Thursday, November 22, 2018

The “Anabolic Mineral” That Bodybuilders Keep Ignoring | Straight Facts by Jerry Brainum


When it comes to vitamins and minerals talk - people often get bored. They think these are the useless nutrition facts that have no real deep effect on exercise, training, and athletic growth. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, these nutrition facts might not be the most exciting details. It's not "The SECRET to the perfect physique" like so many headlines try to spread to get big clicks. But the truth is the human body is like a machine and even the smallest components are important if you want to be at peak performance. Especially if you are a bodybuilder - where physique perfection is the ultimate goal.

So you should pay close attention when Jerry Brainum explains how zinc is actually a very important mineral. A kind of mineral that, in a sense, has anabolic attributes that can have huge benefits in the long run. Learn everything you need to know in our Straight Facts above.



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©,2018 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited

Have you been ripped off  by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

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Thursday, September 6, 2018

My Personal Anti-insomnia supplement plan by Jerry Brainum



In this video, Jerry Brainum discusses the supplements he uses to overcome insomnia and increase sleep onset. For more information about supplements, exercise science, anti-aging research, fat-loss techniques that work, hormonal therapy, ergogenic aids, women's health and much more, subscribe today to Jerry Brainum's Applied Metabolics Newsletter (www.appliedmetabolics.com). And please tell others about this YoutTube Channel.


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©,2018 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited

Have you been ripped off  by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

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Monday, May 21, 2018

STEROIDS : NOT REALLY ALL THAT BAD BY JERRY BRAINUM

Whenever you hear or read anything about anabolic steroids, it's almost always bad news. The media have demonized them, leading the average person to believe that anabolic steroids have little medicinal or health value and are mainly a means for athletes to cheat their way to glory. You can't turn to the typical medical doctor for answers, either. Most doctors have little or no actual experience with anabolic steroids. They are rare in most routine medical practices, and the fact that they're Schedule III drugs means that any doctor who prescribes them can expect some government heat. About the only positive thing you hear about steroids relates to testosterone-replacement therapy for men who are clinically deficient in the hormone. Even there, however, most doctors are quick to suggest that it causes prostate cancer despite the overwhelming evidence that being low in testosterone is what predisposes a man to the disease.

Anabolic steroids share characteristics with other drugs in that side effects are based on time and dosage. The longer you stay on the drugs and the higher the dose, the greater the chance of serious side effects. Most athletes who engage in high-dose steroid regimens do experience side effects, but they're usually mild and transient and can include elevated liver enzymes, indicative of minor liver inflammation, and adverse changes in blood lipids, including a dramatic lowering of beneficial high density lipoprotein cholesterol in those who use oral steroids. Some bodybuilders have also experienced higher blood pressure while on the drugs. In rare instances the temporary side effects linked to steroids have led to severe outcomes, ranging from heart attacks to strokes. In most cases, though, any side effects recede when an athlete gets off the drugs.

Among the benefits cited by athletes who have used anabolic steroids are better exercise recovery and less fatigue during training. Indeed, some of the high-volume training routines favored by pro bodybuilders would be impossible without steroid help. Some studies have suggested that the mechanisms of increased exercise efficiency include a modification of metabolic enzymes: an increase in the size of mitochondria, cellular structures that are the site of both energy production and fat oxidation: and beneficial changes in muscle composition.

During training, more free radicals, also known as reactive oxygen species, are produced as a byproduct of exercise intensity and greater oxygen intake. Interestingly, heightened free radical production has both good and bad effects. Having fewer free radicals means increased muscle force production. Having more leads to muscle fatigue characterized by muscle contractile dysfunction.

Normally, the body compensates for increased free radical production by boosting the activity of its innate neutralizing antioxidant systems, such as the enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase. Free radicals themselves are just unpaired electrons that seek to combine with other electrons. When that happens, they can seriously interfere with cellular function, particularly cell membranes.

While multiple sites in the cell can produce free radicals the mitochondria, because they process oxygen, are the primary source. Interestingly, testosterone and other anabolic steroids boost antioxidant cell defenses. In a new study, scientists sought to determine whether and how anabolic steroids could protect cells, especially mitochondria, against oxidative  damage. It involved isolating mitochondria from the gastrocnemius muscle of both sedentary and acutely exercised rats. Some of the rats had been given the anabolic steroid stanozolol, trade name Winstrol, a drug popular with bodybuilders and other athletes. An injectable form of stanozolol led to the disqualification of Canadian track star Ben Johnson during the  '88 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul.



Winstrol-and probably all other anabolic steroids-may considerably support mitochondrial stability, which has broad implications for preventing muscle loss.


 The study found that stanozolol did protect rat muscle mitochondria from the effects of increased oxidative damage during exercise.The reason was not an increase in antioxidant protection but rather a drop in mitochondrial free-radical production. That has interesting implications because loss of mitochondria is considered one of the primary causes of muscle aging and loss. If you could maintain mitochondria integrity with age, your muscles would age much more slowly, and as a result you'd maintain more muscle and strength.

How did Winstrol help protect mitochondria during exercise? The authors couldn't isolate a precise mechanism, but they did offer a plausible theory. In the rats that exercised but weren't given Winstrol, mitochondrial cell membranes had a marked increase in the DHA content. DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid, one of two primary omega-3 fatty acids found in natural food sources, such as fatty fish and fish oil. The increased DHA in the mitochondrial membranes is thought to be stimulated by the greater release of catecholamines, such as epinephrine and norepinephrine, produced during exercise. Exercise can cause a 64 percent increase in the DHA in cell membranes.

Normally, DHA in cell membranes is a good thing. It keep them fluid rather than stiff, as occurs when excess cholesterol is deposited in them. Having more membrane fluidity also increases interactions of cell receptors with their respective hormones. For example, it enables insulin to react more effectively with its cell receptors, which increases insulin sensitivity. The downside of having more DHA in the membranes is that as a highly polyunsaturated fat, it is prone to oxidation, which produces free radicals that, paradoxically, damage the cell membrane.

It turns out that giving rats a steroid such as Winstrol prevents the accumulation of DHA that would otherwise occur during exercise. That in turn means less chance of oxidation. The whole thing adds up to increased mitochondrial protection. How Winstrol does that is also not known, but it may involve modifying the actions of catecholamines, which as noted are the primary stimulus for increased DHA deposition in cell membranes. 

So Winstrol--and probably all other anabolic steroids--may considerably support mitochondrial stability. That has broad implications for preventing muscle loss and maintaining a more youthful muscle function with the passing years. Based on those findings, should Winstrol and other steroids be considered anti-aging drugs?

I doubt you'll read about it in the popular media since anything positive about anabolic steroids doesn't seem to sell.


Another study involved an animal isolated-cell design, so its result may or may not be duplicated in human tissues. In any case, stanozolol has some properties that may overrule its use as an anti-aging drug. For one thing, the oral version can cause liver problems if used for too long or at too high a dose. As a DHT-derivative, stanozolol can lead to male-pattern baldness, acne and prostate problems. Then there's that lowering of protective HDL, which  can predispose users to cardiovascular disease. 

Stanozolol is also effective at blocking cortisol, a catabolic hormone. While that produces greater anabolic activity, when you get off stanozolol, either oral or injectable, you get a rebound cortisol effect that can lead to muscle loss. When on stanozolol, you'll feel more joint pain because of its interference with cortisol's anti-inflammatory properties.

Still, the new rat study's findings about stanozolol's mitochondrial protection are intriguing. I doubt you'll read about it in the popular media, since anything positive about anabolic steroids doesn't seem to sell.

 Saborido, Al, et al. (2011). Stanozolol treatment decreases the mitochondrial ROS generation and oxidative stress induced by acute exercise in rat skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol. 110(3):661-9




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©,2018 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited

Have you been ripped off  by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 20 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Which muscles are most affected by creatine supplements? By Jerry Brainum



Jerry Brainum discusses the details of a recently published study of advanced trainees who used creatine supplements. The purpose of the study was to determine muscles that were most affected by creatine usage. For the best information about nutrition, exercise science, supplements, fat-loss techniques that work, anti-aging research, hormonal therapy and other topics, subscribe today to the Applied Metabolics newsletter (www.appliedmetabolics.com). Incomparable information not available from any other source. Please subscribe to this channel and tell others about it. New videos are posted here weekly.


This site is Applied Ergogenics...Jerry Brainum's www.appliedmetabolics.com is the newsletter.


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©,2018 Jerry Brainum. Any reprinting in any type of media, including electronic and foreign is expressly prohibited

Have you been ripped off  by supplement makers whose products don’t work as advertised? Want to know the truth about them? Check out Jerry Brainum's book Natural Anabolics, available at JerryBrainum.com.

 

The Applied Ergogenics blog is a collection of articles written and published by Jerry Brainum over the past 30 years. These articles have appeared in Muscle and Fitness, Ironman, and other magazines. Many of the posts on the blog are original articles, having appeared here for the first time. For Jerry’s most recent articles, which are far more in depth than anything that appears on this blog site, please subscribe to his Applied Metabolics Newsletter, at www.appliedmetabolics.com. This newsletter, which is more correctly referred to as a monthly e-book, since its average length is 35 to 40 pages, contains the latest findings about nutrition, exercise science, fat-loss, anti-aging, ergogenic aids, food supplements, and other topics. For 33 cents a day you get the benefit of Jerry’s 53 years of writing and intense study of all matters pertaining to fitness,health, bodybuilding, and disease prevention.

 

See Jerry's book at  http://www.jerrybrainum.com

 

Want more evidence-based information on exercise science, nutrition and food supplements, ergogenic aids, and anti-aging research? Check out Applied Metabolics Newsletter at www.appliedmetabolics.com

 

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Monday, January 15, 2018

Synthol, et al. INJECT TO GROW? By Jerry Brainum





The primary purpose of using anabolic drugs, such as testosterone, steroids and growth hormone, is to trigger added muscle beyond what is attainable naturally with training and diet. Of course, athletes who use anabolic drugs also train intensely and go on diets to change body composition, frequently to lose fat. Using anabolic drugs under dieting conditions, where calories are often cut back severely, can spare muscle that might otherwise be broken down; however, the drugs also promote muscularity that is beyond genetic limits. The situation is clearly apparent when athletes get off the drugs. Their newly acquired muscle bulk often seems to melt away with each passing week.



For some athletes the added size they get with drug use isn't enough. Because of fierce competition, they want to dwarf their competitors, so they resort to techniques that temporarily--or not so temporarily---boost muscle size beyond even what can be produced with any drug. The genesis of "local site enhancement," as it's known, probably began in the early 1980's, when some bodybuilders began injecting themselves with a mediocre anabolic steroid drug called Esiclene, generic name formebolone. Compared to other anabolic steroids, Esiclene didn't produce the often  dramatic size effects, but it did have one property that made it attractive to competitors. It tended to produce a localized inflammation of muscle that lasted about a week.

Experience soon showed that Esiclene use was best for smaller muscle groups, such as the biceps, deltoids, and particularly the calves. The localized inflammation induced by Esiclene often boosted muscle size by 1 to 1 1/2 inches after a few days. In larger muscle areas, such as the chest, back, and legs, however, it  tended to produce a lumpy effect that looked like tumors. It was also said to make the muscle look harder. Likely many contests have been won by  competitors who gained a last-minute edge by using Esiclene.

Esiclene became increasingly hard to get over the years, however, and is no longer made or sold at all, even on the black market. The notion of producing overnight gains in mass was for many too attractive to pass up, and so, in the early '90s German bodybuilder Chris Clark devised a concoction that he called "Pump & Pose." It was often advertised as a "posing oil," but its real purpose was to act just like Esiclene, boosting muscle mass quickly. The more common name was Synthol, and it consisted of 85 percent oil, usually medium-chain triglycerides; 7.5 percent lidocaine, a local anesthetic, to blunt the pain of injection  (Esiclene also contained lidocaine for the same reason); and 7.5 percent alcohol to keep the solution sterile. The notion of injecting oil into the body for cosmetic purposes wasn't new. Back in 1899 some folks were injecting paraffin, a type of oil, into body parts that appeared deformed. Oddly enough, it soon became apparent that many of those who used Synthol produced deformities.

Since the development of Pump & Pose, a number of other brands have been introduced, including Syntherol, Esik Clean, Nuclear Nutrition Site Enhancement oil, Cosmostan and Liquid Muscle. They all are expensive, so many resort to using sterilized sesame or walnut oil injected directly into muscle. In reality, many injectable anabolic steroid drugs contain sesame oil as an injection vehicle.


The idea behind the "site enhancers" involves stretching the connective-tissue sheath that surrounds muscle tissue. This fascia, as it is called, is thought to be a major impediment to maximum muscle growth, so stretching by regular injections of oil would "make room" for additional muscle growth. The typical application protocols involve frequent injections of one to two milliliters daily in various locations within the target muscle for either several weeks or up to six months or more. Injecting into distinct areas of muscle and then massaging the areas afterward are thought to produce a more natural look and prevent the development of scar tissue. The body tends to produce scar tissue around anything that is put into it that it views as foreign. That includes breast implants. Popular areas for injection include triceps, biceps, delts and calves.

In truth, it's often painfully obvious when athletes have used Synthol or other oil injections in a bodybuilding contest because they have unnatural-appearing lumps on their muscles. When the calves are involved, it's comically obvious. More insidious is the possible damage to long-term health that can come from oil-based site injections. While 30 percent of the oil is immediately metabolized, most of it forms cysts in muscle that can last three to five years or longer. That makes the oil injections far different from Escilene, which produced a local inflammation that lasted only a few days.

Injecting oil directly into muscle can produce some serious side effects, which include a pulmonary embolism if the fat injection is wrongly injected directly into a blood vessel. The fat becomes an embolism and travels in the blood to the lungs. One elite pro bodybuilder nearly died a few years ago after his girlfriend injected him with Synthol and mistakenly shot it directly into a blood vessel. Luckily, he survived. Other possible side effects of Synthol include nerve damage if it's injected into a nerve, infections and strokes. A few published case studies of bodybuilders who have used Synthol have documented oil-filled granulomas, or nodules. Others have shown ulcers and cysts. Some who may be allergic to sesame oil get an allergic reaction involving an inflammation of blood vessels. Overenthusiastic use frequently results in a muscle appearing droopy or deformed.


Not many cases of problems involving site-enhancement injections have been published in the medical literature. Those that have often involve injection of straight oil, such as sesame or walnut oil, and subsequent infection and formation of oil and fat cysts. By far the most serious case of problems experienced after an oil injection was published recently.1








A 40-year-old man described as a "semiprofessional bodybuilder" showed up at a hospital complaining of multiple painful swellings, redness and elevated temperature in his right upper arm that had begun two months earlier. The swelling had increased over time. He felt so sick that he hadn't trained in more than two months. A previous medical exam had left him with the incorrect diagnosis of "ruptured muscle fibers." The doctors told him to rest and take anti-inflammatory drugs, which didn't help. The man had injected himself with sesame oil for eight years, until four months before his trip to the hospital. He'd inject two milliliters of sesame oil at 20 intramuscular locations, which resulted in an upper arm measuring 27 1/2 inches!


An MRI revealed more than 100 intramuscular and sub-cutaneous cysts of up to seven millimeters each, with no sign of obvious infection in his left upper arm, both shoulders, both legs and chest.
Those happened to be the most frequently used areas of his site injections over the years. His right brachialis showed that the muscle mass was completely obliterated, replaced by oil cysts. The entire right biceps and the long and lateral heads of his triceps had been replaced by scar tissue, and the tissue was vastly swollen. The only muscle left in his arm was the medial head of the triceps, and that also contained oil cysts and scar tissue. Since he appeared to have an infection in his arm, he underwent surgery to remove the infected tissue. Sure enough, his muscle was infiltrated with pockets of pus and abscesses. When the oil he used was analyzed, it showed no traces of bacteria or fungi. His muscle loss was so extensive that it was considered irreversible.

A year later the bodybuilder was still suffering pain great enough to prevent him from training. Interestingly, the loss of muscle was most extensive in the areas he had either not injected or had injected lightly. Still, he had lost no size on his arms since the surgery. After three years he continued to suffer from pain and weakness but did some training. More than 90 percent of his upper-arm muscle had been replaced by oil cysts and scar tissue. The ongoing inflammation in his arm may have set him up for future cancer, as cancer is associated with chronic inflammation.

In his effort to attain superhuman muscle size, this bodybuilder literally destroyed his muscles, and the effect was not reversible. It's obvious that the notion of injecting oil into muscle is just idiotic, and those who do so may pay dearly for it.

1 Banke,I.J., et al. (2012) Irreversib le muscle damage in bodybuilding due to long-term intramuscular oil injection.
Int J Sports Med. In press.