Avoiding eating much foods in future by small steps

Always people eating what are good in taste and in form don`t seen to benefit and advantage from eat foods . That is because in their minds, they are just enjoying food in abundance because it makes them feel good, especially on an extra bad day. However, those who are aware of its causes and effects want to be vigilant and they don't want it to happen to them so they try to find out how to prevent binge eating.

It's quite easy to steer clear from the path that could lead to unhealthy eating habits or to a psychological disorder driven food trip. But the quickest way on how to avoid binge eating is to become aware of its symptoms and causes. Most eating disorders are stemmed from low self esteem issues that lead to depression and stress. Those who are constantly trying to mould their figures into the superficial standards of the modelling world are usually purging food from their system after wolfing it down in great amounts.

The next thing you can do in order to avoid overeating unhealthy food is to clean your pantry and fridge of the harmful processed food and junk food. These are really bad for the health when taken in excess and when you binge eat, you ingest a lot of junk food because not only is it easy to access (you don't have to cook) but most fast food chains deliver in 30 minutes or less as well. If you get rid of unhealthy food and erase saved telephone numbers of fast food chains, you can instantly save yourself from a bad habit and can help you on how to avoid binge eating in the future.

After getting rid of the junk food, re-stock on the good nutrient-rich food group. You can store organic food or if you really can't avoid a potato chip bag, pick organically grown potatoes and create your own potato chips. If you eliminate the temptation or make them difficult to obtain, you can easily distract yourself from eating.

Another great thing to do in order to learn how to prevent binge eating is to prepare a set of distraction that will be effective enough for you to change your path to the refrigerator. One thing you can do is if you feel the urge to go and grab a snack even if you just ate, you can do physical exercises instead or get out of the house and walk around your block for a few minutes. Do anything that will drive you as far away from food as possible.

How to prevent binge eating can easily be learned if you just arm yourself with the right amount of knowledge and the right type of food to stock up on. You can even go and help a friend or relative by doing the aforementioned tips in their apartment or house.

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Experience Massage Therapist

    What about make your Lexington massage experience a memorable one, there are few things you should take into consideration before you get the massage. The massage therapist you choose in the city should be in a position to answer all the questions you might have before your massage appointment. Luckily, a majority of therapists in Lexington are professionals and have extensive knowledge about massage.

The first thing you should ensure you do before getting your massage is to have a positive attitude towards the massage and avoid looking at it as if it is a useless waste of your time. Massage is a healthy way of keeping the body balanced and therefore it should be given enough allowance.

Since a massage is meant to help your body relax, make enough time to get all you deserve as well as to reap the benefits. It is also important to make sure that you do not get your massage immediately after taking a heavy meal. Scheduling an appointment just after eating could cause you physical discomfort, especially in the digestive system. It is therefore advisable to give the food about 30 minutes to settle to make your session enjoyable.

You should expect your therapist to ask you to drink lots of water after your massage since it is essential in flushing out toxins which is one of the fundamentals of massage. You might also be asked about your medical history to ensure that there is no condition that may hinder you from receiving a massage. If you are not too sure about a current condition, it is advisable to talk to your doctor first to ensure that there are no risks involved.

Lastly, make sure that you show up a few minutes early for your appointment in case there is any paperwork you might need to fill. Before your session begins, you will be required to remove jewelry.

It helps a lot to know what is expected of you and what to expect from your therapist as it will make your massage enjoyable, serving its purpose. Take the chance and enjoy massage therapy lexington ky, Kentucky and see how your life changes after the first session. You will keep going for more and more.

Original article

play aerobics is the best to your stomach

Did you know many people everyday go online, buy products and pay for training on how to lose stomach fat and get flat abs. And usually, they will be prescribed some type of cardio routine.

Now, its always great to see someone finally get off the couch and start getting healthy. But most of the advice they get about cardio routines is completely wrong.

I'm not anti-cardio at all, I'm just anti-traditional cardio.

Iwant to explain you how does get that

There is an old school way of thinking that says, you have to do exercise at 60 to at most 70% intensity for 30 to 60min at a time, 3 to 5 days a week to see true fat loss results.
Most experts call this the fat-burning zone
I'm going to go on a limb here and tell you directly, that this isn't the true fat burning zone.

why that
Our bodies were not designed to perform in a steady-state fashion and in fact, we are the only species that exercises for a certain amount of time, in the same pace.

All of life's activities and sports are designed with variable amounts of stop and go motions. Brief all out exertion, followed by a short break or rest.

Basketball, Volleyball, Hockey, Rugby and Baseball all have those same characteristics.

Now, I don't want to get to sciency on you but a little here, will do you good...
Scientists have linked steady state exercise to many long term health problems...
What happens is the body starts producing more free radicals, which can lead to joint degeneration, more inflammation, muscle waisting and ultimately chronic type diseases.

Sounds great, right?
On the other hand if you exercise in a high intense variable way. Scientists have linked this type of exercise to an anti-inflammatory response, a more efficient nitric oxide response, which leads to a healthier cardiovascular system and we all know that, this leads to a higher metabolic rate.

And a higher metabolic rate will help you lose your stomach fat and finally show off some abs.

Get it?
Here is how you can perform highly variable intense exercise.
I recommend sprinting.
All you have to do is walk and run as fast as you can.

Warm up for about 5min with a fast walk
Interval run for 45 seconds
Interval walk fast 1min 15seconds

And rinse and repeat, until you feel exhausted. I don't recommend going for more than 20min. The effect starts to die down after that.

If you can do more than 20min I recommend that you up the intensity or up the time you are doing the interval run by a couple more seconds.

The key to lose stomach fat and get flat abs is not complicated like most guru's and fitness experts try to make it.

By following a tactic as simple as this, you can start seeing the abs you've always wanted within a short 30 days from now.

How to find time to your exercise

    Most of people looking for slim body and achieve perfect body
 I give you example to not tired by search how to find time to make exercise then why not do it in the comfort of your own home? You can get fit any time you like, whether it be the morning, afternoon, or evening, and do it according to your own schedule. Getting in shape from home is a great thing to do, and one that won't require you to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on gym membership fees. In addition, if your local fitness center is far away from you, you can cut down expenses such as these pesky fees but also save on the 'hidden costs' such as the cost of gas and time traveling back and forth.

Nowadays, there are plenty of home fitness programs being systematically designed to suit all fitness levels, whether you are just starting out after not exercising for years, or whether you are a bit of a fanatic. As you follow these exercise plans accordingly, you can purchase suitable equipment for you to use in your home, design your exercise area, implement your training exercise regiment as you please, and also create logs for tracking of your progress along the way.

When you are involved in getting fit at home, you still need to have effective exercise equipment that is safe for you to use. Your home fitness regime should be effective in helping you stay healthy and achieve your own health goals. It should also be affordable and easy for you to set up. If you think that you do not have any knowledge on choosing the right fitness equipment, you can always consult professionals on what exercise equipment to purchase.

There are two types of categories for home fitness equipments that you can choose from - Aerobic Equipment and Strength Equipment. One of the basic pieces of aerobic equipment is the Treadmill, which is great equipment either for walking or running. It also available in manual models which are much more affordable, the expensive electronic or motorized models as well as the high end types which are using computerized technology. The more expensive the treadmill model, the more features that you can find when using it such as having an adjustable belt speed as well as an 

incline or elevation feature.
Another popular piece of equipment used for aerobic exercise are indoor cycles. There are lots of indoor bicycles available and some of the more expensive models are designed with computerized technology along with pre-programmed rides that will make you feel that you are riding through simulated hills and valleys. There are also graphics that can simulate the effect of thunderstorms, circling blizzards and competitive racing. An added feature is that there is a pulse sensor that able to provide pulse sensor that can monitor your heart rate, calories consumed, pedal speed, elapsed time, current workload, cadence, maximum oxygen uptake and your current fitness level once you have finish the exercise. There is also the moderate mid-range type known as the air-dyne bikes which able to work on your arms as well as your legs, support your back and also provide comfort to the person who use it.

As for the strength equipment, you can choose a quality Roman chair where you can work on the lower back of your behind, hamstrings and glutes. Some models are more adaptable, so you can also work out your abdominals. This equipment is not recommended for those of you who have knee or lower back problems. It should fit into your small area with only a size of at least two-by-five feet.
                                                                                                            Fitness Egypt

Yoga give things to your mind and to your body

    Always in morning we are going to work and we meet many problems in work or in street and in home that is real life and we live a very stressful life which most of the times doesn't allow us the take care of our body and soul. So when we have a moment to spare, we definitely want to make the most out of it. Yoga can be the best solution for both mental and physical relaxation. But there is more to yoga than that. It can also help you stay in shape in a pleasant way.

Tone Your Muscles
Yoga can help you tone your muscles. If jogging is a cardio exercise, yoga is a strength training routine. It doesn't help you lose weight directly. However, toned muscles burn fat easily. There are also some yoga techniques that are more energetic and can make your body lose some pounds. But if you are looking to lose weight you should combine a healthy diet with cardio exercise to burn calories and yoga for toning.

Mens sana in corpore sano
This Latin saying shouldn't be ignored. You cannot stay in shape if your mental shape is not a good one. Yoga is well-known for the fact that it helps both the body and the mind to relax. It can reduce stress and improve your well-being. It also creates a harmony between the mind and the body so you can function excellently as a human being.

Treatment for some health conditions
Yoga is not a cure. But it can help some health conditions like back and joints problems. First of all practicing yoga means making your body more flexible. Some positions simply exercise the ligaments and tendons helping you lose the rigidity of the joints and your whole body in general. It works like a lubricant that takes care of parts of the body no training routine can touch. Most of the times back conditions have as a result the need to eliminate most physical exercise. Yoga can be the best solution to work out, but in a mild and beneficial way.

Yoga has been practiced for centuries simply because it leads one to a psychical and spiritual level no other exercise can. One can practice it almost anywhere, but the best solution would be taking a yoga holiday and forget about all the worries at least for a few days. You would feel like a new person, in a better shape than before and with a positive attitude towards everything that surrounds you.

Training and nutrition in bodybuilding world

When i see this important article i`m said to my self you must people know about lee Labrada says
Putting on muscle is easy if you have the know-how and combine it with hard work. But even if you have the right training program and work hard, staying on course can be challenging at times.

There's a pitfall at every corner of the gym, waiting for both the complacent and the overzealous. In this piece, I have outlined what I believe are the ten most dangerous pitfalls to making progress on your physique. Ignore them at your own peril.

1. Not Training Hard Enough: You may think you're training hard enough, but are you really pushing it on each set? If you're not pushing yourself to the point where you cannot perform another repetition on each set, you're not training hard enough.

In order to stimulate muscle growth, you have to push each muscle group to the point that it fails, i.e., where you cannot perform any additional unassisted repetitions. It is at this point that your brain receives a signal from the muscles indicating that it needs to stimulate additional muscle growth in preparation for the next bout of exercise.

Your goal throughout your workout should be to progressively fatigue the target muscle group more and more with each succeeding set, until you reach point where that muscle group is totally fatigued. This is called training to failure.

Unlike other failures in life, this is a good failure to have because it signals growth. In between sets, you should rest only long enough to catch your breath, which will give your body the ability to cancel the oxygen deficit that builds up during each set. Once you have caught your breath, it's time to go on.

This leaves very little time for chatting with friends in the gym or indulging in other distractions. It should be your goal to get into the gym, get the job done and get out. Do not mistake training hard with training for a long time.

It's not the amount of time you spend in the gym that counts, it's the quantity and quality of the work you put in. Keep the intensity high and keep the growth coming.

2. Training Too Long: If you're spending more than an hour in the gym, you're training too long. The time trap is a common pitfall, especially amongst beginners, who often think that if 30 minutes of exercise is good, 60 minutes will double their results. That is absolutely not the case.

There is an inverse relationship between intensity and workout duration. In other words, you can train hard for a brief amount of time, or you can train with sub maximal effort for a long amount of time, but you can't both train hard and train long.

Staying in the gym too long leads to poor results. In the best-case scenario, your workouts will be ineffectual, because you never truly reach the point at which your muscles are fatigued. A workout comprised of a series of less than maximal sets will do little to stimulate further progress.

In the worst-case scenario, you end up over-trained. That means you end up doing much more than your body can recover from, and hence, your progress takes a beating. A good rule of thumb is to train intensely, limiting the work out for each muscle group to 20-30 minutes. Get in the gym, get the job done, and get out.

3. Eating Too Much: In the old days we were told to train hard and then eat as much of meat, potatoes, milk, eggs and other high calorie foods as we could, but in retrospect, this only addressed the caloric part of the nutrition equation.

Focusing solely on calories doesn't address other very important nutritional factors like macronutrient ratios at each meal and meal frequency throughout the day. Yes, you need to consume more calories than you're burning off on any given day.

After all, a small surplus of calories is necessary for growth. But additionally, the macronutrient profile of each your meals needs to stay within a specific range; I prefer a diet that is 50% complex carbohydrates 30% protein and 20% fat by calories when I am trying to put on muscular size.

All too often, the "all you can eat mentality" that is adopted by those eager for muscle size destroys well laid plans. Eating too much at one meal overtaxes your digestive system, making it difficult for you to be hungry when it's time to eat again three hours later.

Meal frequency is more important than pigging out. Every serious bodybuilder needs to consume 5 to 6 small meals during the day. If you act like a human waste disposal at each meal, your appetite is going to be destroyed when it comes time to eat again 3 hours later. So eating indiscriminately can hurt your progress. Eating the right things is important.

I start out every day with Lean Body Breakfast MRP, which supplies me with 40 grams of protein, 35 grams of complex carbs, 7 grams of fiber and EFA's. Then throughout the day I will eat a well rounded diet consisting of 5-6 small meals that contain at least 40 grams of protein, plus lots of complex carbs, fruits and vegetables.

4. Not Resting Enough: Too much of a good thing can hurt you. Training is wonderful, but you have to be able to recover from it. You must rest at least 72 hours in between large body parts and at least 48 hours in between small body parts to fully recover. Many seasoned professionals won't train a body part more than once per week.

When you are expending maximal effort in the gym, i.e. you're training as hard as possible with very heavy weights, it taxes your body tremendously. Remember that it is outside of the gym, while you are resting that your muscles are actually growing. Rest time must not be underestimated.

Quality sleep is important; research shows that we actually need more sleep than we think. 8-9 hours for a growing bodybuilder is a minimum.

If you are a hard gainer, or you have a fast metabolism, you should limit your extracurricular activities outside of the gym.

Working out and then participating in highly energy intensive activities such as playing basketball, football, etc. several times per week will actually increase the recuperative time needed in between workouts, not to mention increasing nutritional needs. Keep these things in mind as you are trying to put on muscular weight.

5. Not Sticking To Basic Exercises: In bodybuilding, the steady ship wins the race. Stick to basic heavy exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and military presses as the foundation of your training at all times. These exercises are compound movements which incorporate the use of more than one joint and several large muscle groups. They have the most profound effect on muscle growth by taxing the maximal number of muscle fibers in the major muscle groups.

Many beginning bodybuilders lose sight of the fact that it takes time to gain muscle. When muscle gains don't come as fast as they would like, or the first time they hit a plateau, they think about changing basic exercises. Many will look to the pro's programs featured in muscle magazines for ideas. This leads them to discard time-proven basic exercises.

What most fail to realize is that the professionals featured in magazines have built the bulk of their physiques using basic exercises and that the exercises presented in their magazine workouts are advanced and used for shaping and polishing their physiques.

These finishing exercises do not do as much as the basic exercises in promoting muscular bulk, so if you want to grow stick to basics. Leave the shaping exercises to advanced bodybuilders and pro's.

6. Lack Of Motivation: In order to succeed, you must be a person who is able to perform hard work repeatedly over a long period of time. Persistence is one virtue that bodybuilding has taught me over the years. You must have something that "fires you up" and gets you into the gym.

You must clearly define your purpose for being in the gym and expending the hard work in the first place. And let's face it, the diet needed to support your workouts is not easy either. It requires a commitment of discipline, time, energy and effort. Motivation can be built, just like a muscle. But it requires a crystal clear idea of why you are doing this in the first place and constant reinforcement of that idea.

7. Not Setting Goals And Timelines: It is all too easy to fall into a routine. Over the long run, routines can be beneficial, but they can also be self defeating if you fall into the habit of just "going through the motions."

To keep yourself positively motivated in the gym you should always have a goal in mind whether that is an extra half-inch on your arms, getting into the best shape of your life for an upcoming competition. It is important not only to set goals but to also to put time lines on them.

In other words, you might give yourself a timeline of 8 weeks to attain that half inch you want on your arms. Once you have a goal and a timeline, you can positively motivate yourself to reach it. You become a man on a mission, so to speak, and all of your efforts take on new meaning. Always have a goal and a timeline in mind when you go into the gym to train.

8. Not Competing: Not everybody wants to become a competitive bodybuilder. Competing bodybuilders are those who enter bodybuilding competitions such as those sanctioned by the NPC around the country. But there are other ways of competing that don't involve stepping onto the posing dais.

You should compete against yourself at least once per year. But if not on the contest stage, then how do you compete against yourself? Quite simply, set a 10-12 week timeline to get into the best condition possible.

During this time, commit to restricting your calories and increasing your aerobic activities and training to shed excess body fat, just like you would if you were competing against others in a bodybuilding show. Take before pictures and after pictures.

The best time of the year to do this is in the spring after a heavy fall and winter phase of mass building. It is my experience that I have become a better bodybuilder after each of my competition periods. Why? Because "cutting up" does several things for you:

First, it gives your digestive system a break from all of the extra calories during the year. This makes it more efficient, so that when you do start increasing your calories again, your absorption of nutrients is improved.

Secondly, dieting down combined with hard training results in the release of growth hormone, which helps the physique to grow again in the post diet phase.

Third, muscle quality improves. Most pre-contest training consists of higher repetitions and more sets, which contributes to muscle quality, i.e., muscularity, vascularity, and separation. Most importantly, competing gives you a clear idea of just how good your physique truly is, and helps you identify weak points and strong points.

If you want a forum to help you compete against yourself, enter the 12 week Lean Body Challenge by visiting www.leanbodycoach.com and signing up for my free weekly on-line newsletter. I will help you.

9. Skipping Workouts: If you want to grow, consistency is the key. Your system is a biological organism, and as such, it needs stimulation at regular intervals. For maximum progress, you must keep a regular schedule. Skipping workouts just retards progress, and at the very best is a step backwards.

Now, every so often I will either skip a workout or do a lighter workout intentionally if I'm feeling that my body is not completely recovered. However, skipping multiple workouts for no reason other than it didn't fit in your schedule or you just didn't feel like it is a losing proposition.

This sets you up for failure both physically and mentally. Physically because you won't see the progress you desire and mentally because it creates a bad habit. Stay consistent with your workouts and you will enjoy the best results.

10. Failing To Expand Your Horizons: This is a pitfall that primarily plagues bodybuilders who are well advanced in the number of training years. What happens is that these advanced bodybuilders get set in their ways and develop hard and fast habits, which are hard to break.

Most of these advanced bodybuilders are so sure that what they're doing is right and that their way of training is the only way of training that they fail to expand their horizons by trying new things. New techniques should be incorporated from time to time. By trying out new things, you can break out of training plateaus and enjoy new muscle growth.

While it's important to keep your base of fundamental exercise, it is also important to try new things to jar muscle growth. It is also important to use a variety of exercises both to round out your physique and keep your workouts fresh. Keeping your bodybuilding workouts fresh not only helps you to develop more muscle in but also keeps the workouts interesting, an important factor in keeping your motivation high.

Bodybuilding is a journey. It takes time to do it right and learning how to identify and avoid these common pitfalls can speed you along your way. Take stock of your workout, nutrition and rest habits today and challenge yourself to improve. By doing so you can bet that you will improve your physique.


                                                                                                                                         For more

Chris Aceto coached Troy Alves for 2005 Ironman

some of contest prep is luck. Really. This year I coached Troy alves to his 3rd place showing at the pro Ironman. I expected him to look good. Very good. But the stars lined up perfectly for Troy, cause he ended up looking crazy. This is what he did - diet wise - to get there.
I remember seeing pictures a few years ago at Milos Sarcev’s gym in Temecula California. On the wall, there was a photograph of Milos along with Dennis James and Troy Alves. Although I had never seen either Dennis or Troy in person, I recall being very impressed with Troy’s physique, who was still ranked as an amateur. His shoulders appeared to be extremely square, his pecs full and his triceps had a Shawn Ray look about them when he hit a crunch or most muscular shot. And although he was wearing a tank top, it was easy to see Troy had a very small midsection. In the age of huge guts, this was not only a surprise but really refreshing to see.
A few years later in 2003, Jay Cutler and I were on the European tour where Jay was coming off a second place finish at the Mr Olympia and Troy a very good eighth place finish. Both Jay and Troy lost their conditioning a little while on the tour – a collection of three back to back contests in as many days. Jay was still able to win a couple of the shows due to his shear size. When he’s off a little, he can still appears to be hard and defined. That’s part of the illusion of being truly huge. When a really large physique is cut, it appears to be ripped and when it is ripped, it appears diced. With a smaller physique – someone like Troy – he has to be spot on to look spot “on.” Otherwise, he’ll just get lost among larger physiques. That’s sort of what happened on the tour in 2003 where Troy was beaten by lesser known “name” physiques. The judges tend to like “big” and when the non-mass monsters are not diced, they lose nearly every time to the larger athlete.

The next time I heard of Troy was previous to the 2004 GNC Show of Strength where I was providing advice to Victor Martinez. The folks at FLEX magazine had told me Troy had improved a lot upon which I said, “So had Victor” For that show, Victor simply out muscled everyone and brought to the stage really good conditioning. Troy, was bigger, and was in good shape, it just appeared that Victor was a much bigger version of Troy. Both have good lines and good condition. It’s just that Vic is hard to beat when he’s in very good condition. Still, Troy looked impressive. One thing that probably held him back was his gluteus and hamstrings. Vic and second place finisher Darrem Charles were extremely hard in those areas which made Troy – who was pretty hard there – look soft.

At the 2004 Olympia, I barely paid attention to the calls outside of the two guys I was helping - Jay and Victor. But, I understand Troy was overlooked and should have been placed much higher than 15th. I’m just speculating; but with the emphasis being put so heavily on “conditioning” I suspect the judges didn’t give Troy much of a serious look after he turned to the back. When the glutes and hamstrings are hard on any competitor, they tend to get a serious look and when they are soft; forget about it. The judges are quick to mark him down and place him low.

After the Olympia, Troy had called me a few times to see if I would be interested in helping him prepare for the Ironman competition about three months away. I was. However, I know helping someone takes a lot of time and effort and I was not sure I would be able to commit to that - to give him what he really needed. Of course, it’s easy to say “Troy you just have to come in ripped and big”, but figuring out how to get there, to accomplish that is a whole different matter. Diet wise, do you try high carbs with low fat, low carbs with lots of protein or do you incorporate tons of cardio exercise hoping the extra calorie burn will melt off fat – and hopefully not melt away valuable muscle mass. We decided to go for it and at 9 weeks, Troy sent me pictures weighing 229 pounds. He looked good for 229, not huge, not cut, sort of a gray area in between the two. I think the speed and rate at which Troy’s body changed surprised both of us. My idea was to try to use the first three weeks to grow; to focus on training hard with plenty of carbs for energy.. Therefore, I put together a mixed diet comprised of roughly a little more carbohydrates then protein. A typical day looked like this, which I call menu A

Menu A

Meal 1
8 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal or medium bowl cream of wheat

Meal 2
40 grams whey protein
1 small bagel

train

Meal 3
40 grams whey protein or 8 oz chicken
2 cups rice

Meal 4
6-7 oz turkey breast
1 cup rice

Meal 5
6 oz chicken
1 cup rice

Meal 6
45 grams whey protein

Troy’s weight increased to 231, sometimes – depending on how much water he carried- he’d drop down to 227. But, surprising to me, he actually hardened up, dropping body fat. I expected him to look bigger and maybe retain the same level of condition, but I did not expect him to actually harden up. While a surprise, it was a very pleasant surprise because I knew he would be able to get really ripped.

At week 6, I started having Troy drop his carbohydrates a little to facilitate the burning of fat. The menu changed to this, which I call Menu B

Menu B

Meal 1
8 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal or medium bowl cream of wheat

Meal 2
40 grams whey protein
1 small bagel

train

Meal 3
40 grams whey protein or 8 oz chicken
2 cups rice

Meal 4
6-7 oz turkey breast
1 cup of vegetables

Meal 5
6 oz chicken
medium salad with no carb dressing

Meal 6
8-9 ounces chicken breast
1-2 cups of vegetables

He also started performing 3 to 4 very hard 20 minutes sessions a week, first thing out of bed, with no food. I like hard cardio to boost the metabolism where the bodybuilder works as hard as possible, usually with intervals where he can work hard for 3 minutes then easy for 1-2 minutes. This type of cardio training burns more calories then lower intensity work and it seems to boost the metabolic rate more so in bodybuilder who is already pretty lean. Since Troy was already lean, it worked especially good for him. A lot of bodybuilders ask me about cardio; when it’s the best time to do it and the answer is always the same; in the morning without eating. With a lack of food in the body, the prevailing hormones that kick into play immediately upon aerobic exercise are catecholamines and glucagon. Catecholamines are tiny messengers released from the adrenal glands that are dumped into the blood with exercise. Their job is to target fat cells helping them to “open up” allowing fat to be liberated and burned as fuel. However, when you eat food, specifically carbohydrates, catecholamines become less effective at doing what you want them to do – help breakdown body fat. Glucagon is the second fat burning stimulus that increases upon exercise especially when there is a lack of food in the body. Glucagon is a major player in fat burning as it helps kick start the entire fat burning process. Glucagon helps tear down fat cells and upgrade the enzymes that use body fat as energy. Specifically, glucagon supports the production of hormone sensitive lipase, (HSL) a gatekeeper on fat cells that helps determine the flow of fat. When HSL is active, it allows more fatty acids from body fat to flow into the blood where they can be burned as fuel. On the other hand, when HSL falls, the flow of fatty acids out of fat cells becomes greatly impaired.

To be honest, things more or less fell in place for Troy; he continued to get harder and never loss any muscle fullness. That’s not always the case with most bodybuilders. They often flatten out which can give the scary appearance of looking fat. When muscles flatten, they just look deflated which creates the illusion of being soft and out of shape. This often leads to “panic” where the body builder goes overboard and eats radically less food or does more cardio in hopes of getting harder. Each week, Troy not only got more ripped but appeared to be getting bigger looking. At week 4 and 3 weeks out from the show, I had Troy take one day a week and increase his carbs to nearly twice what he was eating when starting the diet. His menu – just once a week changed to this, which I call Menu C

Menu C

Meal 1
8 egg whites
1 ½ cups oatmeal or large bowl cream of wheat
1 banana

Meal 2
40 grams whey protein
1 1/2 bagel with a little jam or jelly

train

Meal 3
40 grams whey protein or 8 oz chicken
3 cups rice

Meal 4
6-7 oz turkey breast
2 cup rice

Meal 5
6 oz chicken
1 cup rice

Meal 6
45 grams whey protein

Eating more carbs can boost the metabolism when a bodybuilder is extremely lean. However, a lot of bodybuilders fall for the trap of increasing carbs when they don’t really need them – when they have yet to burn away sufficient body fat. When you eat a lot of carbohydrates when you are lean, the body uses those extra carbohydrates to help stay in an anabolic state, something it struggles to maintain when shedding excess body fat. However, eating lots of extra carbs when you haven’t already burned away as much body fat as possible often slows the fat burning process. That’s one reason I don’t subscribe to the “cheat day” many bodybuilders follow; where they take one day a week during the dieting process and eat anything they want. In the long run, cheat days usually result in a softer physique, unless used carefully and implemented sporadically when the body has significantly leaned down and shed the vast majority of its body fat stores. At week 4, Troy was really lean and the extra carbohydrates were probably a big reason he came in fuller then in past competitions. After a single very high carb day, Troy would return to a diet plan that alternating both menus. He’ would follow the menu A for 3 days and then Menu B for approximately three days, then eat the high carbohydrate menu C listed above on the last day of the week.. Cardio wise: I had him on very little. He would do easy sessions twice a week; usually very easy exercise like walking outside for 40 minutes or walking on a treadmill- no incline and no speed. Where as the shorter very high intensity sessions were previously used to help kick up the metabolic rate and burn more calories, these two long, slow and easier sessions were simply used to keep the body burning fat- without tiring the body out. That is one of the intangibles of contest preparation. Yes getting ready for a major competition is a lot of work and one should expect to become tired and fatigued, but as the show ears, the bodybuilder should be extra careful not to go overboard and severely fatigue the body with heavy cardio, hard cardio or extreme dieting. The reason; the lower body fat levels fall, the more vulnerable the hormone system becomes. As body fat declines, testosterone levels struggle to remain elevated. When testosterone levels start to go down, growth hormone also starts to drop and fat supporting estrogen levels rise. For this reason, I try to put in the heavier cardio and the heavier dieting – complete with no cheat days – earlier in the dieting period where the body is well rested. That’s when it can handle more stress such as continuous low carb and low calories days coupled with very hard cardio sessions. When the competition gets closer, I try to drop out higher intensity cardio sessions for lower intensity sessions.

Last Week

One of the most important aspects in getting someone ready for a competition is this: Never try to use a diet and cardio plan that may have worked for one bodybuilder and give it to another. It wont work. Everybody is different. In fact, I usually stress that a diet and cardio plan that may have successfully worked one year may not work in another year. Not only are individual bodybuilders often very different but the same bodybuilder’s body can change from year to year. One year, things just fall right into place while in other years the same bodybuilder might have a much harder time getting cut up and will need more cardio and a stricter diet then ever before. The same idea holds true with the final week preparations. I did not have anything concrete in mind when I flew out to Troy’s house the week previous to the Ironman. On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, I had him follow this menu

Meal 1
8 egg whites
½ cup oatmeal

Meal 2
40 grams whey protein

train

Meal 3
40 grams whey protein or 8 oz chicken
½ small bagel

Meal 4
10 oz chicken

Meal 5
9 oz chicken
large salad

Meal 6
45 grams whey protein

While he was on this diet, I went to the gym with him and Idrise Ward-El every day (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday) and had them perform a full body workout where they did one or two exercises per bodypart. The purpose was to get rid of as much stored muscle glycogen as possible. After 3 days, Troy was fairly weak- flat, but in the whole scope of things fuller or bigger looking then he had ever been. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I had him follow a higher carbohydrate menu to re-fill his muscles with glycogen resulting in better definition. The menu he used from Wednesday on looked like this

Meal 1
8 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal

Meal 2
40 grams whey protein
2 cups rice or 1 large yam

Meal 3
6 oz chicken or steak
1 ½ cups rice

Meal 4
6 oz chicken or steak
1 medium yam or potato

Meal 5
6 oz chicken
2 slices sodium free bread

Meal 6
45 grams whey protein

Troy was drinking about a gallon of water during his depleting process – on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and reduced that to ¾ of a gallon on Wednesday and Thursday with ½ a gallon on Friday. He weighed in at 221 and the stars all lined up that day. Though he did not win the show, he was arguably a strong candidate to win it. I don’t think a lot of people who saw the show would have complained had he won.

How to Shin Splints Treatment

Shin Splints Treatment

Causes and how to deal with him

Have you been experiencing pain in your lower legs while running? If your answer is in affirmative, then you might be suffering from shin splints. Shin splints is one of the most common overuse injuries that generally affect runners. Shin bone is one of the weight bearing bones located in the lower leg. In medical terminology, shin bone and shin splints are referred to as tibia and medial tibial stress syndrome respectively. Many a time, strenuous physical activities can be responsible for the onset of shin splints. People who engage in physical activities such as running and jogging, sprinting or other exercises without a warm up session are more likely to suffer from this condition. If you have been experiencing pain or throbbing in your shins, you must consult a doctor for shin splints treatment. You can also try some home remedies to alleviate the symptoms of shin splints. Before I tell you more about running shin splints treatment, let me give you some information on the causes and symptoms of shin splints.

Shin Splints: Causes and Symptoms

As I mentioned earlier, shin splints are commonly seen in runners. If you have recently started jogging or running, you are most likely to suffer from lower leg pain. This injury is also likely to occur in athletes who have resumed training after some time. Running on an uneven surface or intensifying one's training might also result in shin splints. In case of inexperienced runners, poor running mechanics is generally responsible for causing anterior shin splints, which is injury to the muscles in the front of the leg. Frequent downhill running, running on hard surfaces or indulging in sports or physical activities that involve rapid starts and stops are the common causes of anterior shin splints. When the inside part of the leg along the tibia gets inflamed, one is said to suffer from posterior shin splints. Generally this type of shin splints is caused due to muscle imbalances. Problems associated with the tendons in the posterior compartment can be responsible for this condition. People with high arches are more susceptible to posterior shin splints.

The pain due to shin splints can be experienced anywhere from the knee to the ankle. It is generally felt due to the inflammation of the tendon sheath that surrounds the shin bone. One of the most common shin splints symptoms is sharp pain in the lower legs. The pain is the maximum at the beginning of training session or running, but the intensity reduces after some time. However, one is likely to experience pain after the completion of the workout session also. Sometimes, lower leg pain might be accompanied by swelling as well. If left untreated, this lower leg pain might become constant. Now that you know what causes shin splints, let me move on to shin splints treatment.




ShinSplints Treatment:

Wondering how to get rid of shin splints? If you have been experiencing pain in the lower leg, you must consult a doctor soon. It's best to get an X-ray so as to rule out the possibility of tibia or fibula stress fracture. As is the case with muscle sprains and sprains, taking rest is one of the most important aspects of shin splints treatment. Compression is equally important for alleviating the symptoms of shin splints. Using a good quality compression wrap for taping shin splints will help in absorbing the stress and provide the much-needed support. As far as anterior shin splints treatment is concerned, the compression wrap must be placed higher up the leg. Since compression wrap must be placed over the soft tissue that is adjacent to the injury area, for posterior shin splints treatment, the wrap will be applied a little lower. Applying ice packs will also help, but make sure that you don't put ice directly on the affected area. Wrap the ice in a clean cloth and then apply it for 15 minutes. Keeping the leg elevated will also prove beneficial in shin splints treatment. Doctors might also prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs to provide relief from pain.

Shin splints massage treatment also works wonders. Massage therapy can help in alleviating the symptoms to a great extent. Once your doctor gives you a green signal, you can start with your training sessions, but if you often suffer from this condition, it's best to change your running shoes. Buy the ones that have nice cushioning and are effective at shock absorption. This is one of the best tips for avoiding shin splints. Use of orthotic support might also be suggested. Once the injury has healed, you could move on to the other part of shin splints treatment. Stretches for shin splints can surely help in treating shin splints and will also help in preventing them in future to a great extent. If you want to know how to heal shin splints, you must find out more about exercises to strengthen the shin splints. Make sure that you start your training sessions with warm up exercise always.

This was all about shin splints cure. If you have recently started running or jogging, you are more likely to suffer from shin splints. So, if you have been experiencing any of the symptoms given above, consult a doctor soon. If the pain is caused due to shin splints, follow the advice of your doctor regarding effective shin splints treatment options

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Chinese supplements and the position in market

Many people now going to buy Chinese Supplements that you found it in market densely and people find it cheaper than best Supplements
and must Know Facts About Chinese Supplements
Chinese supplements continue to inspire a great deal of curiosity among researchers and the public alike. The fascination is based on the fact much of Chinese culture was initially steeped in mystery. Now, much more information is available on the wonders of this centuries old form of medicine.
Many people have questions about Chinese supplements and herbs in general. While such products are often heavily marketed, there is still much misinformation about the herbs themselves. Not much is known about their preparation, effectiveness and safety.

Increased interest in natural products as a route to a healthier lifestyle has led more companies to become involved in providing herbs. This means that consumers have to be careful in selecting their provider of such supplements.

Research on Chinese Supplements

Not just individual consumers are interested in the healing powers of natural supplements. University researchers and drug companies are interested in why they have survived unchanged for hundreds of years. The chief interest is the ability of these supplements to promote good health and a sense of well-being.
Many researchers hope to exploit these natural sources for the development of new drugs. Many agree that the clinical applications of Chinese supplements have yet to be fully understood.

A number of Chinese supplements show promise in treating serious illnesses. In fact, some of these herbs have been used successfully to treat a wide variety of conditions. Some of these conditions range from the common cold to potentially life threatening illnesses.

Their easy accessibility means that they offer a cheaper option to people who want to take control of their health. Conditions which have been effectively treated by these herbs include:

- Skin conditions such as acne and chronic itchiness
- Respiratory illnesses like asthma
- Allergies
- Chronic pain
- Stomach problems
- Infertility
- Depression and other mental health issues
- Insomnia

These represent a small number of the conditions being treated by the use of Chinese supplements. They have also been shown to improve cognitive function. Some users report that these herbs also ease the pain associated with inflammation of the muscles and joints.

The Philosophy of Herbs in China

The use of herbs in that country has to do with more than curing illness. One of its most basic functions is to restore and maintain the balance of both mind and body. This philosophy has existed since the origin of the study of herbs.

Individuals more familiar with the straightforward approach of Western medicine may find the Oriental philosophy somewhat complex. Practitioners approach every illness from a standpoint of restoring the body’s balance. As such every condition is linked to a particular organ and using the right herb can restore its health.

Chinese supplements are generally split into three categories, the four natures, the five tastes and the meridians. The natures have to do with achieving balance.

The tastes are based on the idea that a certain flavor is linked to particular conditions. The meridians deal with specific organs and therefore any illnesses associated with them.

The Safety of Chinese Supplements

As with synthetic drugs, safety is always a concern. One important consideration is the proper dosages. This underscores the importance of having the correct information before using these or any supplements.

Chinese herbs have far fewer side effects than medications widely used today. They are for the most part well tolerated and often play a big role in restoring organ function.

The Issue of Efficacy

It is difficult to discount medicinal practices that date back hundreds of years. Currently, these herbs are being grown in other regions such as North America. Not surprisingly this has sparked debate as to the effectiveness of Chinese supplements produced outside of the country.

For individuals contemplating the use of Chinese supplements it makes sense to gather information before using. They should be purchased only from reputable companies. The dosage instructions must be followed exactly for the best results.

As they have in the past, Chinese supplements continue to have a positive effect on health. The best thing among them is that there is something for everyone regardless of gender and age

Gaining muscle speed in beginning of bodybuilding

    Many question most often asked by those who are just getting started in bodybuilding, especially those who are teenagers and have very thin body, is which supplements are best for gaining weight quickly and for bulking up. Assuming that all of the rules that are presented in my Weight Gain And Bulking Up Rules For The Natural Bodybuilder article, are being followed, then the supplements presented below will be of great help to those who are looking to gain weight and bulk up as quickly as possible.
The perfect way
Weight gainers are protein shakes whose protein source consists mainly of whey proteins (mostly concentrate with some isolate as well). Some also include other proteins such as milk proteins and/or egg. These products have a high carbohydrate content; typically in the form of maltodextrin (a high glycemic complex carb) and fructose (simple sugar originating from fruits). For gaining weight they are very useful since they help you get in the amount of quality calories required to gain quality muscle.

2. Spectrum Flaxseed Oil
Flaxseed oil is a polyunsaturated oil that is high in the Omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFAs); one of the two essential fats that the body needs. “Essential” means that the body cannot produce it on its own and therefore must be obtained from diet. The other kind of EFAs the body needs are the Omega-6 oils. Flax oil is high on the Omega 3, which help improve immune system, energy production, insulin sensitivity, and hormonal production. In addition, 1 TBSP of Flax Oil adds 120 calories, which are useful for weight gain.
3. Multi Vitamin and Mineral Pak
Essential to insure that our body will operate at maximum efficiency. Why? Because on a very simplistic level, without vitamins and minerals it would be impossible to covert the food that we eat into hormones, tissues and energy. Vitamins enhance the actions of proteins that cause chemical reactions such as muscle building, fat burning and energy production. Minerals assure your brain receives the correct signals from the body, balance of fluids, muscular contractions and energy production as well as for the building of muscle and bones.
4. Creatine
Creatine is a metabolite produced in the body composed of three amino acids: l-methionine, l-arginine and l-glycine. Once it reaches the muscles, it is converted into phosphocreatine (creatine phosphate), which is then used to regenerate the muscles' ultimate energy source, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) thus allowing for more repetitions at any given weight. Also, creatine increases lean body mass by pushing water inside the muscle cell and enlarging it. Best of all, these effects can be seen in as little as two weeks!
5. Glutamine
L-Glutamine the most abundant amino acid in muscle cells. It is released from the muscle during times of stress (such as hard weight training workouts) and dieting. This amino acid not only has been shown to be a great anti-catabolic agent (protects the muscle from the catabolic activities of the hormone cortisol), and to have immune system enhancing properties, but it also speeds up recuperation and helps to increase muscle volume.
6. Liver Tablets
These tablets are a great source of beef liver and bodybuilders have been using them for decades in order to obtain the values offered by beef proteins. The key thing for liver tablets to be useful is that they need to be manufactured with the highest grade of beef liver and they also need to be purified from the fat, cholesterol and other impurities that are contained in the liver. I like Beverly International’s Ultra 40 because they contain the highest grade of beef liver and have been purified and processed to contain forty-five times the nutritional amount of whole beef liver.
7. Testosterone Boosting Supplements
These are the type of supplements that you can take if you plan to compete, if you have the budget to try them, and only if you are older than 25 when the hormonal production begins to decline. Teenagers, in my opinion, should stay away from any supplement that has an effect on hormonal levels as there is no need to upset a teens delicate hormonal balance. Besides, teenagers produce approximately the equivalent of a 300 mg shot of testosterone per week anyway so there is no need to attempt to increase the production of testosterone in a system that is already producing at peak levels.
 

Make stretch with enough daily wiggle room for comfort

After any things are said and done, my best training routine is based on a seven-day week, three on, one off, two on, one off, reaching a six-week stretch with enough daily wiggle room for comfort.

DAILY
MID SECTION/TORSO
Variation of crunches, incline and weighted, leg raises, hyperextensions, hanging leg raises

MONDAY CHEST & SHOULDERS & BACK

Seated Front Press (3-5x12, 10, 8, 8, 6)
tri-setted with
Wide Grip Pulldowns (3-5x12, 10, 8, 8, 8)
and
Standing Bentover Lateral Raises (3-5x6-8)

Dumbbell Press (4-5x12, 10, 8, 8, 6)
tri-setted with
Dumbbell Pullovers (4-5x12, 10, 8, 8, 6)
and
Seated Lat Row (4-5x12, 10, 8, 8, 6)

TUESDAY
LEGS

Leg Extensions (3-5x10-12)
tri-setted with
Leg Curls (3-5x8-12)
and
Calf Raises (3-5x15-20)

Squats (5-7x15, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 6)

Deadlifts (5x10, 8, 6, 6, 6)

WEDNESDAY

ARMS

Rubber tubing rotator cuff work, 5 sets x 20-25 adductor, 5x abductor

Wrist Curls (3-5x20, 15, 15, 15, 15)
tri-setted with
Thumbs Up curl (3-5x10, 8, 8, 8, 6)
and
Pulley Pushdowns (3-5x12-15)

Bent Bar Curls (3-5x6-8)
supersetted with
Dips (3-5x12-15)

Dumbbell Alternate Curls (3-5x6-8)
supersetted with
Overhead or Lying Triceps Extensions (3-5x12, 10, 8, 8, 8)

THURSDAY
OFF

FRIDAY

UPPER BODY

Seated Front Press (4x12, 10, 8, 6)
supersetted with
Pulldowns (4x12, 10, 8, 6)

Dumbbell Inclines (4x12, 10, 8, 6)
supersetted with
Pullovers (4x12, 10, 8, 6)

Dumbbell Rows (4x8)

Dumbbell Alternate Curls (4x12, 10, 8, 6)
tri-setted with
Dips (4xMax)
and

Pulley Pushdowns (4x12)

SATURDAY
LEGS

Same as earlier leg day

Light Deadlifts (5x8)
supersetted with

Rope Tucks (5x25)

Ideal conditions are for an Ideal World. Still, sticking to the prescribed plan laid out by these orderly routines is very desirable. The body will respond to the consistent overload, the chemistry of the system (hormones, enzymes, metabolism, immune system) becomes more defined and healthier, and your psychological health and mental toughness improves big time. You're invested. You're cleaning out the attic and the junk in the trunk.

Bodybuilding And fitness Training - Fortify Shoulder Problems

   In The first thing you need to do is stretch the muscles you are about to train. Make sure you have warmed up for a good five minutes on the bike or treadmill before you start stretching. This will help you acquire greater flexibility. You already know stretching is important so just do it. You don't need any equipment for this stretch. You can do it one arm at a time or with both arms at the same time. Extend your arms out from the torso at a right angle. Now bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Place your forearms on the frame of the doorway and lean forward. You will feel the stretch in your pecs and the back of your shoulders. Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds. Next I want you to hang from a pull up bar for 20-30 seconds. This isn't a grip strength test so no you don't have to hang on for the full 30 seconds.

Grab an EZ Curl bar and perform a wide grip upright row until the bar is a few inches below your collar bone. Now keep your elbows stationary while you externally rotate the bar as if you were trying to tap your forehead. Next you will press the bar overhead. Lower the weight along the same plane and repeat for ten reps. You will not be able to use the same weight you use for standard overhead presses due to the external rotation. This exercise won't build your ego right now, but you'll be thanking me when your bench press increases.


Cable External Rotation

VIDEO - Cable External Rotation

Raise the pulley until it is even with your elbow. You'll be standing sideways next to the weight stack so if your right hand is holding the handle, your left foot should be closest to the weight stack. Grasp the cable attachment with your far arm while keeping your elbow close to your side and forearm across your stomach. Your palm should be facing in. Pull cable attachment away from body by externally rotating your shoulder. Return and repeat. Turn around and continue with opposite arm.

Cable Internal Rotation

VIDEO - Cable Internal Rotation

Again raise the pulley until it is even with elbow. You'll be standing sideways next to the weight stack but this time if your right hand is holding the handle your right foot should be closest to the weight stack. Grasp the cable attachment with the closest arm. Keep your elbow close to your side with your palm facing in. Pull the cable attachment across your body by internally rotating your shoulder. Return and repeat. Turn around and continue with opposite arm.

90-Degree Dumbbell External Rotation

VIDEO - 90-Degree Dumbbell External Rotation

To finish off the infraspinatus, hold a dumbbell in each hand, and perform a lateral raise to 90-degrees while keeping the elbows bent at 90-degrees. Once your upper arms are parallel to the floor, externally rotate your arm so that your forearms are perpendicular to the floor. It will look like starting point of a dumbbell military press. Now lower and repeat. Remember to use light weight. The infraspinatus is a tiny muscle so it can't handle a heavy load. The shoulder horn is a great piece of equipment that keeps your arms in place while you perform this motion.

Do three sets of ten repetitions for each exercise. Perform the routine once a week in conjunction with your current workout. This is important so listen up. The last thing you want to do is pre-exhaust your rotator cuff before training the bench press. Never do this workout prior to a heavy bench press or shoulders session or you run an even greater risk of aggravating the area. You can give these exercises a try at the end of your workout, but be sure you always give your rotator cuff muscles 48-hours rest after a workout before training chest or shoulders.

You Should know:
The muscles of the rotator cuff are very small. Even if you're pushing five bills on the bench press you'll still be using five-pound dumbbells for many rotator cuff exercises. So leave your ego at the door!

Avoid lat pulldowns and military presses behind the head as they place the shoulder in a poor biomechanical position which enourages impingement.

Training your rotator cuff muscles can help you avoid pain, prevent future injuries, and fix muscular imbalances.

It's not uncommon for a trainee to add 20+ pounds to their bench press simply by strengthening the rotator cuff muscles.

Never perform a rotator cuff routine prior to bench pressing or overhead pressing movements.

If you feel serious pain in your shoulder it may be too late. Go see a sports medicine physician.

We all know people who were really into bodybuilding/powerlifting and looked forward to bench pressing only to eventually drop out after a few years of hardcore training. Why? In many cases nagging injuries especially those of the shoulder, simply took the fun out of it. This doesn't have to happen to you so you're ahead of the game. The best thing you can do to keep your shoulders healthy, and make sure your bench press continues to improve is strengthen your rotator cuff muscles so that they will never be your weakest link! After all your bench press will be going nowhere fast if you're injured. Pick up the girlie weights for a few sets once a week so you'll experience a bench press blastoff instead of a bench press blowout.

Thyroid gland and its importance in terms of secretion of the fitness

  Your thyroid gland secretes two hormones that are going to be of primary importance in understanding Thyroid/GH interaction. The first is thyroxine (T4) and the second is triiodothyronine (T3). T3 is frequently considered the physiologically active hormone, and consequently the one on which most athletes and bodybuilders focus their energies on. T4, on the other hand, is converted in peripheral tissue into T3 by the enzymes in the deiodinase group, of which there are three types- the three iodothyronine deiodinase either catalyze the initiation (D1, D2) or termination (D3) of thyroid hormone effects. The majority of the body's T3 (about 80%) comes from this conversion via the first two types of deiodinase, while conversion to an inactive state is accomplished by the third type.

It's important to note that not all of the body's T4 is converted to T3, however- some remains unconverted. The secretion of T4 is under the control of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) which is produced by the pituitary gland. TSH secretion is in turn controlled through release of Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone which is produced in your hypothalamus. So, when T3 levels go up, TSH secretion is suppressed, due to the body's self regulatory system known as the "negative feedback loop" . This is also the mechanism whereby exogenous thyroid hormone suppresses natural thyroid hormone production. However, it should be noted that thyroid stimulating hormone (like all other hormones) can not work in a vacuum. TSH also requires the presence of Insulin or Insulin-like Growth Factor to stimulate thyroid function (1) When thyroid hormone is present without either insulin or IGF-1, it has no physiological effect (ibid).



Most people think that T3 is just a physiologically active hormone that regulates bodyfat setpoint and has some minor anabolic effects, but in actuality, in some cases of delayed growth in children, T3 is actually too low, while GH levels are normal, and this has a growth limiting effect on several tissues (2) This could be due to T3's ability to stimulate the proliferation of IGF-1 mRNA in many tissues (which would, of course, be anabolic), or it could be due to the synergistic effect T3 has on GH, specifically on regulation of the growth hormone gene. Although it is largely overlooked in the world of performance enhancement, regulation of the growth hormone response is predominantly determined by positive control of growth hormone gene transcription which is proportional to the concentration of thyroid hormone-receptor complexes, which are influenced by T3 levels. (3)

At this point, just to give you a better understanding of what's going on, I think it's prudent to also give a brief explanation of Growth Hormone (GH) as well.

Your body's GH is regulated by many internal factors, such as hormones and enzymes. hormones. A change in the level of your body's GH output begins in the hypothalamus with somatostatin (SS) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). Somatostatin exerts its effect at the pituitary to decrease GH output, while GHRH acts at the pituitary to increase GH output. Together these hormones regulate the level of GH you have in your body. In many cases, GH deficiency presents with a low level of T3, and normal T4(4). This is of course because conversion of T4-T3 is partially dependant on GH (and to some degree GH stimulated IGF-1), and it's ability to stimulate that conversion process of T4 into T3.

Interestingly, the hypothalamus isn't the only place where SS is contained; the thyroid gland also contains Somatostatin-producing cells. This is of interest to us, because in the case of the thyroid, it's been noted that certain hormones which were previously thought only to govern GH secretion can also influence thyroid hormone output as well. SS can directly act to inhibit TSH secretion or it may act on the hypothalamus to inhibit TRH secretion. So when you add GH into your body from an outside source, you are triggering the body into releasing SS, because your body no longer needs to produce its own supply of GH...and unfortunately, the release of SS can also inhibit TSH, and therefore limit the amount of T4 your body produces.
But that's not the only interaction we see between the thyroid and Growth Hormone.



As we learned in high-school Biology class, the body likes to maintain homeostasis, or "normal" operating conditions. This is the body's version of the status quo, and it fights like hell to maintain the comfort of the status quo (much like moderators on most steroid discussion boards). What we see with thyroid/GH interplay is that physiological levels of circulating thyroid hormones are necessary to maintain normal pituitary GH secretion, due to their directly stimulatory actions. However, when serum concentrations of thyroid hormone increase above the normal range we see an increase in hypothalamic somatostatin action, which suppresses pituitary GH secretion and overrides any stimulatory effects that the thyroid hormone may have had on GH. The suppression of GH secretion by thyroid hormones is probably mediated at the hypothalamic level by a decrease in GHRH release(5).

In addition, as IGF-I production is increased in the hypothalamus after T3 administration and T3 may participate in IGF-1 mediated negative feedback of GH by triggering either increased somatostatin tone and/or decreased GHRH production (6). IGF, interestingly, has the ability to mediate some of T3's effects independent of GH, but not to the same degree GH can (7.) In fact, IGF-I production is increased in the hypothalamus after T3, administration it may plausibly participate in negative feedback by triggering either increased somatostatin tone and/or decreased GHRH production. So we know that GH lowers T4 (more about this in a sec), but an increase in T3 upregulates GH receptors (8) as well as IGF-1 receptors (9,10).

As can be previously stated, and due to the ability of GH to convert inactive T4 into active T3, GH administration in healthy athletes shows us an entirely predicatble increase in mean free T3 (fT3), and a decrease in mean free T4 (fT4) levels.(11)

Interaction between GH, IGF-I, T3, and GC. GH stimulates hepatic IGF-I secretion and local production of growth plate IGF-I, and exerts direct actions in the growth plate. Circulating T3 is derived from the thyroid gland and by enzymatic deiodination of T4 in liver and kidne.. The regulatory 5'-DI and 11ßHSD type 2 enzymes may also be expressed in chondrocytes to control local supplies of intracellular T3 and GC. Receptors for each hormone (GHR, IGF-IR, TR, GR) are expressed in growth plate chondrocytes.

So, with the use of GH, what we see is an increased conversion of T4-T3, and possible inhibition of Thyroid Releasing Hormone by Somatostatin, and therefore even though T3 levels may rise, there is no increase in T4 (logically, we see a decrease). Now, as we've seen, GH is HIGHLY synergistic with T3 in the body, and as a mater of fact, if you've been paying any attention up until this point, you'll note that the limiting factor on GH's ability to exert many of it's effects, is mediated by the amount of T3 in the body.

As noted before, T3 enhances many effects of GH by several mechanisms, including (but not limited to): increasing IGF-1 levels, IGF-1 mRNA levels, and finally by actually mediating the control of the growth hormone gene transcription process as seen below:

Comparison of the kinetics of L-T3-receptor binding abundance to changes in the rate of transcription of the GH gene.(3)

s you can see, T3 levels are directly correlative to GH gene transcription. The scientists who conducted the study which provided the graph above concluded that the amount of T3 present is a regulatory factor on how much GH gene transcription actually occurs. And gene transcription is what actually gives us the effects from GH. This last fact really seems to shed some light on why we need T3 levels to be supraphysiological if we're going to be using supraphysiological levels of GH, right? Otherwise, the GH we're using is going to be limited by the amount of T3 our body produces. However, since we're taking GH, and it is converting more T4 into T3, T4 levels are lowered substantially, and this is the problem with GH. and may actually be THE limiting factor on GH...if we assume that at least some of GH's effects are enhanced by thyroid hormone, and specifically T3, then what we are looking at is the GH that has been injected is being limited by a lack of T3. But that doesn't make sense, because if we use T3 + GH, we get a decrease in the anabolic effect of GH.

This is where Mr. Daemon, who had contacted me via an e-mail to my publisher, about Thyroid + GH interaction, was able to shed some light on things. You see, I knew that it couldn't just be the actual presence of enough T3 along with the GH that was limiting GH's anabolic effect, because, simply adding T3 to a GH cycle will reduce the anabolic effect of the GH (12.).

Originally, he had said to me that T3 was synergistic with GH, wheras I said that T3 actually reduced the anabolic effects of GH- now I realize we were both correct. Logically this presents a bit of a problem, which I believe can be solved. This came from reading several studies provided to me by Dr.Daemon. the trend I was seeing was that even when Growth Hormone therapy was used, T3 levels needed to be elevated in order to treat several conditions caused by a lack of natural growth hormone. And even if the patient was on GH, T3 levels still needed to be elevated. And what I noticed was that those levels were elevated successfully by using supplemental T4 but not T3.

Here's why I think this is:

Additional T3 is not all that's needed here. What's needed is the actual conversion process of T4-T3, and the deiodinase presence and activity that it involves. This is because Local 5'-deiodination of l-thyroxine (T4) to active the thyroid hormone 3,3',5-tri-iodothyronine (T3) is catalyzed by the two 5'-deiodinase enzymes (D1 and D2). These enzymes not only "create" T3 out of T4, but actually regulates various T(3)-dependent functions in many tissues including the anterior pituitary and liver. So when there is an excess of T3 in the body, but normal levels of T4, the body's thyroid axis sends a negative feedback signal., and produces less (D1 and D2) deiodinase, but more of the D3 type, which signals the cessation of the T4-T3 conversion process, and is inhibitory of many of the synergistic effects that T3 has! Remember, Type 3 iodothyronine deiodinase (D3) is the physiologic INACTIVATOR of thyroid hormones and their effects (13) and is well known to have independent interaction with growth factors (which is what GH and IGF-1 are).(14) This is because with adequate T4 and excess T3, (D1 and D2) deiodinase is no longer needed for conversion of T4 into T3, but levels of D3 deiodinase will be elevated. When there is less of the first two types of deidinase, it would seem that the T3 which has been converted to T4 can not exert it's protein sparing (anabolic effects), as those first two types are responsible for mediation of many of the effects T3 has on the body. This seems to be one of the ways deiodinase contributes to anabolism in the presence of other hormones.



All of this would explain why anecdotally we see bodybuilders who use T3 lose a lot of muscle if they aren't using anabolics along with it- they're not utilizing the enzyme that would regulate some of T3's ability to stimulate protein synthesis, while they are simultaneously signaling the body to produce an inhibitory enzyme (D3). And remember, for decades bodybuilders who were dieting for a contest have been convinced that you lose less muscle with T4 use, but that it's less effective for losing fat when compared with T3? Well, as we've seen, without something (GH in this case) to aid in the conversion process, it would clearly be less effective! Since the deiodinase enzyme is also located in the liver, and we see decreased hepatic nitrogen clearance with GH + T3, it would seem that the D3 enzyme is exerting it's inhibitory effects, but in the absence of the effects of the first two deiodinase enzymes, it remains unchecked and therefore not only limits the GH's nitrogen retention capability.

In other words, if we have enough to GH in our body aid in supraphysiological conversion of T4 into T3, but we already have the too much (exogenous) T3, the GH is not going to be converting any excess T4 into T3 after a certain point- which would be a limiting factor in GH's anabolic effects, when coupled with the act that we've allowed the D3 enzyme to inhibit the T3/GH synergy that is necessary.

As further evidence, when we look at certain types of cellular growth (the cartilage cell in this case) we see that GH induced rises in IGF-I stimulates proliferation, whereas T3 is responsible for hypertrophic differentiation. So it would seem that in some tissues, IGF-1 stimulates the synthesis of new cells, while T3 makes them larger. In this particular case, The fact that T4 and (D1) deiodinase is am active component in this system is noted by the authors. They clearly state (paraphrasing) that: "T4 is is converted to T3 by deiodinase (5'-DI type 1) in peripheral tissues...[furthermore]GH stimulates conversion of T4 to T3 , suggesting that some effects of GH may involve this pathway." The thing I want you to notice is that the authors of this paper state that the that the conversion PATHWAY is probably involved, and not the simple presence of T3. (15 )

Also, that same study notes that T3 has the ability to stimulates IGF-I and expression in tissues that whereas GH has no such effect (ibid).

So what are we doing when we add T3 to GH? We're effectively shutting down the conversion pathway that is responsible for some of GH's effects! And what would we be doing if we added in T4 instead of T3? You got it - we'd be enhancing the pathway by allowing the GH we're using to have more T4 to convert to T3, thus giving us more of an effect from the GH we're taking. Adding T4 into our GH cycles will actually allow more of the GH to be used effectively!



Remember, the thing that catalyzes the conversion process is the deiodinase enzyme. This is also why using low amounts of T3 would seem (again, anecdotally in bodybuilders) to be able to slightly increase protein synthesis and have an anabolic effect – they aren't using enough to tell the body to stop or slow down production of the deiodinase enzyme, and hence .Although this analogy isn't perfect, think of GH as a supercharger you have attached to your car...if you don't provide enough fuel for it to burn at it's increased output level, you aren't going to derive the full effects. Thyroid status also may influence IGF-I expression in tissues other than the liver.So what we have here is a problem. When we take GH, it lowers T3 levels...but we need T3 to keep our GH receptor levels optimally upregulated. In addition, it's suspected that many of GH's anabolic effects are engendered as a result of production of IGF-1, so keeping our IGF receptors upregulated by maintaining adequate levels of T3 seems prudent. But as we've just seen, supplementing T3 with our GH will abolish Growth Hormone's functional hepatic nitrogen clearance, possibly through the effect of reducing the bioavailability of insulin-like growth factor-I (12.)

So we want elevated T3 levels when we take GH, or we won't be getting ANYWHERE NEAR the full anabolic effect of our injectable GH without enough T3. And now we know that not only do we need the additional T3, but we actually want the CONVERSION process of T4 into T3 to take place, because it's the presence of those mediator enzymes that will allow the T3 to be synergistic with GH, instead of being inhibitory as is seen when T3 is simply added to a GH cycle. And remember, we don't only want T3 levels high, but we want types 1 and 2 deiodinase to get us there- and when we take supplemental T3, that just doesn't happen...all that happens is the type 3 deiodinase enzyme shows up and negates the beneficial effects of the T3 when we combine it with GH.

If you've been using GH without T4, you've been wasting half your money – and if you've been using it with T3, you've been wasting your time. Start using T4 with your GH, and you'll finally be getting the full results from your investment.