HMB - Does Age Matter?

There seems to be a line of reasoning among bodybuilders that goes like this: the older you get, the less muscle you can build, the more fat you gain, and the less effective supplements become at giving you mind-blowing results.

While it's clear that building muscle is harder as you age because of declining hormones, and that gaining fat is easier because of metabolic slowdown, it's not so clear that supplements work less as you age – and when it comes to HMB, a new study challenges the conventional wisdom.

Researchers gave HMB to young, middle-aged and older bodybuilders and found that, regardless of age, HMB “may inhibit the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway responsible for the specific degradation of intracellular proteins. HMB may also directly stimulate protein synthesis, through an mTOR dependent mechanism.”

Here is your FUSION FACTOID: Despite some of the conflicting evidence on HMB, and the notion that supplements work less as you age, this study on HMB, at least, shows that there are always exceptions to the rule. HMB works for everyone – so take it! You can lose fat, gain muscle and get awesome results.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com


Source: Gabriel J Wilson, Jacob M Wilson and Anssi H Manninen. Effects of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) on exercise performance and body composition across varying levels of age, sex, and training experience: A review. Nutrition & Metabolism 2008, 5:1.

Lower Test = Less Life...

Bodybuilders need high testosterone levels to lift heavy, workout hard and grow massive. Testosterone is, simply, the lifeblood of muscle building. But there's only one problem: stress, pollution and ageing all cause testosterone levels to sink, and if you're 30 or over, the situation gets worse because your testosterone levels naturally decline after this age.

A new study examining the effects of lower testosterone levels – total and free testosterone – has found that lower testosterone levels may shorten your life – increasing your chances of dying early by 33% compared to people with high or normal testosterone levels.

But low testosterone doesn't just increase your risk of an early demise, it also makes it very difficult to be motivated and to train with the blinding intensity you need to force muscle growth.

So here's your FUSION FACTOID: Get your testosterone levels high by avoiding stress, eating right and training hard – giving it your all every time you enter the gym. While not mandatory, it can also be good to supplement with a natural test booster, just to make sure that you're maxing out your test levels and getting the best and fastest gains possible. So get your test levels high – and get HUGE! It may even make you live longer.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: Study presented at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting, June 5, 2007.

Ditch the NSAIDS...

We've already reported on the effects of ibuprofen – that it cripples protein synthesis and muscle growth. But what of the other over-the-counter Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Inhibitor drugs? What about drugs like acetaminophen (Tylenol), Celebrex, Naproxen (Aleev) and opiates that are frequently used to reduce inflammation and pain after a hard workout?

The story is pretty much the same – and it's not good.

New research shows clearly that while acetaminophen (Tylenol) did not slow growth, protein synthesis and the healing of tendons from a hard workout, drugs like Celebrex, Naproxen and various opiates did delay the healing of tendons and, taken one step further, actually decreased the overall collagen count of these tissues – making joints less functional.

So here's your FUSION FACTOID: If you're going to use a painkiller after a killer workout that's full of gut-busting pain, choose the least of all evils: acetaminophen. And, if at all possible, use enzymes that help control inflammation from spiraling out of control.


- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: American Journal Sports Medicine, published online April 23, 2007.

BCAA's Are No Fad...

The bodybuilding World is strange: fads and gimmicks come and go and things go in and out of style. While some things should never become popular in the first place, other things should never go out of popularity. BCAA’s are a case in point.

While research over the years has proven the need for BCAA’s by showing that they increase protein synthesis, muscle growth and speed exercise recovery, they have mysteriously fallen into and out of favour with bodybuilders. Now, there’s yet another study showing that BCAA’s need to stay in the arsenal of every serious bodybuilder.

A recent study examined the effects of BCAA shortage on overall growth patterns and brain function, and found that BCAA shortage leads to stunted growth levels and poor brain function – sometimes even brain diseases.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: BCAA’s are critical for your results. Use them, and be generous. Shortages will turn your physique from treasure into trash, and can lead to the onset of a whole host of disease states.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: Malcolm Watford. 2007 International Life Sciences Institute. April 2007: 167–172.

Old School Energy...

Many bodybuilders need an extra blast of energy prior to hitting the gym for a hard training session. While energy drinks are now popular with athletes from all sport, the old stand-by – coffee – hasn’t gone away and a lot of bodybuilders drink a cup – or three – before a workout to get the energy and motivation they need to pound out rep after rep of heavy iron.

Now, scientists are stating that because coffee induces a thermogenic effect, it may also protect against type II diabetes – the kind of diabetes that’s so prevalent, especially amongst overweight and obese people.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: While energy drinks may be popular, a lot of them contain sugar, and there’s no evidence that they offer any thermogenic benefit. But coffee is a thermogenic and it’s sugar free – meaning all of the energy, plus diabetes protection, with none of the calories and fat gain from extra sugar. So next time you need some energy to pound out set after heavy set, consider drinking a cup – or three – of coffee. It’s old school, but it’ll do the trick like nothing else.

Source: Hannia Campos, PhD, and Ana Baylin, MD, DrPH. Coffee Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease. 2007 International Life Sciences Institute. April 2007: 173–179.

The TRUTH about probiotics...

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the benefits of probiotics – special bacteria present in your intestinal track that aide in food digestion and overall health. Not surprisingly, new foods have appeared that are “enhanced” and “fortified” with probiotics, and even new supplements have debuted, with marketers claiming that bodybuilders need more probiotics because of the amount and frequency of our meals. These marketers claim that bodybuilders need more probiotics than the average person and that extra probiotics will speed digestion, increase nutrient absorption and lead to overall better health.

But there’s only one problem with these claims: They’re not true!

The truth is that most orally ingested probiotics are destroyed in stomach acid before they produce any benefit and, even if they do survive your stomach, they may not produce any benefit once in your body – unless your intestinal bacteria balance is already out of balance.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: Probiotics may be great for people with digestive problems, but they don’t do anything for bodybuilders. So save your money and skip the “enhanced” and “fortified” yogurts and other food items that show up on store shelves. Instead, stick to the basics and build muscle by getting high quality proteins. It’s the only way to go.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: L. Miles. Are probiotics beneficial for health? British Nutrition Foundation Nutrition Bulletin,32, 2–5.2007.

Don't Be Afraid Of Soy...

Let's face it: Soy protein has a pretty bad reputation when it comes to muscle building. For years, so-called “experts” have slammed soy protein as inferior to whey and egg proteins, and have warned us about soy protein being a “womans protein” because of its estrogenic potential. These experts warn that the potential estrogen activity of soy could crush muscle growth by negatively impacting testosterone production.

Now, however, research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows beyond any doubt that soy protein is effective for men, as it is rich in isoflacones that increase HDL “good” cholestrol and lower LDL “bad” cholestrol, helping to keep your cardiovascular system and heart in good shape and dramatically reducing your chances of getting heart disease.

So here's your FUSION FACTOID: Don’t fear soy protein. Provided that you eat a diet rich in protein from whey, egg, milk and animal sources, soy protein will give you cardiovascular protection without any hormone releated side-effects.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: Brianne L McVeigh, Barbara L Dillingham, Johanna W Lampe, and Alison M Duncan. Effect of soy protein varying in isoflavone content on serum lipids in healthy young men. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83:244 -51.

Don't Reach For The Ibuprofen...

Training is hard work and you're going to feel the pain that comes with it if you train with the blinding intensity that's needed to build serious muscle.

Bodybuilders have used Ibuprofen for years to deal with training-related pain and training induced inflammation, but now research shows that using Ibuprofen not only harms your liver and kills pain, but that it also kills your muscle growth. Simply: Ibuprofen kills muscle growth by inhibiting protein synthesis – the conversion of ingested proteins into new muscle tissue.

So here's your FUSION FACTOID: While training hurts, and while you can use Ibuprofen to kill the pain, just remember that you're also crushing your muscle growth. A better approach is to forgoe Ibuprofen and instead use anti-inflammatory enzymes. While the effects won't be as immediate at killing your pain, the long-term results are worth it: reduced pain and increased muscle growth.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: Mcanulty, S.R., J.T. Owens, L.S. Mcanulty, D.C. Nieman, J.D. Morrow, C.L. Dumke, and G.L. Milne. Ibuprofen Use during Extreme Exercise: Effects on Oxidative Stress and PGE2. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 39, No. 7, pp.1075-1079, 2007.

Need Energy? Use it!

Everyone gets tired – especially after a long and tough workout where you’ve given it your all to stimulate every last muscle fiber. After a tough workout, the best thing to do is rest, eat and recover so that you can grow stronger and bigger as fast as possible.

But what happens when you’re just feeling beat and you can’t muster the energy to train? Some bodybuilding “experts” advise taking an extra “rest day” when you just don’t have the juice to hammer at the iron, in the hopes of being able to hack it the next day. Makes sense, right? Wrong. Science proves it.

A study by scientists at the University of Georgia shows that when already-tired people do low-intensity exercise, their fatigue is not only reduced by an amazing 65%, but their overall positive energy levels increase by 20%. These findings totally destroy the idea that exercise will make you more tired if you’re already fatigued, or that you should wait to exercise until you’re 100% amped. And just remember: we’ve already proven that missing workouts will make you fat.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: When you’re “tired”, do something. Most people feel tired because they’re really just bored – so get into the gym, and while you don’t have to train all-out at every session, even doing low-intensity exercise will get you focused and energized when it counts.

SOURCE: University of Georgia (2008, March 2). Low-intensity Exercise Reduces Fatigue Symptoms By 65 Percent.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Don't Want To Get Fat?...

You're a bodybuilder, an Iron Warrior, A Disciple of past champions – so chances are good that you wan't a big, strong beyond ripped body that's the best there is,with no ugly fat hiding all of your hard work. If this is you, then add one more thing to your “must do” bodybuilding list: eat fresh berries.

It's true: on the surface, berries don't seem essential for bodybuilders – they're low in protein and light on calories – and they certainly won't build muscle like a nice thick steak. But there's new evidence that fresh berries can stop you from getting fat – and not getting fat is always better than having to lose fat.

Many berries such as blueberries contain special blue/purple/red pigments called anthocyanins, and science shows that they can help prevent obesity, even when consuming a relatively high-fat diet. The research pointed out that grape skins, blueberries, blackberries and purple corn are rich in these fat fighters, but other foods contain them as well.

So here's your FUSION FACTOID: Eat dark colored fresh berries whenever possible. Insodoing you'll not only benefit from their antioxidant effects, but you'll be keeping the fat away.

SOURCE:American Chemical Society (2008, February 14). Natural Purple Pigments In Fruits, Vegetables And Berries, Such As Blueberries, May Help Prevent Obesity.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Once You Start Working Out - KEEP IT UP!

You hear it all the time: “you have to be consistent with your workouts if you hope to build muscle and burn fat” and “being consistent is the only real way to make any gains.”

While we all know that this advice is true for muscle building and fat burning, new science is shedding light on the age-old practice of taking breaks between training phases.

It's a common practice for bodybuilders to take a one-week break or rest period at the end of bulking and cutting cycles. This is done primarily to rest the body and allow it to “normalize” in anticipation of the start of a cutting or bulking phase and the corresponding changes in training practices.

But new science shows that taking a total break can make you fat. In fact, the science shows that missing workouts and taking extended breaks from exercise – not exercising consistently – increases your chances of getting fat - more so than eating fatty foods!

So here's the straight-talk from FUSION: If you're reaching the end of one training-phase and about to start another, don't take a total break from activity. Instead, continue doing light cardiovascular exercise, or play a sport. Do something – just don't become a couch potato. This will not only stop you from getting fat, but it will keep your conditioning up so you have less “catch-up” work to do once you get back in the game.


Source: DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2008, February 9). Irregular Exercise Pattern May Add Pounds.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Wanna Be BIG? Can The Beer...

It's a fact: bodybuilders exist to build rock-hard, eye-popping muscle – to get huge!

To get huge, you have to eat and lift heavy. Some bodybuilders – especially younger bodybuilders – have taken to drinking beer because of the common misconception that the added calories from beer can aide in muscle building. Not so.

Science shows that alcohol doesn't just prevent muscle growth, but it also makes you fat – and keeps you that way.

Alcohol is calorie dense – with each gram of alcohol packing a whopping 7.5 calories. per gram) These empty calories increase your overall energy intake, and also negatively impact your hormone profile by supressing beta-adrenergic receptor activity – the activity that triggers fat incineration.

Bottom Line: Beer makes your fat and keeps you that way.

So next time you're thinking about having a brew, can the beer instead and focus on increasing your testosterone and muscle growth the right way: by working out hard and eating right.

Source: Endocrinology, in press; published online June 22, 2006.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

A FAMILY AFFAIR

At FUSION we are fortunate enough to have a stream of great testimonials about how our products have helped bodybuilders around the world achieve their goals. But, there is one testimonial that really stood out. It is from a bodybuilding dad who had great success with PURPLE•K and was so confident in it, that he recommended his 20 year old son use it. Well, we were totally stoked when Andrew Collins sent in this picture of his son - introducing Khris Collins. WOW - what a great combination of dedication, hard work and smart supplementation. Keep training bad ass Khris - you never know where it will take you.

Khris Collins - bodybuilder to the core

- FUSION Media

www.fusionbodybuilding.com

FUSION COMMERCIAL

WANT POWERFUL LEGS? STEP-UP!

It's a fact: if you want a powerful physique, you need big quads. Your quads are the largest muscle group in your body and comprise half of your physique – so skipping that leg workout can lead to disproportional development and a lack of functional strength and muscular symmetry. Ultimately, this can lead to injury.

While squats are undeniably effective not only for leg development but for overall development and strength, science shows that dumbbell step-ups are, in fact, superior to all other leg exercises for quadriceps strength development and muscular growth.

How so? It's simple: squats place the weight load across your back in a balanced fashion, but dumbbell step-ups not only work your quadriceps but also force you to develop and use maximum control over your body balance in order to properly execute the exercise and maintain correct body position from beginning to end.

So while squats are an indispensable, foundation exercise, and while many other exercises are useful growth-triggering tools in your arsenal, do step-ups if you want to build big quads.

Source: Strengthening Conditioning Journal, 28:60-61, 2006.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

SICK SPIT

Every bodybuilder knows that there's a downside to hard-training: getting sick. Bodybuilders have known for years that while training hard is needed to get strong and build serious muscle, overtraining is sometimes just a rep away. In a new study, researchers tried to figure out part of the reason why training can make you sick, and they think they've found part of the answer: it's in your spit.

Researchers tested a team of World-class rowers, and wanted to see how intense exercise affected levels of lactoferrin and lysozyme – two immune system saliva proteins that kill microbes. High levels of these proteins is a good thing, and low levels not good – if levels get too low, you get sick.

After examining saliva samples from these athletes taken before and after an intense workout, scientists discovered an intense workout lowers the total count of these protective proteins, so your body kills of less microbes – making it easier for you to get sick.

It's not clear why training has this effect, but to combat your risk of getting sick, researchers recommend drinking plenty of water during exercise to flush out potentially harmful bacteria. We also recommend supplementing with vitamin C for oxidant protection and eating plenty of protein so you heal faster.

Source: West, Nick. Griffith University. Elite Athletes More Susceptible To Common Illnesses, Research Suggests.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

WBFF Kicks Off - 2008 Season

After the huge success of the WBFF World Championships last September, things are ramping up again for a great season. The WBFF's first of a string of hot-bod contests will be on March 15. Check out the poster below. You can find more information at www.wbffshows.com


- FUSION - Media
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Post-Exercise Calorie Burn

For years it’s been thought and taught that the way to burn more calories following your workout is to increase the total volume of your training, either by increasing the number of total sets that you perform over the course of your workout, by increasing the total number of repetitions per set that you perform, or by increasing both set and repetition count. Millions of bodybuilders have followed this advice hoping to increase post-exercise calorie burn. Unfortunately, while popular, this approach is wrong and doesn’t work.

The fact is, while lifting weights does burn calories and keeps your metabolism higher than normal once your workout is finished, nothing beats cardio in the calorie burning department. And, while doing more reps and sets during your workout will slightly increase the total calories you burn while in the gym, only cardio keeps your metabolism high and burning calories long after you’ve left the gym.

Source: International Journal Sports Medicine, 27:143-148, 2006.

- FUSION Research Team
http://www.fusionbodybuilding.com/

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Well, it's that time of the year where caloric intake should never be a concern or questioned - EAT and GROW!

On behalf of FUSION I'd like to thank everyone for your support this past year. It's been an honor to get to know many of you and to see how bodybuilding has impacted your life. It truly is the most focused and dynamic sport in the world - you should be proud to be a bodybuilder. I wish you and your families the best of luck in '08 - keep working hard.

AND - may all your Christmas trees be ripped!!!

- Adrian Burke, Co-Prez
http://www.fusionbodybuilding.com/

FUSION - FREE INSIDE

Aside from developing the reputation as being bodybuilding's strongest supplements, FUSION has been hard a work thinking of how to bring you more added value. The solution has been to give FREE tools and information with every FUSION product. Inside every box of FUSION's products you'll find a fuctional tool to help you achieve you bodybuilding goals. This is what you'll find:

SUB•Q - 50-Page Beyond Ripped Diet and Training Manual

PURPLE•K - Strength Tracking Poster and Pro-Bench Tips

ZEUS - Report on Testosterone and Gym God Program

FUBAR - (is being re-packaged to incorporate some bad ass motivational stickers)

Our focus will always be on making the strongest supplements in bodybuilding, but you deserve more. We want to help you as much as we can to make sure you have every possible tool at your disposal to mazimize you bodybuilding potential.

- Chris Belanger www.fusionbodybuilding.com