As from this month we have added yet another new section to The MuscleTalker: Food of the Month where Big Les and I will review different foods and let you know how they will help your health, fitness and progress. This month's food is broccoli and you can read about its benefits below!
In August we added new articles and interviews to the articles section
Interview with pics of Figure and Fitness champ Andi Black here
Two new steroid profiles: Primobolan and Dianabol
And sit back and enjoy the light-hearted article How the Other Half Lives by Mrs BL, wife of MT Mod Big Les, letting us know what life is like being the partner of a bodybuilder!
And good luck to Jonnywildboar who's competing in the UK Open Powerlifting on the 3rd September, see his column below for more information.
*** All the best from James and The MuscleTalk team! ***
See you at www.MuscleTalk.co.uk
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*** Can Tribulus Cause Gyno? ***
By James Collier BSc (Hons) RNutr, MuscleTalk Moderator and Nutrition Consultant
Gynecomastia (or 'gyno' as it's informally referred to) is the development of small amounts of breast tissue in males and can be unsightly, itchy and in some cases painful. It is more commonly associated with the abuse of anabolic steroids in sports.
Tribulus terrestris is a completely natural plant product marketed in the supplement industry as a testosterone booster, hence is very popular in bodybuilding. Its effectiveness is debatable, but there is some evidence that it does increase testosterone levels, which obviously means that it can lead to a hormonal imbalance in the user. Therefore, in theory, it could lead to mild gyno. There has been no formal research on this though, but I did find one published case study by Jameel et al (2004). Here a male bodybuilder in his early twenties had been taking tribulus to help his gains and he developed gyno. However the subject did have history of gyno as an adolescent, which is very common in boys, and had been resolved.
Tribulus is a very popular supplement and this is the only published case study I could find, however it does mean that we can infer that in a susceptible individual, tribulus may worsen or possibly cause gyno.
If you are new to using tribulus, and have started to have a bit of itchiness around the nipples where you previously had none, I would stop it and refrain from using it or other testosterone boosters again. However tribulus is far from a 'must' supplement, so if you continue to train hard and consistently, follow a good diet with basic supplements, like whey, and get plenty of rest, and you'll continue to make great gains.
Reference: Jameel JK, et al (2004). Gynecomastia and the plant product 'tribulus terrestris'. Breast 13(5): 428-30.
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** Tailored Nutrition Advice from Experts!
Healthy Action is the Nutrition Consultancy headed up by James Collier BSc (Hons), Registered Nutritionist. 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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*** Weight Training Structure ***
By JohnOvManchester - MuscleTalk Pro-Member
Weight training should be hard and serious but there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy it and there's no reason it has to take up a lot of time. Your training can fit round your normal life for without much impact while still getting good results. Let's take a look at some of the training structure possibilities, starting with some basic everyday routines based around anywhere from 6-12 reps for 3 sets or using a 5x5 rep scheme. I like these basic routines personally as they are very simple and very effective:
** Routine 1
Mon : Chest
Tue : Back
Wed : Rest
Thu : Arms
Fri : Rest
Sat: Legs/Shoulders
Sun : Rest
Your workouts will be enough to build overall, but really hit your arms hard and very intense.
** Routine 2
Mon : Chest
Tue : Back
Wed : Rest
Thu : Shoulders/Bis
Fri : Legs/Tris
Sat: Rest
Sun : Rest
The emphasis on the arms is still there with muscles still being relatively fresh, separated from muscle groups where they would have been hit as a secondary muscle.
** Routine 3
Mon : Chest/Bis
Tue : Rest
Wed : Back/Tris
Thu : Rest
Fri : Legs/Shoulders
Sat : Rest
Sun : Rest
Your workouts will be for overall mass but leaning towards hitting arms more times once as a secondary target and again as a primary target.
** Routine 4
Mon : Chest/Tris
Tue : Rest
Wed : Back/Bis
Thu : Rest
Fri : Legs/Shoulders
Sat : Rest
Sun : Rest
This is a much kinder routine with no major focus on arms but they do get hit with some direct work using the same exercises but they have a week's worth of recovery.
** Routine 5
Mon : Chest/Shoulders/Tris
Tue : Rest
Wed : Quads/Hams/Calves
Thu : Rest
Fri : Rest
Sat : Back/Rear Delts/Bis
Sun : Rest
This is a different type of split called Push Pull Legs which is also simple and effective, and gives legs their own day so an opportunity to really focus on them.
Now we move into more complex routines for the more advanced or serious trainer. These routines need setting out and thinking about carefully, and you may need further research so read up on MT.
Westside Routine (based around the big 3: bench, squat & deadlift). Max days would normally include sets with low volume leading to single reps; you would also do assistance work as well for a higher rep range. Dynamic days are all about speed and explosion keep reps down to triples or even lower and weight light for a high amount of sets. See our article Westside Barbell Training
** Routine 6
Mon : Max Effort Bench
Tue : Rest
Wed : Max Effort Squat/Deadlift
Thu : Rest
Fri : Dynamic Effort Bench
Sat : Rest
Sun : Dynamic Effort Squat/Deadlift
This routine is very effective for developing strength.
Doggcrapp routine is also complicated. It is based upon heavy intense lifts that are done with more frequency but keeping volume low. Some techniques incorporated are rest pause reps and extreme stretching. The same muscle groups are hit twice in eight days.
** Routine 7
Mon : Workout A - Shoulders/Triceps/Back width/Back thickness
Tue : Rest
Wed : Workout B - Biceps/Forearms/Calves/Hamstrings/Quads
Thu : Rest
Fri : Repeat Workout A with different exercises
Sat : Rest
Sun : Rest
Mon : Repeat Workout B with different exercises
... and so on, with the next following workout Wednesday, Friday, Monday, Wednesday.
This routine is reported to be effective for growth and has many loyal followers. It also has a very heavy weight and possibly controversial nutritional plan to go with it.
** Conclusion
There is more than one way to skin a cat (no cats were harmed during the making of this article!). The above routines can be applied to great effect. Some will work better for the individual than others and your routine maybe influenced depending on your goals. My view is, for your normal average weight trainer just looking for a better body is that you can use any of the above structures and the key to getting results as always is consistently sticking to a simple formula:
Weights + Nutrition + Rest = Growth
*** Food of the Month - Broccoli ***
By Big Les MuscleTalk Moderator
Broccoli, nearly as traumatic for some as the thought of cabbage, is in fact a nutritional powerhouse of a vegetable. It is a rich source of Vitamin A packing nearly 100mg per 100g (all figures are for cooked, raw values and are lower because of its greater bulk), and its characteristic dark green color tells us it is high in carotenoids and vitamin B2. The same 100g will provide around 39µg of folic acid, 35mg of calcium, and 58mg of Vitamin C. Not only this, we will also get around 2g of protein, 2g of fibre, and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 as well as the minerals iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.
Most of us tend to eat the florets and leave the stems and leaves. If you like their bitter taste, the leaves are also a good source of vitamin A. If we also munch on the stems we get the added benefits of thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, in addition to the goodies found in the florets. If we stick to the florets, which make up most bags of frozen broccoli, then we would be getting around 35% more beta carotene than if we ate our broccoli fresh.
Ever put back the florets that look purplish green or blue green? Well if you do you are putting back the additional carotene and Vitamin C these colourful chaps have. Although if its going yellow, put the little fellow back as this broccoli is starting to spoil.
If you haven't already started to see broccoli as a mighty vegetable then maybe the knowledge that it is a rich source of chromium, which is an element which may work to aid the action of insulin in individuals with a slight glucose intolerance, might bring you round. The benefits of broccoli don't finish there, broccoli contains sulforaphane which stimulates enzymes that are known to fight cancer, as well as the actions of beneficial actions of such friendly compounds known as indoles and aromatic isothiocynates which have been linked to better health in relation to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and high blood pressure.
Finally broccoli packs one final punch; along with onions, carrots and cabbage, it contains calcium pectate (a pectin fibre) that binds to bile acids to hold more cholesterol in the liver, meaning less is released into the bloodstream.
All in Broccoli really is worth a place on your dinner plate
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*** MT Powerlifting Totals Competition ***
By Jonnywildboar - MuscleTalk Pro-Member
See: www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.asp?m=1083082
An excellent month for MT powerlifting! Pro-member tony1blue smashes his deadlift PB an amazing three times and bagged a squat PB while he was at it! He also rather sportingly posted videos too, see www.muscletalk.co.uk/fb.asp?m=1311521
I, Jonnywildboar hit 205kg on my squat and 157.5kg on the bench press, the deadlift however, refused to budge... for now! I'm competing in the UK Open on the 3rd September, so keep an eye on the powerlifting section for a swathe of videos.
Andy Bolton, who holds the world deadlift record, got 317.5kg on the bench press - he looks odds on favourite to be the first man to deadlift 1000lb, good luck Andy!
Tat2shep continues to make good progress up the leader board and cheggers finally nailed the 200kg squat, he's promised a video, which has yet to materialise! The leader board remains the same but with Cornelius parkin and Chris Jenkins both competing this weekend - things might change...
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*** Recipe - Tony's High Fat, High Protein, High Fibre Paste ***
By Tony Barnes of www.savant-health.com
**
Ingredients500g Myprotein Euro 80 Whey
250ml Udo's Oil
50g Husk - Psyllium Husk Powder
50g Frozen Berries (raspberries/mixed/etc)
500ml+ water
**
Method
Put the oil and some of the water (about 250ml should do for now) into a blender along with the berries. Give a quick blend to break the berries up a little. Start adding in the whey, blending and adding a little more water as necessary; you are aiming for quite a thick mix here, so don't go overboard on the water. Once you've got a good mixture that is blending consistently, put in the fibre. This will slow things down considerably and the mixture should really thicken up quite quickly*. You may need to scoop around in the blender (whilst off!) to make sure everything mixes without putting too much water in. You should end up with a very gelatinous paste that can be poured into your container of choice.
Once you've made it, place it in the fridge; if you have lots of small storage tubs, this is better as you can then freeze it; but don't expect it to come out like ice cream! Any kept in the fridge really needs eating within about 4-5 days.
(* Pay close attention to the noise your blender is making - if it sounds like it's about to die, turn it off and hand mix a little! This is not a thin mixture by any means)
**
InformationThe The first mouthful will be a bit of a shock; I'll be honest, I really wasn't sure what I thought of it at first, but this is purely due to the texture attained from the fibre. After the first mouthful it became very edible, and was very filling and satiating.
The amounts can be scaled up or down depending on how much you want to make, with the above making about 1.5 litres (depending on blender, whey and fibre you may get more or less). If you keep the ingredient ratios the same, a smallish portion of about 100ml will be roughly 26g of protein at about 260kcal, a 60:37:3 of fat:protein:carb with up to 4g of fibre in it, so perfect for anyone avoiding carbs or wanting a bed time snack.
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 - The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition by Anita Bean ***
Review by cliff_vtr MuscleTalk Pro-Member
This book gives great detail into what foods and how the timings of foods are important in sport. It covers all sorts of training from the marathon runner to the body builder. This is particularly useful for bodybuilders as most bodybuilder's training comprises of resistance training and cardio. The book is packed with references to studies meaning all the information is evidence based.
The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition starts off by explaining how energy is generated in the body and where it comes from. It explains how carbohydrates, fats and proteins are used for fuel and how to minimise protein usage, and how the different energy systems in the body work and how and when they are used.
The book is quite traditional in that it promotes a high carbohydrate intake which may go against what a lot of bodybuilders think, especially when cutting. However it does show that high amounts of carbohydrate are useful. There is a strong emphasis on body composition and the book promotes resistance training for anyone wishing to lose weight. The weight loss section is detailed explaining how to lose weight properly through diet and exercise.
The section on supplements goes into real detail about the pros and cons of each of the popular supplements and there is a lot of information on creatine monohydrate. The chapter on fluids is very interesting and explain how much you need to drink before, during and after exercise, and discusses what part sports drinks play and when to take them.
The book is packed full of little nuggets of information and I would not recommend missing any chapters out, even the ones that you don't think are applicable to you. I would recommend this book both for the beginner and the experienced sports person. It is easy to understand and follow which is great for beginners. Equally the book is detailed enough that I am sure experienced people will pick up very useful information.
The only small criticism I have is in the 'Gaining Weight' section. It listed a training program which I feel wasn't really the place for a nutrition book as there simply wasn't enough information on training to ever cover it in any detail. Therefore I feel it should have been left out and other books referenced instead.
Overall a great book which I thoroughly recommend, especially at the current price, it's a steal.
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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