Archive for category Reviews

Body of Rules

After my series of posts about fasting and weight loss you should have worked out the secret truth by now. There’s only ONE rule to dropping body fat:

“Figure out a way to CONSISTENTLY consume less calories than what you burn”

It’s the unbreakable rule of fat loss. You cannot side skirt it.

Did you know that muscle building has similar rules too?

Well, it does and it’s sad to say that all of the current focus on:

  • What’s better, kettlebells, dumbbells, or barbells?
  • Sets, reps, and rest intervals
  • Pre and post workout nutrition
  • Muscle building supplements
  • and more

… has most guys totally missing out on the ONLY rule of muscle building… and if you aren’t doing this, you won’t gain any muscle size.

“Each workout must be 100% EFFORT with a constant progression of the weight that you lift”

Once you get this, once you understand BOTH the #1 Rule Of Fat Loss AND the #1 Rule of Muscle Building, the pieces of the puzzle just fit together.

The Rules of Fat Loss and Muscle Building are SIMPLE

… you just have to do it.

The Adonis EffectThe Adonis Effect is one of the most simple and straight forward exercise programs that I have come across. It works and it’s easy… you just have to do it.

Apparently these guys are working on a Venus Effect program too. It’s intended to be just for women. Having said that, the Adonis Effect can be done by women too. My girlfriend is currently trying it out and she’s loving it. The transformation of her body is really satisfying for her, she’s really happy with it.

The whole program is designed to highlight the natural shape of you body without adding any extra bulk that you body can’t naturally handle. You don’t need to spend money on fancy supplements either. Just eat normal healthy food. That’s it… you just have to do it.

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Buy These eBooks

I’m such an impulse buyer that I bought these ebooks IMMEDIATELY after seeing the websites:

How Much Protein?
Eat Stop Eat

These are the COOLEST ebooks I’ve read in a while. That’s why I posted all those excerpts about them.

I’ll quit yapping about it …you can read about them here:

How Much Protein?
Eat Stop Eat

——————————————–
HERE’S WHY I’M  A WEIRDO
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So, the guy who owns these products is an entrepreneur as well as a health & fitness freak and he gave me a review copy of each of these books for free so that I could promote them as an affiliate… but I bought them anyway.

And the reason why???

I didn’t want to have to email him and ask for it… and then wait on his response…

I wanted them NOW.

So I bought the ebooks immediately. 

(It’s cheap anyway).

Whatever.

Here’s the deal – this is GOOD. I highly recommend these ebooks because they WILL HELP YOU.

I’m already implementing what I’ve learned.  Check it out:

How Much Protein?
Eat Stop Eat

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Universal Animal Pak

The old war horse of the bodybuilding world is Universal Animal Pak.  I say this because this product has been around for just over 20 years.  Basically Universal Animal Pak is a multivitamin with some extra stuff added.

I use multivitamins daily and I believe they are valuable in covering yourself with your dietary needs.  Many nutritionists suggest they are a waste of money and that we don’t need to be taking multivitamins.  I guess if we ate a perfect diet every day we would meet all our nutritional needs but the reality is that we don’t eat perfectly every day.  I certainly don’t.

Universal Animal Pak

I’ve tried all sorts of multivitamins and, in the end, they are all pretty similar.  The best ones are those that use naturally based ingredients that the body naturally converts into the vitamins and minerals required. Universal Animal Pak has a comprehensive range of ingredients including amino acids, enzymes and antioxidants as well as the vitamins and minerals that you expect.

I noticed that it also has Argentine Liver, how old school is that?  I recommend trying it out to see what you think.  It’s also good for girls too, there’s nothing weird in it that will play around with hormones or anything.

The only thing is balancing out the cost compared to other products that you have locally.  Just compare the ingredients labels because there’s stuff in Universal Animal Pak that you won’t find in other multivitamins.

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SciVation Xtend

SciVation Xtend

Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) have been around for a long, long time.  SciVation Xtend has taken the old faithful and revamped them for the modern market.

As well as the BCAA content SciVation Xtend has also included glutamine which has gained a lot of popularity in recent times.  The glutamine phenomena is a bit of a myth with many supplement companies quoting studies suggesting that glutamine aids in recovery afterSciVation Xtend, 90 Servings, Refreshing Blue Raspberry (1253g) exercise.  The reality is that glutamine has been used in hospitals after surgery.  It does have some benefit to people that are sick or have had major surgery, but this is just restoring an unhealthy person back to normal health.  If you are already normal and healthy glutamine does not enhance anything extra in your body.

BCAA’s have been left behind in modern times with the emergence of whey protein powders.  Whey protein is naturally high in BCAA and is much cheaper than the free form aminos.  SciVation Xtend promotes that the free form BCAA will be absorbed much quicker than using whey protein but, in reality, the difference is mere minutes.  If you drink whey protein 1 hour before training you will already have the BCAA’s in your bloodstream once you start your workout.  Have another protein shake after training and you are covered.

I can’t say that SciVation Xtend is a bad product, it’s not.  It has enjoyed some popularity and it does what is says.  I just think you could save some money by using whey protein in a smart whey (way) ;)

Curious About SciVatin Xtend?

If you are curious and can afford it give SciVation Xtend a try tell us what you think.  Record your training progress and review the results.  Has anything improved or stayed the same?

If you stay the same that is not necessarily a bad thing.  It might show that your nutrition is on track, if that’s the case you just need to focus on the quality of your workouts rather than the quality of your food.


SciVation Xtend, 90 Servings, Refreshing Blue Raspberry (1253g)

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Anabolic Halo

MuscleTech Anabolic HaloMuscleTech Anabolic Halo, 2.4 Lbs., Orange Avalanche

It took me a while to work out what Anabolic Halo actually is.  At first glance I just assumed it was protein powder, but it’s not.  There is no protein listed on the ingredients label at all.  It does list specific amino acids, some of which are Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA).  All the BCAA’s are made up in proprietary blends so their specific amounts are not listed.

So, I needed to look a little closer, what is this stuff?

There is plenty of other weird ingredients in this stuff as well like evodia powder.  I looked this up and it is used as a painkiller and also to stimulate the appetite.  Does this help with recovery as a painkiller?  I guess stimulating the appetite can’t hurt.  Another one is big catuaba powder which is supposed to act as a tonic for the nervous system.

Some people report that they feel sleepy after taking Anabolic Halo, other guys report that it increased their libido.  It’s probably this big catuaba powder causing these effects.  From what I found out it is considered to be an agent that strengthens and balances the function of the nervous system and may be both stimulating and sedating. Big catuaba powder has been used to relieve agitation, nervousness and anxiety. It is also used to relieve insomnia, particularly when related to nervous debility, and it also thought to alleviate depression, emotional stress and hypochondria. Catuaba is believed to calm overactive neurotransmitters.

So, I guess all these compounds are intended to support recovery after exercise.

Now I noticed Coleus Forskohlii Extract which is used as a fat burner.  Another compound was Vitus Vinifera Extract (Grape Seed extract).  This stuff supplies anti-oxidants.  Yohimbine Extract was also listed, this stuff is used as a fat burner and works like a stimulant.  Many people report strong side effects from Yohimbine like increased blood pressure.  I don’t know how Yohimbine is supposed to work with evodia and catuaba.  One is trying to jack you up while the other two are calming you down?

There are many other herbal extracts listed on the ingredients label for Anabolic Halo.  I haven’t bothered to research all of them. I’m sure they are intended to do something, but whether they work with each other or against each other, I don’t know.

Creatine Monohydrate & Beta Alanine

The main thing I noticed in the ingredients were two compounds which I am very interested in.  One is still being tested in many studies and shows some promising results.  The other has been scientifically proven to give results in the gym and is the one compound you can call “anabolic”.  These ingredients were Beta Alanine and Creatine.

Beta Alanine supplementation has been shown to increase the concentration of carnosine in muscles, decrease fatigue in athletes and increase total muscular work done.  This is a real promising supplement and I look forward to other studies coming out about this stuff.  So far a lot of people give good reviews about its performance.  If it keeps going this way it will be up there with the king of all supplements… Creatine.

Creatine monohydrate is the one supplement on the market that is guaranteed to work and has 20 years of science research behind it.  Anabolic Halo lists creatine monohydrate as well as creatine malate and creatine taurinate.  These last two forms of creatine are new in the market and have no studies behind them.  I personally have tried creatine malate and got zero results from it.  It just didn’t work for me.  I have never seen creatine taurinate in the shops but I wouldn’t bother chasing it down.  Creatine monohydrate is the king.  It is an anabolic supplement that is guaranteed to build muscle by decreasing fatigue and making you get more work performed with increased weights.

Anabolic Halo

Anabolic Halo has many other vitamins and minerals listed on its label.  As far as I’m concerned you can take out all the weird herbal stuff, take out the BCAA’s and all the other vitamins.  Just leave the creatine monohydrate in and this stuff will work.  It’s the creatine that is building the muscle and it’s creatine that will give you results time and time again.


MuscleTech Anabolic Halo, 2.4 Lbs., Orange Avalanche

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How Much Protein?

The Real Truth About Protein

adaptation from the ebook How Much Protein…

Protein is one of the most popular and controversial topics in all of nutrition. It has become the ‘nutritional golden child’ of muscle building and fat loss. Some people may try to avoid eating carbohydrates, and others may avoid fat, but nobody avoids protein.

Over the last 50 years ‘protein’ has become synonymous with ‘muscle’. When people think of bodybuilders, they think of protein shakes – lots of them.

This has led to the rise of a massive protein supplement industry with projected sales of over 6 billion dollars by 2011 [Packaged Facts, 2008].

The popular theory is simple: by eating more protein you can force your body to an improved level of function, including larger muscles, less fat, and a host of other health benefits. The question is whether or not the scientific research
actually supports these theories.

Protein has been given so many benefits by the media that it is hard to find a health benefit that protein does NOT have. From preventing diabetes to building muscle, protein seems to be able to do it all. These are some pretty big claims, and it would be amazing if even half of these claims were true.

Of all the claims about protein, the one that almost everyone simply accepts as fact is that eating protein builds more muscle. It is this one simple assumption that leads to so many of the additional benefits of protein. Surprisingly, this assumption has never been fully proven.

Purpose Of The Book

The purpose the book “How Much Protein?” is to review the current body of scientific research and find out if there is any truth to the alleged muscle building benefits of protein. Specifically, the book examines the benefits of eating high protein diets (In excess of the 90 grams per day that is the average intake in North America [Fulgoni VL, 2008]), and it will also examine the muscle building benefits of post-workout protein intake.

The book “How Much Protein?” will share with you the exact amount of protein, or range of protein intakes that an adult human needs to eat to allow for measurable increases in skeletal muscle mass.

The book will also reveal where the fitness industry gets its information about the effects of protein and how this information can be and usually is misinterpreted.

How Much Protein?

It is the definition of ‘sufficient amounts’ that is the center of the ‘protein builds muscle’ controversy. To date, we have never had a scientific consensus on the amount of protein we should eat that everyone would agree is sufficient.

From examining the protein intake of many different cultures around the world we are able to see that humans can survive on a wide range of protein intakes.

From levels as low as around 0.3 grams of protein per pound of body mass (about 50 grams per day for a 180 pound man) all the way up to ten times this amount in people who survive eating a diet that consists almost exclusively of meat.

Obviously, even though our protein intake can vary by a factor of ten times, our muscle mass cannot.  There is no culture of people on earth who have ten times more muscle than another culture.

Even a champion bodybuilder, with all the amazing genetic potential and anabolic steroid abuse, still does not have anywhere near ten times the muscle of an extremely skinny Olympic long distance runner.

So while people can chronically eat massively different amounts of protein, this drastic difference is not reflected in their muscle mass.

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The Purpose of How Much Protein

These excerpts are taken directly from the ebook How Much Protein?

Of all the claims about protein, the one that almost everyone simply accepts as fact is that eating protein builds more muscle. It is this one simple assumption that leads to so many of the additional benefits of protein. Surprisingly, this assumption has never been fully proven (Pilon 2008, page 11).

The purpose then of this book is to review the current body of scientific research and find out if there is any truth to the alleged muscle building benefits of protein. Specifically, it will examine the benefits of eating high protein diets (In excess of the 90 grams per day that is the average intake in North America [Fulgoni VL, 2008]), and it will also examine the muscle building benefits of post-workout protein intake (Pilon 2008, page 14).

I also will share with you the exact amount of protein, or range of protein intakes that an adult human needs to eat to allow for measureable increases in skeletal muscle mass.  Finally I will explain where the fitness industry gets its information about the
effects of protein and how this information can be and usually is misinterpreted (Pilon 2008, page 15).

You Can Get The Ebook Here

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Protein Research

Excerpt from the ebook “How Much Protein?”

The majority of protein research on building muscle is funded by supplement companies

Protein research is a lot like a term paper. Some is A+ work, most is B level work, and  some is C and D level work.  Unfortunately the C and D level work gets published just as often (if not more) than the A and B level work.  Another thing you need to know is that the majority of research on building muscle is funded by supplement companies.

Studying protein research is a lot like putting together a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle without having the picture on the front of the box to guide you

Studying protein research is a lot like putting together a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle without having the picture on the front of the box to guide you. You simply cannot tell what the outcome will be just by looking at one or two pieces of the puzzle. This is why you should never take the results of one single study as being proof of a concept. It is the total body of evidence (or the whole puzzle) that will lead us to the best conclusions, in this case we’re talking about how to build muscle mass, and how much protein we need to eat.
Discover the truth about protein.

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How Much Protein?

I’ve come across an ebook How Much Protein? written by Brad Pilon who is a nutrition professional. Brad has worked extensively within the nutritional supplement industry but has broken away from that world and developed a common sense approach to weight loss, muscle growth and nutrition. Brad is also listed as an inventor for multiple patents for nutritional compositions affecting growth hormone, testosterone and for muscle building and weight loss.

What’s blown me away about this book is the research that Brad Pilon has discovered about protein and how misleading the supplement industry marketing is. I have to say it really has challenged my own opinions about protein.

How Much Protein? reveals that the claims made about protein really have no backing to them at all.

Protein Myths

  • it is the KEY component to building muscle
  • if you don’t eat protein every 3 hours your nitrogen balance will turn negative and you will start losing muscle
  • your body can only digest 30 or so grams of protein per meal
  • if you are not getting a minimum of 1g of protein per pound of body weight, it is impossible to gain muscle

How Much Protein? reveals that this is misleading marketing created to sell more protein!

Some of the information in this book has never been released before….ever. Read this book and you’ll be on the cutting-edge to the most controversial and life-changing information about protein to ever hit the streets.

No More Protein Guilt!

Inside How Much Protein? Brad reveals 2 things which DO build muscle. One of these things is a supplement that is scientifically proven to work. The other thing isn’t a supplement at all. Without these, you’re literally never going to build muscle.

I can imagine how skeptical you might be feeling right now. I felt those feelings too. We have been bombarded with so much information about protein and we believe in it so much, it’s almost like a cult. You can feel quite emotional when challenged that all this might be wrong.

100% money back guarantee

That’s why the How Much Protein? ebook comes with a 100% money back guarantee. If you don’t think it’s worth it, you get your money back. Brad has a outstanding reputation within the industry and stands by his guarantee.

Read How Much Protein? Here

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