Causes and Prevention of Muscle Loss in Elderly Men

Sarcopenia, or loss of muscle mass and strength with increasing fatigue, is a common cause of deteriorating quality of life during the aging process, but its causes are poorly understood. Publishing in this month’s American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Szulc and colleagues in Lyon, France, report on a study of 855 French men aged 45-85 years old, which evaluated relationships among age, skeletal muscle mass, differences in life style practices such as exercise, smoking, and moderate use of alcohol, and blood levels of sex hormones and vitamin D. Skeletal muscle mass, measured by DXA technique, decreased in relation to the age of the subjects, and was negatively related to smoking, lower levels of free testosterone and vitamin D, and sedentary life style. The risk of sarcopenia was not related to coffee or moderate alcohol consumption, total testosterone, or estrogen levels. Thus, age-related muscle mass might be improved by smoking cessation and modest increase in leisure time exercise, and potentially by supplementation with vitamin D and, if indicated, testosterone.

Szulc P, Duboeuf F, Marchand F, et al. Hormonal and lifestyle determinants of appendicular skeletal muscle mass in men: the MINOS study. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80:496-503

Causes and Prevention of Muscle Loss in Elderly Men

Sarcopenia, or loss of muscle mass and strength with increasing fatigue, is a common cause of deteriorating quality of life during the aging process, but its causes are poorly understood. Publishing in this month’s American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Szulc and colleagues in Lyon, France, report on a study of 855 French men aged 45-85 years old, which evaluated relationships among age, skeletal muscle mass, differences in life style practices such as exercise, smoking, and moderate use of alcohol, and blood levels of sex hormones and vitamin D. Skeletal muscle mass, measured by DXA technique, decreased in relation to the age of the subjects, and was negatively related to smoking, lower levels of free testosterone and vitamin D, and sedentary life style. The risk of sarcopenia was not related to coffee or moderate alcohol consumption, total testosterone, or estrogen levels. Thus, age-related muscle mass might be improved by smoking cessation and modest increase in leisure time exercise, and potentially by supplementation with vitamin D and, if indicated, testosterone.

Szulc P, Duboeuf F, Marchand F, et al. Hormonal and lifestyle determinants of appendicular skeletal muscle mass in men: the MINOS study. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80:496-503

THOUGHT FACTOR

I've just finished rewriting James Allen's classic bestseller "As A Man Thinketh" in modern day language.I'm pretty excited about it because I think I've done a good job at updating and modernising this fantastic book. Scroll down this page to view the original book, or click on the link to the left. stay tuned for more details in the very near future on how you can get your hands on the updated version of "As A Man Thinketh", renamed THOUGHT FACTOR.

ALKALINE SALT



Scientific Name: Sodium Bicarbonate

Type of Nutrient: Alkaline Salt

History: First research regarding performance enhancement over 60 years ago. Little research however in following 45 years.

How Supplied: Powder

Usual Source: Baking Soda

Used for: Reducing muscle and blood acidity (Lactic Acid buffer). Improving anaerobic performance (power and endurance)

Cost Effectiveness: * * * * *

Safety: 20 grams of Sodium Bicarbonate contains 5 grams of Sodium. Very unhealthy nutrition. Ten times more sodium than you need (Recommended Dietary Allowances 10th Edition 1989). Can send blood pressure sky high.

PRECAUTIONS: CAN CAUSE EXPLOSIVE DIARRHOEA. USE ONLY FOR BIG EVENTS.

Alkaline salt...Sodium Bicarbonate...ergogenic performance enhancing aid

ALKALINE SALT



Scientific Name: Sodium Bicarbonate

Type of Nutrient: Alkaline Salt

History: First research regarding performance enhancement over 60 years ago. Little research however in following 45 years.

How Supplied: Powder

Usual Source: Baking Soda

Used for: Reducing muscle and blood acidity (Lactic Acid buffer). Improving anaerobic performance (power and endurance)

Cost Effectiveness: * * * * *

Safety: 20 grams of Sodium Bicarbonate contains 5 grams of Sodium. Very unhealthy nutrition. Ten times more sodium than you need (Recommended Dietary Allowances 10th Edition 1989). Can send blood pressure sky high.

PRECAUTIONS: CAN CAUSE EXPLOSIVE DIARRHOEA. USE ONLY FOR BIG EVENTS.

Alkaline salt...Sodium Bicarbonate...ergogenic performance enhancing aid

ALKALINE SALT



Scientific Name: Sodium Bicarbonate

Type of Nutrient: Alkaline Salt

History: First research regarding performance enhancement over 60 years ago. Little research however in following 45 years.

How Supplied: Powder

Usual Source: Baking Soda

Used for: Reducing muscle and blood acidity (Lactic Acid buffer). Improving anaerobic performance (power and endurance)

Cost Effectiveness: * * * * *

Safety: 20 grams of Sodium Bicarbonate contains 5 grams of Sodium. Very unhealthy nutrition. Ten times more sodium than you need (Recommended Dietary Allowances 10th Edition 1989). Can send blood pressure sky high.

PRECAUTIONS: CAN CAUSE EXPLOSIVE DIARRHOEA. USE ONLY FOR BIG EVENTS.

Bodybuilding Supplement Guide-Caffeine Facts...Effects

Following on from my last posting in which I introduced the Ironpower Bodybuilding Supplement Guide...Here's a small extract about caffeine from the first section on energy systems. Not only does caffeine, when correctly utilised and applied, boost an athlete's physical performance significantly...it also has a dramatic positive effect on fat loss. For the full facts and effects of using caffeine as a potent fat burner and sports performance enhancer...click on the link at the end of this posting to be taken to the main http://ironpower.biz site to view the complete guide to using caffeine...and the Complete Ironpower Bodybuilding Supplement Guide...

Energy Systems

SECTION I
THE PHARMACOLOGY OF BIOENERGETICS
- ENHANCING MUSCLE ENERGY SYSTEMS


- Caffeine
- Sodium Bicarbonate
- Creatine Monohydrate
- Potassium Phosphate
- L-Carnitine
- Ginseng
- Glycerol

This section explores the various mechanisms through which the above substances can effect human energy systems. It outlines dosages and procedures for specific results in enhancing physical performance.

CAFFEINE
Scientific Name: Methylxanthine
Type of Nutrient: Stimulant drug of Central Nervous System
History: Used for hundreds of years in form of tea and coffee beverages
How Supplied: Powder, Tablet, Liquid, Suppository
Natural Sources: Tea, Coffee, Guarana, Kola Nut
Used for: Reducing bodyfat and perception of effort. Increasing workload capacity, muscle fibre recruitment, exercise intensity, endurance, alertness, concentration, and oxygen uptake, Glycogen sparing
Cost effectiveness: Excellent
Safety: Up to 600mg/day (7 cups of coffee) considered safe (Gilbert 1992)
Precautions: Should not be taken by pregnant women (has been linked with reduced bodyweight of the newborn) or people with heart problems (excessive doses can cause extra beats of left ventricle). Can cause physical dependence at daily dosages of 350mg and above (about 4 cups of coffee). 5 grams and above can be a lethal dose (about 60 cups of coffee).

Some Personal Trainers will be horrified at the thought of encouraging clients to consume caffeine. However, its effects on physical performance and bodyfat reduction are too great and well documented to ignore. Used prudently, caffeine’s benefits can be made to outweigh possible risks.

Visit the ironpower.biz site to see the Complete Bodybuilding Supplement Guide and the rest of this section on Caffeine benefits effects facts withdrawal tolerance pregnancy content fat burning and much, much more...

Bodybuilding Supplement Guide for building muscle and losing fat-intro

The following introduction is an exerpt from my 'BODYBUILDERS GUIDE TO SUPPLEMENTS'
Here's how you can build muscle and burn fat at the fastest rate...naturally '

INTRODUCTION
In an effort to find a short cut that will reduce the time and effort required to become competitive or to meet the challenge of the moment, it has become a common occurrence in the history of man to try chemicals of various types to improve both mental and physical performance.
Examples of this range from students trying to obtain a better grade, to athletes trying to shave seconds off the time required to perform an athletic feat, to the military’s use of chemicals to help soldiers perform heroic feats of endurance. To an objective appraiser, it is likely that the greater majority of effects in dietary pharmacology are subtle, meaning hard to measure, but not necessarily trivial.
As pointed out by scientific research (Coyle 1984), by far the most effective means of improving physical performance is a good training program. Coyle estimates that in previously sedentary individuals, improvements in muscle strength can be improved by 50% following the appropriate training program.
There are very few reports of drugs improving performance by more than 10%, and in fact, the improvement in well-trained individuals shown by most studies is not even close to 10%. However, while it is true for most biological studies that a change of less than 10% is considered trivial, in many athletic events an improvement in performance by far less than 10% represents the difference between a winner and an also-ran.
For example, Roger Banister broke the 4 minute mile barrier in 1954 (3:59:4). Between Banister’s performance and the 1981 performance of Sebastian Coe (3:47:33), 15 different athletes held the new best time. In many of these 15 different world-record breaking performances, the improvement in time was less than 1 second. Thus, even if the effects of nutritional ergogenesis are subtle, the small improvement in performance could give an athlete a tremendous advantage.
The following handbook has been prepared specifically for Personal Trainers. Its aim is to provide accurate information on the relatively few proven and legal nutritional ergogens available - What they are, their relative safety and how they are best used for maximizing benefits while minimizing any side-effects.
In combination with correct training and nutrition, the information contained herein may be of assistance in tailoring a program which accelerates the attainment of your or your clients goals in areas such as fat loss, muscle growth, strength, power, speed and increased energy/endurance.
Click here to view the rest of the Ironpower Bodybuilding Supplement Guide

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About Articles by Richard Hargreaves (writer for Australian Ironman and Musclemag) -Developing Mental Muscle (doc) -Top Ten Long Term Fat Fighting Rules(PDF) -Bigger Leaner Muscles using Synergistic Supplement Stacking-The Powerstack (PDF) (beware kitchen sink approach) -Boost testosterone(doc) -Boost testosterone (PDF) -How you can gained 3.8kg of muscle in 5 weeks(doc) -Keys to building your best physique (test, measure, grow) (doc) -Supercompensation-ultimate recovery stack (doc) -Tenways to increase your chances of winning a bodybuilding contest (doc) -Female bodybuilding and supplementation(html) Naturally Boost Human Growth Hormone (HGH), IGF-1,testosterone, and insulin with this Beta 2 agonist Broadbean l-dopa soup recipe! Bigger stronger muscles with Powerstack (PDF) Bodybuilding supplement guide (HTML) Bodybuilding supplement guide (PDF) Boost testosterone(doc) Build muscle lose fat with Synstack (PDF) Build muscle (Quickest muscle building techniques) Burn fat (How to) Clint Cohen-success story & program Contact us Customer feedback Delivery information-cost,length of time Downloads-lots of FREE stuff...e-books -banned substances list (PDF) -Bodybuilding Beyond Basics book (.exe) -Bodybuilding supplement guide (PDF) -Super Fat Burner Book (.exe) Fat loss with diet Fat loss with exercise Fat loss with Ultrapack (How to burn-fat,best fat-burners) Fitness-site-blog-Latest fitness updates from Richard Hargreaves and Ironpower. Fitness Tools- FREE software to help you on your fitness quest (Body fat calculator, Reminder Buddy, Calories burned calculator) Get ripped (doc) Growth Hormone university study...703% boost in GH (PDF) Glossary of terms Homepage (start building muscle and losing fat here) Increase fat burning Streamline (PDF) Increase growth hormone 703% with GH Stack (PDF) Keys to building your best physique (test, measure, grow) (doc) Links to other bodybuilding resources Mental muscle pt1 Mental muscle pt2 Mental muscle pt3 Muscle-building with diet Muscle-building with exercise Muscle building with exercise-1 Muscle building with exercise-2 Muscle building with exercise-A Muscle building with exercise-B Muscle building with exercise-C Muscle-building with Ultrapack's Muscle-building with Ultrapack-top ten reasons for buying Muscle up diet Muscle up intro News and what's new Products Products Andro stack (boost low testosterone) -Andro banned (PDF) Products Caffeine (facts, effects,buy) Products GH Stack (boost hgh and igf-1) Products Powerstack (creatine) Products Streamline (incorporates supreme thermogenic formula) Products Synstack (incorporates supreme thermogenic formula) Questions and answers Quick tips Retailers of Ironpower products Seven step success plan to transform your body and life pt1 Seven step success plan to transform your body and life pt2 Success stories Supercompensation-ultimate recovery stack (doc) Supplement guide (Bodybuilding) -energy systems (creatine etc) -losing fat -recovery (building muscle) -synergy -case study -other Tenways to increase your chances of winning a bodybuilding contest (doc)

HGH Soup "Tweaks"

Soup review comments
Here's some feedback on improving the taste of the HGH (Human Growth Hormone) boosting soup (Thanks Mum!)
Some more flavour required such as either salt and black pepper or
2 chicken stock cubes or
2 teaspoons chicken stock powder Massel’s Stock Powder 99% fat free
And black pepper, added at the end of cooking.

Straining and pureeing: very difficult to strain. I found that giving the liquid a really good blend in the food processor was quite sufficient to get a really smooth soup.

Give the portion of uncooked beans, 2 or 3 minutes in boiling water, when blanching, before adding to soup.

Hope these comments are useful. Otherwise it is quite a pleasant soup. If it is too thick add water or chicken stock.

To view the HGH boosting Broad Bean soup recipe, click here.

Under Eating...pt 2 of Five Familiar Bodybuilding Troubles

FIVE FAMILIAR BODYBUILDING TROUBLES --- WHICH DO YOU WANT TO OVERCOME? Part 2...Under Eating

In my 3 decades of training experience I have identified 5 major bodybuilding troubles or problems. These are:-

1 Overtraining...training too much...too often and too long. Not taking a complete week off every 3 months...

2 Under eating...Not eating enough...eating inconsistantly...you need 6 meals per day minimum...every day, including

weekends...

3 Neglecting the window of opportunity for rapid growth by not taking Whey protein and creatine immediately after training...

4 Not stretching properly to facilitate easy growth...

5 Not focussing your mental muscle on who you want to become...


In this five part series, this is the second...and I'll be addressing the number two problem on my list...and that's under eating...


Under eating...6 meals per day minimum...every day, including weekends.
This is the next biggest trouble I've found when a bodybuilder just doesn't seem able to gain size. It's no good having a big feed every now and then...it must be done on a consistant regular basis day in and out. 6 to 7 Meals or snacks per day. Eat every 2-3 hours.
This isn't easy... it requires a bit of planning and foresight. If you know you won't easily have access to food at a scheduled meal time...plan in advance how you will overcome this. For exampe, you may have to go on a trip out in the country and there won't be any shops around to buy anything. Rather than thinking, Oh well, I'll just have to skip my morning tea or afternoon snack (depending on the time of day)...take it with you. Take some protein powder, bottled water and a shaker. Perhaps always have a supply in your car for unexpected hold-ups eg getting stuck in a traffic jam. Don't form the habit of making excuses ie "There's nothing I can do about it."...because there usually is...you just have to think ahead. What is harder is eating enough quantity all the time...especially if you are a hard gainer. If you are a hard gainer...you're going to have to eat heaps...there's no getting around this. A lot of the time you won't be hungry and yet it will be time to eat again.
What can you do?
The best solution I've found is to eat delicious food. This might sound a bit simplistic, but believe me it works. For instance...it's time for your next scheduled meal and you feel like your previous meal still hasn't gone down...so you're not hungry and don't feel like eating.Now, if your next meal is plain steamed rice and chicken (which you've been eating everyday for the past 3 months or (
longer)who could blame you for wanting to skip it. You're not hungry and it isn't appealing.You need to make the foods appeal to your appetite...not repel you because of repetitive boredom. Even appetising foods lose their appeal if you eat the same thing everyday.They say variety is the spice of life...and this couldn't be more true as far as food is concerned. Get plenty of variety. Don't eat the same foods day in day out. Have a different lunch everyday. have a different dinner everyday. Never have two successive meals the same. And eat yummy food! Instead of plain chicken...sometimes have it curried, and with delicious sauces and spices and herbs.Vary the rice...there's lots of scrumptious rice dishes to choose from...don't always have plain vanilla even if you love vanilla! It makes a huge difference over the long term to the success of your bodybuilding efforts if you look forward to your meals. The trick is to make it as enjoyable as possible...not something you have to suffer and endure. So eat delicious food, which is constantly varying.
Now as well as frequency...you have to eat enough. If you are an ectomorph(naturally skinny) you will find it the hardest to gain weight compared to other somatypes. So this point is mainly addressed to you. I really know what I'm talking about here because I fall into this category, and I will share with you how I overcame this drawback.Don't be dismayed if you fall into this category, because you can succeed in building a fantastic body...and when you do you will look absolutely fantastic because of your naturally low tendency to carry body fat. In other words, you can look ripped year 'round, eating just about anything you want once you've achieved the necessary muscularity! Other body types although they may gain muscle easier...they also gain fat easier too, which makes the challenge to them to stay lean. And believe me...its easier to keep your weight up when you can eat anything than trying to keep your weight(fat) down, when you have a tendency to get fat.The simple solution I found was to supplement every meal with a protein shake. It is a lot easier to make up your calorie, protein and carb requirements when you can drink it rather than eating all the time. I remember times my jaws used to ache from all the tiring chewing! It was much easier to chew less solid food and slam down a protein shake. Which reminds me of another point...make sure your steaks etc are tender...if not, hamburger style meats are better...you can eat more without all the facial fatigue! If you can't afford a protein powder, use skim milk powder instead...this will give you plenty of protein and carbs. Throw a banana or other soft fruit in and some low fat yoghurt, and you have a delicious, effective and cheap means to get HUGE!
Some people might think what I'm about to say is disgusting...but I'll still say it anyway because it demonstrates an important and true point. Because I was (and still am) a hard gainer (although I know so many tips and tricks these days that it doesn't bother me) my biggest challenge was eating enough. I never skipped training sessions, or missed a meal...but had trouble eating enough...that is why I relied on shakes. I remember my last meal of the day each day was just before bed. It was a huge protein shake...so huge in fact( I'm coming to the disgusting part now) that because I was still full from all the other 6 meals I'd already eaten that day...I had to drink it over the sink because it was coming back up! And that's true...but my method worked. I took my bodyweight up from 67 kg to 108 kg over 6 years...and the huge protein shake before bed was one of my secret weapons in my arsenal of GETTING BIG stategies. Another benefit of such a large drink before bed was that I would always have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet...which then gave me a chance to have another protein shake meal!

HGH Booster L-dopa without Prescription!

I forgot to say in earlier postings one of the reasons I am so excited about using the l-dopa naturally contained within Broad beans as a HGH booster is because while L-dopa is an amino acid that occurs naturally in the body, it is normally only available by prescription.The Monash Medical Centre study done in Melbourne Australia demonstrated that the l-dopa contained within Broad Beans was just as pharmacologically active as the prescription medication form of L-dopa! So what this means is you get the equivalent of an expensive prescribed form of l-dopa for the price of a few Broad Beans. What a bargain...not only a potent HGH booster but a healthy meal in one! Dr. Klatz in Grow Young With HGH has this to say about L-dopa - "L-dopa is one of the most effective GH-stimulators in both animals and humans." Human studies show that eating the beans leads to significant L-Dopa levels in the blood that reach a maximum in only one hour after eating.
An added GH-boosting effect may come from the fact that they contain a substance that's similar to the enzyme that converts glutamate to gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA). GABA is known to be involved in regulating the secretion of GH. So they may in fact pack a 'double wammy' punch that K.O's some extra HGH(Human Growth Hormone) out of your pituitary. ONE WORD OF CAUTION: A tiny percentage of people (particularly Greeks and Italians) lacks an enzyme that makes them susceptible to haemolysis anaemia (destruction of red blood cells) due to fava bean consumption, known as Favism. Of course, if you suffer from Favism you should avoid Broad beans...But for the rest of the population, why not take advantage of this super HGH boosting food for building muscle, losing fat, and rejuvenating your body...start looking and feeling younger today! Click here for a FREE copy of my natural HGH Human Growth Hormone IGF-1 and testosterone boosting l-dopa broad bean soup recipe.( It's delicious too!)

Bigger Muscles...Window of Opportunity

5 Familiar Bodybuilding Troubles...Which Do You Want To Overcome? Part 3-Window of Opportunity

In my 3 decades of training experience I have identified 5 major bodybuilding troubles or problems. These are:-

1 Overtraining...training too much...too often and too long. Not taking a complete week off every 3 months...
2 Under eating...Not eating enough...you need 6 meals per day minimum...every day, including weekends... 3 Neglecting the window of opportunity for rapid growth by not taking Whey protein and creatine immediately after training...
4 Not stretching properly to facilitate easy growth...
5 Not focussing your mental muscle on who you want to become...

This is the third part of a five part series,and in this I'll be addressing the number three problem...and that's neglecting a window of opportunity after training for facilitating accelerated muscular growth...

3 Neglecting the window of opportunity for rapid growth by not taking Whey protein and creatine immediately after training...

Hard (high intensity) weight training results in many physiological reactions occurring in your body. Among these are increased blood flow to the muscles and increased secretion of anabolic (muscle building) hormones...such as HGH ( Human Growth Hormone), IGF-1,and Testosterone. This increased blood flow to the muscle cells, and increased anabolic hormone levels, can and should be fully utilised if you want to build maximum muscle size in the fastest time frame...and with the least effort. To take advantage of this opportunity, which will make a significant positive impact to your bodybuilding goals over time, you must supply your body with nutrients that these anabolic hormones will help convert to muscle. And the nutrients must be supplied in a timely manner while the blood flow is still elevated (your muscles are pumped)and the higher levels of HGH, IGF-1, and testosterone are circulating through your body. To do this you must eat immediately and up to 45 minute after training. If your goal is maximum muscle...ie you are bulking...You should eat a meal or drink a shake that contains both carbohydrates and protein.Dr Michael Colgin in his excellent book "Optimal Sports Nutrition" recommends eating 25% of your daily protein intake at this critical time.eg If your daily intake is 200 grams of protein...50 grams of protein should be consumed at this post workout snack. Also eat plenty of carbs...especially high glycemic ones such as rice and bananas.This will give your body an insulin spike to drive more protein into the muscle cells. If your goal is not to bulk up, but rather to cut up...you still need to eat in this window of opportunity...but you should eat slightly differently. Instead of ingesting copious amounts of carbs along with the protein as just mentioned...leave out the carbs and just take protein. You may still have some if you want...but choose low glycemic type carbs, and don't have too many. You want to avoid the insulin spike, because although this is great for packing on muscle...it also inhibits fat burning.By just taking in protein, you will actually be helping accelerate your fat burning efforts.The best form of protein to take at this time is a Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC) or Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) This type of protein has the highest biological value of any protein...with an amino acid profile very similar to human breast milk(and look how fast a baby grows!) Whey protein is also very high(25%) in Branch Chain Amino Acids ( BCAA'S), which are essential for speedy recovery and energy replenishment. Whey also has great anti-oxidant properties, to further help repair the damage done by intense weight training. A couple of other bonuses to using WPC or WPI is that it tastes great,and is fast acting and easily digestable...especially at a time when you might not feel like eating a big meal of solids. If you are bulking...mix your Whey Protein Shake with milk. If you are ripping up, use water to mix your shake.The other major supplement to take at this time is creatine monohydrate. Studies have shown 2 grams is adequate...but I would recommend 5 grams since it is safe and quite economical these days...and I have personally found I get better results taking the higher dosage.

5 Familiar Bodybuilding Troubles...Which Do You Want To Overcome? Pt 1-Overtraining

In my 3 decades of training experience I have identified 5 major bodybuilding troubles or problems. These are:-

1 Overtraining...training too much...too often and too long. Not taking a complete week off every 3 months...

2 Under eating...Not eating enough...you need 6 meals per day minimum...every day, including weekends...

3 Neglecting the window of opportunity for rapid growth by not taking Whey protein and creatine immediately after training...

4 Not stretching properly to facilitate easy growth...

5 Not focussing your mental muscle on who you want to become...


This is the first part of a five part series,and in it I'll be addressing the number one problem...overtraining...



1 Overtraining...training too much...too often and too long. Not taking a complete weeks break or rest every 3 months.
This would have to be the most common trouble that hinders many would be successful bodybuilders from realising their full potential. And it's a particularly insiduous trouble because we have been taught that to get things in life , we have to work hard. Well that's true to some extent both in life and weight training. In weight training we have to train hard as far as intensity goes...if you want to get big you need to push big weights. But where the problem creeps in is that we apply rules from other places that don't apply to weight training. The rules I am talking about can be best illustrated with an example. I want to grow a big bank account...So I work a few jobs or set up a few businesses that give me multiple streams of income. Hey presto...that works...my hard work and long hours returns lots of money and a big fat bank account. The problem is when we apply this more is better to weight training, with the underlying premise that if training 3 days per week made me gain 3 pounds of muscle in 8 weeks...then if I train 6 days a week I should be able to put on 6 pounds of muscle in the same time. Or if training 30 minutes per workout made me gain 3 pounds...then if i train an hour and a half(3 x as long) I should be able to put on 9 pounds(3x as much) BIG MISTAKE...BIG TROUBLE...The logic on the surface sounds OK...but the underlying reality is quite different. The only thing the extra training does is burn you out and frustrate you with diminished returns. When I owned and operated my two bodybuilding gyms I used to see this all the time...and you just can't tell some people. They are so caught up in the belief that more is better that they are too scared to cut back on their routine lest they slip back...the irony is they won't "slip" back...they will actually burst forwards because they are unaware that they are being held back by over stressing their body.Don't get me wrong...hard work isn't bad...and sometimes its the persistance factor that gives (lands) us the big win. But the way to burst through sticking points is not to add exercises or volume (sets,reps)...but to add or increase intensity.( bigger weights...higher resistance...less rest between sets) Now since volume and intensity are inversely proportional, it is only logical that to increase intensity you also need to reduce volume. To overcome this block or obstacle requires you to do less...but make what you do even harder. Another trouble related to this is the myth that as you become more advanced...you need to train more. Nothing could be further from the truth...you actually need to train less (but smarter...with more intensity) The reason for this is because although your strength and size becomes greater over time...your recovery ability does not increase to the same extent...your ability to recover improves only marginally compared to your ability to get stronger. Why does this happen? Think of it this way...when you first started and had, for example 12' arms... If you did a set to failure of bicep curls, the amount of stress being inflicted on your total body wasn't that great because 12' arms don't require that much blood flow and the small muscle cell size isn't much of a drain on your energy or nervous system. However, when your arms have grown to say 18' and you do a set to failure...the weight will be huge compared to when you were a beginner...and the subsequet drain on the bodies total energy system and the shock effect this has will be immense. Although your strength may have improved by over one hunded percent, your bodies ability to recover won't have...your arms might be 50% greater in size...but your capacity for recovery won't have increased by 50%(more like 30% maximum)... and this leads to the condition of overtraining that we are talking about. So as you become more advanced...keep thinking of ways to make your training harder(more intense) but shorter in duration and less in volume.I remember years ago I was at a sticking point with my own training...and I was getting really frustrated. Nothing seemed to work for me. I thought I was doing everything optimally...eating right...getting plenty of sleep etc...but my weight hadn't budged for months.I was at 89 kilos and I desperately wanted to break the 90 kilo barrier (I was quite lean at this weight)but nothing seemed to work...I suppose the 90 kilo barrier to me was like Roger Bannister's four minute mile...this was my four minute mile...which the final solution was to be a four minute instead of four hour( I'm exageratting here, but I hope you get my drift) exercise workout! Time to try something different I thought...what I was doing obviously wasn't working...so I had nothing to lose. I had read Mike Mentzers Heavy Duty training book which had just been released. His Arthur Jones based training ideas were quite revolutionary. Incredibly heavy, hard intense workouts which were very brief.So I started experimenting with this style of training. I remember everybody thinking what the hell is he doing...some were even chuckling behind my back...despite the fact that I was by this stage a successful competitive bodybuilder. I remember one exercise session vividly...the first time I did heavy negatives on the dip rack. I got my training partner to help me suspend a 100 pound dumbell via a chain from my training belt. He would help get me to the top position of the dip by lifting me at the knees, and I would have to lower myself slowly under control to the bottom. The weight was so heavy I couldn't even do a single positive rep on my own. I finished my first set of 4 reps, and when I looked up I noticed the whole gym had stopped to watch what I was doing. At first people just dismissed this radical for the time style of training...but when after only 3 weeks I had busted through my sticking point and my weight soared to 92 kilos... people weren't laughing anymore. I was stoked. I purposely had not weighed myself for three weeks because I was hoping to get a pleasant surprise...I felt and knew this new style of training was working for me based on the mirror and judging by the fact that my strength was rapidly improving(100 pound db was too light for the dip now because I was capable of doing positive reps with it). I would have been happy to have just hit 90kg...but I overshot it by 2 kilos(4.4 pounds). I was sold on this new style of training...a 3 kg (6.6 lb) gain in only 3 weeks...after months of not putting on an ounce...and with a fraction of the amount of work I had been previously doing. At first everyone wanted to know what I was on! What I was on was an incredibly effective training routine, and soon others started copying and getting similar results. And it wasn't before too long 90 kilos seemed like a joke as I crashed through the 100 kg barrier(220 pounds) But this never would have been possible for me if I had just followed the masses and continued with my 20 sets per bodypart training systems.
So my advice to avoid this problem of overtraining is to continually be searching for ways to make your workout harder, not longer. Do less, but achieve more. Bigger weights...less sets...higher intensity...less rest period between sets...less exercises...less training days...more rest days...this will ultimately make your workouts super effective...and more fun!

In part 2 of this 5 part series I'll address the second bodybuilding trouble...and that's undereating.