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the rundown I in this issue

46

Features

ON THE COVER

SUREFIRE SIX-PACK!

CARDIO: HITT VS. LISS

54 FAT-BURNING SHOWDOWN

1-on-1 with MUSCLE INSIDER Ryan Terry as we get his insight on abs training.

High-intensity interval training throws down against low-intensity steady state and MUSCLE INSIDER crowns the winner!

BY MARK GILBERT, BSC (NUTRITION), CISSN TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

62 COOLSCULPTING & ABS ETCHING

Scientific breakthrough or fat-loss scam?

BY MARY ANN MARSALA, CNP CONTROVERSY

68 HOW SOME GYMS RIP YOU OFF!

Don’t get mad—get informed.

We‘ll help make sure you never get scammed again!

BY NED ARICK SUPPLEMENTS

72 CAFFEINE & FAT LOSS Is there an upper limit to caffeine intake for fat loss?

BY DON GAUVREAU, MSC SPECIAL REPORT

74 STEROID RAGE

Is it real, or are you just an asshole?

BY JAIME FILER, BA HON. KIN

EXCLUSIVE

88 DID THE LOW-FAT CRAZE

THE DANGER ZONE

76 PSYCHOLOGY OF DIETING

ACTUALLY CAUSE OBESITY? MUSCLE INSIDER’s Mark Gilbert explores that theory.

When the desire to get lean goes too far.

BY JAIME FILER, BA HON. KIN

BY MARK GILBERT, BSC (NUTRITION), CISSN

WINTER BLUES

82 WHY SO SAD?

Seasonal Affective Disorder: how it affects your training and your mood.

106 SUPER LEAGUE FEATURE

BY DON GAUVREAU, MSC

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MUSCLEINSIDER.COM I THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL

Our Editor-in-Chief takes the challenge!

BY JAIME FILER, BA HON. KIN

the rundown I in this issue

Departments TRAINING ZONE

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FAT-FIGHTING ZONE

34

SUPPLEMENT ZONE

36

NUTRITION ZONE

38

HEALTH ZONE

40

MOTIVATION ZONE

42

Big Ron Partlow explores distracted dieting, training tidbits, 5 rookie training mistakes, and “Target Training.”

Tammy Strome’s thoughts on quashing food cravings, and fat-burning facts you need to know.

Don Gauvreau looks at the practice of crushing hunger with diet pills, and supplement news.

“Muscle Diet” with Mark Gilbert takes an in-depth look at the positive benefits of CarnoSyn®.

Health information from our very own EIC, Jaime Filer, and a “Best Protein Chef” recipe with Bayan Sharafi.

Luck, talent, and genetics versus hard work: What’s the X-factor for success in the gym?

TEAM MI

28 STRONG WORDS

2018 is gonna be one helluva year!

Jaime Filer, Editor-in-Chief

94 ASK THE SCIENTIST

Kre-Alkalyn for bikini competitors.

Dr. Jeff Golini, Ph.D

98 #INSTAFAME

Marketing your brand online.

Jaimie Filer, BA, HON. KIN

100 FREAK FITNESS

Fat loss and weighing yourself.

Darren Mehling, BA, CSCS

104 TRUE GRIT

Featuring Chris Bumstead.

Photo by Dave Laus

110 FLEX APPEAL

Allmax athlete Amanda Latona.

Photo by Dave Laus

REVIEWS 44 PROVING GROUND

Allmax Nutrition’s Impact Igniter.

96 GEARED UP

Three great products reviewed.

102 SUPP DAWG

Believe Supplements.

ON THE

COVER RYAN TERRY

BY DAVE LAUS

EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Scott Welch ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Janet Welch VICE PRESIDENT, EVENTS Domenic Mauro CREATIVE DIRECTOR Wil McKeown ACCOUNTING Amanda L. Styka, amanda@dollarsandsenseonline.com BOOKKEEPING Susan Welch

EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (ONLINE & PRINT) Jaime Filer, jaime@muscle-insider.com ART DIRECTOR Wil McKeown, wil@muscle-insider.com CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Dave Laus PROOFREADER Peter Lynn

ART GRAPHIC DESIGN Bright Ideas Graphics CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Dave Laus, davelaus.com, studiotwo22.com, otctoronto.com PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT Wil McKeown

MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING SALES Janet Welch, janet@muscle-insider.com PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS ExpressMag.com, 1-877-363-1310 DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS iTunes.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ashleigh Atkinson, Victoria Felkar, Don Gauvreau, Mark Gilbert, Dr. Jeff Golini, Rob King, Branden Liezert, Brandie Mabee, Mary Ann Marsala, Darren Mehling, Ron Partlow, Tammy Strome

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Alex Ardenti, Jason Breeze, Bill Dobbins, Jason “King Of Covers” Ellis, Simon Lau, Dave Laus, Domenic Mauro, Rommel Ramirez, Thinkstock

CONTEST COVERAGE CONTEST PHOTOGRAPHY David Aboody, Casandra Bella, Greg Clever, Simon Lau, Domenic Mauro CONTEST RESULTS Jaime Filer, Domenic Mauro SOCIAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR Jeff Lavictoire EVENT DJ DJ Tudor Nenoiu, DJTudor.com

Mark Gilbert Dr. Marv Heuer

DISCLAIMER: MUSCLE INSIDER® is a registered trademark of United Trademarks, Inc., used under license by MUSCLE INSIDER Magazine, Inc. MUSCLE INSIDER is published by MUSCLE INSIDER Magazine, Inc. Copyright © 2018 by MUSCLE INSIDER Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Nothing appearing in MUSCLE INSIDER may be reprinted, either wholly or in part, without the written consent of MUSCLE INSIDER Magazine, Inc. We reserve the right to reject any advertising at our discretion without explanation. Send submissions to: info@muscle-insider.com.

We are not responsible for unsolicited material. All letters, photos, manuscripts, etc. sent to MUSCLE INSIDER will be considered as intended for publication. We also reserve the right to edit any letter or manuscript as we see fit, and all letters, photos, manuscripts, etc., submitted have an implied waiver of copyright and/or moral rights. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, and other material must be accompanied by a self-addressed envelope with postage pre-paid.

The information contained in MUSCLE INSIDER does not provide specific medical advice. Please consult a physician for medical advice and/or before beginning any diet or exercise program. Use the information published in MUSCLE INSIDER at your own risk. The information, products, and services contained in MUSCLE INSIDER may be outdated or include opinions, omissions, inaccuracies, or other errors. All information is provided (to the fullest extent of the law) on an “as is or seen” basis, and MUSCLE INSIDER Magazine, Inc. makes no representations or warranties (expressly disclaims) of any kind, express or implied, with respect to said publication, including the information, content, and materials of MUSCLE INSIDER. Except if specifically stated, to the fullest extent permitted by law, neither MUSCLE INSIDER Magazine, Inc. nor any of its partners, related or affiliated companies, licensors, licensees, contractors, suppliers, employees, or associates, will be liable for damages arising out of or in connection with the use of MUSCLE INSIDER or the information, content, and materials included in MUSCLE INSIDER. This also includes advertisers’ past, current, or future representations, claims, product safety, or services. This is a comprehensive limitation of liability that applies to all damages of any kind, including (without limitation) compensatory, direct, indirect, or consequential damages, loss of data, income or profit, loss of or damage to property and personal claims of third parties, health or otherwise.

Neither MUSCLE INSIDER Magazine, Inc., nor their authors advocate, promote, nor encourage the use of anabolic steroids or other illegal drugs. The information contained in this publication is not intended to induce or persuade anyone to use or possess anabolic steroids or other illegal drugs. Any reference made directly about the effects of anabolic steroids or other substances is for entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice.

TEAM MI

MI News

muscle insider I what’s happening

MUSCLE INSIDER’s Deadlift Challenge Invades Toronto December 16th is a day that will live in infamy, as literally tonnes of weights were smashed at Dave and Nichelle Laus’ Optimum Training Centre. OTC hosted dozens of strong people, each hoping to claim the title of Deadlift Champion. We had both a 1-rep max challenge and a bodyweight deadlift competition. Everyone who came out had an amazing time, and we’re already looking forward to a killer event in 2018.

Huge thanks to Popeye’s, Precision, Allmax, BSN, Progressive, Cellucor, Optimum Nutrition, Scivation, and Perfect Sports for generously donating prizes, samples and swag!

TEAM MI GUEST EDITORIAL WITH JAIME FILER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

2018 Is Gonna Be a Helluva Year!

It’s the New Year’s/Fat-Loss Issue of MUSCLE INSIDER, which means that it would be cliché to use phrases like “resolve to be in the best shape of your life,” “new year, new you,” and “set goals for the next 365 days.” Those are commonplace and clichés because they’re also truisms. We don’t need to remind you how important your goals are. Your goals should be what wake you up and get you out of bed every single day. Having the body of your dreams should be what gets you to the gym while the rest of the world is just getting up.

Following through on your promises to yourself

PHOTO: DAVE LAUS

This is your year to build your best body ever.

should be what drives you to be a beast in the gym, besting yourself every single session by one pound, one rep, or one set.

So we don’t need to tell you that your resolutions should be a priority this year, and that you should finally get off your ass and commit to doing what you said you were going to do last year, or the year before, or hell, even five years ago.

With that said, we still want to be your training partner in the gym and your sous-chef in the kitchen when it comes to helping you reach your goals! And so, we’ve chosen the articles in our Fat-Loss Issue very carefully. We have a one-onone with MUSCLE INSIDER cover model and 2017 Arnold Classic Men’s Physique champion Ryan Terry as we get his insight on abs training. We have a feature about the ultimate cardio showdown: high-intensity interval training versus lowintensity steady state. We’ve all heard the arguments for and against both s i d e s, b u t we intend to put this

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debate to rest once and for all.

HIIT throws down against LISS, and MUSCLE INSIDER crowns the winner. Then we have a feature about how gyms can scam you and take advantage of how the human psyche operates, especially around the new year.

Additionally, we tackle a pretty controversial topic, one that’s well timed as you explore what supplements can help enhance your fat-loss efforts. In a feature written by the Supplement Godfather himself, Don Gauvreau, we take a look at the upper limits for caffeine intake; are we abusing our bodies and hindering our progress by taking too much?

Of course, in addition to all these features, we have all the columns from our usual gang of brilliant minds, educating you about what you’re doing right (and wrong) when it comes to fat loss. We encourage you to read through the re-debut of resident scientist Dr. Jeff Golini as he talks about Kre-Alkalyn for bikini competitors, and our resident IFBB Pro Ron Partlow talks about how to distract yourself while you’re dieting for a show. We also branch out and talk about how to market and brand yourself correctly on social media, which is an especially relevant topic if you’re thinking of starting or building an online business in the new year.

As always, we’ve got you covered from top to bottom, brain to brawn, with everything you want and need to know to “resolve to be in the best shape of your life!” this year. From brains to brawn to blazing fat loss, we’ve got you covered.

Stay strong.

Follow Jaime Filer on social media: @FrigginLean @Jaim91 @Jaime Filer

SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK facebook.com/ muscleinsider

TWITTER @muscleinsider

INSTAGRAM @muscleinsider

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PERISCOPE @muscleinsider

SNAPCHAT muscleinsider

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Jaime is MUSCLE INSIDER’s Editor-inChief and has been with us since 2012.

She graduated with a kinesiology degree and is a competitive bodybuilder and crossfitter. If something’s new in fitness, chances are Jaime’s already tried it!

Zone TRAINING

FAT-FIGHTING SUPPLEMENTS NUTRITION HEALTH MOTIVATION

BIG RON’S CORNER

WITH BIG RON PARTLOW, IFBB PRO

Distracted Dieting: Taking Your Mind off Your Meals I get a lot of questions

length of time. However, there are others who could make it through prep if they didn’t think they had to put everything else on hold. That creates way too much space for your mind to play tricks on you.

I look back on all the shows and one thing is clear: One of the secrets to getting through contest prep is to keep mentally busy. Some shows in which I did extremely well hap-

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY MUTANT

from young competitors about how to deal with contest prep and how to make it from one small meal to the next without thinking about food constantly.

I know the feeling. I’ve been there for weeks and months on end, and it’s something that some people are unable to do.

No amount of advice could keep them on low carbs or a calorie-restricted plan for any

pened to take place when I had a lot going on, from taking on a ton of clients and changing jobs one year to going to college full-time and moving three times during prep another year. The year I turned pro, I sold my house and moved from Edmonton to Vancouver to start my first day job in 20 years, then spent seven weeks of my 20-week prep in foreign countries, constantly having to adapt, day to day. I think I did well at those shows because I had to be focused on the moment. Time passed quickly. Prep flew by. Endurance, funny as it sounds, seemed less of a factor.

My dedication was sharpened, and my stubbornness to get everything done was enhanced.

Then there were the other shows where I did the opposite. A few times, I cleared my schedule for three or four months and just sat inside to prep with zero other responsibilities, driving myself insane and overanalyzing every little detail because I had the time to do so. See, that’s the problem: time. Getting through contest prep is like a slow walk through hell, so time is the key factor.

Anybody can diet hard or be perfect for a day, but stringing 100 days in a row together?

Most people can’t do that. The ones that are really good at it are also the ones that are good at being mentally busy. I see

really good bodybuilders make this mistake all the time; they drop everything for the show and then lose their minds.

Of course they go crazy!

The framework of bodybuilding is a lot like a computer program that you can let run in the background, like iTunes playing while you surf on Google.

If you close the Google window, then you’re left staring at iTunes, and you’d go crazy.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that an insane schedule of hard manual labour is what we all need. Not at all. The physical stresses of “life” are never a great thing to add to prep. Ideally, we should be occupying our minds while our bodies rest to recover. I know that for me, having things to think about, learn, and focus on made life much more normal while getting ready for shows. I used to know a guy who took 16 weeks of guitar lessons every time he did a show. One lesson a week, and he practiced 30 minutes a day. After a few contests, he was pretty good on his sixstring. I think that more people should do little things like that for themselves. Just something to ponder.

Follow Big Ron on social media: @bigronpartlow @rep300

Ron Partlow is a champion bodybuilder and IFBB pro, training coach, and host of The MUTANT Lab Report. With over 23 years in the iron game, Ron’s experienced the evolution of bodybuilding firsthand.

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NEW!

Zone

PHOTO: DAVE LAUS

DROPPING WEIGHTS AND F-BOMBS: HOW SWEARING @#%*!

MAKES YOU STRONGER Expletives can increase your tolerance to pain.

Or intense workouts. Sometimes they’re one and the same. According to a study done by British researchers, when participants cursed their way through a 30-second bike sprint, their peak power rose by 24 watts on average. And in a 10-second grip task, trained individuals who used their favourite expletive repeatedly improved their strength by the equivalent of 2.1 kilograms. The lead researcher’s theory is that repeatedly cursing with intensity “stimulates the body’s sympathetic nervous system—that’s the system that makes your heart pound when you are in danger. If that is the reason, we would expect swearing to make people stronger too—and that is just what we found in these experiments.” So next time you’re stuck under that bar, drop some Fbombs, not the weight!

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PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

TIME OFF WEIGHTS DOES NOT HURT YOUR GAINS

Researchers had 20 trained individuals follow an identical training program where they trained hard for four weeks, took off two, and then trained again for four. Throughout the course of the experiment, half the participants took 25 grams of whey, and half took 25 grams of maltodextrin. The subjects gained strength during their training period and maintained it during the detraining period, regardless of whether they took the whey or not. The lean body mass and fat mass of both groups also remained consistent through the detraining period. This is all to say that if you have to take a couple of weeks off, whether due to fatigue, injury, or any other reason, fear not—the body is adaptable.

LEMON FREEZE

RAINBOW CANDY RUSH

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Zone TRAINING

FAT-FIGHTING SUPPLEMENTS NUTRITION HEALTH MOTIVATION

5 Most Common Rookie Training Mistakes AS WE HEAD INTO THE NEW YEAR, it goes without saying that gyms everywhere will be packed with people: young, old, lean, bulky, experienced, and ... not so experienced. Those “rookies” you’ll see in the gym need a helping hand, and as a devoted reader of MUSCLE INSIDER, you know your way around the weights. So try helping out your fellow meatheads by offering them the following advice when you see them (inevitably) make these mistakes ...

TRAINING TOO LONG: More often than not, rookies think they need to play catch-up in the gym; they need to make up for lost time by spending countless hours in the gym.

They have to hit all the body parts all the time and prove to everyone that they’re serious about training.

NOT TRAINING LONG ENOUGH: We’re not trying to confuse you here, but you won’t get your return on investment if you’re not spending enough time in the gym. If you’re going to commit, commit. Find a workout routine that suits your lifestyle and schedule, and treat it like you would any other appointment. Except this one you’re doing to improve yourself. This appointment helps you with your mind, body, and soul. This is one date you do not want to cancel.

POOR FORM: Cheating has to be earned. It’s like working your way up from the mail room to CEO. You can just start with quarter reps, momentum, and using the leg press but not the squat rack. Especially when gains can come easily because your body isn’t used to the stimulation, you should be focusing on form all the time. From the beginning of the concentric portion to the end of the eccentric, get your head in the game, connect your mind with your muscle, and do everything slowly and correctly.

LISTENING TO TOO MANY PEOPLE: Too many cooks ruin the stew. The best diet you can go on as a rookie is an information diet; thousands of different magazines, websites, and people will all tell you what worked for them. Everyone and their mother has an opinion or advice about how to train and gain. You need to pick one, trusted, reliable, science-based source and stick to it. Maybe even the magazine you’re reading now….

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PHOTO: JASON BREEZE

GOING TOO HEAVY: Unless you’re Drake, don’t go zero to 100 real quick. Again, you don’t need to prove anything to anyone, and your whole plan of getting stacked and jacked will backfire if you also get injured.

You’re not training for a powerlifting or strongman comp right out of the gate, so leave the 3- to 5-rep range for the men in kilts and singlets, and keep yourself at a comfortable 8 to 15 reps.

Every champion was once a gym newbie. You can bet even great pros like Jeremy Buendia made rookie mistakes—so you’re not alone if you’re just starting out.

Zone

G URIN DA FEATON PAN S IME

YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE IGNORE STAPLE EXERCISES. The decline dumbbell flye is a perfect example.

DECLINE DUMBBELL FLYES

You always see people doing flat bench and incline flyes, but the decline flye often gets neglected—and that is a big mistake. Muscles are three dimensional, and it is important to hit them from different planes and angles to maximize growth and reach your full potential.

Points on Execution: • Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on the end of a declined bench.

Hook your feet under the footpads—a very important step as you don’t want to slide/shift down at all while performing this exercise. Bring the dumbbells up to your chest and slowly lower yourself until your back is flat against the decline bench.

• Raise the dumbbells straight up above your chest with your palms facing each other and keep a slight bend at the elbows so your arms are not completely locked out. This is your start position.

• Slowly open up your arms while keeping the bend at your elbow fixed and your wrists locked. Keep opening your arms (while carefully controlling the weights) until you feel a deep stretch across your chest muscles and pause for a two count.

• Slowly arc the dumbbells back up to the start position and flex your pecs hard at the top of the movement.

Perform 3–4 sets of 12–15 reps.

MUSCLE INSIDER Tip:

PHOTO: DAVE LAUS

• Don’t go too heavy with exercise at first. Moderation is key until you are used to the movement. And never drop the weights from the bottom of the movement/outstretched position and risk hyperextending your muscles. Bring the weights close to your chest and curl your body to a more upright position, then you can drop the weights.

THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL I MUSCLEINSIDER.COM

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Zone TRAINING

FAT-FIGHTING

SUPPLEMENTS NUTRITION HEALTH MOTIVATION

WITH TAMMY STROME, C.KIN, RNCP, CCP AND IFBB PRO

Quashing Food Cravings We all know that feeling: You’ve been on point with your diet and training. You’re seeing lines come in and feeling leaner every day.

Then it hits … a food craving! Burger! Pizza! Chocolate!

Should you indulge?

A food craving is defined as “an intense desire to eat a specific foodstuff.” Cravings are typically more intense in women than in men. The cause may exist in the subtle shifts in hormones and neurotransmitters throughout our monthly cycle. But cravings in anyone could be a sign of a nutrient, vitamin, or mineral requirement or deficiency. Here are some examples:

CHOCOLATE CRAVINGS:

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PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

PHOTO: ROMMEL RAMIREZ, MODEL: RACHEL KILLAM

This one can correlate to low magnesium. I’ve experienced this with clients, and when we increased magnesium consumption, the chocolate cravings disappeared.

There’s also evidence that consuming chocolate may affect neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Both of these neurotransmitters can dip lower from stress or poor lifestyle, but also hormonal fluctuations associated with the menstrual cycle.

However, this isn’t an excuse to eat chocolate. The high sugar content in commercial chocolate can actually further deplete the body of these minerals, setting up a cycle of craving and consumption that becomes a habit.

Instead, consume magnesium-rich foods such as steamed spinach, raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, or a piece of organic, dark chocolate. It would also be wiser to eat regular meals with lean protein and complex carbohydrates and vegetables, so blood sugar is stable, neurotransmitters are optimized, and vitamins and minerals are

MUSCLEINSIDER.COM I THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL

getting into the body. This precedes the craving, and is exactly why good nutrition and clean eating isn’t just a shortterm thing, but a lifestyle. A good quality greens supplement is amazing here too, but shouldn’t replace food.

RED MEAT CRAVINGS: We’ve all craved a juicy burger, but did you know that research shows an increased tendency for those who are low in iron to crave more red meat and protein? Iron is one of those minerals that women and men do tend to be lower on. It’s most commonly seen to be low in physically active women over age 35, but it can affect anyone.

Heme iron (from animal sources) is the most bioavailable form of iron. So if the body is low, then you may feel a desire to eat a steak or burger, partly because you know (consciously or subconsciously) that you will feel better.

It’s harder for the body to absorb vegan sources of iron, but it can be done. Raw pumpkin seeds and cashews are some good examples. I also suggest combining vitamin C-rich foods with a high-iron meal, such as a meal consisting of steak and spinach. If you’re worried about the caloric density of red meat, you can opt for leaner cuts of beef such as flank steak and extralean ground beef.

Here are some other associations between specific foods and nutrient deficiencies that you can look into: • Chromium and sugar cravings • Low essential fatty acids (EFAs) and cheese cravings • Zinc and red meat cravings It’s important to be aware that there’s an intricate connection between physiology and psychology, and some food cravings can be more attributed to a coping mechanism or habit, while others can be attributed to a real need for a certain nutrient. My professional experience has found that the individuals who have the worst food cravings in contest prep or while dieting are usually depleted of vital nutrients to begin with. So make sure that you’re rounding out macro- and micronutrients while dieting.

MUSCLE INSIDER PRESCRIPTION Supplement your diet with a multivitamin every day as an insurance policy against nutrient deficiencies. If you’re taking a caplet form of vitamin, break the caplet in half and take one half every 12 hours. This will allow the water-soluble vitamins to be ingested twice per day.

Follow Tammy on social media: @tammystrome @tammystromeifbbpro @Tammy LeeAnne Strome tammystrome.com

Tammy Strome is an IFBB pro with 17 years in the industry as a transformation specialist, life coach and supplement expert. She uses a combination of science, insight and intuition to help her clients sculpt their bodies and transform their lives. Visit her online at tammystrome.com.

Zone Nuts in general have long been touted as a superfood for their powerful impact on your health. Their benefits include high levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Walnuts are a good source of protein, fibre, and magnesium. What has made them a standout is their high level of alpha-linolenic acid, a type of brainboosting omega-3 fatty acid. Recently, scientists have found that consuming walnuts activates an area in the brain associated with regulating hunger and cravings. This study is the first of its kind to show the neurocognitive impact that walnuts have on your brain. So while the

®

findings are preliminary, they only prove to further enhance the reputation of these powerful nuts! Researchers used 48 grams of walnuts in their study (the amount recommended by the American Diabetes Association), which is about 3 to 4 tablespoons. So throw a handful in your morning oatmeal or even have them as a midafternoon snack to keep hunger at bay!

EXERCISE WORKING OVERTIME TO BURN FAT Have you ever had a workout or HIIT cardio session so intense that you couldn’t “stomach” the idea of eating immediately after?

Scientists in England found that exercise is more effective than caloric restriction in terms of helping to limit daily calorie consumption. Where a deficit was created by food restriction, participants were found to have increased levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and lower levels of peptide YY (a hunger-suppressing hormone). The participants also ate almost a third more at a buffet meal compared with another occasion when the same energy deficit was created via exercise.

So if you’re embarking on a fat-loss journey, create your deficit preferentially with more exercise as opposed to less food, and hunger won’t be as much of an issue.

BURN FAT | INCREASE ENERGY | ENHANCE FOCUS PHOTO: GREG CLEAVER / MODEL: DALE ARMSTRONG

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

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Zone

TRAINING FAT-FIGHTING

SUPPLEMENTS

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SUPPLEMENT GODFATHER WITH DON GAUVREAU, MSC, CSCS

Crushing Hunger with Diet Pills PLENTY OF COMPANIES

out there claim to make diet pills that stop hunger and cravings by directly affecting the pathways of hunger, including the hormones ghrelin and leptin. But do they really work?

Can you actually turn these hormones off and on without causing a cascade of other events?

What Are Hunger Hormones?

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

The hormones that control hunger are actually quite complex. These hormones are in place

to help control and maintain homeostasis in the body, which means they tell us when we’re hungry and need to eat, and when we’re full and need to stop eating. These hormones are also affected by everything from our metabolism to our activity levels, to how much fat weight we’re carrying, how much sleep we get, and even what we eat and how much.

The two most common hunger hormones (which have also been given the most amount of coverage in research) are leptin and ghrelin.

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MUSCLEINSIDER.COM I THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL

The Lowdown on Leptin and Ghrelin

These two hormones are the major players when it comes to hunger regulation, and they act opposite to one another. Leptin is secreted by our fat cells, as well as the stomach and even from the skeletal muscle. Once secreted, leptin enters the circulatory system and travels to the hypothalamus to tell us to stop eating. In general, the fatter you are, the more leptin your body produces, resulting in intake of less food and possibly a higher metabolic rate. If your body doesn’t have a lot of fat, you have less leptin circulating and will therefore be hungrier.

Leptin has also been linked closely to insulin and glucose metabolism, specifically in obese individuals. Leptin resistance can occur with increased body fat, and increased leptin levels contribute to the maintenance of obesity, but it can also occur in lean individuals, it all depends on their diet.

While leptin is considered a “long-term” regulator of body weight, ghrelin is a “short-term” regulator of hunger. It’s produced in the stomach and essentially sends signals to the hypothalamus when you’re hungry and need to eat—for example, when your stomach is empty.

Less ghrelin means less hunger and less eating.

Because both of these hormones regulate hunger and appetite using a

homeostatic mechanism, if you try to control one through dieting, increased activity, or even supplements, this homeostasis will be thrown off balance, and no doubt trigger another result.

In fact, dieting for prolonged periods can reduce the leptin response, decrease metabolism, and even increase appetite.

Research has also shown that even when you expect a certain result with these hormones, the opposite can happen, and many more factors are involved than simply two or three hormones.

No single hormone can control body composition, appetite, or hunger, and each person will have a unique hormone profile, metabolism, and body composition that will determine the result.

Can Supplements Help?

Many products on the market claim to help control ghrelin and leptin levels. One plant that has been shown to have an effect on ghrelin levels is Hoodia gordoni, which was found to also work as a strong appetite suppressant. Other herbal ingredients that have shown a

“EATING A DIET THAT’S ALSO HIGH IN PROTEIN WILL MAKE SURE YOU’RE SATIATING HUNGER, AND INDUCING THE RELEASE OF OTHER HUNGER HORMONES IN THE GUT, THEREBY REDUCING YOUR APPETITE.”

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“TRIMETHYLGLYCINE: IT’S EVERY RAW MATERIAL MANUFACTURER’S WET DREAM.”

reducing effect on ghrelin levels include Dolichos biflorus and Piper betle leaf extract, which also showed body weight loss over an eight-week period.

In other studies, the effectiveness of arabinoxylan, a dietary fibre from whole-grain rye, was shown to regulate ghrelin levels when given at a dose of 15 grams a day for six weeks.

As for leptin, there’s less substantiation to support supplements that can help to lower leptin levels. Since insulin and leptin are linked to glucose homeostasis, controlling insulin can result in controlling leptin in a non-direct way. Leptin supplements generally are purported to help with leptin functioning or increase feeling of fullness, such as fibres, or reduce cravings and appetite. Bottom line, the majority of products on the market are aimed at helping control appetite, but more than likely don’t cause a direct impact on your hormones.

Don Gauvreau, aka the Supplement Godfather, is one of the leading researchers and product formulators in the sports supplement industry.

Diet and Hunger Hormones If you’re trying to lose weight and have problems with controlling your appetite and your hunger, the first place to make changes is to your diet. A diet that’s high in fibre, from a variety of sources including fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds will ensure a slower digestion, keeping your blood glucose levels balanced and avoiding crashes and cravings.

Eating a diet that’s also high in protein will make sure you’re satiating hunger, and inducing the release of other hunger hormones (such as peptide YY) in the gut, thereby reducing your appetite. By following a balanced diet, you can ensure your hunger hormones are being regulated and your metabolism is functioning optimally.

Follow Don on social media: @rippedfreak @rippedfreak

A bold (and controversial) statement from the researchers; however, if they’re right, this could mean big things for the advancement of GH and IGF-1 supplementation.

Trimethylglycine, also known as betaine (because it was discovered in sugar beets) is an amino acid derivative that occurs in plants. Italian researchers have shown that trimethylglycine induces muscle cells to make more receptors for IGF-1. Insulin-like growth factor 1 is a hormone that’s similar in structure to insulin, and works with growth hormone to reproduce and regenerate cells. Italian researchers put not-yet-fully developed muscle cells in fluid (at a concentration of 10 millimoles trimethylglycine) and watched how they developed into longer muscle fibres with more contractile proteins. They noticed that the fluid caused an increase in the production of the IGF-1 receptor protein. What this means for bodybuilders is that by incorporating 1.25 to 1.5 grams of betaine into your current pre- and post-workout stack, you may further enhance your efforts in the gym.

MAGIC MUSHROOMS AND CANCER Hispolon is a proposed new anticancer drug, which is derived from an extract isolated from Phellinus linteus, a traditional medicinal mushroom originating in Korea. The mushroom has been used to treat various pathologies, such as inflammation, gastroenteric disorders, lymphatic diseases, and cancers. Researchers from Korea are now proposing that Hispolon can inhibit cell growth in estrogen-positive breast cancer cells, and is a candidate for use in human breast cancer chemotherapy. Look for these ’shrooms to potentially be used in human trials soon.

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TRAINING FAT-FIGHTING SUPPLEMENTS

NUTRITION

HEALTH MOTIVATION

WITH MARK GILBERT, B.Sc. (NUTRITION), CISSN

Benefits of CarnoSyn

®

When it comes to

PHOTO: ALEX ARDENTI

supplements that significantly increase performance and energy availability during exercise and are legitimately research “proven,” three key ingredients stand out: creatine monohydrate, caffeine, and CarnoSyn ® beta-alanine. Thousands of articles have been written on the first two, but not nearly as many on the latter. This alone is an excellent reason to write this article, but an equally compelling reason is that most people seem to be using this potent performance enhancer incorrectly!

Let’s get the stuff out of the way that experts agree on: CarnoSyn ® is a form of betaalanine that is a slightly altered form of the amino acid

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alanine. It’s found in very small amounts in the foods we eat, such as meat and fish, and can be produced in the body from other precursors contained in the foods we eat. However, the body only seems to make a suboptimal amount of it when consuming a normal (or even a high-protein) diet. This is important because the availability of this amino acid in the body determines how much of a dipeptide called carnosine will be produced and stored in muscle, and the increase in the level of carnosine in muscle is what’s responsible for the benefits of beta-alanine. It’s for this reason that the manufacturers of CarnoSyn® gave their premium version of beta-alanine a similar name to what it raises in your muscle tissues (carnosine).

How Does CarnoSyn® Work?

More benefits have been investigated including cognitive function, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory.

The fundamental science has been proven by various research groups that carnosine neutralizes the acid buildup that’s responsible for the burn you feel in your muscles and the curtailment of performance that occurs during intense exercise. As I alluded to earlier, beta-alanine has solid re-

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search backing it. It’s been the subject of over 55 published, scientific studies, and a recent review (which looked at the 40 best studies in about 1500 study subjects) confirmed that it works in activities that last from 30 seconds up to 10 minutes and works regardless of whether you’ve never sprinted or picked up a weight or you’re an elite athlete. So whether you’re lifting weights, doing HIIT, or trying to achieve your personal best over a 2,000metre row, this stuff will allow you to go harder, faster, and for longer!

Despite all of this great science and these physiological effects, many readers may not know much about beta-alanine, but most are likely to have used CarnoSyn ® already since it’s in so many pre-workout products.

Use CarnoSyn® Daily for Maximum Results Dozens of studies support betaalanine’s efficacy, but unfortunately, many people use this ingredient incorrectly. The research suggests that it must be used at a minimum daily dosage of 3.2 grams, and it should be used daily, not just when you train. So the number one mistake users are making is only consuming it in their pre-workout drinks three or four days a week and often at dosages below 3.2 grams. You must take it daily for maximum carnosine retention in your muscles. Another important consideration

is that larger daily intakes—for instance, 6.4 grams—has been shown to work significantly better, so if you don’t want to leave any performance benefits on the table, up your dosage!

Another consideration is that virtually all of the research on beta-alanine has been done on the trademarked CarnoSyn ® brand of beta-alanine. This is a very carefully produced, established form of this amino acid, and it’s batch-tested and verified to be free of contaminants and banned substances, so to be sure you’re getting the real deal, look for the CarnoSyn ® logo when you buy products.

What Is Paresthesia?

One additional little idiosyncrasy that you should know about beta-alanine is that at effective dosages, it causes a harmless condition called paresthesia, a kind of tingling, mild itchiness to the skin. This effect depends upon the person and the dosage and only lasts several minutes. But if you want to avoid this sensation, then either take two or more divided dosages daily or be on the lookout for a new sustained release form of CarnoSyn ® that I’ll tell you about next issue.

Follow Mark on social media: @MarkSGilbert @muscledietmark @musclediet Website: MuscleDiet.com

Mark Gilbert has worked with multiple elite athletes, including two Mr. Olympias. He has formulated supplements that have sold in the 100s of millions and he is co-founder of FitnessGenes.

HEALTH

TRAINING FAT-FIGHTING SUPPLEMENTS NUTRITION

150 MINUTES OF EXERCISE PER WEEK CAN DECREASE CANCER RISK BY 10–40%

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If you’re reading MUSCLE INSIDER, then you don’t need to be told (or reminded) that exercise is good for you and beneficial for your health, not just your looks. But often we need to be role models for our coworkers, partners, or family members to get them to lead healthier lifestyles. According to research done on 1.4 million people in America and Europe, people who regularly exercised had 42 percent lower risk of esophageal cancer. The risk of liver cancer was 27 percent lower. Risk of lung and kidney cancer was 26 and 23 percent lower, respectively. Stomach cancer of the cardia was 22 percent lower. Endometrial cancer risk was 21 percent lower. Colon cancer risk was 16 percent lower. Rectal cancer risk was 13 percent lower. And the risk of breast cancer was 10 percent lower among people who followed a training routine.

The average amount of activity was 150 minutes per week, which is only about 22 minutes a day. So get your loved ones moving if you’re concerned about their health! or any other reason, fear not—the body is adaptable.

MOTIVATION

PAY THE EXTRA $2 FOR THE GUAC, AND SAVE YOUR BRAIN IN THE PROCESS Whether you eat it whole as a source of healthy fat or with chips as tasty guacamole, consuming one fresh avocado per day may lead to improved cognitive function. Researchers found that the monounsaturated fats, fibre, lutein (369 micrograms per avocado), and other bioactives make them a particularly effective food for enriching neural lutein levels (increasing them by 25 percent over the course of six months in older adults). The higher lutein contributed not only to healthier eyes but also to cognitive function in terms of working memory and problemsolving skills.

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Why is it we always picture older people reading in a rocking chair with a cup of tea by a warm fire? Maybe it’s just me. Or it’s me, and epidemiologists at Yale University. Researchers found that if you read a book for half an hour a day, you’ll live years longer than if you don’t. The risk of death was 20 percent lower among book readers than non-readers.

These results extend to newspapers and magazines, but the effect isn’t as marked. Although they couldn’t establish exactly why or how these people lived longer, it’s been hypothesized that reading books “can promote empathy, social perception, and emotional intelligence, which are cognitive processes that can lead to greater survival.” Guess we can conclude that reading MUSCLE INSIDER helps you live longer.

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BE SMARTER AND LIVE LONGER

Zone BEST PROTEIN CHEF

You Need More Fat to Burn Fat

WITH BAYAN SHARAFI

We all know that both white and green tea catechins have been proven to burn fat. We also know that white fat is that stubborn gross adipose tissue that sits around waiting to be burned, while brown fat is used to burn calories in order to generate heat. Recently, scientists wanted to see if there was a relationship between the two; can green/white tea burn brown fat as well as it’s been shown to burn white fat? To make a long story short (and more confusing), the answer is, kind of. The catechins boosted the heat production in the students who had relatively large amounts of brown fat cells.

The catechins didn’t have this effect on the other students; which means you need to have a lot of brown fat in order to burn it. The dose used was about 615 milligrams of catechin and 77 milligrams of caffeine (the equivalent of about two cups of tea). Try your luck with some EGCG capsules or just liquid tea.

MACROS: (1 Serving) 37 g Protein 59 g Carbs 28 g Fat

SRIRACHA BACON WRAPPED CHICKEN TENDERS

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

1 chicken breast, cut into 3 slices 50 g Sriracha chips, crushed 2 eggs 2 tbsp flour, any kind works 1/2 scoop Optimum Whey Gold Standard vanilla protein Pinch salt and pepper 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp dry basil 3 bacon slices 25 g mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 385˚F. 2. Cut chicken breasts into strips. Set aside.

3. You need three bowls.

In one, add crushed chips, in the other, add your eggs, and in the last, add your flour, protein powder, garlic powder, onion powder, basil and salt and pepper.

4. One strip at a time, cover in flour mix and egg wash then cover in chips.

Follow Bayan: @bayanskitchen @bakingwithbayan

5. Use a baking tray with parchment paper or tinfoil. Lay each strip down and bake for 15–18 minutes, until chips are crispy and chicken is tender.

Flip over strips at 10 minutes.

You can also check the internal temp with a thermometer.

It will be ready at 140˚F.

Bayan Sharafi is a passionate protein chef/baker who won MUSCLE INSIDER’s Best Protein Chef 2017 Contest, and is taking protein foods and snacks to the next level with clean ingredients and great taste.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

Crunchy, moist and full of flavour in every bite

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TRAINING FAT-FIGHTING SUPPLEMENTS NUTRITION HEALTH

MOTIVATION

MOTIVATION ZONE WITH JAIME FILER, B.A. HON. KIN

Luck, Talent, and Genetics vs. Hard Work: What’s the X-Factor?

“MY GOAL WHEN I COME IN HERE every day is to make sure that if someone beats me, it’s not because they outworked me.”

—Layne Norton, Ph.D., professional natural body bodybuilder, powerlifter, coaching guru “You might be smarter, your family may come from privilege, your daddy might own a company, but you will not outwork me!”

—Eric Thomas, motivational speaker “I will not be outworked, period.

You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be

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sexier than me, you might be all of those things, you got it on me in nine categories.

But if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple, right?

You’re not going to outwork me. It’s such a simple, basic concept. The guy who is willing to hustle the most is going to be the guy that just gets that loose ball. The majority of people who aren’t getting the places they want or aren’t achieving the things that they want in this business is strictly based on hustle. It’s strictly based on being outworked; it’s strictly based on

MUSCLEINSIDER.COM I THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL

missing crucial opportunities. I say all the time if you stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready.”

—Will Smith, actor I could go on and on (and on) about just how important hard work is to success, regardless of what industry you’re in.

From motivational speaking to bodybuilding to acting, the common denominator is working harder than the guy or girl next to you. Success is the result of small efforts done repeatedly day in and day out.

And no one knows just how tedious and repetitive some of those efforts are more than dieting competitors. Minutes on the Stairmaster pass by like sands in an hourglass, and you can practically hear the second hand ticking on the clock when you’re between meals. Every day is the same damn thing, and you wonder whether it’s all going to be worth it in the end.

First of all, of course it is. Any time you’re working towards self-improvement, whether that’s committing to working a little more diligently at your job, spending extra time reading a book, or sticking to your diet better, every single day that you perform is a victory. Every day that you worked a little harder than the day before is a win. But with all this said, what about the guy in your office who seems to have all the luck? What about the girl in your gym who

PHOTO: GREG CLEAVER / MODEL: BENJAMIN EDU

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”—Phil Heath, 7-time Mr. Olympia

Zone ORDER ONLINE OR BY PHONE

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www.tmicheal.com

PHOTO: GREG CLEAVER / MODEL: ZAC BRUCE

1-847-543-0051 WORLDWIDE SHIPPING

seems to be blessed with god-given proportions? That guy who stays lean yearround despite the fact that you never see him do cardio? What do you do about these people with whom we have a lovehate relationship?

Nothing. You don’t do anything about them, because they’re not you, and you’re not them. Maybe that guy who gets super-lucky at work doesn’t have a partner to go home to at the end of the day, so he can afford to spend extra hours at the office. The girl who has amazing proportions and symmetry may be only 21 years old, so of course she has time on her side relative to her physical appearance. And the guy who’s always at 5 percent body fat may not be as strong as you are because he keeps himself too lean to focus on strength and hypertrophy. So one day, Office Guy will start dating, Baby Minor will turn 25, and Mr. LeanBean will put on fluff for the winter. You’ll still be there, how-

ever, plugging along, outworking all of them because nothing was handed to you. You’re trying to balance your relationship, your body, and your peace of mind, and through it all, you need to constantly remind yourself that people who weren’t given anything have to work hard for everything.

It’s work ethic that you’re left with at the end of the day. It’s your work ethic and commitment to your goal that will be with you when talent and genetics have run out (eventually gravity will take its toll).

Hard work is what will separate those who are successful from those who were just lucky, and the cream always rises to the top. So regardless of how easy you think other people have it, just put your head to the grindstone and your legs to the Stairmaster, and never stop working.

When you want to succeed more than you want to complain or lament about what you were or weren’t given, that’s when you’ll be successful.

reviews I under the microscope

Proving Ground ALLMAXNUTRITION.COM

ALLMAX: IMPACT IGNITER “If you look closer at the ingredient profile, you’ll see that Impact is fully dosed for fat loss as well!”

According to the old adage, if you’re going to be a “jack of all trades,” you’ll be a master of none.

But when it comes to supplements, we don’t believe that! If a company is good enough to make one blockbuster product, then chances are it has the systems necessary to make countless more—those made with science-backed ingredients, produced in government-inspected manufacturing facilities, with formulas that meet their label claims.

A company that continues to do all this and more is Allmax Nutrition. It truly manages to outdo itself with every new product it launches, and now it’s done it again with its new pre-workout, Impact Igniter.

Pre-Dominant Pre-Workout and Fat-Loss Agent Impact Igniter is the new preworkout powder that dropped at the 2017 Olympia. Allmax claims that Impact Igniter is “the preworkout formula by which all others will be judged.” That’s a strong statement, but at MUSCLE INSIDER we’ve tried practically every preworkout on the market and this formula is no joke. Each scoop delivers unmatched energy, mental focus you can feel, wicked pumps, and outstanding recovery between sets. The regeneration of energy is at a whole new level, with Impact allowing you to increase overall volume at a high training intensity.

Also, if you look closer at the ingredient profile, you’ll see that Impact is fully dosed for fat loss as well!

“Fully dosed” means that whatever dose the research has shown that makes these ingredients effective is exactly what Allmax used.

mental focus! One scoop contains 13 different ingredients, each with a specific function, but the entire formula works synergistically.

For training intensity, there’s 500 milligrams of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) to reduce fatigue and increase EPO/blood volume. NAC has been shown to increase anaerobic performance in high volume training protocols. For fat loss, Impact contains one gram of L-carnitine L-tartrate and 400 milligrams of caffeine from multiple sources.

L-carnitine increases the amount of fatty acids used for fuel by the mitochondria, and causes your body to release stored fat. Caffeine is one of the most powerful fat-loss ingredients ever discovered. When combined, these two ingredients get fat mobilized and oxidized!

Impact has 150 milligrams of alpha-GPC, which is a potent neural energizer designed to enhance your mood, feelings of well-being, and cognition—all of which results in a better workout for you!

Creatine Free What’s interesting is that unlike other pre-workouts, you won’t see creatine in ingredients, but there’s rhyme to Allmax’s reason.

A study done at Katholieke University in Belgium showed that taking caffeine while loading creatine eliminated creatine’s performance-

Five-Pronged Formula Follow Allmax online: @Allmax @TeamAllmax @ALLMAXNutrition

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Allmax Impact Igniter has five major things going for it: Increasing training intensity, enhancing recovery, maximizing pumps, promoting fat loss, and improving

MUSCLEINSIDER.COM I THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL

enhancing effects. The results showed that exercise performance wasn’t improved in the group that loaded creatine while taking caffeine; the creatine-only group experienced the usual intense exercise performance benefits, but not the caffeine + creatine group.1 For this reason, Allmax chose not to include creatine in its pre-workout.

How and When to take Impact Igniter Impact Igniter is available in a 328gram size, providing 20 servings (or 40 half-scoops). Depending on your tolerance, we suggest taking it 15 to 20 minutes before cardio or weight training. The instructions are simple: Mix one scoop in 12 to 16 ounces of cold water, drink, and unleash hell!

Final Thoughts on Impact Igniter You need this. This combination pre-workout/fat-loss igniter is an essential tool in your pre-gym supplement arsenal. The ingredients are solid, and they all take care of a different goal in the gym, making for one of the most well-rounded supplements on the market. Hardhitting stims, training intensifiers, and fat metabolizers mean you get a little bit of everything you need.

You can’t go wrong with either the Fruit Punch or Blue Raspberry flavours! The intense motivation gets you into the gym, and the radical focus keeps you there. See for yourself if Allmax’s Impact Igniter really is “the pre-workout formula by which all others will be judged.”

Reference:

1. Caffeine counteracts the ergogenic action of muscle creatine loading.

Vandenberghe K, Gillis N, Van Leemputte M, Van Hecke P, Vanstapel F, Hespel P. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/8929583

BY THE EDITORS

training I abs with ryan terry

SUREFIRE SIX-PACK! 1-on-1 with MUSCLE INSIDER Cover Model and 2017 Arnold Classic Men’s Physique Champion Ryan Terry as We Get His Insight on Abs Training

IF YOU DO A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR “RYAN TERRY,” one of the top six articles that show up on the first page is “How a skinny plumber became the fittest man in the UK.” To say that Ryan came from humble beginnings is akin to saying that bodybuilders are somewhat hungry on a diet—a gross understatement. Here’s a guy who only got into lifting in the first place because he tore his Achilles tendon when he was 14 and gained weight from inactivity. There’s no glamorous story or famous father whose footsteps he’s following in. He carved out his own niche first as a fitness model (winning Mr. Great Britain in 2010), and only later, in 2013 when he won the Arnold Amateurs in Madrid, did he get the IFBB Pro title.

Ryan’s still young (only 29 years old), and still a rookie in the sport. But in the meantime, it seems like he has the world at his feet. We caught up with him to find out what he’s been up to since the Arnold, how his Olympia placing affected him, what his plans for the off-season are, and how, why, and what he does to stay so unbelievably shredded all the time!

MUSCLE INSIDER: You went from first place at the 2017 Arnold Sports Festival down to sixth at the Olympia that same year, then back up to first at the Asia Grand Prix one week later! What happened in the time frame between these shows, and how did this affect you?

RYAN TERRY: Little knocks in life hit me quite hard because of my past, and this year was a roller coaster. At the start of the year, I reached my ulti-

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mate dream: winning the Arnold Classic and meeting my idol, Arnold himself. That was a great confidence builder for me, and it was the first time in my career that I felt I had a chance to win the Olympia.

But coming in sixth hit me like a ton of bricks because I honestly thought I had a shot at winning the O. Every other year, I had just been grateful for the experience. I thought I’d done everything possible to achieve that goal: I moved to

MUSCLEINSIDER.COM I THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL

America, I forced my physique to be bigger (even though I prefer to look very conditioned over having more size), and it didn’t work. It had knocked my confidence back ever since, but it’s something I’ve been utilizing to motivate me to try even harder.

abs with ryan terry I training

BY JAIME FILER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PHOTOS BY DAVE LAUS THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL I MUSCLEINSIDER.COM

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training I abs with ryan terry For the Olympia, I tried to get bigger because I thought that’s what the judges wanted.

I focused on what other people were saying on social media, instead of just doing what I’m used to. When I competed one week after the Olympia in Seoul Korea at the Asia Grand Prix, I did what I was comfortable with: depleted right down, didn’t carb up, and just came in super-shredded and smaller.

And the judges preferred that.

They even said that was what they’d wanted to see at the Olympia!

MI: We see the photos you post on Instagram and you’ve always kept yourself in ridiculous shape and season. What was the strategy here?

RT: I don’t see eating clean or being on a diet as a chore.

So over the years, because I’ve stayed so clean and lean for so long, my metabolism is crazy.

It allows me to stay in great conditioning year round. But that’s not helping me anymore, so I decided that I’m going to skip the Arnold in 2018. I want to give my body a rest. For the

RYAN TERRY AB TIPS 1. CRUNCHES

Because this isn’t weighted, you want to focus on the mind-muscle connection. Focus on the contraction.

Exhale all your air out once you get to the top of the movement. I do 2 seconds up, 1 second hold, then 2 seconds down. If you really want to challenge yourself, do 2-1-4.

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past five or six years, I’ve constantly competed at the beginning and the end of the year, so I diet practically all year with only maybe three months off mid-year between shows.

I love it and want to compete all year, but it’s really tough on your body. I need to be bigger for the Olympia, so it would just be too hard to force myself to grow in only three months between now and dieting for the Arnold.

MI: Does your weight change much in the off-season?

RT: It fluctuates. Onstage, I weigh between 195 and 198 pounds, and then offstage, my weight is around 205 pounds and I struggle to get past that weight. It’s not a great increase, but I’m determined to get my weight higher this offseason.

MI: How does your cardio and nutrition change from off-season to on-season when you’re cutting?

RT: Having such a fast metabolism and such a hard time gaining weight means that I have to

abs with ryan terry I training start relaxing on my diet a bit more and slow my metabolism down. Calories are bumped right up, and I introduce “normal” food in between my clean meals. We’re talking 4000 to 4500 and upwards. 2800 to 3000 is the lowest I’ll ever go when I diet, so I start my offseason around 4000 calories.

When I diet, I count every macro and calorie, and then slowly decrease over 12 weeks. In my off-season, I want to be able to switch off, and just enjoy the food. I try to make sure I’m getting 200 grams

of protein per day, around 450 grams of carbs, and above 70 grams of fat.

When I diet, I do 60 minutes of cardio in the morning, fasted. My body doesn’t react to the way it used to when I was younger, so I’ve had to start doing more to get lean.

Taking it out will make it easier to diet once I need to start again.

MI: What about training?

RT: My training won’t change that much, honestly, because it’s already very sporadic. I

also try to swap up my exercises, rep ranges, and tempo because I never have set plans.

I just like feeling my strength and my body as I go. If I’m feeling strong, then I’ll go heavy.

Or if I’m feeling lethargic, I’ll focus on the mind-muscle and do less weight. It will always change either way, but I’ll also give myself more rest between sets and give myself a complete rest day as well. When I prep, I always have an active rest, so I’ll be away from the gym, but still do something very active.

2. REVERSE CRUNCHES Again, this is about keeping control throughout the whole exercises, so don’t worry about how many reps you do. Just focus on the quality, the tempo, and your breathing. Make it harder by slowing the movement down— e.g., 4 seconds down.

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training I abs with ryan terry MI: In terms of supplements, will you take more (or less) of anything during your offseason versus on-season?

RT: I usually double up my carb powder consumption in the offseason, and only keep it to one serving on-season. I have 50 grams before I train, 50 while I train, and 100 after, whereas on-season, I only do 20/20/50.

Also in the off-season, I would take something after training that has creatine, a test booster, and more calories—essentially a fast-grow anabolic

protein powder, instead of a whey isolate. I take out the lean muscle gainer when I diet, but the BCAAs stay the same. I take those year-round, pre- and during my workout. My supplements are always around my training.

MI: When it comes time to diet, do you work like a light switch or a dimmer? Are you all-or-nothing on/off, or do you need a little bit of time to transition?

RT: I’m definitely that dimmer.

Especially putting on weight, because that’s not something I’m particularly comfortable with. I naturally enjoy dieting, so when I’m out of my comfort zone, it’s hard to adjust physically and mentally. When you see your body start to soften up, it’s pretty hard to deal with.

MI: How often do you cheat/ refeed? Do you think it’s necessary?

RT: When I’m dieting, I have refeeds days, and it all depends on how fast or slow I’m com-

3. HANGING LEG RAISES One of my favourite exercises for getting results, but definitely not the most enjoyable. I start my workouts with these because they hit every part of the core. You get a nice V (that cut at the bottom), upper and lower abs, your obliques, and also your lower back and transverse abdominus when you control the movement and keep everything tight. I’ll do 3 sets to failure, and it always wrecks me.

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ing in. Each prep is different.

On average, I have about two to four refeeds in a 12-week period. It’s never more than four and never less than two.

For the Olympia, it was three big refeeds in order to help me stay fuller and bigger.

MI: Would you ever consider competing in the Classic Physique division?

RT: To be honest, I would absolutely love to. I’ve been following bodybuilding since I was 14, and have always respected

abs with ryan terry I training them. I’m also really proud of my leg development and I hate having to cover them up competing in Men’s Physique! But I’m realistic about the fact that it would take my physique a lot of time to get there. There’s an announcement that they’re adding another five pounds to each weight class in Classic Physique, and I’m already on the smaller side for some of the guys in Men’s Physique. So that extra five pounds would just make it even harder for me to compete.

MI: How many days a week do you train abs?

RT: I train abs twice a week, and give them three to four days rest in between. I treat them like any other muscle part, whereas instead of just tacking on a couple of exercises at the end of another big body part, I actually give them at least 30 to 40 minutes of direct training.

RT: It all depends on my game plan for that week, depending on whether I’m going heavy or light that week. As an example, the first workout will be upper and lower abs, and I’ll go heavy, then I’ll do some lighter stuff for obliques. And then for the second session in the week, I may just do bodyweight stuff for core, and then do weighted exercises for obliques.

MI: How many reps/sets/exercises do you do in those 30 to 40 minutes training abs?

Follow Jaime FIler on social media: @FrigginLean @Jaim91 @Jaime Filer

4. TWISTS This is isolated to your obliques, so start with your weaker side, and do all the reps on that side first.

Then just match the reps on your strong side. This isn’t usually something people think about.

5. STATIC HOLDS ON RINGS/PLANK This is a great one for strengthening your whole core. It’s something I’d use as a finisher because you can just use your own body weight.

It’s about contracting literally everything from your abdominals, to your obliques, and even your glutes. Everything has to be engaged.

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burning fat I cardio showdown

FAT-BURNING SHOWDOWN: HITT VS. LISS HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING THROWS DOWN AGAINST LOW-INTENSITY STEADY STATE AND MUSCLE INSIDER CROWNS THE WINNER! EVERYBODY WANTS TO LOSE UNWANTED BODY FAT. There are various ways to go about it, but which will give you the best fat-loss results quickly without cannibalizing muscle? It’s one of the biggest bodybuilding and fitness debates: Which activity should you do in addition to your lifting to get and stay lean—low-intensity steady state (LISS) or high-intensity interval training (HIIT)?

Firstly, just so everyone is on the same page, let’s look at typical examples of both activities: A typical HIIT session would be running on a treadmill at 6 kilometers per hour for 5 minutes to warm up and then cranking the speed up to 16 KPH (or whatever speed represents at least 95 percent effort) for 30 to 60 seconds and then back down to 8 KPH for 2 to 4 minutes, followed by a warm-down and perhaps stretching. Research has shown very dramatic metabolic and fat-burning benefits from doing only 4 such intervals 3 times per week. LISS typically includes walking or jogging slowly for about 4 to 8 KPH for 30 minutes to as much as an hour or more and sometimes twice per day pre-contest.

So now that we know what we’re comparing, before we answer any such question, the first thing we always have to ask is “What are the main goals we are trying to achieve?” In fact, there are four: 1. Lose maximum fat 2. Retain muscle mass 3. Avoid having to cut calories too greatly 4. Spend minimal time in the gym

BY MARK GILBERT, BSC (NUTRITION), CISSN

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PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

cardio showdown I burning fat

Follow Mark Gilbert on social media: @MarkSGilbert @muscledietmark @musclediet Website: MuscleDiet.com

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“PEOPLE ARE COMING AROUND TO THE FACT THAT AFTER HIGHER INTENSITY EXERCISE, PEOPLE CONTINUE TO BURN MORE CALORIES AND FAT AFTER THEY FINISH TRAINING AND FOR LONGER.” 56

LOSE MAXIMUM FAT For this first and primary goal of burning maximum fat, let’s look at the differences between these two fat-loss exercise approaches. Many still think HIIT sounds too good to be true; they’re skeptical that you can spend so little time and lose so much fat. Many also believe that it’s so intense that it must cause too much additional training stress and accompanying muscle loss. Then there’s the belief that most of the top bodybuilders still use

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it for contest prep, and some people still even buy into the “fat-burning zone” argument.

Let’s examine these beliefs. Firstly and most obviously, it’s been known for a long time that long, slow cardio doesn’t burn fat as effectively as more intense exercise. The old-fashioned “fat-burning zone,” which is the intensity level of cardio at which you burn the highest “percentage” of fat during exercise isn’t the level of intensity at which you burn the most calories. Many

people are also coming around to the fact that after higher intensity exercise, people continue to burn more calories and fat after they finish training and for longer. As will be explained, HIIT takes this concept one step further.

Most important is the fact that HIIT doesn’t just burn slightly more fat than LISS—it burns a huge amount more! As one example (of many) of what can be achieved by HIIT training, scientists at McMaster University used a protocol that

PHOTO: ALEX ARDENTI

burning fat

cardio showdown I burning fat included 60 seconds of intense exercise (at 95 percent of VO 2 max) followed by 75 seconds of rest, repeated for 8 to 12 cycles. The results demonstrated that from just 3 such sessions (less than 90 minutes) per week, the training effect was comparable to 5 hours a week at 50 to 70 percent of VO 2 max!

Before this study, when another group of Canadian researchers compared HIIT to cardio for fat loss, they found that for every calorie burned during exercise (so theoretically the amount that the calorie calculator on the treadmill displays), the HIIT group actually lost nine times more fat. Most astute MUSCLE INSIDER readers will know that the reason for this is that higher intensity exercise causes a phenomenon called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).

In simple terms, EPOC represents the extra calorie burning that the body partakes in to recover and prepare itself for future such activity … and this is where HIIT gets incredibly fascinating!

You see, these clever Canadian researchers also took biopsies (actual muscle samples) from the study subjects to see what kind of metabolic magic was happening that caused such substantial differences in body composition changes between LISS and HIIT, and the answer is astonishing! They saw the expected increase in the carbohydratemetabolizing enzyme phosphofructokinase (PFK)—due

to HIIT using primarily glucose for fuel. However, the LISS group didn’t experience the expected increase in levels of a key fat-metabolizing enzyme called 3-hydroxyacyl coA dehydrogenase (HADH), despite the fact that cardio relies predominantly on fat for fuel, but the most surprising thing of all was that levels of HADH did increase substantially in the HIIT group—and other studies have shown that HIIT stimulates a variety of other fat-burning enzymes too. So even though HIIT training doesn’t use much fat for fuel, metabolic fat-burning activity goes through the roof with HIT training?!

ergy to sprint away from a threatening situation in order to survive.

The way the body adapts in the post-exercise period after HIIT is that it not only reverts back to using pre-exercise ratios of fat and glucose for energy, it now switches to using substantially more

WHAT’S GOING ON HERE? Well, as we know, the body uses more and more glucose and less and less fat for fuel as the intensity of exercise approaches its maximum because fat cannot be oxidized without plenty of oxygen available whereas glucose can.

This seems to make the case against using HIIT to burn fat, but bear with me. You see, a good HIIT session can burn off the majority of your glycogen, and if you’re watching your excess carb intake and doing HIIT regularly, you won’t be restoring these levels, so the body naturally adapts because our genes haven’t changed much since the days when we had to have available en-

PHOTO: ROMMEL RAMIREZ

“MANY STILL THINK HIIT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE; THEY’RE SKEPTICAL THAT YOU CAN SPEND SO LITTLE TIME AND LOSE SO MUCH FAT. MANY ALSO BELIEVE THAT IT’S SO INTENSE THAT IT MUST CAUSE TOO MUCH ADDITIONAL TRAINING STRESS AND ACCOMPANYING MUSCLE LOSS.” THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL I MUSCLEINSIDER.COM

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fat. This is because the only possible way it can replenish glycogen substantially is by “sparing” (not burning) carbs.

And the only way to spare carbs from being oxidized is to burn more fat. This explains the fascinating discovery of higher HADH and other fat-burning enzymes in subjects doing HIIT! The increase wasn’t due to the body adapting to using more fat during exercise (because it doesn’t). It was because the body had increased its use of fat for fuel following exercise in the phenomenon called EPOC! So the mystery of the incredible effectiveness of HIIT has actually been solved and confirmed by other researchers—it’s just that this still hasn’t been conveyed to the fitness and bodybuilding community very well yet!

SPARING MUSCLE I know some of you are probably saying, “Yeah, but am I going to lose more muscle along with all that fat if I switch to HIIT?” The answer is “no.” In fact, the best evidence suggests that HIIT is less catabolic than LISS! Let’s look at the facts: As most of us know, combining strength training and intense cardio (and possibly HIIT) impairs the response to both, making you smaller, slower, and weaker. An analysis published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research of over 20 of the best studies on the topic showed that adding significant aero-

“IT’S BEEN KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME THAT LONG, SLOW CARDIO DOESN’T BURN FAT AS EFFECTIVELY AS MORE INTENSE EXERCISE. ” 58

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bic exercise to weight training decreases muscle growth by about 30 percent and strength gains by about 15 percent.

Most notable for our discussion today is that the study showed that long-duration endurance-training sessions have a substantially more detrimental effect on muscle gains than frequent, short, cardio-type training. However, it should be noted that many of the studies in this review used more intense cardio, so we could use a little more direct comparison studies, but it doesn’t look good for LISS. In contrast to the LISS results, this review also concluded that when short, intense, sprinting-type exercise sessions were added to weight training, the negative impact on strength and muscular development disappeared completely, so an intelligent HIIT regimen shouldn’t impair muscle growth or performance. Another thing to note is that cycling cardio was less catabolic than other forms, and most HIIT studies were done on stationary bikes.

WHAT’S THE BEST HIIT PROGRAM? HIIT is made up of sessions in which you combine “intervals” of low-intensity cardio with those of virtually maximal activity. This allows you to recover during the slower part of the interval so that you can go that much harder during the intense part. The two biggest mistakes people make

PHOTO: ALEX ARDENTI

PHOTO: ROMMEL RAMIREZ

burning fat

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with HITT are not resting adequately during the “rest” interval and not going hard enough in the intense interval.

There are many ways to try and get this balance right, but the easiest (and I think the best) is to, right after your intense interval, take the pace down to something very relaxed and wait until your breathing is almost normal again before you crush your next intense interval.

As far as getting the intensity right, your intense intervals should be at least a 95 percent effort. (Of course, you

need to work up to going this hard, so don’t try to sue me if you tear a hamstring by doing all-out sprints for the first time in 10 years!)

My review of the research (and I’ve read as many studies on this as anyone) is that an interval between 20 and 60 seconds is best, and probably about 30 seconds seems to be ideal. Depending upon your level of conditioning and whether you’re used to the

If you’re still not convinced that HIIT trumps LISS in effectiveness for melting off unwanted pounds, there’s been yet another report published in Canada about the efficacy of short bursts of intensity followed by active recovery. In the study, 10 men cycled for 45 minutes at an intensity of 70 percent of their maximal heart rate. The other nine men did an interval session that lasted only 10 minutes. They cycled as fast as they could three times for 20 seconds followed by two minutes of low intensity, for three “sets” in total.

Both training groups lost the same amount of body fat, increased their maximal oxygen uptake, and improved their insulin sensitivity. The scientists demonstrated that 10 minutes of intense intervals could improve performance and body composition as much as a workout lasting more than four times as long. So one last time—HIIT it hard for effective fat loss!

particular type of activity, rest periods should be 2 to 4 minutes (closer to 2 if you’re in shape and used to the activity and closer to 4 if not).

I would recommend that although LISS can be added to your routine for the last few weeks before a contest, most people should focus on doing three or more high-quality HIIT sessions per week for optimal fat loss and muscle preparation when dieting.

TRY THIS: YOUR MAX HIIT SESSION!

2 minutes between each interval (the “slow” or “rest” interval) in which I either walk back to the start or jog back very slowly (if you aren’t accustomed to this or aren’t anaerobically fit, then you’re likely to need 3 or 4 minutes to get your breathing down to almost normal after the second or third intense interval. I do this (or some other HIIT) 3 times per week when cutting.

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The same principles can be applied to an exercise bike (in fact, most of the studies used these), rowing machine, stepper, etc. The best duration of intense intervals is about 30 seconds, and going a little longer in the early intervals (when you’re fresher) and do a little shorter intervals later (when you’ll fatigue faster).

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PHOTOS: DAVE LAUS

1500 M JOG (WARM-UP) STRETCH 800 M (AT 80%—TRANSITION INTENSITY) 400 M (AT 95%), 2 MINUTES WALKING 400 M (AT 95%), 2 MINUTES WALKING 200 M (AT 95%), 2 MINUTES WALKING 200 M (AT 95%), 2 MINUTES WALKING 100 M (AT 95%), 2 MINUTES WALKING 100 M (AT 95%), 2 MINUTES WALKING 400 M JOG WARM-DOWN AND STRETCH, 2 MINUTES WALKING

BY MARY ANN MARSALA, CERTIFIED NUTRITION PRACTITIONER (CNP) Follow Mary Ann on social media: @recoverfood @mariannabjj

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instant abs

science or scam? I instant abs

CoolSculting & Abs Etching Scientific Breakthrough or Fat-Loss Scam?

I’m sure we can all agree that fat loss is an annoying topic of discussion, primarily because it’s a sophisticated issue for many people with a lot of emotional, scientific, and physiological components. Often this issue is explored or explained via two different but common paths. One is lengthy and rocky, having steep hills ahead. This involves long hours at the gym, boring food, and, more often than not, caloric deficits. The other is a stress-free detour where the fat is cut right out of you—yes, you heard me correctly. That’s not a euphemism.

This isn’t your typical “how to eat less and exercise your way out of stubborn fat” article, nor is it a critique of why your fat-loss tactics aren’t working. I think most of you reading this magazine are either too tired or too impatient with these banal topics and are interested in what science (and plastic surgeons) are doing with technology to our bodies. I would like to discuss two contemporary leaders in effortless fat-loss reduction: CoolSculpting and abdominal etching. Do they really meet their claims of efficacy? I hope that through my organized overview, pursuing such efforts would be no sweat for you (excuse the pun).

What’s CoolSculpting?

Why Is It So Cool?

CoolSculpting, fat freezing, or Cryolipolysis® is a medical technology aimed at killing fat cells. This technology is a non-invasive alternative to liposuction, which relies on controlled cooling to near 4° Celsius (about 39° Fahrenheit) for localized reduction of body fat. When fat is exposed to extremely cool temperatures, cell death of subcutaneous fat tissue occurs. In most cases, there’s no damage to the skin, and it’s an FDA-approved technol-

ogy. The controlled cooling method is executed through a hand-held device and placed on the marked area for treatment. No real pain is known to be experienced throughout the procedure. How did such a technology come to fruition? This is going to sound even more crazy, but the discovery was based on Popsicle consumption! A Harvard University study looked at the effects of freezing temperatures on the body.

University scientists observed that some children who ate Popsicles g o t d i m p l e s i n t h e i r ch e e k s . T h e

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The scientists— Dieter Manstein, MD and R. Rox Anderson, MD—realized that the Popsicles were freezing and eliminating small pockets of fat cells.” Therefore, this led to the idea that cold can target fat cells without damaging the skin or surrounding tissue—pretty “cool,” right? So where does the fat go once destroyed? It’s said that treated fat cells are crystalized, killed, and metabolized and eliminated by the body.

Advantages • You can lose up to 20 to 30 percent of fat in the treated area after just one single session. Most patients see noticeable results within just a few weeks.

• Fat cells removed from the body remain permanently gone.

• It’s a non-invasive technology.

• It yields liposuction-type results with no needles, surgery, or recovery or downtime.

Disadvantages • It’s costly—the average cost is listed at around $2,000. The price can vary widely depending on factors such a s t h e nu m b e r of treatments needed, the size

of the applicator, and the geographic location where the procedure is performed.

• More than one treatment might not be enough, so for many, this isn’t cost-effective.

• You must ensure that you’re getting a qualified person performing this procedure to avoid side effects.

Don’t just shop for the cheapest person who can do it!

• There’s a possibility you may experience some discomfort and sensations during the CoolSculpting procedure (e.g., some people experience pulling, mild pinching, intense cold, tingling, stinging, aching, and cramping of the treatment site).

• You may experience post-procedure side effects such as temporary redness, excessive swelling (a condition known as paradoxical adipose hypertrophy [PAH]), bruising, tingling, stinging, tenderness, itching, cramping, or skin sensitivity.

• There’s a tendency for uneven removal.

• You have to be adamant about sticking to your diet and training regimen. You’re advised not to gain weight during your treatment series, as it will take you off course.

• It’s time-consuming—it takes roughly an hour to treat each area (so your visits could very well be longer depending on how much you’d like to target per visit).

• People with the following conditions should not do CoolSculpting as it could cause serious complications: cryoglobulinemia, cold agglutinin disease, paroxysmal cold hemoglobulinuria.

If your goal is significant weight loss, then no, this wouldn’t be a realistic approach for you. CoolSculpting is intended for healthy individuals looking to remove stubborn areas of fat and those who wish to emphasize their aesthetics through body contouring. A qualified candidate for this procedure would already be engaged in a consistent training routine, consuming a healthy diet, and within 20 pounds of his or her ideal weight. With any cosmetic

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Is CoolSculpting Right for You?

science or scam? I instant abs procedure, you must get a qualified medical doctor to assess your situation and determine if you’re healthy enough to undergo the procedure and if it’s the right procedure for your situation. We can’t stress this enough.

more serious complications such as pulmonary embolism, viscus perforation, lidocaine toxicity or even death.

• Abdominal etching is costly!

The minimum national average for treatment is $3,000 and it goes as high as $10,000.

• This is an invasive procedure and as such, there are risks involved including infection, excessive bleeding, and permanent scarring, which could ruin a would-be-Olympian physique in a hurry! There are also risks associated with general anesthesia, which should be discussed with your surgeon.

• While downtime is short, patients may experience soreness, bruising, and limited mobility while abdomen or other areas of the body are healing.

• While fat cells are permanently removed, you must watch your diet after the procedure, as weight gain will lessen the effects of abdominal etching.

• Etching is a cosmetic procedure and therefore would most likely not be covered by insurance.

• Etching is a procedure cut out for the physically fit where you maintain a body fat of 18 percent or lower.

• The results aren’t immediate—the full aesthetic benefit begins to show six months after the procedure.

What Is Abdominal and Muscle Etching?

Muscle etching is a type of liposuction invented in the early 1990s by plastic surgeon Henry A. Mentz III. Abdominal and muscle “etching” are plastic surgery liposuction procedures that emphasize muscle in specific areas of the body by selectively removing a small amount of fat from around the patient’s muscles in key areas. A special surgical instrument known as the cannula is used to shape and highlight areas of the body such as the abdomen, thighs, calves, deltoids, pectorals, or biceps. Some experts even suggest that abdominal etching takes liposuction to the next level as it removes excess fat between the abdominal muscles, creating indentations that resemble those washboard abs you’ve been fantasizing about!

When you etch your fat away, your stomach and overall physique will appear tighter, firmer, and more muscular. Most of the time, this procedure occurs in an outpatient surgery center and could very well last about an hour under general anesthesia. Recovery and downtime is obviously required.

gical procedure, it has its own risks and complications, such as contour irregularities, infection, hypoesthesia, edema, ecchymosis, seroma, hematoma, skin discolouration, and

Is Abdominal or Muscle Etching Right for You? Similar to CoolSculpting, the procedure is best suited for individuals who are already in shape; however, the selection process for this tech-

Advantages

Disadvantages • Liposuction is currently the most performed aesthetic plastic surgery worldwide. But just such as any sur-

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• Having a nice, chiseled abdomen can encourage you to stay fit.

• It’s an outpatient treatment lasting only about one hour.

• Fat cells are permanently removed.

• Downtime doesn’t appear to be very long—you can resume regular activity within one to three weeks after surgery.

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instant abs I science or scam?

PRE-WORKOUT

ENERGY FOR

ATHLETES

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AVAILABLE AT

nique appears to be more demanding. Model candidates should not only be physically fit but also have naturally athletic-looking abdominal muscles with a body fat percentage no higher than 18 percent.

Especially in the abdomen, you should have no more than 1 to 2 centimeters of graspable belly fat.

Those with larger accumulations of abdominal fat are encouraged to pursue traditional liposuction methods.

Anything Worthwhile Is Worth Working For The path of least resistance is generally the one taken by many on a quest for a rock-hard six-pack. Elite athletes and bodybuilders will take and do almost anything to win. So it’s really no surprise that many rush to the finish line when it comes to achieving bodybuilding and fitness goals. I don’t see anything wrong with wanting to do things more efficiently. But at what cost?

This is a good question to ask yourself. Sensibly, it takes tremendous effort, time, consistency, and dedi-

cation to address these concerns—if you want to do it correctly, of course.

Many who wish to take the easy way out with fat loss find it difficult to see progress initially and struggle to get the hamster wheel turning! This of course inhibits their motivation to continue. So let’s go back to my initial question of “fact or fallacy?”

Do these fat-loss reduction strategies really work? Scientifically, yes, they’re proven. The evidence is there.

Take a look and you will see that fat certainly can be frozen or cut out of you. But perhaps I should rephrase my question and ask the following: Do fat-loss reduction technologies promote results that will last a lifetime? Not if you return to the eating and activity patterns that led to the fat gain to begin with.

Anything worthwhile is worth working for. MUSCLE INSIDER readers know that hard work, consistency, and a scientific approach to eating, training and supplementing are all proven tools to losing fat and gaining muscle. But these aren’t short-term treatments. They need to become part of your lifestyle.

insider controversy I gym scams

HOW SOME GYMS RIP YOU OFF! Don’t Get Mad—Get Informed. We ‘ll Help Make Sure You Don’t Get Scammed Again!

it seems like you’re bombarded with questions about signing up that day, that second. Even if you have a gym membership already, they attempt to up-sell their gym by telling you all about the great group classes they offer, the amazing cardio equipment (sure don’t enjoy cardio), and my favourite of all, the low, low price of a membership.

Signing up for gyms these days is like buying a used car. You’re a minnow, and you’ve just walked into the shark tank. The front desk staff is coached on sales, just as a used car salesman is. They quickly find out what gym you’re coming from, what neighbourhood you live in, where you work—they even size up your income level by the clothes you’re wearing and what type of car you pulled up in! They’re trained to know exactly how to get you, the unsuspecting victim, to buy a gym membership. This article is going to help you understand the top five phrases, offers, or just plain scams that are just to get you in the door and signed up at many big box gyms.

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As soon as you walk into a big box gym these days,

gym scams I insider controversy DISCLAIMER: IF YOU FEEL THAT THIS IS A SHOT AT YOU AND YOUR GYM PERSONALLY, IT MEANS YOU DO THE THINGS THAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! OTHERWISE, SIT BACK AND ENJOY!

BY NED ARICK

Follow Ned Arick on social media: @nedarick @nedarick @ned.arick

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insider controversy I gym scams 1. PERSONAL TRAINER “FREEBIES” “Oh you haven’t been to the gym in years and don’t know what to do? I would love to have one of our qualified personal trainers sit down with you and show you the ropes. It’s totally free with your membership!”

It is not totally free! Most personal trainers get paid only when they train clients, so when you come for your

2. URGENCY OF ADVERTISING I’ll let you in on a little gym secret: The $0 enrollment isn’t only this weekend, and when the front desk employee says he can only waive that fee today, they’ve been saying the same pitch every day for the last year! The ad campaigns for the big box gyms mirror this sale pitch. Huge billboards shout “$10 A MONTH” “TODAY ONLY!” “THIS WEEKEND ONLY!” “NO HIDDEN FEES!” We’ve all seen those, and we’ve all sadly fallen victim to those catchphrases.

This isn’t so much a scam as it is a tactic, but it’s a tactic that contin-

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consultation, they’re going to try to sell you on training. Your $20-per-month gym membership doesn’t come with three days a week of hour-long sessions with a trainer. Your trainer isn’t going to show you how to use the machines and what program to follow and write you a nutrition plan in one hour like you were told. This is one of the biggest scams ever. The front desk manager tells you that you’ll get what you need from this session, you sign up, and when you walk back in a week later, you’re surprised when they pull out a price sheet. Don’t fall victim to this. If someone at the front desk tells you something like this, don’t believe it. Many gyms make more pure profit from personal training than they do selling gym memberships. Why would they give away the goose that lays the golden eggs?

ues to work on unsuspecting people who have no idea what they’re getting into. Here’s another little secret: The gym isn’t going anywhere, so if you don’t feel comfortable, don’t feel rushed to sign up now because the offer will still be there next month!

3. FITNESS TESTS “Do 20 pull-ups and get a month of free membership”! If I don’t already have a gym membership and I’m slightly overweight, do you think I can do 20 pull-ups? No? That’s the point? Oh, well I’d better sign up so I can do 20 pull-ups at one point in my

MUSCLEINSIDER.COM I THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL

life. I’m all for a good bit of competition, but making the 190-pound soccer mom try to do pull-ups in front of her two kids so that she signs up for a membership out of pure embarrassment is ridiculous. Some gyms even say it’s mandatory that you do a “fitness test” to ensure that you aren’t a liability to the gym and that you can be covered by their insurance. This is a lie! If they give you this pressure, tell them you’re not paying for a fitness test and that you’ll provide them with a letter from your medical doctor that certifies that you’re healthy enough to exercise at their gym.

gym scams I insider controversy 5. SCALES

Most gyms don’t do this, but just in case you walk into one that does, be careful. Some gyms don’t have prices posted for a membership, and this can really be a bit of a mess. If you come in dressed well and they saw you park a Mercedes, you may pay more than the guy or girl with the messed-up hair and three kids who drove up in a 1999 Honda minivan and just complained to the sales rep about losing their job. The fact of the matter is that some gyms have a revenue quota. Let’s say they have four memberships, at $20, $40, $50, and $80 per month. Each one gives a little more and has some added incentive. If you drive up with a nicer car or are dressed nicely, they may start with saying something like, “It’s your lucky day! We have a special on our $80 membership, no enrollment today only, and you get access to everything we have to offer everywhere.” This is the classic up-sell. They start high in hopes of getting you there, but in all honesty, if you buy the $40 membership, they’re still going to most likely be okay with that. If you want the $20 membership, get that membership; don’t let them talk you into the huge membership just because you may look like you have the money.

MUSCLE INSIDER TIP: Avoid showering or shaving for a few days, dress in your most beaten-up gym clothes and tell them you just lost your job.

Park your car far away from the gym, and when they ask where you live, say, “I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be there now with everything going on.” The sales rep will disappear faster than a bottle of Deca at a bodybuilding convention.

Most gyms will give you tours, and during the tour they may offer to weigh you or measure your body fat.

This is often done to put you on the spot, embarrass you, and have you further realize that you need to join their gym. Some gyms take this one step further and test your body fat with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). This is the instrument that looks like an old-school Nintendo controller. BIA is a fantastic tool to measure body fat, but it needs to be calibrated and used in a controlled setting to be accurate. Sadly, you walking into the gym at 3 p.m. on a Thursday isn’t controlled since they just used it at one o’clock with a person who was more hydrated and had more or less fat than you. Don’t let these sorts of numbers push you into getting a membership you don’t truly want. Having measuring tools like this are great, but they must be used correctly and with consistency to measure changes in body composition over time.

PHOTOS: THINKSTOCK

4. PRICE

HOW DO I GET AROUND THE HASSLE? Do your research! Know what you want from a gym, and know what you’re willing to pay. Don’t walk in without knowing the cost or what the gym has to offer. I normally advise most people to not take the tour of the gym. This is where they get most of your information to sell you: where you’ve worked out before, where you work, whether you are renting or own your home, what you like to do for fun, family, friends etc. To be honest, most gyms have the same equipment, and they can tell you exactly what they have at the front desk. The most important factor is getting a gym that’s close to home and one that has enough equipment to get the job done and at a fair rate.

If you can afford it, many gyms allow you to pay up front for the year—normally between $200 and $300. Most of the gyms I’ve belonged to don’t even take your card to have on file if you pay

this way. This helps you if they decide to raise fees or randomly charge you for “insurance” or “upkeep” or any of the other bogus charges that come up later on in the membership. Read the fine print! Like, really read it, or make sure the person signing you up talks you through every signature.

Once you’ve signed, there’s no talking your way out of it. Just make sure that you have everything understood, but like anything in life, your best bet is to be well-read and have your research done!

DISCLAIMER #2/ CONCLUSION I do want to make it known that this article isn’t about all gyms, general managers, or front desk staff. I’ve personally worked for some of the best gym managers and front desk staff. But I’ve been around gyms and traveled long enough to realize that it’s a business, and as with all businesses you have ethical ones and those that cut corners and do anything to make a quick buck. I wish it were different, but in a lot of gyms, that’s how it is.

Some of these managers really care about the members and will do anything for their staff, but it does come down to a paycheck at the end of the month, and a lot of gyms pay by performance. If you’re looking to sign up for a gym, it’s the best decision you will ever make for improving your health. Just be informed and let some or all of this article enlighten you to some of the risks involved so you can make a smart decision.

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fat loss I caffeine limits

IS THERE AN UPPER LIMIT TO CAFFEINE INTAKE FOR FAT LOSS?

What’s the point of diminishing returns or adrenal burnout?

CAFFEINE IS ONE OF THE most heavily studied and most effective performance enhancing supplements available. Caffeine increases resting energy expenditure, fat oxidation rate, and diet-induced thermogenesis.

Supplementation with caffeine increases fat loss primarily through two major mechanisms. First, it acts as an adenosine receptor antagonist, which results in greater norepinephrine and epinephrine output.

Second, caffeine is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, which prolongs the activity of cyclic AMP (cAMP) in cells. cAMP is a key secondary messenger and one of the most important cellregulating compounds involved in fat loss. Stopping the breakdown of cAMP results in a prolonged effect of cAMP-dependent pathways, which includes regulation of glycogen, blood sugars, and fat metabolism. Further to that, prolonging cAMP’s actions increases the release and mobilization of fat from fat cells, allowing them to be burned off during exercise, or even while at rest.

Increased cAMP activity also results in greater release and availability of norepinephrine—one of the key hormones involved in fat burning.

The most effective dosage of caffeine for fat loss varies from person to person, depending on their natural tolerance and their health and

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fitness status. Fit and lean individuals gain much greater fat-loss benefits from caffeine than overweight and unfit individuals do. In overweight

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people, caffeine is more likely to encourage insulin resistance, which isn’t good for fat loss or overall health. Chronic high-dose caffeine intake can also induce adrenal fatigue.

When you take in caffeine, your body sends a message to the pituitary gland to release adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol. This is a normal process and should occur, but after long-term regular intake of caffeine, your adrenal glands are weakened and less able to respond adequately. This is adrenal fatigue. That’s why it’s important to cycle on and off of caffeine if you are taking in significant amounts of it on a regular basis.

So, what’s an appropriate dosage of caffeine for fat loss?

Let’s review a few key studies that can help us qualify an appropriate dosage range.

STUDY #1: Dulloo AG, et al. Am J Clin Nutr.

1989;49:44-50.

Single-dose oral administration of 100 milligrams of caffeine increased the resting metabolic rate of both lean and post-obese volunteers by 3 to 4 percent over 150 minutes and improved the defective diet-induced thermogenesis observed in the post-obese subjects.

Measurements of energy expenditure in a room respirometer indicate that repeated caffeine administration (100 milligrams) at two-hour intervals over a 12-hour day period increased the energy expenditure of both subject groups by 8 to 11 percent during that period but had no influence on

caffeine limits I fat loss the subsequent 12-hour night energy expenditure. The net effect was a significant increase in daily energy expenditure of 150 calories in the lean volunteers and 79 calories in the post-obese subjects. The researchers concluded that caffeine at a daily dose of 600 milligrams can have a significant influence on energy balance and may promote thermogenesis in the treatment of obesity.

PHOTOS: THINKSTOCK

STUDY 2: Acheson KJ, et al. (1980). Am J Clin Nutr. 1980;33:989-997.

A series of four trials was carried out to investigate the effects of caffeine and coffee on the metabolic rate and substrate utilization in normal weight and obese individuals.

In the first trial, 8 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight (so, 720 milligrams for a 90-kilogram person) was compared with a placebo in normal weight subjects. Metabolic rate increased significantly during the three hours after caffeine ingestion. While plasma glucose, insulin, and carbohydrate oxidation didn’t change significantly, plasma free fatty acid levels rose and were accompanied by significant increases in fat oxidation during the last hour of the test. In the second and third trials, the effects of coffee providing 4 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight (so, 360 milligrams for a 90-kilogram person) were studied in control and obese subjects. Metabolic rate increased significantly in both groups; however, significant increases in fat oxidation were observed only in the control group.

Plasma free fatty acids didn’t change in the obese. In the fourth trial, coffee was taken with a 740-calorie meal. The thermic effect of the meal was significantly greater after coffee

than after decaffeinated coffee, and again fat oxidation was significantly greater after coffee. The researchers concluded that caffeine/coffee stimulates the metabolic rate in both control and obese individuals; however, this is accompanied by greater oxidation of fat in normal weight subjects.

STUDY 3: Costill DL, et al. Med Sci Sports.

1978;10:155-158.

To assess the effects of caffeine ingestion on metabolism and performance during prolonged exercise, nine competitive cyclists exercised until exhaustion on a bicycle ergometer at 80 percent of VO 2 max. One trial was performed an hour after ingesting decaffeinated

coffee while a second trial required that each subject consume coffee containing 330 milligrams of caffeine 60 minutes before the exercise.

Following the ingestion of caffeine, the subjects were able to perform an average of 90.2 minutes of cycling as compared to an average of 75.5 minutes in the non-caffeine trial. Measurements of plasma free fatty acids, glycerol, and respiratory exchange ratios evidenced a greater rate of fat metabolism during the caffeine trial as compared to the non-caffeine exercise treatment. Calculations of carbohydrate metabolism from respiratory exchange data revealed that the subjects oxidized roughly 240 grams of carbs in both trials. Fat oxida-

tion, however, was significantly higher during the caffeine trial than in the non-caffeine trial.

Based on the results of the three studies summarized here and the body of research currently available, it appears that healthy, fit individuals can enhance fat oxidation, energy expenditure, and overall metabolic rate by supplementing with a daily dose of approximately 330 to 720 milligrams of caffeine (in divided dosages). Again, it’s important to remember that everyone has a different tolerance to caffeine, so make sure to gradually assess your individual tolerance and make sure you cycle off of it on a regular basis (at least every 8 to 12 weeks) in order to prevent adrenal fatigue.

BY DON GAUVREAU, MSC, “THE SUPPLEMENT GODFATHER” THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL I MUSCLEINSIDER.COM

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’roid rage I is it real?

STEROID USERS HAVE BETTER ANGER CONTROL DURING STEROID USE THAN BEFORE USE “IF YOU STARTED AS AN ASSHOLE, YOU’RE STILL AN ASSHOLE”

is essentially the conclusion of this new, groundbreaking study by famed lawyer Rick Collins. Collins and three other academics took 1955 individuals who were using gear and had them evaluate their levels of anger and aggression according to a 291-item web-based survey.

The results were eye-opening, to say the least. According to their final numbers, the participants indicated that anger intensity increased from “mild-moderate” to “moderate” from before steroid use to during use. However, if you delve into the results further, you’ll see something interesting and even more thought-provoking. Anger intensity decreased back to “mild-moderate” after use.

Anger control remained in the “poor control” category, although improved towards “poor-moderate” from before steroid use to during use and improved more to “poor-moderate control” after use. This is why the groundbreaking study has many implications, as it serves to help break the stereotypes associated with “’roid rage.”

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Adult steroid users exhibit better anger control and shorter duration during steroid use than before steroid use. Upon stopping steroid use, participants reported improvements in all four measurements of anger to less than their pre-steroid levels.

As per Rick Collins:

What Constitutes an AAS?

“Our study doesn’t add any fuel to the ‘steroids made me do it’ legal defense. Using voluntary drug consumption as an excuse for criminal behavior has rarely been successful at trial. Juries dislike that defense.

So don’t expect to get a walk by blaming a violent crime on gear. My position articulated years ago in my book Legal Muscle is the one many steroid experts agree on: The presence and severity of steroid adverse effects, including psychiatric ones, are related to many factors including dose and any preexisting psychiatric problems. The most common behavioral problem associated with steroid use is the situation when a jerk simply becomes a bigger jerk.”

“It’s important to distinguish between cycling gear and medical testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Weekly doses in medical TRT are many times less than in typical steroid cycles, so the potential for negative psychiatric effects is much, much less. Many studies of medical TRT show benefit with limited drawbacks, and the therapy is continuing to gain popularity despite a certain degree of backlash by conservative doctors, media outlets, and class action lawyers. If you’re interested in the developing landscape of TRT, you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook and check out my blog at steroidlaw.com.”

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is it real? I ’roid rage

BY JAIME FILER, BA HON. KIN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF In our opinion, this study was a really great start, but there are opportunities for future research, such as the following: • Conducting two separate studies; one to include participants who have no reported prior anger/ aggression issues, and one to solely

include participants who admit to prior anger/aggression issues.

• Because there’s no objective test for anger or aggression, it’s hard to read the results as wholly conclusive, because surveys are all subjective. We need an objective measure of anger to test pre-/intra-/post -aggres-

sion levels related to steroid use.

• There could have been a psycholgical preconceived notion that the participants had about the expectations of study, and therefore the results post-steroid use reflected the fact that they thought they knew what the researchers wanted.

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health I dieting psychology

Dieting Psychology When the Desire to Get Lean Goes Too Far There’s a dark side to the fitness industry,

a corner of the competition process that people tend to sweep under the rug because it’s not pretty. It’s the topic of eating disorders, disordered eating, and body dysmorphia. These terms will be defined throughout the course of this article, but in the interest of both information and controversy, I’ll throw out the blanket statement that every competitor suffers from disordered eating. Please note that I didn’t say an eating disorder, but definitely disordered eating. In what world is monitoring and weighing every morsel that goes in your mouth and eating according to a clock rather than your body’s natural biological rhythm not disordered? I have to say that I’m fully qualified to make a statement because I lived 10 years of my life under the blanket of an eating disorder, and I’m still haunted by its ghost, so spotting one from a mile away is practically second nature.

Have you ever seen the cartoon of a stick-thing woman looking into a mirror, but her reflection back is a severely overweight woman? Or the one where a huge, buff guy looks into a mirror and sees a 98-pound weakling? They’re not “ha-ha” funny cartoons, but rather, “art imitating life” accurate pictorials that are relevant in our competitive world, to both women and men. This is a very real scenario. This is an eating disorder.

If this applies to you, please stop reading and get help. There are some serious issues at play, and I’m not a qualified medical professional. Body dysmorphia is the gateway to a full-fledged eating disorder such as anorexia, and something that must be addressed immediately.

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PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

dieting psychology I health

Follow Jaime on social media: @FrigginLean @Jaim91 @Jaime Filer

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health I dieting psychology How to Measure Progress The first thing you have to evaluate if you’re going to start dieting is how you’ll measure your progress. Our coaches and the industry tell us all the time that the scale isn’t everything. Everyone and their mother has written a blog post about how your weight doesn’t tell the whole story, how it doesn’t reflect 100 percent of your progress, how you shouldn’t put all your faith in what the number reads, how you should use the

mirror/measurements/clothes/ intuition, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But what about when that cartoon happens in real life? What about when that is your life? You need something beyond something subjective.

If this is the case, how would you go about approaching contest prep? In my own case, the mirror and I haven’t exactly seen eye to eye since I was 11, and really, the scale is the only concrete, objective thing I have going for me. How do you respond to the bloggers and coaches? Those pictures above are accurate reflections of the female cartoon I posted on top: Girl sees self in mirror, self isn’t really self, girl diets down hoping to see real self, girl almost kills self.

What do you do when only five short years ago, those cartoon pictures above were your reality? Kind of messes with

your mind, doesn’t it? For anyone who has ever lost an insane amount of weight but still sees that “fat girl” in the mirror, I know you feel me. For any competitor who’s taken some time off to have a baby or just take an extended off-season, I know you feel me!

You see where the problem lies? I have no idea what I look like.

It sounds weird, right? I spent so many years of my life seeing myself one way (but technically not actually seeing what was in the mirror), and now, I’m supposed to see something else that may or may not even be there this time around. There are days I feel like I’m looking at a fun-house mirror like, “That can’t be me…” Thankfully, my “normal” days are more frequent than my others, and I don’t spend an abnormal amount of time in front of the mirror, but come contest-dieting time, I might as well not own one. I send my pictures to my coach, get on my scale, and c’est la vie. Personally, the scale is all I go by. It’s all I can go by.

The mirror has lied to me almost

dieting psychology I health my entire life—it’s not about to start being truthful now, I can guarantee you that. So save the reassuring talks for someone else. I need my numbers. And it’s okay if you do, too.

Know Your Limits Wi t h t h a t s a i d , i f yo u ’ re t h e complete opposite, and you’re the type for whom the scale can ruin your whole day, tell your coach that weighing yourself every day (or weekly) is hindering your progress. I get that they want to see how much your weight fluctuates from day to day, and how much the weekly “refeed” affects you (the leaner you are, the less of an effect it should have). Now, while this is brilliant in theory, in practice, you have to know your audience. If you know yourself well enough and have experience whereby you attach an emotion to the number on the scale, then know your limits and when enough is enough. This can also go poorly if you, let’s say, weigh yourself daily and see progress from Monday to Wednesday (that is, a steady decline in the pounds), then on Wednesday, you can tell yourself that it was no big deal if you had a little extra ice cream that day. Now, the rules of moderation and normalcy say, “Yes! That’s okay! Good for you!” but the rules of competition say, “You’re on a plan. You’re getting onstage. Stick to that plan.” If you’re going to be successful at this sport and healthy in life, it’s okay to admit you can’t take the psychological ups and downs that come with fixating on a number.

Different Types of Disorders I’m going to list off the clinical definitions of the types of eating disorders (according to the DSM-IV), as I feel these will cover all the bases and give you the most solid de script io ns o f t he s i gns and symptoms for reach.

an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances.

• A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).

• Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviour in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications; fasting; or excessive exercise.

• The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviours occur, on average, at least twice a week for three months.

• Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.

• The disturbance does not occur ex c l u s ive ly d u r i n g ep i s o d e s o f anorexia nervosa.

2. ANOREXIA NERVOSA: • Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (e.g., weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85 percent of that expected, or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85 percent of that expected).

• Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.

• Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.

• In post-menarcheal females, amenorrhea (i.e., the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles).

3. BINGE-EATING DISORDER: • Recurrent episodes of binge eating.

An episode is characterized by: • Eating a larger amount of food than normal during a short period of time (within any two-hour period).

• Lack of control over eating during the binge episode (i.e., the feeling that one cannot stop eating).

• Binge eating episodes are associated with three or more of the following: • Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.

• Eating large amounts of food when not physically hungry.

• Eating much more rapidly than normal.

• Eating alone because you are embarrassed by how much you’re eating.

• Feeling disgusted, depressed, or guilty after overeating.

• Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.

• Binge eating occurs, on average, at least two days a week for six months.

PHOTOS: THINKSTOCK

1. BULIMIA NERVOSA: • Recurrent episodes of bing e eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following: • Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any two-hour period),

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health I dieting psychology

4. SHAM EATING: This one is relatively new, and not necessarily an “eating disorder” per se, but rather, it involves severely disordered eating. It occurs when the person puts food in their mouth, chews it, and then spits it out (so that calories are not absorbed).

And then of course we come to the famed body dysmorphia, or body dysmorphic disorder: “Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is an anxiety disorder that causes a person to have a distorted view of how they look and to spend a lot of time worrying about their appearance. For example, they may be convinced that a barely visible scar is a major flaw that everyone is staring at, or that their nose looks abnormal.”

In the case of a competitor, it could look like a bodybuilder thinking he’s too small, despite weighing

in at 250 pounds and 3 percent body fat, or a bikini competitor weighing a mere 100 pounds, thinking she’s not lean enough. Either way, these are serious psychological conditions that need to be taken into consideration if you’re going to get onstage.

With that said, not every competitor is prone to this negative self-imagery or doubt. Many I know personally are exceptionally selfconfident and self-assured, and don’t let the judges’ scorecards or scale weight affect their self-worth.

There’s a clear line for them, and they don’t cross it. However, there are those individuals who are fragile and vulnerable when it comes to body image; this article was written for those people. Dieting is rough on the body and mind, and dieting for a competition is even rougher. So heed the warnings, and take the medical lingo seriously.

If you or someone you care about is going to embark on a contest prep, make sure they’re stable, in a healthy head space, and happy with themselves inside and out, because the psychology of dieting is tough, but you can be tougher.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

• The binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviour (e.g., purging, excessive exercise) and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa.

health I seasonal affective disorder

Why So

SAD?

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER: HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR TRAINING AND YOUR MOOD

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD) is a common occurrence in those who live in cold climates during the winter season. Although it’s not completely clear, it’s believed that SAD is most likely the result of a lack of sunlight, which can cause numerous effects on neurotransmitters, hormones, and our sleep-wake cycle, resulting in depressed mood and overall lack of motivation. The good news is that SAD is easily treated with light therapy, supplements, or even a workout. Keep reading to find out all about SAD and what you can do about it.

WHAT IS SAD?

WHAT CAUSES SAD?

SAD is a mood disorder that occurs at the onset of fall and winter months, usually starting in September or October, when days get shorter and the weather gets colder, and ending in April or May, when days get longer and the weather gets warmer. SAD is characterized by a change in mood from normal mental health during bright spring and summer days, to feelings of depression during darker fall and winter days. Throughout North America, SAD is most prevalent in places such as Alaska, which has an incidence of 9.9 percent; compare that to Florida, which has an incidence of only 1.4 percent. It has also been shown that SAD occurrence increases with latitude, so the further north you go, the more likely you are to experience SAD.

There are a few theories on what causes SAD, including neurotransmitter, hormonal, and circadian rhythm dysregulation, genetic polymorphisms, and psychological factors that are more than likely brought on by the other factors.

SEROTONIN DYSREGULATION One theory is that SAD is caused by a lack of serotonin production, since serotonin production is the lowest in winter months and has been shown to improve when light is increased.

When treated with light therapy, patients can subsequently relapse when serotonin and catecholamine levels deplete, indicating therapies that can help stimulate serotonin are effective for light therapy. It’s also thought that serotonin poly-

morphism may also play a role in SAD, whereby serotonin expression is hindered, resulting in a decrease in serotonin availability.

PHASE-SHIFT HYPOTHESIS Another hypothesis is the phase shift, where the body’s sleep-wake cycle is disrupted in those with SAD due to the environmental light-dark cycle, resulting in a dysregulation of melatonin release, and therefore a disruption in sleep and cortisol and other hormonal rhythms within a 24-hour period that are necessary for normal sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythms. It’s theorized that some may be phase-advanced (melatonin release occurs too early in the evening) or phase-delayed (they continue to release melatonin too long in

BY DON GAUVREAU, MSC, “THE SUPPLEMENT GODFATHER”

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seasonal affective disorder I health

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health I seasonal affective disorder the morning). The theory is that SAD is the result of the seasonal changes in light exposure that disrupt the normal functioning of the circadian clock.

PHOTON-COUNT HYPOTHESIS: The photon-count hypothesis suggests that shorter periods of daylight and less intense light in the winter months result in an insufficient dose of light, and therefore less photon exposure to the retina. The retinas of people with SAD are significantly less sensitive to light than those of control groups. One study showed a positive relationship between depression severity and photoperiod/light intensity. One meta-analysis showed a dose-response relationship between light therapy (intensity) and degree of improvement in typical depressive symptoms.

MELATONIN THEORY

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS Because SAD is a depressive disorder, it’s common for suffers to experience the same types of symptoms that would be associated with depression, including

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

Another theory of SAD is that it’s caused by a disruption of melatonin release. Our sleep-wake cycle, also known as the circadian rhythm, is controlled by the rise and fall of a sequence of hormones, including melatonin. This hormone is produced by the pineal gland and helps control the sleep-wake cycle. When the sun sets, the photo sensors in our eyes detect darkness, and the body

responds by secreting melatonin, thus inducing sleep. Melatonin continues to be released throughout the night until dawn, when melatonin secretion gradually levels off, allowing for wakefulness in the morning.

Individuals with SAD appear to have longer duration of melatonin release during winter months than in summer months. It’s hypothesized that people with SAD have increased duration of melatonin secretion in the early morning hours. This would explain why people with SAD have difficulty waking up and don’t feel alert in the morning. Experiments with drugs to block melatonin secretion in the morning, thus decreasing the duration of its secretion, demonstrated that the symptoms of SAD were relieved.

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general feeling of hopelessness, sadness, loss of interest in activities or social gatherings, disruption of sleep, increase in appetite, low energy levels, decreased sex drive, and general agitation. In addition, those suffering with SAD may experience oversleeping or difficulty waking up due to melatonin dysregulation. If SAD is being caused by serotonin dysregulation, then an increase in appetite may occur, particularly for carbohydrates, which can lead to weight gain.

TREATING SAD LIGHT THERAPY The most common therapy for SAD is light therapy, whereby bright light therapy can be used to help reduce the secretion of melatonin when exposed to the light early in the morning, while also helping to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. The recommended dose is 10,000 lux full spectrum light, 2500 lux blue light at a wavelength of 480 nanometres, or 350 lux green light at a wavelength

seasonal affective disorder I health of 500 nanometres with a UV shield for approximately 30 minutes to up to two hours per day depending on the light, for two to four weeks, or until symptoms begin to subside The best results come when the treatment is tailored to the individual’s sleep-wake cycle and help to correct it. Side effects include headache, eyestrain, and psychomotor agitation. Additionally, those who suffer from retinal diseases or are on medications that increase sensitivity to light should not use light therapy.

Meta-analysis on studies using light therapy for SAD treatment have found that 53 percent of individuals with SAD experienced full remission; however, only 43 percent of individuals with moderate to severe SAD had remission of symptoms with light therapy. In addition to the lack of complete effectiveness, most find light box therapy to be inconvenient, causing inconsistent treatment. In addition to simple light box therapy, there is also “dawn simulation,” whereby lights are used to spark a more natural sleep-wake cycle. This is particularly helpful for those suffering with phase-delay. Lastly, light therapy can be as simple as getting outside and getting exposure to sunlight, although this might not always be that easy during the long, cold Canadian winter.

WORKOUTS

5-HTP

This may not be a surprise, but perhaps one of the easiest and cheapest ways to cure SAD is via your workout.

You probably already know that working out stimulates feel-good endorphins that have been shown to help treat depression. In one study, the effect of 20 minutes of light therapy was compared to exercise therapy in the form of cycling on a stationary bike for 20 minutes per day. Both exercise and light therapy had similar and significant reductions in depression severity. It should be noted that light therapy in the morning may be most beneficial for helping to correct the sleep-wake cycle, whereas exercise in the evening may further delay sleep due to the release of stimulating endorphins, including norepinephrine, which slows down the release of melatonin.

In another study, exercise performed under light therapy of 2500 to 4000 lux was found to be more effective than exercise performed under normal gym lighting; thus, outdoor exercise or combining exercise with light therapy is most effective for SAD.

5-HTP is the precursor for the neurotransmitter 5-HTP. In the body, 5-HTP is converted to serotonin, helping increase the level of serotonin in the body. An effective dose for 5-HTP is 200 to 500 milligrams, which has been shown to help improve sleep quality and reduce depression symptoms. However, it should be noted that one study showed that increasing serotonin levels also resulted in an increase in cortisol levels.

SUPPS FOR SAD VITAMIN D Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with the onset of SAD. When given a large dose of vitamin D of 100,000 IU in conjunction with light therapy for one month, subjects receiving the vitamin D improved symptoms, while the light therapyonly group showed no significant changes in depression scale measure. Additionally vitamin D status was improved in not just the individuals receiving vitamin D but also those receiving light therapy.

VITAMIN B6

The conversion of tryptophan to 5-HTP is dependent on the availability of vitamin B6, as well as magnesium.

Vitamin B 6 is a necessary co-factor involved in the production of serotonin. Getting your daily intake of 1.3 milligrams of vitamin B 6 should be considered as part of SAD treatment.

MAGNESIUM Research suggests that deficiency of magnesium can inhibit the conversion of tryptophan to 5-HTP, which can affect the production of serotonin and melatonin. Research has also suggested that magnesium deficiency can result in dysregulation of the biological clock, and the sleep-wake cycle due to deficiency in melatonin and or serotonin. One study showed that rapid recovery (less than seven days) from major depression using 125 to 300 milligrams of magnesium (as glycinate and taurinate) with each meal and at bedtime. The daily recommended dose of magnesium is 400 milligrams per day.

ST. JOHN’S WORT It has been shown that St John’s wort is an effective treatment to help with depression, but also the symptoms of SAD. In one study, it was shown that a 900-milligram dose of an extract of St. John’s wort was as effective as light therapy in those suffering with SAD. Another study found that the same dose in combination with 3,000 lux bright light therapy or 300 lux dim light therapy reduced depressive symptoms in patients with SAD. Follow Don on social media: @rippedfreak @rippedfreak

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contests I 2018 cpa schedule

2018 CPA SCHEDULE MARCH

March 17 I GNC/Allmax IFBB Pro Fedel Clarke Classic I Toronto, ON March 24 I Leigh Brandt Muscle Classic Open I Vancouver, BC March 31 I GNC/Allmax Thunder Bay Championships I Thunder Bay, ON

APRIL April 7 I GNC/Allmax Stratford Championships I Stratford, ON April 7 I PEI Championships I Charlottetown, PE April 7 I Nova Scotia Natural Classic I Halifax, NS April 14 I Vancouver Island Showdown I Victoria, BC April 21 I GNC/Allmax Cobourg Naturals I Cobourg, ON April 21 I The Atlantic Classic Championships I Moncton, NB

MAY May 5 I GNC/Allmax Mindi O Show I Niagara Falls, ON May 12 I GNC/Allmax Stephanie Worsfold Natural Classic I London, ON May 12 I Quebec Natural and Open Mimi Capes Classic I Montreal, QC May 12 I The Nova Scotia Physique Championships I Halifax, NS May 19 I GNC/Allmax Fouad Abiad Championships I Mississauga, ON May 19 I The Gym 17th Annual The Gym Northern Classic I Fort St. John, BC May 26 I GNC/Allmax Sudbury Classic Championships I Sudbury, ON

JUNE June 1 & 2 I GNC/Allmax Pro Qualifier Championships I Toronto, ON June 2 & 3 I GNC/Allmax IFBB Toronto Pro SuperShow & Expo I Toronto, ON June 3 I Absolute Touch/Muscle Insider, TPSS & Women Model Search I Toronto, ON June 9 I GNC/Allmax Crush Cancer Classic I Guelph, ON June 16 I The Flex Lewis Canadian Classic I Moncton, NB June 23 I GNC/Allmax Ottawa Natural Classic I Ottawa, ON June 23 I Natural BC Cup I New Westminster, BC June 24 I Manitoba Van Dijk Legacy Classic I Winnipeg, MB June 30 I Okanagan Fitness Festival I Kelowna, BC June 30 I Edmonton CPA Championships I Edmonton, AB

www.canadianphysiquealliance.com

2018 cpa schedule I contests JULY July 6 I Vancouver Pro Show Pro Qualifier I Vancouver, BC July 7 I Vancouver Pro Show I Vancouver, BC July 14 I Newfoundland & Labrador CPA championships I St. John’s, NL July 21 I GNC/Allmax Fouad Abiad Natural Championships I Windsor, ON July 28 I Edmonton Natural Novice & Open Championships I Edmonton, AB July 28 I GNC/Allmax Barrie Natural Championships I Barrie, ON July 28 I T-Zone Fitness Natural Championships I Surrey, BC

AUGUST August 4 I GNC/Allmax Pro Qualifier Natural Canadian Championships I Toronto, ON August 18 I GNC/Allmax CanFitPro Natural Championships I Toronto, ON August 18 I Knight of Champions I Surrey, BC August 25 I GNC/Allmax Winston Championships I Burlington, ON

SEPTEMBER September 15 I Montreal Championships I Montreal, QC September 22 I Iron Ore Classic I Prince George, BC

OCTOBER October 6 I GNC/Allmax KW Oktoberfest Natural Classic I Kitchener, ON October 6 I Muscle Beach Fall Classic I Edmonton, AB October 6 & 7 I Eastern Canadian Open I Halifax, NS October 13 I GNC/Allmax Northern Rock Naturals I Sudbury, ON October 13 I Natural Vancity Showdown I New Westminster, BC October 13 I New Brunswick Natural & Open Championships I Fredericton, NB October 20 I GNC/Allmax National Pro Qualifier I Toronto, ON October 27 I Saint John Fall Classic I Saint John, NB October 27 I GNC/Allmax/Absolute Touch Halloween Masquerade Natural Championships I Hamilton, ON

NOVEMBER November 3 I Popeye’s Fall Classic I Vancouver, BC November 3 I GNC/Allmax Ottawa Championships I Ottawa, ON November 10 I GNC/Allmax King Kong Natural Championships I Toronto, ON November 17 I GNC/Allmax Mindi O London Championships I London, ON November 24 I GNC/Allmax Gala Championships I Toronto, ON

feature I obesity

DID THE LOW-FAT CRAZE ACTUALLY CAUSE

OBESIT Y? MUSCLE INSIDER’s Mark Gilbert Explores That Theory There’s always some new superstar diet,

food or nutrient that the media or the food industry decides is the new key to health or to getting the perfect body. Similarly, there are always others being blamed for being the secret new cause of obesity or disease. This has been happening for decades. The last 15 to 20 years have seen a “diet” or “superfood” or “health scare” story in the media virtually daily. Of course, at the most basic level, our diet primarily consists of the macronutrients protein, carbs, and fat (and alcohol). Unsurprisingly, it’s these three macronutrients that have been subject to the most controversy over the years, and this situation shows no signs of stopping!

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The biggest disagreement is still about fat intake, but many have turned the corner and now focus on the consumption of excess sugar, and a few have blamed processed starches as the key cause of obesity.

Many see this whole debate as cut and dry, but it’s far from that. As with all nutritional debates, arguments on each side could be considered legitimate. Most important in this debate are three concepts. First off, some people do better when they restrict mostly carbs and some

obesity I feature

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

BY MARK GILBERT, BSC (NUTRITION), CISSN

do better when they reduce mostly fat. Second, what’s the definition of “low fat” or “low carb”—is 40 percent carbs low or do you only consider it low carb when it gets down to 5 to 10 percent? And third, what type of carbs or fat is being reduced or added into the diet?

But was there ever any evidence to support the low-fat craze, and have all of the fat-phobic messages from government health agencies actually been the biggest cause of the obesity epidemic?

Follow Mark Gilbert on social media: @MarkSGilbert @muscledietmark @musclediet Website: MuscleDiet.com

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feature I obesity Background on the Anti-Fat Movement

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

The anti-fat movement began in the fi rst part of the 20th century, when women felt pressured to fit into the tighter, fashionable clothing of the 1920s. Then, during WWII, insurance companies came up with weight charts that reinforced the new slimmer trend, and subsequent charts that they released recommended even lower ideal body weights. Soon, by the 1950s, doctors were on board with the low-fat message, promoting it as the best way to avoid the biggest killer, heart disease. Despite all of this, the typical middle-class American diet was still high in fat, comprising meat, fried foods, sausages, whole milk, burgers, butter, gravy, and other high-fat favourites.

Between the 1950s and 1970s, various evidence published in medical journals and released by the American Heart Association suggested that saturated fats were associated with heart disease and that reducing them in the diet “may� reduce the risk. It should be noted that they were very careful not to be defi nitive that this approach would work at the time!

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obesity I feature low-fat message was a lie. Millions of dollars spent by governments all over the world espousing cutting fat from the diet probably haven’t improved health or the epidemic of obesity. And the low-fat message is still getting shoved down our throats by government health agencies and others. Even more concerning is that it seems as if most dietitians still haven’t got the message. These are the nutrition professionals who have university degrees in nutrition and work in hospitals and who help form policy regarding what we should eat to avoid obesity and disease, and chances are, the next time you see one of them on the news, they’ll make some comment that suggests we should avoid fat!

Does Low Fat Cause Obesity?

It’s bad enough that we were all led down the low-fat path despite a lack of evidence of its benefits, but there’s the other equally important question of whether higher carb eating caused by the anti-fat movement has actually increased obesity, and there’s certainly a case to be answered here!

Fast Facts • From 1965 to 1997, there was a 20 percent increase in carb intake in the USA but with very little change in fibre intake.

• When carb intake goes up that dramatically with no change in fibre intake, that means all of those extra carbs people now eat are refined, high-GI starches and sugars. Over the 30 years in which the obesity epidemic was taking hold, people were gradually eating more sugar and processed starches.

• In 1977, the average American ate 400 grams of carbs per day, and the obesity rate was 15 percent.

• In 1990, carb intake had gone up to 460 grams, and obesity had hit 23 percent.

• In 1997, carb intake had gone up to 500 grams per day, and obesity had hit 27 percent. So between 1977 and 1997, carb intake went up 20 percent and obesity rates almost doubled.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

Then, in 1977, a document called “Dietary Goals in the United States” was published by the U.S. Senate’s Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. It recommended lowering fat in the diet (along with sugar and salt, which seemed to get less press than fat) and also implicated dietary fat in obesity. So without any new definitive evidence, now the cautious suggestions that fat may cause heart disease had turned into government policy, and they threw in obesity as an outcome of scarfing down too much lard also … for which (again) there was no good evidence.

The final nail in the coffin was in 1983, with the release of a study based upon data from the massive Framingham studies, which followed the diets and health of thousands of Americans. This study implicated obesity as a major risk factor for heart disease. Although it’s clear that obesity increases heart disease risk, the conclusion that eating less fat would prevent either obesity or heart disease wasn’t yet proven but was being portrayed to the public as if it had been! In fact, it wasn’t until 2002 that a huge Harvard review of 147 studies on the relation between dietary fat and heart disease made it clear that there was never any good evidence to support the anti-fat movement in the first place. Around the same time, other massive reviews of the science were also concluding that there had never been any good evidence that fat in the diet makes people fat! Here’s what Dr. Walter Willett—the world’s most published nutrition scientist and Chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health—has to say on the topic: “Diets high in fat do not account for the high prevalence of excess body fat in Western countries” and “The emphasis on total fat reduction [in the diet] has been a serious distraction in efforts to control obesity and improve health in general.”

So there we have it. Massive review studies from the world’s number one academic institution and the most prolific nutrition expert in the world concluded that the entire

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feature I obesity Carb Intake & Obesity A study looked at 30 years’ worth of data in the US, along with 10 years of data from 164 other countries, concluded that a one percent increase in carb intake increases the rate of obesity by one percent. Even more damning for low-fat advocates is their conclusion that increasing fat intake actually causes a small decrease in the incidence of obesity! So it looks like there’s a very compelling case that increased carb intake does cause increased obesity. However, there are two caveats here: First, these greater carb intakes have usually occurred at the same time as increased calorie intake. And second, the increased carb intake experienced in most parts of the world in the last several decades has been as sugar and refi ned starches, so it may be a bit misleading to just talk about “carbs” since not all carbs are the same.

Carbs & Hunger It could be that increased carb intake actually drives greater calorie intake by increasing appetite. As MUSCLE INSIDER readers will know, carbs are the biggest stimulators of insulin. Several studies have shown that insulin may actually decrease hunger, however there are even more studies that have shown that insulin can actually increase hunger!

Any competitive bodybuilder who’s used insulin can attest to its appetite-increasing effects. However, the small number of studies means we can’t oversimplify this relationship.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

Carb Sensitivity

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Are some people more likely to get fat on a high-carb diet? The simple answer is “yes.” Clear evidence shows that despite whether they have a healthy lifestyle or not, some people are much more likely to metabolize carbs poorly than others, and research suggests that those who have good insulin function can lose weight simply by cutting calories, while others (those with poorer insulin sensitivity) need to focus mainly on cutting carbs to achieve diet success. So any suggestion that carbs cause obesity must be tempered by the realization that higher carb intakes will have different effects on different people.

What’s a “Low-Fat” Diet?

When comparing diets, we often see headlines like “low-carb diet causes more weight loss than low-fat,” but definitions of these respective diets can vary dramatically. Generally, a low-fat diet is one that contains less than 30 percent of its calories from fat, but some studies use 20 percent or even less. Carbs can vary even more dramatically; I’ve seen diets with 40 percent carbs called “low carb,” while other studies go as low as 5 percent. There are now hundreds of diet studies using fat and carb intakes in these broad ranges, and it takes a huge amount of reading and scrutinizing to try to figure out where the “sweet spot” is (I know because I’ve done it!), and then you have to further tailor macro intakes to fit the carb sensitivity of the dieter. Going back to the main point of this article, looking at how carb and fat intakes changed as the obesity crisis took hold, it actually looks as if going from close to 40 percent calories from fat in the diet towards 30 percent fat is the range of change that seems to have caused the problem. Therefore, it’s not surprising that 30 percent fat diets and those below 30 percent aren’t as effective for weight loss as higher fat diets.

Conclusion Was the low-fat craze that had its roots in the early 1920s, gathered steam in the late 1970s, and became government policy in the 1980s responsible for the obesity epidemic? Well, it’s difficult to prove cause and effect in these kinds of cases, but it looks that way. The fact that people seem to have simply swapped some fat in their diets for sugars and processed carbs meant that this change was doomed from the start. However, if health jour-

nalists and medical professionals had been doing their jobs properly and asking the right questions to the right experts and properly following good research, this could have been avoided. If food companies hadn’t jumped on the bandwagon and helped get the Western world addicted to cheap, processed, nutrient-poor starches and sugars, it also could have been avoided. Of course, it’s a bit simplistic to say that “carbs” cause obesity because no one ever got fat by increasing their fibre (which is a carb) intake. In fact, higher fibre intake is associated with significantly lower body fat.

Similarly, when it comes to dietary fat, some athletes are genetically predisposed to gain more body fat eating higher fat intakes than others. All carbs and fats aren’t created equal and shouldn’t be presented as such. Finally, one thing we do know for sure is that swapping out fat or carbs for protein in the diet is a winning strategy. Aim for eating a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight for maximum results.

HOW YOU SHOULD BE EATING If you want to look like a bodybuilder, you have to eat like a bodybuilder. If you eat junk, you will look like junk. It’s that simple. The late Robert Kennedy, respected MuscleMag International founder, always maintained that bodybuilding is 80 percent nutrition. As the saying goes, you are what you eat.

To look and feel your best, follow the dietary example of top athletes and bodybuilders. High protein, green vegetables, high-fibre carbs, good fats and quality calories.

Train hard. Eat smart.

THE MUSCLE INSIDER SAMPLE BODYBUILDER DIET (ONE DAY): MEAL 1 • 1/2 cup oatmeal made with water • 6 egg whites cooked with 1 yolk • 1 piece fruit MEAL 2 • 1 cup green veggies • 8 oz. chicken breast MEAL 3 • 1 cup green veggies • 6 oz. lean steak • Large baked potato with skin (3"–4" in diameter) MEAL 4 • Low-carb, low-sugar protein bar MEAL 5 • Omelet made with 8 egg whites and 1 yolk, cooked with 1/2 cup broccoli, 2 mushrooms, fresh salsa

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TEAM MI WITH DR. JEFF GOLINI, Ph.D

Creatine and Bikini Competitors Creatine, in and of itself, is a powerful and required source of biofuel. It’s been estimated that approximately 95 percent of all creatine in the body is in close proximity to the skeletal muscles. I like to call it the “biofuel of life” because creatine is absolutely indispensable.

If the body were suddenly depleted of all creatine, life would cease. Creatine has been proven to increase endurance and stamina, recuperation, and recovery. Bikini competitors can definitely benefit from using creatine, but some might not want to. Let me explain why.

Different Strokes for Different Folks It’s a proven fact that creatine monohydrate is the only form your body can actually absorb and use.

According to a study done in 2000, “Creatine is taken as a supplement in the form of creatine monohy-

Water retention is a major concern for bikini competitors.

drate because the phosphorylated creatine does not pass through cell membranes.” Other versions are chemical salts of creatine monohydrate, leaving approximately 20 to 40 percent actual creatine. Many of these may be unstable and convert to the biowaste creatinine. The same goes for creatine monohydrate unless it’s buffered.

Uses, Abuses, and Side Effects Creatinine may cause unwanted side effects such as water retention, stomach bloat, cramping, diarrhea, excessive water weight gain, and dehydration, to name a few. These are some of the reasons why bikini competitors traditionally have avoided taking creatine altogether. But to understand the “water retention” side effect, we must differentiate between intracellular hydration and subcutaneous water

retention (the bloat or puffiness under the skin). The human body is made up of about 65 percent water.

The trick in bikini is to make sure your muscles are fully hydrated with the intracellular water, which will make them appear full, hard, round, and cut. However, water under the skin and the stomach bloat is what you don’t want. Based on my research, I believe this excess bloat is directly correlated to excess amounts of creatinine.

Buffered Creatine How do you avoid excess creatinine production and the resulting water retention? Use a stable version of creatine monohydrate. My patented ingredient Kre-Alkalyn® is a stable creatine that does not convert to creatinine once it hits a solution.

Stability means no side effects and no loading phase needed with creatine. I don’t want to sound like an infomercial, but Kre-Alkalyn® is backed by four patents with others pending worldwide. Because Kre-Alkalyn ® is stable, you won’t get the water retention you may experience with some other forms of creatine.

“The trick in bikini is to make sure your muscles are fully hydrated with the intracellular water, which will make them appear full, hard, round, and cut. However, water under the skin and the stomach bloat is what you don’t want.”

How to Use Creatine You can actually use it up until the Wednesday before a Saturday bikini competition. Since creatine is required on a hour-to-hour basis in the body to survive, I recommend females use between 750 and 2,250 milligrams daily. This equates to 750 milligrams in the morning, another 750 milligrams about 20 minutes before a workout, and 750 milligrams directly after a workout.

You’ll definitely notice the difference in your training. Even better, it will make a big difference in your contest prep.

Follow Dr. Golini on social media: @jeff.golini @golinijeff @drjeffgolini

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MUSCLEINSIDER.COM

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Precision is all about providing an edge to athletes that need to prepare themselves to perform at their best. Precision Amino-PLX is manufactured in a Health Canada site licensed facility that has been tested for banned substances, so what you get on the label is what you get in the product, and vice versa. It contains 4.5 grams of L-leucine, 1.5 grams of L-isoleucine, and 3 grams of L-valine, in addition to niacin, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and AstraGin. Amino-PLX is also vegan, fermented, and free of artificial colours. Check out the Lemon Freeze, Rainbow Candy Rush, and Arctic Raspberry flavours, which come in 500 gram tubs.

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TEAM MI WITH JAIME FILER, B.A. HON. KIN

How to Market Your Brand Online Let’s start with some interesting Instagram numbers: • 6 in every 10 online adults use Instagram • Over 600 million people use Instagram worldwide • 15 million registered businesses use Instagram business profiles • In 2017, 70.7% of U.S. companies will use Instagram for marketing Though the numbers speak for themselves, the moral of the story is that Instagram is huge, and getting even bigger. You want to separate yourself in an industry that’s pretty much already saturated. Do a hashtag search for “fitness model” and you end up with 24.7 million posts. “#GirlsWhoLift” garners 17.9 million results. So how can you stand out? How do you market yourself to a world that seems to have “Been there, done that” already?

“A commodity is a failure of marketing innovation. Don’t be like a piece of meat.”

—Eric Lifson, co-founder of Skrumble (communications technology company trusted by Fortune 500 companies and leading tech firms) Pick a niche, but be smart about it. In the fitness industry, it’s okay to pigeonhole yourself. I, for example, am the “eating disorder” expert or the “smiley, happy, fit chick.” And this is great with me, because it’s authentic. In real life, I’m genuinely always smiling, so I never have to pretend to be something I’m not. Even through smoke, mirrors, and filters, people can tell if you’re full of bullshit. In person, I come across as easygoing and down-to-earth, so why pretend to be some badass, hardcore competitor online? That isn’t my brand.

If you are badass and hardcore, great! Power to you! Then rock that persona online, and don’t start posting sappy crap about love and light. Stick to what you know.

PHOTO: JASON ELLIS

Superstar DLB attracts a huge amount of fans simply by being herself and keeping her message clear and simple.

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“Brands are not specific to companies. Brands are both feelings and ideas you communicate every single day whether as a person or an organization. Your brand is your reputation. The best way to protect your brand is to stay true to the vision in all that you do, in all that you communicate. Once you get off message, you risk damaging your brand. It’s hard to make anyone change their mind about you once you’ve gone too far off track and you are struggling to get back to the vision.”

—Anna Wilder, BFA in Graphic Design, MA in Design Management.

The following are questions are ones you need to ask yourself as you set yourself up as a brand instead of just an individual: • What is my brand purpose and its values?

• What do we stand for?

• Who is my core target market?

• What are their demographic characteristics (age, sex, location, income, cultural characteristics)?

• What are their psychographic characteristics (attitudes, interests and opinions); for example, if you represent a clothing company, what’s with all the memes on your IG page? Are the quotes appropriate for your target market, or are they too hardcore/softcore/irrelevant?

In the movie Concussion, Will Smith (as Dr. Bennet Omalu) says, “You have to be the best version of yourself. If you don’t know what that is, you pick something and fake it.” If you don’t know who you are, then pick something you want to be.

Just remember to stick to that something for the duration; don’t flipfl op. Be consistent. Use these tips and do some research. Then, create your market and #Grind!

Follow Jaime Filer on social media: @FrigginLean @Jaim91 @Jaime Filer

“Your brand is your reputation.

The best way to protect your brand is to stay true to the vision in all that you do, in all that you communicate.

Once you get off message, you risk damaging your brand.”

Jaime is MUSCLE INSIDER’s Editor-inChief and has been with us since 2012.

She graduated with a kinesiology degree and is a competitive bodybuilder and crossfitter. If something’s new in fitness, chances are Jaime’s already tried it!

TEAM MI WITH DARREN MEHLING BA, CSCS

How Often Should You Weigh Yourself When Trying to Lose Fat? It doesn’t matter if we’re

• Stress level • Workout performance • Energy level • Focus level • Sleep pattern • Deviated meals/workouts • Water intake • Current video or photos of their compulsory poses Only after I have all of this data can I best assess their progress and address any elements of concern toward optimizing results.

With that said, there may be weeks where we don’t see change on the scale, which is something many have difficulty accepting.

They kick ass in the gym all week, they follow their diet diligently, and come their weekly weigh-in, there’s no change. Fuck! What happened!?

Of course, there are cases in which the scale may stay the same—or even go up—but fat loss is still occurring. If for example, a female client weighs herself during “that time of the month,” weight gain from hormonal water retention can occur. Because the scale

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

in the off-season or contest season; to keep my clients focused on their objectives, to keep them accountable, and to keep me updated on their progress, I have everyone send me weekly updates that include their weight and change in weight from the previous week’s update.

I ask for weight updates weekly because I’ve found that for some clients, asking for weight updates every two to three weeks or even monthly wasn’t frequent enough, as they would get too comfortable and/or become complacent. There wasn’t enough accountability.

On the other hand, asking for weight updates too frequently would put too much emphasis on the scale and in most cases, unless you’re trying to make a weight class, daily weight fluctuations are normal and not indicative of actual fat loss.

The scale is just one piece of the big picture. My clients are asked to submit structured updates that include the following:

only shows her total body weight, it can’t tell if she’s gained water weight or lost fat; all it can do is indicate the net total of everything at that moment. That’s why I assess all data provided in the update, and if the other points indicate progress, then that week is still a win, despite the scale going up.

I’ve also had clients’ weight stay the same (or even gain) leading up to a contest. Change in weight aside, progress can be observed from weekly progress photos as the weeks go by and the person gets more and more shredded. In this case, the client is able to build muscle and burn off stored body fat, which can ultimately leave them weighing somewhat the same or, in some rare cases, weighing even more than when we started their contest prep.

How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?

Weighing yourself infrequently can leave you too much room to wander and get lost, while weighing yourself too often can provide meaningless data due to water fluctuations and drive you crazy!

Weigh yourself once a week and provide your coach the other emotional, psychological, and physiological indicators I mentioned above to work from the complete picture of your progress.

Follow Darren on social media: @freakmaker1 @freakmaker1 @Darren Mehling

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“I ask for weight updates weekly because I’ve found that for some clients, asking for weight updates every two to three weeks or even monthly wasn’t frequent enough, as they would get too comfortable and/or become complacent.”

Darren Mehling, BA, CSCS, has been involved in the Canadian and international bodybuilding scenes for over 20 years. As the President and CEO of FREAK FITNESS, he has helped coach his clients to hundreds of Novice, Provincial, National, and IFBB Pro titles.

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BELIEVESUPPLEMENTS.COM

Pick Your Protein Flavour Supplements You Can Believe In Believe Supplements is one of the newest kids on the supplement block. Its humble beginnings originate in Quebec, but it’s quickly expanding, taking over Canada, and becoming one of the most talked-about newcomers not just nationwide but internationally as well. One of the unique qualities that’s helping Believe Supplements gain traction is that it prides itself on being a publicly third-party-tested supplement brand. This means that it welcomes the opportunity for other supplement companies to put it to the test in terms of meeting its label claims. For quality assurance, Believe Supplements uses TrueCheck lab testing. This is a third-party test that puts every product that Believe Supplements makes through rigorous testing to ensure purity and excellence. Because these guys know what they have going for them, they even brag a little and post their test results online to offer total transparency.

That way, you, as a c o n s u m e r,

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know exactly what you’re getting. This is the gold standard in quality assurance. Every single supplement that Believe puts out is third-party tested to ensure that every dollar you spend is worth it. What you see is exactly what you get.

What Separates Believe from the Rest Well, it does have the whole transparent third-party testing thing going for it. In addition—and its real claim to fame—is the fact that you can mix and match your own flavours within each tub. You’re no longer stuck with just one flavour for 30 to 90 servings, anymore! Believe Supplements sells its flavour packs and protein separately, which means you’re in control of what flavour you want every single time. No more 5 pounds of one flavour, and getting bored or sick of it 2.3 pounds in. Each

tub of unflavoured protein can be mixed with any of eight different flavour options, so you can switch flavours every day or every week, sweeten it the way you like, and spice up your favourite protein recipes or your boring oatmeal in the morning. The high-quality protein used is 100 percent pure Transparent Isolate. There’s no fat, no carbs, no lactose, and no gluten. With 27 grams of protein and 6.05 grams of branched-chain amino acids in every 29-gram scoop, you’re truly getting the best quality flavourless protein out there.

And when you buy the protein, you get a free flavouring pack, which is what makes buying from the company so exciting.

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This is where the fun and innovation comes in! Just add one 2-gram scoop of protein flavouring to one scoop of unflavoured protein, and you’re set for the day. Choose from eight different flavours: Caramel Sundae, Cookies and Cream, Chocolate, Orange Creamsicle, Pineapple Mango, Vanilla, All Natural Chocolate, or All Natural Vanilla. Each one comes in little 220-gram tubs that include 75 servings.

The macros are negligible (2 grams of carbs per scoop, with a slight variance on the allnatural flavours), and they’re sweet enough on their own, so you don’t have to worry about these spiking your insulin and/ or ruining your diet.

MUSCLEINSIDER.COM I THE FAT-LOSS SPECIAL

SUPP DAWG SAYS: We were blown away by the creative innovation of Believe Supplements. We don’t know why no one thought to do this in recent years, but we’re so glad it’s finally here. Believe has put together pure, quality ingredients and mouthwatering flavours.

Simple yet effective.

Believe Protein’s 100% Pure Transparent Isolate comes in one 4.4-pound, 69-serving tub. It comes unflavoured, so that you can add one of Believe’s eight different protein flavouring options—but then again, you can always just use the unflavoured protein to add muscle-building macros to your baking recipes, oatmeal, or anything else. The flavour tubs can also be purchased on their own to add to your favourite protein recipes, oatmeal, or yogurt, and as we said, you get one free when you buy a tub of Believe Supplements’ unflavoured Isolate. So give this company and this product a try, and see for yourself just how awesome they are!

BY JAIME FILER Follow Believe Supplements online: @believesupps @believesupplements @believesupplements

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TRUE GRIT FEATURING CHRIS BUMSTEAD I PHOTO BY DAVE LAUS

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HERE COMES

OUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TAKES THE CHALLENGE S U P E R L E AG U E M AY B E T H E B E S T competitive sport you’ve never heard of! The story’s humble origin begins with former heavyweight champion bodybuilder Jea Jung. Jea is the founder and owner of five-star City Athletic Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, one of the premier gyms in the city, and home to Iris Kyle and Hidetada Yamagishi’s Bodi Café operation. Jea is also the inventor of jBells, a round dumbbell created to provide maximum control, stability, and contraction. Most recently, Jai has been fortunate enough to add his brother, Danny Jung, and Peak Mindset creator Mathew Park to work alongside Super League in various capacities. Jea came up with the concept in late 2016, but publicly unveiled it in 2017, hosting superstars Mike O’Hearn, Johnnie Jackson, Hugo Girard, Toney Freeman, and Stan Efferding at their inaugural event.

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competing I super league The name “Super League” is no accident, as it was designed to remind us of DC’s Justice League, the combination of seven superheroes led

by Superman himself, each one bringing a completely different look and ability to the squad, with different strengths and weaknesses. “Super League” is not quite a bodybuilding federation, not quite a CrossFit or Powerlifting competition, but some sort of awesome hybrid of everything. It has already gained millions of social media visitors from each of the events, and is growing rapidly!

[Note: As of this issue going to print, there were over a dozen sponsors lined up for booths at the SL3 Montreal event in November!]

Super League is essentially trying to redefine the world of bodybuilding and fitness performance. Their first event took place July 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the livestream was available on their channel. With the second event taking place at the Olympia, they really didn’t hold anything back, as they held two competitions under one roof. The first was Border Wars: Team Canada versus Team USA, and then they had Gym Wars: Gold’s Gym (Venice) versus MetroFlex. Through the evaluation of “superhuman form” and “superhuman function,” Super League is on the hunt for the ultimate superhumans.

How Is It Judged?

How Do You Train for Super League?

There are two rounds of judging in the Super League, the “Output Quotient” (where you lift things over the course of eight different movements) and “The Deltas” (where you’re judged based on a specific set of 3D measurements and ratios).

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Part 1: Output Quotient (OQ)* 1. BACK SQUATS: Traditional back squats from a rack, dropping to below parallel 2. CRUCIFIX PULLS: A plateloaded, unilateral lat pulldown machine 3. VIKING PRESS: Plate-loaded, standing shoulder press, done on a slight angle 4. SUICIDE ROWS: Cross between an upright row and a chest-supported dumbbell row 5. DOUBLE HAMMER CURLS 6. JBELLS FLYES: Chest flyes, but using Jea Jung’s patented jBells 7. CHAIN-LOADED DIPS 8. BARBELL DEADLIFTS *You have 8 minutes to hit a 12-rep max for each exercise above.

When you multiply the weight you lifted by 12 reps, then divide it by your body weight, you get your OQ for each movement.

Where can you find more about Super League?

So far, their list of celebrity athletes and endorsements i n c l u d e s C T F l e t c h e r, M i ke O’Hearn, Toney Freeman, Kai G r e e n e, J o h n n i e J a c k s o n , Branch Warren, Iris Kyle, John Meadows, and a host of other recognized and renowned names in the fitness industry. Keep a close eye on their YouTube channel for more videos on the scoring system, which of your favorite athletes are joining the movement, and event details for the upcoming competition.

Part 2: The Deltas (3D Score) For this measure, your body i s a n a l y z e d f o r u p p e r b o d y - t o - wa i s t ratio, lower body-towa i s t r a t i o, a n d u p per body-to-lower body ratio. The total of three deltas is your 3D score.

They have experts taking these measurements and inputting them into a complex algorithm to determine the final calculations.

Output Quotient (OQ) + The Deltas (3D Score) = Superscore For my score at the recent Super League event, here were my numbers: 285 (3D score) + 126 (OQ) = 411 Superscore

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Follow Jaime on social media: @FrigginLean @Jaim91 @Jaime Filer

JAIME’S SUPER LEAGUE CHART EXERCISE

WEIGHT

REPS

TOTAL OQ

SQUATS

185

12

2,220

CRUCIFIX PULLS

160 (80/SIDE × 2)

12

1,920

VIKING PRESS

60 (30/SIDE × 2)

12

744

SUICIDE ROWS

30

12

360

DOUBLE HAMMER CURLS

30

11

330

JBELL FLYES

30

12

360

CHAIN-LOADED DIPS

10

9

90

DEADLIFTS

205

12

2460

THE TOTAL OQ WAS THEN DIVIDED BY MY BODY WEIGHT OF 135.2 POUNDS.

ALLMAX ATHLETE AMANDA LATONA I PHOTO: DAVE LAUS

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