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By Jose Antonio, Ph.D.

It’s THE question that rolls from the tips of everyone’s tongue. What’s the best diet, training and supplementation plan for losing fat faster than a celebrity can confess to his or her latest transgression? OK, maybe it doesn’t work as fast as a contrived tear-filled bullsh@# confession, but there are scientifically valid ways to approach this problem.

What’s the secret? Combining high-intensity interval training (aka HIIT) with a lower-carb/low-glycemic index diet, in conjunction with some simple supplementation. Now bear in mind that you shouldn’t do the exact same program all the time. You’ll need to vary it in terms of exercise choice/intensity/duration, diet (food choices, total kcals, etc.) and supplements. Doing the SAME thing over and over again will work to a point; and then it stops working. You need to frequently kickstart your body into acquiring new adaptations. And unfortunately, the better your fitness level is, the harder it is to lose even more body fat. Let’s face it. The reason the “Biggest Loser” contestants can lose so much fat, is because they HAVE so much fat.

WHAT TO EAT

In the never ending battle of “which diet is best,” you have the low-carb, higher fat, protein variety (e.g., Atkins), the more moderate type (e.g., 40/30/30, Mediterranean), and of course the favorite of many clinicians, the low-fat diet. It wasn’t that long ago when folks who espoused eating less carbs were vilified as “purveyors of early death!” I mean, God forbid you tell a diabetic to eat less bread and perhaps more meat. But the beauty of science is in its ability to eventually self-correct. And suffice it to say that the preponderance of evidence points to a lower carb diet as being the best choice for most individuals when it comes to promoting weight and fat loss.

In perhaps the single best randomized clinical trial, 322 overweight subjects consumed either a low-carb (without caloric restriction), low-fat (with calorie restriction) or the Mediterranean diet over a two-year period. They had pretty darn good adherence to the study diets (85-95% adherence) over the two-year period. And to say the data are fascinating would be like saying the girls in a Victoria’s Secret catalog are merely pretty. The Mediterranean-diet group consumed the largest amounts of dietary fiber and had the highest ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat. Moreover, the low-carbohydrate group consumed the smallest amount of carbohydrates and the largest amounts of fat, protein and cholesterol and had the highest percentage of participants with detectable urinary ketones. But who lost the most weight? The winner was the low-carb group (-12.10 pounds), followed by the Mediterranean group (-10.12 pounds) and last and certainly least, the low-fat group (-7.26 pounds). To top it off, the low-carb group was told to NOT restrict calories while the other two were. Perhaps the most fascinating result was the fact that cardiovascular risk factors were best in the low-carb group, despite the fact that they consumed the most saturated fat and cholesterol. Wait a minute— doesn’t the American Heart Association (AHA) pound the drumbeat of lowering your saturated fat and cholesterol intake? Makes you wonder if the AHA cares about science or are so forever married to their silly dogma.1 Another study found that a lower-carbohydrate diet was superior to a traditional diet for improving heart disease risk factors.2

Now the problem with losing weight is often the lower metabolic rate following weight loss. This might contribute to weight re-gain. Thus, scientists looked at three diets and how they affected metabolic rate following weight loss. After achieving 10 to 15 percent weight loss, participants then consumed an isocaloric (i.e., same number of calories) low-fat diet (60% of energy from carbohydrate, 20% from fat, 20% from protein; high-glycemic load), low-glycemic index diet (40% from carbohydrate, 40% from fat, and 20% from protein; moderate-glycemic load), and very low-carbohydrate diet (10% from carbohydrate, 60% from fat, and 30% from protein; low-glycemic load) in random order, each for four weeks. So this is pretty cool. Every subject did each diet. What happened? They found that resting metabolic rate was highest in the very low-carb group, followed by the low-glycemic index diet, with the low-fat diet coming in dead last. You see a pattern in these studies?3 So here’s the lowdown if your goal is to lose fat:

First, cut out all processed carbohydrates. This includes breads, cereals (yeah, that includes whole grains), pasta, and white rice. Make up for these calories by consuming more fruits and vegetables as well as meats (e.g., fish, beef, chicken, etc.) with a touch of added fat (especially fish oil).

I’d suggest that you stay with the lower-carb diet for at least four to six weeks.

After you’ve lost a significant amount of fat, go on a “diet holiday” of sorts and consume more a 40:30:30 or Mediterranean style diet (this was the second most effective). This will allow you to train harder (see next section) and further improve your fitness goals. Then resume your periodized diet plan and go back on the lower carb/lower glycemic, higher protein/fat diet.

HOW TO TRAIN

REALLY fun to do...like creating a July 4th fireworks but flowerworks instead. Get a paper towel holder and some small flowers and, especially, some flower petals that are either fresh or dried. The dried ones will have better velocity. Last weekend I used this creative idea I had to blow flowers from a bridge onto a large stream below. It was an act of being grateful for the special experience in nature. Blowing the flower petals in the air where they drifted down on to the stream was so beautiful to watch. They floated down stream bringing inspiration and vibrant color amidst the rocks and foliage. So memorable and children of all ages like creating fun scenes, as well as the inner child of all of us.Akin to the battle of the diets, is it better to do steady-state cardio (SSC) or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) if your goal is to burn fat? Suffice it to say that you should probably do both because doing HIIT all the time is pretty darn hard and might lead to overtraining. But in a pinch, there is no better way to make the best use of your time than by doing HIIT. In a study that’s hot off the press, scientists found that sprint interval training is a time-efficient alternative to endurance training for increasing skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and improving cardiovascular function.4 One single bout of HIIT can increase insulin sensitivity and fat oxidation in overweight men.5 Another study proved just how potent HIIT can be. In a 12-week study, total body, abdominal, trunk, visceral fat mass and fat-free mass of young overweight males was assessed after performing high-intensity training. Participants were randomly assigned to either exercise or control group. The intervention group trained three times per week for 20 minutes per session. Aerobic power improved significantly by 15 percent for the exercising group. Exercisers compared to controls lost 4.4 pounds of fat! Abdominal, trunk and visceral fat was also significantly reduced. And on the flip side, they gained lean mass.6 Just one hour of hard training per week proved super effective at changing body composition.

Recently, scientists looked at a variation of HIIT called HIRT or high-intensity resistance training. They tested the acute effects of HIRT versus traditional resistance training (TT) on resting energy expenditure (REE) and respiratory ratio (RR) at 22 hours post-exercise. RR is a measure of whether you are burning fat versus carbohydrate as a fuel source. In two separate sessions, 17 trained men carried out HIRT and TT protocols. The HIRT technique consisted of three series of 6-RM (doing the maximum amount of weight for six repetitions) followed by a 20-second rest, then the subject lifts the same weight until reaching the point of failure (usually two repetitions) followed by 20 seconds rest, then another two to three repetitions. This sequence counted as one set, then subjects rested two and half minutes before performing a second and third set. The training session lasted approximately 32 minutes (including the warm-up period). TT consisted of eight exercises of four sets of eight-12 repetitions with one to two minutes rest with a total amount of 32 sets. HIRT showed a greater increase in REE 22 hours after training. In fact, HIRT burned 363 more calories. Also, the HIRT group had a lower RR, confirming that they burned more fat too.7 So the evidence is clear that doing it hard and short is better than the longer steady-state approach.

To really elevate fat burning, evidence shows that doing it in the fasted state may be best. For instance, being in the fasted state is better than the fed state for increasing muscular oxidative capacity.8 Also, fasted training is more potent than fed training to cause beneficial adaptations in muscle and to improve whole-body glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.9 Furthermore, fat oxidation is higher when training with low-muscle glycogen.10 And last but not least, HIIT can elevate free testosterone better than steady-state endurance exercise.11

SUPPLEMENTS TO TAKE

To round off the triumvirate, the judicious use of sports supplements will further assist you in getting ripped.

1 Whey Protein

We know that proteins are the most thermogenic of all the macronutrients. But did you know that whey is perhaps the most thermogenic? Yep, whey beats casein, which beats soy. Also, cumulative fat oxidation is greater after a whey meal than after the soy meal.12

2 Bitter Orange Extract

Some studies suggest that calcium in the diet may increase the loss of body fat. In a recent meta-analysis, “acute high calcium intake increased fat oxidation.”13 One of the more common ingredients used, especially in combination with caffeine, is bitter orange. In an elegant review published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, scientists examined the entire body of science to see indeed if bitter orange is both safe and effective. They found that in general, bitter orange extract alone (p-synephrine) or in combination with other ingredients such as caffeine did not produce significant adverse events as an increase in heart rate or blood pressure, or alter electrocardiographic data, serum chemistry, blood cell counts or urinalysis. In fact, modest weight loss was observed with bitter orange extract/p-synephrine-containing products when given for six to 12 weeks.15

 

3 Fish Oil

Most think of fish oil’s cardio-protective effects or even its potent role as an anti-inflammatory. But did you know there is surprising evidence that it can improve your body composition? In a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, scientists studied 44 men and women to determine the effects of supplemental fish oil (FO) on resting metabolic rate (RMR), body composition, and cortisol production. Subjects consumed either: 4 g/d of safflower oil (SO); or 4 g/d of FO, supplying 1,600 mg/d eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 800 mg/d docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). All tests were repeated following six weeks of treatment. The FO group lost body fat and gained fat-free mass. So a double whammy. You gain muscle and lose fat. The investigators believed that the drop in salivary cortisol found in the FO group may have played a role in the loss of body fat.16

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

The complete strategy for getting ripped is like a tricycle. You need the front wheel and two rear wheels to keep it going. Similarly, a plan that includes a proper diet, training, and supplementation is ideal for maximizing fat loss.

  • Your diet should consist of plenty of unprocessed carbohydrate foods as the base (i.e., eat vegetables till you’re blue in the face and enough fruit to satisfy a primate).
  • Limit or eliminate processed carbohydrates (e.g., pasta, breads, cereals, etc.).
  • Eat plenty of protein and fish fat.
  • Train like you mean it. Doing steady-state is good, but doing HIIT is better. At least twice per week, do some hardcore HIIT.
  • Supplement with caffeine, bitter orange extract (p-synephrine) and fish oil.

 

Jose Antonio, Ph.D. is the CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition and a professor at Nova Southeastern University’s Exercise and Sports Science Department in Davie, Florida.

Photos by: Per Bernal
References:

  1. Shai I, Schwarzfuchs D, Henkin Y, Shahar DR, Witkow S, Greenberg I, et al. Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet. N Engl J Med 2008;359(3):229-41.
  2. Stern L, Iqbal N, Seshadri P, Chicano KL, Daily DA, McGrory J, et al. The effects of low-carbohydrate versus conventional weight loss diets in severely obese adults: one-year follow-up of a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med 2004;140(10):778-85.
  3. Ebbeling CB, Swain JF, Feldman HA, Wong WW, Hachey DL, Garcia-Lago E, et al. Effects of dietary composition on energy expenditure during weight-loss maintenance. JAMA 2012;307(24):2627-34.
  4. Cocks M, Shaw CS, Shepherd SO, Fisher JP, Ranasinghe AM, Barker TA, et al. Sprint interval and endurance training are equally effective in increasing muscle microvascular density and eNOS content in sedentary males. J Physiol 2013;591(Pt 3):641-56.
  5. Whyte LJ, Ferguson C, Wilson J, Scott RA, Gill JM. Effects of single bout of very high-intensity exercise on metabolic health biomarkers in overweight/obese sedentary men. Metabolism 2013;62(2):212-9.
  6. Heydari M, Freund J, Boutcher SH. The effect of high-intensity intermittent exercise on body composition of overweight young males. J Obes 2012;2012:480467.
  7. Paoli A, Moro T, Marcolin G, Neri M, Bianco A, Palma A, et al. High-Intensity Interval Resistance Training (HIRT) influences resting energy expenditure and respiratory ratio in non-dieting individuals. J Transl Med 2012;10:237.
  8. Van Proeyen K, Szlufcik K, Nielens H, Ramaekers M, Hespel P. Beneficial metabolic adaptations due to endurance exercise training in the fasted state. J Appl Physiol 2011;110(1):236-45.
  9. Van Proeyen K, Szlufcik K, Nielens H, Pelgrim K, Deldicque L, Hesselink M, et al. Training in the fasted state improves glucose tolerance during fat-rich diet. J Physiol 2010;588(Pt 21):4289-302.
  10. Hulston CJ, Venables MC, Mann CH, Martin C, Philp A, Baar K, et al. Training with low muscle glycogen enhances fat metabolism in well-trained cyclists. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2010;42(11):2046-55.
  11. Hackney AC, Hosick KP, Myer A, Rubin DA, Battaglini CL. Testosterone responses to intensive interval versus steady-state endurance exercise. J Endocrinol Invest 2012;35(11):947-50.
  12. Acheson KJ, Blondel-Lubrano A, Oguey-Araymon S, Beaumont M, Emady-Azar S, Ammon-Zufferey C, et al. Protein choices targeting thermogenesis and metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr 2011;93(3):525-34.
  13. Gonzalez JT, Rumbold PL, Stevenson EJ. Effect of calcium intake on fat oxidation in adults: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Obes Rev 2012;13(10):848-57.
  14. Stohs SJ, Preuss HG, Shara M. A Review of the Human Clinical Studies Involving Citrus aurantium (Bitter Orange) Extract and its Primary Protoalkaloid p-Synephrine. Int J Med Sci 2012;9(7):527-38.
  15. Noreen EE, Sass MJ, Crowe ML, Pabon VA, Brandauer J, Averill LK. Effects of supplemental fish oil on resting metabolic rate, body composition, and salivary cortisol in healthy adults. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2010;7:31.

 

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WHICH EXERCISES REIGN SUPREME?

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Limitless Bodybuilding

By PJ Braun

Sponsored by Blackstone Labs™

Don’t get caught up in what everyone else is doing. Experiment and figure out what’s best for you. Pay attention to your body and if something doesn’t feel right, try something different.

By the time you guys read this article, I will have surpassed 18 months in federal prison and working out in the gym is not just a distant memory, but now getting close to being a reality again as the second half of my sentence winds down. I have so much excitement in my heart and mind to get back to training with real weights and machines instead of bodyweight. Since the first time I touched a weight 30 years ago, I fell in love with working out! If I could work out all day, every day, I would! Sex is awesome too, close second, but I give the edge to the gym! Am I that crazy!?! I love chasing the pump and seeing my progress and I love challenging myself to push harder and more efficiently. I hate myself for getting away from that for a few years before my sentence, but I have learned to not live in the past. Time to make up for lost time. Over the years I have tried literally hundreds and hundreds of different exercises from powerlifting to functional to rehabilitation and I have learned what works best for my body through copious amounts of trial and error. So, I have decided to detail my most important exercises for each body part and why!

535995473 mmi 07 29 2012 pj braun184 copy 1

CHEST

I started out like most kids in the gym obsessed with the barbell bench press. It was an exercise that determined who was the worst ass in the high school gym and I hated not being good at it. When I was in my late teens, I started training under a powerlifting coach named Rob DeLavega in Brookfield, Connecticut at a Powerhouse Gym and he taught me the key fundamentals of the squat, deadlift and of course the bench press. I was not a great bench presser until years after my powerlifting career. My best max was only 455 pounds, but I was pleased when I could work out with 405 pounds for sets of eight and really proud when I did 225 pounds for 50. I was always better with stamina then low reps. The problem with the bench press is that ergonomically it is inferior to many exercises for building the chest because of the angle and stress on the shoulder joint. Most great bench pressers have massive front deltoids but often develop shoulder injuries. I destroyed both shoulders bench pressing and to this day still have lots of pain. So going back in time, if I could do things a little different, I would have spent most my time on the incline barbell press. This exercise really isolates the chest and is safer on the shoulder joint. Of course, you still need strong delts and triceps because like any compound movement, the body must work in synergy, but by keeping your scapula down and back, the stress is just unreal! It’s much harder than the flat version but it will blow your chest up!

Honorable mention: The incline dumbbell press is a close second because it’s so important to incorporate unilateral exercises to work out imbalances, and you can place the dumbbells exactly where you need to really feel the muscle work.

SHOULDERS

I love the dumbbell press and the Hammer Strength shoulder press. However, you can press all you want but if you really want them to look awesome, you need to do tons of lateral raises. The medial and posterior delts need that extra stimulation or you will be very imbalanced. My favorite is the seated dumbbell lateral raise done slow and strict. I start with the dumbbells under my legs so I can get a farther range of motion, and it’s hard to cheat when you’re seated.

Honorable mention: Reverse pec deck. Most people do this way too heavy and get too much trap involved. Done very light and strict, you can really engage the posterior delts more than anything else to round out the back of the delts!

QUADS

For many years I focused on the barbell squat. I loved squatting heavy and would often work up to 495 pounds for sets of 10. I squat deep and love the feeling of exploding out of the hole. However, it wasn’t until a great bodybuilder named Ben Pakulski and I did legs together that he talked me into opening my mind about training. In 2006, we did legs for a Muscular Development video at Gold’s Gym Venice. I told him I mostly just do lots of squats, but he got me to start incorporating more variety and splitting the days up. I started experimenting and that’s when I really started growing. What was the key? The hack squat! Nothing overloads your quads the way the hack squat does and it’s much safer on your back!

Honorable mention: Close-stance leg press to 90 degrees. A lot of guys either use too short of a range of motion or too deep of a range of motion where the spine starts to curl off the back support, which is very dangerous. Keep the knees together and come down to 90 degrees and explode up to really overload the quads!

HAMSTRINGS/GLUTES

OK guys, you are going to be really surprised by this one. But if you really want thick hamstrings, the key exercise here is a wider-stance squat! Yes, that’s right. When you learn to sit back into your glutes and hams and perform the reps slow and efficient, the hamstrings get a different kind of stimulation. You’re probably thinking, I thought squats were a quad exercise? Squats work the entire lower body and when you open your stance, sit back and push through your heels, you will blast your hamstrings like crazy too. Want to really intensify it? Check out this tip in my honorable mention! Want to get more glute involved? Try the dumbbell plié squat or sumo variation.

Honorable mention: Lying hamstring curls done before you squat, so they are engorged with blood. Either superset or just done as straight sets, this combo really brought out the thickness in my side poses and the lying hamstring curl is essentially like doing a barbell curl for your arms. Explode up and control the negative. Learn to do hip thrusts properly, and the stimulation to the posterior chain will be superior to doing squats alone.

BACK

I absolutely love training back, and I had a hard time coming up with my number one here, so I am going to first say that your back needs lots of volume and angles but most importantly, you must row like crazy to grow. I love all variations of row exercises, from barbells to dumbbells to Hammer Strength to cables!! They all have their place, but I am breaking this down for width and thickness. For width, you have to barbell row with an underhand grip. Oh yeah, baby, like the great Dorian Yates in those crazy Blood and Guts workouts that really brought the lower lats thickness out. I have gone up to some sloppy sets of 405 but prefer to be stricter with the weight. For thickness, I switch over to the old-school T-Bar row. Not a machine. It must be done with a 45-pound bar in a corner with a V-Grip handle near the top.

Honorable mention: Pull-ups, which are great for starting the foundation of your back. Wide-grip, close-grip and underhand chins done early in your bodybuilding journey will provide a great deal of strength. Sadly, I can barely hang from a pull-up bar without a great deal of pain in my shoulders now, but that’s from all the old injuries. For all you young guys starting out, form is most important! Don’t swing, and use a complete range of motion.

TRICEPS

Later in my career, I got really into cable variations for the triceps to warm up my elbows. If you look at my photos, you see that triceps were one of my best body parts and they grew almost too fast for me and made my biceps look smaller. The exercise I feel did the most for mass is the overhead dumbbell extension, done with both arms at the same time. I would often go up to the heaviest dumbbells in my gym, which was 130, and could do it strict and slow for 15-20 reps.

Honorable mention: The rope pushdown, which is the most versatile exercise for the triceps because you can change the stress of the exercise so easily. I prefer to start literally every triceps workout with rope pushdowns to really warm up my elbows and find that it’s really easy to pump up fast this way!

BICEPS

I see so many people train biceps too heavy and because of that, they don’t maximize the contractions and the full range of motion for the biceps. I was guilty of this early on in my career and it wasn’t until I started doing lots of incline dumbbell curls that my arms really grew. The incline curl when done properly takes the delt out of the exercise and from a full range of motion, the stretch at the bottom makes the muscle really isolate. I love dumbbell exercises, and this is by far my favorite.

Honorable mention: The dumbbell preacher curl. They key on this one is locking your armpit onto the top of the preacher bench and keeping your shoulders pulled back. Another awesome unilateral isolation exercise.

The best of the rest: I have trained calves, abs, and forearms hard and thorough, but my position is slightly different here. These are areas that simply can be ignored if they are genetically superior because of all the stimulation they get. I know so many guys who don’t train abs because they get lots of stimulation from compound exercises and their abs are sick. It’s easy to overtrain the ancillary groups too. Specifically forearms, because your grip is involved in so much! I developed major tendinitis from doing forearm work and don’t isolate them anymore. You want massive forearms? Don’t use straps on back day!

My calves were massive before I even touched a weight. EMG studies show that the donkey calf raise recruits the most muscle fibers, but many gyms don’t have that machine, so you got to make do with what you got. Variety is key for calves and abs, and if I really had to pick a number one ab exercise, it would be the kneeling rope crunch because you can really exaggerate the range of motion and contraction. If you want to really hit your core, you need to involve reverse curvature of the spine, meaning your lower body curls up toward your head instead of the standard crunching down!

So, there you have it. My most important exercises. Don’t get caught up in what everyone else is doing. Experiment and figure out what’s best for you. Pay attention to your body and if something doesn’t feel right, try something different. What works best for me may not work best for you and the best part of the bodybuilding journey is learning the keys to success in the gym to unlock your true potential. Just because I have been training 30 years doesn’t mean I have stopped learning. When you stop learning, you stop your growth. That goes for the body, the mind, and the spirit.

Until next time, I love you all. Peace out, bye.

535995453 gjp 17 10 2010 pj braun08 copy 1

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Published Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:33:45 +0000

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GlycoLog

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GlycoLog allows carbs to work for you to build muscle, so you can achieve serious lean gains.

The Great Carb Debate. Are you confused about carbs? That’s no surprise. The great carb debate has been going on for years, and carbs have gotten a pretty bad rap. Some people have labeled carbs as evil outcasts that make you fat and say that carbs should be shunned by everyone from celebrities to soccer moms and even high-level athletes – who in fact need them more than anyone else. What’s the solution? GlycoLog from Blackstone Labs™ allows carbs to work for you to build muscle, so you can achieve serious lean gains. GlycoLog puts CARBS back on the MENU!

Serious Lean Gains. There are lots of carbphobics out there, but you don’t have to be one of them. The issue that some people have with eating carbs is that it increases insulin, the body’s storage hormone. Insulin can either shuttle carbs into fat or muscle, depending on your genetics. Most people have poor genetics, which means eating carbs inevitably leads to increased fat. But that doesn’t have to be the case when you incorporate GlycoLog into your supplementation regimen. Using GlycoLog means carbs are back on the menu again, and they’re bringing some serious lean gains with them!

Hack Your Genetic Code

GlycoLog acts as a nutrient partitioner – and directs the carbs you eat into your muscles and not your adipose tissue. GlycoLog has been formulated to hack your genetic code to make insulin work for you, not against you, with these ingredients:

Chromium (300mcg) is an essential mineral that helps regulate blood glucose. Chromium is critical to insulin metabolism and therefore a vital component to nutrient uptake in the body.

Gymnema Sylvestre (1g) enhances insulin function to reduce blood sugar. A comprehensive review of the scientific literature on Gymnema sylvestre notes it also reduces plasma glucose, leptin levels, bodyweight, and even body mass index (BMI).

Bitter Melon (500mg) increases glucose uptake and utilization by skeletal muscles as well as reducing formation of glycogen in the liver. Additional research on bitter melon notes it also suppresses inflammation in adipose tissue (fat).

Super Berberine (300mg) lowers blood glucose levels and encourages glucose absorption by muscle cells. GlycoLog includes the trademarked Super Berberine for its improved bioavailability over standard berberine supplements.

Cinnamon Bark (250mg) increases insulin activity while simultaneously acting as an insulin mimetic to facilitate glucose transport into skeletal muscle tissue. Cinnamon bark reduces blood sugar, cuts body fat, and increases lean mass.

Sodium R-Lipoate (150mg) is a highly bioavailable form of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). ALA is essential to carbohydrate metabolism and also acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body. It helps lower blood sugar, reduce appetite, and increase energy expenditure.

BioPerine (5mg) can enhance the effectiveness of the blood sugar-lowering compounds in GlycoLog by increasing the time they remain active in the bloodstream.

GlycoLog

• Insulin Mimetic and Nutrient Partitioning Agent

• Simulates Glycogen Storage

• May Improve Glucose Metabolism

• Helps You Digest Carbs

• Achieve Serious Lean Gains

For more information, visit https://blackstonelabs.com/products/glycolog

The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

5 STAR REVIEWS

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“The only GDA that I have ever used that has had a positive effect on blood sugar levels that I’ve used that I could actually see on a glucose monitor. Amazing pumps when used with a pre-workout meal as well.” -Charles K

“Buy it. Compared to other GDA supplements you can definitely tell this is an elite product. Take with cheat meals and it really helps control the spike you get from such a high-carb meal.” -Emma R

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Published Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:13:46 +0000

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When the Weight Stack Isn’t Enough

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The Giant Killer

By Two-Time 212 Olympia Champion Shaun Clarida

Sponsored by MUTANT

Q: I see you use something called a GymPin to add weight to both machines with stacks as well as plate-loading machines like Hammer Strength and Arsenal Strength. Which machines do you need to do that for, all of them? Every post of yours I see it looks like you have every plate a machine can hold!

A: I use it on almost every machine that has a weight stack that you use a pin to adjust the weight for, because most of the stacks were designed to accommodate a certain level of strength that very few people go beyond anyway. A lot of times a weight stack will only go up to something like 200 pounds and the GymPin lets me add 25 or 45 more pounds to that. I do also use it for plate-loading machines like the Hammer Strength Incline Press for chest so I can add a sixth plate to each side since there’s only enough room for five 45s. It also comes in handy on certain leg press machines when the posts don’t allow me to put enough plates on to really challenge me. On most models I can push 13 or 14 plates a side if I’m going as heavy as possible. I’ve seen people do crazy things like using bungee cords or duct tape to secure extra 45s. The GymPin is a much safer and more convenient tool to add extra resistance. I feel it my duty to mention that no one should be adding weight to anything if you are sacrificing form, range of motion, or mind-muscle connection just to say you used x amount of weight. But if you are genuinely maxed-out with what a machine holds or allows for, use my code GK20 for GymPin at www.gym-pin.co.uk!

The Heat Is On!

Q: Your new home state of Texas went through a record-setting heat wave less than two months after you moved there. How did you handle all those days in a row that were well over 100 degrees outside?

A: Honestly, I love it. I’ve always been a fan of the heat. I love Florida and Texas weather. What isn’t so fun is that summer is also the rainy season in Texas. The storms here are just ridiculous. They are so loud I thought the windows were going to shatter! I wake up and it’s 70 or 80 degrees. It gets up to 100 or more by noon. I prefer the heat. You know I stay covered up almost all the time when I train. So don’t feel bad for me, I’m fine even at over 100 degrees!

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Olympia Prep: Bigger and Better

Q: You are starting your prep for the Olympia, where you will defend your 212 title and hopefully earn your third win. Where are you at with your physique this year as compared to your starting point in 2022? I believe you hit an all-time high for your off-season bodyweight and strength.

A: I did get up to 215 pounds, which is crazy. I never thought I would be that heavy in this off-season with having a new baby and moving across country. I had assumed my training would have suffered a bit here and there with all that going on. But I have been able to get my training, meals, and cardio in every day without fail. I’d always heard “everything is bigger in Texas,” and now I believe it! I remember sending Matt Jansen my check-in when I hit 215, and I was surprised. That’s a lot for me. I will come in a little bigger at this Olympia than ever before, but the most important thing for me is conditioning. Nothing else matters if the condition isn’t top-notch. That’s why I never focus on my bodyweight. I’m more concerned with trying to improve certain areas like my chest and hamstrings. As I get stronger on those movements and add new lean muscle tissue, the weight does creep up. It’s been a great off-season and I also feel I’m going to grow into the show. I’m one of those guys who gets stronger in prep, so sometimes I have to be mindful and stay safe, so I don’t get injured. But I’m going to keep pushing hard, stay strong, and hold as much size going into the show as possible. Despite being 40 and already being as strong as I am, I still find I’m able to make strength gains.

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How Being a Dad Changed Me

Q: Has being a dad changed your outlook on life at all yet? Most men say they feel like an entirely different chapter of their life has begun.

A: I feel like an adult now! I actually had this conversation with Branch Warren recently at Destination Dallas. I thought I was motivated and had purpose before, but becoming a father was like turning a switch. From now on, everything I do moving forward isn’t for me anymore. It’s for my daughter. Now she’s the reason I’m determined to improve and win my third Olympia title. She gives me a whole new fuel and drive to be the best I can be.

Home Gym, Texas Style

Q: Do you have any equipment at home?

A: My new home in Texas has a four-car garage, and I set aside two of the bays to be my “home gym.” In the past in New Jersey, I always had to drive to the gym for my morning cardio. It wasn’t a long drive, but I always thought I would save time by having cardio equipment at home. Now I can do that as well as abs, calves, and adductors. At home I have a Matrix Stairmaster, a Hammer Strength leg raise, an old-school Hoist seated calf raise, an Icarian calf press, an Atlantis ab crunch, a Nautilus ab machine, and Magnum abductor and adductor machines. I also got a new Nautilus hip/glute drive machine. This saves me a lot of morning trips to the gym, and of course I still do all my heavy training there.

Instagram @shaunclarida

YouTube: Shaun Clarida

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By: Team FitRx
Title: When the Weight Stack Isn’t Enough
Sourced From: www.fitnessrxformen.com/training/athletes/when-the-weight-stack-isnt-enough/
Published Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2023 12:58:27 +0000

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