Max-Out Radio and Meal Planning

The latest episode of Max-Out Radio has been published. This episode was great as I had TWO guests. Dr. Chris Mohr came back on the show this time joined by Jayson Hunter CSCS, RD. We talked about keys to meal planning, how to put together meal plans, and the new incredible software they created called Meal Plans 101. This is definitely a show you want to check out.

At the beginning of the show I talk about a controversial study regarding arachidonic acid supplementation for increased muscle growth.

Here's the direct download link for the show

The Blind Leading the Blind

I occasionally lurk around the bodybuilding.com forums since my post yesterday was about nitric oxide supplement I thought highlighting some of my findings would only be fitting.

"Out of all my experience, N.O. Shotgun is by far the best. It's got arginine-ethyl-ester, creatine-ethyl-ester, glutamine-ethyl-ester....Pretty much everything in it is -ethyl-ester, so you know it has a very fast delivery system."

My favorite part is "so you know it has a very fast delivery system". Really? I wasn't aware that -ethyl-esters automatically increase the speed of nutrient delivery (said with extreme sarcasm)


"The taste is horrible, but the product is well worth the money."

Why would you want to pay lots of money and ingest something everyday if it tastes horrible? It isn't like this guy is drinking androgens.

"I did, however, have many problems with taking this product. Instead of creatine-ethyl-ester or creatine-gluconate (like most other pre workout products have), this product just came with outdated creatine monohydrate, and lots of it. Along with that, the digestive problems were horrible. 2 hours after taking it I had massive diarrhea, and stomach cramps like no other. The taste doesn't help much either...."

Honestly this post gets more entertaining the more this person writes. I love how he refers to creatine monohydrate as "outdated" as if it doesn't work anymore.

Please, let this post serve as a warning about fitness and nutrition forums. They should mainly be treated as entertainment unless you know the person giving out information is a reputable source.

Tags: forums, bad advice, nitric oxide supplements

Supplements to Avoid

The following was going to appear in my upcoming project "Your Naked Nutrition Guide" but I decided to leave it out and instead wanted to share it with you now. Enjoy!!


Arginine / Nitric Oxide Supplements – If you have opened a fitness magazine anytime in the past several years then I am sure that you have come across these products that claim to
enhance nitric oxide production…
which increases blood flow to your muscles…
resulting in greater nutrient delivery…
and eventually greater muscle growth.

While that is a nice story it just doesn’t work that way. The main ingredient in most of these products is arginine or some arginine derivative. If you were to open a biochemistry text book you would see that yes arginine is a precursor for the production of nitric oxide so theoretically arginine would be a good amino acid to supplement with, theoretically. But it just doesn’t pan out in the real world. There are a couple problems here. The first problem is that when ingested arginine can go to all kinds of places in the body and be used for a myriad of different functions other than nitric oxide production. The second problem is that in research has shown that in order to get an appreciable increase in nitric oxide production a person would need to continually consume an inordinate amount of arginine throughout the day. This is a problem because excessive arginine consumption (the kind needed to see increases in nitric oxide production) lead to terrible gastrointestinal complications.

So if these products truly don’t work then why are the consistently on the best sellers list of sports supplements? I have know idea. It must be really clever marketing. But please don’t be fooled. Nitric Oxide supplements can cost up to $60 a month to use. This stuff is truly snake oil. Save you money for basic or performance enhancing supplements…or even better – real food!

Note: In "Your Naked Nutrition Guide" I outline what I consider to be basic and performance enhancing supplements.

Tags: supplements, muscle growth, nitric oxide, arginine

Drugs for fat dogs....are they serious???

The FDA has recently approved a drug for the treatment of obesity in dogs. It looks like this drug acts like Orlistat (a drug for humans) and decreases the absorption of dietary fat.

Honestly this is out of control. People not only can't control their own eating habits but overfeed dogs has become such a problem that we drugs for it!! Stop feeding your dog table scraps. Here's the article from health day. I'm really shocked by this.

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U.S. Approves First Drug for Obese Dogs
Not a remedy for overweight people, FDA warns

THURSDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Recognizing that overeating isn't limited to beings with two legs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first prescription drug to manage obesity in dogs.

Pfizer's Stentrol (dirlotapide) reduces appetite and a dog's ability to absorb fat, the agency said. The FDA cited surveys showing that up to 30 percent of U.S. dogs are overweight and about 5 percent are obese (more than 20 percent above ideal weight).

Overweight pets, like people, are at higher risk of health problems ranging from cardiovascular conditions and joint problems to diabetes, the FDA said.

To discourage use of the medication by people, Stentrol's label will warn that the drug is not intended for human use, should be kept away from children, and may cause adverse reactions in people, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, headache, nausea and vomiting.

Tags: dogs, FDA, obesity, overweight dogs