IR/NR 01/2014
THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT PALEO DIET GUYS AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL
YOUNG BLOOD BLESSING AWODIBU
NEWS
S.A.W. NEW FORM, NEW PACKAGING
S
.A.W. is a product everybody knows well. It is strong, concentrated, safe and efficient, that is why it is so popular among consumers. TREC NUTRITION is the first company in the world to introduce a pre-workout stack in the form of gel – S.A.W. GEL – based on the innovative HYDRO GEL technology. Other new products are the very economical S.A.W. SHOT bottles of 500 ml and 1000 ml. S.A.W. is now one of only few pre-workout stacks available on the market in so many forms and packaging volumes. Whether you choose liquid, gel, powder or capsules you can be sure that the formula contains the same quantities of the ingredients. It means 1 portion i.e. 5 g of powder contains the same doses as 4 capsules, 45 ml of shot or 45 g of gel.
S.A.W. SHOT now available in larger bottles and an innovative gel formula.
CLENBUREXIN SHOT
AAKG MEGA HARDCORE SHOT
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LIQUID THERMOGENIC t is hard to stun consumers with something really new when it comes to reduction of fat. CLENBUREXIN SHOT is such a product by all means, however. It is the first liquid thermogenic with such a complex formula. It is a combination of the most efficient natural active ingredients, effectively supporting the metabolism of fat and adding energy. Thanks to NANO COLLOID technology, the product is strongly concentrated and quickly released. More importantly, it does not irritate the digestive tract and its ingredients are additionally protected at a variable pH. Bottles: 500 ml and 1000 ml.
CLENBUREXIN SHOT is a unique liquid formula assisting in the reduction of fat.
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SMASHING PUMP
re you looking for a product that will help you instantly pump your muscles during training? We have something for you. TREC NUTRITION presents another new product developed with the use of the liquid NANO COLLOID technology. The perfect blend of striking doses of AAKG and citruline malate in a form of a pre-workout shot will turn your ordinary workout into a „mega hardcore“ one. The product is available in 3 bittle sizes: 25 ml, 500 ml and 1000 ml. It means 7,5 g of strong pumping agents in 25 ml of the liquid.
AAKG MEGA HARDCORE SHOT contains an amazing dose of AAKG and citruline malate.
NEWS
ISO FULL FAST HYDRATION
L
et us present another exciting new product from the ACTION LINE – ISO FULL. It is a liquid concentrate of a hypo- and isotonic drink in 4 refreshing flavours. A special combination of carbohydrates and electrolytes not only makes the prepared drink quickly quench thirst and hydrate the body, but it also replenishes the valuable minerals we lose when sweating. ISO FULL is recommended for sportspeople doing endurance and endurance-strength disciplines, where large amounts of liquids are lost. Available containers: 90 ml, 500 ml and 1000 ml.
L-CARNITINE 3000 GEL HIGH DOSE, QUICK ABSORPTION
L
-carnitine is considered one of the most popular supplements assisting in losing weight. Many clients take it regularly during their weight reducing diet. Let us present L-CARNITINE 3000 GEL, containing super stable L-carnitine in a HYDRO GEL formula. It is not only a unique taste but also a very high concentration – 25 ml of the gel contains as much as 3000 mg of the active ingredients. Available in 500 ml bottles in 2 unique flavours.
ISO FULL is a liquid concentrate of a hypoand isotonic drink.
L-CARNITINE 3000 GEL is easily absorbed L-carnitine in a form of delicious gel.
GUARANA 2000
HERBAL ENERGY SHOT
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BRAZILIAN FORCE he range of ACTION LINE products could not go without the popular guarana. Sportspeople appreciate the plant due to the high content of caffeine. Despite the fact that it contains more of the alkaloid than the popular coffee, it energises in a more moderate way but lasts longer. GUARANA 2000 contains as much as 2 g of the best guarana in the world, originating from Brazil. It increases the level of vital energy up to 6 hours long.
GUARANA 2000 plant energiser with a long-lasting action for active persons.
PLANT ENERGISER
o you feel sleepy, dull and always lack energy? Coffee does not help you at all and you feel nervous after energy drinks? Try HERBAL ENERGY SHOT – a liquid formula of the popular and appreciated energiser. The combination of the power of natural stimulants will make you feel better in no time. The product contains concentrated herbal extracts, supporting the body’s functioning under stress and physical and mental overload.
HERBAL ENERGY SHOT is an energising combination of the force of guarana and ginseng extracts. www.vitaminshop.ie
01/2014
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Buy CREATINE MICRONIZED 200 MESH + TAURINE 900 g and get FOR FREE AAKG MEGA HARDCORE 120 cap
Buy S.A.W. 400 g and get FOR FREE CM3 90 cap
Buy CLENBUREXIN 180 cap and get FOR FREE CLA SOFTGEL 100 cap
Buy MAGNUM 8000 5450 g SPECIAL PRICE only IN VITAMIN-SHOP’S!
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01/2014
ay 31 M valid until
2014
Buy COLLAREGEN 400 g and get FOR FREE ENDUGEN 60 cap
Buy CARBO-NOX 4000 g and get FOR FREE CREATINE MONOHYDRATE 550 g
Buy PROFI MASS 2800 g and BCAA XPLODE 500 g and SAVE 15%
Buy MASSACRA EPISODE III 180 g and get FOR ONLY 3€ VITA-MIN MULTIPLE SPORT 60 cap www.vitaminshop.ie
01/2014
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T
WE LIKE TO SAY THAT AGE IS ONLY A NUMBER, HOWEVER, WHEN WE SEE SENIOR CITIZENS IN OUR COUNTRY, WHO STRUGGLE TO GET ON A BUS BY THEMSELVES, WE BEGIN TO DOUBT THESE WORDS. THIS IS THE QUESTION, IN FACT: ARE WE DOOMED TO GRADUALLY LOSE SKELETAL MUSCLE MASS? ANYBODY WHO WORKS OUT AT A GYM KNOWS THAT REGULAR WORK-OUTS KEEP OUR BODIES IN GOOD HEALTH. THE ADDED BENEFIT IS IMPROVED APPEARANCE – THE MUSCLES BECAME TIGHT, THE COMPLEXION SEEMS YOUNGER, WE BECOME MORE FLEXIBLE AND DON’T STRUGGLE WITH EVERYDAY MOBILITY ISSUES, TYPICALLY AFFECTING PEOPLE OF MATURE AGE. HOWEVER THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL: EACH AGE GROUP IS DISTINGUISHED BY A SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT METABOLISM – LEARN ABOUT THESE MECHANISMS AND SLOW DOWN THE AGEING PROCESS!
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G
AN
he process of ontogenetic human development can be divided into three distinct stages: the growth of the organism, a period of stabilisation and the ageing stage. The divisions between them are very blurred, often not noticeable, and the age at which they occur can differ depending on individual genetic predispositions and life style, which includes physical activity and nutrition. During the successive life stages there occur not only changes of the make-up of the body, manifesting in increasing accumulation of fatty tissue and a gradual decrease in muscle mass. With age, the functioning of various organs and of whole systems also changes. One of the basic characteristics describing the human organism is the capacity for physical effort of diverse intensity and duration. This in particular relies on the efficient functioning of the muscular, cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. The progressive decrease in physical strength and healthy functioning is one of the signs of the biological process of ageing in the human organism. Keeping up physical activity will ensure a smaller decrease in muscular mass into late old age. But can physical activity itself, along with nutrition and a training plan remain the same for the duration of one’s lifetime? The message is clear, and it also applies to body builders – training helps to preserve a youthful appearance and good health, but its intensity should be adapted to age.
NUTRITION DURING A PERIOD OF SECOND YOUTH Estimated BMR for a 78 kg man in the age bracket 19–30 is 1872 kcal. For the same individual in the age bracket 31– 60 the calorie requirement is already equal to 1783 kcal, which is around 90 kcal lower, and for a man over 60 it is only 1540 kcal, which is a deficit of more than 330 kcal in comparison to a young person. As it is these figures give a distorted picture, since we have assumed for the needs of this calculation that men across all the age brackets have an identical body composition, namely that their mass is an ideal body weight (IBW) with a body fat percentage
GUYS INSTRUCTION MANUAL
how to stay young and fit of 10%. In the case of ageing individuals it is rather unlikely to maintain the fatty tissue at such low levels and at the same time have such a high percentage of muscular mass. Increased expression of myostatin which occurs during sarcopenia quite cruelly deprives the senior persons of their muscular mass – and in this way limits the level of consumed calories. The muscle cells are up to eight times more anabolically active than the fat cells, so the greater the muscular mass, the more calories the organism will burn during daily activity. Each kilogram of muscular mass allows us to get rid of approximately 50 kcal more per 24 hrs. It will be safe to assume that the Ideal body weight (IBW) of the senior person under consideration here is around 60 kg, since the body fat percentage is higher, and the muscular mass on the other hand is smaller than of a man in the 19–30 age bracket. Because of that the actual caloric burn per 24 hrs will be 1575 for the 31–60 age bracket and 1297 kcal for someone over 60. So it’s not surprising that calorie-reduced diets followed in our youth become the daily menu when we get older, keeping us at a zero or a positive caloric balance. One just needs to add here the earlier mentioned weakening action of insulin, malabsorption, food sensitivities, an inadequate enzymatic response – and we get a complete picture of how difficult it becomes to fulfil the nutritional needs of a senior who gets involved in strenuous physical effort. It is not only an issue of the caloric content of the diet. It has been proved, for example, that reducing the number of calories derived from fat (from more than 30% to below 15%) and increasing the amount of fibre (from below 20 g up to 25–30 g and more daily) significantly lowers the levels of total and free
testosterone as well as the androgens secreted by the adrenal glands (androsterone and dehydroepiandrosterone).
ANDROPAUSE AND SARCOPENIA – A BODYBUILDER’S NIGHTMARE In the context of the biopsychosocial approach, andropause is a stage in a man’s life (usually a man over 50) which heralds the onset of old age. This stage is marked by an onset of a number of complaints in various areas of an individual’s functioning, rooted in multiple organ changes taking place in the organism, including hormonal changes due to ageing. Among the typical symptoms of physical changes we can mention the following: a drop in muscle mass by 25%, an increase in the amount of visceral fat by 10–15 kg, a decrease in the bone mass (osteopenia), an increase in insulin resistance (which characterises pre-diabetic changes leading to a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes), arterial hypertension and scalp hair thinning. Another result of ageing in men is a gradual drop in concentration of some hormones, mainly androgens, and also of the growth hormone and melatonin, which causes sleeplessness in older people. Researchers generally agree that the main culprit of this cascade of negative biological effects are the dropping testosterone levels. The phenomenon of the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass by around 23%, observed in men in the age bracket 30–70, is referred to as sarcopenia. It is also linked with a drop in the rate of strength development. The crucial factor contributing to this condition is the decline in hormonal function – a dropping level of biologically active testosterone (between the ages of 40–70 by around 30%) and of the growth hormone. Men aged
40–74, despite maintaining a relatively constant level of lean body mass (LBM) (accompanied by an increase in total body weight), suffer from a systematic drop in muscle function of the upper limbs. The magical age of 30 is a milestone above which a drop can be observed in endogenous testosterone levels, with a systematic annual decrease by 1%. From that life stage onwards, a percentage increase of fatty tissue can be observed with a simultaneous percentage drop in muscle tissue. Testosterone controls the anabolic processes involved in the maintenance of muscle mass, so it is not surprising that sarcopenia involves a reduction of muscle protein – the cross-section of the muscles decreases, while the content of the connective tissue and visceral fat increases. In men over 40 there is also a change in fat distribution – the fat content in the trunk grows, while the fat content of the limbs decreases. The more significant changes in the total body weight become noticeable only around the age of 50, whereas a marked drop in lean muscle mass happens around 20 years later. The reduction in testosterone and GH levels related to a diminishing intensity of the basal metabolic rate, which in turn is associated with the loss of biologically active tissue, namely the muscles. The caloric requirement remains at a relatively constant level until approximately age 40, thereafter it begins to drop gradually (within a period of 50 years by around 30%). Factors which may help to reduce the destructive influence of a drop in the muscle mass and also help to combat the changes in body composition are the following: regular physical activity, unprocessed foods rich in the essential unsaturated fatty acids (EUFA), antioxidants, nutraceuticals, vitamins and minerals. www.vitaminshop.ie
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Muscle strength is a characteristic which is strongly related to changes in the cross-sectional area of the muscle fibres, participation of the individual fibre types and also to the activation efficiency of motor units. A relatively constant level of strength is maintained until the age of 50, although many research studies indicate that the drop seems to begin as early as age 30. A distinct reduction in muscle strength takes place at the age between 50 and 70. During the sixth and seventh decade of life its maximum value decreases by around 15%, and later, in the subsequent decades, drops even by 30%. It’s explain why endurance training gets “easier“ with age and why men over 40 achieve good results in sports which focus on endurance such as instance triathlon. The increased percentage share of the ST muscle fibres along with atrophy and an impaired function of muscle power creation, explains why when we get older we should swop typically anaerobic activities (sprints, MMA, bodybuilding) for mixed exercise (strength-and-endurance training, such as e.g. functional training) as well as aerobic exercise (swimming, running and endurance walking, cycling).
CONCLUSIONS The fundamental prerequisite for maintaining the musculoskeletal system at a high level of fitness is appropriate physical activity, which helps to preserve muscle mass and muscle strength right into late old age, and also slows down its decline with age. The main reason for a progressing muscular atrophy is underuse of muscles in the absence of physical activity. With an appropriate selection of physical activity, nutritional methods and supplementation it is possible to enjoy the fitness of a young man right into ripe old age. Research shows that 50-year old men involved in resistance training had the muscular strength and diameter comparable to 28year olds with low physical activity levels. At the same time it has been proved, that the correctly designed strength training programme results in a significant hypertrophy of muscle fibres and improves the degree of stimulation of motor units not only in middle-aged individuals, but also in ageing persons. The key is appropriate progressive loading of muscles and its timing and specific methods of biological renewal, including massages and sauna sessions, accompanied by correct nutrition and supplementation – aspects which should never be neglected.
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GIS
Z MAN G
EL
An excellent period of motor fitness, time for achieving best results in many sport disciplines. A period of relative maintenance of constant level of motor skills. For those involved in sport, the early period of adult life is a time of achieving top results.
ER
YOUTH (19-30)
W
ID
It is not thoroughly understood what kind of changes take place in the muscle fibres during the ageing process of an organism. Many research studies indicate that the numerical ratio of fast twitch muscle fibres (FT) to slow twitch muscle fibres (ST) changes with age. Researchers have shown that in men between the age of 20 and 30, ST fibres constitute 36% of the total muscle fibres, whereas in the age group 30–50 this figure was already 44%. What is indisputable is the fact of a more distinct diminishing of the cross-sectional area of FT fibres in contrast with ST fibres. In 80-year old persons it is, in contrast to the young, around 26% smaller. Especially prone to changes are B-type FT fibres, namely the ones with the maximum power and potential for lateral growth. This process can significantly limit the muscle strength of elderly persons, and the drop in the rate of muscle contractions is related primarily to a diminishing firing frequency of motor neurons.
THREE AGE GROUPS,
DA
WORKOUT CAPACITY CHANGES WITH AGE
The advice for those not involved in competitive sports is to take up a relatively intense and systematic physical activity of a recreational nature. Most importantly it will prevent a drop in physical fitness, while also serving to maintain the fitness gained in the previous years of life. It is also a stage of developing muscular maturity, assuming that coordination had been achieved in childhood – what is left to do now is its consolidation.
POTENTIAL Unlimited in the absence of injury and postural defects any sports discipline can be practised; best time for development of muscle mass.
DIET Avoid products which can predispose one towards the andropause metabolic syndrome in the future – sugars, trans fats. Diet can be rich in energy ingredients, since a young organism has an excellent capacity for absorption and utilization of carbohydrates and fats. Due to the fact that a large muscle mass can be developed through training at this time, which involves an increased metabolic rate, supplementation relies mainly on carbohydrate-protein gainers, used both after a workout in order to recover the calorie expenditure in the context of the post-exercise “anabolic window“, and also in-between meals, so as to increase caloric density. Creatine supplementation, in contrast to later years, will be more advisable in view of the rate of its resynthesis and IGF-1 stimulation for muscle mass gain, and not for its maintenance and breakdown prevention.
TRAINING
Speed- and strength: bodybuilding, martial arts, crossfit, interval training instead of aerobic training in order to raise energy expenditure and development of capacity.
SUPPLEMENTATION
SOLID MASS, MASS XXL, ISOLATE 100, CREATRIX, CREA9 XTREME
THREE RULES FOR STAYING IN SHAPE
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Z AS
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POTENTIAL Focused on sport with small movement coordination – the last chance for strength training. Injury and mobility loss caused by prior sedentary life style could result in limited function and be a hindrance to developing physical fitness. DIET It is a time when caloric supply in persons involved in regular training should not become too restricted, although those who are physically inactive may notice first symptoms of insulin resistance. Low-processed products are recommended as well as supplements which promote stability of blood sugar levels. In view of slowly declining testosterone levels, supplementation with testosterone boosters plays an incredibly essential role. As a preventive measure, creatine supplements can also be used in the heavier training microcycles in order to reduce oxidative stress and to improve recovery. These products will also assist in inhibiting the negative influence of myostatin, whose expression limits training progress in this age group. Lipolytic agent supplementation is recommended in order to assist with the metabolism of fatty tissue and combating cortisol. In this age group, hard-gainers (supplements with a 80:20 ratio of carbohydrate to protein) should be substituted by bulk supplements, which have a higher protein content, resulting in a higher thermogenesis and a reduction in insulin fluctuation. In view of the slow mitochondrial degeneration, supplements containing L-carnitine are recommended.
TRAINING
The progressively slowing down metabolism requires stimulation – at this stage the rapid development of ST fibres at the expense of FT fibres hasn’t commenced yet, thus we can get involved in strength and interval training. However. one has to pay special attention to proper recovery, since the organism doesn’t regain its homeostasis as quickly as at a younger age. Eight hours of sleep, massage, proper nutrition and supplementation become very important at this stage, with view to preventive care.
SUPPLEMENTATION
TESTO(X)PACK, LIPO(X)PACK, FAT TRANSPORTER, L-CARNITINE + GREEN TEA, HARD MASS, BCAA TURBO JET
TA LE SA
Decline in physical activity levels. In people involved in regular training, physical and locomotor fitness can be maintained. It is a time of a gradual decrease in motor skills in human life. This concerns predominantly learning new sport activities. It is true that the decline in fitness level takes place slowly and gradually, yet towards the end of that phase it is quite pronounced. At this time there are huge differences visible between those who are involved in fitness training and those who are not – in the latter physical fitness and locomotor skills are low, due to neglect.
People with low physical activity levels already manifest signs of involution processes; active people on the other hand, can be involved in many sports on a non-competitive level, achieving good results, provided physical fitness had been maintained since puberty. For the majority of people this is a time of a rapid decline of physical and locomotor fitness. Regression can be observed in daily motor activities and those linked to professional life. Physical exercises and sport activities should serve primarily to maintain cardio-pulmonary fitness. Attention should also be paid to flexibility and relaxation exercises. Their lack at an older age quickly leads to mobility reduction in the joints – this condition which started developing in middle age, now becomes consolidated in physically inactive persons.Exercises whose aim is to maintain a correct body posture are also important, making it possible to prevent senile kyphosis, among other things. EMYSŁAW
„ PAPAJ” L EC H
MATURE AGE (40+) Z PR
MIDDLE AGE (30-40)
POTENTIAL Unlimited, provided that throughout all of the previous stages we used preventive measures and led an active life style. In inactive persons only recreational exercise is possible with a focus on developing muscle endurance and preserving the correct body posture. It is the time when instead of going to the gym, we should concentrate on activities which aim to develop our general fitness.
DIET Sarcopenia, which gets more pronounced in physically inactive individuals, creates a necessity to lower the caloric supply and to pay closer attention to what we consume – total ban on consuming excessive amounts of sugar and a need to avoid trans fats. Numerous metabolic impairments which occur in this age group create a situation when every time we overindulge, we expose ourselves to health complications. In the context of supply of basic nutritional products, it is advisable that diet be supplemented with high quality proteins, e.g. whey and also complex carbohydrates which elicit a gentle and gradual insulin response (VITARGO ELECTRO–ENERGY). A compulsory and continuous supplementation with testosterone boosters is recommended, in order to minimize complications of andropause. Because of the degeneration of motor neurons, a neurotransmitter – Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid has to be used (GABA 750). Creatine is used in preventing sarcopenia. For a better libido and a lower blood pressure, supplementation with NO (nitric oxide) boosters is recommended. In order to prevent senile dementia supplementation with additional neurotransmitters and supporting substances is imperative. In view of mitochondrial degeneration in the ageing muscles, supplementation with L-carnitine is also useful.
TRAINING Predominantly aerobic sessions, developing of endurance (long distance running, triathlon), recreational strength exercises (split routines) should be replacedby full-body-workout sessions. If possible, use the HST method. There is an ever greater demand for appropriate biological renewal treatments – sauna, massage, visits to the osteopath every few months due to overuse injuries.
SUPPLEMENTATION
WHEY 100, VITARGO ELECTRO–ENERGY, ISOLATE 100, TESTO(X)PACK DAA ULTRA, GABA 750, CREA9 XTREME, NITRO(X)PACK, NITROBOLON, TYROSINE 600, L–CARNITINE 3000. www.vitaminshop.ie
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BLESSING AWODIBU
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YOUNG
BLOOD VSM. Lets take a few steps back to what age you started bodybuilding and how got into the sport? Well I started bodybuilding at the age of 19 in 2011 but I always loved weight training back when I was younger, so I was always in my shed training after my homework. Ha. When I finished my secondary school the plan was to go to college and study sport science and I got accepted in University of Limerick to study but I couldn’t go because I had no money to put myself through college. I was sad for a while but as they say it’s a ‘blessing in disguise’. so I turned to bodybuilding. VSM: What was your first show and how did it go? My first show was nationals in October 2011 in Dublin, in the first-timers category. I came fourth. Lots of positive feedback after the show, so I said to myself I will do it again. VSM: What gym are you training in now? I am training now in a place in Ballina, Co. Mayo called ‘the gym’ VSM: Can you give us a quick overview of your contest history? Of course 2011 first show nationals first-timers 4th 2012 Spring Classic Junior Championship 2012 bodybuilding.com teen bodybuilder of the week 2013 National Junior Championship; Spring Classic over 90 kg 2nd place; Europeans Junior 7th; Arnold Classic Junior 7th VSM: How did it feel to win your first trophy? Winning my first trophy, wow such a feeling like, must have been similar to what kai felt when he won his first Arnold. VSM: The Arnold classic must have been just an amazing experience and what did you learn from it? 2013 Arnold Classic, wow most amazing experience ever, after the show its was crazy how everywhere I went people wanted pictures with me, It was amazing that people thought I should be in the top 3, great experience and I cant wait to do it again.
VSM: What’s your plans for 2014 and beyond? 2014 – There is only one goal and that is go to the Arnold Classic Europe and bring home a gold medal.
VSM: Your widely known as the best up and coming bodybuilder in the Country, your still so young too so are we looking at the next Irish pro? Well right now I have only one dream and that is becoming a pro bodybuilder and I believe that with good hardworking skills you can make your dream a reality. VSM: You obviously know what your doing but we all need another eye to look over us to make sure we are on the right track, so do you currently have a coach/trainer and is it a help? Yes I do believe we all need someone like that at our Corner. Yes I do have a coach Ramon Puig, a spanish guy. Ramon prepared for the arnold 2013 and that was the best I ever looked on stage, he is a great coach. VSM: Would you like to thank anybody for helping you along the way? First just want to say big thanks to my friends and family for their support over the years, special thanks to friends like brother John Carney for pushing to do my first competition, big thanks to my old gym Lough Lannagh fitness club where it all began, big thanks to IRISHMUSCLE for promoting bodybuilding, thanks to the fans on facebook for all the likes and nice comments and big thanks to my new sponsor VITAMIN-SHOP® for the new contract I just signed . VSM: I hear the VITAMIN-SHOP® tour was a great fun, do you enjoy getting out meeting the fans? Yes vitamin shop tour was a great fun, my favourite part of sponsorship is going out meeting fans and traveling, I love it. VSM: Before we sign off is there anything you would like to add or give advice to new guys and girls starting their journey in bodybuilding? What I would like to leave you guys with especially guys and girls who had just started their journey in bodybuilding, is that: ‘It is possible’ you have got to dream big ‘if you can see it then you can do it’ and some how hard work always pays off. VSM: Thank you for interview. Thanks, greetings to readers.
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GLYCEMIA, OR GLUCOSE CONCENTRATION IN THE BLOOD, IS A COMPLEX TOPIC WITH A NUMBER OF AMBIGUITIES. SHARING INCOMPLETE INFORMATION OFTEN MAKES SPORTSPEOPLE MISINTERPRET THE PARAMETER. FURTHERMORE, ABBREVIATIONS SUCH AS GI, GL OR THE TERM INSULIN POPPING UP ON THE INTERNET, TOGETHER WITH THE RELATED PIECES OF THE PUZZLE, DO NOT MAKE THE TOPIC EASIER TO UNDERSTAND. “GLYCEMIC DIETS” OR “MONTIGNAC DIET” ARE NAMES OF NEW DIET SYSTEMS INVOLVING MAINTAINING CONSTANT GLYCEMIA, WHICH MAKES GAINING MASS AND LOOSING FAT MUCH EASIER. IN THIS PAPER YOU WILL FIND ESSENTIAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ABOVEMENTIONED ISSUES, WHICH WILL HELP YOU BALANCE THE DIET PROPERLY.
Glycemi
P
eople tend to attach labels. If they once stick to the term “low glycemic level” they assume all meals should have this parameter. But they can’t be more wrong. What is glycemic index (GI), actually? Have you ever heard of glycemic load (GL)? In order to consider the issues, one should start deliberating on them, and on carbohydrates, from the very beginning. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy. The brain and the heart need their constant supplies (in the form of glucose circulating in the blood) to function properly. They also feed working muscles and assist in muscle regeneration after a physical effort. Carbohydrates from food are transformed into glycogen, which is deposited in the muscles. It is a process similar to filling your car with petrol before a journey - your muscles have to be filled before training. Normally, carbohydrates are classified as simple (mono- or disaccharides) or complex (polysaccharides), depending on the number
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of components – simple sugars – in a carbohydrate molecule. Their structure, however, tells very little about the impact they have on our body and the level of sugar in the blood. They are more often categorised with GI and GL parameters. The glycemic index is the measure of how the body reacts to food containing carbohydrates. Food with a high GI causes a high increase in the sugar level in the blood, when the GI value exceeds 70. The examples of such food include processed starch products, e.g. potatoes, corn flakes, white bread, white rice and products containing sugar, e.g. cakes, sweets and sweetened beverages. Food with a low glycemic index does not exceed the value of 55 and causes a slower and lower increase in the sugar level in the blood. Such products include beans, lentils, wholemeal bread, muesli, some fruit and some dairy products. The products with a medium GI include porridge, some kinds of rice and sweet potatoes, whose glycemic index has a medium value between 55 and 70. Protein-rich food such as meat, fish, poultry and eggs, as well as fat-rich food, e.g. plant oils, butter, margarine and avocado contain minor amounts of carbohydrates or do not
contain them at all, therefore they have no GI value. However, adding these products to your meal – both fats and proteins, as well as foodstuffs with a low glycemic index – can reduce the total GI value of the meal. Ripening of fruit, cooking and other thermal processing have a negative impact on the GI – as a result of the processes, the GI value increases. When it comes to diet supplements, however, it is not commonly known that highly processed proteins, such as whey protein isolate (TREC ISOLATE 100) or hydrolysate (TREC PERFECT WHEY PROTEIN) also have a substantial impact on the level of secreted insulin. One can therefore say that the GI of these products is high. It is also important information for people on a cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD), when gluconeogenesis (decomposition of amino-acids into sugars in the liver) occurs after training, which leads to an increase in the sugar level in the blood, resulting in turn in the activation of insulin and ending the state of ketosis. Coming back to the definition of glycemic index – in order to make a precise measurement, each source of nutrition is compared with the reference product (normally glucose) and tested at equivalent quantities of
ic index carbohydrates. The GI of glucose is 100. Note that the quantity of he reference glucose used for the test is 50 g. Many people (even dieticians!) tend to forget it and that is why the notion of glycemic index is frequently misinterpreted and causes dietary misconceptions as well as elimination of certain classes of products from the diet, which is a serious mistake. With regard to the above, the action of carbohydrates in the human body has to be linked with the notion of glycemic load, which in combination with the GI provides the complete picture of their behaviour in the body. Contrary to the glycemic index, when calculating the GL, the size of the consumed portion is taken into account (quantity of carbohydrates in the product), namely both the quality and quantity of carbohydrates.
The GL is calculated as follows: GL =
(GI x quantity of carbohydrates per portion)
/100
One GL unit is approximately equivalent to the glycemic effect of 1 g of glucose.
The question is, which one is more important: GI or GL? The main problem related to the GI is that it does not take into account the size of the portion, and thus makes a false negative impression about the specifc food. Watermelon, for instance, with a glycemic index of 72 is classified as having a high GI, so it would be forbidden for a person concerned about maintaining a slim figure, following a low GI diet. However, a medium-sized piece of the fruit (weighing ca. 120 g) provides only 6 g of carbohydrates, which is a quantity insufficient to increase the level of sugar in the blood. You would have to eat 720 g of watermelon to collect 50 g of carbohydrates used for the GI test. Another drawback is that some foodstuffs with a high fat content have a low GI, which provides a false, seemingly favourable impression about them. Potato chips, for instance, have a lower GI (54) than roast potatoes (85). One can easily overeat, however, since they are rich in fat (saturated fatty acids) and have a high calorific density, while they are not stodgy. Do not select your food based on the GI - check the kind of fatty acids (saturated or unsaturated) and avoid the ones containing high amounts of saturated and trans fats. Products with a high content of these (halva, chocolate, almond
paste, chocolate bars, potato chips) result in a seemingly slow absorption, whereas they actually make a calorie bomb.
A sportsperson’s diet Sports dietetics, whether you are a body-builder during a mass cycle or reduction cycle, or an endurance sportsperson, states that glycemia should be stable and high. What is glycemia and what are its related standards, actually? This notion has been used several times in this text and applies to the glucose concentration in the blood. Glycemia is expressed in mmol/l or mg/ dl (i.e. mg%). To convert the value of glycemia from one unit to another, the following ratio is applied: 1 mmol/l = 18 mg/dl. The concentration of glucose in the blood in humans and many mammals is normally between 4.5–5.5 mmol/l. Consequently, the constant level of sugar in the blood amounts to 81-99 mg/dl. In my opinion, the sugar level on an empty stomach should be around the bottom level of the value, whereas glycemia before a workout should reach ca. 100. Glycemia of over 110 on an empty stomach is regarded as related to a diabetic condition and in such cases glycated haemoglobin tests are done. It is a useful indicator of retrospective glycemia (there is a relationship between
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DO YOU KNOW THAT...? UniResearch conducted at thethat ed eal rev versity of Sydney less sportspeople produce much the by insulin than suggested ing glycemic index after consum er words, oth In GI. h hig a h wit ts produc not dedo ple peo professional sports ar curve sug ong str ally equ monstrate an le. The sty life as people with a sedentary coming level out and n maximum ejectio ch milder. of sugar in the blood are mu no meby e hav r, Sportspeople, howeve with a ts duc pro on ge bin ans the right to . They ces uen high GI without any conseq ic index as a cem gly should perceive the s they are guide to check what foodstuff allowed to eat.
Effective silhouette modelling firmness Metabolizes fat and preserves Well-absorbed gel capsules the GHB concentration and mean glycemia) and of the risk of chronic diabetic complications. Since the erythrocyte membrane is glucose-permeable, the content of glycated haemoglobin reflects the mean glucose concentration in the blood in the last 120 days (i.e. the average erythrocyte lifespan). The HbA1C level below 6.5% is the evidence of a good control of diabetes (its metabolic balance). Increased levels of glycated haemoglobin mean poor diabetes balance, which entails a higher risk of developing complications – the higher the glycated haemoglobin concentration, the higher the risk of complications. Coming back to glycemia – after consuming food rich in carbohydrates, its contents may increase to 6.5–7.2 mmol/l (117–130). In this case the level of sugar in the blood is very often reduced to the average value (81–99 mg/dl) – due to the action of insulin, which directs the glucose to the target tissues. While starving, glycaemia drops to 3.3–3.9 mmol/l (60–70 mg/dl). The condition when the glucose concentration in the blood is too low is called hypoglycemia, while an increased glucose concentration is called hyperglycemia. I have already made several mentions of insulin and its impact on the metabolism of carbohydrates. The action of this hormone is hard to present. The topic of insulin is frequently associated with gaining weight and diabetes. Eating products with a high glycemic load and glycemic index (refined sugar,
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tein Perfect combination of whey pro synthesis Intensively stimulates protein Complete vitamin formula
processed grains) results in a surge in the glucose level in the blood, followed by an ejection of insulin, whose task is to take the sugar from the blood and to use it as a fuel for the body. A sudden drop in the sugar level in the blood causes hunger, which leads to overeating. With time, the phenomenon may lead to gaining weight and developing insulin resistance, i.e. type 2 diabetes. That is why your actions should be based on minimising the secretion of insulin. It is all true. For a statistical couch potato that is all they have to know. But it is only half of the story for physically active persons. Insulin can be a sportsperson’s best friend or worst enemy. It is released when the sugar level in the blood increases, as a result of consuming carbohydrates and highly processed protein (TREC ISOLATE 100, TREC PERFECT WHEY PROTEIN, TREC AMINO 4500). When you take advantage of the action of insulin at the right time, it can become your best friend; insulin is highly anabolic, increases the rate of protein synthesis and glycogen compensation, and transports amino acids and carbohydrates to the muscles at a high speed, which makes them bigger and helps them regenerate faster after training. Nevertheless, once activated at the wrong time, it can become the worst nightmare and enemy, causing an increased gain of
fatty tissue. It is a two-edged sword. The knowledge of how to manipulate it correctly and how to control it is the method to burn fat and gain muscle mass. Using its action at specific moments, such as the two “anabolic windows” directly after a workout or after not eating for the whole night, is bang on. After an exhaustive workout, the muscles desperately need to replenish the energy and building reserves. It makes a perfect occasion for insulin activation, since the muscles are ready to absorb nutrients like a sponge, before any quantity turns into fat. Leucine (TREC LEUCINE FUSION) is an amino acid that manages metabolic processes in the insulin response. It opens specific biochemical pathways such as pAKT and mTOR, allowing for embedding of the amino acids in the muscles. After the workout, the level of glycogen in the muscles drops dramatically, since they are carbohydrates stored in the muscles for energy purposes during physical exercise. Before the body starts to store any nutrient in a form of fat, first it has to compensate for the glycogen reserves. Regular consumption of food causing insulin surges all day long leads to a gain of fatty tissue. An increase in the hormone level when the body does not need it (before going to sleep, while sitting in front of a TV for hours) is the best way to put on weight. Manipulating with insulin is the key to a success in building a muscular and slim figure.
Maximum absorption Nitric oxide precursor complex 0 g fat and 0 g lactose mp Incredibly powerful muscle pu e e malate 100% CFM whey protein isolat Mega dose of AAKG and citrullin
Does a low glycemic index provide a licence to guttle – the hidden truth Sources of food with a low GI are generally more nutritive than products with a higher GI, bit in order to lose weight one should still consume fewer calories than can be burnt within 24 hours. Theoretically, a diet with a low GI should be stodgy, since many products with a low glycemic index contain lots of food fibre and are digested longer, so they facilitate controlling your appetite. In practice, however, it is actually very easy to incidentally provide a surplus of calories. Muesli (GI 49), new potatoes (GI 50), durum pasta (GI 48) and sponge cake (GI 46) have a low glycemic index but are rich in calories. Even milk chocolate has a relatively low GI (43), but provides 240 kcal in only 45 g, i.e. in less than half of a bar! No long-term research (only short-term) has been so far conducted on the impact of the glycemic index on losing weight. Only half of the studies confirmed that products with a low GI reduce appetite, increase the sense of satiation and help reduce the quantity of food consumed per day. The other half did not reveal the impact of diet with a low GI on the abovementioned aspects. A study published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” in 2004 demonstrated that the loss of body weight
while being on a low GI diet did not differ from the loss of body weight while being on a high GI diet.
HORMONE CONTROL MECHANISM OF CARBOHYDRATE blood is mainly controlGlucose concentration in theed in the pancreas: insulin, led by two hormones produccentration, and glucagon, which reduces glucose con centration in the blood. which increases glucose con carbohydrates and that is Typical dishes contain lots ofalmost any meal. The purwhy insulin is secreted after diet is, on the other hand, pose of a low-carbohydrateof insulin in favour of gluto minimise the secretion position of fat cells. This cagon that stimulates decomsentation of sugar manadescription is a simplified pre in my opinion, it is easy to gement regulation, howeverthi s way. understand when described
Apparently, a low GI will not let you get away with binging on these products; you still have to stick to smaller portions of food. It also seems that the Montignac diet allowing for an unlimited consumption of food containing sources with a low glycemic index, is not entirely right. If you want to lose weight, eat moderate quantities of products with a high content of carbohydrates, high calorific density and low GI (breakfast cereals, bakery products, grains, dairy products) and feel satiated after eating foodstuffs with a low GI, rich in fibre and containing lots of water (vegetables, fruit), namely demonstrating a high satiation factor.
Support your glycemia According to the article, maintaining a constant glycemia with minor insulin fluctuations (occurring after waking up and after your workout) is the key to success. I have defined the groups of food you should supply to your body all day long and those that should be consumed after working out and on an empty stomach in the morning to fully use its anabolic action (leucine in BCAA, EAA and whey proteins as well in post-workout stacks). There are many diet supplements
which can support the activity of insulinlike growth factor (IGF-1) and maintain a constant, high glycemia necessary to sportspeople. Magnesium is mainly associated as a mineral ingredient stabilising the level of calcium phosphates, preventing demineralisation of the bones. However, it also plays an important role in muscle contraction, stimulates body defence mechanisms and is necessary at the initial stage of steroidogenesis, indirectly controlling the synthesis of the growth hormone, insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF). The supplements worth using to maintain a constant level of sugar in the blood include e.g. CLA (conjugated linoleic acid – TREC CLA SOFT GEL), TREC BCAA TURBO JET, Astragalus, arginin – TREC AAKG MEGA HARDCORE, Fenugreek, ALA (alpha-lipoic acid), cinnulin (cinnamon bark extract), fibre and xylitol (birch sugar). When you compose your meals in the right way, season them with cinnamon and sweeten with xylitol, you can freely manipulate the secretion of insulin, which is the key to the successful building of a muscular and slim figure. JAKUB MAURICZ, mauricz.com
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CAVEMAN
THE WHOLE TRUTH A IF WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT GLOBAL NUTRITION TRENDS, WE WILL NOTICE CERTAIN SEASONAL ASPECTS. SIMILARLY TO FASHION TRENDS, NEW DIETS COME AND GO. FOR SOME TIME, HOWEVER, ONE DIET HAS NO LONGER BEEN A BLIP ON THE RADAR. I MEAN THE PALAEOLITHIC DIET, ALSO KNOW AS „PALEO DIET“ OR „CAVEMAN‘S DIET“. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO COME OUT OF FASHION SOON. WHAT DOES IT REALLY INVOLVE?
P
aleo diet is a marketing name for a hunter-gatherer‘s diet. Simply speaking its principles refer to our genetics, recommending to adopt the eating habits dating back to over 2.5 million years. To a certain extent it also assumes the changes that occurred as a result of human body evolution, making us different from our ancestors. The contemporary version of the Paleo diet allows for eating lean meat from farm animals, subject to thermal processing, eggs from caged hens as well as fruit and vegetables grown in greenhouses. The perfect solution would be to include only the products of a natural origin, namely wild animals’ meat, free range hens‘ and turkey meat as well as fruit and vegetables from green plantations, grown without any pesticides. The caveman‘s diet arouses many controversies, particularly among nutrition specialists, scientists, sportspeople and sceptics claiming that the human body has undergone huge transformation over more than 2 million years and adapted to the contemporary kinds of food. However, if we take a closer look at civilisation diseases of the 21st century, a constant increase in the number of people suffering from obesity, diabetes, cardiac and circulatory system dysfunctions as well as tumours, we can definitely say that the contemporary diet is not perfect. The Paleo diet opponents refer to the fact that people used to live shortly in the past, which could be attributed to inappropriate nutrition. Nevertheless, they do not take into account the fact that the primeval human was exposed to many hazards. In the Palaeolithic age humans had to permanently struggle to survive, as part of a complicated ecosystem, where they did not stand at the top of the food pyramid (as is the case now). There was no proper hiding place, not to mention medicine or hygiene. With time and development of human civilisation, the average life expectancy has been extending, followed by a long list of diseases afflicting our species. Nowadays, we have medicines, welldeveloped science and quite extensive knowledge, we also know how to modify food. Shouldn’t we then live up to 100 years or more in a good physical and mental shape? Curiously enough, it is not the case.
DIETARY HISTORY OF PRIMITIVE HUMANS VS. CONTEMPORARY FOOD For 2.5 million years our ancestors used to eat meat, fresh fruit and vegetables. About 10 thousand years ago humans began to live a sedentary life, domesticated animals, sowed and harvested crops. With the progress of civilisation, humans started to eat more and more processed products. These changes have been particularly intense in the last fifty years. Lots of chemical additives: preservatives, flavour enhancers, thickening agents, raising agents, aromas, colorants etc. have
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ABOUT PALEO DIET appeared. Food is produced on a mass scale and the profits of company owners matter more than human health. Will the human body, which has been gradually evolving for millions of years, be able to adapt to the new food during several thousands of years? It seems arguable. Has the human genotype been subject to necessary modifications helping it to adapt to different nutrition in such a short period of time? Let us just consider Native Americans, some African tribes or Eskimos – the changes were most extreme in their case. They used to have a completely different diet six generations before. We have to consider what kind of food Palaeolithic humans used to have to answer the key question. Is what we eat good for us? Primitive humans did not eat dairy products, as it was not easy to capture a wild animal to get some milk. They did not eat crop grains either - nobody knew how to grow and process them. Salt was unknown to them. There was no access to refined sugar, people did not grow sugar beets or sugar cane, so the only sugar they used to eat was in honey, if they managed to find it and take out of a beehive, which was by no means easy. Carbohydrates in their diet came from vegetable and fruit, namely non-starch sources. When it comes to fats, they mainly ate them in a saturated form in meat, however unsaturated fats from plants constituted the majority. Definitely, they did not eat unhealthy trans fats, dominating in contemporary food, which (simply speaking) programme every cell of our body to a suicidal mode.
at the expense of health: renal and hepatic failure, constipation, intestine diseases are only some ailments resulting from following such eating habits for a long time. Dairy products are rich in saturated fatty acids, e.g. myristic, lauryc or palmitic acid, with hypercholesterolemic action (i.e. increasing the level of cholesterol in the blood). The Paleo diet does not include dairy products, whereas meat contains a saturated fatty acid: stearic acid, which does not demonstrate an impact on the level of cholesterol. Red meat contains some quantities of palmitic acid, but taking into account the overall ratio of fatty acids in the Paleo diet, our body can metabolise it easily. The diet is also rich in monounsaturated fats originating from meat, rape oil, olive oil and avocado. An unquestioned advantage of the diet is also the appropriate ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 acids. Despite their beneficial impact on the human body, it is not commonly known that their excess may be contraindicated. I particularly refer to the omega-6 group, and strictly speaking their quantitative advantage over omega-3 acids. Their excess consumption may contribute to decreasing the level of “good” cholesterol (HDL – High Density Lipoprotein), and thus causing a deposition of the “bad” cholesterol (LDL – Low Density Lipoprotein) in the arteries. Moreover, it leads to the sclerosis of arteries, cardiac diseases and development of tumours, in particular nipple cancer, prostate gland cancer and colon cancer. A number of inflammatory processes having a negative impact on our health after some time are correlated WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN with the unfavourable ratio of omega-6 to omeTHE PALEO DIET AND TYPICAL PROTEIN DIETS ga-3 acids (10:1 or even 20:1). The correct ratio OR HIGH-FAT DIETS? should be close to 1:1 and not greater than 4:1. In Contemporary low-carbohydrate diets recomthe majority of dishes adapted for the Paleo diet, the mend eating protein products that were not availratio is 2:1 or 3:1. Large amounts of omega-6 fatty able in the Palaeolithic age – mainly dairy prodacids can be found in the following kinds of oil: coucts. Moreover, the consumption of fat is almost conut, sunflower, corn, grape seed, peanut, sesame unlimited. They are high-protein and high-fat and soybean as well as in margarines made from diets. They lack fruit and vegetables containing these oils. Apart from the Paleo nutrition plan, fibre regulating the function of intestines, microthe Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, sea fish and macro-elements necessary for the body as and seafood can make a good example of well as many essential nutraceuticals. the beneficial impact of omega-3 acids. Diets based on a low content of carbohydrates lead to a reduction of the body mass, but it often entails reduced muscle mass and loss of water (although the fatty tissue is also reduced in a longterm perspective). Nevertheless, it often happens
When it comes to fruit and vegetables, popular low-carbohydrate diets almost completely eliminate their consumption. One should remember, though, that these inwww.vitaminshop.ie
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gredients supply compounds controlling the function of intestines, supporting intestine peristalsis and reducing absorption of fat, as well as anti-free radical substances (anti-oxidants). Eliminating fruit and vegetables from our menu, we expose ourselves to many diseases that can result from excess consumption of animal fat, and moreover to nutrient deficiencies and alimentary tract disorders. Advocates of the traditional low-carbohydrate diet eliminate them due to the content of carbohydrates and their glycemic index (GI). It should be mentioned here that fruit and vegetable in their natural form have a really low GI (as well as a small quantity of carbohydrates per 100 g), therefore their consumption helps maintain a stable level of sugar in the blood. It all results from the mean glycemic load, which is the result of multiplying the glycemic index value per the quantity of carbohydrates in a serving of the particular product.
ELIMINATING CEREALS – PALAEOLITHIC NIGHTMARE OF A BODYBUILDER Researchers quote the argument that all health problems started when humans began to sow, harvest and eat crop grains, which dates back to ca. 3000 years before Christ. They became shorter, their jaws transformed and adapted to the new kind of food. The teeth previously used for biting pieces of meat started to overlap, which facilitated chewing and comminuting the grains. At that time, humans started to suffer from vitamin deficiencies, problems with teeth and such onerous diseases as osteoporosis or rickets. While acquiring new skills – obtaining salt, pickling, alcohol distillation or smoking their food, they began to suffer from various ailments. It is a fact that the human population began to develop once people started to grow crops, which ensured an easier access to food. The average life expectancy increased as well, but the condition of human health began to deteriorate.
MAIN ADVANTAGES OF THE PALEO DIET Simplicity is the greatest advantage of this nutrition plan. The actual tips on the
caveman’s diet are limited to what you may or may not eat. The first category includes lean and fat meat (turkey, chicken, veal, beef, game), fish and seafood. You may also include fruit and vegetables in your diet but they must not contain starch (you should give up leguminous vegetables, potatoes, sweet potatoes, manioc and tapioca). The category of products you must not eat covers crops, leguminous vegetables, dairy and processed products. Some minor sins and exceptions to the regime are allowed. You should adopt the rule that it is your eating habit for the whole life and not only for a short time, that is why occasional consumption of wine or beer and other – but rare – exceptions are acceptable. Neither calories nor the number of grams of fats or carbohydrates are counted in this diet. It is an intuitive nutrition plan, regulating your metabolism, with the body calling for a particular amount of food itself. It is reasonable, taking into account the fact that the food in the Paleo diet has a low calorific value (you quit on batter, hard cheese, added sugar etc.) and contains much fibre. Many readers certainly wonder what a sample menu in the Paleo diet could be. Here it comes. Let me present some suggestions, out of the millions you can find on the Internet:
BREAKFAST
PROPOSAL 1: 1/2 melon, 4 eggs or a cup of coffee. PROPOSAL 2: 1 red grapefruit and steam-boiled shrimps (or fish/other seafood).
LUNCH
PROPOSAL 1: Roast beef with fruit and vegetables, e.g. tomato, onion, apple (you can also add herbs, olive oil, linseed oil or lemon juice. You can easily choose such a meal at a restaurant. Do not order
meat in batter or gravy but grilled meat and a larger portion of fresh vegetable salad instead of potato chips, potatoes or rice). PROPOSAL 2: Tomato and avocado with pepper and garlic, veal chops, chopped carrot, steam-boiled cauliflower with lemon juice, ice tea and fruit salad.
DINNER/ SUPPER
Proposal 1: A portion of steam-boiled or grilled salmon with vegetables, e.g. lettuce, tomato, pepper, onion, cucumber with linseed oil, lemon and orange. PROPOSAL 2: Boiled eggs, a salad of tomato, cucumber and onion with olive oil.
CALCIUM PROBLEM IN THE PALEO DIET? Research shows that not only the quantity of consumed calcium but also the degree of its removal from the body influences its level in the blood. It happens that despite the diet being rich in the ingredient, we have problems with bone density (osteoporosis), which is related to a poor management of the element in the body. Scientists have proven that acid-alkaline balance impacts the calcium level. Traditional diet (meat, cold meat, dairy, fish, leguminous plants, crops) has an acidic action, which increases calcium removal with urine. A conclusion can be easily drawn that fruit and vegetables, which have a basic action, reduce the removal of the ingredient from the body and regulate its management so that its consumption does not matter so much. In spite of the fact that the level of calcium is reduced in the body while following the Paleo diet, it does not disturb calcium and phosphate management. It is related to a lack of increased removal of the element. Summing up, the level of calcium in the body with a standard diet can be compared to blowing a balloon with a hole – you have to blow all the time to keep the structure tense. Referring to physiology – the quantity of the consumed calcium does not matter when it constantly escapes from the body.
COMPARISON OF THE RATIO OF NUTRITIVE INGREDIENTS IN DIETS PALEO DIET
PROTEIN FAT CARBOHYDRATES
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19-35% 28-47% 22-40%
TYPICAL CONTEMPORARY, WESTERN EUROPEAN DIET
15,50% 49% 34%
LOW CARBOHYDRATE DIET
18-23% 4,-26% 51-78%
PALAEOLITHIC DIETARY ISSUES SALT – Primitive humans did not have it in their menu. A number of studies, although often contradictory, prove that excess consumption of salt may contribute to hypertension, stroke, osteoporosis, kidney stones, asthma or even tumours. Salt brings an acidic load into the body (after digestion) as a result of its containing chloride anions (it consists of positively charged sodium ions and negatively charges chloride ions). FAT VERSUS LEAN – if we compare 100 g of fat meat and 100 g of lean meat, the result is simple. In the first case we can have ca. 20–30 g of fat, which means we will have less of the valuable proteins and amino acids in the consumed portion and a greater energetic load. 100 g of a breast of chicken or turkey will contain ca. 1 g of fat and more of valuable protein. We should choose poultry meat (turkey, chicken) and beef, sirloin being the leanest. It does not mean abandoning fat meat in the Paleo diet but remember not to eat too much of it, particularly when your metabolism is slow.
WHAT ABOUT SUPPLEMENTATION WITH VITAMINS AND MINERALS? An analysis of a sample Paleo diet covering 2200 kcal revealed that 33% of the total energy came from protein, 25% from carbohydrates and 42% from fat. The consumption of the majority of vitamins or minerals was 10 times higher than the recommended standards. Specifically, it contained many vitamins with an anti-oxidant function: A, C and E as well as minerals, e.g. selenium with a great significance in tumour prevention, as well as nutraceutical substances. There was also a high content of vitamins from the B group (B6, B12) and folic acid, which are important for the blood since besides iron, they maintain the right level of haemoglobin and support the correct development of the nervous system. The Paleo diet lacked vitamin D3 acquired by our ancestors by exposing their bodies to the sunlight while hunting. Nowadays, due to the existence of the ozone hole, the action of sun is regarded as a skin cancer risk factor. Reducing the exposure to the Sun’s radiation prevents the natural synthesis of vitamin D3. That is why when you follow the Paleo diet plan, remember to take supplements
in the form of capsules or tablets containing an active form of the vitamin. Do not forget supplementation with branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) or exogenous amino acids (EAA), reducing the consumption of whey proteins as the product is too close to dairy sources. All kinds of amino acids, including BCAA and EAA, are so much processed they will not constitute a “hazard” for the body in the Paleo diet. We can recommend such preparations as BCAA POWDER or BCAA X-TANK, L-GLUTAMINE XTREME and BCAA GFORCE, particularly intended for physically active persons. What to do with carbohydrate concentrates? Considering the need to eliminate sources of starch (maltodextrin, wax corn starch, Vitargo), it seems one should focus on the common dextrose (DEXTROSE PRO, DEXTROSE POWDER), to which we can well add a portion of amino acids, in order to additionally improve their absorption.
food. We can be under the impression that the life of some people focuses on food and that food determines their actions. Popular junk food is addictive. It contains flavour en-
TYPICAL CONTEMPORARY DIET VERSUS PALEO DIET An average Pole’s diet contains simple sugars (all products contain them), starch (potatoes, grains), fat and salt, which is added to almost all dishes. An average diet abounds in sodium chloride (table salt), which we consume in the amount of up to 10 kg a year. Those who love cola, sweetened beverages, yoghurts or sweets eat even as much as 100 kg of saccharose a year. Converting sugar into calories we get 400 thousand within 365 days, almost completely useless, with no nutritive value besides pure energy. The Average Joe’s diet contains much fat from offals and meat products: bacon, brawn, sausages, pate, cold meat. It is completed with lots of fattening starch in a highly-processed form, deprived of minerals and vitamins. An average Pole chooses white bread rolls, white bread, white flour and white rice instead of wholemeal ones. The diet of the 21st century is deprived of nutritive values, it is fat, sweet, salty and highly preserved. We are lured by TV commercials and buy highly processed food. The Paleo diet assumes that the body will find all necessary ingredients in nature. Eating meat, fish, fruit and vegetables with provide all necessary nutrients. You can’t eat too much of these products. Contrary to a standard stodgy lunch, after which we can still eat a litre of vanilla ice-cream. If you can eat more, why don’t you choose e.g. a piece of meat? The answer is simple - because it is not sweet. We should then consider how many of us are addicted to
hancers causing insulin fluctuations and artificial, hormonal hunger. It seems that even minor modifications of the Paleo diet e.g. by introducing untreated and non-refined plant oils and taking capsules with fish oil (SUPER OMEGA-3), make this diet fully valuable for the body.
CONCLUSION Having analysed all benefits of implementing and following the Palaeolithic diet, one should consider whether this diet is suitable for sportspersons. It is, since quitting on processed food, preservatives, starch and dairy products can be extremely beneficial for the body of persons doing intense physical exercise. In particular, if we add high consumption of products with deacidifying properties such as fresh fruit and vegetables. It will suffice to introduce at least some of the assumptions into one’s eating plan. The Paleo diet is successfully used by persons frequently making ultra intense physical effort e.g. crossfit. The cost seems to be the only drawback. Unfortunately eating fresh, unprocessed foodstuffs is not cheap. It is a real paradox of modern times – the basic type of food that does not require any technological processing tends to be several times more expensive than its equivalent, processed as much as possible. Nevertheless, it is worth trying the Paleo diet and breaking the mental barrier related to its implementation. Not because it is trendy but because its concept is based on sensible assumptions.
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ACIDIFIC THE ENEMY OF YOUR MUSCLES
ACIDIFICATION OF THE MUSCLES OCCURS NATURALLY DURING DYNAMIC PHYSICAL EXERCISE. LACTIC ACID (OR LACTATE) AS A SIDE PRODUCT OF METABOLISM IS COLLECTED IN THE MUSCLES AND BLOOD DURING INTENSE ACTIVITY. IS IT THE CAUSE OF ACIDOSIS, THOUGH? LACTATE ACCUMULATION IN THE MUSCLES AT AN INTENSE EFFORT IS TEMPORARY AND – AS IT TURNS OUT – HARMLESS. THE TOPIC WAS ASSOCIATED WITH MANY MYTHS AND RESEARCH APPROACHES THAT HAVE BECOME OBSOLETE THANKS TO NEW DISCOVERIES CASTING MORE LIGHT ON THE COMPLEX ISSUE.
R
esearch methods, despite containing stringent criteria of evaluating the acquired knowledge, are not perfect and are saddled with the risk of becoming obsolete. It often happens that the results of research and their interpretations are published before the actual nature of things is discovered. It applies e.g. to reports on training, diets and supplementation efficiency, which are subject to constant revision both in the light of gradually improving cognitive tools and practical experience. Increasing acidification as a result of intense physical effort was for many years explained as an enhanced production of lactic acid, causing separation of the proton (hydrogen ion – H+) and formation of an acidic salt of sodium lactate. This thesis was supported by the fact that since the production of lactic acid is high enough, the ability to neutralise the proton (buffering of hydrogen ions) in a cell can be exceeded, which results in the drop of the cell’s pH (it becomes acidic). The above mentioned series of biochemical transformations was called lactate acidosis or acidification with lactate. The status quo was maintained for over 80 years, and led to
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the conclusion that the production of lactate leads to acidosis, being one of the causes of muscle fatigue at a physical effort. New research cast more light on the issue since nowadays there is no biochemical evidence supporting the thesis that acidification is caused by intense production of lactic acid. Its presence actually reverses the process, rather than causes it. There are many facts confirming that it results from the reactions occurring in the human body other than lactate production. Every time an ATP molecule (adenosine triphosphate – energy carrier rich in energy, being the basis of all biochemical processes) decomposes to ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and inorganic phosphorus, a proton is released. In a situation when the demand for ATP significantly increases, it is produced in mitochondria (energy centres of cells) in a process of cellular respiration. It allows for satisfying the needs of contracting muscles and is also the cause of proton accumulation and drop in the pH. The body can however use them again in the process of oxidative phosphorylation, which also takes place in mitochondria and to maintain their proper concentration in the intracellular space. What is the deal with the lactic acid then? Its enhanced production is correlated with an
increased acidification of cells and remains the actual though indirect culprit to be blamed for acidosis. If a muscle did not produce lactate, muscle acidification and fatigue would occur faster and endurance would be significantly weakened.
WHY DO MUSCLES HURT AFTER TRAINING? We know, in a simplified version, what the phenomenon of acidification involves. Unfortunately, even sportspeople tend to describe the sore muscles after training as „build-up of lactic acid“. It is a wrong term, since the concentration of lactate drops immediately after finishing the training and returns to the value at rest within ca. 15–60 minutes, depending on fitness and individual capacity related to the activity of oxygen enzymes metabolising the lactate. We definitely know that lactic acid is not responsible for muscle pain. DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is caused by several other factors. Physical exercise, eccentric training in particular, cause microtrauma of the muscles. The body initiates an inflammation reaction to repair the damaged area and that is where the soreness we feel comes from. There are several theories on how the condi-
CATION
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tion leads to DOMS, but none of them is related to the lactate level in the body.
CAUSES OF DELAYED ONSET MUSCLE SORENESS – DOMS: 1. The inflammation reaction itself can be responsible for irritation of afferent sensory neurons, which causes soreness. 2. Microdamage in the muscles allows for the ions to leak to their surrounding myofibrils, which can also irritate sensitive sensory neurons. Simply speaking - penetration of the ions accumulated from microdamage to the surrounding muscle tissue, stimulates nerve endings. 3. Extension of the muscle area due to swelling may cause an overly intense stretching of the fascia, which makes the afferent neurons more sensitive and causes pain. NOTE! Lactic acid is a metabolite unrelated to any of the factors causing DOMS!
ACIDIFICATION – WHAT IS IT AND WHAT CONSEQUENCES DOES IT BRING? Increased acidity of the blood or other tissues is referred to as acidification. It applies to an increased concentration of hydrogen ions in the body and if it not specified precisely, it usually applies to the blood plasma. The phenomenon takes place when its pH drops below the boundary value of acid-alkaline balance, which amounts to 7.35–7.45 (the pH value over 7.45 is referred to as alkalosis) for humans. Generally speaking, we speak of acidification when the pH value drops below 7 as a result of hydrogen ions accumulation. When oxygen is not supplied fast enough to satisfy the needs of the muscles, and glucose is burnt by means of anaerobic transformations (anaerobic glycolysis), the level of hydrogen ions increases (which leads to the drop of pH in the muscles – acidification), just like the level of other metabolites (ADP, inorganic phosphorus, potassium ions). Acidification and accumulation of the aforementioned compounds may cause a number of
problems related to the functioning of the muscles, including impeding the activity of specific enzymes involved in metabolism and their contraction, slower release of calcium (the key to muscle contraction) from its source in the muscles and distorted electric charge of the muscles. As a result of these changes, the muscles are not able to contract efficiently, which finally leads to the impairment of their strength and reduced intensity of exercise.
LACTIC ACID – THE HISTORY OF A COMPOUND THAT DOES NOT EXIST The term „lactic acid“ covers hydrogen cation and lactate anion dissociated in a solution, that is why it is only an apparent name, since it has a form of two ions, not one compound. According to the theory of acid dissociation, i.e. decomposition of acids in a solution, they are always divided into the acid residue anion (lactate anion in this case) and the hydrogen cation – but it is not the lactate to be blamed for muscle acidification. The compound was first obtained in 1780 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele from sour milk. In 1808, Jons Jacob Berzelius discovered that the compound (L-lactate actually) is also produced in the muscles during effort. Johannes Wislicenus described its structure in detail in 1873. In 1856, Louis Pasteur discovered lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus) and learnt their role in lactate formation. The beginning of its commercial production by German pharmacies Boehringer Ingelheim dates back to 1895.
FIRST STUDIES OF MUSCLE ACIDIFICATION Two Nobel Prize winners in 1922 – Otto Meyerhoff and Archibald V. Hill – were the pioneers of studies on the biochemistry of physical effort. Their experiments on carbohydrate oxidation showed that under oxygen deficiency, glucose oxidation leads to the formation of lactic acid. Discovering the presence of this compound (arbitrarily named so) in a working muscle, provided bases for the theory that the direct cause of metabolic acidosis developments an increasing concen-
tration of lactic acid. Based on this approach many experiments were conducted to confirm the assumed thesis.
WHERE DOES ACIDIFICATION COME FROM? Although the study by Meyerhoff and Hill proved the cause and effect relationship between the quantity of lactate formed during glycolysis and the simultaneous acidification of the muscles, it did not indicate a direct source of origin of the protons casing metabolic acidosis. The latter is not only the result of releasing the H+ proton. An impaired balance between the release of the H+ proton and its disposal and buffering capacity conditions its occurrence. There are no biochemical grounds to state that lactic acid (or lactate actually) is the cause of metabolic acidosis. Moreover, there is research demonstrating that lactate formation indeed helps prevent acidosis. An experiment was carried out on an isolated cardiac muscle of a ferret. Its acidification was examined after blocking oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis – a much faster progressing process was demonstrated at a completely blocked glycolysis compared to the case when mitochondrial transformations were only impeded. It provides grounds to state that it is not the glycolysis product i.e. lactate that causes acidification. Researchers made a list of the released proton sizes, based on the measured quantity of the formed lactate. Assuming the apparent lactic acid dissociation against the capacity of the buffering systems, it would turn out that the quantity of the released lactate (H+ proton) is definitely too low to cause acidification, since it is much below the cell buffers’ reaction capacity. In that case, acidification does not occur, despite lactate release. Following the comparison, the quantities of the proton released during ATP hydrolysis and glycolysis were compared with the cell buffers’ capacity, taking into account the static and the functional ones – lactate and phosphocreatine. Such a comparison provided almost identical values, with a minor
LIST OF FOOD INFLUENCING THE ACID-ALKALINE BALANCE
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ACIDIFYING PRODUCTS
NEUTRAL PRODUCTS
ALKALISING PRODUCTS
Meat and its products (pork, beef, poultry, cold meat, offals) Fish and seafood Eggs Dairy (hard cheese, blue cheese, processed cheese) Sweets, sweetened beverages, fruit juices Alcohol, coffee, tea Refined cereal products (white flour, white bread, pasta, white rice, cornflakes)
Fresh butter, margarine, cream Milk Plant oils Milk whey Yoghurt Buttermilk Kefir
Fruit Vegetable Vegetable juices Mushrooms Leguminous vegetables Buckwheat and millet groats Pecan and cashew nuts
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advantage of ATP hydrolysis, which means proton release. Hence we get an image of a situation in which the balance between the proton release and its balance is impaired, resulting in the development of intracellular acidification.
ACTUAL REASON OF MUSCLE ACIDIFICATION Acidification of the muscles is a result of an advanced ATP hydrolysis and no possibility to dispose of proton released as its result in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Lactate formation is not the cause but the effect, which actually helps delay and reduce the negative results of violent energy transformations in a working muscle. Moreover, investigating the quantity of the released H+ proton as compared to the measured lactate it was observed that disproportionately more protons were released than would result from the lactic acid dissociation ratio. One should also be aware of the energy resource (ATP) regeneration capacity in a muscle cell. Despite a large „capacity“ of mitochondrial transformation, their ability to supply energy is much more limited as compared to the glycolytic transformation potential or creatinine kinase. That is why it is a probable situation when intense work leads to exhausting the capacity of supplying the energy by the mitochondrial system (aerobic metabolism), and the energy deficit is covered by glycolysis and creatinine kinase taking place in the cytoplasm (anaerobic metabolism). Metabolic acidosis occurs as a result of an advanced use of ATP resources, combined with an increased share of glycolysis in the ATP
re-synthesis. To satisfy the needs of a muscle cell operation, energy is released during hydrolysis of an energy-rich phosphate bond of the ATP molecule. The formed ADP and Pi phosphate residue are directly included in the cycle of glycolytic transformations, where ATP is recreated. During glycolysis, NAD+ is reduced to NADH and protons are formed. Under competence of the mitochondrial system of acquiring energy, the formed NADH and H+ protons are submitted to the electron transport chain, where they are disposed of with the participation of oxygen. In the case of its deficiency or significant energy demand (during very intense muscle operation), exceeding the mitochondrial (aerobic) system’s capacity, the pool of the reduced NADH nucleotide is re-oxidised during pyruvate transformation into lactate. Two H+ protons are also connected in this reaction, which prevents or impedes the occurrence of acidosis.
WHERE, WHEN AND WHY IS LACTATE PRODUCED? Intense muscle operation entails a significant increase in the energy demand. The capacity of the mitochondrial system to satisfy the energy needs is exceeded, therefore the extramitochondrial pathways generating ATP are intensified. The majority of ADP and Pi phosphates are included in the glycolysis to recreate the ATP. The quantity of the used glucose increases, and the intensified glycolysis exhausts the available NAD+. Lactate dehydrogenase allows for replenishing the reserves of the latter, necessary to continue glycolysis under conditions when the mitochondrial system is no longer able to take the excess substrates for its own energy transformations. The recreated reserves of NAD+
help continue the glycolysis and anaerobic production of energy, whereas the formed lactate leaving the cell with the H+ ion makes a kind of a functional buffer for the accumulating protons. Lactate from the blood is captured by other tissues with a positive energy balance (mainly the liver), where it is included in energy transformations as a substrate for gluconeogenesis (glucose recreation) or as a fuel, after transformation to pyruvate and introduction in the Krebs cycle.
WHAT IS THE LACTATE THRESHOLD AND HOW TO USE IT? The lactate threshold, or aerobic threshold is the intensity of exercise as a result of which lactic acid starts to accumulate in the bloodstream. It is defined as the moment in which its concentration reaches 4 mM/L (4 millimoles per litre of blood serum). Let us point out that it is ca. 1 mM/L at rest. To investigate the value precisely, blood samples are collected (usually by pricking a finger) during a test on a running track, where the intensity of the exercise increases gradually. The measurement can also be made in a non-invasive way by means of a gas exchange method. The lactate threshold is used by sportspeople to increase the body adaptation to acidification and improvement of the general condition. During trainings whose intensity equals the lactate threshold, each molecule of the compound produced by the muscles is removed from the body, which prevents the increase of its level in the tissues. The lactate threshold is useful for measuring exercise intensity in endurance and mixed sports (e.g. long-distance running, cycling, canoeing, swimming and cross-country ski-
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ing), but it is a very individual feature and can increase in the course of special preparations for training (effort) intended to change it. Interval training makes one of such methods, which uses the ability of the human body to periodically exceed the lactate threshold, and then re-use the produced lactate (reducing lactate concentration in the blood) during work below this threshold. Simultaneously, it allows for continuing physical activity and gradual increase of sports performance in subsequent trainings.
IN WHICH DISCIPLINES ARE WE EXPOSED TO THE GREATEST ACIDIFICATION AND WHY? One can say that the degree of exposure to acidification in sports is determined by several factors. First, we should enumerate intensity of the effort and the type of its assisting energy transformations. If we assume an effort between 60–70% HRmax (maximum heart rate), then, as a result of aerobic metabolism, the use of energy from oxidised glucose and fatty acids will render minor production of ATP and thus a low potential for acidification. On the other hand, athletes doing weight and speed disciplines, whether with the dominance of strength or speed (e.g. bodybuilding, weight lifting, martial arts, crossfit and athletes) will belong to the group most threatened with acidification. It is related to the use of mainly anaerobic energy systems in the form of phosphocreatine and anaerobic glycolysis. It can be assumed that every athlete doing disciplines of the sprint adaptation kind, will belong to the group. Other aspects certainly include diet and supplementation. Nowadays, our acid-alkaline balance has been distorted and in the majority of cases our organisms are acidified. It could seem that it does not apply to sportspeople, since they train a lot and quickly burn the supplied calories. Unfortunately, it is not about calories but about their sources of origin and the processes in which they are transformed into energy.
BODYBUILDER‘S DIET – CAUSING ACIDITY? Bodybuilders and weight lifters are the group most exposed to acidification, since they overestimate the value of protein in the diet. Certainly, the demand for protein increases in the case of intense training intended for gaining muscle mass or strength. Let us remember, though, that the quantity of the ingredient should not exceed 2–2.5 g per kilogram of body weight in the case of weight sports and 1.5 g in endurance disciplines. Additionally, when you eat much protein, you have to remember to balance the acidity by eating appropriate amounts of alkalising products.
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High consumption of proteins fosters acidification, since amino acids building the proteins are transformed into relatively strong organic acids. Although there are several alkaline amino acids in the aminogram of food proteins, the acidic ones constitute the overwhelming majority. The excess of acids in the body causes ageing of tissues, wrinkles and swells, since the body keeps the water to thin them and prevent damage. From the point of view of bodybuilders and weight athletes it is most important that acidic environment intensifies the activity of katabolic enzymes impeding training progress. If our body is acidified, it communicates it very clearly. One of the symptoms includes dark circles under the eyes, headache, acne, frequent common colds, indigestion, dizziness, scotoma, bitter or acidic taste in the mouth, cellulite, flushes, reduced libido, coated tongue, falling hair and over-training. These are only some but most common symptoms of the condition. An acidified body loses lots of energy to maintain the correct pH of the blood. One should also remember that long-lasting acidification fosters the development of such serious diseases as hypertension, sclerosis, diabetes, tumours, degenerative changes of joints or osteoporosis.
WHY DOES INTENSE WEIGHT TRAINING CAUSE STRONG ACIDITY? Weight training adapts muscles to a significant gain in the mass of white muscle fibres (based on anaerobic transformations) and general improvements of anaerobic metabolism. As a result, even at rest they produce a minor amount of energy in anaerobic processes, which – as we know – foster acidity of the cellular environment. Moreover, the inclination to use ATP-ase and anaerobic glycolysis predestines weight trainings to acidification.
SUPPLEMENTATION MINIMISING ACIDIFICATION This group will certainly include beta-alanine and creatine, considering their ability to buffer hydrogen ions. Their use will help extend endurance capacity. Phosphocreatine will contribute to reducing acidification of the muscles by buffering hydrogen ions – its hydrolysis „consumes“ the latter. By increasing the concentration of carnosine, thanks to supplementation with beta-alanine, our type 2 muscle fibres can absorb more hydrogen ions and maintain the optimum pH value. This way their ability to maintain the maximum strength and endurance during the entire training session is higher, and consequently they grow much faster. Therefore the recommended products include BETA-ALANINE 700, CARNOTRIX or various forms of creatine, e.g. CREA9 XTREME,
CREATINE MICRONIZED 200 MESH and CREATRIX. It is definitely worth completing the supplementation with amino acids with buffering characteristics. L-arginine from AAKG MEGA HARDCORE or various forms of L-glutamine e.g. L-GLUTAMINE XTREME, L-GLUTAMINE T6 or natural peptide L-GLUTAMINE PEPTIDE will do very well here.
CONCLUSION Acidosis is a phenomenon dangerous for the metabolic balance of the body, regardless of its root cause. From the practical point of view there is no difference whether it is the result of ATP hydrolysis for the needs of muscle operation or the result of enhanced glycolysis. Acidification is certainly one of the factors reducing the maximum physical effort. Nevertheless, while deliberating on the lactate threshold, it is important to be aware that the formed lactate is not intrinsically bad. It is by no means hard for the body to tolerate it, and that consequently it contributes to the development of muscle fatigue. Lactic acid and its formation process is a kind of emergency measure saving energy mechanisms from a complete breakdown. It conditions the possibility of extending the period or „working under energy debt conditions“ and ensures complete independence of the mitochondrial (aerobic) metabolism. JAKUB MAURICZ mauricz.com
CARBOHYDRATES MAKE THE BASIC ENERGY FUEL FOR HUMANS, WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT. MANY MYTHS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE INGREDIENT. NOWADAYS WE KNOW IT CAN BE A TWO-EDGED SWORD BUT ONCE USED CORRECTLY, IT WILL BRING POSITIVE RESULTS.
THE POWER OF
CARBOHY A
ny sportsperson doing silhouette sports or disciplines with weight limits, has at least once followed a low-carbohydrate or very low-carbohydrate diet, in a more or less conscious way. It is true that such a diet leads to a relatively quick reduction of weight but this is not the only effect. Scientists have analysed the impact of lowcarbohydrate diet on the body of people doing sports. The following two results were particularly interesting.
The results of the first study were published in the „Journal of Applied Physiology” and they state that strength training at a glycogen deficit causes a disorder of the expression of genes responsible for muscle hypertrophy. In another study, conducted in 2005, scientists from the Human Performance Lab in Indiana discovered that a diet deprived of carbohydrates weakens the expression of the gene encoding the muscle protein (AKT). AKT, or protein kinase B, is an essential molecule involved in the cellular signalling pathways. This factor is also able to induce the protein synthesis pathways and that is why it is a key signalling protein in cellular pathways leading to the hypertrophy of skeletal muscles and general growth of the tissues. After examining sections of tissues, the scientists discovered that the reduced concentration of glycogen in the muscles reduced the expression of genes responsible for muscle hypertrophy. Results revealing that the resting level of the expression of genes involved in the hypertrophy of the muscles (encoding myogenin and IGF-1) was lower than in the ones deprived of glycogen were even more worrying. The conclusions from the experiment were as follows: weight training at a simultaneous deficiency of glycogen in the muscles does not stimulate the activity of the genes engaged in the
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processes contributing to muscle growth. Diets containing small and moderate quantities of carbohydrates work out better than a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet, if we want to remove the fatty tissue and maintain the anabolic condition. In the light of the results of the quoted study we have to realise that a low level of carbohydrates impairs regeneration of the muscles and prevents their mass increase.
IF YOU PAY PEANUTS, YOU GET MONKEYS – TYPES AND STRUCTURE OF CARBOHYDRATES Normally, carbohydrates are classified as simple (mono- or disaccharides) or complex (polysaccharides), depending on the number of components – simple sugars – in a carbohydrate molecule. Their structure, however, tells very little about the impact they have on our body and the level of sugar in the blood. They are more often categorised with GI and GL parameters. The glycemic index is the measure of how the body reacts to food containing carbohydrates. To make a precise measurement, each source of nutrition is compared with the standard – normally glucose – and tested at equivalent quantities of carbohydrates (the glycemic index of glucose is 100). Food with a high GI causes a high increase in the sugar level in the blood, when the GI value exceeds 70. Examples of such food include processed starch products, e.g. potatoes, corn flakes, white bread, white rice and products containing sugar, e.g. cakes, sweets and sweetened beverages, as well as low-quality Carbo type of supplements. Foodstuffs with a low glycemic index do not exceed the value of 55 and cause a slower and lower increase in the sugar level in the blood. Such products include bean, lentils, wholemeal bread, muesli, some fruit and some dairy products. Products with a medium GI include
porridge, some kinds of rice and sweet potatoes , whose glycemic index has a medium value between 55 and 70.
Protein-rich food such as meat, fish, poultry and eggs, as well as food rich in fat, e.g. plant oils, butter, margarine and avocado contain minor amounts of carbohydrates or do not contain them at all, therefore they have no GI value. However, adding these products to your meal – both fats and proteins, as well as foodstuffs with a low glycemic index – can reduce the total GI value of the meal. Ripening of fruit, cooking and other thermal processing have a negative impact on the GI – as a result of the processes, the GI value goes up. Although the glycemic index (GI) points to the glucose release rate, the glycemic load (GL) reflects the abundance of the consumed portion (carbohydrates per serving), i.e. both the quality and quantity of carbohydrates. The main problem related to the GI is that it does not take into account the size of the portion, and thus makes a false negative impression about the specific food. Watermelon, for instance, with a glycemic index of 72, is classified as having a high GI, so it would be forbidden for a person concerned about maintaining a slim figure, following a low GI diet. However, a medium-sized piece of the fruit (weighing ca. 120 g) provides only 6 g of carbohydrates, which is a quantity insufficient to increase the level of sugar in the blood. You would have to eat 720 g of watermelon to collect 50 g. Another drawback is the fact that some food with a high content of fat has a low GI, which provides a wrong, seemingly beneficial impression on the particular foodstuff. Potato chips, for instance, have a lower GI (54) than roast potatoes (85). It is easy to overeat with them, since they are rich in fat (saturated fatty acids) and have a high calorific density. They are not stodgy, though.
YDRATES GLUCOSE – THE BASIS OF HUMAN METABOLISM
Metabolism of carbohydrates is mainly related to glucose, which is the only source of energy for the brain and spinal cord. It is an energy substrate for the muscles, liver, heart, kidneys and intestines, and its reserves are stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. The serum transports the consumed carbohydrates in a form of glucose to the liver, where the following processes are carried out: transformation of carbohydrates into fats, storing sugars in the form of glycogen, glucose release to the blood serum to transport it to tissues such as muscles. Glycogen is a form of storing glucose in the liver and muscles. Long-lasting training effort conditions its initial level in the muscle cell. Its content depends on the kind of diet. A diet rich in carbohydrates, as compared to a protein-fat diet and normal and mixed diets, predisposes the body to the longest operation of the muscles. Glycogen reserves in the body are limited and amount to 300 g in people not doing any sport, whereas they can even reach the level of 600 g in sportspeople. Carbohydrate reserves depend on: intensity of effort, load duration, kind of training as well as the quality and quantity of the supplied sugar.
FUNCTIONS OF CARBOHYDRATES IN THE BODY In the introduction, we quoted an analysis of a study confirming the impact of a high-carbohydrate diet on building muscle mass, supplying the working muscles and supporting their recovery after an effort. However, it is not the only tissue using the fuel. Both the brain and the heart also need a constant supply of carbohydrates (in the form of glucose circulating in the blood) to function properly.
Carbohydrates from food are transformed into glycogen, which is deposited in the muscles – exactly in the same way as we fuel up the car before a journey, our muscles have to be filled with glycogen before training. The more active we are, the more of these compounds we need. Persons doing exercise every day for 2 hours need ca. 4-7 g of carbohydrates per each kilogram of their body weight, or ca. 50–60% of the total calorie supply. It certainly depends on the sport you do and your somatotype, but the general rule is that the more muscles are involved in the effort at a time, the more carbohydrates are necessary for a properly quick regeneration of glycogen. With the above in mind, crossfit, swimming, MMA or longdistance running will be characterised by higher consumption of carbohydrates than bodybuilding, although there are some exceptions to the rule. Intensely training sportspeople, doing exercise for more than 4 hours a day, may need up to 10 g of carbohydrates per kilogram of their body weight. When it comes to the physiology of the body, it is worth mentioning glycogen supercompensation, which is the basis of the beneficial impact of physical exercise on the body. The phenomenon was particularly well recognised, described and widely used in sports training but it can be well used to explain a number of processes occurring in the human body during any kind of effort and rest. It also allows for a rational planning of the effort
and is based on exhausting the energy reserves during exercise. Struggling to restore the balance, the body replenishes the previous reserves (compensation) at rest. If the effort was so high that the reserves were exhausted, not only does the body compensate for the losses it suffered, but it also stores some spare reserves. This makes it possible to perform at a slightly higher level next time compared to the previous cycle. Thus, the body behaves similarly to some cautious housewives, who in a situation when a product from their pantry is used very quickly, besides trying to restore the previous condition, make a surplus to avoid such an unpleasant future surprise when they run out of it in a critical situation. Proper supercompensation processes make the basis of success in every sports discipline.
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES The process of enzymatic decomposition of carbohydrates begins in the oral cavity. By chewing, the food is comminuted and mixed with saliva generated in salivary glands. Saliva contains an enzyme called ptyalin, which decomposes some bonds in complex carbohydrates. It transforms amylose to maltose and maltotriose, and amylopectin to maltose,
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maltotriose and dextrins. Ptyalin can only act within the oral cavity and the oesophagus. Its efficiency is impeded in the acidic environment of the stomach. The salivary glands also secrete amylase, which also hydrolyses complex carbohydrates. Similarly to ptyalin, it is deactivated in the acidic environment of the stomach. The subsequent stages of digestion initiated in the oral cavity take place in the intestines under the influence of amylase, an enzyme secreted by the pancreas. When food gets from the stomach to the duodenum, the alimentary hormone – cholecystokinin – is secreted by the cells lining its walls. It stimulates the pancreas to produce pancreatic juice, composed of e.g. pancreatic amylase. It is an enzyme which further decomposes carbohydrates to quite simple forms called oligosaccharides. They can be absorbed directly into the blood to a minor extent. However, the majority of them are subject to further decomposition to single molecules, i.e. simple sugars, which are used directly as a source of energy. The last stage of carbohydrate digestion takes place on the surface of cells covering the small intestine, i.e. the brush border. Oligosaccharidase (lactase, maltase, saccharose and isomaltase) and disaccharidase enzymes are secreted there and break carbohydrates down into the basic simple sugar used by the human body – glucose.
HORMONE BALANCE AND ABSORPTION OF CARBOHYDRATES Only some carbohydrates are absorbed by passive transport without any participation of the body hormones. It happens for instance when you drink isotonic drinks containing up to 6% of carbohydrates during your workout.
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When glucose builds up in the blood (elevated concentration after a meal), transport regulated by insulin and glucagon is activated. Insulin is a hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreas. Thanks to an increased production of insulin and its impact on the effector cells (myocytes, adipocytes and hepatocytes) glucose penetration into the cells interior is boosted, which reduces its level in the blood. When the situation is reverse (low level of sugar in the blood), glucagon (hormone produced by alpha cells of the pancreas) gets to the liver through the portal vein and is almost completely absorbed there, whereas only a small amount gets to the general circulation. When you are hungry, glucagon secretion goes up, which contributes to maintaining the proper concentration of glucose in the blood and is extremely important for maintaining proper functioning of the brain. Glucose and insulin are the essential regulators of carbohydrates transformation in the body. One should remember that insulin is the basic factor determining why carbohydrates can be called a two-edged sword. Its excess secretion will after some time lead to a gradual immunity of the body to the hormone, resulting in type 2 diabetes.
CARBOHYDRATES AND POST-WORKOUT RECUPERATION The human body has only a small reserve of carbohydrates (glycogen), which is used up quickly during effort, causing a loss of effort tolerance. What is more, muscle catabolism increases since amino acids released from the proteins are transformed into glucose (glucose-alanine cycle). That is why we have to replenish carbohydrates during effort to maintain high physical efficiency and always directly after training – to increase the carbohydrate reserve (glycogen supercompensation). In a period close to the effort, use only carbohydrates with a varied structure, preferably in a liquid form, i.e. containing mono-, oligo- and polysaccharides (TREC MAX CARB, VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY). Such carbohydrate compositions can only be found in supplements, however. They guarantee quick replenishment of energy, efficient limitation of protein decomposition and significant overreplenishment of glycogen reserves.
SUPPLEMENTATION WITH CARBOHYDRATES Not everything comes down to the glycemic index of the particular kind of carbohydrates and to whether they are simple or complex. There are also other biological factors influencing metabolism, and scientists had to make great efforts to understand their action. The rate at which carbohydrates leave the stomach is another issue important for each sportsperson. The more dynamic the process is, the faster they get to the bowels, where they are digested and absorbed. It leads to a faster increase in the glucose and insulin levels and the subsequent process of storing glycogen and the body undertaking post-workout anti-catabolic action (not to mention that is not recommended to do physical exercise on a full stomach). Research was conducted in 2000 comparing the speed of Vitargo, carbohydrates acquired from corn starch and a mixture of maltodextrin and glucose leaving the stomach. It turned out that in the case of Vitargo the process was much more dynamic, which partly explains why the product replenishes the used reserves of glycogen so fast (over 80% more efficiently). For endurance athletes and people doing physical exercise several times a day, Vitargo makes an obvious choice
both before and after the training. But what about those who focus only on building dry muscle mass and strength, doing traditional exercise, where the workout session takes place once a day and lasts for an hour or less? The latest studies also indicate that it is legitimate to take Vitargo also in this case – consumed after weight training, it replenishes the energetic reserves of the body 63% more rapidly, taking maximum advantage of the „anabolic window“. This accelerates the process of muscle mass regeneration and extension . It is actually a paradox: why do complex carbohydrates from Vitargo (amylopectin isolated as a result of multi-stage starch purification) leave the stomach and are absorbed faster than pure glucose? In fact, owing to an extremely high molecular weight, the osmolality of the product is very low, as opposed to glucose. To put in in simple terms, the parameter determines how long it takes for a particular kind of carbohydrates to be neutralised in the stomach acids. The most important point is what budget we have. If we are looking for the cheapest source of carbohydrates before or after training, let‘s choose maltodextrin or dextrose. If, however, we want to use carbohydrates that seem most effective, the results of research suggest that we should take Vitargo. If we are ready to pay more for a good protein supplement than for cheap, low quality plant proteins, why not focus on the best carbohydrates in our supplementation, accelerating muscle growth and regeneration at the same time?
CONCLUSION
Ketogenic diets work well when you quickly want to lose fatty tissue, but they can also cause muscle loss. Ketogenic diets increase muscle acidity (reduce the pH), which can accelerate proteolysis in the muscle tissue. Training under glycogen deficiency reduces expression of genes responsible for the hypertrophy of muscles. Your trim when doing weight training is limited by a low level of glycogen.
A low level of glycogen activates the AMPK. This is a molecular ingredient of a functional signal transduction pathway, which makes it possible for the skeleton muscle cells to react to the accessibility of nutritive ingredients. Interestingly enough, atrophy related to age and a reduced growth possibility are features typical of quickly contracting skeleton muscles. After a biopsy of muscle tissues, it turns out that the level of AMPK increases with age in the tissue at rest. Furthermore, an increased activity of AMPK is related to the atrophy of quickly contracting muscles. TREC TEAM
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