In April we welcomed long standing member Kitty to the MT mod team. She's got her work cut out for her moderating the General forum, as well as the Female Bodybuilding section. I thought having a lady on the General mod team might help curb some of the unnecessary smut and banter. Watch out lads!
We have a number of great new articles and reports this month which can be viewed through: www.muscletalk.co.uk/articles.aspx
ToxicToffee and I were both judges at the FAME Fitness Event and you can see the pictures in our report at www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-fame-fitness-model-search-2005.aspx
Colin Anderson was a competitor at the Kristiansand Open Showlifting Championship in Norway, read his report and see his video.
Respected MuscleTalk Member Dodgeball has compiled a great piece The Warm Up and Cool Down.
Also in April I completed my long promised piece on Food Allergy & Intolerance in Sport and Fitness
If anyone has any queries or comments on any of these, please do ask us on the forums.
We have a new leader in the MT Powerlifting Competition (www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.asp?m=173040), welshdragon with a phenomenal total of 1826lbs/830kg. Can you beat that…?
Don't forget MuscleTalk T-shirt's are available.
*** Best Wishes from James and The MuscleTalk team! ***
See you at www.MuscleTalk.co.uk
*** Packing on Quality Muscle ***
By James Collier BSc (Hons) RNutr - MuscleTalk Moderator
Most newcomers to muscle sports want to know how to pack on muscle mass quickly. Some guys want to pack on muscle whilst staying lean; others don't care about a bit of excess fat. However, on a power to weight ratio, it's better to stay fairly lean, and let's face it, you look bigger and more powerful too! So when I refer to gaining weight I mean quality weight, i.e. lean muscle mass and not much body fat.
Supplements are great, but you only need to stick to your basic supplements, like protein and carbohydrate powders and weight gain formulas. However, supplements are only what they say they are: i.e. supplements - never depend on them and you can't beat real food!
The following plan has been written to suit a male who want to pack on size, but may be easily adapted for women, by merely reducing portion sizes, as women have lower energy and protein requirements. These plans suit anyone who wants to pack on quality muscle efficiently.
Example menu plan for someone wishing to gain quality weight
| Time | Food |
| Wake 7.30 am | |
| 7.30am | 1 scoop whey protein |
| |
| 8.00 breakfast | Large bowl wholewheat breakfast cereal with 1/3 pint skimmed milk + sugar |
| | 2 slices wholemeal bread toasted + olive oil spread |
| | ½ portion weight gain drink (see recipe) |
| | 100ml orange juice + 1 tblsp olive oil |
| |
| 10.30am | 2 tuna sandwiches (4 slices wholemeal bread) |
| | Fruit |
| |
| 12.30pm | Large chicken breast |
| | 4 slices wholemeal bread + olive oil spread |
| | Salad |
| | Low fat yoghurt |
| |
| 3.00pm | 6 oatcakes |
| | Tub cottage cheese |
| | Fruit |
| |
| 5.00pm | ½ portion weight gain drink (see recipe) |
| TRAIN | |
6.30pm
(after training) | 2 scoops whey protein + 50g dextrose in water |
| |
| 7.30pm | Lean steak |
| | 2 medium jacket potatoes or 200g boiled brown rice |
| | Vegetables |
| | Low fat yoghurt |
| |
| 10.00pm | Large bowl wholewheat breakfast cereal with 1/3 pint skimmed milk + sugar |
| |
| 11.30pm | 1 scoop whey protein in 150ml skimmed milk |
| |
| 11.30pm bed | |
The plan is high in protein but are also contains varied quality protein sources, distributed regularly throughout the day. In addition to this you'll need to drink plenty of fluid, especially water frequently throughout the day. It's ok to enjoy a couple of cups of tea or coffee, but not at the expense of more nutritious drinks.
The plan is just an example, please vary your food choices daily, using your nutrition knowledge and imagination. Have different sandwich fillings. Infact including some junk food occasionally will do no harm, in fact will add variety to your regimen, and also valuable calories - but this must just be occasionally! Remember to eat a balanced healthy diet, which is reasonably low in fat and high in fruit and vegetables.
I hope this plan helps you to pack on some muscle. Remember though - you'll need to train hard, intense and sensibly aswell! If there are any questions or points on gaining quality weight, please post them on MT!
See other great meal plans for gaining muscle: www.muscletalk.co.uk/hard-gainers.aspx
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** James Collier BSc (Hons), Registered Nutritionist offers personalised nutrition programmes through email tailored to YOUR needs. For more information see: www.muscletalk.co.uk/james.aspx or email: james@muscletalk.co.uk
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*** Stripping Body Fat for the Summer ***
By MuscleTalk Moderator and Personal Trainer Steve Blades aka ToxicToffee
With the summer months fast approaching, many of us are looking to get lean and ripped for our holidays or those beach and BBQ days out in the sun! How do I do it, you may ask? I don't want to loose all the hard earned muscle I've trained for over the winter!
Too true! Lets look how to strip that fat and keep the lean body mass. Well respected training and diet specialist Tom Venuto assess the strategies available for effective cutting (2004). He looks at how effective each method is in relation to how risky they are for losing muscle. Weight reduction is easy enough; body fat reduction is another matter.
Should we do cardio first thing on an empty stomach to strip the fat? In theory this is the perfect situation for fat burning, blood sugars are low and glycogen levels are also low after a fast, but cortisol levels are also high which is perfect environment for muscle loss. Therefore, although there is a perfect environment for 'fat burning' there is also a perfect environment for muscle loss, something which we bodybuilders quite rightly fear!
So, let's add a 'protein only' meal in before we hit the cardio to reduce the potential loss of muscle. This reduces cortisol levels whilst keeping insulin levels sufficiently low for effective fat burning. This reduces the risk of muscle loss compared to the empty stomach method and still allows us to tap into those fat stores. Although the risk of catabolism (muscle breakdown) is still there, it is reduced significantly.
With this in mind, should we do cardio at night instead? As we'll be fasting afterwards whilst asleep thus increasing lypolysis (burning of fat)? The answer in short is 'no'. Not only is it possible that it will disrupt sleep but Venuto suggests reduced metabolism during sleep is not ideal and this fasted period may possibly also lead to the loss of muscle mass due to insufficient fuelling for a lengthy period. It therefore seems cardio done first thing in the morning after a small protein only meal is the way forward for optimal fat loss with minimal muscle loss.
This then brings us onto the question of the structure the cardio session: Long and slow or hard and fast? Again Venuto looks into the benefits of both methods.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) can be carried out for shorter periods with hard sprints followed by periods of easy pace recovery sessions. This method of cardio allows for high EPOC (excessive post exercise oxygen consumption) to occur and more calories are burned when the exercise has finished as metabolism is raised for the rest of the day, compared to steady state training. The session typically lasts 12-15 minutes opposed to 35-45 minutes. This is fine but many of us who are less fit may not benefit as much due to higher levels of fitness being required.
Should we go for moderate pace, moderate time (35-45 minutes)? Efforts in the 'target zone' as Venuto shows, allow for more calories to be burned during the work out, as it doesn't elevate the metabolism as high as HIIT training and therefore the NTOC (net total oxygen consumption) will not be as high in some cases due to lower EPOC.
This leaves us with long cardio sessions at a low intensity. Venuto suggests that although the risk is low in terms of muscle loss (work out durations of approx 1hour), the benefits of EPOC are not that high due to the low intensity of the session.
There is also the issue of time constraints. One hour of exercise at 6 am isn't often practical for those with a busy schedule!
So from the information provided it seems HIIT training, done after a protein only meal is the way forward.
Now, you ask me, how often should we do this? Well, in theory, the more we do it, the more calories we burn as it's calories in versus calories out that will determine weight loss. To a certain extent this is true, but seven days a week will possibly lead to over training, fatigue and burn out. Again this is true to some extent, but, frequent cardio will ensure that metabolic slow down doesn't occur as we are constantly 'revving' metabolism after each cardio session.
Therefore 5 times a week, with two days off seems to be a logical solution, enough time to recover without losing the fat burning advantage, as well as improving cardio vascular health.
To summarise, it seems that HIIT interval training approx five times a week after a protein only meal is the optimal way of getting that body ready for the beach this summer! This method will be effective for body fat reduction when combined with a well structured diet to support training and your lifestyle.
Reference: Venuto, T. 2004. Risk To Benefit Ratios of Extreme and Controversial Fat Loss Techniques. Fitness Renaissance
See the article Cutting V Bulking: Losing Body Fat Whilst Gaining Quality Muscle - for an effective nutrition regimen to tie in with your cardio.
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*** Recipe - Home-made weight gainer ***
By James Collier - MuscleTalk Moderator
** Ingredients
4 tblsp skimmed milk powder
2 scoops - 40g whey powder
1 tblsp flaxseed/rapeseed/olive oil
1 banana - or cup of mixed berries
Pint skimmed milk
** Method
Blend all ingredients very well until smooth.
** Information
Ideal weight gain recipe if you don't like the commercial formulas and are looking to pack on quality muscle, as in the 'nutrition' article above.
More great bodybuilding recipes can be found in Nicole's other great eBooks 'Muscle Menus', 'Muscle Menus 2' and 'Muscle Menus Vegetarian' eBooks:
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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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*** Book Review - Ronnie Coleman - Hardcore ***
Review by AP - MuscleTalk member
When I saw that seven-time Mr Olympia Ronnie Coleman was set to release a book, being a huge fan of his, it was something that I knew I had to purchase. Upon arrival, first impressions were good.
The presentation of this book is superb, with huge, colourful, glossy pages, and tons of pictures of Ron. Clearly, this book is a project that had the full backing and resources of the Weider Flex/Muscle & Fitness team behind it.
The book goes through each body part one by one, outlining Ronnie's routines and general tips/philosophies for each muscle. Each body part chapter contains photos and instructions for every exercise that Ronnie recommends. Nutrition and supplementation is briefly touched upon, and then finally there is a Q & A section, which is just a rehashed version of past editions of Ronnie's Flex magazine column. The quality of the information within the book is very insightful. However, the problem is, there is not much of it, and herein lies the main letdown of this book.
It promises to deliver yet fails to, in my view. The depth is not there. What information there is, is good, but for £24, I would personally expect something with the detail of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Bodybuilding Encyclopedia, as opposed to a 'Where's Wally' book.
Don't get me wrong, this book is not bad. If I had paid £10-15 for it, I would have been pleased, but as it stands, for £24, I think the average punter is best served saving themselves a big hole in their wallet. However, for any diehard Ronnie fans out there (such as myself), it is a decent addition to the book collection that contains some good information.
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Muscle Building Nutrition by Will Brink - Get the FACTS on exactly how, what & when to eat to achieve maximum lean muscle gains with minimum bodyfat in record time, & discover precisely which bodybuilding supplements you need!
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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