In April two long term and highly respected MuscleTalk moderators stood down. ToxicToffee has been on the team for over two years and has resigned due to personal issues. He will, however, remain active and will still contribute some great articles to the site. Trident first joined the moderator team six years ago, and has huge respect from long standing and new members; he's currently preparing for the Ironman event and needs to devote time to this. Both have been great assets to the team and have helped countless members (and lurkers!) in the iron game. Huge thanks from Jason and I for your help in the past years, guys, and we hope you'll stick around on the forums.
Dayo Audi presents the Sci-mentor SportsPN Classic Bodybuilding Show on Sunday 6th May 2007 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Full details see: www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.asp?m=1520874
The Hurcules Cup 2007 in association with MuscleTalk.co.uk will be on Saturday 12th May 2007 in Liverpool. Prize money! Special guest judges and posers! For full details see: www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.asp?m=1602866
UKBBF North-East Championships in association with FLEX magazine will be in Leeds Town Hall on September 8th. The event is supported by MuscleTalk - the main web partner for the event. Read more here www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.asp?m=1748963
www.AVMovieTalk.co.uk is a new forum by the team who brought you MuscleTalk! It's a forum to discuss your favourite (and worse) movies, home cinema equipment and games/consoles. We're developing a whole new community, but MT members are more than welcome to join!
New articles in April:
- Supercharging your Body for a Workout - Mark Barber personal trainer and exercise consultant (former Heavyweight Mr UK champion & Novice UK champion) gives us his take on how to fuel for maximum performance
- Everything You Wanted To Know About Blood Glucose, Insulin and Diabetes - by Nigel Kinbrum discusses blood glucose control in the body and the different types of diabetes
- MuscleTalk also interviewed World Natural Bodybuilding champion Cheryl Myers
*** All the best from James Collier and The MuscleTalk team! ***
See you at www.MuscleTalk.co.uk
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*** Urtica Dioica - a useful testosterone booster supplement? ***
By James Collier BSc (Hons) RNutr, Nutrition Consultant and MuscleTalk Co-Owner
You may have seen the compound urtica dioica labelled on supplement packages as 'nettle root' because it is a herb derived from the natural lignan divanil found in stinging nettle roots. It is included as a principle ingredient in a number of 'testosterone boosting' formulas due to its claimed effect on making testosterone more available to tissues for muscle growth, i.e. rather than increasing the amount of free testosterone in circulation, it helps it bind to muscle cells in order to exert its effects.
The way your body controls testosterone is quite complex, but involves a protein called Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG), and some testosterone present in the blood is 'free' and some is 'bound'. SHBG regulates the amount of testosterone which attaches to the androgen receptor of the cell, and it is through testosterone-to-androgen receptor interaction that protein synthesis is promoted; and protein synthesis equals muscle growth. Urtica dioica inhibits the SHBG molecule, activating a much larger percentage of your testosterone. Therefore the theory is more is available to muscle cells and there is a greater level of protein synthesis.
Although the theory is sound, there is no substantiated evidence that urtica dioica does actually give the desired outcome of increased gains. Firstly, the significance of the effect of urtica dioica on SHBG is not known; i.e. how efficient at inhibiting SHBG is it, and how much free testosterone is actually taken up by muscle cells because of it? And secondly, there is no evidence showing that supplementing with urtica dioica does actually improve performance or muscle growth.
Urtica dioica has also claimed to also have other beneficial effects either related to its action on SHBG or though its antioxidant activity. It supposedly improves blood sugar and insulin control, boosts nitric oxide (NO) helping to give better muscle pumps, promotes prostate health, lowers blood pressure, promotes healthy cholesterol levels and has anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory behaviour. Some of these claims are backed up by well designed studies, particularly the area of prostate health which looks encouraging. However, the significance that urtica dioica really has on any aspects of performance and health, has not really been shown, and its popularity really stems from clever marketing.
There is no direct evidence linking intake of urtica dioica to increased gains or improved performance in any respect, and there needs to be a lot more research into this herb before products containing it carry any notable credibility. So although I wouldn't shun urtica dioica altogether, I'm far from getting exited about it, particularly as the products tend to be extremely expensive.
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*** Why should we encourage anyone to exercise? ***
By Kitty - MuscleTalk Moderator
Hopefully as members of MuscleTalk we are all taking positive actions for ourselves to keep in shape or keep fit. Of course we may all from time to time have lapses but as a community we are there to help one another, but are we helping others? Are you fully aware of all the other benefits that exercise can have on health other than weight loss? Did you know that low fitness levels are now a greater risk of mortality than cigarette smoking? (JAMA 1996:276:205). Yes this is an old study, but imagine what the results are like today with the greater increase in obesity levels and more people being less physically active.
Obesity, as we know and already stated is on the increase, have a look at this presentation. The maps from page 6 onwards show the rise over the last few years in America: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/trend/maps/obesity_trends_2005.ppt
Perhaps being made aware of the positive effects on health may encourage more people to actually try and become more active. Exercise may or may not help an obese person lose weight but the health improvements that can be achieved are certainly worth focusing on rather than weight loss. Here are just a few basics outlines of what exercise can do.
- Improved control of type 2 diabetes
- Improved blood pressure
- Improved insulin sensitivity
- Improved lipid profile (including an increase in high density lipoproteins)
- Improved self esteem, resulting in a reduction of symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Reduced risk of some cancers
** What, should we be encouraging others to do?
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends that adults take part in some form of physical activity for at least 30 minutes (minimum moderate-intensity) for 5 or more days a week in order to improve their health. It is also stated that this activity can be in one session or several sessions lasting 10 minutes or more.
In order to prevent obesity, it is recommended that 45-60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity be carried out every day and even more so if they do not reduce their calorific intake. People who have previously lost the weight may need to continue with 60-90 minutes of activity everyday in order to avoid regaining the weight initially lost (NICE 2006).
The problem now is encouraging people to take this time out of their daily lives that no doubt they will say already contains too few hours, but overcoming barriers is another story!
Encourage increased activity within the normal day-to-day life? This can be a subtle way of increasing a persons physical activity and therefore calorie expenditure without them even thinking about it being 'exercise' and is a great first step on the ladder for those who have been incapacitated for sometime. We've all heard the 'get off the bus one stop earlier' and 'take the stairs instead of the lift' and they have more or less become clichés but they can be effective especially if done daily.
Be inventive. One friend of mine decided that when she was doing the ironing, rather than take the whole pile up the stairs when she'd finished everything, she would take each item up as she'd finished ironing that piece. Only 12 steps at a time but this mounted up.
Don't wait for someone else to come along and take charge, take positive steps yourself to improve the lives of your family and friends so you will have the added pleasure of them living for longer.
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*** Food of the Month - Asparagus ***
By Big Les - Nutrition Consultant and MuscleTalk Moderator
This vegetable has a long history, having been cultivated for over 2000 years, starting with the Roman's and Greeks who recognised its nutritional and medicinal uses. Asparagus root is used by herbalists to treat urinary tract infections, and asparagus itself has diuretic properties.
There are three main types of asparagus; green, white and purple. White asparagus is grown with ultra violet light and when buying look for completely white examples, just as green should be completely green. Purple asparagus was developed in Italy and has a higher sugar and lower fibre content than regular Asparagus officinalis. Bodybuilders have long used asparagus pre-contest for its noted diuretic effect; however, asparagus is one of the most nutritionally dense vegetables available. An individual asparagus spear is on average less than 4 calories per spear, with an 100g serving providing around 20 calories with less than 5mg of sodium, 3g of carbohydrate, 3g of protein, and no fat whatsoever. You will also get a healthy 3g of fibre.
Asparagus is packed with Vitamin K, whose role is for blood clotting and bone metabolism. Next up is folate; 100g will give you over half of your daily recommended intake (over 200mcg). Folate deficiency leads to anaemia, but we also need folate for the proper metabolism of homocysteine, and importantly for the production of RNA and DNA when making new cells. The proper action of DNA and RNA helps prevent cancer while high levels of homocysteine are found in up to 40% of people with heart disease, and elevated levels of homocysteine interfere with the formation of collagen, weakening the integrity of blood vessels, and all connective tissue. Finally folate helps prevent against neural tube defects in babies; which is why pregnant women are encouraged to take their folic acid supplement.
In addition to folate and vitamin K, asparagus also provides vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin 6, vitamin B6, thiamin riboflavin, potassium, magnesium, selenium, manganese, tryptophan and copper. If this wasn't enough to convince you that asparagus should regularly feature in your '5 a day' then consider that it is also a natural source of rutin, which helps strengthen capillary walls, and of glutathione which is a powerful anti-carcinogen and anti-oxidant.
Finally yes asparagus, because it contains sulphur compounds (e.g. thiols and thiol esters), can make your pee smell, although only around 40% of the population have the genes to smell it!
Les is available for tailored nutrition programs
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** Informed Bodybuilding Nutrition eBook by James Collier - the ULTIMATE nutrition bible for bodybuilding.
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*** MT Powerlifting Totals Competition ***
By boar - MuscleTalk Pro-Member
See: www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.asp?m=1083082
April started with a bang with Pro-Member FatPete winning the BWLA British Equipped Power Lifting Championships 125kg+ M2 category, with some great lifting 290/190/272.5 = 752.5kg total. Many of us travelled down to Birmingham to support Pete and it was a great day out. The video is in Pete's journal and can be viewed here
The power lifting totals has been steady with many members updating their lifts including some impressive numbers from Olympian Member and Worlds Strongest Man competitor, Terry Hollands who notched up 325/230/390 = 945kg.
The end of April saw MT members Rob1895 and Tokar competing in the BWLA NW Unequipped Championships; Rob won his category with lifts of 172.5/100/200 = 472.5kg, a solid first performance and Tokar qualified for the BWLA National Championships with 185/135/255 = 575kg. Tokar's 255kg deadlift was considered by many to be the lift of the day and can be viewed here
Keep pounding the iron MuscleTalkers!
Boar
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*** Recipe - Vanilla Choc Smoothie ***
By Nicole Bremner, Recipe Consultant and MT Moderator
Taken from Muscle Menus Shakes Bars & Smoothies
** Ingredients
½ scoop chocolate protein powder
½ scoop vanilla protein powder
Ice cubes
100ml water (or skimmed milk)
** Method
Blend all ingredients well and enjoy!
** Information
Serves 1. Per serving: 100kcal, 28g protein, 0g carbs, 0g fat, 0g fibre.
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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*** DVD Review - Melvin Anthony - Contest Ready ***
Review by Big Les - MuscleTalk Moderator
Available here
This DVD is a departure for me; I normally watch either training or contest footage, and Contest Ready is a posing compilation. Following the highlights of Melvin's career, this is only the second production dedicated to his physique; the first documenting the capture of his pro card.
Because this is a posing compilation it will appeal to a certain fan base. However, this GMV production really failed to impress me. Overall it lacks what I call quality, and feels amateurish, especially the contest footage. GMV shot an extended sequence of Melvin posing by a pool, a fact which leads to this segment being just a little too long, and for it to be over used. This is a shame because Melvin not only possesses a top quality physique, but it is a physique that has been developed and refined over time. Melvin has had the opportunity to learn from the legends of the sport such as Shawn Ray, John Brown, Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier (Melvin appears in the Cormier segment in the original Battle for the Olympia) as well as trainer Charles Glass and contest advisors Chad Nicholls and Pano Fragoulis. In addition to an awesome physique, Melvin is, bar none, the best poser in the sport, surpassing John Brown and Darrem Charles, with his innovative and entertaining routines.
We get to see Melvin on stage and his impressive physique display, but somehow the footage fails to capture the excitement and dynamic of his performance in the way that even regular Mr Olympia coverage manages. This lack of quality production would pale into insignificance if the DVD provided more than Melvin's physique. However it doesn't. I fully expected a DVD entitled Contest Ready to have some information on what Melvin does to get in shape for shows, but there is none. I would have also expected some life and times of Marvellous Melvin, as he is an interesting character off stage, a trained and qualified manicurist. Melvin recently graduated in Christian Theology; he grew up in one of the poorest parts of LA and was introduced to bodybuilding by a friend known as Strong (who appears in his 1999 Video). Melvin successfully negotiated the pitfalls to become a bodybuilding superstar, all of which would have made for a cracking DVD had it been mentioned. Given that Melvin is articulate and educated this could have been a knockout DVD.
Unfortunately Contest Ready is a very ordinary to slightly disappointing posing footage compilation, that feels like it was hastily produced to cash in on Melvin's success and rising popularity rather than with any genuine appreciation of the Marvellous One. After the disappointment of Ronnie Coleman - On the Road, I expected GMV to raise their game - they haven't. I struggle to recommend this to all but the die hard Melvin Anthony fan.
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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