Rebel Magazine 01 2010 UK

TREC T REC NUTRITION NUTRITION ®

NR N R0 01/2010/ENG 1/2010/ENG

GAINER BULK OR PURE PROTEIN?

DIFFICULT CHOICE

GLUTAMINE

THE WONDER

AMINO ACID

THE NIGHT

GUARDIANS

TESTOSTERONE – UNCENSORED Made by

2

Letter from the Editor We are very happy to present the very first issue of REBEL MAGAZINE. It offers articles on nutrition, training and supplementation for strength sports, martial arts and bodybuilding. We want each issue of the magazine to be a source of information that will help you improve your performance.

We invited best-qualified and experienced experts to work with us: Leszek Michalski (coach for the junior bodybuilding squad), Tomasz Bobrowski (one of the best bodybuilders in Poland), Tomasz Lech (a strongman who is now going through a bodybuilding transformation), Dawid Geler (Irish Bodybuilding Champion), Mariusz Cieśliński (Muay Thai World Champion).

Do you find Muay Thai fighters inspiring? Read Mariusz Cieśliński’s article on his preparation period training. What else can I say – if you want to be a champion get to work!!!

Or maybe you had a look in the mirror the other day and thought you could make a good bodybuilder.

See the articles on reasonably planned bodybuilding workouts and tournament preparation: Tomasz Lech’s strength-building workout and Dawid Geler’s pre-tournament workouts. I wonder if you can manage…

Do you know what makes a really good bodybuilder? It is the way he begins and finishes his workout. If you thought warm-up was good for wimps, look how Tomasz Bobrowski warms up. A well-done warm-up is your key to effective workout.

Have you ever stopped to think how important the first post-workout minutes are? If you do not realize that read our in-depth article on post-workout regeneration.

From now on it is going to be more than just a quick shower!!!

Do you really think bodybuilding diet is dull and unattractive? Well, it does not have to be like that. Have a look in our the kitchen corner. Trust me, your bodybuilding diet can include tasty meals with a twist that still support your athletic objectives.

We are quite positive that you have a lot of questions about workout, supplementation and nutrition. Please send them to: post@rebel-mag.eu – our experts will do their best to answer them in REBEL’s MAIL. Enjoy your reading. We hope you can find answers to all your questions here. If you would like to find out more or you have doubts about workout, nutrition or supplementation, write to us and we will do our best to touch upon them in REBEL. Enjoy your reading Katarzyna Matella Editor-in-Chief

Table of Contents GLUTAMINE THE WONDER AMINO ACID .............................................10 TESTOSTERONE – UNCENSORED ................................12 MARIUSZ CIEŚLIŃSKI. TASK FORCE MACHINERY ..............................................16 THE NIGHT GUARDIANS PART 1 ....................................20 ON THE WAY TO... THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS ...............................................................24 WARM-UP. A COMPULSORY ELEMENT OF EACH TOUGH GUY’S WORKOUT .............................30 GAINER BULK OR PURE PROTEINS? DIFFICULT CHOICE?..........................................................34 TRANSFORMATION. FROM STRONGMAN TO BODYBUILDER ......................38 INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TIME–PRE–WORKOUT TIME ...........................................42 DOES FUEL TYPE MATTER? ...........................................46 REBEL’S MAIL .....................................................................50 COOKING FOR MUSCLES ................................................54 COMMON MYTHS ABOUT DIET AND NUTRITION YOUR GUIDE TO SPORTS DIET. .....................................56 DO YOU FOSTER POST-WORKOUT ANABOLISM?.....................................60 THIS IS HOW YOU GET RIPPED ......................................63 VITAMIN-SHOP IN IRELAND ............................................66 VITAMIN-SHOP IN ENGLAND ..........................................68 WHERE BUSINESS AND PASSION MERGE......................................................70 REBEL BREAK NEWS .......................................................74

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010 – free issue Publisher details: Trec Nutrition Sp. z. o.o. ul. Śmidowicza 48 81-127 Gdynia, Poland Editing Team: Rebel Magazine ul. Rymarska 2a 53-206 Wrocław, Poland tel. (+48 71) 795 81 69 redakcja@rebel-mag.eu Editor-in-Chief: Katarzyna Matella Editing Team: Katarzyna Matella, Marcin Zborowski, Leszek Michalski, Tomasz Lech, Mariusz Cieśliński, Dawid Geler, Tomasz Bobrowski, Kacper Zastawniak

Photographs: www.istock.com, Katarzyna Matella, Leszek Michalski, Dawid Geler, Paweł Halicki Graphic team: Katarzyna Majcher-Buszewska, Anna Jezienicka, Beata Wysocka, Krzysztof Kutzmann, Michał Różewski Cover: istock.com Advertising and Promotion Department: Przemysław Golis tel. (+48 71) 795 81 69 reklama@rebel-mag.eu Printing: Elanders Poland ul. Mazowiecka 2a 09-100 Płońsk, Poland

Editor-in-Chief or Editors do not return submitted manuscripts and reserve the right to modify submitted texts. Editor-in-Chief or Editors are not responsible for the content of advertisements, they reserve the right to refuse to publish an advertisement. (art. 36, item 4 Press Law Act). No part of the materials in this Magazine, including but not limited to the text, photographs and graphics, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the Publisher’s written permission. All trademarks, service marks, names etc. used are the property of the companies that own them and are presented and used only for information purposes.

www.rebel-mag.eu

E NE

H T NG E TR S E R O M D

AM E , ST

D N A

Y? G ER N E

NITRO FOR YOUR MUSC LE You work out really hard, you do hardcore routines, you do your absolute best, but it still does not seem enough?

Want to be even stronger, even bigger and even faster? You work out more and you work out harder, and finally you are fed up with it. Do you feel like giving up? You need something really strong and effective to support your workout in a safe and legal way, right? You do not want all your effort and money to go to waste? This is just for you! Choose one of the NitroBolon products, and you will certainly not regret it! You may ask if NitroBolon is effective? Let the facts speak: 87% of customers who have bought NitroBolon, return for it repeatedly *. *market research conducted for Trec Nutrition

S

The exceptionally advanced formula of NitroBolon products is based on its extremely strong composition designed to boost nitric acid (NO) production in your body. The gas (NO) is critical in metabolic processes of physically active individuals and athletes. NO is a signalling particle – it is a cellular information carrier and it is responsible for a number of functions in the human body. In 1998 the most important of them was discovered by researchers awarded with Nobel Price. Years of research have proved that nitric oxide (NO) produced in an enzymatic reaction of L-arginine causes the relaxation of smooth muscles in vessel walls. As a result, blood flow rate and volume values multiply, which is of key importance in your workout. Thanks to improved blood supply, your body receives more oxygen and nutrients

O! R IT N ED E N U O Y ?

IT AL

L STARTED fied customers. Its W IT H N ITROBOLON formula is based on an innovative proprietary combination developed to boost nitric oxide in the body - Nitric Oxide Amplifier. Thanks to Trec Nutrition, this product, which is highly recognized in the USA, found its way to the Polish market, where it quickly became a best-seller.

that are necessary in long-lasting and intensive work of muscle fibres.

Vasolidation, which is linked with nitric oxide effects, is responsible for increasing muscle tension and pumped-up sensation during workout, which directly translates to incredible strength gain, reduced fatigue and also offers optimal conditions for anabolic processes and removing toxins from the body.

UNBEATAB LE COMPOSITIO N The NitroBolon formula makes use of maximum synergy and highest quality of active substances – it is a whole new chapter in sports supplementation. It makes it possible for your workout to reach the level of intensity and efficacy you have never experienced before. The combination of the most effective and innovative nitric oxide (NO) boosters in maximum doses and optimal proportions has lead to developing a line of three special tasks products: NitroBolon NitroBolon,, NitroBolon II and NitroBolon Energizer.

Energizer.

The first one is incredibly popular among thousands of satis*Placebo group is a group of trial participants who received capsules without the active substances contained in NitroBolon.

Who is NitroBolon recommended for?

OPTIMAL COMPOSITIO N TOP QUALITY

The composition of NitroBolon includes carefully selected active substances, which are not only nitric acid precursors, but they also maximize NO production and reduce the harmful effects of endotoxins (mainly ammonia and urea) that are produced in the body during intense physical exercises. Unlike other products, NitroBolon is a comprehensive product, which makes use of two advanced forms of L-arginine (diArginine Malate and AAKG), as well as Citruline Malate. The uni-

que combination of the strongest acting L-arginine precursors, its degradation to secondary metabolites is reduced and optimal kinetic absorption is ensured. Thanks to that, an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase (NOS) has a lighter job to do with full access to substrates, so nitric oxide is produced in larger amounts and for a longer time. As a result, an increase in muscle strength and pump is felt throughout the workout. And when it is completed, NitroBolon offers favourable conditions for muscle regeneration and development.

Another vital function of citruline malate is boosting the production of ATP – a particle responsible for the speed and strength of muscle contractions. NitroBolon also contains well-absorbed Creatine Ethyl Ester HCI. The formula can be used in significantly smaller amounts, and when it is combined with nitric oxide, it offers an exceptionally strong anabolic effect and a greater increase in energy reserves of muscle cells than it is possible with regular creatine monohydrate.

This universal product should be fundamental in supplementation programmes of everyone who strives to gain strength and mass, as well as intensify their workouts. NitroBolon helps improve nutrition and oxygenation of muscle cells, so strength sports is not its only indication – it is also recommended in lost-lasting physical exercise.

NitroBolon helps you surpass your workout limits and enjoy incredible results without the need to use illegal support. This product is recommended as a universal nitric oxide booster.

Taken before a workout, it will contribute to an increase in its intensity. Taken directly after a workout, it will support quicker regeneration and detoxification of the body. Nitric oxide (NO) that is generated as a result of NitroBolon ingestion increases blood supply to genitals, so the product is recommended if you wish to improve the comfort of your sex life.

Who is NitroBolon Energizer recommended for?

The product is not only addressed at professional athletes who are involved in strength disciplines, like bodybuilding or weight-lifting, but it can also be successfully applied by speed&strength competitors, e.g. in martial arts or track and field athletics. NitroBolon Energizer facilitates the transport of oxygen and energy particles to muscles. It is extremely rich in active energy boosters, which is why it is recommended in long-lasting physical exercise, like mountain or road cycling. The product contributes to sustaining maximum concentration and motivation to work out, it facilitates signal transfer in the nervous system and ensures proper movement control during long-lasting and strenuous workout sessions. NitroBolon Energizer also offers better nutrition, hydration and oxygenation, as well as quicker removal of metabolic by-products. The product significantly accelerates regeneration, it also helps overcome workout slowdown or stagnation and it contributes to improving endurance and performance. Caution!

You may observe vasolidation, and the resulting improvement in the vessel network visibility as well as increased circumference of the working muscles in your workout.

Who is NitroBolon II recommended for?

The product is recommended for athletes involved in strength disciplines, whose aim is developing high quality muscles quickly. NitroBolon II does not only mean the best high quality active ingredients, but it also means high and effective doses, which makes it different from the competition’s products, which are based on simple sugars and creatine monohydrate. NitroBolon II brings about the incredibly strong ‚pump-up’ effect. It makes your muscles hard and full, which is particularly desirable in body-shaping disciplines (bodybuilding, fitness) and strength sports.

DOUBLE FORCE If you want to enjoy both the incredible pump effect and maximum increase in the highest quality muscle mass, NitroBolon II will surely meet your expectations.

This advanced creatine stack, offered in the convenient powder form, combines the best creatine compounds and nitric oxide (NO) power characteristic of NitroBolon with a blend of ingredients that improve the assimilation of the active substances and replenish glycogen reserves. NitroBolon II is also enhanced with a special anticatabolic glutamine matrix, and insosine to boost ATP production.

The combination of bioactive nitric oxide boosters characteristic of NitroBolon underwent special tuning processes. Optimal proportions and high doses of AAKG, arginine malate and citruline malate ensure maximum and long-lasting production of this exceptionally strong, anabolism and muscle growth stimulating gas hormone.

This special, scientifically developed blend of incredibly strong and anabolic creatine forms offers perfect absorbency and solubility.

Malate and ethyl ester mutually complement their effects offering a significant increase in muscle tissue ergogenic creatine and ATP in comparison to regular monohydrate.

The matrix of glucose and its polymers, which quickly and effectively meets ongoing energy demands of your working muscle cells. After the workout is completed, the compounds in the product immediately start rebuilding muscle glycogen reserves, which significantly accelerates regeneration and increases the effective energy amount in the subsequent workout session.

The special blend of the most effective forms of L-glutamine, the fundamental muscle-structuring substance, offers incredibly strong anticatabolic effects.

The combination of NAG (N-acethyl L-glutamine) and pharmaceutically clear, crystal form of free L-glutamine can instantly halt catabolic processes which damage your muscle tissue, and the effect is sustained for up to 24h.

ENERGY EXPLOSION The product offers a whole new comprehensive approach to physical exercise support. Its formula is based on NitroBolon composition and is enhanced with incredibly strong energizers. Thanks to especially designed booster ingredients, your body will receive a kick of power as soon as 10 minutes after the first dose, so that you can manage even the hardest workout easily. It is currently the most effective pre-workout booster in the world and it will help your body reach the unknown reserves of hidden energy. And this is why NitroBolon is so effective:

The strongest scientifically developed nitric acid (NO) boosters.

Nitric acid is a gas hormone and it acts as a cellular volumizer, which improves blood supply to muscle

NitroBolon means quick effects you can see and feel!

tissue and increases the amount of oxygen and nutrients transported to the working muscles.

The advanced formula is based on huge doses of alpha-ketoglutarate (AAKG) and L-arginine malate, and on cytruline in the form of malate to support the process of enzymatic nitric oxide production. The precisely selected NitroBolon Energizer ingredients contribute to a radical increase in muscle volume, they boost muscles with energy and give you the pumped -up sensation.

The most advanced creatine matrix in the world – the combination of as many as 4 creatine forms, including buffered monohydrate called Kre-Alkalyn®, which is incredibly immune to low pH, Tri-Creatine Malate, which offers perfect assimilation, Creatine Ethyl Ester HCL and Creatine Monohydrate in one shock dose.

Vessel cross-section and muscle volume without NitroBolon.

Musculo-vascular effect of an increase in muscle volume due to NitroBolon. An increase in vessel diameter allows more blood, nutrients and oxygen to muscles in a shorter time. What does it mean for you? It is easy – more workout fuel, quick development and regeneration.

This blend contains especially selected, safe compounds that can boost your body to work effectively. The potent stimulating effect is not only addressed to the central nervous system (CNS), but also to the systems that are extremely important in in oxygen and nutrient transport, i.e. cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

The combination of L-tirosine, taurine, inositol and a shock dose of ultra-pure anhydrous caffeine boosts noradrenaline and neurotransmitter activity, and it shows a psychostimulant effect.

The matrix stimulates the body, accelerates the rate of metabolic processes, makes energy production more effective and ensures proper movement control, even during very long and difficult exercises.

The amazingly precise combination of appropriate proportions of micronised branched chain amino acids (BCAA), inosine and the best absorbed forms of L-glutamine (pure L-glutamine and its acethyl form - NAG). L-leucine, L-valine and L-isoleucine, along with L-glutamine acoount for nearly 95% of lean muscle mass, so unless their supply is sufficient, muscles will not be fully regenerated and rebuilt. BCAAs additionally stimulate energetic processes that occur during a workout and prevent early onset of fatigue.

A special blend of slowly absorbed carbohydrates is a high-energy carrier for other compounds in the product. It improves their absorbency and utilization by your hard-working body. An appropriately designed composition of the most effective forms of gradually absorbed carbohydrates makes it possible to sustain a stable concentration of high-energy glucose

and anabolic insuline throughout workout and after it is completed. The product supports proper post-workout regeneration without putting your body at the risk of gaining excessive fat.

In order to enhance the formula even more, alpha-lipoic (ALA) was added to its composition. The effects of the substance are similar to those exhibited by anabolic insulin. ALA improves the assimilation and optimizes the utilization of carbohydrates in energetic processes. ALA is perfect at boosting creatine transport and improving delivery rates for other Nitrobolon Energizer ingredients, it is also beneficial for post-workout muscle glycogen regeneration and contributes to the anabolic effects of the product.

It is a special formula of mineral elements which are necessary in maintaining maximum performance. It offers regular replenishment of electrolytes which your body loses in sweat. Optimal doses of minerals in their easilyassimilated chemical forms can prevent the early onset of fatigue, painful cramps, and they can facilitate the transport of signals from your brain to the muscles. The proper electrolyte balance helps retain water in the body, and it can help maintain the pumped-up sensation for a longer time.

B vitamins: B3, B7, B5, B12, B6, B9, B1, and B2 are indispensable in cellular metabolism. They are vital in physical functions because they play a supporting and regulatory roles in energy-generating processes. These substances are

responsible for concentration, support metabolism, participate in fat and carbohydrate utilization, which is why their extra supplies intensify energy production.

In an intense workout the rate of metabolic processes aggressively increases. The side effect of cellular respiration, which when ATP is mainly produced, is generating large amounts of free radicals.

That is why the final ingredient in the comprehensive composition of the product is one of the strongest antioxidants which accelerate body detoxification during workout: vitamin C

Glutamine THE WONDER AMINO ACID

COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO GLUTAMINE Research confirms that L-glutamine supplementation reduces muscle catabolism and improves active tissue metabolism.

Read the article to find everything you need to know about it and about the ways it can help you.

G

lutamine is the most important amino acid that builds your muscles – over 61% of skeletal muscles are made of this amino acid. Nitrogen accounts for 19% of glutamine structure, which is why glutamine is considered the main means for transporting nitrogen to muscle cells.

Performing intensive physical exercises is linked with a significant decrease in glutamine concentration, which leads to deterioration in strength, endurance and recovery potential. It may take up to 6 days before your body regains the previous glutamine concentration! Its role in protein synthesis, and muscle mass structuring, is of key importance. Research shows that taking L- glutamine may reduce muscle damage and improve protein metabolism.

What can L- glutamine do for you?

Glutamine plays the key role in protein metabolism, increasing muscle volume

10

REBEl magazine 01/2010

and reducing catabolic processes. What is more, glutamine fosters HGH (human growth hormone) secretion, which is beneficial for fat metabolism and muscle growth. The anticatabolic potential of L- glutamine translates to muscle protection against damage.

It is particularly important if you are on a weight-loss diet, especially in the summer, when you want to get rid of the unwanted pounds without losing muscle mass. Your body needs glutamine to maintain optimal performance level. Your small intestine needs glutamine most, but your immune system cannot function without it either, because as the level of glutamine goes down due to physical exercise, the vulnerability to infections increases in muscle building periods. That is why L-glutamine supplementation is so important – not only in terms of muscle mass structuring, but also in terms of sustaining the effects.

L-glutamine supplementation ensures favourable nitrogen balance and counteracts muscle atrophy. The newest study

results demonstrate that adequate L- glutamine supplementation may increase HGH secretion even by over 400%.

What supplementation scheme should be followed?

If you are structuring your muscle mass, you should take from 10 to 15 gr L- glutamine daily – from 2 to 3 times a day, 5 gr on each occasion. But you also need to realize that you may already be taking small amounts of L- glutamine with your other supplements. A lot of protein supplements contain L- glutamine, so we would like to emphasize that you should read product labels carefully to make sure. For best results take powder L-glutamine in the morning after your workout, and in the evening right before you go sleep.

Does L- glutamine supplementation involve any side effects?

Should you be worried about side-effects? The answer is simple - no! Research shows that it does not cause any ad-

Here are

the advantages

of L-glutamine:

verse reactions. Because it is naturally found in the human body, it cannot possibly be harmful. But remember – just as it is the case with every other supplement, its excessive amounts may be harmful.

Exceeding the recommended dose of L-glutamine may lead to gastric conditions so follow the instructions for use thoroughly. That is it. Now, to the advantages!

Advantages of L- glutamine supplementation Do you take L-glutamine supplements? If not, you might want to reconsider when you have finished reading. Glutamine is the source of carbon and nitrogen, it also helps replenish glycogen reserves, where energy is stored for the muscles. Glutamine is the most important element of muscle proteins – it regenerates and structures them.

Who is L- glutamine addressed to?

Having said that L-glutamine is an essential element in muscle developing process, we do not reserve glutamine for

athletes only. Glutamine is necessary in maintaining proper functions and supporting defense mechanisms of the body.

Once glutamine is synthesized in skeletal muscles, it is released to bloodstream and transported to kidneys, liver, small intestine and to immune system cells, where its role is crucial.

Glutamine is utilized by white blood cells and it supports basic immune functions. People whose bodies are not capable of producing their own glutamine, i.e. individuals with muscle atrophy and immune system exhausted due to severe conditions (like cancer or AIDS) may help themselves by means of supplementation with glutamine combined with other amino acids. Diseases, infections and muscle mass loss are the most common symptoms of glutamine deficiency.

Are you convinced now? Glutamine is not only addressed to weight-lifters who want to prevent catabolism. Its indisputable advantages and lack of side effects make it necessary for everyone. So… what are you waiting for?

Glutamine plays a role in protein synthesis. It protects your muscles against catabolism (from being ”eaten away”).

Glutamine helps maintain the proper cell size and hydration, fosters injury and and burn healing, and accelerates regeneration.

Glutamine protects you by means of maintaining a proper level of glutamine reserves, which your body loses in intensive workouts.

Scientific facts demonstrate that glutamine may contribute to growth hormone secretion. According to study results proper L-glutamine supplementation may elevate HGH concentration by over 400%.

Glutamine may help your immune system. It is especially important in the periods of muscle development because intense workouts reduce its reserves. (Glutamine is the main source of energy your immune system needs).

Glutamine is one of the most important nutrients your intestines need.

It has the potential to stop the ”leaky gut” syndrome and maintain the proper intestinal structure.

I bet you did not know glutamine can be used to cure ulcers! Research shows 1.6 gr glutamine daily inery rara creases the recovery n as te by 92% as soon after 4 weeks of trer reatment.

According to scienn ntists glutamine iss the most important amino acid, especially for individuals who want to develop their muscles. It supplies elements which are necessary in metabolic processes of muscle cells. What is more, it cannot be substituted with any other amino acid. As a result, the benefits of glutamine supplementation make it really worthwhile..

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

11

Testos A

t about the age of ten the part of the human brain called the hypothalamus starts maturing. It starts releasing Gn-RH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone), which stimulates the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland to release yet two more hormones: FSH (folliclestimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone). The former induces seminiferous tubules development as well as sperm cell production and

The effect of intravenous testosterone abuse may be especially dangerous for people between 15 and 25 years of age, because it is the time when the body produces sufficient amounts of its own hormones and any excess leads to particular intolerance. maturation, while the latter stimulates testes to produce male sex hormones (androgens): test osterone, androstendione and dehydroepiandrosterone. (Fig. 1)

12

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

It is an extremely strong anabolic hormone. Its effect on muscle mass and strength gain are rapid.

No wonder its potency has tempted almost 80% of gym-goers.

Let use explore its journey through the human body and find out more about its effects.

As a result of androgen, primarily testosterone, effects, boys develop typical male features, like the change in voice timbre, increase in sexual drive, development of typical male features of personality, and androgenic hair. Testosterone has also systemic effects, including the influence on muscle protein synthesis, accelerating bone growth, increase in red blood cell and cholesterol production. In boys testosterone also stimulates sebaceous glands and may frequently cause acne.

The secretion of this hormone is more intensive between the ages of 10 and 20, and then its concentration goes gradually down, which is especially perceptible in the fifth and sixth decades of the human life.

Average testosterone production rate in men is approximately 4–14 mg/24 h. Its blood concentration, however changes during the day, it is the highest between 6.00 a.m. and 9.00 p.m., its level is the lowest late in the afternoon and in the evening, when the decrease reaches 15–40%.

When something unnaturally causes testosterone concentration to increase, it causes a commotion in the body and the whole hypothalamus – pituitary – gonad mechanism is blocked, which in turn

leads to reduced testosterone production by the testes. This is the body’s natural defense response to sudden, uncontrolled increase in blood testosterone. Excess testosterone in blood stream is then processed into so-called 17-ketosteroids in the liver and removed from the body in urine, the remaining amount is changed into female hormones – estrogens.

How does testosterone work?

Steroid hormones, including testosterone, are small lipid-soluble particles, which, unlike other hormones, easily make their way from blood stream to cells. Once they are inside they try to get to the heart of the cell, the nucleus. It is not easy, however, because testosterone particles must first find cytosolic receptors inside special carriers. The combination of testosterone with the appropriate receptor triggers the release of heat shock proteins – HSP, especially hsp 90, a protein which issues a special “permit” for the “testosterone-receptor” complex to get inside the nucleus.

The hormone combination with the corresponding receptor is not easy either. If the number of testosterone molecules too high, only those that

terone are the first to find their appropriate receptors can penetrate the nucleus and act. Other molecules must accept their defeat and that they have come to a bad end. Most of them are neutralized in the liver and removed din bile or urine, and the rest is processed estrogen – a female hormone. When an excess of testosterone circulates in blood stream, yet another, rather interesting phenomenon may occur. Seeing the rapid invasion of testosterone molecules, receptors (carriers), panic and hide for fear that they cannot withstand the attack of aggressive particles. This leads to the so-called testosterone resistance even if its blood concentration is high.

A sudden, uncontrolled increase in blood testosterone is unlikely to occur in healthy people. Cases of this type are most common when additional supplies of this hormone are delivered from the outside (e.g. doping). If large amounts of testosterone are supplied and its level is suddenly increased, the response is quite strong – that is why its effect is the most perceptible in the initial phase. However, after some time, when the receptors endure the first wave and prepare an appropriate defense strategy, testosterone effect on target cells is no longer discernible. It is then that the person on testosterone stops seeing the expected progress, panics and tries to force cell barriers by taking increasingly higher doses of the drug – and so the vicious circle rolls forward.

The effect of intravenous testosterone abuse may be especially dangerous for people between 15 and 25 years of age, because it is the time when the body produces sufficient amounts of its own hormones and any excess leads to particular intolerance. What occurs consequently is not only that the liver is affected and respective receptors disappear, but the hypothalamus pituitary - gonad axis is blocked as well (secondary hypogonadism). As a result

of the block both LH and FSH secretion is reduced, then own testosterone production stops, the development of seminiferous tubules is disturbed and the process of spermatogenesis is out of balance. In young people the disorder it may be irreversible and lead to total sterility.

Excessive doses of testosterone may contribute to lipomastia and gynecomastia

derness to touch, palpable development of hard glandular tissue and loose body fat the area (like in obese men) are observed after testosterone treatment, it should be immediately discontinued and a medical professional, preferably and endocrinologist, should be consulted to start appropriate treatment.

The doctor will then order special laboratory tests to assess serum testosterone, estradiol, HCG, LH, liver functions, and – if hyperthyroidism is suspected - also TSH, T3 and T4 levels. Based on these tests, the doctor will start the appropriate hormonal therapy, which is strictly individualized. Unfortunately, in the case of substantial changes surgical intervention is also necessary.

We have already said that excess blood testosterone can be processed into female hormones – estrogen is causes the deposition of fat around the chest (lipomastia) and the development of typical female breasts (gynecomastia), which can confusingly resemble female bust. Excess blood estrogen is Testosterone leads to a dramatic also the stimulus for the secretion of proincrease in muscle mass and lactin (a mixture of polypeptides secreted strength by the cells of the pituitary gland), which When testosterone molecules bind with affects the growth of mammary glands. appropriate receptors, and manage to Prolactin secreted in excess also inhibpenetrate the nucleus, they bind to the its Gn-RH secretion from the hypothalamus, which in turns impairs testicular functions. Men with elevated levels of prolactin (over 200 ng/ml) frequently report impaired libido and impotence.

Blocks Excess androgens may the Gn-RH also contribute to the dephypothalamus osition of fatty tissue, not only in the chest area, but also on the abdomen, neck, buttocks, and can lead to an overall distortion of figure. Excess testosterone increases the activity FSH LH of a2-adrenergic receptors which inhibit fat cell breakIncreased Development down. testosterone release of seminiferous tubules If disturbing symptoms Trigger for spermatogenesis such as enlargement of one or both breasts, sometimes with increased tenFig. 1

Hypothalamus

Anterior pituitary gland

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

13

It seems rather illogical to combine high doses of testosterone and other anabolicandrogenic agents, which, as we know, are more or less testosterone-derived. od of 6 weeks. Testosterone is administered either in the form of tablets or injections. Oral dosing regimen, however, is not recommended because it is not well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Injections in the form of esters and fatty acids appear to be the most effective. Most scientific research programs use the 260-600 mg / week dose for 10-12 weeks to determine the effect of testosterone on the development of muscle mass and strength.

Testosterone „treatment” is often combined with another pharmaceutical called hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) It is a glycoprotein abundantly produced by the placenta during pregnancy. In bodybuilding this agent can be applied for two reasons. First of all, hCG (which exhibits similar properties as LH) stimulates the natural testosterone production when it is out of balance due to anabolic-androgenic steroid use. Biogonadyl is most often used in order to restore normal functions of testicles.

Blocked testosterone production frequently occurs with concomitant halt in spermatogenesis. In such circumstances hMG (human menopausal gona-

14

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

dot dotr dotropin, ropin, trade names: Pergonal and Humegon) should be administered to restore testosterone secretion and normal sperm pro pr prooduction process.

Since the administratio admin nist istrat ratio on o off hCG helps to incre increase rease ase natural natu na ural ur al testosterone secretion, secre cretio tion, on, n, some sso som om me may wonder whether whet hethe he er itit could cco ould ld d be be an alternative a ern alt ernati ative ati ve to the th he h e dangerous dan dang da nge g ge erro rou ous testo testos oster terone one ne injections. n inje in je ec cttio io ion ons. nss. So So testosterone far co cons consistent nsiste nsi stent ste nt sci scientifi ciie en ent n ntttiifi ific e evivividence dence e has ha no not ot b been ee een en n ffo found, o un nd, but b bodybuilders bo ody dyb ybuil uild derss are a already alread alr ead e ad ady dy headin he hea din ng in this this direction. d directio tion. n. heading

hCG is a way to avoid ... .... .. a pos po positive ositi i ve te testosteresto osteroster one doping result. Body natural testosterone is always accompanied by another component, called epitestosterone.

Normal testosterone- epitestosterone (T:E) ratio is 1:1.

Testosterone injections only raise the level of testosterone, while the epitestosterone concentration does not change. If the urine T:E ratio reaches 6:1, the doping test result is positive.

During hCG treatment the levels of both components increase, which is why the use of this agent instead of androgens directly before a competition could significantly reduce the risk of doping test failure. Since this method is becoming increasingly better known, some Anti-Doping Committees now use more sophisticated methods of verification.

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (SAA) are testosterone-derived Chemical structure of testosterone may be appropriately modifi ed to create agents with stronger anabolic and less androgenic effects. These compounds generally known as anabolic-androgenic steroids are of particular use in sports where you need a rapid increase in muscle mass and strength, and thus it is also popular in bodybuilding. Although they may show stronger anabolic properties than testosterone, SAAs (specially the oral regimen) are unfortunately much more toxic. Testosterone causes much less liver damage than SAAs, but may, on the other hand, cause adverse effects in the genital tract, acne and excessive hair loss. In addition, long-term testosterone treatment creates a risk of prostate cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

It seems rather illogical to combine high doses of testosterone and other anabolic-androgenic agents, which, as we know, are more or less testosterone-derived. Exposed to this kind of treatment, the body has to deal with a substantial androgen concentration increase and total or partial blockage of receptors. It is important that increased testosterone resistance decreases the efficacy of anabolic agents. The unused amounts of androgens and anabolics which are then found in blood stream pose a great risk for the liver cells, and make the body more prone to a number of other serious disorders. SAA treatement should therefore involve the reduction of testosterone doses.

The use of testosterone and its derivatives is associated with considerable risk of a multitude of serious conditions, especially those affecting the genital tract and cardiovascular system. Aggressive effects of large quantities of androgens also deform the body because they cause excessive deposition of visceral fat. Significant increase in body fat due to testosterone excess may ultimately lead to hindered muscle tissue growth.

The editing team and the author of this article

would like to make it clear that their purpose is not to encourage the use of synthetic testosterone. What is more, we are opposed to any pharmacological doping. The article is based on valid research and its aim is to present the body’s physiological responses to an excess or a deficiency of testosterone with the consequences of these conditions on the human health. An athlete’s use of anabolic steroids including testosterone is not only unfair, but also extremely health and life-threatening.

REBELMAG TEAM

DNA, NA A, which leads the he act activation ctiva ct i ttio iva on off cercertain n genes that contribute te in n turn turn to to proproduce ce the mRNA - special specia al machines mac mac a hin h nes es for otein i production production. d i IIn this hi way wa ay the the h procproc pro oc-protein esss of of muscl muscle muscle e tissue tissue tiss ue synthesis syntthe syn esis sis begins. be egin gins.

It iss ac a acc accompanied c om omp mpani anied e by an ed n increase increa inc rea ase in i bone ne density de ens en nsssity n y and and ffat at ma mass ass rreduction. ass as ed educti edu d cti c o on. n Two o very ve ery y thorough ttho ho horou rough ro g research gh r ear re res ea arch ch programs pro pro ogram ra ams have ve e demonstrated de em mons nstrratted nst ed that ttha th ha at intravenous inttrrave ven ve en nou o ou uss testes e estosterone terone e ttreatment trea attmen a men entt lla lasting asting ast ng 1 10 10-12 0 -1 0-1 12 w weeks eekks ay increase in incre c as cre asse e le ean bod dy mass, m masss, reduce red duce may lean body the e a amount moun untt of of stored stor t ed d fat fa and and increase inc ncr c eas ease strength ength as observed eng obs observ ob bserv erved ed in n the bench bench benc ch press prre esss and d squats, squat sq uat ats, s, even s, even in eve ev in persons pers rsons ons n who who lead w ead ad a sede sedentary ent nta ta tary ary life liliiffe and an nd d are re not not engaged enga ng gaged g in n en eng ngth ngth ng th workout. wor w orkou or kout o t. ou t. This This effect effe ffect ct was even evven e strength more ore or re pronounced pron noun unce ced in ced in young yo oung people peopl pe ple e who who ho combined mbi b ned bin e te ttestosterone tes esstoste e tos stte ter errone e ne treatment treat atmen mentt with witith workout. rkout. ko out. These Th The hese se studies stud stu dies also so showed, showe wed, d, d, weve e r, r, tha at a aft fterr iv iv ttestosterone est sto osterone ostero ne wass however, that after discontinued, con ntin ti ued, body b y shape shape returned retu re turned to the th he rtin rti ting point nt. starting point.

Tes T estos toste teron ne is a pharmacolo ne ogic icall ica ic Testosterone acological doping agent and has been used for a long time. During the Olympic Games in 1936 some of the players received doses of the hormone which were even higher than 1,000 mg / day for a peri-

Mariusz Cieśliński World Champion Muay Thai

16

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

Mariusz Cieśliński

Direct Pre-Tournament Preparation

in Martial Arts

T

aking part in sports competition is a great challenge for everyone – both for the recognized award -winning competitors, and for those who take their first steps in the world of sports, especially full contact martial arts (boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu).

What is more, thoughts flash through your mind “will I be okay?”, “will I be in form”, “what will my opponent do?”, “what will happen if I lose” there is a multitude of questions and doubts about your preparation for the fight. To minimize the worries you have to work really hard in your workouts and build stamina and strength, which will be your basis. What motivates me it this slogan: “when you are resting, somebody else is working out to give you a kick in your teeth”. It literally hurts to lose in a martial art competition.

Professional athletes follow an especially designed competition and workout schedule so that they can devote the last weeks to polish up the form, assuming that they worked really hard through the preparation period. This time, which lasts approximately three weeks in martial arts is called direct pre-tournament preparation. It is not the time to build endurance – it is the time to maintain it.

Strength and strength endurance parameters developed in the preparatory period

is the basis and for developing dynamic strength necessary to have powerful strikes. Another thing you need in martial arts is speed which is extremely important in combat, especially when it comes to time to react and strike rapidity.

What is especially significant in my direct pre-tournament preparation is sparring. First of all, sparring is a kind of test before the true fight, when tactical and technical mistakes are not as risky as in the real combat. It is also a way to reinforce the qualities and parameters which are necessary in martial arts. When I get ready for a single professional fight, sparring has as many rounds as the contracted fight. It must progress at a pace that is similar to real fight. In order to make a greater effort, you can use the help of a few sparring partners – working with “fresh” sparring partners will effectively motivate you to work harder. It is also important for the sparring fight to take place roughly at the same time of day as the competition fight is scheduled.

You can have a few fights in a tournament. Assuming, that you have to make your way to the finals and win the tournament, the sparring fights can be planned to reflect the tournament time table. Tournament fights are usually shorter (round distance) and faster. That is why I plan two fights for my sparring day – the first training fight has a similar pace to the

real fight , the second fight fits in the same training unit, but is preceded with a 15-20-minute regeneration break. Obviously, a training fight is preceded with a warm-up, which you should also do in the tournament.

Working to improve time to react also includes training fights with a division of training tasks. For instance: hand techniques vs. leg techniques, fighting with one hand and leg only, fighting with the same legs or hands or operating within

Strength and strength endurance parameters developed in the preparatory period are the basis for developing dynamic strength necessary to have powerful strikes. half or full distance, fighting with the use of one, two or three techniques with the fastest possible attack and the fastest possible response with a counterpunch.

A complementary session with the coach includes working with appropriate shields or pads and boxing equipment (punch bag , peanut ball, speedball, double end bag to improve response time and pace of fight). The work involving equipment is also different from the regular workout in the preparatory period. Now it usual-

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

17

In the three weeks before a tournament (direct pre-tournament preparation), my workout and supplementation schedule looks as follows:

MONDAY 1st workout Type: speed + strike power Pre-workout supplementation: 1 sachet NITRO(X)PACK C-13 Series of 3-4 punches on the bag, at a signal, every 10 seconds during a round. The number of rounds equal to the the tournament round number.

Throwing a medicine ball in variousdirections (directions in which blows are delivered).

Complement with shield workout.

Shadow punches and skipping rope at the end.

Post-workout supplementation: 100 g VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY, 10 g BCAA G-FORCE

2nd workout Type: task sparring Pre-workout supplementation: 1 sachet NITRO(X)PACK C-13 After the sparring, a workout session with coaches with shields. Correcting the mistakes made during the sparring session.

Post-workout supplementation: 100 g VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY, 10 g BCAA G-FORCE

TUESDAY 1st workout Type: aerobic, endurance workout Pre-workout supplementation: 1 sachet LIPO(X)PACK Z-9, 6 capsules ANANBOLIC BCAA SYSTEM Easy jog at aerobic capacity – 40 minutes.

End with easy shadow punches – several rounds.

2nd workout Type: interval workout with punch bags, speed training Pre-workout supplementation: 4 capsules AAKG MEGA HARDCORE, 6 capsules GLUTAMINE T6, 6 capsules ANABOLIC BCAA SYSTEM

18

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

Punch bags: 30 s of workout 60 s of rest in 9–12 series. I do the task with maximum intensity and speed. Each round must be pulled through as if it was the last one – this workout may not be pleasant, you can feel certain discomforts.

Shadow punches and skipping rope at a varying pace at the end.

Post-workout supplementation: 100 g VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY, 10 g BCAA G-FORCE

WEDNESDAY workout Type: sparring, aerobic workout (if there is the need to adjust body mass) Pre-workout supplementation: 1 sachet LIPO(X)PACK Z-9, 6 capsules ANANBOLIC BCAA SYSTEM The main workout element here is sparring – a normal training fight. The number of rounds identical to the fight.

To calm down after the sparring I do several rounds of easy tasks with equipment, shadow punches and skipping rope. I also recommend a kind of compensation workout – 30-40 minutes of aerobic running in a another workout unit – particularly to athletes who still need to reduce weight at that time.

THURSDAY 1st workout Type: tactical training with shields Pre-workout supplementation: 1 sachet VITAL(X)PACK N-6, 1 sachet STERO(X)PACK S-14 Coached training with shields – reinforcing the tactics and perfecting defense strategies. Workout duration depends on individual qualities and is adjusted to a particular contestant’s needs.

Post-workout supplementation: 100 g VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY, 10 g BCAA G-FORCE

2nd workout Type: tactical training with a partner Pre-workout supplementation: 1 sachet NITRO(X)PACK C-13, 6 capsules ANABOLIC BCAA SYSTEM A session with a partner – perfecting the sequences from the morning training. The main component is concluded with a task-oriented training session with the use of equipment (hand techniques only, leg techniques only,combination of a contestant’s favourite sequences).

FRIDAY workout Type: aerobic workout Pre-workout supplementation: 1 sachet LIPO(X)PACK Z-9, 1 sachet STERO(X)PACK S-14 Jog at aerobic capacity (aerobic workout) alternated with shadow punches – the aim of this kind of workout workout is losing weight, it is recommended for the contestants struggling with excess weight.

Biological regeneration in the afternoon

SATURDAY workout Type: Sparring, tactical training with a partner Pre-workout supplementation: 1 sachet NITRO(X)PACK C-13, 6 capsules ANABOLIC BCAA SYSTEM Sparring – training fight. After the sparring, individual session with a coach.

Post-workout supplementation: 100 g VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY, 10 g BCAA G-FORCE

SUNDAY Biological regeneration in the afternoon

workout is fairly individualized, not too intensive in comparison with the two previous weeks I have discussed. It is all about giving more stimuli to the “main computer”, not really about making the body tired.

It often happens that the week when the fight or tournament is scheduled is the time when contestants waste their chance because they reduce weight in an unreasonable way (crazy starvation diet and dehydration) and then binge just after weight is assessed. Another mistake is slogging your guts out when you have not been thorough in the preparatory period workouts, and now you just torment your body to steady your nerves . As a result, it later turns out that contestants kill their freshness and seem sluggish or slow during the fight. They do not take risks, they just think about surviving through each round. I know what I am saying because in the years of my career, I have not always managed to avoid such mistakes. The fights that were supposed to be easy and pleasant, turned to be nightmares.

The role of direct pre-tournament preparation is extremely important in martial arts. Each contestant’s experience in the ring, competitions and workouts contributes to developing an individualized pattern whose elements may be slightly modified, but its main properties and objectives remain the same. I believe the aims of direct pre-tournament preparation are:

1. Setting a contestant’s stable body weight by means of appropriate diet and supplementation. Eating can become an athlete’s enemy if it is not rational and more hazardous than the opponent.

2. Reinforcing motor skills.

3. Preparing a contestant to maintain an appropriate tactical regime during a fight basing on his technical training level.

4. Using appropriate workout measures, relaxation and resting to boost your mind and body to win.

When workout is so intense, it is very important to make sure the body can fully regenerate. I cannot imagine going to the second workout on the same day if I am still tired after the morning workout. There is no way recovery could be effective when diet and supplementation are not appropriately balanced. My stable postworkout element is replenishing carbohydrates - VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY is perfect here. I can feel the energy that I need reach my exhausted muscles virtually within seconds of drinking the supplement, all of this ithout causing any gastric discomfort. I also take the main workout amino acids regularly – 3 to 4 times a day.

I recommend BCAA G-FORCE (BCAA, glutamine), which I mix with a Vitargo serving. To maintain a high energy level in my workout I never forget my NITRO(X) PACK C-13 sachet before really exhausting workouts. The product makes me reassured that I will not get weary halfway through my workout.

Good luck!

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

19

Mariusz Cieśliński

ly comprises of short periods of work performed with maximum frequency and intensity of strikes and blows of maximum power and explosiveness.

I repeat the workout routine in the subsequent week, but when I use equipment in my workout I extend the intervals between rounds and reduce sequence duration, for example I work with a punch bag for 15 sec, then have a 45 sec interval, and there are 8 repetitions (2-3 series). I complement the workout with a session with a coach, I use shields, shadow-fights and a skipping rope. The objective of this kind of workout is releasing the maximum frequency of strikes and accentuating 2-3 powerful strikes or actions in the 15 sec segments. Although it is quite short, this workout is not an easy one, provided you do it properly.

The week when the fight or tournament is scheduled is the countdown to the final test. Surely, the workout programme is designed to result in achieving the precise weight within the contestant’s weight category.

I usually do one workout unit and it usually includes technical and tactical elements so that when I fight I do not need to think what to do but simply react to whatever is happening at a given moment in the fight. Each blow and kick, attack and defense must take me closer to the victory.

The second unit is sometimes devoted to aerobic running, but only when I need to adjust my weight. This week

20

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

Y

ou work out intensely during the day, you calculate protein intake and calories in your diet. All of this to create best possible conditions for your muscles to

develop.

But the most essential stage of muscle fibre building begins at night.

It is then that muscle tissue shows the greatest demand for various nutrients, including proteins.

Proper amino acid intake at bedtime is not only the key to normal anabolic reactions, but it is also an effective shield that protects muscles against the dangerous catabolic processes.

When you are asleep various metabolic processes progress in your body.

The process of protein (amino acid) transfer between internal organs is especially dynamic then. At night the transfer of amino acids from muscle tissue is increased because they are necessary in regenerating a number of other tissues and organs. Intensified muscle catabolism when you are asleep can therefore affect your performance and muscle mass development. That can be prevented. Read on.

Protein turnover Proteins are known to be responsible for a number of functions, including enzymatic, regulating, structural, contractile and hormonal ones. The amounts of particular protein types depend on the body’s needs which are mainly conditioned by life style. In the case of body builders more proteins are stored in muscles, the bodies of runners show a more intensive enzymatic protein synthesis, which is essential in aerobic processes, people whose calorie intake is large, gastrointestinal tract is more developed etc. Generally, each tissue structure has certain priorities for protein demands and they continually change over lifetime. When certain tissues do not need proteins at a given time, the body breaks them down and delivers to other places when they are more needed. For example, a severely sick, bed-ridden person does not need to maintain a developed muscle tissue, because it is not the priority. In this case what seems to be more important is an efficient intestinal system to absorb nutrients, which are indispensable in regenerating. Glutamine leaves muscle tissue and travels to intestinal cells where it becomes the basic emergency energy source. The phenomenon of protein transfer can also be observed when you look at the way

some athletes’ bodies are shaped. Take cyclists for example. It is easy to notice that a cyclist’s legs are very muscular because they take the most workload, while the upper part of the body is very slim because it does not take as much part in physical exercise. The body can transfer proteins even within the same tissue structures. This continuous and dynamic process is called protein turnover.

In the case of body builders, apart from minimizing the catabolism (breakdown) of skeletal muscle proteins, but appropriate conditions for muscle development need to be secured.

Besides the basic regeneration methods applied to do that, substances that show anticatabolic direction of effects are also used. Within the 24-hour cycle two main types of catabolic processes occur: post-exercise and post-absorption (night).

Night catabolism At night, when the body is not supplied with food, almost all amino acids leave muscle tissue. The body loses most nitrogen due to alanine and glutamine transfer out of muscles (alanine and glutamine account for 30-40% of all outgoing amine nitrogen). Glutamine travels to gastrointestinal tract. Intestinal cells take almost 50% of the glutamine released from muscles. Then half of the amount is oxidated to carbon dioxide. It appears that the energy released during glutamine break down is mainly used to repair intestinal cells. Approximately 30% of carbon skeletons from glutamine are processed to glucose in the liver, and 4% are processed into alanine – an amino acid. As you can see in the balance, the glutamine that leaves muscles is used to meet the demands of various tissues (intestines in particular) for energy, and – to a minor extent – participate in other amino acid synthesis. Consequently, the body loses substantial amounts of glutamine when it is asleep (in fact -only then). It is worth noting, however, that intestines do not only absorb glutamine – thay give something in return – they release alanine which accounts for approximately 40% of all amino acids that leave intestines.

The organs that also take part in amino acid transfer are kidneys. They are more involved in consuming than releasing amino acids. They “prefer” glutamine, but unlike intestines, they only use this amino acid as energy source to a minor extent – the main role of glutamine in kidneys is trans-

porting amine groups, which are then removed in the form of ammonia with urine. Apart from glutamine, kidneys also use glycine and proline, in return releasing serine and small amounts of alanine.

And last but definitely not least – the brain, which is one of the greatest sleep time amino acid eaters.

Brain tissue is the leading consumer of branched chain amino acids especially – its BCAA consumption exceeds that of muscles and liver by 400%. It is the brain that absorbs the largest amounts of branched chain amino acids released by muscles.

How do can you protect your muscles?

How can you foster their development besides protecting them? If you look at the above summary of amino acid transfer processes, you can easily see that when you are asleep muscles mainly lose glutamine and branched amino acids. As a result their exogenous supplies may considerably alleviate muscle

Proper amino acid intake at bedtime is not only the key to normal anabolic reactions, it is also an effective shield that protects muscles against the dangerous catabolic processes. catabolism in sleep. Besides delivering large amounts of nitrogen, glutamine has also other protective functions, they include hindering the effects of catabolic hormones, especially cortisol and limiting the activity of enzymes responsible for the degradation of systemic proteins. Glutamine also participates in glutathione synthesis. Glutathione is one of the strongest antioxidants which protect proteins and cell organelles against the destructive effects of oxygen radicals.

Glutamine is also considered to demonstrate substantial anabolic effects. It contributes to increasing inorganic nitrogen reserves, and so improves nitrogen balance in the body, which is beneficial in the process of amino acid restructuring and intensified protein synthesis. Glutamine also conditions an increase in cell hydration, a factor in releasing anabolic signals to stimulate glycogen and protein synthesis. What may also be important in activating anabolic processes is the fact that glutamine is the activating factor

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

21

Branched chain amino acids can be stored in the body to serve as energy resources, agents stimulating muscle fibre growth and contributing in muscle fibre protection, which often proves useful in strength disciplines and body-building.

REBELMAG TEAM

for human growth hormone (HGH), a strong anabolic substance.

and hinder the production of neurotransmitters responsible for motor activity. It is in fact only relevant in the case of intense and long-lasting physical exercise, e.g. marathon or cycling competitions, while in the case of strength and speed sports, a 3–5 g glutamine dose can be applied before workout as well. To counteract night catabolism the dose should reach approximately 5–10 g preferably of glutamine peptide, which offers a slower absorption rate. It should be taken approximately 30 minutes before bedtime.

Glutamine dosing regimen

BCAA – not only before you go to sleep

In the periods of intense workouts glutamine loss may reach 30 g. Supplementation usually involves doses of 5–15 g a day, with the recommended single dose of 3–5 g. Glutamine is usually taken on an empty stomach, after a workout and at bedtime.

Research shows that even the smallest doses of glutamine (1–3 g) taken after a workout offer beneficial effects in terms of blocking cortisol, a catabolic hormone. Whether endurance athletes should apply glutamine before workouts or competitions still remains open to discussion. The procedure may lead to exposing the body to signifi cant amounts of ammonia and result in impair energy production in nerve cells

Branched chain amino acids account for approximately 35% of all amino acids in human muscles, which makes them an essential structure element of muscle tissue. BCAA demand is high in athletes irrespective of the type of workout. Branched chain amino acids can also be stored in the body to serve as energy resources, agents stimulating muscle fibre growth and contributing in muscle fibre protection, which often proves useful in strength disciplines and body-building. Taken before workout BCAA’s activate hormones responsible for anabolism, and they directly contribute to improving nitrogen balance. They also prevent muscle protein degradation.

22

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

During an intense workout blood BCAA drops because the body utilizes branched chain amino acids. The amino acids needed for energy production come from muscle tissue, thus the tissue is reduced. The phenomenon is especially acute in the athletes who combine strength workout with lowcarbohydrate weight reduction diet.

In this kind of situations alternative energy resources are needed so that energy is not generated at the cost of muscle tissue. BCAA’s are perfect for this purpose because they are directly metabolized in muscles.

Dosing regimen depends on the type and duration of exercise. In the case of strength and strength-speed disciplines this anticatabolic supplement should be applied in fractionated doses: before and after a workout, approximately 0,5 g/10 kg on each occasion, on an empty stomach and at bedtime – approximately 0,3–0,5 g/10 kg on each occasion.

This article presents only a fraction of the whole phenomenon of night regeneration, which we will return to in the subsequent issues. We are going to discuss the ways to motivate the body to produce anabolic hormones (growth hormone and testosterone) and whether testosterone boosters like TRIBULON can help us, we are also going to look into the effects of diet on the body’s regeneration capacity at night.

DAWID GELER „GISZMAN” TREC NUTRITION TEAM date of birth: 29 April1981 weight: competition – 75/77kg off-season weight– 90/95kg height: 172,5cm Achievements: 2007 RIBBF SPRING CLASSIC- FIRST TIMERS 1st PLACE 2008 RIBBF Irish National Bodybuilding Championships -UNDER-80KG CATEGORY 1st PLACE - OPEN 1st PLACE 2009 European Bodybuilding & Classic Bodybuilding Championships Classic Bodybuilding 170-175CM 8th PLACE 2009 NABBA MR.IRELAND-MR.CLASS 2 (170-178CM) 2nd PLACE RIBBF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1st PLACE-cat.80kg & OPEN Instructor at PROFI FITNESS SCHOOL, Personal bodybuilding and fitness coach.

Advisor for SFD.PL web portal, in the TREC NUTRITION division.

24

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

On the way to...

the European Championships

This material presents one of the best upcoming bodybuilders in Ireland, a Polish guy, who has caused quite a stir in the green island’s top bodybuilding rankings for the last two years.

Rebel Magazine: Dawid, how are you feeling after your first European Championships? You finished in eighth place. Considering there were 15 contestants in your category, would you rather call it a failure or a success?

Dawid: When I was getting ready for the tournament my objective was to be in the final six, but, unfortunately, I did not manage to achieve that. But I cannot really say that is a failure because the form I managed to work out makes me optimistic about coming competitions. What I especially lacked this time was some luck and experience.

RM: Looking at your photos from the last Irish Championships, you just cannot miss the larger calves, and more importantly – larger biceps.

Dawid: Yes, that is right, my biceps have always been my Achilles hill, virtually nothing was good enough about them: size, density, and muscle peaks in front double

biceps pose. After years of looking for the right workout for this muscle group I guess I have finally found the recipe. You can say the same about calves and chest. I just wish I could present them on stage.

RM: What about supplements? Which do you consider the most beneficial in the reduction period?

Dawid: Definitely whey protein isolate, good amino acids and vitamins. But in order to seriously go for good final places in competitions, there are several other products you need to consider.

RM: Well, I see there are 12 supplements on your list, isn’t that too many?

Dawid: A regular person may think this is madness, but every decent bodybuilder must have an arenal of all necessary products supporting muscle tissue structuring and regeneration. It mainly concerns contestants who are getting ready for competitions, when workout intensity increases, while carbohydrate intake tends to be reduced, so energy and motivation to work out can fade too. At such times supplements help - they give us extra energy resources and protect muscles against catabolism.

RM: It says in your private diary that the preparations period was the first time you had ever used HMB. There are a number of contradicting opinions on the product, how do you feel about it?

Dawid: That is right. I run a sports nutrition store and I also hear a lot of different views on the subject. I do not think, however, that everyone knows one real-

ly important thing about the supplement: you have to take HMB for a really long time, minimum 12 weeks, to see any results. That is exactly how long I took the supplement and halfway through the cycle I noticed that I manage to maintain more muscle mass while burning fatty tissue at the same time. I recommend TREC HMB REVOLUTION. It is a combination of HMB and arginine, which is responsible for muscle pump effect. The product proves that HMB works.

RM: Have you already recovered your energy after the tournament and thought what to do next?

Dawid: Unfortunately there are a number of business-related issues that need my attention. Before the tournament I allowed myself to let go a little bit, but now I have to make up for that time.

As for future competitions – I have not made up my mind yet. Irish Championships are the closest so if I decide to run I will have to go back to heavy workout soon.

RM: Thanks for finding the time to talk to us. We wish all the best – successful career and, what is most important, a healthy life.

Dawid: Thanks a lot. I’d like to take this opportunity and thank several people for support and help in the preparations for the European Championships. I would especially like to thank TREC NUTRITION for giving me not only material, but also mental support. My warm thank you goes to my wife for being there when I need her and finding the strength to endure all the hardship of my preparations.

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

25

REBELMAG TEAM

D

awid has been into bodybuilding for 12 years, he has been a competitor in various bodybuilding competitions for 2 years, showing better performance every year. Just a few days ago he came back from European Bodybuilding & Classic Bodybuilding Championships held in the Balkans this year (Novi Sad in Serbia). So far it has been the most serious tournament for Giszman, so the preparation had to be just as serious. He has agreed to talk to us about the preparations and the participation in the European Championships.

A SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION PROGRAMME FOR THE PERIOD OF 12 WEEKS BEFORE A TOURNAMENT NAME

SUPPLEMENTATION OBJECTIVE Quicker muscle regeneration, protection against catabolism, quicker fat tissue reduction, better blood supply to muscles, pump effect in the workout

7.00 Short wake-up to take supplements only 20 gr NITROBOLON II / 3 caps HMB REVOLUTION / 6gr BCAA G-FORCE

Delivering highly absorbent proteins, structuring lean muscle tissue, increasing the rate of metabolic processes

8.00 40 g whey protein isolate ISOLITE / 5gr L-GLUTAMINE EXTREME

Maintaining positive nitrogen balance to fulfill the conditions for anabolic processes, better muscle regeneration, supporting the immune system Increasing the protection of the body, antioxidizing effects, regulating metabolic processes

Kcal: 143 / P-33.12 gr / CH-1.5 gr / F-0.37 gr

9.00 Breakfast: omelette – 7 egg whites (300gr) + 2 yolks (25gr) + 100 gr oat flakes + 20 gr sugar-free jam After breakfast: 1 sachet VITAL(X) PACK N-6 / 1 sachet JOINT (X) PACK T-5 Kcal: 637.35 / P-47.61 gr / CH-79.77 gr / F-12.97 gr

Maintaining high testosterone (anabolic hormone), full regeneration of the body thanks to enabling deep sleep Increasing energy production from fat, accelerating the reduction of body fat, improving metabolism, improving skin flexibility and skin overall condition Increasing strength, intensity and endurance in workouts, improving the feel of the muscles, increasing the workout pump effect Ultrafast delivery of glycogen (fuel) supplies to muscles after a workout to secure a maximum extent of postworkout overcompensation Enhancing the diet with a full amino acid profile, reducing the acidity of the body, increasing the rate of restructuring processes in the muscles Increasing endurance and strength in workouts, intensifying post-workout anabolism, protecting muscle reserves of amino acids Stimulating and vitalizing effects, intensifying the muscle pump effect, facilitating nutrient transport to muscles Perfect concentration and stimulation in workouts, increasing endurance and strength

Preventing injuries, regenerating and strengthening joints and tendons

12.00 II meal: 100 gr wholemeal pasta + 150 gr salmon + vegetables After the meal: 2 caps CLA Kcal: 401/ P-44.15 gr / CH-60.2 gr / F-8.2 gr

15.00 II meal – see above After the meal: 2 caps CLA 17.30 IV meal: 100 gr brown rice + 150 gr chicken breast After the meal: 2 caps CLA Kcal: 539 / P-40.25 gr / CH-73 gr / F-1.95 gr

18.30 Pre-workout cocktail: 28 gr NITROBON ENERGIZER / 10 gr BCAA G-FORCE 19.00 Workout 20.30 Post-workout cocktail: 70 gr Vitargo ELECTRO-ENERGY / 5 gr L-GLUTAMINE EXTREME / 5 gr BCAA G-FORCE / 6 caps AAKG MEGA HARDCORE / 3 caps HMB Revolution Kcal: 246 / CH-60 gr

21.15 Post-workout meal: 100 gr white rice + 150 gr chicken breast + 40 gr Isolite After the meal: 1 sachet VITAL(X) PACK N-6 Kcal: 682 kcal/ P-73.37 gr / CH-74.5 gr / F-2.32 gr

23.15 250 gr low-fat curd + 25 gr walnuts + 20 gr sugar-free jam Kcal: 450 / P-52.04 gr / CH-23.72 gr / F-16.3 gr

23.45 30 minutes before bedtime: 3 caps ZMA ORGINAL / 3 caps HMB REVOLUTION Total nutrition value of all meals and supplements: Kcal: 3499.35 / P-294.44 gr / CH-432.89 gr / F-50.31 gr

26

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

WORKOUT FOR THE 12 WEEKS BEFORE THE CHAMPIONSHIPS: MONDAY CHEST/CALVES/ABDOMEN 1. Decline dumbbell bench press - 4 series: 15/10/8/8 2. Decline dumbbell flies - 4 series: 12/10/10/10 3. Incline barbell bench press – 3 series: 12/10/10 – reduce the load by 50% in the last series 4. Incline dumbbell flies - 3 series: 12/12/12 – reduce the load by 50% in the last series 5. Standing cable crossovers - 3 series: 12/12/12 6. Combined series: Hack machine calf raises + calf press on the leg press machine - 3 serie: 10+10 7. Lying calf press - 4 series: maximum repetition number (not less than 25)

TUESDAY BICEPS/TRICEPS 1. Dumbbell alernate bicep curl - 3 series: 12/10/8 2. Barbell curl - 3 series: 12/10/10 3. Combined series: one arm dumbbell preacher curl (machine) + cable hammer curls (rope attachment) - 3 series: 12/10/10

4. Triceps pushdown – bar attachment - 4 series: 15/12/10/8 5. Siting one arm overhead dumbbell press - 4 series: 15/12/10/8 6. Combined series: lying overhead cable bar press + triceps pushdown (underhand grip) - 3 series: 6+6

WEDNESDAY ABDOMEN + AEROBIC WORKOUT 1. Combined series: hanging leg raise + scissor kicks - 3 series: 25+25.

2. 30 minutes of walking on a treadmill, maximum incline (HR 120-130)

THRUSDAY LEGS 1. Leg extensions (machine) - 3 series: 15/12/10 2. Barbell front squats - 4 series: 15/12/10/8 3. Barbell squats - 3 series: 12/10/8 4. Combined series: leg press + dumbbell lunges - 3 series: 12+12 5. Lying leg curls (machine) - 4 series: 20/12/10/8 6. Stiff-legged barbell deadlift - 4 series: 12/12/12/12/12

FRIDAY SHOULDERS/TRAPS/CALVES 1. Barbell shoulder press - 4 series: 15/12/10/8 2. Combined series: seated side lateral dumbbell raise + seated bent-over dumbbell raise - 3 series: 10+10 3. Front dumbbell raise - 3 series: 10/10/10 4. Barbell shrug - 4 series: 15/12/10/8 5. Combined series: standing calf raises + sitting calf raises - 3 series: 10+10

SATURDAY BACK/ABDOMEN 1. Chin-ups (overhand grip) 4 series: 12/10/8/6 + a series with a reduced load 2. Lat pulldown (underhand grip) 4 series: 12/10/8/6 + 50% reduction in the load 3. Low pulley cable pulling - 4 series: 10/8/8/6 4. Long bar row (every other week – deadlift) - 4 series: 12/10/8/6 5. Ab crunches machine - 4 series: maximum number of reps

SUNDAY AEROBIC WORKOUT: 30 minutes on an exercise bike (HR 120-130).

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

27

ST WEEKS OF PREPARATIONS: RKOUT DIARY AFTER FOUR FIR as AN ENTRY IN MY PRIVATE WO I can say so far it’s been goi ng sta rted the preparations, and I e sinc eks we 4 scn mu bee e iqu It’s …… or my showp iece obl have to wa it to see my sixpack planned. Fat is burning, but I still patient people : ). les ;) Well, bodybu ilding is for fat, maybe with some water. But a lot, it wa s definitely 2,5kg of d So far I’ve lost 2,5kg : ) That’s not hosen supplements contribute lly happy about it. Sure, well-c rea I’m and , fine g are usin s I’m scle ich my mu and HMB, wh great whey protein isol ate CFM ds, aci ino am h -ric cin leu of a lot. A lot doi ng a great job. at for the first time in my life, are g to kick and I can see its gre (X)Pack, a burner that is sta rtin I recently got hold of Trec Lipo that’s exactly what I wanted. effects. I sweat like hel l, and it is the effect of creatine is still left on me, but I realize ter wa lot a see can I nt me At the mo nt).

2 weeks before the tou rname re (I will stop it as late as before making a full- steam workout mo it’s and ry inju my left should er to tch swi I’ll so I feel a lot of discomfort from me it does not hel p I have taken glu cosamine but eks we two last the For lt. icu diff scles complete protection.

JOINT (x) PACK. It’ll give my mu t’s similar to exercise rkout, and I will go for a plan tha wo eps tric and eps bic the I’m modifying a lot recently. lly managed to improve them er set for calves, because I rea week- in combination with larg and triceps workout twi ce a eps bic the do to ng goi I’m So x. smaller number of series (appro groups of mu scles, but with a n in the second weekly worko 6) and in combined series, the ies ser of ber num with a smaller ut – on a separate group, also ies. ser (approx. 6) and in combined ided to implement is schedu The next modifi cation I’ve dec . day after should er workout day ling leg or back workout on the tracen con ne sed growth hormo This way the naturally increa to back workout) can be used tion (induced by hard leg and regenerate the mu scles. uent weeks of preparations for Read more about the subseq e. in the next Rebel Magazine issu the European Champ ion ship s Mr Olympia, after RIBBF With Dorian Yates, former 6-time NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009

28

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

Fatigue, stress, poorly balanced diet, age and steroid abuse are frequent reasons for the worsening of your sexual performance. Why? Because your body produces less testosterone. Can you remember yourself at the age of 18, when your libido was unaffected? What was the number one thing for you then? :) Would you like to regain your sexual stamina from that time and develop amazing muscles? We know the way - TriBulon. The main ingredient in the product is the legendary Chinese aphrodisiac known for over 5000 years - Tribulus Terrestris. According to research, steroidal saponins found in the herb contribute to increasing the production of hormones which stimulate sexual drive. This herbal extract boosts testosterone secretion by over 41%, which is beneficial to sexual drive and alleviates sexual disorders linked to testosterone deficiency. Without any side effects, Tribulus Terrestris also regulates the activity of the hormones responsible for improving physical efficiency and strengthening the body. It can undoubtedly be said that it is a recognized alternative to the illegal and destructive steroid doping.

Remember! Do not let a deficiency in your system’s testosterone production limit your muscle development and weaken your libido. TriBulon is the product which will help you maintain an above-average level of testosterone and related anabolic and androgenic initiators, which are essential in increasing libido and sexual performance, the suppleness and definition of muscles, increasing strength and the will to fight in sports tournaments and competitions, accelerating regeneration, and increasing immunity to fatigue.

TriBulon offers the strongest and the most efficient dose of Tribulus Terrestris herb - 1560 mg per serving (2 capsules) ever available in Poland. There is no other product on the market which would be as strong.

CAUTION! TriBulon is a non-steroid product and it does not contain any illegal hormones; it is, however, dedicated only to healthy adults.

Do not take the product if you are under 18. After 8 weeks of application, a break of at least 4 weeks is recommended.

Supplements from the best laboratories in the world TREC NUTRITION products are available at and other health, vitamin stores, selected retailers around the world. Store locatorat:at: www.vitamin-shop.pl Store locator www.vitamin-shop.ie , www.vitamin-shop.co.uk

A compulsory element of each tough guy’s workout

Warm-up W

Warm-up example

You can start your warm-up sequence with a 5-minutes’ easy walk on a treadmill or another available aerobic machine. Then do a few repetitions of each exercise, so that the whole warm-up is not shorter than 10 minutes:

head circles, to the left and to the right

30

head nod and tilt back

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

pressing articular capsules of shoulder joints

shoulder circles forwards and backwards

hat makes a real bodybuilder?

Well, we could go on and on about his qualities.

Surely you can tell him by ... the way he starts and finishes his workout! The very first thing you can tell a bodybuilder by is warm-up, the second one – the way he plans his post-workout recovery. This article is devoted to the former, and the latter is the subject of a separate article in this issue.

A lot of people treat warm-up as a waste of time and energy that is needed for a hard workout. Of course these excuses usually come from sheer laziness. An appropriately executed warm-up will not only prepare our muscles and joints for

pulling shoulders back and forwards

stretching chest muscles

(1)

(2)

arm circles to the front and to the back with both arms (1) and one arm (2)

the hard work that is ahead of them, but will also make the muscles better stimulated in the workout.

I visit various gyms and, unfortunately, what I have observed is that this compulsory workout stage is often skipped or done in a careless way.

I think you would be true to say that warm-up value equals workout value.

The main aim of the warm-up is the comprehensive preparation of the body to perform physical exercise. It must be performed – first of all, due to safety reasons. Would you like to suffer an injury that would make working out impossible for several weeks? You know nothing is worse than several weeks without workout. It would be like starting all over again. If you want to avoid a scenario like that, I really recommend devoting 10 minutes before workout to a solid warm-up. It will be especially beneficial for your joints. Unlike muscles that quickly get used to workout loads, joints take time to adapt.

Strength increase is quick (especially in the initial phase), but it is not proportional to analogical changes in the joint structures. It may turn out that you can

pressing articular capsules of elbow joints

forearm circles

(1)

back muscle stretching (without the rectus muscle)

lateral bends

do a 120 kg bench press but your joints are not ready yet to deal with such a load. That is why you should not introduce drastic changes in the load. The progression should involve regular and consistent changes over time. A joint is where two or more bones make contact.

The surface of contact is covered with cartilage that has cushioning functions.

The structure of cartilage is elastic and its good condition can take some load off the joint. Around a joint there is an articular capsule, whose specialized cells are responsible for the production of synovial fluid, which reduces the friction between the bone surfaces that make contact.

If you are a Sunday driver you change the oil in your car once a year, but if you travel a thousand kilometers every day, you have to change the oil once a month. Hard workout makes fundamental structures of articular cartilage wear out more quickly. That is why you have to give your joints time to adapt to the intense workout and to the fact that more frequent replacement of those elements is necessary. If you work out hard, you have to remember

triceps stretching

(2)

forward (1) and backward (2) bends

that you are not a Sunday driver, you are a professional driver, who travels thousands of kilometers every week.

An appropriate warm-up prepares your joints for the hard work they have to do – there is more lubrication thanks synovial fluid production. If you are a professional driver and you really care about the maintenance of your machine, get appropriate supplements: GLUCOSAMINE 900, the source of glucosamine – the fundamental compound that structures joint surfaces, the main component of synovial fluid, or JOINTH THERAPY PLUS – an integrated supplement that protects all parts of joints. Those supplements will take proper care of your joints and facilitate adaptation changes.

The most important element in your joint “maintenance” is appropriate warm-up. Here is the essence of what you should know when you do your warm-up:

Warm-up does not just mean stretching Warming up before gym workout is done to prepare muscles, joint struc-

kneeling biceps and hip circles to the left forearm stretching and to the right

pushing the hips forwards and backwards

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

31

pushing the thigh to the side and pulling the thigh to the front standing

tures, and muscle attachments to perform workout. That is why it should not only consist in stretching. Warmup should only involve elements of safe stretching. What does safe stretching mean? It means making muscles and attachments more flexible without breaking the pain barrier. On no account should it consist in stretching by balancing (maximum stretch followed by a quick return to the starting position), because its consequences are the opposite of what we want.

Instead of stretching, muscles contract (reaction to stretch). Also stretching with a partner is out of the question.

Doing all stretching elements in an appropriate way will make it possible for you to generate more muscle strength in your workout because one of the factors affecting strength is muscle fibre length. When a muscle in unnaturally contracted (as a result of workout mistakes and overtraining), it has less strength capacity. Probably the silliest thing to do is stretching muscles that are not warmed up.

You can easily get injured then. If the room where you work out is cold, or if it is cold outside, you are likely to tear a muscle or a tendon (a collagen band that usually connects muscle to

pressing articular capsules of knee joints

knee circles circles to the left and to the right

bone). If this is the case, your warm-up procedure should start with increasing muscle temperature simply by rubbing them and thus improving blood fl ow in the muscles. You can also do a 5-minutes’ aerobic workout (walking on a treadmill, riding an exercise bike).

Thanks to that your muscles will get better supplies of blood with oxygen and nutrients.

Aerobic workout will not make your joints ready for the hard work they are about to be doing Warm-up cannot mean a few minutes of aerobic exercises on machines only.

If your warm-up is only made up of this one type of exercises, your joints will not benefit from it, and we cannot forget about them. After a session like that, which can only be treated as the first stage in your warm-up, you should immediately go on to the main part of warm-up, preparing joints for workout.

You should especially take care of your shoulders, elbows and knees, because they are most prone to injuries. Before you start making wide movements, like circles, put your hand around the artic-

32

ankle circles

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

ular capsule of each joint and press it gently with your fingers. It will induce the production of synovial fluid, improve tissue circulation and thus provide your joints with better nutrition. The liquid does not only play a cushioning role, it also nourishes cartilage. Its deficiency is the cause of painful friction between joint surfaces, and in the long term leads to their degeneration.

Circling and pressing the most mobile joints should be combined with gentle stretching.

Warm up your whole body Although you may do leg workout only, warm up your whole body. Treat your body like one big machine, in which all working elements are linked.

Follow the order of warm-up stages Just like you do circuit training in a certain order, depending on the direction of blood circulation or muscle size, you should warm up your joints in a set order. Start with your head, joints near the centre of your body, then gradually go down.

And? Was it that hard? After a warm-up like this you can go on to your workout. Your muscles are warm, blood is already pulsating in them.

Now show everyone what you can do, tough guy!

(1)

stretching quadriceps muscles

bending and straightening knees

(2)

stretching thigh biceps (1) and the rectus muscle (2)

stretching calf muscles

Katarzyna Matella

wrist circles to the left and to the right

GaineR Bulk or pure

protein

t l u c di fFfii ? e c i cho 34

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

For and against Athletes and gym-goers can be divided into two basic groups: supporters of and objectors to sports nutrition. The former see the distinct effects of supplementation and even consider workout without such a support pointless. The latter believe that sports nutrition is unnatural and possibly health-threatening, so they object to it.

It would be an exaggeration to present both the radical optimistic view on supplementation and the unjustified sceptical views, especially if they are not supported with relevant knowledge. It is worth remembering that sports nutrition does not guarantee better performance unless workout and diet are properly directed. On the other hand, at a certain level of workout development, avoiding supplements can be a serious obstacle in improving sports performance, what is more, it can pose a health hazard.

So the most important thing is understanding the very essence of supplement support and drawing appropriate conclusions.

Nutrition supplements used for supporting diet can have a number of functions: they can complement daily diet – when the nutrition value of meals during the day is low, they can substitute selected meals – when it is not possible to have a minimum of 3–4 meals during the day, they can be treated as an additional meal – when meeting the demand for energy and nutrition with the traditional diet is extra difficult (for example in athletes who work out intensely or in individuals who do hard physical work), they can accelerate post-workout regeneration – unlike traditional meals, nutritional supplements regenerate the body more quickly and effectively after physical exercise.

The two last functions are worth special attention. The period of intense workouts brings about a distinct increase in the body’s demand for energy and various nutrients. In order to counteract the deficiency with traditional diet, an athlete would have to have frequent and large meals, which would result in affecting the gastrointestinal tract and make effective training impossible. It is also important to stress that in a number of cases nutrients from the diet are not only used to make up for current loss, but they are also to supply the body with extra deliveries of energy and nutrition to ensure the intended effect (for example in muscle bulk and strength gain).

That is why whenever workout load increases, special sports nutrition and supplements are recommended because these small but highly concentrated snacks provide supplies of the most important nutrients necessary in meeting the increased demand for energy and nutrition. These products ensure overall nutrition and effective post-workout regeneration as well.

Unlike food, all kinds of sports nutrition products and supplements are quickly digested and absorbed in the gastrointestinal system, so they quickly regenerate the body and help regain physiological balance. And the shorter the post-workout recovery takes, the sooner the body can make muscles work more efficiently.

It is also important that malnutrition combined with considerable workout efficiency overloads the body, deteriorates mental and physical condition and increases vulnerability to infections.

Making the body to make maximum efforts without securing proper nutrition, including appropriate supplementation support should be considered a serious mistake which can affect both sports performance and health.

Harmfulness of sports nutrition Objectors to supplementation support claim sports nutrition products undergo chemical processing and so can be potentially harmful. They could not be more wrong. The objective of supplementation is complementing the diet with ingredients which in general are naturally found in foods, so the body is familiar with them and benefits form the support they offer. Therefore, sports nutrition is not health-threatening, in fact it can sometimes exhibit valuable health-friendly properties. Potential side effects can only occur if these products are overdosed, or in the case of intolerance to their ingredients, or contraindications for use. If you have specific food intolerance or certain health issues, you should consult a physician before you start taking a supplement. These reservations do not only concern supplements and sports nutrition, but regular foods as well, because they might

It is worth remembering that sports nutrition does not guarantee better performance unless workout and diet are properly directed. On the other hand, at a certain level of workout development, avoiding supplements can be a serious obstacle in improving sports performance, what is more, it can pose a health hazard.

contain substances that can be harmful to the body.

Not only for athletes Considering the use of supplementation support is not only reserved for the world of professional sports, but it also relates to healthy and active lifestyle.

Nowadays millions of people worldwide take up various forms of physical activity: jogging, cycling, swimming, climbing, everything that can make you preserve health, fitness and stamina. Like professional sportsmen, these active amateurs set their own ambitious goals, they want to stand out from the crowd, they want to be admired for theirs fitness, stamina and attractiveness.

Thanks to proper support programmes involving newest diet supplements, a lot of people are able to enjoy breakthrough achievements in improving their own performance, they can get closer to their ultimate goal.

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

35

REBELMAG TEAM

T

here are countless supplements like that on the market. They differ from each other not only in terms of protein and carbohydrate content, but also in terms of the quality of ingredients. Some are enhanced with special substances to boost muscle bulk gain, fat tissue reduction or post-workout regeneration process. The differences go further that energy and nutrition value, they also concern absorbency and bioavailability. No wonder the choice of the right supplement can sometimes be quite difficult and confusing both for laymen and professionals.

To put it simply, sports nutrition products are concentrated foods that contain a complex of the most important nutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. The proportions of particular ingredients in sports nutrition products and be similar to natural food contents or there may be a predominance of a given ingredient type, proteins or carbohydrates for instance. Depending on the concentration of particular nutrients, there are three basic types of sports nutrition products: protein products - PROTEIN type – over 80% protein, carbohydrate and protein products - GAINER type – high carbohydrate content (60–70%), protein and carbohydrate products BULK type – equal protein and carbohydrate content.

CHART 1

TYPE OF PROTEINS

PROPERTIES

PRODUCT NAME

Whey proteins

very high nutritional value very quickly absorbed

protein supplies – sports workPERFECT WHEY PROTEIN out, WHEY GENIC recommended use: directly WHEY PROTEIN CONCETRATE 80% after workout

35g up to 2 hours of completing workout

Egg and casein proteins,

average nutritional value slowly absorbed

NIGHT PROTEIN BLEND

protein supplies – sports workout recommended use: at bedtime

35g approx. 20-30 min before bedtime

Composition: whey, egg, casein proteins

high nutritional value average rate of absorption

NITROPROGEN PRO GENIC

protein supplies – sports workout recommended use: after workout and at bedtime

35g up to 2 hours of completing workout; also during the day and at bedtime (35g)

MASS XXL SOLID MASS

energy and nutrition support – sports workout recommended use: directly after workout

70-100g up to 1 hour of completing workout;

HARD MASS OVER MASS TITAN MASS MAGNUM 8000

energy and nutrition support – intensified physical exercise enhancing diet in malnutrition or mass gain programmes

1-3 times a day, between meals, 50g on each occasion; also in direct post-workout regeneration (70g)

Gainer and Bulk type contain proteins nutrition products (full that offer very high whey protein content) nutritional value and are very quickly absorbed Gainer and Bulk type nutrition products (Content: composition of whey, egg, casein proteins)

Contain proteins that offer average and high nutritional value and are well absorbed

Properly designed supplementation not only supports the body in terms of stamina, but it also corrects a range of diet-related mistakes (nutritional defi ciencies), reduces the negative effects of harmful environmental factors, slows down ageing processes and prevents a number of health problems.

Taking into consideration the broad range of possible supplementation solutions, let us now go on to analyze them in detail and provide you with some practical hints.

Protein nutrition products Proteins are fundamental in the diet of all individuals who deal with consid-

36

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

INDICATIONS

erable physical effort. It is the most important structuring element for muscle, nerve and glandular tissue, it is present is bodily fluids and secretion, like blood, enzymes and hormones, it also plays a role in important regulation and transport processes. Bodybuilders, as well as athletes who do strength or speed disciplines show particularly high demand for proteins. Increased protein supplies are to counteract muscle catabolic processes on the one hand, and supply structuring material for muscle bulk building on the other, which directly translates to improving workout performance. Because supplying

DOSING

the body with appropriate amounts of full-value proteins can sometimes be difficult, special protein-rich products are used for supplementation.

Popular protein supplements can differ from each other in terms of protein concentration and type. In the process of manufacture proteins or protein blends that exhibit different nutritional value, absorption rate and bioavailability are used. The most frequently used proteins include: whey protein concentrates and isolates, egg albumins, milk casein, soy protein isolates.

CHART 2

The types of products used for protein supplementation include: nutrition products containing full proteins – „full-protein”; nutrition products containing proteins that underwent preliminary break-down – hydrolysate (a partly chemically “predigested” protein). The supplement contains short peptides and free amino acids; nutrition products containing free amino acids – proteins that are broken down to the most basic elements – amino acids. Various nutrition products can offer different types and proportions of amino acids.

An indicator that is frequently used to evaluate protein nutritional value is its biological value (BV), which determines the extent to which the body can use certain proteins. Whey protein isolates exhibit the highest BV, while soy protein isolates exhibit the lowest BV. Highest BV proteins not only offer highest nutritional value, they are also the most quickly absorbed in the body. Therefore this type of protein supplements is most frequently used in direct post-workout regeneration. This group includes ISOLITE, PERFECT WHEY PROTEIN, WHEY GENIC or WPC 80%.

During the rest of the day and at bedtime we recommend supplements that are based on slowly absorbed proteins, which are responsible for protecting systemic proteins (alleviating post-absorption catabolism). In general, the lover BV, the more slowly a protein is absorbed. That is why to hinder the night-time catabolism egg proteins and casein are usually used because they ensure slow and long-term supplies of amino acids to the body. NIGHT PROTEIN BLEND is a representative of this group. The proteins discussed here do not offer as much nutritional value as whey proteins. That is why, protein supplement manufacturers make

SUPPLEMENT TYPE

efforts to create universal solutions and combine slowly absorbed proteins that exhibit lower nutritional value with quickly absorbed proteins of higher BV. Products like NITROPROGEN or PRO GENIC can serve as an example – they combine whey, egg and casein proteins.

A nutrition product like this can be used both in post-workout regeneration and at bedtime. Similar solutions are used in the case of energy and protein supplements. GAINER and BULK type supplements that contain carbohydrates and mainly whey proteins, e.g. MASS XXL, HARD MASS and OVER MASS are recommended for use in direct postworkout regeneration, while supplements based on carbohydrates and slowly absorbed proteins, like MAGNUM 8000 or TITAN MASS, are designed to serve as substitution of meals or diet enhancement (chart 1).

Protein and energy products (Gainer and Bulk) This type of nutritional supplements is primarily recommended for athletes whose muscles use considerable amounts of calories in workout (endurance disciplines). Carbohydrate-protein supplements make up for the energy loss of working muscles, and they provide the muscles with appropriate amounts of proteins necessary in regeneration processes.

Carbohydrate-protein supplements are also very popular in muscle bulk gain programmes because they contain structuring elements (proteins) as well as energy fuel (carbohydrates) in ideal proportions fostering anabolic processes.

However, when you consider this particular type of supplements, you should remember that the more simple carbohydrates a nutrition product has, the more likely the body is to store fat tissue if it generally shows such a tendency. That is why, while selecting a supplement,

current body composition and a potential tendency to accumulate fat tissue should be taken into consideration. If the body shows noticeable tendency to accumulate fat, supplements should contain more proteins and less carbohydrates.

Increasing supplies of proteins at the cost of energy supplies significantly contributes to fat tissue reduction, that is why protein-rich supplements are especially recommended in reduction diets and supplementation programmes designed to improve the muscle/fat tissue balance.

Increasing protein content in the diet leads to higher metabolism rate and more effective calorie use, both while working out and resting. Proteins offer strong thermogenic properties. If more proteins are supplied, metabolism rate can increased

Sports nutrition is not healththreatening, in fact it can sometimes exhibit valuable health-friendly properties. by over ten per cent, and the effect can be sustained for a longer period of time.

The nutrient can also specifically affect the hormonal system. It contributes to releasing growth hormone, which shows strong effects on fat tissue. The process of fat reduction is the most effective if protein supplies are increased while the amount of carbohydrate and fat calories is decreased. What is especially effective is substituting one or two meals (preferably morning snack and dinner) with a cocktail that contains approximately 35 g proteins.

To sum up, you cannot really determine whether one type of sports nutrition products is better than the other. Each supplement has its specific effects and targets. Chart 2 illustrates the proper way to choose a supplement depending on the body composition.

RECOMMENDED FOR

EXPECTED EFFECTS

PRODUCT NAME

Protein supplement

people who show a tendency to accumulate fat tissue

slower rate of muscle bulk gain intensified reduction of body fat

PERFECT WHEY PROTEIN 25-35 g after workout NITROPROGEN and 25-35 g during WHEY GENIC the day between meals WHEY PROTEIN CONCETRATE 80% NIGHT PROTEIN BLEND PRO GENIC ISOLIITE

RECOMMENDED DOSING

Gainer type carbohydrate-protein supplement

slim people resistant to fat tissue accumulation

high rate of muscle bulk gain

MAGNUM 8000 MASS XXL TITAN MASS SOLID MASS

70 g after workout and 50 g once -twice a day between meals

Bulk type carbohydrate-protein supplement

people who show a slight tendency to accumulate fat tissue

high rate of muscle bulk gain, minor risk of fat tissue accumulation

HARD MASS OVER MASS

50 g after workout and 35 g once -twice a day between meals

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

37

TRANSFORMATION

From Strongman

to Bodybuilder

Tomasz Lech „Papaj” Leszek Michalski

W

henever I see the admirable devotion of bodybuilders, I am impressed with the determination and perseverance one needs to have if they want to take part in a bodybuilding tournament.

But I would not be myself if I just went on without commenting on the efforts.

Bodybuilders sometimes do not seem to understand the idea behind the bodyshaping workout and what they do to the muscles they want to show on stage is hardly rational.

If you do not have a long-term workout scheme that involves logical sequences of exercises, you may frequently face overtraining consequences in the period of muscle bulk structuring.

You will often see the workout and diet related mistakes that you make when it is too late. Then, in an attempt to correct them, you make more and more mistakes.

It all becomes clear when the competition is over.

Usually when you lose with other contestant, you may say “they are juiced and I am clean”. This way of explaining failure is rather silly and makes you just one of those bodybuilding fans who preach, criticize and judge others, but do not play the game themselves.

If you win in a category or tournament a thought occurs: “did it have to be such a pain in the neck?”

Did it have to cost me so much?

I am starting this series of articles to help all contestants who are determined to get ready for tournaments so that they can rationally build their shape thanks to periodization approach to workout.

Let Tomasz „Papaj” Lech be our tangible example.

You are about to see with your own eyes that you can do sensible workouts

38

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

that use all the available knowledge of building, shaping and defining muscles.

A few words from „Papaj” Tomasz Lech about himself: “I was born and raised in Prabuty, a town in the north of Poland with the population of 10,000 inhabitants. My sports adventure began very early in my life. Back at primary school I beat the school’s long jump record.

I had track and field athletics successes: gold medal in regional championships and bronze medal in macroregional championships. Then I focused on the shot put. In order to improve my performance I needed more muscle because it is very important in the

discipline. As a rresult, wh when hen I was 16 I started rte ed going to Dymek brothers’ errs’ (Jacek and Jarek) gym, m, which was in my neighbourhood. hb bourhood.

That made me hooked on strength disciplines isc ciplines and changed my m life enormously. Aft After ter only a few weeks I saw greatt and positive changes of the way my body looked. After years of workout I discovered I was predisposed to strength disciplines. I decided to try my luck in a competition. I started in Prabuty – Kwidzyn – Malbork town competitions. Then, like my more

Standing bicep cable curl – starting position. Move your elbows back, slightly bend your knees.

Final position – exhale after performing ¾ concentric movement (when muscle attachments get closer).

Lying abdominal crunch (machine) – starting position. Push your chest and head up while pushing your lower back flat.

Final position – maximum contraction of abdominals occurs when abdominal muscle attachment (on pubic symphysis and xiphoid process) are the closest.

Close grip dumbbell incline bench press – starting position. Both edges of dumbbells should rest on the chest.

Final position. Straighten your elbows completely.

experienced colleagues, I went for professional STRONGMAN competitions. In the meantime I moved from my home town to Grudziądz, where I met my fiancée. I opened a Vitamin-Shop supplement store. In 2008 I enrolled on a course run by TKKF (Physical Culture Promotion Association) in Toruń. I met Leszek Michalski, the coach of PZKFiTS (Polish Bodybuilding, Fitness and Powerlifting Association) national junior team. He opened the whole new world of possibilities in physical development and made me really keen on bodybuilding.

That year I completed a bodybuilding coaching course in Paweł Filleborn’s

Standing one-arm cable curl (back) – starting position.

Move your elbow back, set your position.

School for Instructors and Coaches.

Now Leszek Michalski and Katarzyna Matella help me get ready to take part in Novice Bodybuilding Championships in 2010. I am very hopeful and determined about the preparation”.

The first mesocycle in Tomek’s workout periodization is building muscle strength. We will do that by means of exercises that involve a number of joints, load progression and rep number regression.

The exercises are chosen from the group of basic exercises, preferably with free weights.

Let me present a workout scheme that involves all muscles.

Final position . Exhale after performing ¾ concentric movement.

To properly follow the scheme you need to know the following assumptions: 1. an exercise will always be done to elicit preliminary effort from the target muscles (pre-exhaustion).

The rule of pre-exhaustion involves doing single-phase and isolated exercises before single-joint exercises. It is done to eliciting preliminary effort of the target muscle so that the main exercise can involve even larger amounts of muscle fibres.

2. an exercise will always be the main exercise.

3. an exercise will always be the complementing exercise.

An exemplary exercise set in the period of muscle strength gain: DAY 1 (Monday)

DAY 3 (Wednesday)

DAY 6 (Saturday)

1. Gastrocnemius muscles 4 × 20 – standing barbell calf raise 2. Chest muscles 2 × 12 – dumbbell flyes 5 × p – barbell bench press 3 × 8 + 6 – close grip bench press + dumbbell incline bench press

Aerobic workout: exercise bike or treadmill 60 minutes 1. Calves (see: Day 1) 2. Abdomen 4 × 25 – lying abdominal crunches 3 × 20 – cable kneeling crunch

1. Gastrocnemius muscles (see: Day 1) 2. Legs 2 × 15 – leg extensions (machine) 5 × 6p – barbell squats (barbell on shoulders) 3 ×12 – barbell squats (barbell on chest)

DAY 2 (Tuesday)

DAY 4 (Thursday)

1. Biceps 2 × 12 – standing dumbbell bicep curl 4 × 8p – standing bicep cable curl 4 × 8 + 6 – standing one-arm cable curl (front and back) 2. Triceps 2 × 12 – overhead tricep barbell extension 4 × 8p – dips 4 × 8 + 8 – tricep cable pushdown (overgrip) + overhead tricep cable extensions

1. Back 2 × 12 – chin-ups (overgrip) 5 × 8p – bent-over barbell row (undergrip) 3 × 15 – lat pulldown behind the back

Exercise that serve the purpose of preexhaustion (all first exercises in each particular muscle group) should involve concentric and eccentric contractions, that means that you do two exhales of the used air, the first one after doing 3/4 of the movement that brings target muscle attachments closer, and the second one – after doing 3/4 of the reverse movement, i.e. moving target muscle attachments away).

All subsequent exercises should involve concentric contractions, that means that you exhale when 3/4 of muscle work is done, and inhale throughout the reverse movement).

DAY 5 (Friday) 1. Shoulders 2 × 12 – dumbbell upright row 4 × 8p – barbell press behind neck 3 × 12 – side lateral dumbbell raise 2. Abdomen (see: Day 3)

NOTATION EXPLANATION: 2 × 15 – 2 SERIES WITH 15 REPETITIONS, 5 × 6P – 5 SERIES WITH 6 REPETITIONS WITH A PROGRESSION (INCREASE IN) LOAD, CONSTANT NUMBER OF REPETITIONS (6), 5 × P – 5 SERIES WITH LOAD PROGRESSION AND REPETITION NUMBER REGRESSION

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

39

Sitting abdominal crunch (machine) – starting position.

Hunch your back throughout the exercise – this is the condition for abdomial crunch.

Final position. Do not do this exercise by working with the rectus muscle!

Tomek will follow the scheme for 6 weeks, working out 4 times a week (e.g.

2 days of workout, 1 day off, 2 days of workout, 2 days off). Muscle strength gained in this cycle will be used in the next phase when muscle bulk will be structured.

Apart from proper diet and workout plan, complex supplementation is an essential element of preparing for bodybuilding contests. Unfortunately, even a well-designed diet plan will not manage to meet the demands of the hard working body for a number of microelements and it will not ensure comprehensive regeration. Convinced that Tomek has enormous potential, TREC NUTRITION decided to help him in the preparation period and provide him with monthly supplies of top quality supplements and sports nutrition. We are sure that with this help he will be able to get really ready for Novice Bodybuilding Championships 2010.

Bent-over barbell row – starting position. Remember to maintain the arch in your lower back.

Overhead tricep cable extensions – starting position. Lunge and set your postion.

Final position. Straighten your elbows completely. Exhale after performing ¾ concentric movement.

TOGETHER WITH TOMEK AND TREC NUTRITION WE CAME UP WITH THE FOLLOWING SUPPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR THE PREPARATION PERIOD: PRODUCT

DOSING

OBJECTIVE OF SUPPLEMENTATION

NITRO(X) PACK C-12

1 sachet 30 min before workout

Maximum blood supplies to muscles to deliver oxygen and nutrients, optimizing energetic creatine transport to muscles.

JOINT(X) PACK T-5

1 sachet once daily after a meal

Protection of muscles in the periods of very intense workouts, preventing injuries and inflammatory processes.

BCAA G-FORCE

10 g before workout and 10 g after workout

The combination of main workout amino acids (BCAA, glutamine) ensures better protection of muscles against catabolism and creates anabolic environment in muscles.

ANABOLIC BCAA SYSTEM

5 tablets in the morning, 5 tablets in the evening

Providing muscles with building material in the anabolic phase.

AMINOMAX 6800

3 × 5 capsules between meals

Maintaining high nitrogen balance to foster anabolic processesł improving amino acid level of the diet

ISOLITE

a once-daily serving with a meal

Supply of a very well absorbed whey protein isolate to provide a very quick delivery of proteins to muscles that need nutrition after the night.

MAX CARB

100 g after workout (with a BCAA G-Force serving)

Post-workout delivery of carbohydrates to regenerate glycogen reserves (fill up the empty fuel container); inducing post-workout overcompensation processes.

Read the next issue to find out about Tomek’s workout cycles designed to build muscle bulk. Try Tomek’s strength mesocycle workout, but remember that after weeks of following this workout plan you should be able to see strength gain – if it is not there, it means you did not work hard enough.

We would like to thank Trec Nutrition for helping Papaj in preparing for the championships.

Final position. When you lift the barbell up to your abdomen, use your scapular muscles, not the biceps!

Dumbbell upright row – starting position. Try to maintain the angle between your arm and forearm.

Elbows (not dumbbells) should be over your shoulders.

Photos: Tomasz Lech Papaj – bodybuilding instructor, owner of a Vitamin-Shop in Grudziądz The photos were taken in FIT – LINE Geotermia Grudziądz sports club

40

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

How does HMB work?

Exhausting exercise, long-term stress and poorly designed diet are triggers for catabolic processes in the human body. They lead to muscle protein destruction and muscle mass reduction. In order to counteract, systemic immune defenses generate B-hydroxy-B-methylbutyrate, aka HMB. It is responsible for protecting muscle proteins against breaking down, it also induces the utilization of energy from the accumulated fat tissue, thanks to which muscles are regenerated more quickly and completely, while fat tissue is considerably reduced. HMB significantly increases the efficacy of consumed proteins. With HMB application you can reduce daily protein allowance even down to 1g per each kilo of body mass and achieve the performance level a highprotein diet offers.

What will HMB give me?

The effects of HMB should not be compared to those of creatine in any way. The latter shows quick effects, which, however, become less intense after a few weeks. Above all, HMB application offers the guarantee of stable and long-lasting muscle mass gain because it does not hydrate muscle cells - it contributes to mass gain by fostering synthesis (structuring) of new lean muscle mass. Thanks to HMB you can gain approximately 1-2 kg of lean muscle mass in only 6 weeks, and reduce fat tissue. Consequently, after half a year, you may permanently gain from 4 to 8kg of lean muscle mass. HMB is an effi cacious alternative to the prohibited doping – it supports muscle mass gain and fat tissue reduction simultaneously.

The best selling HMB-containing product in Poland today.

It comes in easy-to-swallow gel capsules. Check it out – the price and quality our competitors can’t beat.

Liquid concentrate HMB offers the highest concentration of pure B-hydroxy-B-methylbutyrate (99%). It is undoubtedly the strongest HMB in the world. Caution!!! For professionals only.

HMB Revolution is an enhanced HMB formula. It contains an appropriate combination of HMB and ARGININE (arginine beta-hydroksy-beta-methylbutyrate). In comparison to another manufacturer’s traditional product containing HMB, this proprietary formula not only shows strong anticatabolic effect, but also considerably pumps muscles up, and makes it possible to gain muscle mass and strength twice as quickly. Test HMB Revolution and you will never use any other products.

150 cap.

300 cap.

70 cap.

180 cap.

440 cap.

Supplements from the best laboratories in the world TREC NUTRITION products are available at and other health, vitamin stores, selected retailers around the world. Store locator at: www.vitamin-shop.ie , www.vitamin-shop.co.uk

100 ml

I N C R E DI B LY T I M E– P R E– What should Your

take befor Your workout?

B

efore you go on a trip you spend time getting ready: planning your route, packing clothes and documents. And what do you do when you go to the gym? You just stop by your house to grab sports shoes and shorts and run to have it all done in an hour? If so, your body has probably not changed its shape in a while and you increasingly often find a million important reasons to skip your workout session.

Treat each workout as a small trip, take your time to plan meals that you will have regularly and ensure proper supplies

42

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

of energy to working muscles in this way; prepare necessary supplements, which will save your muscles from catabolism and provide adequate substrates for anabolic processes.

What you do before workout, what you have to eat, which supplements you take determines your workout performance.

Whether the results will include full, pumped-up muscles, or exhausted muscles heading for catabolism – is up to you.

YOUR PRE-WORKOUT MEAL Naturally your workout performance depends on your diet in general, but the meal that particularly determines your

workout potential is the preworkout meal, especially its quality. You should have it at least an hour before you start your exercises. It is particularly important because it translates to energy supplies during your workout.

Your pre-workout meal should have a moderate or low GI (glycemic index). Let me remind you that GI is a parameter that determines the time in which your blood sugar increases after a meal that is a source of carbohydrates. If sugar rapidly reaches your bloodstream (high GI products), it unfortunately means that you can soon start experiencing energy deficits, which will make it impossible to continue

I M PO RTANT –W O R KO UT TIM E

AN EXAMPLE OF A PRE-WORKOUT MEAL: We have already said that its GI should be balanced, and the meal itself should

be the source of all nutrients. Do not forget including full value proteins - your indispensable structuring elements in more demand by the body due to post-workout regeneration. N.B.: the presence of proteins balances the GI of the whole meal.

INGREDIENTS: 150 g chicken breast 1 egg 5 g sesame seeds 5 g brown flax seeds 5 g pumpkin seeds 100 g basmati rice 150 g broccoli 5 g olive oil NUTRITIONAL VALUE: 84 g carbohydrates, 36 g proteins, 12 g fat PREPARATION: Grind all grains, then pour out on a dinner plate. Tenderize the meat so that the slices are thin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat the meat slices in scrambled eggs first, then coat them in the mixed ground grains. Fry over low heat on Teflon slightly greased with olive oil. Boil broccoli in slightly salted and sweetened water about for 15 minutes.

GAINERS – WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO PREPARE YOUR MEAL If you do not have enough time to prepare your meal, you may want to take a gainer serving. It is liquid so it is assimilated more quickly, and the time between your meal and workout can be reduced down to 40 minutes.

A serving of MASS XXL or Magnum 8000 will be an excellent substitute for a pre-workout meal. When you choose a pre-workout gainer pay attention to the types of carbohydrates it contains. If simple sugars predominate, it probably has a high GI, so too much energy will be released before you begin your workout (the process that leads to hypoglycemia we described above).

The worst possible solution is to start training when you are hungry, because it can virtually kill your muscles: due to energy deficits your body starts the wasteful exploitation of nutrients – it begins to decompose systemic (including muscle) proteins in order to meet energy demands (catabolism) as soon as in the first series. To be honest, if you want to have your workout without having a meal beforehand, just skip it altogether.

PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS More and more supplements appear in sports nutrition stores, there are a multitude of superb formulas. The thing is you get sick just looking at all the capsules you should take before workout.

You are looking for a product that would combine all the advantages of all basic supplements that foster training conditions. In order to meet customers’ expectations the stack era began on the sports nutrition market. Nowadays a preworkout stack is not only a combination of creatine and NO boosters, but it also contains a large number of other ingredients that ensure optimal training conditions and guarantee protection against catabolism (anti catabolic amino acids), stimulation (taurine, guarana, etc.), create anabolic systemic environment (regulators of anabolic hormones, amino acids).

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

TREC TEAM

your workout. If a product is slowly digested (which is typical of low GI products), your blood glucose will increase slowly and steadily, while energy will be supplied to the working muscles over a long time.

Avoid high GI snacks, like sugary bars or cookies before your workout. A rapid increase in blood sugar, which gives you a short-lived energy shot, leads to releasing a considerable amount of a hormone called insulin, which aims at reducing blood glucose. If blood sugar increases rapidly, which is the case when you have a high GI product, the effects of insulin will make sugar level decrease to the level below a normal value range (the onset of hypoglycemia). Highly intense workout may then make you feel week and unwilling to continue your workout (in extreme situations a person can even faint).

While high insulin concentration during and after a workout is a desirable factor which efficiently fosters the recovery of energy reserves and initiates anabolic processes, if it occurs before your workout, it may be the cause of premature energy exhaustion.

43

Let us go through the SUPPLEMENTS that will increase the quality of your workout: CREATINE Good old creatine, always among the top dogs! It is responsible for maximizing energy processes during anaerobic, i.e. short-term high-intensity exercises – it helps your body quickly restore the fundamental cellular energy carrier called an ATP molecule. A lot of time has passed since creatine monohydrate was discovered d and this ergogenic compound has underdone truly evolutionary transformations. It has been enhanced by means of combination with substances that accelerate its transport to the muscles (creatine transporters), substances that make it more stable and immune to systemic acids (stabilizers p that prevent the acidic reaction from m transforming creatine int to the useless creatiniinto ne) n ne), ATP precursors, and ccr creatine precursors.

Creatine malate is a stable formula, it offers more energizing effects thanks to maltic acid. The maximum dose of creatine malate, can be found in CM 3. Esteemed creatine transporters include taurine and ALA. The former can be found in CREATINE 200 mesh + e TAURINE, the latter - in CREA APURE + ALA + B1 B1.

The energizing effects of creatine are supported with those of ribose and inosine – ATP precursors. These underestimated ingredients boost the effectiveness of creatine and foster anabolic systemic environment. They constitute nucleic acids, in which genetic information necessary for the synthesis of new cells is carried. They can be found in REACTOR PRO 3.

Apart from the traditional monohydrate, preworko-

44

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

ut stacks usually also ccontain a composition of various creatine formulas that offer long-term effects.

MUSCLE PUMP (NO BOOSTERS) Nitric oxide (NO) boosters and creatine are inseparable companions. NO bl boosters are responsible for muscle pump effect, an extremely desired state of ”inflated” muscles after a workout. You must know the feeling, you have experienced it d more than once after a good gym session.

The resulting swelling of the muscle is the outcome of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis.

This molecule is responsible for a variety of functions in the body. Among of the targets of its activities are the smooth muscles of blood vessels. The influence of NO on vascular smooth muscles consists in relaxing effects. You can easily imagine what happens - the walls of blood vessels begin to extend and their diameter increases. Blood flow is more lively, which influences the transport of oxygen and energy necessary to continue work wo workout and in fact make es it possible to work kes out harder. The comou o ponents po p responsible for boosting NO profo duction are amino acids called arginine and citrulline (an amino acid which is converted into arginine in the body).

Their well digestible and sustainable forms of: malate and combination with alpha - ketoglutar ic acid (AKG) make the „muscle pump” effect more than

a momentary sensation. AAKG MEGAHARDCORE will give you maximum workout pump.

ANTICATABOLIC AMINO ACIDS Glutamine and BCAAs are flagship amino acids in increased demand before a workout. Even today many people feel that it is sufficient to take them after a workout to effectively inhibit catabolic processes and repair workoutrelated damage. But it often turns out to be too late ...

A serving of these key amino acids must also be provided before a workout. BCAAs include three amino acids which are the main build ilding blocks for muscle proteins that the body u uses to obtain energy in t the case of deficits of other energy sources.

If you protect your muscles by taking these amino acids before your workout, your body will not catabolize its own muscle proteins – it will consume the ones provided in a supplement.

Glutamine is an amino acid that is needed by all organs of your body. It contributes to creating the ideal water environment for metabolic processes (glutamine increases muscle cell hydration). When you practice your body uses much more glutamine and if there is not enough, it starts utilizing muscle glutamine. What does it mean? This is equivalent to the onset of catabolism. Supplying glutamine before training protects its muscle resources, which are necessary for anabolic processes.

MINERALS AND VITAMINS – TO COUNTERACT THE ONGOING WORKOUT LOSS You eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruit – natural source of micronutrients, and you take your daily multivitamin product. But are you aware that practicing hard means increasing the demand for vitamins and minerals? And

is necessary for cell divisions, and it is involved in red blood cell production.

MULTI PACK 36 is a balanced vitamin set, MEGA MINERAL PACK is an effective replenishment of your body’s mineral reserves.

REGULATORS OF ANABOLIC HORMONES (TESTOSTERONE, INSULIN, GROWTH HORMONE) these sources may not provide suffi cient amounts of these key micronutrients. You lose a lot of minerals in your workout as you sweat. What is more, their resources are depleted due to daily struggle against acidification, because intense workout is a factor in increasing systemic acidity.

Magnesium and calcium are essential in maintaining proper functions of your muscles. Insufficient pre-workout amounts of minerals may lead to disturbed nerve – muscle conduction, affect water balance of the body (the risk of dehydration), destabilize base-acid balance, cause involuntary muscle spasms that make it difficult to continue the workout.

We often forget about the important role of vitamins in our body. This also concerns oxidative protection: the fight against free radicals. Here, vitamin C is the indisputable leader. Typically, we think of free radicals as the tiny molecules which are responsible for aging.

It turns out however, that all those who do physical exercises should particularly focus on the protection against these harmful agents, because they are produced in large amounts during workout.

The raging hordes of free radicals can damage cell membranes and mitochondria, they can disrupt energy production processes and hinder the effects of enzymes and hormones.

Vitamins also play the role of the coenzymes (components of enzymes), a feature especially characteristic of vitamin B. They manage metabolic processes of all nutrients. Thiamine (Vitamin B1) makes it possible to generate energy from ingested carbohydrates.

Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) determines protein and fat metabolism, regulates the important processes of transamination, which makes the synthesis of new systemic proteins possible and allows for more efficient use of nitrogen (i.e. the element present in the structure of amino acids). Cobalamin (Vitamin B 12)

Let me focus on one of the above anabolic hormones – insulin. It may seem simple: when you want to intensify anabolic processes, you need to increase the level of anabolic insulin. Unfortunately, this scenario does not always develop in the way we expect it to.

Apparently insulin shows anabolic effects on both active muscle tissue and fat. This means that its high level triggers an increase in body weight, but it does not necessarily need to be muscle mass! Our efforts should concentrate on intensifying the anabolic effects of this hormone on muscles and minimize the effects on fat tissue. Physical exercise alone significantly increases muscle sensitivity to the hormone, but there are compounds that may intensify it even more. The role of ALA (alphalipoic acid) is of key importance here. As a result of its activity muscles (and not fat tissue) become the primary destination of glucose so they are able to accumulate more energy, and more energy resources equals more workout potential. Besides intensifying muscle sensitivity to insulin, ALA is also a creatine transporter and a potent antioxidant (it fights free radicals).

STIMULATING COMPONENTS It may happen that you do not feel like training, you get drowsy and ready to take an afternoon nap ... What you need before your workout is a comprehensive stimulating product. It will help you maintain the optimum level of stimulation in the workout and increase your focus. Apart from the well-known caffeine, stimulants include: TAURINE – this amino acid does not structure systemic proteins, but it acts as an important nitrogen reservoir. Its effect is similar to that of ALA, in terms of increasing the sensitivity of muscle insulin, counteracting the effects of fatigue; TYROSINE – an amino acid utilized in the synthesis of excitatory neurotransmitters (with norepinephrine playing the chief role). The high level of this amino acid makes us feel alert and

energetic. Its effect is quite the opposite of that shown by another amino acid – tryptophan, which your brain converts into the ”indolent” serotonin); INOSINE – an ATP precursor GUARANA – herbal extract, a source of caffeine. In contrast to the coffee caffeine, it offers longer stimulation, increases concentration capacity. Guarana contained in LIFE ENERGGY counteracts the effects of fatigue for a long time.

Extracts from various species of ginseng – a blend of extracts from a variety of species of this plant significantly increases your strength and immunity, regulates glucose levels (it is used in the treatment of diabetes in reduced insulin sensitivity). Ginseng and other stimulating herbal extracts can be found in SUPER ENERGY. The list of essential preworkout supplements is long. You will find them all in balanced proportions in the improved Nitrobolon formula: NITROBOLON ENERGIZER – experience the new quality of workout.

AND WHAT ABOUT THE ACTUAL WORKOUT TIME? A few words about what you should take during a workout. Of course, your inseparable companion is a bottle of water, which protects you against dehydration, and helps maintain acid-base balance.

Despite having a wholesome meal and taking all the necessary supplements, some people may experience an energy drop during a really heavy workout, especially if it is long-lasting.

Unfortunately, even the top class supplements will not help if the fuel tank (muscle glycogen reserve) is empty .

In such situationss you can replenish energy by b drinking MAX CARB B - a blend of simple and complex sugars that provide instant energy supply without affecting the stomach.

You will find energy ingredients (carbohydrates) and a formula of substances that maximize energy processes in the body (carnitine, inositol, tyrosine) in the new RED FASTER.

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

45

Does fuel type matter?

Tips on effective muscle glycogen replenishment.

W

e focused on the need to replenish carbohydrates in a separate article on post-workout regeneration. Let us remind you once more why you need to supply carbohydrates after a workout: 1. Better absorbency of carbohydrates As a result of workout muscle cells are eager to absorb carbohydrates to replenish glycogen reserves.

2. Post-workout overcompensation (supercompensation) effect The capacity of storing carbohydrates in the muscle fuel tank (glycogen) increases and is larger than before workout.

3. Hindering gluconeogenesis Gluconeogenesis is, simply speaking, obtaining glucose – basic energy carrier – from substances other than carbohydrates. Fat, some amino acids or lactic acid can be used in this proc-

46

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

ess. It may occur when other, more easily accessible, energy resources (like glycogen) have been used up. Unfortunately, in order to process fat, the body needs to create favourable conditions, and during an intense workout there is not enough time for that. Amino acids are an easy prey, especially the amino acids that are taken from muscles (mainly alanine, BCAA: valine, leucine, izoleucine are used to obtain energy).

The process, unfortunately, marks the beginning of catabolism.

Speaking of gluconeogenesis, we need to remember that it is important to take branched chain amino acids (BCAA). If you take a ANABOLIC BCAA SYSTEM serving before and after workout, you prevent your body from breaking down its own amino acids that structure muscle proteins to deal with energy deficiency, it will use the amino acids delivered in the supplement for that purpose.

4. Carbohydrates taken after a workout will reduce amino acid capture in the liver That means more amino acids find their way to muscles, where they can be used in muscle anabolic processes.

All right, we are aware now that supplying a serving of carbohydrates is an indispensable post-workout procedure. Let us now analyze the following issue: does carbohydrate type matter?

Does it matter what type of carbohydrates we take during and after a workout? Would it not be enough if we just had some regular sugar? After all, it is a cheap and available source of carbohydrates.

This article will prove that the type matters and that sugar from your sugar bowl and other monosaccharides are not effective in replenishing glycogen resources. All they can do is cause

dangerous blood glucose fluctuations, which reduce workout energy output. Of course my aim is not just indicating the drawbacks of post-workout consumption of monosaccharides. I am going to present a new competitive alternative solution – Trec’s VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY.

Is post-workout carbohydrate replenishment always translate to increasing blood insulin?

If we only focused on outdated opinions, we would have to say “YES”, because insulin is necessary in transporting carbohydrates to muscles. Increased blood glucose is a signal that induces insulin secretion. How do rapidly increase blood glucose? Of course you do it with a serving of monosaccharides, which are quickly digested and soon find their way to bloodstream. This was the rationale behind recommending large amounts of monosaccharides after a workout, because it was thought that they maintained high insulin level, which in turn loaded carbohydrates into muscles.

But now we know that this is not really the case… Post-workout carbohydrates do not need extra doses of insulin because muscle cells are more sensitive to carbohydrates after a workout. Thanks to this post-workout glycogen overcompensation effect occurs.

Consequently, you do not need to provoke insulin increase after a workout to induce quicker transport of carbohydrates to muscles. At that point you may ask yourself: is there any point in taking monosaccharides after a workout?

Does the process of storing carbohydrates in muscles only depend on the rate at which carbohydrates are absorbed?

We already know that the process of storing glycogen in muscles is not conditioned by high blood insulin that much because after a workout muscles exhibit increased sensitivity to carbohydrates.

If you do not need to increase insulin concentration after a workout, what is the point in making your pancreas work so hard and secrete major amounts of insulin, which is necessary in processing large amounts of glucose that is present in bloodstream due to monosaccharide consumption? (Remember that insulin is the only hormone that reduces blood sugar) Is it really worth squandering this highly anabolic hormone to transport glucose (blood glucose level

is in fact determined by most carbohydrates in the human body) to muscles if your muscles can absorb large amounts of glucose without extra insulin? Facing the flood of monosaccharides, your body will use so much insulin, that there will not be enough to perform other, highly anabolic tasks after a workout, such as increasing amino acid capture by muscle cells, preventing the release of amino acids from muscles and intensifying protein synthesis.

So if you do not need to take monosaccharides after a workout, can you substitute them with something? Obviously, you cannot just have a wholemeal bread roll because by the time your body breaks it down to simple carbohydrates it will be to late (due to high fibre content in wholemeal products) and muscles will not show that much sensitivity. Are there any complex carbohydrates that do not induce insulin secretion by pancreas but still rapidly refill your empty fuel tank?

Before we reach the main point, let us go back to biology lessons at primary school. Structure-wise, carbohydrates can be classified as: simple (monosaccharides: glucose, fructose, galactose); oligosaccharides – they contain 2 to 10 monosaccharides, the simplest oligosaccharides are disaccharides, like sucrose, maltose, lactose; polysaccharides – complex carbohydrates, polymers consisting og chains of monosaccharides. This group includes starch (reserve material in plants), glycogen (reserve material in people) and fibre (contains saccharides that are indigestible for human beings).

We have already mentioned that until some time ago it had been believed that after a workout you should take the most quickly absorbed carbohydrates, i.e. those of the simplest structure because they were thought to reach muscles quickly and replenish glycogen reserves.

But is that really the case? In terms of the time carbohydrates need to get to muscles, does the process depend solely on their simple structure and high GI (glycaemic index)?

Osmolality – an important factor in determining carbohydrate properties.

Osmolality is a parameter that should be taken into consideration when looking for the best carbohydrate drinks for use during and after a workout. It is the count of particles in a fluid sample (to put it very simply – concentration). Osmolal-

ity is determined for bodily fluids, blood in particular. If a solution has higher osmolality than blood (has more particles), it is called hypertonic. If the osmolality figures are equal – the solution is isotonic, if it has lower osmolality – the solution is hypotonic.

Osmolality affects the rate at which carbohydrates leave the stomach!

The lower the osmolality, the faster a solution travels through gastrointestinal system, reaches blood and cells.

Hypotonic solutions reach bloodstream the most quickly, while hypertonic solutions are the slowest. VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY is a solution that contains only polysaccharides (modified starch), it is ultrahypertonic (its concen-

Post-workout carbohydrates do not need extra doses of insulin because muscle cells are more sensitive to carbohydrates after a workout. tration of particles is considerably lower than blood concentration), thanks to which it easily reaches bloodstream.

We are fairly used to traditional hypotonic drinks, whose main aim is hydrating the body during a physical exercise, but their carbohydrate content is very low, so they are of no use in post-workout glycogen replenishment. Carbohydrate concentration in VITARGO ELECTROENERGY is almost 100%!, so it is almost identical as in the well-known Carbo.

What do we owe it to? It is thanks to high molecular weight of carbohydrates in VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY.

High molecular weight – Vitargo’s next asset.

Think of carbohydrates as clusters of small balls that have different weight parameters. Simple carbohydrates contain light balls. Unfortunately, because they are light, there are a lot of them, which means that they increase the osmolality of the drink which contains them. This concerns solutions that contain glucose or dextrose. Some of you may be surprised but, contrary to what you can expect (that due to their simple structure, monosaccharides should reach bloodstream and muscles the most quickly), simple carbohydrates do not rapidly travel though the gastrointestinal system – in fact, because of their high osmolality they stay in your stom-

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

47

Starch in VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY contains 70–80% easily absorbed amylopectin.

That is why it is perfect for replenishing glycogen, it acts fast FAST and that is exactly what you need during and after a workout! ach for a long time. This is the reason for a number of gastric disorders that occur following the consumption of carbohydrate drinks that contain simple carbohydrates.

What are the properties of VITARGO? VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY contains complex carbohydrates – starch (a polysaccharide), which is a source of very high molecular weight carbohydrates and makes Vitargo a low osmolality drink. Unlike glucose that contains a lot of light balls, Vitargo contains a small number (low osmolality) of large balls.

Thanks to low osmolality VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY quickly passes through your gastrointestinal system and does not stay in the stomach for a long time. It is particularly important during and after a workout. During an intense workout blood is accumulated mainly in the muscles that you are

The lower the osmolality, the faster a solution travels through gastrointestinal system, reaches blood and cells. working. There is no chance for blood to travel to the gastrointestinal tract within a second and manage carbohydrate transportation.

After an intense workout would you be able to have a fat pork chop with pickles? Even if you feel like it, I would not recommend it. When a physical exercise is completed, the body is so focused on regeneration that it cannot manage energy- and time-consuming digestion processes. The result? No regeneration. Overcompensation processes do not occur in your muscles and you suffer from indigestion for hours (because you simply cannot do two

48

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

things at the same time: either regenerate or digest a stodgy meal).

If you take high osmolality carbohydrates, like glucose solution, it stays in the stomach as if it was waiting for bloodstream to transport it. With VITARGO ELECTRO–ENERGY, problems like that do not occur. The carbohydrates it contains exhibit low osmolality, lower than osmolality of blood, and can easily blend in without causing any gastric problems.

Why else is it best at replenishing glycogen reserves?

Starch is a complex carbohydrate that is naturally found in plants. It contains two polysaccharide fractions: amylose and amylopectin. Amylopectin consists of branched chains of glucose molecules and it molecular weigh is very high.

Amylose, on the other hand is a linear polymer. This kind of spatial diversity of starch fractions determines the rate at which they are digested. Amylopectin, which is more prone to swelling, is always digested at a higher rate that amylose, which is slowly digested in the intestines. And here is another curiosity – starch that is used in VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY contains 70–80% easily digested amylopectin. That is why it is perfect for replenishing glycogen, it acts

Carbohydrate source

Average molecular weight

Starch

> 250 000 000

Vitargo

500 000-700 000

Maltodextrin

1000-10 000

Glucose syrup

250-1000

Dextrose

180

Carbohydrate sources and average molecular weight values (size)

fast FAST and that is exactly what you need during and after a workout!

Why is it hard to dissolve VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY in water?

If a carbohydrate solution for workout applications is easily dissolved in water, that means its content is predominantly monosaccharides. How to put it gently?

You have been swindled - a bag of regular sugar is much cheaper, and how many times have you bought a Carbo drink that left sugar crystals between your teeth?

Complex carbohydrates are always be difficult to dissolve in water. So the fact that it is hard to dissolve VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY in water is actually its great advantage, it is definitely not a drawback!

Notice that even Trec’s MAX CARB is not easily dissolved in water, which means it does not contain only monosaccharides..

Vitargo Electro-Energy – hydration and electrolytes If you use a high osmolality carbohydrate drink, not only do carbohydrates get stuck somewhere in your gastrointestinal system, slow down stomach emptying and hinder the absorption of other nutrients, they also block water flow so water stays in the gastrointestinal system as well. And where should it be? In your muscles of course! That is where it is indispensable for glycogen replenishment processes.

With VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY you ensure proper hydration of the body, not only because water can easily get from the gastrointestinal tract to blood, but also due to the minerals it contains. Sodium and potassium are necessary in ensuring proper cell responses, they condition the sodium-potassium pump. Magnesium also participates in ion pump processes.

Calcium is used in muscle contractions, it is an indispensable element in retrieving energy from glycogen.

Who is VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY especially recommended for?

People differ from one another in terms of sensitivity to carbohydrates. In some people large amounts of carbohydrates considerably increase glucose level. The rapid and abnormal increase in glycaemia (blood sugar) is likely to bring about a rapid decrease in blood glucose later on. Unstable glycaemia may cause hypoglycaemia (when blood sugar is much too low) and hyperglycaemia (when blood sugar is too high).

Excess blood sugar leads to rapid secretion of large amounts of insulin that is not proportional to the amount of carbohydrates. That leads to reducing blood sugar down below normal value range, so the body goes from hyperglycaemia to hypoglycaemia, and so the vicious circle rolls forward. People who show this kind of sensitivity suddenly feel sleepy or drowsy after consuming large amounts of carbohydrates. That sort of fluctuation is the least desired during a long-lasting physical exercise.

Imagine you are running the marathon and suddenly experience something like

that – well, I am sorry to say it, but you will not get to the finishing line.

Vitargo replenishes carbohydrates after and during a workout, and it prevents sudden changes in glyceamia which disturb energy management during a workout.

The results of a study I conducted with Polish National Bodybuilding Team during their training camp in Cetniewo in 2008 confirm the above findings. The contestants who showed significant sensitivity to carbohydrates had very high blood sugar levels (up to 140 mg/ dl) following post-workout monosaccharide consumption. The contestants reported feeling sleepy or drowsy soon after the consumption of monosaccharides, which proves that after reaching the peak level, glycaemia was reduced to the level which could reflect hypoglycaemia. After VITARGO ELECTROENERGY glucose level went gradually up without showing rapid changes and fostered muscle regeneration (see the chart below).

There is one more thing I would like to add – don’t play with fire, remember that muscle glycogen reserves are limited and if there is a rapid increase in insulin, it will load glucose pretty much anywhere! If glycogen reserves are filled up, insulin sends carbohydrates to another, even more capacious container – fat reserves. Is that what you want?

If you are very sensitive to carbohydrates, VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY is tailored for you. If you have never

really given any thought to your carbohydrate sensitivity to carbohydrates, do a simple test to check it. Have a large amount of simple sugars, like potato dumplings or rice with raisins and yogurt. If you start feeling sleepy, tired or irritated fairly soon, i.e. after 30–60 minutes (too bad if it is your preworkout meal, because the best thing to do now is just go to sleep), it means you have to be careful and make sure your diet does not push up your blood glucose level. VITARGO ELECTROENERGY replenishes your glycogen without the risk of excess increase in glycaemia and gives you more power for your workout.

Conclusions VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY: is an ultrahypotonic drink that easily reaches bloodstream and does not affect your gastrointestinal system, contains very high molecular weight carbohydrates, which makes it much more than just a vitamin soda, it is a highly condensed concentrate of easily absorbed carbohydrates (100 g Vitargo gives you 90 g carbohydrates!).

It rapidly replenishes your glycogen reserves. does not contain simple carbohydrates, which stay in your stomach for a long time and delay the recovery of energy reserves, does not induce excess glucose level fluctuations; in fact, it ensures equal energy supplies to muscles during your wokout.

mg/dl

140 T

simple sugars

100

60

R

VITARGO Katarzyna Matella

Also bear it in mind that polysaccharides do not have a distinctly sweet taste so a good quality drink for carbohydrate replenishment should not be too sweet. If your Vitargo seems not sweet enough, it means that it is all right.

With all that being said, it is best to use a blender or shaker to prepare your Vitargo.

T – training or workout session

20

R – post-workout energy replenishment 12

13

14

t

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

49

Q&A WITH

REBELEXPERT

W

e are pretty sure that our readers have hundreds of questions about training, supplementation and nutrition. That is why we invited a panel of experts to help you and answer your questions. This section is divided into 3 subsections: bodybuilding, martial arts, strongman. Our bodybuilding experts are two bodybuilding champions: Tomasz Bobrowski and David Geler. Mariusz Cieśliński will answer all your difficult questions about combat sports. Tomasz Lech „Papaj” will dispel all your doubts about strongman.

Please send your questions via e-mail: poczta@rebel-mag. eu. Remember to write which expert you want to answer your question in the subject line.

TOMASZ BOBROWS KI Polish Bodybuilding Champion 2008 (under 100 kg) Loaded Cup Denmark (first place, under 100 kg) Sweden Grand Prix (second place, overall) Norway Grand Prix (first place, under 100 kg and second place, open) An expert for Trec’s web discussion group in the supplementation section; individual consultations in nutrition and training

B O DY B U IL DIN G

QUES TION

I started attending a gym several months ago. I would like to lose excess fat especially on the abdomen and thighs, and get a few extra kilograms of muscle mass. I am quite careful about fat burners and I’d rather focus on nutrition and training, though I am not saying ‘no’ to supplements. I look forward to hearing from you.

Deniss

ANS WER It seems

that your attitude is just right. Diet, training and regeneration are the most important in body shaping. Properly balanced diet and proper training are the best way to get rid of excess fat. Introducing a regular meal pattern is fundamental. You need to eat 5-6 meals every 3-3.5 hours. Your each meal needs to contain full-value proteins (chicken, fish, beef, eggs proteins), carbohydrates (whole grain pasta, brown rice, oat flakes) and fats (linseed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, walnut oil). Also remember

50

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

all of my gym-mates I have a problem with developing the size of my chest muscles. I began to notice at the very beginning that the left side of my pectoral muscle grows faster and more efficiently. I can even feel it is higher than the right one. What can I do about it?

Steve

ANS WER to include a portions of vegetables with your every meal – they are an excellent, low-carbohydrate source of fiber.

You have to eliminate sweets, juices, and sweet drinks from your diet. Avoid going to random diners. As for your workout, you need to focus more on aerobic exercises. Depending on your efficiency, perform this type of exercise right after a strength workout 3-5 times a week for 40-60 minutes (remember to first replenish carbohydrates after the strength workout, preferably with VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY, and then start the aerobic session). In order to improve your strength and focus on building lean muscle mass, I strongly recommend branched-chain amino acids,ANABOLIC BCAA SYSTEM, and pure carnitine in L-CARNITINE GOLD.

QUES TION

I am 25 years old and I have worked really hard in the gym for 4 years. When I first got interested in bodybuilding my weigh was just over 60 kg. Today my weight is about 80 kg. Just like virtually

If you have a closer look, you will notice that every gymgoer exhibits exhibits minor differences in chest muscle structure. They may be tiny, or quite visible – like it is the case with your muscles. There may be two reasons for it. Firstly, your genes.

Secondly, perhaps the exercises targeted at these parts of your body are not done correctly. If it is all because of genetic factors, our influence is minor and there is little we can do to solve the problem. However, if it is workout that is the problem area, there is more we can do. First, make sure you do your exercises in the correct way. I recommend you consult an experienced bodybuilding trainer, who will certainly indicate all your mistakes even if you are very experienced. After the consultations, you should focus more on free-weight exercises, the ones you perform independently (e.g. dumbbells). Why are one-arm exercises more useful than the two-arm exercises in minimizing disproportionality? When you do barbell press you really never know what the involvement of various muscle groups is. Strong-

er muscles can compensate for some shortcomings of the weaker ones. In the long run it may lead to disproportional development of muscles. Botharm exercises can increase the disproportionality ever more. When you do a dumbbell bench press this compensation does not occur (the muscles are

are equally worked on the left and on the right). Dumbbell press is an excellent exercise that engages a number of joints and builds muscle mass. Unlike the barbell version of the exercise, this one involves larger-scale muscle work (so make sure you do not cut the movement short, bring the dumbbells down

DAWID GELER „GISZMAN” 2007 - RIBBF Spring Classic – First Timers (1st place) 2008 - World RIBBF Championships (bodybuilding under 80 kg - 1st place, open - 1stplace) 2009 - European Bodybuilding and Classic Bodybuilding Championships - Classic Bodybuilding 170-175cm (8th place) 2009-NABBA Mr reland – Mr Class 2 (170-178cm) (1st place) Vitamin-shop owner in Galwey, Ireland; instructor at PROFI FITNESS SCHOOL, personal bodybuilding and fitness instructor, adviser for TREC’s web discussion group.

Q

ANS WER

In designing a workout plan your priority should now be your arm muscles and you should work them on a separate day, give them all your energy and focus. It would be best if you could add one workout day per week and follow the system I drew up for you (below). If you take a closer look you will notice that the day of bicep and tricep workout comes after a day of resting, two in fact, because you only practice the lower groups of muscles on Tuesday. The aim is to regenerate your muscles after chest, shoulder and leg workouts, so that you are fully regenerated when you start working your arms.

This way you will be able to do a more intense workout and efficiently induce the weaker muscles to grow.

The day after the weaker muscle workout should also be training-free, remember that your muscles grow when regeneration processes progress, and working out in the gym is just a signal for the anabolic process to begin.

Adjusting the schedule of exercises for particular muscle groups in your weekly workout timetable should be sufficient to trigger response from your

pumping your muscles, you can also do a variety of forearm extensions.

I recommend the following workout plan: Monday chest / front shoulders Tuesday legs Wednesday day off Thursday biceps / triceps Friday day off Saturday back / back shoulder Sunday day off

Q

B O DY B U IL DIN G

UES TI ON Hi, I have worked out for more than 1.5 years, here is my system: Monday: chest, biceps, triceps Wednesday: legs, forearms, abdomen Friday: back and shoulders The problem is that my arms, particularly biceps, are not as developed as the rest of my upper body. How can I improve the muscles?

John

as low as possible so that you can tense your chest muscles to the maximum).

Avoid barbell exercises for some time, do dumbbell bench press or standing cable crossovers instead. After a few days you should be able to see if your muscles have started to change in the way you wanted them to.

biceps, in other words: to make them grow.

Muscles very quickly adapt to a specific workout plan, or even particular exercises, so at some point you will certainly need some new stimuli to maintain constant progress. You may want to consider implementing certain methods to increase workout intensity, such as super series, combined series and forced or partial repetitions.

When you select exercises for your arm muscles, go for compound exercises. They make it possible to use heavier loads, and thus stimulate more muscle fibers to grow. It is a good solution to choose two compound exercises (3 series each) and an isolated one (also 3 series). For example, the biceps: standing barbell curl, hammer curls, and preacher curls. Triceps: overhead press (a number of options here: bent barbell, dumbbells, cables, and a variety of positions: lying, sitting, standing).

Your next compound exercise may be lying close overhand grip barbell press.

This exercise is one of my favourites and I have had it in my workout routines for many years, but recently I have tried out the Smith machine version of the exercise. This kind of press exercises gives me much more satisfaction and control over the movement of my barbell. What is really important here is that the Smith machine offers more isolation of triceps – I hope I will see the results in target muscle gain soon.

If your gym has the machine, I recommend doing the exercise in this way.

The last exercise may be done with cables. It will be the finishing touch in

UES TI ON I have a question about HMB – does the supplement work at all? I’ve seen a number of threads about this supplement and it looks like many people who use HMB are not happy with it.

Rick ANS WER

To begin with, HMB is not one of those supplements that offer tangible effects within a very short time. I have checked it and I know that you need a minimum of 10-12 weeks to get visible results. Perhaps that is why most people who use it for just a few weeks think it is rather useless.

I was also sceptical about the supplement, especially when I heard so many conflicting opinions on it. After consulting Tomek Bobrowski I decided to start HMB REVOLUTION supplementation – I have been using the supplement during my preparations for the Irish Championships. I am now in the 10th week of preparation, and I must tell you it does its job perfectly.

At the moment my weight is about 82kg and you could say that I am ready to go on stage, please note that I entered the last championships with 75kg.

For me it is an anti-catabolic supplement and that is the way I treat it. I find it very helpful in this respect. Every ounce of muscle is precious to me, and during intense preparations anticatabolic products such as amino acids L-glutamine Extreme and HMB Revolution are invaluable.

To sum up, HMB has as many supporters as opponents and unless you try it, you will not know if it is worth your attention. If you decide to try it, be prepared to take it for at least 10 weeks.

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

51

TOMASZ LECH „PAPAJ” Polish Strongman Cup 2003. (Third place) Polish Strongman Cup 2004. (Third place) Polish Strongman Cup 2005. (Second place) Vitamin-shop Owner, bodybuilding instructor, personal trainer, instructor of recreational fitness and strength workout

S TRO N G M AN

QUES TION What kind of qualities do you need to become a Strongman competitor?

Chuck

ANS WER Hi, Wojtek. As far as Strongman is concerned, it is good if you are more than 180cm tall. You need to have strong shoulder, leg and back muscles. These are the muscle groups that are most frequently engaged in various tournaments in this discipline. Your weight is not as important because it does not always translate to actual power. But it can be important in truck pull for example, which I often experi-

enced. Predisposition is one thing, but what also matters is adequate workout that should be targeted at building strength. At least some exercises in your training need to be eccentric regime exercises – basically speaking, they consist in working with heavy loads and focusing on the eccentric phase of the rep (muscle attachments are moved apart). Concentric phase (when muscle attachments get closer) engages other muscle groups. You need training partners for it. It is the best workout method that can increase your strength. We will discuss it more in the coming Rebel issues.

MARIUSZ CIESLINS KI ISKA Federation Professional Muay Thai World Champion 05 New York, 06 Warsaw ISKA Federation Professional Lowkick World Champion 95, 96 (Poland) Savate World Champion 95 (Romance, France) WAKO PRO Lowkick Master Inercontinental 04 Milan, 05 Milan, WAKO PRO Lowkick European Champion 04 3 gold medals at the WAKO Fullcontact Kickboxing World Championships 93, 97, 99 (Budapest, Gdansk, Caorle) 3 gold medals at the WAKO European Championships 92, 96, 00 (Kavala, Belgrade, Moscow) 1 gold medal at the WAKO Lowkick European Championships Kiev 98 2 bronze medals at the WMF Muay Thai World Championships Bangkok 06, 07 Approx. 290 fights in boxing, fullcontact, lowkick kickboxing, Muay Thai and savate. .

FIGHTER

QUES TION What should I eat on the day of the fight?

Butch

ANS WER

You should certainly not experiment on yourself on the day of the tournament. Ideally, your menu on that day should include things your body is accustomed to. Nutritious breakfast that contains easily digestible carbohydrates and a serving of full-value proteins is fundamental. If you are to spend a day in the hall waiting for your turn to fight, you need to charge your energy tanks with an appropriate type of fuel, and you get the fuel from your breakfast. Forget salads

52

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

or raw fruits – you do not want to run to the toilet too often, do you? And you definitely do not want any bloating or stomach discomfort so avoid food that can cause that.

Food must pass through your body ”inconspicuously” and supply fuel in the “eat and forget” manner. Your meal cannot be a stress factor in your tournament.

Martial art tournaments often involve hours of stress and waiting for your turn around the mat or the ring, looking at special ladders and counting the time left to your fight, so you need to replenish energy on the tournament day and the best way to do that is to have easily

QUES TION What do I need to do to enter a strongman competition?

Oscar

ANS WER

For starters, take part in several “amateur” events in order to get some experience and get the organizers to remember you. You can find out details of such events on web sites devoted to strongman competitions. If you want to confirm your participation, send an entry form to the organizers and so the story begins. As far as I know competitions for amateurs and professionals held at the same time, except that the amateur contests are held on the first day and the top two amateurs are automatically entered in the pro’s competition on the next day. It used to be done in a different way: the date of qualifiers was announced, contestants came from all over Poland, sometimes even 70-80 people. Everyone took part in 6 qualifier competitions and the best eight contestants were qualified for Polish Strongman Cup.

digested energy bars that can substitute a meal and are stomach-friendly. You can also have energy drinks and gels.

Another good idea is preparing some white rice earlier on at home and taking it to the tournament in a special container. It may serve as an easy-access energy source.

QUES TION bruises fights?

and

How can I avoid injuries in training Bill

ANS WER There is only one correct answer to this question. You simply cannot avoid them. You can only minimize the effects of blows and strikes with properly selected equipment. Do not forget that a proper warm-up prepares your body to hard work and you cannot skip it before your training fight. Head coach should make sure that everyone has adequate equipment and that sparring does not become a fight for the world champion title.

In martial arts you simply need to get used to bruising and pain in the training sessions and accept that it is normal. The day that comes after a sparring session can feel like agony, especially if you are a beginner. You should cool the sites of bruising during or right after a training session. You can use a special ointment or an anti-inflammatory gel. Professionals take good care of their bones and wear soft shin and foot protectors and put hard leather protectors on them.

Cooking

for Muscles FARMER’S PANCAKES OMELETTE WITH OAT FLAKES AND RAISINS

INGREDIENT S:

150 g low-fat cottage cheese 6 egg whites 50 g oat cereal (approx. 5 tablespoons) aspartame-free sweetener

INGREDIENT S:

6 egg whites 2 eggs 100 g oat flakes 20 g raisins

INSTRUCTIONS: Separate the yolk from the white, put the whites in the ball, add two whole eggs and mix until smooth.

In the meantime heat a frying on low heat.

INSTRUCTIONS: Separate the yolk from the white.

Put oat flakes into the bowl and mix. you pan, or use PAM cooking spray if Put a very little spill olive oil in the have it. over low heat.

Pour the batter into the pan and fry not get out – your omelette will be Put a lid on the pan so that heat does ready sooner.

OAT FLAKE OMELETTE

PROTEINS

FATS

ABSORBED CARBOHYDRATES

KCAL

6 egg whites.

21,6 g

0g

1,2 g

91,2

2 whole eggs

13,4 g

12,2 g

0,6 g

165,8

8g

58,1 (+9,5 g fibre)

354,8

0g

12,6 g (+1,4 g fibre)

51,76

72,5 g

663,56 663,56

Oat flakes 100g

12,6 g

Raisins 20g

0,34 g

TOTAL:

35 g animal 12,94 g plant

20,2 g

Marcin Zborowski

54

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

Mix the whites, cottage cheese and a pinch of sweetener.

Heat a Teflon pan (you are not gothe ing to use oil). Pour some batter onto . akes pan to make several small panc Fry over low heat on both sides. rt Perfect with plain sugar-free yogu . fruits and some seasonal A PRACTICAL TIP: e If you think you cannot make thes g. wron are you oil, pancakes without

FARMER’S PANCAKES

PROTEINS

6 egg whites./ 200 g

21,6 g

Low-fat cottage cheeses /150 g

18 g

Oat cereal / 50 g

6,1 g

L:: TOTAL

39,6 g animal 6,1 g plant

entation are imetes. Workout and proper supplem athl for ls mea ing rest inte ut abo all This section is as important. Long story short: kout objectives. But your diet is just portant factors in reaching your wor say it is a womenconquer it. Don’t listen to all those who and hen kitc that to go is end mm What I reco snacks. Good luck with not get ripped with your mummy’s fatty only territory, because you simply can find it difficult to follow the recie any questions about nutrition or hav you If re. entu adv king coo r you pes, write to REBEL – we will help.

STUFFED BEEF SIRLOIN WITH VEGETABLES AND BUCKWHEAT GROATS INGREDIENT S:

150 g beef sirloin 1 small onion (approx. 25 g) 1 small pepper (raw) (approx. 25 g) 4 medium-size mushrooms (approx. 25 g) 100 g buckwheat grains olive oil 10 g, sea salt, pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

A Teflon frying pan is best forr this recipe, and for protein pancakes we are going to show in the coming issue.

Do not use aspartame sweetes ners because they release toxin lohave not when heated. If you do ose sweetener, use sweetener tablets. Crush several tablets with two spoons to get powder.

it to boil, pour buckwheat Boil water in a pot. When you bring it stand tightly closed until done. let , groats into it. Remove pot from heat pepper and mushrooms.

Peel and chop the onion, slice the of olive oil onto it, add pepper and Heat a frying pan, put a teaspoon r mushrooms and fry until most wate onion. Fry for approx. 5 minutes, add evaporates.

Finally sprinkle with salt and pepper. it cools down.

Remove it from heat, let it stand until t. where you are going to tenderise mea Sprinke some water on the board Put sirloin on the board. erise meat easily and safely.

You will need some plastic film to tend in with a meat mallet – tenderise the Tenderise the whole portion of sirlo the put the stuffing in the centre and fold sides especially, because you will sides. envesirloin, and fold it – close it like an Put stuffing onto the centre of the s. edge r oute the lope. Use a meat mallet to tenderise ) d side down (so that it does not open folde the mer stea Put the meat into a for approx. 15–20 minutes.

STUFFED BEEF

PROTEINS

FATS

ABSORBED CARBOHYDRATES

KCAL

Beef sirloin 150 g

31,35 g

5,4 g

CARBOHYDRATES

174

0,35 g

0,1 g

1,72 g

9,25

Onion 25 g

FATS

ABSORBED CARBOHYDRATES

KCAL

1,2 g

90,6

Pepper 25 g

0,3 g

0,1 g

0,6 g

8,75

0g

4,5 g

130,5

Mushrooms 25 g

0,65 g

0,1 g

0,15 g (+0,5 g fibre)

6

4,5g

29 (+4,7 fibre)

176,4

Buckwheat groans 100g

12 g

3g

70 g (+3,7 fibre)

359

4g

34,7

398,1

Olive oil 10 ml

0g

9,96 g

0,02 g

90

8,5 g

31,35 g

18,66 g

72,94 g

647

TOTAL: Katar zyna Matella

Marcin Zborowski

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

55

Common Co mmon Myths

about D about Diet iet and Nu Nutrition Your Guide to Sports Diet.

Katarzyna Matella

N

ot everyone is lucky enough to have big, well-rounded muscles and nice athletic proportions. If it were so easy, anyone could obtain the V-Taper. A lot of people seem to think it is enough to do some weightlifting and expect fundamental changes after only 3 months of training. Well, it is not that easy … Actually, workout is half the battle, what you also need to take care of is planning your diet in an appropriate way. For starters, try to avoid basic mistakes. It will help you achieve tangible results in your workout more quickly.

When a well-qualified construction team begin to work on the laborious task of building a multi-storey house, they need to have a well-thought plan of each stage of the project first. They cannot build walls before they lay solid foundations for the building. Each step is a part of a well-designed schedule.

The same goes to workout and nutrition. You cannot work on muscle defi nition and separation if your weight is 50 kg and you have hardly any muscle mass. No matter what your workout objective is, in order to achieve it you always need to follow an appropriate diet regime.

If you only have three standard meals a day, it is going to be difficult for you to build impressive muscles.

Your diet cannot be the same as the diet of your friend who spends most of the day in front of a computer screen.

Picture your body as a huge furnace.

If there is always fire in it, anabolic processes progress (synthesis processes, including those concerning muscle

56

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

mass, predominate). If you do not want the fire to go out, you need to supply fuel regularly. If you do not have regular meals that are well-balanced in terms of protein and carbohydrate intake, you will not be able to maintain the anabolic fire in your body. Let us start with debunking a few myths about eating for muscle mass development:

MYTH ONE ...

...Your diet needs to be proteinrich – muscles are made of proteins so you have got to eat proteins.

Eager young gym-goers appear to make a seemingly reasonable assumption that in order to develop muscles you need substantial supplies of proteins because they build muscle structures. They could not be more wrong.

Well, yes, you need proper amounts of proteins, approximately 2 g per each kilogram of your body mass, but if you consume unlimited amounts, like 5g per each kilogram of your body mass, it is a serious mistake, especially if you are a beginner athlete. Protein is a nutrient which your body can assimilate and use for anabolic processes and other purposes provided it has sufficient energy reserves. If you only have proteins and forget about the necessary energy (which comes from carbohydrates and fats), your actual results will be the exact opposite of what you intended. Not only will you become thinner, you will also dangerously increase systemic acidity and exhaust your body. That is due to a specific protein property thermogenesis. It means that your body uses a lot of energy to absorb proteins, actually

it uses more energy than proteins can offer: 1 g protein gives you 4 kcal energy, but in order to absorb it, the body has to use an amount of energy that is a few times higher. The result? Negative energy balance!!!

So if you want to increase your muscle bulk, the amount of carbohydrates you take in is fundamental and it has to be higher than the amount of proteins. Specific amounts obviously depend of individual qualities, like body type or tendency to accumulate fat.

A slim man who is a beginner gym-goer should take approximately 6–7 g carbohydrates per each kilogram of body mass. Why? It is easy.

If proteins are the building material for the body to make systemic proteins (including those that build your muscles), it is necessary to supply very high amounts of energy to ensure protein absorption and conversion.

Carbohydrates are the source of this energy.

When it comes to building muscle mass, protein-rich nutrition products do not offer the best diet supplemen-

It’s no use crying over spilt milk ;-( At least you don’t have to drink it now ;-)

is by taking amino acids, including the most important workout amino acids: BCAA’s and GLUTAMINE. For more details on post-workout regeneration, read a separate article in this issue.

MYTH TWO...

...amino acids and proteins are actually the same thing

tation. The best choice here are Gainer type products. Their protein–carbohydrate proportions (about 15-30% carbohydrates, 60-80% proteins) are ideal for building muscle mass. Gainers contain sufficient amounts of proteins to start anabolic revolution in the muscles.

A serving of MASS XXL or MAGNUM 8000 makes an excellent meal during the day. MASS XXL, a standard Gainer, contains 20% proteins, while MAGNUM 8000 is a nutrient for people who are especially “resistant” to body mass gain. It contains creatine and MCT oil – stabilizer substances that facilitate transportation and absorption of the nutrients supplied with the product.

Beginner bodybuilders often think it is immediately after a workout that proteins are most needed and should be consumed. What is worse, a number of gyms promote this belief. Apparently, they offer post-workout proteins solely for commercial reasons: a serving of protein costs more than a serving of carbohydrates. Unfortunately, this is probably the least convenient time to have a protein serving. What you actually should do immediately after a workout is have a serving of special workout amino acids and carbohydrates (preferably MAX CARB or VITARGO).

If your body is to make use of the proteins you supply, it needs to have proper energy reserves to digest and assimilate them. You have just completed a tough training session, so your energy resources are completely used up. It is not just that you should not take an immediate post-workout protein serving - you MUST NOT HAVE PROTEINS immediately after a workout if you care about building your muscle mass. The only way you can provide protein support at those times

Beginners often think that they do not have to supply amino acids because their protein supplement completely meets the body’s demands. They are lead to think that this is true when they read the label and find information on amino acid contents in a protein-rich product. Well, it is only partly true: on the one hand amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins, but on the other hand – and this is important – a serving of proteins and a serving of amino acids are two different things for your body. If you have proteins, you should be aware that your body needs to digest and assimilate them, and that involves considerable expenditure of energy. It also increases the amount of time needed for the transport of amino acids to their destination – various cells in the body, including muscle cells. Amino acid nutrition products contain proteins that are broken down to elementary particles. They directly reach their targets, including developing muscle cells. Unlike protein products, amino acid can be assimilated in the body without causing a loss of energy! The time around a workout is the mandatory time to supply workout amino acids (BCAA’s, GLUTAMINE). I particularly recommend ANABOLIC BCAA SYSTEM, L-GLUTAMINE T6 and L-GLUTAMINE EXTREME if you want convenient capsules, or more budgetfriendly powder formulas, like BCCA POWDER and BCAA G FORCE .

You can have 3–4 daily serverv ings of 3–5 g of a full amino n no acid set, e.g. AMINO MAX X 6800 (capsules) or AMINO MUSCLE 16 500 (liquid).

These amino acids help maintain positive nitrogen balance and accelerate anabolic processes.

You also need to remember that you need to include your protein supplement in the daily protein balance – a serving of PERECT WHEY PROTEIN or NITROPROGEN is a perfect way of supplementing your daily protein intake with full-value proteins. Unlike protein products, amino acid supplements are not to be included in the daily nutrition balance. The conclusion is simple: amino

acid supplements can never be regarded as a substitute for proteins.

MYTH THREE...

...small and frequent meals are good for dieting chicks Having regular, balanced meals is a Golden Rule which everyone should follow. Frequent meals make your body increase the expenditure of energy for the processes associated with postprandial thermogenesis and increase the rate of metabolism. The expenditure of energy associated with postprandial thermogenesis is the amount of energy that the body needs to use to convert food to bioavailable substances (by

Have 4-6 regular and balanced meals (1:4 proteincarbohydrate ratio), follow a diet timetable, lead your body to the anabolic pathway. means of digesting, dividing into smaller bits, producing enzymes). If you have your meals more frequently, the body “wastes” a lot of energy, so it should make sense to have larger and less frequent meals, right? Wrong. More frequent meals boost your metabolic rate, thanks to which you can assimilate more nutrients and use them for muscle development. Obviously there is one condition – your diet needs to be properly balanced in terms of amounts of proteins and carbohydrates (see section 1 for more details). There is one more reason why heavy meals are not a wise solution - you cannot have a meal in advance. If your body does not need as much energy at a particular moment as the meal you have just had offers, everything it does no ot use is stored, i.e. convertnot e to fat. All of a sudden you ed may m be surprised to notice that instead of increasing muscle circumference, the only circumference you have actually increased is your waist ... It is a proven rule: if you have rare and large meals, you can hope for improving your y performance ... in sumo. Have 4-6 regular and balanced meals (1:4 protein-carbohydrate ratio), follow a diet timetable, lead your body to the anabolic pathway.

The conclusion is simple: assuming that you want to develop your muscle mass and your girlfriend wants to lose

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

57

Examples of meals for bodybuilding and for weight loss MEALS FOR A MAN WHO WEIGHS 70 KG AND WANTS TO INCREASE MUSCLE BULK: 100 g white rice

MEAL FOR A WOMAN WHO WEIGHS 60 KG AND WANTS TO REDUCE FAT TISSUE: 30 g al dente pasta

150 g grilled chicken breast

100 g grilled chicken breast

salad: celery roots (50 g), apples (50 g), raisins (20 g), nut oil (15 g)

salad: white cabbage with olive oil (5g)

Nutritional value of the meal: 100 g carbohydrates, 33 g proteins, 15 g fat

Nutritional value of the meal: 30 g carbohydrates, 22 g proteins, 5 g fat

Can you see the difference between the two examples of meals? They differ in terms of carbohydrate-protein balance, fat content, and GI (assimilation rate).

That is why the former can help induce body mass gain, while the latter can contribute to weight loss.

a few pounds, you can both have your meals at the same times, with the same frequency, but there will be fundamental differences regarding what you actually eat.

Young people quite often take rice for protein-rich food, while it actually contains 8-12% low nutritional value proteins.

MYTH FOUR...

...milk and rice are protein-rich Can we really believe all those people who campaign to make us believe that milk will make us stronger? Not really. First of all, although it is a source of full-value proteins, milk is not actually protein-rich (in fact the protein content is 2-3% only). If you wanted to drink milk to supply your body with 20 g protein, you would have to drink at least 1 litre.

Nutrition products based on milk contain selected milk protein strains

58

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

(casein and whey). In fact they are what accounts for the 2-3% milk protein content. They are isolated with the use of modern technologies.

Young people quite often take rice for protein-rich food, while it actually contains 8-12% low nutritional value proteins.

You need to realize which products in your diet are a source of proteins (eggs, chicken breast, lean fish ...) and which can be a source of energy - carbohydrates (cereal products in general: groats, rice, bread, pasta).

Even if a carbohydrate product contains some proteins, I do not really recommend including it in your daily protein balance because it has little nutritional value.

MYTH FIVE... ...avoid fat in your diet

It is a common belief that bodybuilders eat only lean poultry meat and avoid any fat. It is not totally true. You should avoid saturated animal fat. But you cannot completely eliminate the nutrient from your diet. You should cut down

on the harmful fat - saturated animal fats and make sure you include the healthy unsaturated fats (monounsaturatedomega 3 and polyunsaturated-omega 3 and 6) in your nutritional plan. They serve as a perfect alternative source of energy and show positive effects on blood lipid levels. Healthy fatty acids are naturally found in cold-pressed vegetable oil (especially the omega 3-rich linseed oil, nut oils), seeds and nuts (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin seeds), and certain fatty fish. Many omega 3 and 6 acids are essential in the functioning of the human body, but the human system cannot actually synthesize them on their own, so they need to be supplied with your diet (EFA). If your diet is not varied enough, supplement it with omega 3 SUPER OMEGA 3, or a balanced formula of all unsaturated fatty acids - Omega 3-6-9.

MYTH SIX...

... bodybuilding diet is dull Finally, let us debunk a myth that discourages a lot of people from following a bodybuilding diet regime. It is usually considered extremely boring: grilled chicken breast, rice ... always the same. Nothing could be further from the truth! Today, the best bodybuilders are often excellent cooks. For two years now I have been in charge of designing diet schemes for training camps of the Polish National Bodybuilding and Fitness Team. Let me just say that everyone who can see us eat those meals is both curious and envious of what we have on our plates: delightful scrambled eggs with salmon, cottage cheese cake, currant desserts and many other delicacies.

If you want your diet to be an integral part of your lifestyle, make sure it is varied. You do not have to be doomed to chicken breast and rice forever. Instead of grilled chicken make chicken gyros, protein pancakes with curd, or power pancakes. If you do not have your own ideas, find inspiration in special cookbooks (like a Polish cookbookk Supersylwetka – Super Shape). Monotony is your worst enemyy both in terms of nutrition and workout.

I hope that debunking these few myths will help you modify your current nutritional plan and achieve your dream goals sooner.

Do you foster post-workout anabolism?

Taking care of comprehensive post-workout regeneration.

Katarzyna Matella

D

o you ever think of the opportunities you had and wasted? I know, the awareness that you could have done something and did not do anything is painful. But, what’s done is done ... or is it?

What do you do when you complete a workout? Think…

A quick shower and off you run home for dinner? Are you so tired you cannot even think of eating? Or maybe you do not think it is important what you do after a workout, because the quality of the workout itself is the most important?

If it is so, I have to tell you that you are missing a unique chance to kickstart anabolic processes that result from post-workout overcompensation processes – a consequence of your body’s adaptation to workout. In fact, everything you do after a workout should be done to take advantage of the processes as much as possible. If you do not take the opportunity after each workout ... sorry to say it, but you will always look the way you are looking, and there is no way it will really change.

60

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

Here are some basic elements of post-workout regeneration, which you simply cannot forget:

Replenishing carbohydrates and hydrating the body When you take a post-workout serving of carbohydrates, it is like filling up your tanks with muscle fuel – glycogen, condensed energy generated from carbohydrates. You must use this special moment when your muscles are able to store more energy than before a workout (which is one of the phenomena that occur with post-workout overcompensation). The capacity for increased absorption of carbohydrates in muscles is enhanced due to increased muscle sensitivity to glucose.

Physical activity induces an increase in GLUT 4 transporters – specialized cells which make it possible for glucose to get inside a muscle cell.

Remember that after a workout your metabolism is unbelievably faster for some time, so energy is necessary to ensure proper regeneration and homeostasis – the state of balance in the body.

What are the best ways of replenishing carbohydrates? Well, of course you can have bananas, white rice or rice wafers because they are a source of easily digested carbohydrates. But the best way is to get liquid carbohydrates, like MAX CARB or VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY ELECTRO-ENERGY ELECTRO-ENERGY. MAX CARB is a compound carbohydrate product (it mainly contains monosaccharides and disaccharides) that will rapidly deliver energy to muscles. VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY is a more sophisticated formula: it contains specifically modified complex carbohydrates that can ensure maximum carbohydrate concentration in muscles without the risk of excess insulin secretion (for more information on VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY read a separate article in this issue).

Supplying carbohydrates with water after a workout is a critical issue. Without water it is not possible to replenish glycogen. Carbohydrates simply can not work without water. Your body needs 4 molecules of water to convert just 1 molecule of glucose to glycogen. That is why drinking a serving of

MAX CARB or VITARGO ELECTROENERGY ensures quick regeneration of glycogen reserves – carbohydrates reach the system with water.

Think of your post-workout muscles as a desert where building works progress. Without water the effi ciency of work will go drastically down!

The rules of replenishing carbohydrates after a workout applies to everyone, irrespective of their objectives – both a boy who wants to build muscle bulk and his mate who is working on muscle definition should follow it. Even if you are scared stiff of excess fat, you can relax and have carbohydrates in the post-workout period. Your exhausted muscles need this nutrient so much that they are the first to obtain it - before it is distributed to other systems in the body. That means that you can rest he assured that fat tissue is the very last recipient of carbohy-drates after a workout.

If you do not replenish carbohydrates after a workout, you actually do more harm than good to yourself. Cutting off energy supplies when muscles crave for it will slow down metabolism. That in turn means there is less chance for anabolic processes and, unfortunately, can induce the body to store fat.

The recommended post-workout carbohydrate serving is from 0,5 to 1g per each kilogram of body mass.

Why is the range so wide? The postworkout amount of the nutrient depends on workout intensity, specific cycle, and fat tissue. Tomasz Lech „Papaj”, whom you have already met in this issue of REBEL, is in the period of building muscle mass, so he drinks 100 g MAX CARB after a workout, and his girlfriend who weighs 58 kg can replenish glycogen with 40 g MAX CARB.

2. Replenishing workout amino acids and other exogenous amino acids During a workout the body uses large amounts of particular amino acids. The first one is glutamine. The demand for this amino acid rockets during a workout – it is “reported” by all cells of the body. What is interesting, it is mainly taken from muscles. As intense regeneration processes progress, it is recommended that high glutamine level should be maintained because it is one of amino acids that “like water”, which means they tend to react with it. It draws water to

muscles and creates beneficial conditions fostering anabolic processes.

Provided proper regeneration is ensured, the post-workout period is when anabolic processes are the most likely to occur (as a result of post-workout overcompensation). Positive nitrogen balance is one of the conditions for anabolic processes, it also determines a high level of glutamine, which, in turn, is the body’s main nitrogen tank.

The human body is like a chemical lab, where various reactions and complicated processes progress all the time. When your body starts synthesizing new systemic proteins (including muscle proteins), it uses all available amino acids. What happens if one of them is missing? If it is an endogenous one, the body can produce it on its own – transamination processes are trigge gered so that the missing amino a acids can be produced from tthe available amino acids and nitrogen groups. Glutamine takes part in those anabolic transamination processes – it is the only amino acid which supplies amine groups (other amino acids transfer amine groups via glutamine). If there is a glutamine deficiency, the synthesis process is halted.

When you complete your workout, do not forget to take your glutamine, preferably in L- GLUTAMINE T6 or L- GLUTAMINE EXTREME. You should take from 3 g up to 10 g glutamine after a workout. The 10 g megadose is recommended for the contestants with large body mass who do extremely intense workouts.

Apart from glutamine, other workout amino acids are worth mentioning as well: BCAA – branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine).

Those three amino acids constitute basic building material for muscle proteins, and the deficiency in any of them hinders anabolic processes. If a workout causes a number of microscopic fractures of muscle fibres, intense repair processes commence after a workout. The body acts as if it could predict the future, or as if it was afraid microscopic injuries like that may recur and it starts anabolic processes to repair the fibres, make them thicker and stronger. In order to make those processes possible, material is necessary to rebuild the damaged fibres. You can supply BCAA, the building material we are talking about, with Trec’s Anabol-

ic BCAA System (caplets) or BCAA Powder. Choose either 6–8 caplets BCAA or 5–10 g powder BCAA (you can mix it with MAX CARB).

In fact, BCAA and glutamine make a perfect team. Glutamine ensures

Positive nitrogen balance is one of the conditions for anabolic processes, it also determines a high level of glutamine, which, in turn, is the body’s main nitrogen tank. there is sufficient water and creates favourable condtions for anabolic processes, while BCAA is a muscle building material supplier. Balanced combination of those amino acids is a property of TREC’s – BCAA G-FORCE (recommended post-workout serving is 7–10 g).

3. Post-workout period is the best for creatine overcompensation You already know that thanks to postworkout overcompensation the body can accumulate more energy (muscle glycogen), repair the muscle fibres which got damaged during a workout, make them stronger and thicker. The post-workout out chance for a rebuilding ng process and a half also so goes to creatine. Creatine n ne is an amino acid (but it does not structure systemic proteins) and takes part in regenerating energy reserves (ATP) in the first seconds of highly intense workouts. Physical training always involves using its endogenous reserves as well as the supplies taken in with a supplement.

You must not forget to take a post-workout serving of creatine because that is the time when muscles can

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

61

accumulate more creatine than at other times. Just like it is the case with glycogen and BCAA, the body is likely to accumulate more creatine after a workout because it is “worried” that a critical situation (workout) may recur.

After a workout you should take 5 g creatine, e.g. 5 capsules Creatine 200 mesh or 4 capsules CM3 (tricreatine malate). The dose should be combined with a serving of MAX CARB, BCAA and glutamine. On no account should you combine creatine with proteins because it will hinder the accumulation of creatine in your muscles. You can have a serving of proteins approximately 30 minutes after workout.

4. Muscle pump – regeneration’s best friend NO (Nitric Oxide) boosters are mainly used before workout to induce the pleasant feeling of pumped-up muscles.

It substantially increases workout effi ciency and serves as a creatine carrier.

NO supplements relax blood vessels, dilate them and increase the rate at which blood with oxygen and nutrients reaches muscles, which considerably improves energy management during workout. It turns out however, that the effects of NO boosters are also beneficial after a workout. The time when post-workout overcompensation is likely to occur seems rather short. Unfortunately, it is too late if it has been an hour since you completed your workout. Post-workout regeneration processes start immediately after a workout is finished, and you should foster them with instant supplies of all elements indispensable in anabolism, including amino acids and carbohydrates. Muscle pump ensures their quick transportation. Trec’s AAKG MEGAHARDCORE is rich in arginine (amino acid responsible for NO production) and citruline.

A serving of 4 AAKG MEGAHARDCORE capsules will ensure quick transportation of all nutrients to your exhausted muscles. Remember – virtually every minute counts!

5. Regaining acidbase balance Intense physical exercise always involves increased acidity. Acidic environment in your system is the least beneficial in terms of regeneration processes and supplement absorption.

Acid-base imbalance can be repaired with

62

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

glutamine, full set of amino acids and water.

Let us bear it in mind that base reaction is the best environment for metabolic processes.

When you finish your workout, sip some water. Take a serving of a full set of amino acids e.g. 5 capsules AMINO MAX 6800 to regain acid-base balance, it will also boost the anabolic potential of your muscles.

6. Supplying oxygen to muscles in aerobic workout Doing an aerobic session after an intense strength workout accelerates regeneration, considerably reduces the time needed for lactic acid distribution (lactic acid is the product of anaerobic energy processes). During a strength workout muscle cells are made to work with insufficient supplies of oxygen. Now you need to take care of oxygen supplies and do a short aerobic workout: it can take as short as a quarter of an hour. The worst possible solution would be simply staying in a crowded and stuffy gym after a workout – that definitely does not help free flow of oxygen to your muscle cells.

You may be used to thinking that aerobic exercises are the best way of fighting excess fat. This kind of thinking, unfortunately, does not fully appreciate the opportunities aerobic workout creates in terms of oxygen supplies (thus the name aerobic). Aerobic workout can serve as a method for building muscle bulk (if you maintain high calorie count it will boost metabolism) and for burning fat (if you maintain a properly reduced calorie count).

There is one “but” though and it is an important one. You need to start aerobic workout immediately on finishing your strength workout and you can only do it provided that you replenished carbohydrates first. Until recently workout experts claimed that bodybuilders whose aim was developing muscle bulk should not do aerobic exercises because they were believed to induce catabolic processes. It turned out to be the opposite to what it actually is in reality. If your follow specific nutrition guidelines, aerobic exercises can and will help in building muscle bulk!

First take a MAX CARB or VITARGO ELECTRO-ENERGY serving, then have a short session on an exercise bike or a treadmill. When you finish you should take another, smaller serving of carbohydrates, and have a balanced meal to supply proteins later on.

7. Regaining mineral balance Muscle response to stimuli, transport of carbohydrates and amino acids to muscles is possible thanks to sodiumpotassium pump. To put it simply, appro-

priate concentration of sodium and potassium on both sides of a cellular membrane makes it possible for nutrients and amino acids to be delivered into cells, provided calcium and magnesium levels are normal. Predominance or deficiency of any of the elements disturbs cellular metabolism and hinders free flow of energy and building material. In fact a large portion of energy produced in a cell is used for ensuring the proper functioning of the complicated pump mechanisms.

Due to intensified energetic processes and sweating, workout makes the body lose a number of essential minerals, particularly large amounts of sodium and potassium are lost, also magnesium and calcium defi cits may occur because the minerals are used for muscle contractions.

MAX CARB replenishes carbohydrates and counteracts the main mineral defi cits, it helps regain mineral balance and thus makes it possible to hydrate the system and transport nutrients to cells. Trec’s ISOFASTER, an isotonic drink concentrate, contains a balanced formula of carbohydrates and main minerals.

So, that is quite a number of tips to follow in order to foster post-workout anabolic processes in the body. Picture this – you get dumped by three girls in a row because they cannot stand your long hair. If you want the situation to change, you need to do something to change it: either cut your hair or just dump a girl before she dumps you.

This is called adaptation, it is done to pursue certain goals. If you do not change anything, girls will keep dumping you. It is the same with workout. If you do not follow these tips, you will not create favourable conditions for post-workout adaptation changes to occur, and you will not reach the workout objectives you have dreamed of.

Stop and think - why do you work out?

Because you want to be tired and you want to exhaust your body, or perhaps you do it because you want to have better workout performance and developed muscles? It is up to you.

THIS IS HOW

YOU GET RIPPED Everything you should know about muscle e mass and strength workout.

A

utumn and winter are the seasons when most of us want to develop muscle strength and mass. Achieving this aim requires an appropriately planned workout.

Here is a short description of muscle mass and strength workout: MULTI-JOINT EXERCISES PREDOMINATE – work is done by more than 1 joint. This category includes basic exercises for a given muscle group: press, push -ups, pull-up, sit-ups. Many exercises can be performed in a multi- or single-joint version. For many years all gym newbies were instructed that they had to perform exercises correctly without cheating, i.e. engaging muscles that work with other joints. It may be surprising, but that method does not foster the development of strength and mass. The more joints are engaged in the workout, the more muscle groups are involved, and thus more force is generated.

Let us have a look at a biceps exercise: barbell bicep curl You can do the exercise in a ”pure”, single-joint manner, which involves movement at the elbow only. The same exercise can be performed in a multijoint manner with accessory movements at the shoulders. Additionally, you can move the torso or execute an energetic movement from the knees. All of these accessory movements are designed to overcome larger resistance. This means that they only make sense if really heavy loads are used. When I go to the gym I watch people work out. When I see someone perform such „fake” movements with minimal loads, I know their workout is ineffective. When a similar situation takes place with exercises done with almost maximum loads, I know that they want to develop muscle strength and mass. You can ”cheat” if

You can ”cheat” if you are using really large loads in your workout.

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

63

your body attempts to use the least possible amounts of energy to perform certain activities. Certain nerve-muscle links develop, which makes it possible to perform tasks at the lower cost of energy. Unfortunately, it does not mean it is good for us - the smaller the number of fibres engaged in movement, the lower the energy loss. This is when workout becomes work. If you want to avoid it, you have to make regular changes in various workout parameters: exercises, workout regime, loads. You should never let your body get used to workout. Such workout-related changes should be made every 6-8 weeks.

you are using really large loads in your workout.

WORKOUT FREQUENCY – the minimum is 3 times a week. When workout sessions are less frequent, they do not lead to tangible progress. The recovery period after a really hard workout should take 48 hours, and if workout intensity is average – it should take about 24 hours (the length of the interval between workouts depends on your experience and workout intensity). If you have another workout unit before then, you may develop symptoms of overtraining caused by overlapping effects of postworkout fatigue. If, on the other hand, you have it too late, you will unfortunately not make workout progress.

Workout, like any other form of effort, is a stress factor for the body. It is associated with increased metabolism rate and utilization of energy substances. After a workout the body seems to follow its own inner wisdom and foresight and it begins to prepare in case another stressful event, like workout, should occur: • it accumulates energy reserves (muscle glycogen), which is why post-workout supplementation with carbohydrates is an important element of post-workout regeneration. In this extremely important period the body can accumulate more energy material (carbohydrates) than it had before workout. Unfortunately, if carbohydrates are supplied too late, e.g. an hour after a workout, muscle glycogen can no longer be restored with some amounts to spare. For best results it should be done directly after a workout; • it rebuilds stronger and thicker muscle fibres, which will be able to cope

64

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

with heavy loads. During a workout session a number muscle fibre microtraumas occur. This minor damage is repaired in the post-workout period, during sleep.

Your body seems to know that it had to deal with intense workout stimuli and takes preventive measures to be ready for subsequent workout sessions – the regenerated fibres are thicker and stronger in order to cope with the next hard workout. It may seem surprising, but the body activates defensive functions aimed at maintaining the state of balance, and we use these functions to improve workout performance.

OVERLOAD YOUR MUSCLES, SURPRISE THEM – muscles need constant surprises. In order to regenerate the fibres damaged in a workout session, restore and generate a surplus of glycogen reserves, you must regularly provide stimuli that trigger those positive adaptive processes. Remember, even if a barbell with a 50-kilogram load is initially a real challenge for your chest muscles and makes them engage a large number of fibres - after a few weeks the same load stimulates a considerably smaller pool of fibres. The load should be successively increased every few workouts (it is best to keep a diary of workout progress to monitor the progress) or within a workout unit (this is called progression - with each series of a particular exercise the weight is increased and the number of reps is reduced).

• DO NOT LET YOUR WORKOUT BECOME WORK - this happens when your body gets used to certain constant stimuli and workout conditions. Adapting to physical effort means that over time

ADJUST BREATHING TO THE TYPE OF WORK YOUR MUSCLES DO – proper breathing is an important workout element. Breathing makes it possible to work the muscles and remove carbon dioxide, which is produced in large amounts during workout, causing systemic acidification. Think: how many reps of a hard exercise can you do without breathing?

Exactly... very few ... More importantly, after such a series you do not get the pleasant feeling of pumped-up muscles that accompanies a well-done workout. Each breath consists of 2 phases: inhale and exhale. Inhale is the active phase, which requires certain effort from muscles and exhale is the passive phase of breathing.

That is why you always exhale when muscles are being worked (it would be difficult to force muscles to work out actively and make an effort to inhale at the same time).

In most exercises work is done in the concentric phase - when a muscle contracts and muscle attachments move closer. The eccentric phase (muscle attachments move apart) is when you inhale. It is a bit different when we use the eccentric method of workout. In this method, we use overmaximal loads so as to force muscles to do maximum work in the eccentric phase. Because the load reaches the value that exceeds 100% personal strength capacity, concentric work cannot be performed with the load. This is why certain tricks are used to pass through the concentric phase so that the actual work can be done in the eccentric phase (work is performed by other joints or a training partner’s assistance is used). The eccentric method is recommended for people who have considerable workout experience, and whose osteoarticular structures are prepared for such large loads. While the method makes it possible to develop strength, its contribution to muscle mass gain is less considerable. Let us not forget, however, that strength is necessary in developing muscle mass. In fact, respiratory rate, which is a logical consequ-

An example of a workout pattern ence of exercises performed in an adequate regime, is determined by the load that is used. If you use overmaximal load in barbell bicep curl, for instance, you inhale in the concentric phase (when muscles contract and muscle attachments move closer) and exhale when you move the barbell down (eccentric phase) – it is natural. This is what the pattern of breathing in the eccentric regime is about.

An example of a workout pattern This is an example of what a workout programme may look like in the above period. Of course, any programme should be individually designed.

The programme should also include aerobic workout. Apparently it is not only aimed at reducing body fat. In this case this kind of workout combined with appropriately balance diet can serve as a tool in accelerating metabolism, which can help assimilate more nutrients, and in stimulating anabolic processes.

Workout is one thing, but pre-workout period is another thing to remember What you do before your workout is critical in terms of stimulating either anabolic or catabolic processes in the body, and in terms of achieving your workout objectives. If you want to build muscle mass, do not forget to: • REPLENISH CARBOHYDRATES – here a carbo supplement, such as MAX CARB, is a perfect solution; • SUPPLY WORKOUT AMINO ACIDS AND THEIR METABOLITES (such as HMB) to prevent catabolism and allow for the complete recovery of the body, which initiates anabolic processes, e.g.

L-GLUTAMINE T6, ANABOLIC BCAA SYSTEM, L–GLUTAMINE EXTREME OR HMB FC; • SUPPLY SUBSTANCES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MUSCLE PUMP EFFECT (ARGININE, CITRULINE) – they accelerate the transport of amino acids, nutrients and oxygen to the regenerating muscles.

The recommended products include AAKG Mega Hardcore and HMB Revolution; • SUPPLY THE FULL AMINO ACID PANEL to help maintain high concentrations of all necessary amino acids. Use such products as AMINO MAX 6800, AMINO WHEY SYSTEM, AMINO 4500.

The letter ‚’p’’ stands for progression – increasing the load in each series. In this workout the first exercise for almost all muscle groups is be done according to the preexhaustion rule, which involves doing single-joint exercises before multijoint exercises.

This principle makes it possible to prepare muscles and joints to work with large loads, contributes to deeper penetration of the worked muscles in the subsequent main exercises (pre- exhaustion saves weaker assisting muscles engaged in the main exercises, and it deprives the target muscle group of a portion of energy, thanks to which during the main exercises the body is forced to engage the muscle fibre pool that has so far been unused).

DAY 1

Calves • 5 × 25 – barbell calf raises • 4 × 20 – sitting calf raises (machine)

Chest

• 2 × 15 – incline dumbbell flyes • 5 × p (12, 10, 8, 6, 4) – barbell bench press • 4 × 10 – incline dumbbell bench press

Biceps

• 2 × 15 – standing dumbbell bicep curl – arms turned, no rotation • 5 × p (12, 10, 8, 6, 4) – standing barbell bicep curl • 4 × 10 – standing one-arm bicep cable curl (back)

DAY 2 Back

• 2 × 15 – front lat pulldown • 5 × p (12, 10, 8, 6, 4) – bent over barbell row (underhand grip) • 3 × 8 – bent over one-arm dumbbell row • 3 × 10 – V-bar pulldown

Triceps

• 2 × 15 – tricep bench dips (feet and hands on benches)

• 5 × p (12, 10, 8, 6, 4) – overhead tricep bent barbell extension • 4 × 10 – tricep cable extensions (overgrip, narrow)

A DAY OFF DAY 3 Legs

• 2 × 20 – leg extensions (machine) • 5 × p (10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1) – barbell squats (barbell on shoulders) • 5 × 10 steps (per leg) – dumbbell lunge • 3 × 12 – leg press (sliding machine)

Abdomen

• 3 × 15 – leg and hip raise on parallel bars • 3 × 25 – lying abdominal crunches (support the legs against the wall) • 3 × 25 – cable kneeling crunch

DAY 4

Shoulders • 2 × 15 – side lateral dumbbell raise • 5 × p (12, 10, 8, 6, 4) – barbell press behind neck • 3 × 10 – dumbbell upright row • 4 × 8 – bent over side lateral dumbbell raise

As you can see, building muscle mass is not that easy. Whether you achieve your workout objectives, depends on a number of factors: properly balanced diet, proper supplementation. Even the best workout may not produce satisfactory effects unless it is combined with a well-designed diet supported with a combination of necessary supplements.

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

65

About the Vitamin-Shop in Ireland The Vitamin-Shop is the fastest growing shops network in Europe dedicated to helping people fulfill their health and nutritional needs.

The Vitamin-Shop is specialty retailer of sports nutrition supplements,minerals, vitamins and sports accessories.

The Vitamin-Shop is the best choice for people seeking professionaladvice and products to fulfill their health and nutritional needs.

Vitamin-Shop Ireland is exclusive distributor of the most trusted brands in sports nutrition i.e: Trec Nutrition, Ultimate Nutrition, PVL, Nutrabolics in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Vitamin-Shop Ireland is involved in promoting Irish Fitness and Bodybuilding and other sport’s and athletic events.

Vitamin-Shop was main sponsor at the National Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships of 2 main Irish federations: RIBBF and NABBA. Trec Nutrition in co-operation with the Vitamin-Shop Ireland support and sponsor Irish top Bodybuilder Dawid Geler (2 times overall winner of the National Bodybuilding Championships RIBBF). Dawid Geler represents Ireland in European Bodybuilding Championships IFBB. The Vitamin-Shop Ireland, thanks to Ultimate Nutrition could invite to our stores in Ireland one of the best Bodybuilder in the World – “German Beast” Marcus Ruhl and also US Professional Powerlifter Rodney Hunt.

Thanks to them every our client had chance to meet with them, ask any questions, take pictures and also taste products from Ultimate Nutrition.

VITAMIN-SHOP IN BELFAST

NY VITAMIN-SHOP IN KILKEN

e f ! i l f o y Jo

The Vitamin-Shop Ireland is the biggest Irish wholesaler and retailer of sports nutrition supplements in Ireland. In our offer are over 2000 products from more than 30 world’s best supplements brands.

In our stores consumers have huge choice from the most trusted names in sports & health nutrition i.e.

US PROFESSIONAL POWERLIFTER – RODNEY HUNT WITH 2 TIMES IRISH BODYBUILDING CHAMPION – DAWID GELER IN VITAMIN-SHOP IN GALWAY.

RODNEY HUNT PROMOTING PRODUCTS IN VITAMIN-SHOP IN DUBLIN

The Vitamin-Shop stores network operates as Franchising system. In Ireland and Northern Ireland are several Franchisees opportunities available in cities like: Derry, Athlone, Sligo, Wexford, Newry etc. If you are interested and wish to be the Vitamin-Shop store owner please inquiry within: shop@vitaminshop.ie Every month new stores opens throughout the Europe. Currently the Vitamin-Shop stores are located in : Ireland – 8 stores Northern Ireland – 1 store Great Britain – 19 stores France – 4 stores Spain – 1 store Belgium – 1 store Deutschland – 1 store Italy – 1 store Ukraine – 1 store Poland – over 100 stores.

In Ireland the first VitaminShop outlet was opened in 2007 and by now has evolved to 8 Stores in different locations Nationwide i.e. Dublin,Cork, Limerick,

Galway, Waterford, Kilkenny, Portlaoise and 1 in Northern Ireland – Belfast; http://www.vitaminshop.ie/maps/ We have 2 easy to shop online stores opened 24hours/7days: www.vitaminshope.ie and www. trec.ie and also our sports and nutrition expert are available to answer on any of your questions: expert@vitaminshop.ie To meet our clients requirements especially in time of recession the Vitamin-shop outlets in Dublin 1, Dublin 2, Cork , Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Kilkenny and Belfast introduced new to our clients “Special Offers” brochure with over 30 products in Mega Deals! Sale products are available only in our outlets! Discounts are available in stores! Please enquiry within.

RIBBF COMPETITION IN WATERFORD 2010

We hope we meet with all your requirements without any compromises. If you have any suggestions we appreciate your email on: shop@vitaminshop.ie The Vitamin-shop Team www.vitaminshop.ie

RODNEY HUNT WITH SALES ASSISTANT IN VITAMIN-SHOP IN LIMERICK

G N I O S T I E H p o M C h O N s C A n i L R E m F W Vita e h T

I’m delighted that you have decided to find out more about our franchise opportunity. This article has been written to give you an insight into who we are and what we do. After you have read everything, you should also have a look at our website www.vitamin-shop.co.uk, which will give you a lot more information about the products that we provide and a list of our current shops. Our business philosophy is to offer quality products at an affordable price and backed up by great customer service. It is a very simple, but very effective business formula that resulted in us opening over 20 shops in the first two years when we launched the business into the UK. If you are interested in exploring this opportunity in more detail, please complete and return the franchise questionnaire that you can find in the brochure. We will then contact you to arrange an initial meeting to discuss the business and franchise opportunity in greater detail. This is designed to enable you to find out more about this business opportunity and meet the people involved. We will then provide you with all of the information that you need to find out if this is the right business for you. We will also make our own decision to determine if you are right for this business and if we can work effectively together. I can promise you that if we decide to work together, you will have my total commitment to making your franchise a success. Good luck and best wishes for the future.

ROBERT RZEZNICZAK UK MANAGING DIRECTOR THE VITAMIN-SHOP VITAMIN-SHOP: BUSINESS BACKGROUND What is the core of the business we’re telling you about? Vitamin-shop is a London-based retailer specialising in the sale of vitamins and other dietary supplements. The company is a part of an international group, Trec Nutri-

68

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

tion, with headquarters in New York, the US. Trec has been a successful manufacturer of nutritional foods and supplements for over 12 years. It is also a market leader in Poland, with product sales accounting for over 60% of the whole market. As part of strategic growth in Europe, The Vitamin-shop chain was established in the UK in April 2007, and it opened its first retail outlet in February 2008 in Crouch End, London. The Vitamin-shop Ltd (TVS) holds

Robert Rzezniczak UK MANAGING DIRECTOR THE VITAMIN-SHOP

the exclusive rights to retail the Trec and Vitamin-shop products in the UK and Europe. By the end of 2009 there were over twenty Vitamin-shops trading in the UK. The directors of Trec International are committed to and involved in the strategic development of the company in the UK, whilst Robert Rzezniczak, Managing Director, is responsible for the operational development and day-to-day running of the UK business.

Who are our customers?

The Vitamin-shop has a distinct customer profile both within the UK and Poland with the following characteristics: Primarily aged between 20-40 year old; Overwhelmingly men (up to 70%); Health conscious and careful about what they consume; Tend to exercise on a regular basis and may be members of a gym; Avid consumers of vitamins and supplements in addition to their normal health conscious diets; Tend to read and understand issues regarding health; Will use vitamins and supplements over a long term.

On-site support during the first week of trading Comprehensive local business marketing launch Marketing and promotional plan in line with your business plan, shop location and local area Business operating manual (containing details of our operating systems, marketing, administration, etc) Assistance with recruiting and training staff Ongoing advice and support to help you run the business effectively Shop visits Point of display retail/merchandising materials

Product training You may expect ongoing business development and support: Product training; Product promotions; Ongoing marketing advice; Provision of point of sale materials; Business planning support.

Please get in touch!

If you have anything that you would like to know, please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone or by telephone or e-mail office@vitamin-shop.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.

Robert and The Vitamin-shop Team

Kxxxx Xxxxxxx

What do we offer in our “Vitamin-shop Franchise Package�?

Pre-opening support to assist in establishing your business, including assistance with identifying and acquiring suitable premises Assistance with the production of a business plan and raising finance, if required Assistance with the design and creation of your Vitamin-shop retail outlet Access to our dedicated team of shop designers and fitters Use of our Vitamin-shop corporate identity and brand Protected franchise area An in-depth induction training programme at one of our existing shops

01/2010 REBEL MAGAZINE

69

Where business

and passion merge…

Imagine being part of something new, something exciting.

Something that’s your own. If you have a bit of a business spirit and you’ve always been involved in sports, health or tness opening a shop within the Vitamin-Shop chain may be your best career decision ever.

No random choices

But here with us, it’s not only about business. In the Vitamin-Shop chain there are no random people, hence there are also no random shops. We work with each other, obviously, as we’re all united by one brand, but in the free time we also have fun together – training and exercising, challenging each other and indulging in a healthy competition between our shops. We have always been committed to building and maintaining a highly professional and successful retail network. Our philosophy is simple: you do a lot to the VitaminShop chain, and we support you in your business endeavour with mat-

70

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2009

ching commitment. As the UK Director Rober Rzezniczak always says: Running Vitamin-Shop business is often great fun, but it is also demanding and requires a lot of hard work and sometimes long hours. Our business model is based upon quality products, customer service and value for money. Customers can visit a Vitamin-Shop retail outlet and get great advice related to their own individual needs and requirements. Your business will be successful if you ensure that your customers are looked after and feel valued. If you and your staff give them great service then they will return time and time again.

Great market potential

Nowadays vitamins and supplements are part of people’s lives. Around 10 million people in the UK take dietary supplements – a third of women and a quarter of men, and the whole market is estimated to have achieved sales of nearly £400 million in 2009, 3% up from the previous year.

The prognoses are that more and more people will turn to natural dietary supplements to sustain a long and healthy life.

Isn’t it a business sector that’s worth investing in? Surely so, especially if you hear from our franchisees, whose business opportunities blossom. Just to let you know, Vitamin-Shop has a chain of over 20 shops all over the UK, and there are plans to open a few more as soon as this year.

MEET OUR PEOPLE

Good people equals good business, that’s an old truth. Let me introduce you to some of our excellent staff – the shops’ owners and our athletes, whom we support with our products and professional advice.

Michal Rajczak, owner of the Vitamin-Shop in Ealing, one of the most successful branches; “When I came to the UK, I didn’t quite know what to do. So I started working in the security, and was quite happy with that at the beginning”, Michal recalls when we meet in a local gym in Ealing where he often comes for his portion of weight training. Now, at 33, he is a shapely 85 kg at 180 cm. Michal has always been very keen on sports and exercising. Upon moving to the UK, he spotted a great business potential. – “I noticed that in my area there was not enough sports and nutrition supple-

ments. I started browsing on the Internet and that’s how I found Robert and his Vitamin-Shop” – he says. He opened his shop, the second Vitamin-Shop branch in the UK, nearly 2 years ago. At first, it was not easy. He was still working nights as a security guard, and then came up to his shop in the morning to sell supplements. But his efforts paid off. He now employs 4 full-time workers, also avid fans of body-building, and has some plans to liaise with the local fitness centres to promote his

shop’s activities. Michal’s favourite Vitamin-Shop products? Creatines, Magnum and Mass XXL.

Tomek Slodkiewicz, 1st place in European Juniors Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships; “Body-building runs in my family” – claims Tomek, and he is right. His brother, Radek, is one of the most popular body-builders in Poland, and a frequent champion of Polish and European Body-Building Championships. 25-year old Tomek followed his big brother’s steps, starting from the times when they all lived in Goleniowo near Szczecin, north of Poland, where their family owned a local gym. He then moved on to train professionally, won the European Juniors Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships, started up his own business in Poland, went bankrupt and… decided to come to the UK in 2006. – “It was purely pragmatic a move. I was knee de-

ep in debts and wanted to come clean” – he recalls bitterly. He first struggled with the language, and with all his jobs, he didn’t really have time to exercise.

But slowly yet steadily, he stood back on his feet. First he found a full-time job at the phone retailer shop. –“Last year I paid back my debts and started training again” – Tomek says proudly. And that was the time when he also met the Vitamin-Shop crew, who took him on board – as a friend and sponsor. He is now an athlete who is planning to take part in the Winter Body-Building Championships next year. His aim: to start in up to 100 kg category (he is now 125 kg. at 179 cm, quite a man!). And sport is

not the only thing on his agenda. When his wife comes back to the UK (she is now in Poland, taken care of after a difficult delivery), they are planning to open their own Vitamin-Shop in London. Good luck to them from the Vitamin-Shop team!

Monika Kramarz, owner of the Vitamin-Shop in Fulham; “How is it to be a beautiful woman in such a masculine environment” – I ask Monika when we talk about her doing the Vitamin-Shop business. She laughs and claims it is simply wonderful. – “The amount of flattery and adoration is amazing! Every woman would love such atmosphere” – she adds. Krakow-born Monika came to the UK in December 2004 out of… love. She’s just graduated from business management school and had no idea what to do with her life (except for following her beloved one). She first started working in a clothes store, where she steadily moved up on the ladder, finally getting to the position of a manager. – “That’s when I knew: managing people within the sales world is my thing”, the 29-year old now recollects. She met Robert, the Vitamin-Shop’s Director, when she tried to sell him an advertisement in one of the

newspapers she then worked for. Advertising aside, they hit it off, became friends and then business colleagues.

Monika became so amazed by Robert’s business skills, intuition and his whole Vitamin-Shop experience, that she decided to open her own store. She finalised all the paperwork in September 2009. – “What I loved about Vitamin-Shop was not only the business opportunity, but also my admiration for what an amazing team of people work here. It’s seriously like being a member of a family and I instantly wanted to be a part of it” – she claims vigorously. Both she and her brother-in-law, with whom she operates the Fulham shop on a daily-basis, had no previous experience of working for a health and nutrition sector. But their enthusiasm and sales’ skills were sufficient – they’re now planning the opening of a

new shop! – “We’ve managed to acquire a group of permanent clients, and every day someone new joins in”, they admit.

Monika is now pregnant, so she’s off all supplements, except for the special ones for mothers-to-be. However, she admits that one of her Vitamin-Shop’s favourites is the Clenburexin fat burner. She may not need it, but just as every woman, she’s just never happy with her weight.

01/2009 REBEL MAGAZINE

71

Don’t overdose What’s the best time it on Omega 3 for Tribulus?

Juice Retired

T

A 63-year-old suspended over doping... Eberhard Kliesch (aged 63) was suspended for two years over doping violation by the DLV (German Athletic Association). Kliesch, a hammer thrower, was caught doping on 2 August at the German senior athletics championships. He tested positive for an anabolic steroid called metandienon.

Kalinka in London

Before each match at Chelsea’s home stadium a popular Russian song, Kalinka, performed by Alexandrov Ensemble is played to please Roman Abramovich, a Russian multimillionaire and the owner of Chelsea FC. Kalinka has become the unofficial anthem for the British club.

Ferocious players

”Women’s soccer can get brutal. Supporters who watched a women’s lower division league meeting could see it with their own eyes” reports a sports bulletin. During the TuS Rheindorf – Koelner SV match a full-scale battle broke out between the players of both teams. It started when one player threw her opponent to the ground and hit her on the neck with a flag. Other players joined the fight.

A number of them were hospitalized.

74

here are three important groups of unsaturated fatty acids: omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9. Our diet is not very rich in omega 3 so we should supply appropriate supplements. But an excess can be harmful.

Unlike saturated acids, which make cell membranes more rigid, omega 3 and 6 acids increase membrane permeability. Unfortunately, w when there is too much omega o 3 and 6, while there t is not enough omega 9 (its largest amounts are found in cold pressed olive oil), cell membranes become excessively permeable, lose their integrity and so cell metabolism is disturbed. If you want to enhance your diet with EFAa (essential fatty acids), go for the balanced formula of Omega 3-6-9 acids.

Is arterial hypertension a contraindication for NO (nitric oxide) boosters?

I

t may seem logical to claim m that nitric oxide boosterss are not recommended forr people with arterial hypertension. You couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, this wonderful molecule, which is used to get the muscle pump effect in workouts, is also used in the treatment of high blood pressure. Increased NO concentration relaxes blood vessels and, as a result, more blood flows and delivers more oxygen and nutrients to muscles, but the pressure of blood in vessels is lower. NO boosters are not just another body-building fad – these agents find increasingly more applications in the world of medicine.

REBEL MAGAZINE 01/2010

D

o you ever wonder d der when it is best to taake tribulus? You have read a multitude of labels that give you contradicting theories.

Should you take it in the morning? Hmmm, think… do you need a testosterone boost in the morning? Exactly… not really. Before your workout? Not really either.

Intense strength workout increases the level of the anabolic hormone. What is much more beneficial is a post-workout dose of this hormone. Following a temporary testosterone increase during a workout session its level decreases. So, if you want to ensure the proper rate of post-workout anabolic processes, it is worth taking a tribulus serving.

The most important time for tribulus is bedtime.

It is when you are asleep that regeneration and anabolic processes are the most intensive, and testosterone is an important participant in those processes.

Amino acids – always wanted

Y

ou do not care about your diet and regular meals, but you want to make the best of your junk diet. But how? Well, it’s easy. 3–4 servings of a supplement that offers a full amino acid profile e.g. Amino Max 6800 or Amino 16 500 before meals every day will make up for the inadequate protein intake. They will act like missing puzzle pieces and repair your inadequate diet.