See Victor Martinez, Dennis Wolf, Dorian Yates, Phil Heath, Rich Gaspari and more BIG names at the Body Power 2009 Expo on 9th to 10th May at the NEC in Birmingham. MuscleTalk is partnering with the organisers to bring you the biggest event UK bodybuilding and fitness has seen. More information here
Welcome four new moderators to the MT team. All respected members and experts in their areas: RedHotF, micky, T0NY and iaink will be helping to moderate various forums across the site, helping to improve your favourite site even more!
New articles, interviews and reports in March:
- Beta-Alanine as a Performance Enhancing Supplement
- Interview with The Ultimate Natural Andrew 'Mezza' Merrifield
- Off-the-Shelf Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) Products
- Pics and reports from the first leg of the 2009 Gym Tour with Daz Ball, James Collier and Crew at Gold's Gym, Bedford
- Daz Ball's Journal Part 2 - Preparation for the UKBFF Body Power Event
Past articles at Bodybuilding Articles, with categories of all our main articles and past newsletters contributions.
MuscleTalk T-shirts!
*** Best wishes from James Collier and The MuscleTalk team! ***
See you at www.MuscleTalk.co.uk
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**
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*** Milk: A New Perspective in its Role in Improving Hydration ***
By James Collier, BSc (Hons), RNutr - Nutrition Consultant www.healthyaction.co.uk
Milk is known as a popular source of nutrition for growth and good health providing protein, calcium, some vitamins and energy, but there is new research from the University of Loughborough indicating milk has an important role in the rehydration of athletes.
Poor hydration is the most limiting factor for performance, as during sports there can be considerable fluid loss through respiration and sweat. During short less strenuous exercise sessions, loss can be easily recuperated after exercise, but during longer bouts of harder exercise, more specific attention is needed to provide fluid; particularly if you're training twice per day. More information.
Not only do we lose water while exercising, but we continue to afterwards, plus, we also pass urine afterwards as a result of fluids drunk even if we're still below optimal hydration level. This obligatory urine is in order to eliminate waste product of metabolism. So we may need to drink as much as 150% of fluid lost during exercise in order to bring about and maintain rehydration post exercise.
Both the electrolyte and carbohydrate content of fluid drunk around exercise will affect speed of rehydration through the rate of gastric emptying and absorption of fluid. The sugars also provide some energy replenishment and sodium is an important electrolyte for fluid retention.
A study in 2007 (Shirreffs, Watson & Maughan) compared the effectiveness of skimmed milk in restoring hydration levels in athletes compared to water, milk with additional salt added and a commercially available isotonic drink containing carbohydrate and salt. The results showed that skimmed milk produced a significant improvement in rehydration compared to the other drinks. The authors concluded that the 'naturally high electrolyte content of milk (sodium, potassium and chloride) aided in the retention of fluid and the maintenance of euhydration four hours after the end of drinking, although the differences in gastric emptying rates due to the presence of protein and fat in the link cannot be discounted.'
Milk also has the benefits of protein post workout, and the carbohydrate lactose is an important energy and carb store replenisher. Also milk is more tooth friendly than a sports drink which may contain both caries-inducing sugars and acid.
Reference:
Shirreffs SM, Watson P & Maughan RJ (2007). Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink. Brit J Nutr 98: 173-180
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*** CrossFit Training ***
By Drew Price BSc Masc ACSM Cert RNutr, MuscleTalk Moderator & Nutrition Consultant www.healthyaction.co.uk
CrossFit is a combination of conditioning, Olympic and powerlifting, and gymnastics. It means different things to different people: For some it is the hardcore personal training regimen of the US marines and for some it's redemption through exercise. For others it is a spoon fed exercise program that will see you doing too many dangerous things and excelling at nothing. For me CrossFit is firstly an occasional bit of fun but also something that forces me to train differently. When you're a strength and conditioning specialist it's often nice to dump your training onto other people, pulling you out of your bubble and forcing you to do things in a different way. Because of my interest in CF, I was commissioned to write and article for Men's Fitness that saw me talk to the guys running it including Greg Glassman who started the system, and travel to a franchise gym CrossFit, Wyre Forest.
The gym, run by Phil Oliver, bore little resemblance to most UK gyms; a converted barn about 30' by 30' room with a very high roof. All the way down one side was a built in cage for pull-ups with a reinforced bar about 4' from the wall on pillars with various rings and bands hanging off it. Dotted around the other three sides of the room were quality Oly bars, bumper plates, dumbbells, kettlebells (from 6kg to 52kg), medicine balls, slam balls. One Concept-2 Rower and a spin bike were the only machines in residence.
Phil was very friendly, motivated and attentive and the clients, though they came in dreading it all wandered out very tired but very happy. There was a really good group atmosphere and sense of achievement at the end of the session. Regardless of what you think about CrossFit, 'functional training' and metabolic conditioning, etc, it was good to see old guys pushing 40+kg above their heads safely again and again and middle aged women doing pull-ups.
We ran through a full warm up and then did two CF workouts (usually only one is done a day five days a week) 'Fran' and after a short rest 'Karen' (see below). As the photographer was a little late we then went on to do a load of other things like sets of barbell overhead squats and about 100+ kipping pull-ups, kettlebells and finished with some gymnastic ring work. After about 6 weeks layoff with broken ribs I just about survived, a lot of fun and a real breath of fresh air. I look forward to going back there sometime soon.
Training for me was:
Warm up:
5 rounds
10 air squats
10 press-ups
10 overhead squats (with piping)
10 sit-ups
10 medicine ball cleans
Fran:
21 reps, 15 reps, 9 reps
45kg thrusters supersetted with bodyweight pull-ups for time (7 mins and some change, pretty average)
This is a massive lung buster, there simply isn't anywhere to breath and of course after 21 reps with 45kg you have to start using the body as a unit transferring power from the legs to the arms which means a tight core and even less time to catch your breath. The pull-ups are just there so you don't get a chance to rest!
Karen:
150 wall ball throws: full squat down then throwing a 10kg medicine ball from the chest to 12' against a wall and then catching, repeat 149 times more for time: 10 mins 20 something. This is just a 'grit your teeth and go for time' type thing.
See the article here (.pdf)
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** Tailored Nutrition Advice from Experts!
Healthy Action Nutrition Consultancy. A team of consultants are available to provide on line nutrition advice completely tailored to suit you and your goals. For more information email info@healthyaction.co.uk
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*** Food of the Month - Chickpeas (aka Cicer arietinum or the garbanzo bean) ***
By Big Les - MuscleTalk Moderator & Nutrition Consultant - www.healthyaction.co.uk
The chickpea has been cultivated since ancient times, evidence of chickpea cultivation was found at the site of Jericho, that's the one with the dodgy walls! It is popular throughout the Middle East, India and the Mediterranean, which are the areas where it grows best, although it is cultivated in other parts of the world, such as California and even in Africa, where the climate is agreeable. Although India is the world's largest producer.
There are in fact two distinct varieties of chickpea: Desi, which is smaller, darker and rougher skinned, found in India (its name derives from the Hindi), and the kabuli, which are lighter, larger and smoother, grown more often in Southern Europe. The Desi variety is much higher in fibre and forms the basis of Chana Dal.
Any crop that has lasted since around 8,000BC and is still cultivated is likely to have a lot going for it, and the chickpea is no exception. A good source of protein, carbohydrate and healthy fats, the chickpea is an excellent foundation for a meal, not just an accompaniment. 100g of chickpeas will provide 9g of protein and 3g of mostly omega-6 polyunsaturated fats along with a healthy dose of fibre and 27g of carbohydrate per 100g. The chickpea is also an excellent source of iron and folate, calcium, vitamin B12 and manganese, plus of course very good helpings of a whole bunch of vitamins and minerals as well. If this was not enough, the chickpea has both a low glycaemic index and a low glycaemic load, making it ideal for those looking for good insulin control, such as diabetics or very dedicated bodybuilders on a serious cut!
So where do you get chickpeas? Usually in a tin, although dried they are usually a lot cheaper. If you like hummus or falafel then that's the chickpea at its tasty best too. The chickpea goes well in curry and chilli, although it can also be mixed with rice to liven things up a bit in the bodybuilder's favourite meal, and is a cheeky addition to baked beans too. When buying canned, it's advisable to drain well and rinse, and always follow the instructions when using the dried ones.
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** Informed Bodybuilding Nutrition eBook by James Collier - the ULTIMATE nutrition bible for bodybuilding.
For more information click here:
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*** MT Powerlifting Totals Competition ***
By Hazel - MuscleTalk Moderator
Check out the latest totals here
The table has been updated with members' PBs, so check out where you rank. Any members that have not posted their totals recently make sure you do!
Also check out the Test your Mettle... What's your best? competition - open to all MuscleTalk members, just for fun so please join in! Also the MT 220lb bench press competition - how many reps can you do?
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** IMPROVE YOUR GRIP with 'Grippers - Getting the most from your gripper'. The informative ebook from grip champion Steve Gardener tells you how to use your gripper more effectively to improve your performance in your sport:
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*** Recipe - Two Great Ways to have your Chickpeas and Eat Them!! ***
By Big Les - MuscleTalk Moderator & Nutrition Consultant - www.healthyaction.co.uk
Homemade Hummus
** Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, minced, more if you like
¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
1 (19oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
** Directions
1. Combine everything in blender or food processor and process until smooth; the blender gives the best result
2. If you need more liquid to make a nice consistency, add a bit more yogurt
3. Chill
4. Serve
Falafel Burgers
Falafel normally has to be deep fried, which is not the first choice for the health conscious. By making a burger you can grill, fry in a smidge of oil, even BBQ, (or even try baking them on a lightly oiled tray).
** Ingredients
350g chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, tough stalks removed, leaves chopped
1 handful of fresh coriander, tough stalks removed, leaves chopped
Black pepper
** Method
1. Drain the chickpeas and dry with paper towels
2. Roughly grind the coriander and cumin seeds with a pestle and mortar
3. Put the chickpeas in a food processor with the spices, onions, garlic, chillies, herbs and salt and pepper. Blitz for a minute or so, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, until you have a grainy pulp
4. Take walnut-sized portions of the mixture and form into flat patties about 1-1.5cm thick. If you don't want to cook them immediately, place in a single layer on plates and store in the fridge, covered, for up to 24 hours
Make sure the patties stay together when you make them as falafel burgers love to come apart - leaving them in the fridge for a while really helps the patty stay together in my experience.
They will need some oil to cook, as falafel mixture loves to be deep fried, making thin patties and being patient when cooking are the keys to success. Or put them on the George Forman, sprayed with olive oil on both sides and left for about 20mins. Serves: 4-6.
More great bodybuilding recipes can be found in the eBooks 'Muscle Menus', 'Muscle Menus 2', 'Muscle Menus Vegetarian' and Muscle Menus Shakes, Bars and Smoothies
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*** Book Review - West Coast Bodybuilding Scene: The Golden Era, by Dick Tyler ***
Review by James Collier, MuscleTalk Co-Owner
Available here
The text for this book was actually written during The Golden Era of bodybuilding. The book is a collection of extracts put together by Dick Tyler which appeared in Joe Weider's bodybuilding magazines Muscle Builder and Mr America between 1965 and 1971. Assisted by bodybuilding legend Dave Draper which contributed the forward and put together the captions by the photos, Tyler has presented a truly collectors piece for enthusiasts of the bodybuilding scene.
Photos are by numerous photographers of the era, some appeared in the magazines, others are more casual shots, but they include some of the very well known names of the time. The photos alone make this book well worth the purchase.
The book is laid out year by year, with extracts and pictures from each year and there are nearly 400 pages in all. It's a book you're better flicking though reading only the bits that take your fancy; treat it more like a golden era magazine
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The articles in The MuscleTalker are for information purposes only and are the sole expressions of the individual authors opinion and are those not necessarily shared by the owners of www.MuscleTalk.co.uk