Guide to supplements

BASIC NUTRITION GUIDE

BIO-SYNERGY PRODUCTS - MAKE IT HAPPEN

BIO-SYNERGY PRODUCTS MAKE IT HAPPEN

Many elite athletes have discovered the benefits of adding scientifically designed, well researched sports supplements to their training programmes and increasingly everyday people are realising that it is not just professional athletes who are to gain.

As a responsible supplier, elite athletes trust our products. With over 20 years experience Bio-Synergy Ltd have been the official sports nutrition providers to a number of individual athletes and teams across the UK including: UK Volleyball, Scottish Rugby Union, British & Irish Lions, World Boxing Federation, Milton Keynes Lions, Leicester Riders, Karl Harris (Superbikes), Oxford & Cambridge Boat Clubs, Commonwealth Games.

Our products are tested to laboratories accredited to ISO17925 standards, for the IOC banned substances, this assures many athletes of our belief in the products and that we are not going to jeopardise their sporting careers.

INTRODUCTION TO NUTRITION It would be very difficult to explain the complexity of BIO-SYNERGY products without first addressing some basic nutritional concepts.

The information provided in this module is only a glimpse into the vast subject matter of nutrition. However, this particular module will leave you with a foundation of knowledge that will serve as a starting point on which to build your understanding of performance supplementation.

All of the nutrients we obtain from foods may be categorised as either macronutrients or micronutrients.

Macronutrients (macro meaning “large”) are consumed in high quantities. These nutrients include proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and water. Micronutrients (micro meaning “small”) are consumed in minute quantities.

These nutrients include vitamins and minerals. Food provides us with energy and this energy is measured in calories. If we ingest more calories than we can use throughout the day, they may be stored in the body as fat. On the other hand, the practice of eating fewer calories than we need throughout the day will result in weight loss.

FATS Fat is a necessary part of a healthy diet, although that fact may be contradictory to popular belief. A diet completely void of the right kind of fats may be detrimental to training and overall health.

At a density of 9 calories/gram, the structure of fat is optimised for energy storage and provides most of the energy we expend during extended, low intensity activities such as running. In addition, certain fats have more specialized functions such as hormone production, cellular protection, cushioning for the internal organs, insulation, hormone production, lubrication and anti-oxidant protection.

Fat cells store fats as energy for later use, although an overabundance of this stored energy may show itself as unsightly body fat. There are ‘good fats’ and ‘bad fats’. Generally, fats fall under one of two overall categories; saturated or unsaturated.

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are not a necessary part of the diet. Saturated fats are the ‘bad’ fats to avoid.

EXAMPLES OF SATURATED FATS INCLUDE: • Butter • Solid Vegetable Fats • Lard (solid animal fats) • Most other animal fats Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and considered to be much healthier.

EXAMPLES OF UNSATURATED FATS INCLUDE: • Saffl ower oil • Flax seed oil • Olive oil • Hemp oil There are two specific types of unsaturated fats; monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Of these two types, polyunsaturated fats are the easiest for your body to break down and use for energy and when used in moderation are less likely to be stored as body fat.

Two particular types of polyunsaturated fats, omega-3 and omega-6, are considered to be essential fatty acids (EFAs). These fats are necessary for thousands of biochemical reactions to occur, however the body cannot produce them on its own. The only way to get these fats is through foods or supplementation.

Each muscle cell in your body is actually protected with a sheath of fatty acids; therefore a deficiency in EFAs could degrade the integrity of muscle cells, making them more susceptible to tear and cellular damage. EFAs are also involved in the production of various hormones (like testosterone) and may also speed the rate at which your body burns body fat.

FAT CHART Although the type and volume of exercise an athlete participates in will affect the rate at which they burn fat, the Institute of Medicine recommends that all adults consume 20 - 35% of total calories in fats, with an emphasis on healthier unsaturated fats, to ensure enough fat is consumed in the diet.

FATS HOW MUCH Monosaturated fats: Olive, canola, peanut oils, nuts and avocados10 – 15% of calories Polyunsaturated fats: Include omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fats Omega-6 fats: Corn, saffl ower, sesame, soy and sunfl ower oils (and in margarines, salad dressings and mayonnaise made with these oils) nuts and seeds.

Omega-3 fats: cold –water fi sh like herring,mackerel, salmon, sardines and tuna; fl ax seed, canola oil and walnuts. Up to 10% of calories

SATURATED FATS: Meat, poultry, butter, cheese, cream and whole milk; coconut, palm and palm kernel oils; processed foods such as cookies, crackers, chips and other baked goods. Up to 10% of calories

TRANS FATS: Stick margarines, shortening, packaged baked goods such as cookies, pastries and crackers, candy, snack foods, french fries and other fried foods. A very small amount also occurs naturally in meat, poultry and dairy products As little as possible

PROTEIN Certain foods also provide us with the proteins we need for functions such as supporting gains in muscle tissue.

Examples of protein include fish, chicken, eggs, beef and some vegetable sources such as soya beans.

Proteins break down into amino acids in the body and are used for a variety of functions such as repairing tissues, immune function support and the manufacture of hormones.

ROLES OF PROTEIN IN THE BODY Everyone knows that protein is important for building and repairing muscle fibres after exercise, but proteins in the body have thousands of other essential roles, including: • Producing antibodies for the immune system • Manufacturing hormones and enzymes that are involved in most reactions in your body • Aiding in the digestion and absorption of food • Maximising the transport of oxygen to tissues • Providing structure for muscles, tendons, ligaments, organs, bones, hair, skin and all other tissues

CARBOHYDRATES Carbohydrates are an important part of our diet as they provide most of the energy we need to function throughout the day. As carbohydrates digest, they are released into the body as blood sugar (glucose). Some of this blood sugar is used right away for fuel, some is stored in muscle cells for later use (glycogen) and excess blood sugar is typically stored as body fat.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATES; SIMPLE AND COMPLEX. Simple carbohydrates tend to digest rapidly into blood sugar and may cause a quick energy boost. However, they may be easily stored as body fat if not used in moderation.

EXAMPLES OF SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES ARE: • Table sugar • White bread • White rice • Cake • Chocolate bars Complex carbohydrates are slower digesting than simple carbohydrates and may provide more consistent energy levels over a period of time. In addition, complex carbohydrates are less likely to be stored as body fat when used in moderation.

EXAMPLES OF COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES ARE: • Yams • Whole-wheat bread • Al dente pasta • Sweet potatoes Note: there are exceptions to these generalisations.

As carbohydrates and other foods digest, they release glucose into the bloodstream. The rate of this release is measured with the Glycemic Index.

For example, most simple carbohydrates release glucose very rapidly into the bloodstream and therefore have a high Glycemic Rating. Most complex carbohydrates release glucose more slowly and typically have a low Glycemic Rating. It is generally best to consume foods with a low Glycemic Rating in order to manage insulin.

UNDERSTANDING THE GLYCEMIC INDEX & GLYCEMIC LOAD The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measurement to rank how fast carbohydrates are digested and absorbed, resulting in a rise in blood sugar levels. It’s a way to compare foods gram for gram based on their effects on blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates that break down quickly have the highest glycemic indexes. Those that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.

To measure the GI of a food, 50g of a carbohydrate in the food is fed to a subject and then blood glucose levels are measured for a specific period of time after consumption and compared to the blood glucose response of 50g of white bread or glucose.

The Glycemic Load provides a better indication of food choices because it is based on the total carbohydrate of a typical serving of the food, rather than a miniscule 50g portion. The Glycemic Load equals the Glycemic Index of a food multiplied by the carbohydrate content. Fibre, fat, protein content, as well as acidity and other factors found in food may blunt the glycemic response.

Since we often eat carbohydrate foods as part of a meal, the Glycemic Index does not apply to the meal, only to the specific food tested, whereas the Glycemic Load gives a more accurate measure.

GLYCEMIC INDEX GLYCEMIC LOAD • Low glycemic index 55 or less low glycemic load 10 or less • Medium glycemic index 56 - 69 medium glycemic load 11 - 19 • High glycemic index 70 or more high glycemic load 20 or more

KEY GLYCEMIC POINTS: • The Glycemic Index measures how fast a 50g dose of carbohydrates is digested and absorbed • Carbs that break down quickly are high glycemic • Carbs that break down slowly are low glycemic • The Glycemic Load is based on how fast a typical serving of carbohydrates is digested and absorbed

EXAMPLES OF FOODS WITH HIGH, MEDIUM AND LOW GLYCEMIC VALUES. BAKERY PRODUCTS HIGH GLYCEMIC LOAD • Bagel (70g) • French bread (70g) • Donut (47g) • Croissant (57g)

MEDIUM GLYCEMIC LOAD • Apple muffi n (60g) • Bran muffin n (57g) • Wheat bread (30g)

LOW GLYCEMIC LOAD • Oatbran bread (30g) • Sourdough rye bread (30g)

CEREALS HIGH GLYCEMIC LOAD • Corn Flakes (30g)

MEDIUM GLYCEMIC LOAD • Bran Flakes (30g) • Shredded Wheat (30g)

LOW GLYCEMIC LOAD • All-Bran (30g)

GRAINS HIGH GLYCEMIC LOAD • Couscous (150g) • White rice (150g) • Spaghetti (180g)

MEDIUM GLYCEMIC LOAD • Bulgur Wheat (150g) • Long grain rice (150g)

BEVERAGES HIGH GLYCEMIC LOAD • Cranberry juice

MEDIUM GLYCEMIC LOAD • Cola • Orange juice • Apple juice • Hot chocolate

LOW GLYCEMIC LOAD • Soya milk • Tomato juice • Skimmed milk • Whole milk

FRUIT MEDIUM GLYCEMIC LOAD • Banana (120g) • Dried figs (60g)

LOW GLYCEMIC LOAD • Apple (120g) • Cherries (120g) • Grapefruit (120g) • Grapes (120g) • Kiwi (120g) • Oranges (120g) • Pear (120g)

VEGETABLES HIGH GLYCEMIC LOAD • Baked potato (150g)

MEDIUM GLYCEMIC LOAD • Sweet potato (150g) • Mashed potato (150g) • Sweetcorn

LOW GLYCEMIC LOAD • Baked beans (150g) • Peas (80g) • Carrots (80g) Adapted from: Foster-Powell, K, Holt, S, and Brand Miller, c., “International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values.”

Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:5-56

INSULIN: IT DOES A BODY GOOD The word insulin is often associated with diabetes; however, insulin is not just a concern for diabetics. It’s a concern for all of us. Insulin is a hormone with a primary function of nutrient delivery and storage. Insulin is released from the pancreas when foods are ingested, escorting glucose (blood sugar) and nutrients to the body’s tissues and organs.

Due to its nutrient-storing abilities, insulin is considered to be anabolic (muscle-building) in nature. Because insulin plays such a key role in delivering nutrients throughout the body, performance athletes are highly interested in optimizing its effects. In essence, the more efficiently insulin can deliver nutrients to tissues, the faster recovery and new growth can occur; however, insulin is simply a messenger. It just delivers nutrients to where they are needed, meaning that insulin will deliver nutrients to fat cells as well as muscle cells. For this reason, fitness enthusiasts want to maximise the effects of insulin in the muscle cells and not in the fat cells.

If insulin is able to do its job with maximum efficiency, more nutrients are able to be delivered and packed into muscle cells. This may equate to better “pumps,” volumisation, nutrient stores for energy and an increased potential for faster recovery and new muscle growth. Although chromium plays a role in insulin action, consuming excess levels won’t necessarily “super-charge” the effects of insulin in healthy athletes; however, people with a chromium deficiency may experience improved insulin activity by upping their intake of chromium.

CARBOHYDRATES AND INSULIN Insulin is released from the pancreas when foods (typically carbohydrate foods) are ingested, escorting amino acids, glucose and other nutrients throughout the body. Due to these nutrient storing abilities, insulin is considered to be anabolic or muscle building, in nature. However, insulin needs to be carefully managed in order to minimise the delivery of nutrients to fat cells. Glucose that is not used for immediate energy will be stored primarily in the liver and in muscle tissue as glycogen. Once these reserves are full, excess glucose will most likely be delivered to and stored in fat cells.

The amount of insulin that is released is in direct proportion to the amount of glucose in the bloodstream.

A simple carbohydrate that quickly releases glucose will trigger a large flow of insulin. The elevated flow of insulin will clear the bloodstream of glucose too quickly which will result in low blood sugar conditions. This will cause an individual to feel hungry, queasy, tired or weak. Typically this will cause sugar cravings which may tempt one to eat a chocolate bar or cake to alleviate the symptoms. This will then cause another rapid insulin response, again leaving a condition of low blood sugar and the cycle perpetuates.

In extreme cases, these constant fluctuations of blood sugar may lead to Type II Diabetes. This is one reason why controlling your intake of simple carbohydrates is very important for overall health and achieving a lean physique.

CARBOHYDRATES, INSULIN AND BIO-SYNERGY BIO-SYNERGY is interested in substances that support the action of insulin at the muscle cells while diverting the action of insulin away from fat cells. Some substances may help in the process of nutrient delivery to tissues by amplifying, mimicking, or supporting the action of insulin.

An insulin ‘amplifier’ may promote the flow of insulin without the need for excess carbohydrates (particularly important in low carbohydrate creatine products). An insulin ‘mimicker’ may help to ‘pull’ nutrients along with it to tissues (thereby mimicking nutrient delivery). A substance that ‘supports’ the action of insulin, may assist insulin in performing optimally. An insulin ‘sensitiser’ may increase muscle cells’ sensitivity to nutrient delivery.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS The foods we eat contain vitamins and minerals. These micronutrients provide our bodies with the ability to perform countless biological activities such as hormone production (testosterone) bone formation and immune system support.

Minerals are found naturally occurring in the soil and the production of vitamins begins with photosynthesis (plants creating energy from sunlight). A deficiency in any single vitamin or mineral may interfere with your body’s ability to function properly which could ultimately hinder performance.

IT’S DINNER TIME...

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR VITAMINS ARE? Theoretically, you can meet your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals from eating a wide variety of whole foods. That means consuming plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains and meats every day. In other words, different types of foods will offer different types of vitamins and minerals; for example, lean ground beef offers plenty of iron, milk provides calcium, nuts and seeds provide vitamin E. If you’re eating a widely varied diet that includes meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy, nuts and seeds you may have adequate vitamin and mineral intake.

Let’s stop for a minute and summarise some of the key points. Although you could theoretically meet your entire vitamin and mineral needs through nutritional wholefoods, there are a few variables to consider. Some of these variables are summarised as follows: • There is a theory that farming soils are depleted of nutrients because of over-farming, contributing to fruits and vegetables having less than optimal levels of nutrients • You need to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily • Extreme cooking of vegetables under high temperatures can significantly reduce their vitamin content • Smoking may contribute toward losses in calcium, vitamin C and B vitamins • Alcohol consumption may contribute toward losses in Cand B vitamins • Coffee may contribute toward losses in calcium, vitamin C and B vitamins

If any of these factors are of personal concern, there is a possibility that consuming additional vitamins and minerals may benefit you. Although some nutritionists frown upon vitamin and mineral supplementation, there is some agreement that certain groups of the population may benefit. These groups include the following examples: • Female athletes, due to their tendency to minimise their caloric intake • Women in general are at risk of iron deficiencies • Strict vegans and vegetarians can be at risk. Some key nutrients can only be obtained from consuming foods from animal sources or consuming fortified foods • High fiber diets may suppress the optimal absorption of micronutrients • Athletes who regularly engage in calorie restricted diets while maintaining an active lifestyle may be at risk for nutrition deficiencies Should you supplement your vitamin and mineral intake or not? The following questionnaire may help you formulate a decision.

1. Are you a vegetarian or a strict vegan?

2. Do you regularly engage in strenuous activities?

3. Are you guilty of not eating several servings of green vegetable each day?

4. Are you guilty of not eating several servings of red, yellow and orange vegetables each day?

5. Do you eat canned vegetables?

6. Do you boil or fry your vegetables?

7. Do you ever engage in calorie restricted diets?

8. Do you have a high stress job?

9. Are you regularly stressed due to personal situations?

10. Do you smoke?

11. Do you drink regularly?

12. Are you a ‘partier’ (regular, excessive drinking)?

13. Do you drink caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea or colas?

14. Do you regularly eat fast food?

15. Do you regularly get sick (barring real medical issues), such as frequent colds?

16. Do you eat ‘store bought’ vegetables and not vine ripened organic ones?

If you answered yes more than you answered no, you could be a candidate for needing additional vitamin and mineral intake.

MINERALS Minerals are considered to be ‘non-organic’ because they are found naturally occurring in the earth. In other words, they are not produced by any living organism… they’re just there! Minerals are some of the lowest common denominators of life. They cannot be broken down, metabolised or processed into another form.

Some of these basic elements include: • Calcium • Potassium • Magnesium • Zinc • Copper • Iron • Sodium • Selenium These minerals (and many more) are the very foundation of our body’s structure and existence. Aside from all of the water (around 70%) our bodies are largely comprised of various minerals.

VITAMINS Vitamins are considered to be ‘organic’ because they are produced from living organisms. Most vitamins are produced from plants when they absorb energy from sunlight. This energy, when combined with water and carbon dioxide in the plant, produces carbohydrates, oxygen and vitamins.

Vitamins act as catalysts to processes in the body. They help to optimise countless biological functions, ensuring that your body is working to its full potential. Vitamins do not provide energy in themselves; instead they assist in producing energy.

For example, B vitamins play a very important part in releasing energy from foods and the metabolism of carbohydrates. Vitamins are classified into two general categories; fat and water soluble. The terms fat soluble and water soluble simply refer to how vitamins are transported and stored in the body. The fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K are transported with fats throughout the body and are stored in fatty tissues and the liver. Since they store in fatty tissues, fat soluble vitamins stay in the body for an extended period of time.

Water soluble vitamins C and B-Vitamins move a little freer as they are transported along with water through membranes. They are eliminated from the body fairly quickly.

VITAMINS, MINERALS AND FREE RADICALS Many vitamins and minerals offer antioxidant protection against the damaging effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that lack a stable electronic charge. Every molecule should have a pair of electrons in an outer orbit circling opposite each other… kind of acting as a counter balance to each other. If there is only one electron in this outer orbit, there is an imbalance and the entire molecule becomes unstable. In order to become balanced again, the unstable molecule ‘searches’ for another molecule in order to ‘steal’ the needed electron.

In our bodies, the free radical may ‘steal’ the needed electron from a healthy cell. The healthy cell could be a muscle cell, fat cell, tendon, bone and almost any other example you can think of. Once the free radical ‘steals’ the electron from the healthy cell, the once healthy cell is now unstable and essentially becomes a free radical. It ‘steals’ an electron from the neighbouring cell which in turn becomes unstable. This process can easily get out of hand and spread through healthy tissues.

Free radicals move throughout the body where they can kill cells, disrupt membranes and destroy enzymes.

When you cut into an apple and let it sit for a few minutes, the flesh begins to discolour. This process is called oxidation and is a visual example of what free radicals can do to the cells in your body. It is thought that free radicals may be responsible for a variety of diseases and ailments.

Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid free radicals… they are everywhere. A major misconception is that they only come from pollution; not true. Although pollutants such as exhaust fumes and smoke may increase free radicals, so do a lot of other things. You’ll ingest free radicals no matter what you do, no matter where you go.

Take a drink of coffee… you are getting them. Have a sandwich… they are probably there. Even strenuous exercise can increase the effects of free radicals in the body. The answer to combating free radicals is in the refuge of antioxidants.

Anti-oxidants have the ability to ‘share’ electrons with free radicals, resulting in a free radical that attaches to an antioxidant instead of a healthy cell thereby neutralising it. Some examples of common anti-oxidants are: Vitamin C & E and Green Tea. We are fortunate that some vitamins are water soluble and some fat soluble. This helps us to get antioxidant support in all areas of our bodies; both the liquid and the fatty regions. By the way, not every fatty region of the body is around your belly or thighs! Your muscles for example are protected with a sheath of fats, as is your brain.

Note: Although many people may be able to meet their daily requirements for micronutrients from whole foods, active individuals may want to supplement their diet with some form of vitamin and mineral product in order to guard against nutritional deficiencies.

WATER AND CELL VOLUMISATION Just consider one may be able to survive for up to two weeks or longer without food but only a few days without water. Water should not be overlooked as an essential nutrient! Water is a nutrient that must be continually flushed through the body in order to eliminate toxins, deliver vitamins and minerals, conduct electrical impulses and properly hydrate the body. It may be best to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day to support optimal health and cell volumisation.

Cell volumisation is a term that should not be confused with the term ‘water retention’. Volumisation is a term that refers to the effects that happen when water is absorbed into muscle cells. When this occurs, the actual size of the muscle cells may increase, providing a ‘pumped’ look and feel. Water retention is water that is stored outside of the muscle cell and may result in a bloated, smooth look.

When a muscle cell is volumised, it may trigger protein synthesis, minimise tissue breakdown and may also increase glycogen synthesis. This could equate to new muscle growth, larger and stronger muscle fibres, increased muscular energy and faster recovery. Think of each muscle cell as a water balloon that can let water in or let water out. Muscle cells are made up of at least 70% water. So the more water that is absorbed into muscle cells, the fuller and more pumped they look and feel. If a muscle cell is dehydrated, it may take on a flat, flaccid look and feel.

WATER: THE BASICS 1. Water is an essential nutrient and drinking too little can significantly affect how you feel and perform at home, at work and in the gym.

2. While minimal levels of dehydration (less than 2%) probably won’t impact performance, higher levels of dehydration have a significant negative impact on exercise performance, particularly for endurance athletes.

High levels of dehydration also increase an athlete’s risk of heat related illness.

3. For everyday exercisers, water is the best beverage to consume before, during and after exercise.

Endurance athletes and others training at high levels may benefit from the addition of carbohydrate and electrolyte containing beverages during and post-exercise to maintain optimal levels of hydration.

4. The amount of fluid you should consume varies from person to person and depends on a number of factors including level of fitness, weather conditions, activity and sweat rate.

FLUID RECOMMENDATIONS: The ‘4 glasses of water a day’ idea may be a myth, but it’s a decent place to start. In general, you should drink enough fluid during the day so your urine is a light yellow color. In addition, follow the ACSM’s guidelines, which recommend that athletes: • Drink 14 to 22 ounces of fluid two to three hours before exercise • Drink 6 to 12 ounces of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise • Drink 16 to 24 ounces of fluid for every pound of body weight lost during exercise During and after exercise, drink enough fluid to replace all the water lost through sweating - and err on the side of consuming more than enough to ensure proper hydration. If you exercise for more than an hour at a time, you may also want to consume sports drinks to replenish lost electrolyte stores as well.

MUSCLES

MUSCLES

Muscle moves the bones of the skeleton by pulling on them. We control skeletal muscles by contracting them.

There are three types of contractions a muscle can make: concentric, eccentric and isometric.

The origin of a muscle is the attachment point nearest the centre of the body (e.g. the quadriceps originates on the hip bone, close to the centre of the body). The insertion of a muscle is its attachment point away from the centre of the body (e.g. the quadriceps inserts on the kneecap, further from the centre of the body than its origin). During a concentric contraction, the muscle shortens, pulling the insertion towards the origin (this is a positive movement). The ‘pressing’ part of a bench press is the concentric part of the movement.

During an eccentric contraction, the muscle lengthens, allowing the insertion to move away from the origin (this is a ‘negative’ movement). Letting the barbell return to your chest during a bench press is the eccentric part of the movement. Generally, the positive portion of the movement should last for a count of two seconds and the eccentric portion should last for a count of four. Executing a pair of contractions (concentric and eccentric) constitutes a repetition or ‘rep’. A grouping of repetitions followed by a rest period is a set.

When a muscle is contracted isometric ally, the distance between the origin and insertion does not change.

Try making a fist and contracting your bicep and triceps as hard as you can without allowing your arm to move in either direction… that is an isometric movement. Skeletal muscle may adapt to the resistance by increasing its size and/or strength. This is muscle hypertrophy. Progressive resistance training involves increasing the amount of weight used as resistance for the purpose of increasing the size or strength of muscles.

SUGGESTED REPETITIONS FOR SPECIFIC FITNESS GOALS There are many theories that address the topic of ‘the right amount of reps’. However, there are some general recommendations that most fitness enthusiasts can agree upon. An individual that is mainly interested in gaining strength should perform no more than 6 reps per set.

Someone who is interested in gaining both size and strength should perform their sets within the 6-12 rep range. Finally, those interested in leaning and toning should stay within the 12-15 rep range.

Important Note: It is important that anyone undertaking a new exercise regime consults with their doctor or health care provider before commencing, particularly if they use prescription or over-the-counter medicines, or if they are being treated by a health care provider for any chronic or medical condition.

WHICH BODY TYPE ARE YOU? (SOMATOTYPES) There are three types of individual (somatotypes) that you may come across: 1. The Ectomorph – slim built, with little body fat or muscle. Tends to have a thin face and long neck.

2. The Endomorph – tends to be pear shaped and has a high level of subcutaneous fat (under the skin) over the upper arms and thighs.

3. The Mesomorph – muscular individuals, broad shouldered, heavily muscled limbs and a tapering waist.

Everybody expresses some elements of each somatotype; however, most people are likely to have a dominant one.

ECTOMORPH The ectomorph is a ‘hard gainer’ who finds it hard to increase muscle mass. They generally have a high metabolism and burn off calories very quickly. If their goal is to increase muscle mass they will have to significantly increase protein intake and in addition calorie consumption.

The ectomorph as well as wanting to increase muscle mass, may have a different goal – that of improving exercise endurance. Their light frame and low body fat aids them in performing low intensity, long duration sports, such as long distance running, cycling or swimming, hence the need for improved endurance.

ENDOMORPH The endomorph, usually has some muscle mass naturally; however it is covered by a layer of fat. These individuals have a very slow metabolism and even if fat and calorie intakes are reduced they still find it hard to improve their body composition.

They tend to be the type of person who does minimal exercise and often are looking for an introductory level of training programme and changes in their daily nutrition to increase metabolism.

They need to increase their workout intensity over time, as their body becomes accustomed to change.

Unfortunately these individuals need to be strict with their nutrition plan to see results, particularly in the early stages.

MESOMORPH The mesomorph, through genetics or lifestyle, is likely to have been introduced to exercise at an early age.

They thrive on an active lifestyle and need little encouragement to exercise! They will be looking for an advanced workout regime and nutritional support to help them achieve their goals.

They will be looking to increase strength, power and muscle mass to give them an edge in their chosen sport.

IMPROVING PERFORMANCE When many people think of sports nutrition they immediately think of the bodybuilder! This is understandable as many sports nutrition products were initially developed for this field.

Today though, sports nutrition products are used by a wide variety of athletes to improve their performance.

However, regardless of what the sport is, many athletes include an element of weight training (or resistance training) within their routine to help them achieve their goals.

Sports nutrition (also referred to as performance nutrition or active lifestyle nutrition) caters for a wide range of people, from the experienced athlete to those who simply want to improve their lifestyle.

PROTEIN

PROTEIN

Protein is a word that sparks both controversy and reverence among the fitness and nutrition community.

How much protein we actually need, what type of protein we should ingest* and what protein products are the most effective are all topics that are under constant scrutiny and debate.

One fact about protein remains clear; muscles need it to grow. So, for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, exactly what type of protein is best and how much of it to take are very important topics. *BIO-SYNERGY generally recommends a minimum of one gram of protein per pound of body weight each day.

To lose weight, one could eat for their lean body mass weight.

To gain weight and muscle size, one could eat to the bodyweight they would like to reach (within reason).

There are certain ‘givens’ where protein is concerned. One given is that we need to consume a portion of protein with each of our six meals to supply ample amounts of amino acids for our bodies to use for a variety of functions.

PROTEIN DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION You need to eat protein-containing foods daily to obtain your daily requirements for essential amino acids.

About 90% of the protein you eat is broken down into amino acids and becomes part of the amino acid “pool” that the body draws upon when it needs to build or repair muscles or other tissues or do any of the other roles that the amino acids play (The body excretes the other 10%).

Unlike carbohydrates and fat, which the body can store as glycogen or triglycerides respectively for use later, amino acids have no form of storage in the body, so it’s important to have some protein every day.

When you eat foods containing protein, the protein molecule is broken down in the mouth and small intestine into its amino acids. Once broken into amino acids, three things can happen. The amino acids can be: • Converted into glucose • Converted into triglycerides land stored as body fat • Released into the blood stream as the plasma protein or free amino acids to be used as energy When you eat enough protein to cover your body’s amino acids needs, your body is considered to be in protein equilibrium; however, if you don’t eat enough, protein (usually from the muscles) is broken down to fulfill the amino acids “pool.” If you consume more protein than your body needs, the excess amino acids are broken down further and the nitrogen, ammonia uric acid and creatine are secreted in urine, and part of the amino acid remaining can either be stored as body fat or muscle.

AMINO ACIDS Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein and are necessary to support muscle growth. Amino Acids are usually categorised as essential and nonessential.

There are eight essential amino acids, these amino acids are those that your body cannot manufacture to create what it needs for countless functions on its own and must be obtained from foods and/or supplementation. A non-essential amino acid can be produced in the body by re-configuring other amino acids to create what it needs for countless functions.

This process (re-configuring amino acids) in layman’s terms may be something like taking a piece of clay and reforming it into something else so that the body can use it in a different way.

TABLE OF ESSENTIAL & NON-ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS • Nine Essential Amino Acids Non-Essential Amino Acids • Histidine Alanine • Isoleucine (BCAA) Arginine • Leucine (BCAA) Asparagine • Lysine Aspartic acid • Methionine Cystine • Phenylalanine Glutamic acid • Threonine Glutamine • Tryptophan Glycine • Valine (BCAA) Proline • Serine • Tyrosine

IMPORTANT NOTE: Histidine is an essential amino acid in childhood and in a small percentage of adults. As it is not essential to all adults, it is commonly classed as non essential. For the purposes of this training material, neither classifycation is incorrect.

PROTEIN EXPLAINED There are two general types of proteins: complete and incomplete. A complete protein offers all of the essential amino acids.

All animal proteins are complete proteins.

An incomplete protein is missing one or more of the essential amino acids. Plant-based proteins are generally incomplete.

Some of the proteins that we select should be high in branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). BCAAs are called ‘branched’ because of their molecular structure. These amino acids are leucine, isoLeucine and valine.

BCAAs are important because a third of muscle tissue is comprised of BCAAs. BCAAs are depleted from muscle tissue during strenuous exercise, being used as an energy source by the body.

Essentially, this means that we are losing muscle size during strenuous exercise. That being the case, it makes sense to use a protein that is high in BCAAs to replenish this lost tissue as quickly as possible.

One type of protein may offer specific benefits that another protein may not. Since your body uses the different attributes of proteins for a wide variety of functions, it is best to consume several types of protein each day. For this reason BIO-SYNERGY uses a blend of several proteins in its formulas.

WHEY PROTEIN There are two types of proteins that come from milk; these are whey and casein proteins. Whey protein is derived from milk specifically from the process of making cheese.

During this process, the milk is curdled, separating the curd from the whey. The whey is the syrupy liquid that you sometimes see on top of cottage cheese. The curd (cottage cheese) is pure casein protein.

For many years, whey was discarded as a waste product from cheese manufacturers. Eventually, it was decided that the cheese industry find alternate means of disposal or uses for whey.

As a result, whey was tested for what it contained. It was found that whey was actually loaded with a variety of proteins that were extremely high in quality and contained better amino acid profiles (for humans) than beef.

Whey protein contains a high amount of the specific amino acids that are most needed by humans. In addition, it was found that whey was not only extremely digestible, it dissolved well in water (a convenient attribute for making whey in nutritional supplements).

To make whey practical for use as a nutritional supplement, methods were developed to separate the unwanted components out, specifically lactose, cholesterol and sodium.

One process that has proven effective but expensive, is cold ultra filtration - microfiltration. This process works by physically passing the whey through a micro-filter, leaving some of the impurities behind.

The other method is through ion exchange (also expensive) in which the proteins are extracted by taking advantage of their specific electronic charges (kind of like using a magnet).

Whey protein contains the highest concentration of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) of any single protein source. It is also rapidly absorbed into the body. This makes whey protein an excellent source of protein to use after a strenuous workout to replenish the BCAAs in muscle tissue quickly.

Whey protein also has properties that may help to support immune function, offer anti-oxidant protection, stimulate growth hormone production and assist in the production of glutathione (the body’s natural antioxidant).

However, whey protein is low in phenylalanine (an essential amino acid), glutamine and arginine (two ‘conditionally essential’ amino acids). These three amino acids are said to be the ‘limiting factors’ of whey.

CASEIN As mentioned earlier, there are two types of protein contained in milk. These proteins are separated during the process of making cheese. During this process, the milk is curdled, separating the curd from the whey.

As previously discussed, whey is the syrupy liquid that you sometimes see on top of cottage cheese. The curd (cottage cheese) is pure casein protein.

Two of the primary benefits of casein are that it is slow digesting and is also very high in the amino acidglutamine. Casein tends to form a gel in the stomach, causing it to digest slowly, which may release amino acids over a period of time into the system. This makes casein an excellent protein source to use right before bed as it may help to prevent tissue breakdown while you sleep. Also, protein sources with added casein may help to suppress the appetite between meals, which is a key benefit for those on a restricted calorie diet.

Casein contains the highest concentration of glutamine of any single protein source. Glutamine is a ‘conditionally’ essential amino acid necessary for tissue repair, volumisation, immune support and overall muscle growth.

Casein is typically seen in protein blends in the form of calcium casein ate, or sodium caseinate. The sodium or calcium simply comes from the milk as it is naturally rich in these two minerals. Casein is also seen as micellar casein which is sometimes called ‘native milk protein’. This form of casein has been unaltered from its natural state as it is found in milk.

MILK PROTEIN ISOLATE Milk protein isolate is a combination of the proteins found in milk, namely, whey and casein. For this reason, milk protein isolate will offer some of the inherent benefits of each of these proteins. However, milk protein isolate is not as concentrated a protein source as whey protein isolate or many casein proteins by themselves.

EGG ALBUMIN Egg albumin (egg white protein) is one of the best wholefood sources of protein. Egg protein was formerly the ‘gold standard’ of protein quality before whey isolates and soy isolate came along. Egg albumin is still a very good source of protein and helps to round out the amino acid profile in protein blends.

SOY PROTEIN Even though up to 38% of the bean is protein, soy has never been considered to be a quality source of protein, especially in its unrefined form such as tofu. Because it is derived from a plant source, soy has been looked upon as an inferior or incomplete protein and in its usual form, may very well be.

Whole soy-meal products were used as food additives for years before finding their way into the nutritional supplement industry. When it first entered the supplement market, soy came in the form of a crude soyprotein concentrate, which lacked a quality amino acid profile and was full of carbohydrates and sodium.

SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE STRENGTHS Soy-protein isolate contains the highest concentration of what is referred to as the ‘Critical Cluster’. This combination of main amino acids contains the BCAAs plus the amino acids glutamine and arginine.

Soy-protein isolate may also assist a healthy metabolism due to its ability to support thyroid function. The thyroid is an organ that helps to regulate the metabolism. This is one reason why soy-protein isolate may be effective for people who are trying to lose body fat.

Soy-proteins may also decrease blood viscosity (may make it thinner) which may help support circulation and nutrient delivery to muscles. Diets low in saturated fats and cholesterol that include 25g of soy protein may help to reduce cholesterol levels.

HOW MUCH PROTEIN IS IN A POUND OF MUSCLE? Your muscle is primarily water and contains up to 20% protein by weight. Here’s how a pound of muscle breaks down into components: • Water: 70 - 75% • Protein: 15 - 20% • Fat, glycogen, minerals: 5 - 7%

PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS FOR ACTIVE INDIVIDUALS The dietary recommendations for protein for physically active individuals have been hotly debated for years.

The protein requirements appear to be affected by a variety of factors, including age, sex, exercise type, intensity and duration, training history, total calorie intake and timing of meals.

The protein requirements for athletes are based on the requirements for specific essential amino acids; for example, the branched chain amino acid leucine is used as fuel during exercise. One study found that during two hours of exercising at 50% VO2 max nearly 90% of the total daily requirements of leucine was burned as fuel.

Both intensity and duration will increase protein requirements. Resistance exercise and endurance exercise both affect protein utilization. When beginning a training program, the body uses a lot of additional protein until the body adapts to the exercise program, usually happening in two or three weeks.

If you’re trying to lose weight, protein needs per pound of body weight are also increased. This happens because as you lose weight muscle protein is broken down as an energy source. Research has shown that consuming 1.6 grams of protein per pound of body weight while dieting enabled subjects to maintain more muscle mass compared to those who followed a traditional diet with .8 grams per pound of body weight. In order to make the most of calories, high-quality protein sources are important when dieting to help maintain muscle mass to keep metabolic rate high.

Despite increased protein requirements for active athletes, there is no need to believe that more is better.

The maximum protein the body can utilize daily is about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight or 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. Too much protein can lead to weight gain (as fat), interfere with other nutrients and increase the load on the kidneys to excrete additional nitrogen.

Both intensity and duration will increase protein requirements. Resistance exercise and endurance exercise both affect protein utilization. When beginning a training program, the body uses a lot of additional protein until the body adapts to the exercise program, usually happening in two or three weeks.

If you’re trying to lose weight, protein needs per pound of body weight are also increased. This happens because as you lose weight muscle protein is broken down as an energy source. Research has shown that consuming 1.6 grams of protein per pound of body weight while dieting enabled subjects to maintain more muscle mass compared to those who followed a traditional diet with .8 grams per pound of body weight. In order to make the most of calories, high-quality protein sources are important when dieting to help maintain muscle mass to keep metabolic rate high.

Despite increased protein requirements for active athletes, there is no need to believe that more is better.

The maximum protein the body can utilize daily is about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight or 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. Too much protein can lead to weight gain (as fat), interfere with other nutrients and increase the load on the kidneys to excrete additional nitrogen.

PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS FOR ACTIVE INDIVIDUALS MODERATE STRENGTH • 1.2 to 1.4g/pounds per day

PRIMARILY AEROBIC EXERCISE • 0.5 to 0.64 gram/pound

COMPETITIVE ATHLETES, ADULTS • 1.2 to 1.8g/pounds per day 0.5 to 0.82 gram/pound

COMPETITIVE ATHLETES, CHILDREN • 1.8 to 2.0g/pounds per day 0.82 to 0.91 gram/pound

HEAVY STRENGTH TRAINING • 1.6 to 1.8g/pounds per day 0.73 to 0.82 gram/pound

ATHLETES RESTRICTING CALORIES • 1.4 to 2.0g/pounds per day 0.64 to 0.91 gram/pound

VEGETARIAN ATHLETES’ SPECIAL NEEDS There are several different types of vegetarians; for example, lacto-ova vegetarians eat dairy and eggs, while vegans abstain from all animal-derived foods. Vegetarians diets can be healthy and provide all the nutrients needed for optimal performance, but strict vegetarians need to make good food choices to ensure they meet their protein requirements. These tips will help ensure vegetarians get their daily protein requirements: • Choose soy-based meat and dairy alternatives for complete protein • Include plenty of legumes, seeds, and nuts, which are more complete than protein in grains and vegetables • Consume adequate calories. If your body burns more calories than you consume, your protein needs increase to account for increased muscle mass degradation • Choose fortified breakfast cereals that are rich in protein

FOOD SOURCES OF PROTEIN PROTEIN IN G • Fish, poultry, lean meat (cooked 3oz) 20 - 30g • Tofu, fi rm (½ cup) 20g • Cottage Cheese, low-fat (1/2 cup) 15g • Yogurt, low-fat (6-8oz) 10 - 12g • Lentils, cooked (½ cup) 9g • Milk, 1% fat or skimmed (8oz) 8g • Peanut butter (2 tblspns) 8g • Cheese (1oz) 7g • Peanuts (1oz) 7g • Egg 6g • Baked potato 5g • Pasta, cooked (1 cup) 5g • Hummus (¼ cup) 3g • Vegetables, cooked (½ cup) 2g

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATIONS The following explanations will help your understanding of proteins and amino acids.

CONDITIONAL AMINO ACIDS We have explained essential and non-essential amino acids. The non-essential amino acids can be manufactured within the body, by converting the essential amino acids consumed through diet. However, when the body is placed under increased physical stress, such as intensive exercise, this creates a need for greater quantities of these amino acids. This is when a non-essential amino acid becomes conditionally essential, as it is advisable to supplement the diet to fulfill the bodies increased demand.

ISOLATE There are many ways in which a protein source can be extracted from raw materials; some of these have been explained earlier in this module. Under some extraction processes a certain amount of other byproducts remain alongside the protein, for example carbohydrates, fats, etc. With a protein isolate minimal by-product is left, meaning isolates are a purer protein source.

PRODUCTS STRENGTH MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT & RECOVERY

PRODUCTS STRENGTH MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT & RECOVERY CELL VOLUMISATION AND RECOVERY Cell volumisation and recovery work hand-in-hand for the benefit of fitness enthusiasts. As explained in module 2, volumisation is a term that should not be confused with the term, ‘water retention’. Volumisation is a term that refers to the effects that happen when water is absorbed into muscle cells. When this occurs, the actual size of the muscle cells may increase, providing a ‘pumped’ look and feel. Additionally, water will naturally draw other key nutrients such as amino acids and creatine along with it into the muscle cells.

Water retention is water that is stored outside of the muscle cell and may result in a bloated, smooth look. If a muscle cell is dehydrated, it may take on a flat, flaccid look and feel and may be more susceptible to tears and injury.

When a muscle cell is volatized, it may trigger protein synthesis, minimize tissue breakdown and may also increase glycogen synthesis. This could equate to new muscle growth, larger and stronger muscle fibres, increased muscular energy and faster recovery.

L-GLUTAMINE EXPLAINED L-glutamine is the most abundant free form amino acid in the body. A free form amino is one that basically ‘floats’ around the body until needed for a number of functions such as digestion, immune support, growth hormone production, cell volumisation and tissue repair (such as muscle tissue).

Although your body makes quite a bit of its own glutamine, it may not be enough to supply the entire body for all of its functions while supporting adequate muscle tissue repair.

For this reason, glutamine is considered to be a ‘conditionally’ essential amino acid. This word is a term suggesting that under certain conditions (such as exercise induced stress), glutamine becomes essential for repair and recovery.

Around 50 to 85% of ingested L-glutamine is ‘robbed’ by the gut and never makes it to muscle tissues for repair. This makes supplementing with extra glutamine a necessity for those trying to gain lean body mass and maximize recovery.

CREATINE EXPLAINED Before we can discuss any of BIO-SYNERGY’ creatine products we must first understand what creatine is and how it works.

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding creatine. Some sources question its safety, suggesting that creatine may cause liver damage and dehydration.

BIO-SYNERGY believes (and University research has shown) that creatine is not only safe; it is the ‘one that works’. In other words, creatine definitely has attributes that support cell volumisation, recovery, strength and burst energy. we typically stay in creatine balance.

Creatine is probably the most widely used nutritional supplement and seems to have universal success in promoting gains in size and strength. Creatine is naturally formed in the liver through a chemical process that combines several amino acids together. On average our bodies produce and use approximately two grams of creatine each day and under normal conditions, Creatine is also found naturally occurring in animal proteins such as chicken, beef and fish. For example a pound of raw beef contains around 1.8g – 2.2g of creatine.

HOW CREATINE WORKS Approximately 95% of all the creatine stored in the human body is found in skeletal muscle. Creatine is naturally produced in the body from amino acids methionine, arginine and glycine and is available through the diet from foods like fish and beef.

However, the capsules or powdered form is not only more convenient, it’s also much more practical. For instance, you would have to ingest roughly 2.5 pounds of raw meat to equal one 5-gram serving of supplemental creatine.

Your body utilises a few different methods of producing energy, but the ultimate source of that energy is always a chemical known as adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. For you to run, walk, lift weights and even breathe your body must either derive energy from its immediate ATP stores or it must create it using stored glucose or fats.

The problem is, your body only has enough immediate ATP to last for about three to five seconds of intense activity, which is typical of a weight-training set or an all-out sprint. This is one of the reasons why you can only sprint at full speed for a short time or why you fatigue quickly during your 5-rep max on the bench press-your ATP is depleted rapidly, and it takes a few minutes to regenerate.

That leaves us with glucose and fats. Either one can be used to create ATP, but it takes time. You can’t go all-out on a lift or a sprint and expect a meaningful contribution from carbs or fats-they simply can’t produce ATP quickly enough.

These systems are very valuable, however, for providing sustained energy during longer term exercise bouts.

These just aren’t the kind of activities that are going to pack on mass. No one got big running marathons.

The key, is to enhance short-term exercise performance by increasing your immediate ATP stores. Knowing this, researchers, for years, focused on how to do just that, but it was futile since you couldn’t really increase ATP beyond existing levels. In fact, taking ATP itself made no difference.

Why? Simple. The limiting factor in this case was not ATP, but rather a chemical known as phosphocreatine (PCr).

Chemically speaking, once you utilize an ATP molecule for energy, it’s reduced to ADP, or adenosine diphosphate.

ADP, lacking one phosphate, is basically useless unless a companion chemical can donate the additional phosphate, allowing ADP to once again become an energy providing ATP molecule. That companion chemical is, of course, phosphocreatine.

Therefore, by increasing the levels of PCr within muscle, you could regenerate ATP like never before. You would be stronger. You would perform; say 8 reps with a weight that was previously a 5-rep.max. Your 3-rep max would be your 6-rep max. You could work out with greater weights for longer periods of time. Run faster, jump higher, recover quicker, and grow bigger.

This is exactly what the ingestion of a creatine supplements allows. With the absorption of creatine into muscle, you’ve provided a greater pool of phosphocreatine, allowing faster and more prolific regeneration of ATP, the ultimate source of energy. This is why creatine has attracted the attention of the weight-training community, the athletic community, the scientific community and even the medical community. The research emphatically supports its use, and its mechanisms for enhancing strength and lean body mass are practical and purposeful, as outlined by the following: • Increased ability to train at higher intensities and workloads, thus providing greater stimulus for training adaptations.

• Increased protein synthesis secondary to increased muscle cell hydrations.

• An increase in myosin heavy-chain mRNA and protein expression, which basically stimulates the building of new muscle.

• Increase in satellite cell activity. Satellite cells are cells that are attached to the muscle cell membrane.

When activated, they are involved in repairing damaged muscle and aid in increasing muscle size and/or increasing muscle fibre number.

CREATINE PLUS CARBOHYDRATES When it comes to nutrients that enhance the effect of creatine, some of the most solid research has been performed using the powerful combination of carbohydrates plus creatine.

The main benefit t of adding carbohydrates to your creatine is that it increases creatine uptake within the body.

Obviously, the more creatine you can absorb, the greater the corresponding effect. Carbohydrates, especially if they’re the ‘fast-acting’ kind – such as glucose – can indirectly aid creatine absorption by stimulating the release of insulin from the pancreas. Insulin is a powerful hormone that effectively ‘shuttles’ protein, carbohydrates and in this case, creatine, into muscle cells. Therefore, if you can enhance the release of insulin when taking creatine, you can send more of it to muscle cells, which may augment its already positive effects. Again, it’s the presence of carbohydrates in the blood stream that allow this to happen.

In order for your body to recreate ATP, it must have an abundance of phosphates readily available to reattach to the adenosine molecule. Phosphocreatine provides the required phosphates needed to rebuild ATP from ADP (or even AMP). This may allow this energy process to repeat itself more rapidly. For simplification, maybe consider creatine as supplying the fuel that powers the energy machine in the muscle.

WHY CREATINE WORKS Creatine is used for producing muscular energy. As creatine molecules are shuttled into the muscle cells, they may bind to water molecules, which may result in cell volumisation. This is one of the positive effects of creatine that contributes towards gains in lean body mass.

Once inside the muscle cell, creatine binds to a mineral called a phosphate and is then permanently stored as phosphocreatine until needed. Phosphocreatine is stored in the muscle cells until it is needed to help create a special molecule called ATP. ATP is what actually provides the muscular energy.

ATP stands for Adenosine Tri-Phosphate because it is comprised of an adenosine molecule with three phosphates attached. A phosphate is a mineral which is commonly found in many foods and multi-vitamin products. When one of these phosphates breaks loose, energy is released and the ATP molecule now becomes an ADP (adenosine di-phosphate) molecule. When this process occurs again, we now have AMP (although the prime source of energy is from ATP to ADP).

In order for your body to recreate ATP, it must have an abundance of phosphates readily available to reattach to the adenosine molecule. Phosphocreatine provides the required phosphates needed to rebuild ATP from ADP (or even AMP).

This may allow this energy process to repeat itself more rapidly. For simplification, maybe consider creatine as supplying the fuel that powers the energy machine in the muscle.

CREATINE LOADING It may take up to 30 days to fully saturate the muscle cells with supplemental creatine. To speed the process of saturating muscle cells creatine loading is a popular practice with weight trainers. Creatine loading is simply the practice of taking multiple doses of creatine each day for a period of several days. After the loading phase, it is normal to continue with a daily maintenance dose of creatine. Creatine loading is not essential; however it does help to flood the muscle cells with phosphocreatine storage in a short space of time. Using this method, muscle cells could be fully saturated with creatine in as few as five days!

Water consumption is critical, so drink plenty when using creatine. Athletes who engage in intense, regular exercise should consume at least 3 litres of water per day. Drink an additional 500ml of water for every pound lost during exercise.

CREATINE MONOHYDRATE Our bodies naturally make the compound which is used to supply energy to our muscles - creatine. It is produced in the liver, pancreas and kidneys and it transported to the muscles through the bloodstream.

Once it reaches the muscles, it is converted into phosphocreatine (creatine phosphate). This high-powered metabolite is used to regenerate the muscles’ ultimate energy source, ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

Creatine is 100% natural and occurs naturally in many foods especially herring, salmon, tuna and beef.

However, the very best source of creatine by far is creatine monohydrate because it contains more creatine per weight of material than any other source.

Around 50% to 85% of ingested L-glutamine is ‘robbed’ by the gut and never makes it to muscle tissues to aid repair and recovery. This makes supplementing with extra glutamine a necessity for those trying to gain lean body mass and maximise recovery. Therefore it is a conditionally essential amino acid. BIO-SYNERGY L-glutamine is incorporated in to Essential Sports Fuel and Creatine Boost and can also be found in Whey Better.

L-GLUTAMINE IS IDEAL FOR ANYBODY LOOKING TO MAXIMISE MUSCLE RECOVERY, IMMUNE FUNCTION AND MUSCLE GROWTH. SUMMARY OF BENEFITS: • Aids tissue repair • Helps metabolise protein • Supports tissue repair and cell volumisation • Protects muscle cells from breaking down • Supports increased production of growth hormone • May allow for maximum recovery from intense workouts

THERMOGENICS, FAT BURNERS & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

THERMOGENICS, FAT BURNERS & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT THERMOGENICS – WHAT ARE THEY & HOW DO THEY WORK? All the weight training, cardio training and endless sets of reps will not create a lean, toned physique without a well managed nutritional regime. Any fat loss programme needs to include a focus on decreasing caloric intake while increasing caloric expenditure (eating less and exercising more). To burn fat we must create what is known as an ‘energy deficit’ (the result of eating less and exercising more). When this occurs, your body is forced to break down and use its stored energy (body fat) for fuel to make up for the ‘energy deficit’.

This process of releasing and burning stored body fat is called biolysis.

Some natural ingredients work by interacting with certain receptors on fat cells which signal the release of stored fat.

This interaction may help to accelerate the process of lipolysis (or the release of fat to be burned as energy).

There is one other factor involved in the fat-loss battle, which is the tendency for your body to slow down its metabolism to compensate for the energy deficit. Simply put, your body is trying to conserve energy (its fat stores) because it thinks that it is starving. This is one reason why some dieters ‘hit the wall’ and seem to plateau once they reach a certain body fat %. To overcome this problem, we can use supplements to ‘rev’ up the metabolism to keep the fat-burning process continuing.

One way to speed the metabolism is through supplements that have thermogenic effects. This term means ‘heat producing’. Taking a thermogenic agent may speed up the metabolism (more calories burned) which results in an elevation of one’s core body temperature. Think of a thermogenic as a heating agent, one that creates similar effects as when you eat spicy foods. This type of product supports a process called thermogenesis, or the process of burning calories to be released as heat.

There are many substances that provide thermogenic and metabolic-enhancing effects. One of the most widely recognised thermogenic substances is caffeine. The caffeine used in thermogenic products is usually pure caffeine in a dried form and may be more potent than that found in coffee.

Thermogenic products, although very effective in supporting fat loss, should be used with caution. If you are sensitive to stimulants to the point that even one cup of coffee makes you nervous or jittery, a thermogenic product may not be the best choice for you.

CLA is a good alternative to thermogenic products for individuals who are sensitive to stimulants.

THERMOGENICS: PRECAUTIONS IN RECOMMENDING THERMOGENICS AND DIET PRODUCTS REQUIRE PROPER USE AND ARE SUBJECT TO THESE BASIC PRECAUTIONS: • Not for use for those under the age of 18 • If you are pregnant, lactating or if you are attempting to become pregnant • If you are using a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) or any prescription or over the counter drug • Do not use if you have or have a history of: • Heart Disease, Thyroid Disease, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Prostate Problems, • If you are sensitive to stimulants, Recurrent Headaches, Depression or other psychiatric conditions • Glaucoma, Seizure Disorder • Discontinue use if you experience: • Rapid Heartbeat, Dizziness or light headedness, Severe headache, Shortness of breath • Similar symptoms • Abusing or exceeding recommended doses can result in serious adverse health effects including: Heart attack, Stroke, Psychosis, Death

In other words, don’t use thermogenic products unless you are certain that you are in good health. Don’t recommend thermogenic products to anyone with medical conditions!

Thermogenics should always be combined with proper exercise and nutrition. If you think of a step by step process, get your training right, make sure your nutrition is right and if you are still not achieving the desired goals, then thermogenics may be recommended.

Body Perfect™ was the result of BIO-SYNERGY research into thermogenesis and substances that could safely enhance metabolism and overall body fat loss. Body Perfect™ is very effective and unlike some other thermogenic products on the market, does not cause aggressive side effects.

The blend of herbs work synergistically to help the body release stored fat to be burnt as energy. The formula also helps to increase RMR (resting metabolic rate) so that calories are burnt more efficiently before, during and after intense exercise. It is also suitable for professional sports people who are regularly drug-tested.

BODY PERFECT™ Offers a blend of ingredients to enhance the body’s fat-burning potential. These ingredients include: • Caffeine • Green Tea • Alpha Lipoic Acid • Naringin Green tea also offers a source of caffeine which is a very effective thermogenic agent. Green tea contains polyphenols which are a type of phytochemical with potent antioxidant properties. Much of the thermogenic potential of green tea comes form its content of catechins (cat-ah-kins).

Catechins are a type of chemical found in plants that yield thermogenic qualities. EGCG (epigallocatechingallate) may be the most effective of the catechins found in green tea. The green tea used in has been standardised (providing consistent levels) for caffeine and catechins Caffeine (Derived from green tea, guarana, white tea, Oolong tea and caffeine anhydrous). Caffeine is a very effective fat-burning agent that may substantially enhance thermogenesis in the body. Caffeine may also have a central nervous systemstimulating effect which may produce enhanced levels of energy

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS: • When used in conjunction with diet and exercise, accelerates calorie burning • Increases metabolic rate • Boosts energy

BIO-SYNERGY CLA™ CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) is a special type of omega-6 fatty acid that may help people who exercise and follow a healthy lifestyle lose fat and gain muscle definition faster without the stimulating effects of some thermogenic products!

CLA may work by exerting a positive effect on fat and protein metabolism at the cellular-membrane level.

In other words, CLA may help your body to utilise proteins and fats more effectively for building muscle and burning fat. In addition, CLA offers very potent anti-oxidant protection. CLA is an excellent choice for fitness enthusiasts who want to lose excess body fat but are sensitive to stimulants.

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS: • May accelerate fat loss • May increase lean mass • Exerts a positive effect on protein and fat metabolism • Offers antioxidant protection

CLA A safe but effective weight management product that functions without the risk of causing aggressive side effects and is doping-free, so can be used by professional sports people.

NUTRITION FOR ENDURANCE

NUTRITION FOR ENDURANCE ENDURANCE ATHLETES Endurance athletes such as marathon runners, triathletes and long distance cyclists train for many hours every week and in the process burn countless calories. Our bodies are like cars that cannot run on empty and which will only perform at their best when properly fuelled. Quite simply, athletes need more nutrients than less-active people. They demand more from their bodies than average fitness enthusiasts and so must compensate with the right nutrients from foods or supplements to keep performance and recovery at its peak. In addition to the training schedule, which is one of many variables that can impact on performance, nutrition must also be a major consideration. Athletes need to ask themselves ‘what, when and how much should I eat and drink, before, during and after training sessions?’ Nutrition is not just important to supply the muscles with enough energy for a daily run, but also to improve hydration, promote a fast recovery ready for the next session and ensure a strong immunity is sustained.

ENDURANCE ATHLETES SHOULD BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE SPORTS DIET WHICH RECOMMENDS A DAILY INTAKE OF: • 60% carbohydrates • 20% protein • 20% fat There are many micronutrients such as amino acids, vitamins and minerals that can have a great benefit to the endurance athlete. The following information will help you understand more about what the body requires to ensure it will be adequately and properly fuelled, hydrated, recovered and ready to perform at its best.

GLYCEMIC INDEX There are two types of carbohydrates; simple and complex. However, which type is best for the endurance athlete and when?

One way to look at the carbohydrate issue is to choose carbohydrate foods based on their Glycemic Index (GI). GI ranks carbohydrates between 1 and 100 based on their ability to elevate blood glucose. GI tends to be lower for foods that are high in fructose, high in fibre, less processed and ingested along with fat and protein.

Research studies suggest that low GI foods enhance endurance performance by providing a slow release of glucose into the blood, sustaining long term energy and maintaining stable blood sugar during exercise lasting longer than one hour.

Low GI foods seem to be a better choice if eaten 2-3 hours before a run. High GI foods are best consumed 10-15 minutes before exercise, as well as during to provide a quick energy source and just after to rapidly replenish glycogen stores.

Endurance athletes need to experiment to find out which foods will be best tolerated by their body. So, someone who is sensitive to sugar and experiences fatigue soon after consumption of high GI foods may want to select more low GI foods and/or combined protein foods with a small portion of high GI foods.

CARBOHYDRATES & ENERGY Any type of carbohydrate must be digested and absorbed by the body in the form of glucose before using it for energy.

Once absorbed, the glucose is transported, preferentially to the muscles and then to the liver for storage.

The storage form of glucose is referred to as glycogen. Muscle glycogen serves as a reservoir of energy for the working muscle. Liver glycogen is responsible for releasing glucose into the blood when needed, thus preventing hypoglycemia.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia include fatigue, irritability, nausea and headache. ‘Hitting the wall’ is the result of muscle glycogen depletion and commonly occurs around mile 20 of a marathon. ‘Crashing’ is the result of liver glycogen depletion and is associated with the inability to stay mentally focused – two situations endurance athletes want to avoid.

You can replenish muscle glycogen stores by consuming easy to digest high GI carbohydrate foods, sports drinks or juices. Research is also suggesting that combining protein with carbohydrates in the post-exercise meal may increase glycogen synthesis.

CARBOHYDRATE LOADING Carbohydrate or glycogen loading is a term for ‘charging’ your muscle with carbohydrates (glycogen).

By raising your overall carbohydrate consumption in your food over the last 2-3 days prior to a competition by 400-600g (depending on body weight), your body will maximise the storage/loading of carbs into your muscle and also liver glycogen.

To consume these amounts of carbs, you would normally have to eat approx. 4-5kg of potatoes or 1.5-2.5kg of pasta per day.

However, carbohydrate loading powdered drink mixes may be an easier way to consume such levels of carbohydrates.

Glycogen loading is vital, as during workouts or competitions you not only lose fluids, but also use your glycogen stock. A reduction of your glycogen stock can reduce your performance up to 50%. Therefore a proper‘carb preparation’ can and will prevent a negative impact on your performance.

CARBOHYDRATE CALCULATOR Whether you’re running a marathon or 100 yards, lifting weights or playing basketball, carbohydrates are the primary provider of energy to muscles when working out. Carbohydrates should supply about 40 percent of your total daily calories, although marathon runners or triathletes, who are exercising for hours most days a week, may even need up to 70 percent of their calories as carbohydrates. The most accurate way to determine your carbohydrate needs is based on your body weight.

SUGGESTIONS OF HOW MUCH CARBOHYDRATE TO CONSUME AND WHEN: Before training/event to increase carbohydrate availability, prior to a prolonged exercise session 1-4g per kg body mass 1-4 hours before training/event Intake during moderate intensity or intermittent training lasting 1 hour or more 0.5-1.0g per kg body mass Recovery after training 1g per kg body mass immediately following training

DAILY TRAINING DIET • Endurance athlete participating in 90 minutes training per day 5-7g per kg body mass per day • Endurance athlete participating in 90-180 minutes training per day 7-10g per kg body mass per day • Endurance athlete participating in 180 + minutes of training per day 10-12g per kg body mass per day

CARBOHYDRATES & HYDRATION We can train to cope with many situations; adjust to crossing time zones, adapt to climate changes and acclimatise to altitude; learn to use carbohydrates more efficiently and make fats go further. But there’s one thing we can’t learn to do without – and that’s water!

The human body has a core temperature of 37C. Fluctuations can only be tolerated within a narrow range and an increase of only 5C or a loss of just 10C can be fatal. During exercise, muscular activity adds a considerable amount to heat production; metabolic rate can be increased, leading to rapid increases in core temperature.

Sweat rates can reach 2-3 litres per hour in extreme circumstances and water loss will rapidly reach a significant level. If fluid losses are not matched by increased fluid intake, exercise performance will deteriorate as body temperature rises unchecked. In other words, this very useful mechanism of controlling core temperature through evaporation of sweat is lost if fluids are not replaced.

When exercise duration exceeds an hour, athletes must also bear in mind the need for carbohydrate replacement. Carbohydrate is the main source of fuel for muscles during endurance exercise but if stores are not frequently topped up, fatigue due to glycogen depletion occurs. By regularly ingesting small amounts of carbohydrate it is possible to delay fatigue by up to an hour.

Unfortunately this is not simply a matter of adjusting the carbohydrate content of a drink. An ingested drink only becomes useful to an athlete after it has left the stomach, passed through the intestine and been absorbed into the blood stream, where it maintains blood glucose concentration. Typically, stomach emptying occurs at a rate of around 600ml per hour and increasing the carbohydrate concentration of a drink actually reduces the rate of emptying. Therefore a high-carb drink will deliver less fluid than either plain water or a low-carb drink.

A drink with a 2-3% carbohydrate content will deliver fluid at almost the same rate as water; a 4-8% carbohydrate drink will reduce the rate of emptying slightly but insignificantly. Optimal for prolonged moderate intensity exercise is a 6-8% carbohydrate content, which helps to replace carbohydrate losses without greatly hindering the emptying of fluid from the stomach.

PROTEIN’S ROLE IN ENDURANCE SPORTS As we know from module 1, protein is needed for muscle growth and repair. Regular physical training tends to increase muscle protein breakdown and protein loss from the body. When muscle glycogen stores are high, protein contributes no more than 5% of the energy needed. However, when muscle glycogen stores are low, due to inadequate calorie and carbohydrate intake, protein is used for energy rather than for muscle growth and repair and may contribute as much as 10% of the energy needed for exercise.

Such use of protein for fuel is expensive and inefficient. Endurance athletes therefore need more protein for different reasons than strength athletes do. Endurance athletes primarily use protein for maintaining aerobic metabolism, compared with the increased tissue repair needs of strength athletes.

When intake is inadequate, the body sequesters the needed proteins from lean tissue, which gives over trained endurance athlet4es a gaunt appearance. A protein deficit also impairs an athlete’s recovery and wound healing ability.

Researchers recommend endurance athletes eat 1.2 to 1.4 g/kg of body weight/day of protein. For a 155lb athlete, this means a total of 85 to 100g protein per day. Only a few studies recommend protein intake levels as high as 2g/kg of body weight/day.

BRANCHED CHAIN AMINO ACIDS Muscle tissue is particularly high in branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). BCAAs, including leucine, isoleucine and valine, are essential to aerobic metabolism. During aerobic activity, BCAA levels decrease they are taken up by skeletal muscle, causing the ratio of blood serum BCAAs to tryptophan to fall in flavour of tryptophan, an amino acid that contributes to serotonin formation.

Increased serotonin production during exercise enhances the perception of fatigue, but maintaining adequate BCAA levels in the bloodstream keeps serotonin production in check. Therefore BCAA decline may run parallel to the onset of fatigue and may decrease efficiency of glycogen metabolism (the breakdown of stored energy).

Simply put lower levels of BCAAs mean less available fuel; more tryptophan means more perceived fatigue.

ANTIOXIDANTS The vital role of antioxidants in preventing cellular damage in your body has been expressed in module 1.

In addition, the role of endurance exercise in protecting men and women against a variety of diseased states is well understood. However, there is now a growing body of evidence suggesting that endurance exercise can itself cause damage by means of increased ‘oxidative stress’ – the consequences of hugely increased oxygen consumption by working muscles and the body as a whole.

All endurance activity is associated with oxidative stress and the higher the intensity of the exercise, the greater the stress. The increased oxidative stress observed during exercise is associated with an increase in production of the chemicals known as free radicals.

These are highly active chemicals which can work on DNA, proteins and lipids in such a way as to cause molecular cell damage and cell injury.

A number of recent studies have reported a reduced oxidative stress during acute exercise following antioxidant supplementation. Such supplementation plays a direct role in enhancing performance; the consequent reduction in oxidative stress may result in a greater long-term training effect.

SOME OF THE BEST ANTIOXIDANTS ARE: • Beta-carotene • Vitamin C • Vitamin E • Selenium • N-Acetylcysteine • Green Tea

GLUTAMINE Several studies have demonstrated a fall in blood plasma glutamine levels following vigorous exercise and doctors had long been aware that this also occurs as a consequence of other stressful events, such as trauma and burns, which lead to immuno suppression. When it was subsequently shown that many immune cells have an unusually high capacity to utilise glutamine and that (unlike most cells in the body) these immune cells were unable to synthesise glutamine and therefore required a constant supply from blood plasma.

Studies show that glutamine stimulates the activity of certain immune cells, such as lymphokine activated killer cells. Therefore glutamine supplementation may help to reduce vulnerability to infections after prolonged endurance exercise.

GLOSSARY

GLOSSARY

ACTIN CONTRACTILE UNITS OF MUSCLE, ALSO CALLED THE ‘THIN’ FILAMENTS ADP (Adenosine Dephosphate) This is an important chemical involved in the energy production of a cell.

ADP is formed when ATP is broken down within the mitochondria (the cells’ ‘furnaces’) to provide energy for muscular contraction In order to recreate ATP and replenish cellular energy stores, ADP must combine with creatine phosphate.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) This is the high-energy molecule stored in muscle and other cells in the body. When a muscle cell needs energy to contract, ATP is broken down to provide this energy. ATP can be thought of as the actual fuel that makes muscles move. Oxygen and glucose contribute to the formation of ATP. Aerobic This means ‘requiring oxygen’. Aerobic metabolism occurs during low-intensity, long duration exercises, like jogging.

Amino Acids These are a group of nitrogen-containing, carbon-based organic compounds that serve as the building blocks from which protein (and muscle) is made.

Anabolic This term refers to promoting anabolism, which is the actual building process of tissues, mainly muscle, in the body. This might occur through the body’s own natural reactions to muscular work and proper nutrition. Anabolism occurs by taking substances from the blood that are essential for growth and repair and using them to stimulate reactions which produce tissue synthesis.

BCAAs Branched Chain Amino Acids, so called because of their molecular structure. These are leucine, isoleucine and valine. Concentric Muscle is contracting and shortening, where an exercise is pulling the muscle closer to the origin. Conditional Amino Acid A non essential amino acid that is required in greater abundance when the body is placed underincreased physical stress, Glycemic Index (GI) This is a measure of the extent to which a food raises the blood sugar (glucose) level as compared with white bread, which has a GI of 100. Glucose (dextrose) scores as 138, brown rice as 81 and fructose (fruit sugar) is all the way down at 31.

Glycemic Load (GL) This is based on the total carbohydrate of a typical serving of the food. The glycemic load equals the glycemic index of a food multiplied by the carbohydrate content. Glycogen This is the principal storage form of carbohydrate energy (glucose) which is reserved in muscles and in the liver. When muscles are full of glycogen, they look and feel full/pumped.

Glucose This is the simplest sugar molecule. It is also the main sugar found in blood and is used as a basic fuel for the body. When you eat complex carbohydrates, they are broken down by the body into glucose.

Glucose is also found in various fruits, but not in as high concentrations as sucrose and fructose. However, when you eat too much glucose, it is converted to fatty acids and triglycerides by the liver and adipose (fatty) tissue. Due to its quick absorption by the body, it will cause your body to release a rapid and large amount of insulin to counteract the large influx of sugar.

Hormones These are substances in the body which are very important to bodybuilders. Hormones regulate various biological processes through their ability to activate or deactivate enzymes. Examples of this regulation are the effect of the testosterone hormone on the enzymatic activity relating to protein production of muscle cells. Other hormones, such as insulin and glucagons control blood sugar levels and energy storage in the body. Hormones can be made of proteins (like insulin and growth hormone) or cholesterol (like testosterone and oestrogen). Insertion Point furthest away from the centre of the body at which muscle is attached e.g. quadriceps insertion is the kneecap (also see origin).

Isometric A static contraction, where the position of and length between the origin and insertion points of the muscle remain the same. Insulin This is an anabaolic hormone secreted by the pancrBio-Synergy that aids the body in maintaining proper blood sugar levels and promoting glycogen storage. Insulin secretion speeds the movement of nutrients through the bloodstream and into muscle for growth. When chronically elevated, as with a high-carbohydrate diet, insulin can cause you to gain fat. However, short bursts of insulin, casued by consuming high-glycemic carbohydrates, may help enhance uptake of nutrients like creatine and glutamine by muscle cells. Myosin Contractile units of muscle, often referred to as ‘thick’ filament.

Optimal Nutrition This is the best possible nutrition; distinct form merely adequate nutrition which is characterised by no overt deficiency. This term describes people free from marginal deficiencies, imbalances and toxicities and who are not at risk for such.

All athletes making an effort to increase muscle growth naturally must try to achieve optimal nutrition. In many cases, this requires supplementation of protein, vitamins and minerals and possibly other conditionally essential nutrients such as glutamine and creatine. Origin Point at which a muscle is attached nearest to the centre of the body e.g. quadriceps originates on the hip bone.

Protein Isolate Where the protein extraction process provides a protein with minimal by-product - a purer protein source. Somatotypes Classification of an individuals physical make up. Sucrose this is most commonly known as table sugar. Industrially, sucrose is derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. When you eat it, the body breaks sucrose into fructose and glucose. Consequently, it has some of the properties of fructose and some of the properties of glucose. Eating it will elicit a rapid insulin response but not as high as that caused by glucose.

Taurine this is an amino acid as well as a component of bile acids which are used to absorb fats and fatsoluble vitamins. Tauriine also regulates the heart beat, maintains cell membrane stability and helps prevent brain cell over activity.