room like a fan running.
• Don’t drink a lot of fluids before sleep, especially tea or coffee. Not only will the caffeine keep you awake, but you’ll have to use the bathroom more often as well which will disturb your sleep.
• Establish both a regular sleep cycle as well as a pre-sleep routine. This will help you signal your body that it’s time to think about resting.

While your body is sleeping, your body’s synthesis of protein increases. This is what makes you grow. Your body can recover and repair any damage you did during the day while you are at rest.

A majority of growth hormones are also released when the body is in the sleep state. Growth hormones are very important in increasing muscle mass. During a workout, growth hormones are also released, but the majority of this happens while the body is at rest.

Just as sleep will give you more energy, it is also vital in helping your body recover and ultimately grow like you want it to.

One of the first who set the standard.

1 lb. ground turkey or beef
1 chopped onion
1 cup chopped portabella mushrooms
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Brown the meat with the red pepper flakes. Add the chopped onion and mushrooms. Put the all spice, salt and pepper in. Pour the spaghetti sauce in. Serve over your favorite type of noodle.

1 chopped onion
1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and dried
1 egg lightly beaten
8 oz. low fat ricotta cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, slice in half and flattened
Combine the onion, spinach, egg, and cheese mixture in a bowl. Put a dollop of the mixture into each chicken breast. Tie the chicken breasts together with butchers twine, or put toothpicks through them. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Optional: Garnish with lemon slices.

6 fish filets
1 ½ lbs small zucchini, cut lengthwise into halves
½ cup lemon juice
2 tbsp. low-calorie Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp. drained capers
Paprika to taste

Rinse fish and pat dry. In a separate bowl, stir together mustard and garlic. Arrange fish and zucchini in a single layer in a large pan. Drizzle with lemon juice. Broil on top rack for 5 minutes. Turn fish over, spread with mustard/garlic mixture. Continue to broil for 5 minutes or until zucchini is lightly browned and fish is cooked. Sprinkle with paprika and capers.

Serve. 6 servings

1 lb. Fish filets
One 14 oz. Can diced tomatoes w/ basil, garlic & oregano

Arrange fish filets in a single layer in skillet.
Cover with tomatoes and liquid.
Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-20 minutes, or until the fish easily flakes with a fork.
Serve plain or over brown rice.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 28 oz can crushed tomato
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
3 pressed garlic cloves
¼ tsp. thyme
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. oregano
1 tbsp. parsley
Dash of pepper
Cooking spray

Spray pan with cooking spray and heat. Brown chicken and set aside. Add chopped onion, green pepper and garlic. Cook until the onion is tender; about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, parsley, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over low for 15 minutes; stirring occasionally. Add browned chicken, cover and cook on low for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes. Serve. Top on whole wheat pasta or brown rice if desired.