Fat Burning Fats - Here We Go Again...

There's always been a lot of talk about “using fat to burn fat” - and we always see supplement companies pushing Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) or Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) supplements every few years, claiming that they will burn fat, stabilize blood sugar and generally get you into the best shape of your life. Right.

Unfortunately, it seems that very few bodybuilders have actually seen much benefit from using these so called “fat burning fats” - certainly none of us have gotten into the best shape of our lives using them. But, a new study in The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition shows that just because you can't see the results outwardly, doesn't mean there aren't any.

A new study had 12 adults follow a low-calorie diet for three weeks while supplementing with a fatty acid supplement. The study examined the effects of these fatty acids on Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL - “bad” cholesterol) formation. Scientists found that using a fatty acid supplement dramatically reduced the conversion of LDL precursors into LDL, and therefore dramatically reduced the LDL cholesterol that can cause heart disease and heart attacks.

So here's your FUSION FACTOID: While unsaturated fats won't get you into the best shape of your life, and while they may not burn fat like cardio burns fat, they don't hurt, and can in fact help your cholesterol profile, preventing LDL cholesterol from getting out of control - and this could prevent you from having a heart attack. So get enough unsaturated fats in your diet – you'll keep away the grim reaper and help your testosterone manufacture in the process. And testosterone equals more muscle and a bigger you!

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: Chunyu Zheng, Christina Khoo, Jeremy Furtado, Katsunori Ikewaki, and Frank M Sacks. Dietary monounsaturated fat activates metabolic pathways for triglyceride-rich lipoproteins that involve apolipoproteins E andC-III. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88:272– 81.

Another Reason to Keep It Lean...

We all know that there are plenty of reasons to get – and stay – as lean as possible: Fat is ugly, it’s easier to build muscle when you’re lean and harder to build muscle when you’re fat, a lean and muscular physique looks great, etc. The list goes on and on.

Now, there’s another reason: Being fat slows your recovery from injury.

A new study looked at how being overweight (having high body fat percentages, or being obese) affected recovery time from knee injuries – something bodybuilders get frequently – and found that fatter people recovered much more slowly than their leaner counterparts.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: You might not have needed more reasons to stay lean, but you can add yet another one to the list. Being overweight – or “bulking up” – can slow your recovery time from injury, ultimately keeping you out of the gym longer than needed. So keep it as lean as possible while still packing on the muscle. It’ll make it easier for you to build even more muscle while also letting you show it off and speeding your recovery from hard workouts!

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: Unver, B. et al. (2008). Effects of obesity on inpatient rehabilitation outcomes following total knee arthroplasty. Physiotherapy, 94, 198–203.

Get Some Garlic in Ya...

Just when we thought that we knew all there was to know about garlic, we find out something new. While we’ve known for years that garlic is antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, and while we’ve all been told that we should eat garlic because it’s “good for us,” we’ve never been told this: Eat garlic because it will help you work harder and longer in the gym.

A new study from Japanese researchers shows that garlic just might help you bust it out in the gym for extra gains. When feeding physically tired people garlic, Japanese researchers noticed a marked increase in their energy levels and recovery speed.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: Do as the Japanese do – get some garlic in ya. Not only will you benefit from the antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects and possibly speed your training recovery, but you’ll also have more energy during and after your workouts, and possibly more muscle too!

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: Morihara, N. et al. (2007). Garlic as an anti-fatigue agent. Mol Nutr Food Res, 51, 1329–1334.

What's Old Is New Again...

Years ago, phytosterols were all the rage. Like all things bodybuilding, phytosterols made their monumental splash on the supplement scene, enjoyed momentary popularity fuelled by marketing hype and then quietly faded from the spotlight as some new ingredient became the flavour of the month. But now, phytosterols – plant sterols – are back, and this time there’s real evidence that they work.

A new study shows that by consuming plenty of plant sterols in your diet, you can protect yourself from cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and cancers such as breast, colon and prostate cancer. In fact, the plant sterols found in plants are so powerful that they can reduce your cancer risk by almost 25 percent!

As bodybuilders, we need all of the protection from cancers that we can get. The fact is, training creates harmful oxidants that promote inflammation and can damage our DNA, possibly leading to cancer.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: Eat plenty of vegetables and plants – at every meal. Not only are plants and vegetables high in calcium, antioxidants and other important vitamins and minerals, but they also contain plant sterols that can ward off cancer.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: Bradford, P. G. et al. (2007). Phytosterols as anticancer compounds. Mol Nutr Food Res, 51, 16 –170.

LIFTING HEAVY: It blows cardio away!

It's been known for years that lifting heavy is the best way to build big, strong muscles that make you look great with clothes on and even better with them off. And, research consistently shows that lifting heavy can help you drop fat by burning a ton of calories.

Now, scientists are saying that lifting a ton of weight cuts you up like nothing else because a hard workout not only improves your insulin function – making you more sensitive to insulin – but it also increases the efficiency of your muscles at using fatty acids for fuel. In other words: a hard workout of sufficient volume makes you a fat burning machine.

So here's your FUSION FACTOID: The next time you're aiming to lean up, think twice before automatically jumping on the cardio machine for endless miles of running / cycling or walking. Instead, hit the pit and pound out set after set of heavy compound movements. You may not only build more muscle, but you'll melt away fat too!

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com


Source: HOROWITZ, J.F. Exercise-induced alterations in muscle lipid metabolism improve insulin sensitivity. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 192Y196, 2007.

Leave Your Sisters "Puffer" Alone...

It's funny but true: for years, many young bodybuilders – and even some older ones – have tried to get the competitive edge in the gym by using asthma inhalers under the idea that the “steroid” and the beta-2 agonist ingredients in the inhalers will improve performance and build muscle.

So do they? Not at all!

A study by German researchers found that the use of asthma inhalers did not improve endurance performance, anaerobic muscle power or strength performance.

So, here's your FUSION FACTOID: If you're a bodybuilder who is thinking about using an asthma inhaler, forget it – it will do nothing for your performance and may, in fact, hurt you. And, if you're currently using an asthma puffer under the illusion that it helps you get the “edge”, stop it – it not only doesn't give you the edge, it makes you look silly! Instead, improve your cardio capacity by doing the work, and get stronger by lifting heavier, longer and more often.

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

Source: Wilfried Kindermann.Do Inhaled β2-Agonists have an Ergogenic Potential in Non-Asthmatic Competitive Athletes? Sports Med 2007; 37 (2): 95-102.

Phosphatidylserine: Does It Work?

For most supplements out there, there's a ton of hype flying around the magazines and the internet – especially the internet. As a result, it's easy for all but the most seasoned of bodybuilders to get confused about what works and what doesn't.

While hype has been and continues to be part of “the game”, hype not only causes confusion about blockbuster ingredients like creatine and the nitric oxide supplements, but creates confusion about old-school supplements making a comeback – supplements like phosphatidylserine (PtdSer).

Phosphatidylserine, a phospholipid, is found in soy protein and was used heavily by the old-school pro's who swore that it gave them great results. In recent times, this supplement ingredient has been cast aside – so does it really work? Yes – without a doubt!

The evidence shows clearly that PtdSer increases your endurance and performance in the gym, stops your cortisol levels from skyrocketing following your workouts, reduces muscle soreness from hard-training and speeds your recovery – and this means a bigger and stronger you.

So here's your FUSION FACTOID: Despite the hype that pervades the magazines and internet, one thing is certain – phosphatidylserine works big time to get you big and back in the iron battle faster than ever!

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: Michael Kingsley. Effects of Phosphatidylserine Supplementation on Exercising Humans. Sports Med 2006; 36 (8): 657-669.

Change It Up - Often!

We all have favorite exercises that we like to do, and while they can get us good and strong for a while, we really should change things up - and not just to keep boredom from setting and killing our passion, or because we’ve hit a plateau.

A new study shows that mixing it up every so often with a new routine does more than just build muscle, it prevents your Muscle-Tendon complex from degrading.

Your Muscle-Tendon complex is the point at which your muscles that generate force connect to your tendons and transmit that force. Having healthy tendons is essential because your tendons must be fairly elastic and flexible to correctly transfer and bear the forces that your muscles place upon them during a brutal workout. Zero flexibility equals zero functionality.

Researchers found that aging and disuse caused the Muscle-Tendon complex to degrade, and that the only way to keep our muscles and tendons in tip top shape is to chronically switch things up, subjecting our muscles to different workout routines. By doing this, the Muscle-Tendon complex is always challenged to grow stronger, instead of simply bearing the same workout routines over and over and never adapting.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: Switch it up at regular intervals. By switching it up at regular intervals, you’ll get the most muscle possible out of a program and keep your Muscle-Tendon complex healthy and in good shape.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: NARICI, M.V, et al. Plasticity of the Muscle-Tendon Complex With Disuse and Aging. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 126Y134, 2007.

Working Out: Get It Right!

Let’s face it: busting your butt in the gym and breaking down muscle fibers under a ton of iron isn’t easy, but it’s the only way you’re going to get the big and beyond ripped physique that makes you the envy of everyone you know.

But there’s a fine line between doing too little, and doing too much. And, unless you can do just enough work to grow – unless you can get it right – all of your hard work will be for nothing, and you’ll end up getting sick. And how, exactly, does doing too much exercise make you sick?

A study looked at the underlying mechanisms of exercise and found that too much exercise makes you sick by altering your physiology and that doing too much exercise changes the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (TMP) of leukocytes – key immune system cells – and increased cell death rates, while simultaneously increasing inflammation and triggering muscle breakdown.

So, here’s your FUSION FACTOID: To build muscle, you’ve got to get it right – and this means working with all-out muscle building intensity until you’re finished – and not working a minute later. By working with precision, you’ll get all of the upside with none of the downside – like massive cell death and skyrocketing inflammation.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com


Source: T-C Tuan, et al. Deleterious effects of short-term, high-intensity exercise on immune function: evidence from leucocyte mitochondrial alterations and apoptosis. Br. J. Sports Med. 2008;42;11-15; originally published online 15 May 2007.

The Skinny on CLA - Does It Really Help You Get Ripped?

There sure are a lot of claims about CLA, but for all of the claims it appears that there aren’t very many real, concrete and verifiable answers. Some people claim that CLA helps you lose weight, while others dismiss it as a useless supplement ingredient that has become the victim of its own hype.

So what’s the REAL story? Does CLA really help you get ripped?

A new study shows that while CLA doesn’t do much for losing fat directly, it may help with improving insulin function. Insulin, a hormone secreted by your pancreas, is critical for losing body fat and improving insulin function. So, by keeping insulin levels low CLA may help with fat loss indirectly, or at least help prevent fat gain.

But there’s a catch: CLA is a lipid with twice the number of calories of protein or carbohydrates. So, while bodybuilders who are leaning up for a contest can use CLA to help reign in insulin 12 weeks out from contest day, CLA shouldn’t be used up until the day of the contest as its calories may make fat loss more difficult the leaner you get.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: Use CLA in the beginning weeks of your contest prep, but cut it off as you get lean. In this way you’ll take advantage of its effects on insulin, you’ll support your hormone function when dieting down, all without gaining fat in the final weeks before contest time.


- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com


Source: Jing-Jing Li, et al. Anti-obesity effects of conjugated linoleic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid. Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2008, 52, 631 – 645.

Tendon Injury? Go Ballistic!

Let’s face it: injuries suck, but they’re going to happen when you train all-out for unparalleled muscle growth that makes you the envy of everyone in your gym. In fact, for many bodybuilders – especially the top level professionals – injuries are chronic and are an accepted side-effect of being the best. Simply: being injured comes with the territory when you give your all.

Many different kinds of injuries exist, but the most common are muscle, nerve, joint and tendon injuries, with tendon injuries being among the most annoying, painful, debilitating for bodybuilders. Thankfully, new research shows that far from sitting still and quitting training, going ballistic is the answer for fast recovery.

Specifically, researchers now believe that ballistic stretching helps joints become more compliant, resulting in accelerated increases in range-of-motion and functionality following injury.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: Rather than sitting home and nursing an injury while neglecting your training, the science shows that you should instead utilize ballistic stretching to get back into top form.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: E Witvrouw, et al. The role of stretching in tendon injuries. Br J Sports Med 2007;41:224–226.

Does Ice Water REALLY Help?

We’ve all been told that icing a sore muscle really helps to reduce the swelling and soreness that comes with exercise, and is the best way to speed recovery so you can get back into the gym and back to hard-training and rapid growth.
But new research seems to turn this idea on its head.
Scientists recently tested whether immersing your quads in ice water after exercise had any effects on keeping Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) at bay. The results?

“The protocol of ice-water immersion used in this study was ineffectual in minimising markers of DOMS...”

Researchers concluded their findings with the startling conclusion that “This study challenges the wide use of this intervention as a recovery strategy by athletes.”

Here’s your FUSION FACTOID: For the time being, it looks like you no longer have to immerse your body parts in frigid ice-water to speed recovery. In fact, you’d probably be better off just drinking said ice-water according to this study. We think that plenty of stretching, a diet rich in proteins and garlic, and the use of anti-inflammatory enzymes and BCAA’s is the way to GROW faster than ever.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com

Source: Kylie Louise Sellwood, et al. Ice-water immersion and delayed-onset muscle soreness: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med 2007;41:392–397.

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.