Archive for the Nutrition Category
Sure they are high in fat, but you still should consider almonds your nutritional friend
Feeling peckish between meals? Don’t unwrap a sugary protein bar; grab a handful (one ounce) of almonds instead. They’re the perfect addition to a bodybuilding meal or they can stand alone as a quick and nutritious snack.
Almonds are chock-full of bodybuilding basics such as protein and the “good” fats that are often overlooked as part of a smart bodybuilding diet. So grab a handful of almonds and keep reading. (more…)
Nutrition | 04.17.10 | No Comments
Can this stalwart muscle-builder also be helping you burn fat?
By now creatine is more or less a bodybuilding staple, nearly as commonly stocked in a bodybuilder’s pantry as whey protein. It’s also well known for the size and strength increases it imparts. What’s less familiar to most, however, is that creatine can also contribute to fat loss: Get lean with creatine! Kind of catchy, no?
Don’t take our word for the supplement’s fat burning ability though. One study found that one month of creatine supplementation not only increased strength and muscle mass, but also the resting metabolic rate in men. In other words, guys who sat around and just watched television and drank creatine mixes every day had an increased metabolic rate of about 50 calories per day. Among guys who took creatine and also lifted weights, the increase in resting metabolism was about 100 calories per day. That may seem small, but it’s important to remember that in this study, the guys who lifted but did not take creatine had no change in their resting metabolic rate. (more…)
Nutrition | 04.17.10 | No Comments
Take these supps before bed to grow while you snooze
Two of the most potent anabolic agents you can take before hitting the sack are arginine and ZMA. Although it’s recommended that each is taken alone and on an empty stomach, some wonder if they can be taken together, or if the individual effectiveness of each will be lost. The good news is that, yes, you can take them toegther without worrying about one interfering with the other.
It is true that both supplements are better absorbed when taken without food. We recommend taking ZMA without food because certain nutrients inhibit its uptake. Both zinc and magnesium, the main ingredients in ZMA, are poorly absorbed when taken with food, especially when the food contains calcium. Calcium competes with zinc and magnesium to inhibit their uptake by the intestines. Zinc and copper compete for uptake, as well. Phytates, which are phosphorus compounds found in whole grain breads, cereals, legumes and other products, decrease zinc absorption. (more…)
Nutrition | 04.17.10 | No Comments
Our 7-part catalog on bodybuilding nutrition concludes with these 10 tips
Food. The final frontier. At least it is when it comes to bodybuilding. That’s because genetics and hard training will only take you so far. It is your diet that will bring about ultimate success or failure. Use these 10 tips – along with the previous 60 in this series – to start finding new success with your bodybuilding goals.
61 CHOOSE PROTEIN SOURCES THAT WORK BEST FOR YOU
Learn what protein foods give you the best results. Some bodybuilders swear by red meat, saying they feel stronger and look fuller when they eat it, perhaps because of the iron, zinc, creatine, etc., it contains. Others prefer fish or chicken, saying they have trouble digesting red meat. Choose the protein sources that work best for you, and use the same logic in making your other nutritional choices, as well. (more…)
Nutrition | 04.17.10 | No Comments
Got no bucks for supps? There’s hope yet. Use these six tips to stretch your budget and keep your gains on track
While by now, many of you are probably stashing money in your mattress as your preferred method of “saving,” you should remember that the best approach is to watch how you spend it – penny saved, penny earned and all that jazz.
Here are six ways that you can save on your supplement expenses which, for some bodybuilders, can be significant each month. Hopefully, these lessen the blow to your bank account. (more…)
Nutrition | 04.17.10 | No Comments
Combine these supps with our gym-tested routine and watch your arms grow by an inch – literally – in just a few hours
By Jim Stoppani, PhD
As you read this, plenty of your gym brethren are busying themselves with debunking our claim: Add an inch to your arms…in a day! This bold assertion, which we make in our July issue, presents a dense, varied workout performed in small blocks of work each hour, on the hour, for 5-6 hours. Here, we explain the science behind the supplements that will help you achieve the craziest pump you’ve ever had, and leave you with a drastic, lasting increase to your upper arm measurements. (more…)
Nutrition | 04.17.10 | No Comments
If you’ve been experiencing aching joints, you might want to give green tea a try.
Legend has it that tea was “discovered” by accident, way back in 2737 by Chinese leader and medical expert, Sheng Nong. Apparently, one day while he was boiling water under a tea tree, some of its leaves fell into his pot. Noticing increased vitality from his happy accident, he wrote of the curative powers of the tea leaf.
More than 4700 years later the positive effects of drinking green tea has been well documented by medical experts, Eastern and Western alike. Studies indicate that the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, from which green tea is derived, contain several polyphenolic compounds called catechins, which are also found in grape skins and seeds. (more…)
Nutrition | 04.17.10 | No Comments
Learn how each of the ingredients in our “Supps on a Budget” article does its dirty work
Bodybuilders know this better than anyone – supplements cost money. And these days, with everyone pinching pennies, you may not be able to get all the same powders and pills that you’re accustomed to. In this month’s issue of FLEX, you get nine different supplement stacks to help you weather the economic downturn. Here, you learn exactly how each product helps your physique. (more…)
Nutrition | 04.17.10 | No Comments
Tips 51-60 of our 70-tip series on big-muscle eating
Building a Sandow-worthy physique involves the careful manipulation of literally hundreds of variables, both in the training room and in the kitchen. If you’ve been checking with us for the last five weeks, then you know we’ve boiled the eating side of things down into 70 basic principles. This is part six of seven.
51 AVOID JUNK FOODS AND PROCESSED FOODS
The temptations are everywhere — soft drinks, fast food, Cheetos on the table at a friend’s house. You must learn to cut out these sugary and fatty foes (even when you’re hungry). Empty calories of all kinds dominate the American palate, especially in social situations, but successful bodybuilders know how to chew the fat without eating it. White-flour products (doughnuts, white bread, etc.) are particularly bad for your physique. Even lemonade may be more sugar than real lemon. Processed cold cuts, with their nitrates and preservatives, are far from true lean meat. Learn the difference. (more…)
Nutrition | 04.17.10 | No Comments
Expanding your eating IQ for more muscle (continued)
Everyone knows that nutrition can be the most critical element in your quest for a more muscular physique. You didn’t think that monster pecs and wide-swept quads were built on cheeseburgers, did you? Check out 10 more of our best nutrition tips for getting a FLEX-worthy build, and visit us next Tuesday for 10 more.
41 TAKE CREATINE POSTWORKOUT
Take 3-5 g of creatine immediately after your workout — the muscles you trained will absorb creatine at a faster-than-normal rate. Boost creatine retention in muscle (and get more out of this powerful supplement) by taking it with your postworkout shake. Take the rest of your daily creatine allotment (3-5 g) at another time of the day. This strategy may help speed the rate at which your muscles refuel with phosphocreatine. (more…)
Nutrition | 04.17.10 | No Comments
