What a day! I wrote a whole paper on iron metabolism then it got erased from my computer (I accidentally saved it in the temporary folder) so I had to rewrite the whole thing this afternoon...ugh
On the the video. I'm not sure why I've been so into amazing vertical leaps but this video is awesome (Thanks to the diesel crew for putting me on to it).
Proper planning is probably THE key to nutritional success (aside from application of planning). An integral part of the planning process is cooking food ahead of time. However if not treated properly these pre-cooked meals can be a fertile playground for all kinds of food borne pathogens and bacteria dying to make you feel like Bill Murray in Osmosis Jones.
To prevent this from happening I recommend that you follow the 2 Hours - 2 Inches - 4 Days rule.
2 Hours - Within 2 hours of cooking you should refrigerate or freeze the food.
2 Inches - If you have made a stew or chili don't store it in the pot you cooked it in. Store the food at a maximum depth of 2 inches to allow for fast cooling.
4 Days - If the leftover have been in your refrigerator for more than 4 days then it is time to get rid of it. This means that if you cook chicken on Sunday by Wednesday it is time to cook some more. Don't try to cook chicken for the whole week unless you are going to freeze it.
Follow these tips and stay pathogenic bacteria free.
Yesterday on T-Nation an interesting article from John Berardi was published. The article was a collection of speculations that John was making about different issues. He quoted some amazing statistics:
58% of the US adult population never reads another book after starting high school (this includes graduates and non-graduates).
33% of US high school graduates never read another book after high school.
42% of US college graduates never read another book after college.
70-80% of US households haven't purchased any books in the last year.
70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57% of new books are not read to completion.
Do you fit in these statistics? Growing up I wasn't a huge reader but know I can't find enough time to read all the books I want to read. Jim Rohn always says it isn't the book you read that matters but the book you DIDN'T read.
So on a quest to read more books I've embarked on a speed reading course called "Eye-Q". I do it everyday (or every other day if I forget). In just over a week I have increased my reading speed by 400 words per minute (550 words per minute if I push it but I don't comprehend as well).
Last week I finished 2 books and 2 more books on tape. This week I have pick up a couple more. This is what's currently on my list for the weekend.
Under the Bar
The Magic of Thinking Big
My Unfinished Business
What are you reading this weekend? What is the book that you haven't read that will make a huge difference in your life??
The FDA has done it! They have approved the over the counter sale of the weight loss pill Xenical. The drug is being sold under the name Alli. Please understand that Alli, Xenical, Orlistat (what ever you want to call it) is NOT the miracle pill.
Do you remember olestra? Companies put it in potato chips for a while because it was a fat that couldn't be absorbed. Products containing olestra become unpopular really quick becasue if you aren't absorbing the fat it still has to go somewhere thus diarrhea became a common symptom of potato chip eaters.
Alli works the same way but instead of eating chips you will take a pill. It will run you about $2 a day. Imagine paying $2 a day for diarrhea?
One study on the 60-milligram dose of orlistat that GlaxoSmithKline plans to make ended with 46 percent of participants losing at least 5 percent of their body weight over six months, compared to 26 percent of those taking a placebo.
So the people using the pill lost 5% of their bodyweight in 6 months. That's terrible. That means if you weight 200lbs you'll lose 10lbs in 6 months! Just commit 12 weeks to Alwyn Cosgrove's Afterburn II and you'll probably lose almost double that! Double the weight loss in half the time. That's what I'm talking about.
I really think this diet pill is going to be a flop. Initially it might be popular but the side effects are just nasty. The fact that it is 1/2 as potent as the prescription version isn't that meaningful because people will just double the dosage when they find that out.
The real answer to weight loss is solid nutrition and weight training. Not a fat blocking pill.
Here's a story on from CNBC
Here's a great tip that I just read over at T-Nation.com from Dr. Lonnie Lowery. If you are not familiar with Dr. Lowery I recommend that you google him or look up his articles over at T-Nation. He is definitely one of my nutritional mentors.
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Eat or Shrink!
Eat on a schedule regardless of hunger! Simply divide the number of needed daily macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) by six meals and that's what's needed every two to three hours. Eat them or be a shrunken flabby-man. Period!
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This is a great tip especially when it comes to packing on muscle. If you wait until you are hungry then you have waited too long. Something else that I've started doing this week when I have two lifting sessions in one day is slip on a BCAA or Protein drink throughout the day. This can help boost recovery, protein synthesis, and if you are using protein boost your calories.
One of my favorite books is Psycho Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. If you haven't read it I highly recommend that you pick a copy up. It has been the secret weapon of thousands of successful people throughout the 20th century (i.e. Vince Lombardi, Jack Nicklaus, etc).
I subscribe to the free Psycho Cybernetics newsletter and it is great. The Psycho Cybernetics foundation is now run by Matt Furey and Matt sends out killer emails several times a week that really make you examine your life and habits to ensure you are functioning at your highest level. Here's a quote from today's email that I wanted to share with you.
"Truth is, if you aren't surrounding yourself with people and information designed to lift you UP - then by law you'll be pulled further down. You must continually feed your mind good thoughts and good ideas. If you don't, you'll end up with a garden full of weeds. "
Are you constantly working to build yourself up?
-Mike
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
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.
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.
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.
This should come as no surprise to anyone that has been reading my blog for sometime now. But yet again the media has twisted the message from scientific research to make a good headline. This proliferation of inaccurate information is terrible! This is the latest (that was actually on the Yahoo homepage so lot's of people are getting bad information).
"Grape juice seems to have the same protective effect against heart disease as red wine, French scientists said on Wednesday."
WRONG!
Apparently they don't have Medline in France. This conclusion is a huge stretch and actually the opposite is probably true. I have recently written a review article (soon to be published) on the different effects lifestyle changes can have on HDL (or good cholesterol). This included looking at the effects of red wine (and other alcohols) on cholesterol and other predictors of heart disease. Several studies compare wine vs. wine extract (essentially just the antioxidants) or wine vs. grape juice and the wine always has the greatest effect.
"But Schini-Kerth, whose research was partly funded by Welch Foods Inc which is a leading producer of grape juice, said little information is available on the levels of polyphenols in grape juice."
That's an interesting disclosure. I'm not against food industry funded studies only when crazy claims are made to make their products look better. I can only imagine Welch's marketing campaign now.
"The scientists were studying cells from pigs, which provide a good model for studying human cells."
This is another important piece of information. The researchers were studying pig cells in a dish. Not human cells. Not even pig cells in a pig. These findings should be taken with a big grain of sea salt! Especially because prior research in live humans has shown that the alcohol is the important part when it comes to modifying cholesterol levels and heart disease risk factors.
Here's the link to the article.
I just came across this great mini article over at eatingwell.com. This is the great food magazine that I spoke about on the most recent issue of Max-Out Radio.
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Think Like a Chef
You don't have to be a short-order cook to create meals in a hurry, but we can all learn some culinary wisdom from those who can prepare hundreds of meals in a single day. Follow these short-order steps to make healthy meals easy.
1. Relax, put on some music and pour yourself a cup of tea. A composed cook is a more efficient one.
2. Read the recipe through ahead of time so you know everything that’s going to happen. Take a minute to imagine doing the steps.
3. Lay out your prepared ingredients in bowls. Having everything at your fingertips means the dish will come together faster. Cutting an onion before you start to cook is actually a time-saver; cutting it after the cooking has already begun wastes time—you have to take the skillet off the heat, then heat it back up when you’re done chopping. That being said, remember that quick cooking is about getting maximal results in minimal time. So, for instance, if a recipe calls for cooking an ingredient first, make use of that cooking time to get other prep work done.
4. Room-temperature vegetables cook faster than cold ones. While we don’t advocate letting meat, poultry, fish or dairy sit out, we do let our vegetables come to room-temperature so they will sear quickly, cook evenly and blend more readily with other ingredients.
5. Substitute carefully. Although some substitutions seem obvious, they can be tricky business. A ruined dish is a waste of time. See The Well-Stocked Pantry.
6. Measure accurately. Nothing wrecks a quick-cooking sauté like a double portion of flour or an overdose of salt.
7. Work in a bigger bowl than you think you need. Ever seen someone try to make tuna salad for four in a cereal bowl? Get out the big bowls—you’ll avoid a mess on the counter, and you won’t have to transfer contents to bigger bowls once they become unwieldy.
8. Do messy work in the sink. Stir batters, coatings and spice mixtures in bowls set in the sink. Spills are simply washed down the drain.
9. Turn up the heat. While you shouldn’t sauté onions in butter over high heat (the butter solids will burn and the onions will then stick and scorch), you also shouldn’t do so over low (the onions will just wilt and turn greasy). Don’t be afraid of higher temperatures—within reason. If you’re minding the skillet, the ingredients will not burn.
10. Always have towels and oven mitts at the ready. And make sure they’re dry. Wet mitts conduct heat right to your hands.
11. Clean up as you cook. Put things in the dishwasher while you’re waiting for the onions to soften, or wash the cutting boards and mixing bowls while you’re waiting for the tomato sauce to come to a simmer. Always put each tool back in the same place—so you will know exactly where to find it next time. Aim to start and finish with a clean kitchen. (Don’t be afraid to recruit help from the ranks of those who will be eating what you cook.)
12. A watched pot always boils. Pay attention to the dish as it cooks; don’t just set a timer and leave it. All timing guidelines are just that: guidelines, not laws. Pay more attention to visual and olfactory cues.
Here's an exciting announcement that I've been waiting to announce and today's the day!. On April 13th & 14th I will be speaking at the JP Fitness Summit in Little Rock, AR.
The focus of my talk will be Nutrient Timing and how to maximize its potential. The summit will be full of several other incredible speakers such as Chad Waterbury, Charles Staley, Alwyn Cosgrove, Bill Hartman, Coach dos Remedios, and Lou Schuler. I am honored to be speaking with this crowd as they are all incredible men.
You can find more about the event at JP Fitness Summit. I hope to see you there!
I get lots of emails with people asking me about what products I buy/use so here are a couple.
*Workout Pass - I just got a membership here and am blown away by the sheer volume of workouts. How could I ever complete over 100 workouts by alwyn cosgrove??
*OmegaRx Fish Oil - I've used this product for well over 2 years.
*Surge - My favorite PWO shake. I find myself actually craving the taste - weird huh?
*Metabolic Drive - My (and my wife's) favorite protein powder, hands down!
*Xtend by Scivation - A tasty BCAA supplement that comes in some great flavors
*ZMA by Optimum Nutrition - ZMA definitely improves my sleep.
*Hot-Rox Extreme This is a solid product that definitely will get you amped up.
I usually like to keep my supplementation simple. When I start using some different products I'll update my blog with changes.
*Note: By clicking on the links for Xtend, ZMA, or HRX you'll be able to save %10 on your orders.
I am often amazed by the upper body strength of rock climbers. Just think about how many chin up you can do? Imagine doing that over and over and over...just incredible. Here's a great video of a rock climber. Enjoy!
In the newest episode of Max-Out Radio (just published today) I talk about one of the popular studies regarding the new supplement beta-alanine. Beta-Alanine is an interesting beast because like creatine it allows you to do more work. Some would say that is a similar mechanism to anabolic steroids as they too allow you to train more often. However a main difference between anabolics and creatine or beta-alanine (and there are tons so don't think I'm saying creatine or beta-alanine are "like steroids" because they are not.) is that anabolics will help you recover faster by several mechanisms one of which is increased protein synthesis. More recovery means you can workout more and more often thus building more muscle.
Beta-alaine will allow you to do more work BUT it won't necessarily allow you to recover faster. Herein lies the problem. If your nutrition isn't sufficient to start out with and you are not maximally recovering from your workouts what would happen if you all of a sudden give your body the ability to lift more weight and do more work in any given session? Over the long term I think this is a recipe for disaster. This is when more ISN'T better. Because if you are nutritionally lacking, more work is just going to contribute to a greater chance of overtraining and not more muscle.
Proper nutrition is such a powerful weapon that when wielded properly yields incredible results. Couple that with a supplement that seems to have the ability to increase your work capacity and you have set the stage for a level of physique development most people dream about.
-MR
I received an email from my buddy Eric Cressey last night talking about a client he has been working with. The video of this vertical leap is just incredible. Check it out!
Are you are hard gainer?
Are you tired of not being able to pack on slabs of muscle?
Do you feel doomed to be skinny?
If so then keep reading....
Chad Waterbury and I are looking for a hardgainer guinea pig for "The Hardgainer Project". If selected for this project Chad will design the training program, and I will design the nutritional and supplementation program that will get you out of your "skinny slump". Plus you will get featured in a T-Nation article.
The catch is...we're only picking ONE guy. So if you think you should be the one picked for the HG Project tell us why in a post below or email me at mike@muscleandcuts.com.
Good Luck,
Mike
Over at Men's Health their nutritional strategy is known as the Abs Diet. As diets go it isn't that bad. As part of the Abs Diet they have 12 Power foods. These are good choices that you should consider adding to your nutrition plan if you haven't already.
Here's the list:
1. Almonds
2. Beans
3. Spinach
4. Dairy
5. Instant Oatmeal (Okay, this one isn't the best choice. Use real oatmeal damit!)
6. Eggs
7. Turkey
8. Peanut Butter
9. Olive Oil
10. Whole Grain Bread
11. Extra-Protein via Powder
12. Raspberries
You can find out more about these Power Foods and the Abs Diet HERE.
A couple days ago I was lucky enough to listen in on a conference call that Charles Staley did with Frank Zane. Frank is a class act and one of my favorite bodybuilders of all time. Here's a great video of classic frank.
