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by Lyle McDonald
Lyle McDonald is the author of the
Ketogenic Diet as well as the
Rapid Fat Loss
Handbook and the
Guide to
Flexible Dieting. He has been interested in all aspects of human
performance physiology since becoming involved in competitive sports as
a teenager. Pursuing a degree in Physiological Sciences from UCLA, he has
devoted nearly 20 years of his life to studying human physiology and the
science, art and practice of human performance, muscle gain, fat loss and
body recomposition.
Publication Date:
September 1998
Dear Lyle,
Your advice has been the most valuable
and useful information I have found while researching fitness and
fat loss. I realize you are unable to answer all of your e-mails,
but I would really appreciate some advice on fat loss for
non-bodybuilding women. For the past 4 weeks I have been using an
"herbal" E/C/A stack, 40-30-30 diet, cardio and light weight
training (not trying to gain a lot of muscle). I am trimming down
quickly and seeing improvement in all parts of my body -- except for
my thighs. I am petite to begin with and only have about 10 or 15
pounds to lose, but I just don't see this lower body fat going
anywhere. I know the thighs tend to be the "last place to go" for
women, but I am getting really frustrated. A few questions: Does the
body become accustomed to E/C/A after a certain period of time?
Should I cycle off then back on to get better results?
A: There's some debate over this one. For most individuals, the
central nervous system (CNS) effects tend to go away fairly quickly,
within 1-2 weeks. But according to at least one paper, the ECA stack
maintain it's thermogenic effects for much longer, up to 1 year if I
recall. However other authorities feel that the beta-receptors
(which ECA targets) will downregulate an ECA will lose it's
thermogenic effect. I don't see how cycling off of it and then going
back on can possibly hurt though, it's worth a try.
I read that adding L-tyrosine to E/C/A
can improve results. Is this true, and if so, what exactly does it
do?
In rats, l-tyrosine was shown to enhance the anorectic (appetite
supressing) effect. In humans, everyone I know of that has added
l-tyrosine to the ECA stack (including my training partner who has
been on ECA for 3.5 years without a break) notices an additional
kick from it. In all liklihood, the tyrosine is acting as a
precursor to adrenaline/noradrenaline and ensuring adequate amounts
of these substances.
Is there any point in stopping E/C/A
and trying yohimbe supplements (I read that since there is little or
no circulation in fat tissue, the yohimbe can't actually get to the
fat areas)? I am using topical yohimbe cream and really can't tell
if it's doing anything (obviously). Is there anything else you would
suggest (except for, I have a feeling, "patience")?
Patience is good of course but I think herbal yohimbe is worth
trying. A female bodybuilder I prepped for a contest last year used
yohimbe and it did seem to help with her lower bodyfat. Since that
time, she has spent an inordinate amount of time reading the
research on adrenoreceptors, yohimbe, and thinks it is worth using
and that it definitely stimulates lipolysis despite the reduced
blood flow. She had a male bodybuilder at her gym try it and it
helped him get rid of the stubborn fat on his low back. We're still
trying different ways to increase blood flow including heat packs,
sauna, etc. No conclusions yet.
There are at least 2 keys to maximizing the effects of yohimbe:
1. Adequate dose. Most people recommend far too low of a dose. In
the studies, the minimum amount of oral yohimbe is 0.2 mg/kg (divide
your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get kg). So a 200 lb person (90 kg)
will need 18 mg of yohimbe at once to get an effect. Caution: some
people get really freaky heart rate/blood pressure responses from
yohimbe. To asess your tolerance, start with about 1/3rd your
optimal dose (so our 200 lb person would start with 6 mg) and build
up over a period of a few days. If your HR or BP goes haywire, stop
using it. Being cut isn't worth having a stroke.
2. It must be taken without food. This is critical as even a
small insulin response will negate any effect of the yohimbe. In
fact, taking yohimbe with food will give you a greater insulin
response than if you'd eaten that food by itself (has to do with
alpha receptors in the pancreas). Based on this rule, this makes the
best time to take yohimbe prior to morning cardio. If you just can't
do morning cardio, I would imagine the best time to try yohimbe
would be 30' before evening aerobics but wait at least 3-4 hours
after eating so insulin will have gone down a bit. I think morning
is the best time though. The bodybuilder in question would take her
yohimbe with some caffeine about 30' prior to getting on the
treadmill. Actually, she used the ECA stack as well. However she
never took the two together. The combination of ECA + yohimbe is
potentially dangerous (moreso than either one by itself) because of
the interaction on heart rate and blood pressue. So she would use
yohimbe before her morning cardio, wait about 4 hours after her
yohimbe dose to take her first dose of ECA. Hope this helps!
Dear Mr. McDonald,
I really need your advice. I want to
try using DNP. I have been reaching for information on the Internet
but to no avail. I recently ordered a book from Mesomorphosis.com
and the person who took my order said someone there might be able to
help me. I am 39 year old female. I have been bodybuilding for 2
years. I have been eating chicken and tuna till it comes out my
ears. And have tried various supplements for fat lose. To know
avail. I can't get below 13 or 14%. Maybe it's the age thing. I
have the DNP and have made up the capsules according to Dan
Duchaine's Recipe. But I don't know how to proceed. Re: when to
take, with food or without, how many times a day, for how long. Do I
need to take Cytomel???? Any information would be helpful.
A: First, it's not the age thing. I took a 43 year old natural
female bodybuiler to 7-8% bodyfat last year with diet and
supplements only. You didn't give much detail about your diet and
training but I'm willing to bet that your diet is a big part of the
problem. Women don't seem to do as well with high carb/low fat diets
as men do for reasons I don't have space to discuss here. But based
on the fact that you're eating so much tuna and chicken, I imagine
you're doing the typical bodybuilder, very low fat type of diet. As
you're finding out, it doesn't work for everyone (But does work for
some people). Anyway....
The female I trained last year used the Zone diet first (30%
protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat), got to about 12% bodfyat if I recall
(starting at roughly 15%). Then she did what's called a Cyclical
ketogenic Diet (CKD) which is 5-6 days of zero carb, high fat eating
with 1.5 days of high carb eating. That plus too much cardio took
her to 7% in about 8 weeks. I say too much because she lost some
muscle. So first consider that you may be eating too *little* fat.
Anything less than 20% of calories as fat is too little and seems to
prevent women from losing fat effectively.
One other thing, too few calories slows fat loss. A good rule of
thumb is to eat 11-12 calories per pound of total bodyweight for fat
loss. The bodybuilder I mentioned never went below 1400 calories
during any phase of her diet (and she had one day per week, during
the carb-up, to eat anything she wanted which generally included a
margarita and pancakes). The other girls in her gym were starving at
900 cal/day, doing hours of cardio (one even passed out in the
locker room) and weren't losing fat because they had put their body
into starvation mode.
Along these lines, if you've been dieting for a long period of
time, the first thing you should do is take a week off of your diet
at normal calories (approx. 14-15 cal/lb) and normal carbs. This
seems to help reset metabolic rate. Then get back into dieting at
about 12 cal/lb with a minimum of 20% fat calories, 1 gram of
protein per pound of bodyweight, and the rest carbs. If that's not
working, cut carbs back further and increase dietary fat to about
30%.
Also look at your cardio. Too much cardio can slow fat loss and
increase muscle loss. Try cutting back to no more than 4-5 days per
week and a maximum of 40' per session. Then look at your weights.
assuming you're natural, you shouldn't need more than 3-4 days per
week in the weight room (the female I trained lifted weights 3 times
per week during her entire diet cycle).
Finally, consider using the supplement yohimbe, it may help women
lose lower body fat (which I assume is where yours is located). The
recommended dose is 0.2 mg/kg but you should start with maybe 1/3rd
that dose and build up gradually. That with some caffeine (but NO
food) about 30' before morning aerobics can get fat loss started. Be
forewarned that some people get really weird heart rate/blood
pressure responses to yohimbe (why you should taper up). So if your
body freaks out on you, quit taking it.
I'd suggest trying all of those suggestions before mucking around
with DNP. If they don't work, get back to me or check the archives,
there are lots of DNP questions on there. If the advice above and
what's in the archives fail to answer your questions (esp. about
DNP), send me another message.
Hi Lyle,
I've just read through your excellent
web-information about CKD. Thanks! I think I have an interesting
issue/question to you - BodyOpus and females.
I am 33 years female natural BB, 6'00",
ca. 184 lbs, ca 13-15BF%, also in excellent cardiovascular shape.
I've been on BodyOpus for second week. Week 1: 30E% prot - 70E% fat
about 9g carbs/day my glucose never dropped below 70 mg/dl
ketostick showed very slightly purple maybe twice Cardio each day
to speed up descent into ketosis. Fat sources: mostly flax seed and
olive oil
A: First note, blood glucose never gets very low on a CKD. I know
what Bodyopus says but it happens to be wrong. 65 mg/dl is about the
lowest it will get even during total starvation.
Results: (from BF% measurements): lost
3 lbs of LBM, gained 3 lbs fat.
I have trouble believing this. One thing to consider is when you
are taking your bodyfat measurements. Contrary to what I did during
my diaries, you shouldn't compare Friday readings to Monday
readings. The shifts in water and glycogen screw everything up.
Instead either just look at total skinfold measurements (i.e. just
look at the numbers and forget the equations) or compare
measurements made on Friday to other measurements made on Friday
(and Monday to Monday). This will be more accurate.
I learned that I ate too much protein,
which was converted to glucose. Week 2: 15E% prot - 85E% fat about
7-9g carbs/day glucose levels are still pretty high, about 60 mg/dl
ketosticks - neg BF% measurements are showing lost LBM while
maintained bodyfat .
Rather than thinking in terms of percentages for your diet, I
would suggest calculating calories this way: 1. Set calorie levels:
12-13 cal/lb is a good place to start 2. Set protein: should be 0.9
grams/lb of bodyweight. More important than the percentage of
protein is how much you are taking in relative to bodyweight and
this much is needed to prevent msucle losses. 3. SEt carb intake:
low 4. The rest of your diet is fat.
My wondering is, if you have any
experience with female athletes who have problems with CKD. I really
like (theoretically) CKD and I believe that it should work. And I
don't want to give up (just for your information, I am normally on
40-30-30 (p-c-f) diet, and my body responds pretty well to it). Do
you possibly have any explanation what is going on?
It's really hard to say without more details about everything you
are doing. Other things I have found that seem to shut down women's
fat loss (and increase muscle loss).
1. Eating too few calories. This is critical as women's bodies
seem to go into starvation mode more easily than men's. 11-12 cal/lb
total bodyweight is about the lowest you should go but try starting
a little bit higher and see what happens.
2. Too much cardio. The body interprets too much cardio in the
same way it interprets too few calories, and it goes into starvation
mode and hoards fat and burns muscle. I think 40' 4-5 times per week
is plenty.
Finally look at your carb-up. One of the biggest modifications
we've made to Bodyopus is to shorten the carb-up. If you tend to put
on fat easily over the weekend, cutting your carb-up back to 36
hours OR LESS can be the key to making it work. yes it makes the
diet less fun but that's life. In practice this means that you
should have your last workout on Friday (and it should be a full
body workout) and carb-load from immediately after to bedtime on
Saturday. If you get up Sunday morning and hit some cardio first
thing, you should be able to hit ketosis by that evening. See my
article on this page for more details about the workout. And it none
of this works, simply consider that your body doesn't respond to the
CKD ideally and Zone is a better choice. YMMV.
Dear Lyle,
I'm looking for web page where i can
look up eg egg whites and see protein / carb and fat amounts - any
ideas? (thanks)
Andy
A: Yup, check out:
http://www.rahul.net/cgi-bin/fatfree/usda/usda.cgi
This is the USDA food database, you enter the food you want and
it gives the total breakdown (I mean everything) for a 100 gram
portion of that food.
Or for the lower tech, pick up a copy of "Corinne T. Netzer's
Complete Book of Food Counts" it has foods in it that you've never
heard of.
Dear Lyle,
Is injectable yohimbine any good?
A: Might be useful for fat loss. I've never used it though, don't
like needles. Oral yohimbe at the right dose (approx .2 mg/kg) does
seem to help with stubborn fat loss.
How is it taken sub-q (subcutaneously)
or IM (intramuscular)?
You want the yohimbe in the fat cells, not in the muscle. So
sub-q would be my first choice. Maybe with an insulin needle (which
are very short)
What concentration gives best results?
I haven't the foggiest. Orally you have to take 0.2 mg/kilogram
bodyweight for optimal results. Obviously an injectable form would
be much lower concentration. But I don't know what the conversion
would be. Might ask Pat Arnold (also on this site) or Bill Roberts.
Hello Lyle,
I have been diagnosed with
hypothyroidism (TSH 11.55) and am currently taking 50mcg of
Synthroid Would this interfere with reaching ketosis? Could my low
carb diet have brought on hypothyroidism?
A: The only way that a low thyroid would affect ketosis would be
terribly indirectly. The development of ketosis is dependent on two
things:
1. That liver glycogen is depleted. I can't see how low thyroid
would affect this. 2. That there is adequate free fatty acids
available. A low thyroid level might affect this but since you're on
replacement synthroid (which should bring your T4 and T3 back to
normal levels), I don't think it will matter too much.
Lowcarb diets to lower levels of T3 (active thyroid) but TSH
(thyroid stimulating hormone) levels to not typically drop. The drop
in T3 with normal TSH and T4 (and increased reverse T3 or rT3) is
called Euthyroid Stress syndrome (ESS) which is distinctly different
than true hypothyroidism (indicated by low T3 and low TSH).
Hello,
I have been weight training for about
17 months and have made some decent gains in my lifting. I have been
a Type I Diabetic for 5 years and I am 27 years old. My question is
this. I've read articles about Body Builders who aren't diabetics
but they inject insulin. I've also been told that I have an
advantage because I regulate how much insulin I take. I am trying to
find out the following:
1) Why would a Body Builder who's body
naturally produces insulin want to take more?
A: Does "Because they are insane." count as an answer (this from
the guy who took DNP)? Seriously, the reason that bodybuilders at
the pro-ranks might use insulin is several fold. First and foremost
we know that insulin is one of the most anabolic hormones in the
body. It stimulates protein synthesis (and decreases protein
breakdown), increases glycogen storage and also increases fat
storage.
It's been hypothesized that bodybuilders might be unable to
produce enough insulin naturally because of the large amount of lean
body mass they possess and the amount of food that they eat. By
itself, insulin has been a bust, mainly because it causes as much
fat gain as it does muscle gain. But by stacking insulin wth Growth
Hormone (and other drugs to prevent fat gain), bodybuilders have
reached a new level of development.
2) Do I have some advantage because I
control how much insulin I take?
I remember a story about a bodybuilder years ago who was Type I
diabetic and his competitors felt that he had an unfair advantage
because of his insulin control. As to whether you have an advantage
or not, I'd probably doubt it. The insulin regimen used by Type I
diabetics is geared towards maintaining normal insulin levels
(relative to what you'd have if your pancreas functioned properly).
Bodybuilders are using insulin injections to get supra-normal levels
of insulin throughout the day.
Side note: A still unanswered question is whether insulin abuse
by healthy individuals can cause a loss of pancreatic function (akin
to how abusing anabolic steroids causes the body to stop making it's
own testosterone). That is, will the individuals abusing insulin
make themselves diabetic in the long run.
Lyle,
I do very well on low carb diet but
wonder where you stand on Dr. Atkins viewpoint that as long as you
are in ketosis calories dont matter as you cant help but burn fat in
ketosis. your thoughts on calories while on ketogenic diet do they
count? thanks in advance.
Mike
A: Ahh, I'm glad someone finally asked this question (kept me
from having to make it up, ha ha ha). Arguably the biggest
misconception about the Atkins Diet (which is a vey low carb
ketogenic diet) is that you can consume unlimited calories and still
lose weight/bodyfat. This implies that somehow basic thermodynamics
(energy in vs. energy out) is being affected somehow. That ketosis
somehow increases calorie expenditure to compensate for caloric
intake.
The thing is that Atkins NEVER said that this would happen
(although I have a feeling that he wanted people to read what he
said that way, as a marketing gimmick). What he said was that, as
long as you ate less than 30 grams of carbs, you could eat as much
protein and fat as you *liked* and still lose weight, which is not
the same as an unlimited quantity. He was basing this on studies
done in the 60's and 70's showing the following fact: When
individuals remove all carbohydrates from their diet, but are told
to eat 'unlimited' protein and fat, they will generally reduce their
caloric intake to between 1400-2100 calories/day. This creates a
caloric deficit and weight is lost.
That is, there's no magical fact of ketosis that allows
weight/fat (not counting the water loss that occurs) to be lost
while eating above maintenance (or even maintenance calories), you
still have to have a caloric deficit for fat loss to occur.
Strangely, and I havewn't been able to find an answer to this, many
people have reported that they can eat many more calories while in
ketosis and not GAIN weight. It *may* be that excess fat is
converted to ketones and excreted without being stored but I'm not
100% sure so take this with a grain of salt. But they don't lose
without a deficit.
So you may ask why bother with a ketogenic diet? The difference
between a ketogenic diet and a non-ketogenic diet *may* be in the
proportions of fat and muscle lost for a given caloric deficit. That
is, ketogneic diets *may* cause more fat and less muscle to be lost
compared to a non-ketogenic diet for the same deficit. But the
deficit MUST exist.
Hey Lyle,
I enjoyed reading about your Bodyopus
experience on the net. I have seen a new thermogenic aid which
contains norephedrine, along with caffeine, aspirin, and yohimbe. Is
norephedrine as effective as the standard ephedrine?
A: According to one rat study (so it may or may not be applicable
to humans since there are some differences in receptor density,
activity, etc) nor-ephedrine *may* be more thermogenic than
ephedrine. The study compared a bunch of different sympathomimetics
(compounds which mimic andrenaline and noradrenaline) and found that
amphetamine was more thermogenic than norephedrine (also knows as
Phenylpropanolamine) which was more thermogenic than ephedrine which
was more thermogenic than norpseudoephedrine which was more
thermogenic than pseudoephedrine.
So if you're burnt out on ephedrine (been using it for a while),
switching to norephedrine may be worthwhile. Couple of comments.
Norephedrine amplifies the effect of caffeine such that the caffeine
in 2 cups of coffee will have the effect of 8 cups of coffee when
taken with norephedrine (meaning: be careful of side effects). Also,
the most effective dose of norephedrine appears to be 25 mg of
instant release (NOT time release) taken 3 times daily. which can be
hard to find. For what it's worth, I got ahold of some instant
release PPA and took it with caffeine and did notice a kick,
something I don't get out of the ECA stack anymore.
What about synepherine or products that
stack it ephedrine? Are these worthwhile? Thanks for the insight!
I had to go to an outside source (my biochem nerd friend) to
answer this one. While it is true that synephrine is a
sympathomimetic, because of it's structure, it's mode of action is
to stimulate alpha-2 receptors. It's main effect, which makes it
*appear* to be thermogenic, is to cause peripheral vasocontriction
(meaning that blood vessels close up). This causes the body to feel
warmer. This makes it appear as if true thermogenesis (burning
calories to make heat) is ocurring but it is not and there is no
data to show that synephrine is thermogenic. So save your money.
Dear Lyle,
I have just returned from the Junior
Nationals in which I placed fourth in the lightweights. I am 37
years old and I don't really know how many years I have left in this
sport. Next year I plan on trying to line up some sponsorship so
that I can keep competing at the National level.I plan on doing the
Team Universe and the Junior Nationals one more time next year. I an
100% drug free and I need something that will give me some sort of
edge. I recently read in Muscle Media that you could take glycerin
with water to rid oneself of the water that covers the muscles. Was
he talking about Nitroglycerin that you buy at the drug store over
the counter and mixing it with water. I was concerned because the
bottle says not for internal use.. Is this legit?
A: No, this was not nitro glycerin (which is used sublingually
for heart attacks) it is simply glycerol (also called glycerine).
Glycerol is an interesting compound. It's the backbone of
triglycerides but acts sort of like a sugar in the body (it can be
converted to glucose in the liver under the right circumstances and
might be used as a caloric source during ketogenic diets). It's more
interesting application however, for bodybuilding at least, is the
potential to pull water from under the skin. Glycerol is hydrophilic
meaning that it is attracted (chemically) to water.
Glycerol was originally used to hyperhydrate endurance athletes.
In long distance endurance activities, dehydration becomes a very
real issue. Dehyhdration of as little as 2% will hinder performance,
dehydration of 10% is fatal.
By taking glycerol along with a ton of water, it was possible to
force the body to store extra water (in the bloodstream) which
helped to prevent dehydration of muscle tissue. As well, it helped
to keep body core temperature down, which can cause other problems.
So how does this apply to bodybuilding. Well, the theory is that
taking glycerol WITHOUT all the extra water (as recommended for
endurance athletes) will pull water out from under the skin and into
the bloodstream. This is basically an osmotic kind of reaction.
Since glycerol attracts water, if you take glycerol without water,
it will pulls water from other tissues, in this case from under the
skin. I would surmise that the reason glycerol is not pulled from
the muscles is that water in the muscle is complexed with glycogen
and potassium.
This has a major advantage over typical diuretics used for
bodybuilding contests. Most diuretics pull water out of the body and
cause it to be excreted as urine. Which causes the bodybuilder to
become dehydrated (also increases electrolyte excretion) which can
be dangerous if taken to too great a level (Mohammed Benaziza is
thought ot have died from diuretic abuse coupled with not drinking
water for three days. He screwed his electrolyte levels and his
heart stopped). Since glycerol doesn't increase the excretion of
water, it may improve appearance without dehydrating a bodybuilder.
Dear Lyle,
I've read a number of differing
opinions as to the correct amount of glutamine to take, anywhere
from 2 grams a day to 15 grams a day. Some opinions are that more
then 2 grams a day lowers growth hormone production, whereas other
opinions are that anything less then 15 grams consumed at once won't
even have an effect. What is the scoop? How much should I take and
when should I take it?
A: Glutamine is an odd compound to say the least. There's no
doubt that it is involved in many processes in the body including
immune system modulation and potentially muscle growth. The problem
is that most oral glutamine tends to get used by the intestines and
very little gets into the bloodstream and into the muscles (this is
called the glutamine paradox).
To get around the glutamine paradox, you have two options. 1.
Megadose: I imagine this is the idea behind the 15 gram number you
have. The idea is that if you put enough glutamine into the system
at once, some of it will get into the bloodstream (and to the
muscles) because not all of it will be used by the intestines. Along
these lines Dan Duchaine has recommended dosing l-glutamine right
after training in high dosese to replace any glutamine lost from the
muscles (glutamine, along with alanine are used to make glucose in
the kidney and liver respectively). The problem with this approach
is that it's a very cost ineffective way to do things. You're using
a TON of glutamine but only a little is getting into the bloodstream
and to the muscles where you want it.
2. Take small doses throughout the day: a study a year or two ago
found that 2 grams of oral glutamine, raised growth hormone and did
get into the bloodstream. The researchers posited that the small
doseage used prevented the intestine/liver from going into 'absorb
all glutamine' (sounds like a cool sci-fi movie) mode. An
interesting (and unanswered) question is how much glutamine you
could consume without activating uptake by the intestines/liver. In
my mind, if you're discplined enough to do it, this strategy makes
more sense to me. So instead of taking 15 grams of glutamine at
once, and only getting some portion of it into the bloodstream (and
I'm not sure how much makes it), take 2-3 grams multiple times
throughout the day (at least one doseage would be before training
and another immediateley after in your post-workout drink) perhaps
with each meal. This might allow better uptake and absorption while
minimizing cost.
FWIW, my training partner was given some l-glutamine mixed in
DMSO (thae solvent that carries anyting you put in it through the
skin and into the bloodstrem) by a chiropractor friend of his and
swears it helped his recovery when he rubbed it directly onto the
bodypart he had just trained. Just FYI.
Hi Lyle,
I got a couple of questions that I can
never get a truly answer anywhere.
1) Does creatine have any side effects?
Do I lose all / most my gains that I got from creatine if I stop
using it? Is there any problem taking creatine with protein? How
many grams I need to take daily to get the best results from
creatine?
A: Do you consider weight gain and strength increases a side
effect? There are mentions of increased muscle cramping in athletes
with creatine use but this has never shown up in the studies.
[Editors's note: please see the
creatine review article by Dr. Richard Kreider, PhD] It's
possible that creatine may increase water requirements (since it
pulls water into the muscle) so an athlete (such as a football
player) doing heavy workouts in the summer might be more prone to
cramping if they aren't drinking enough water.
In the short term at least, the gains in terms of weight and
strength gains from creatine are transient. Of course, if you're
eating a large amount of red meat, you may remain creatine loaded
for quite some time even if you stop using creatine so the gains may
persist. In the long term, it's possible that the increased training
intensity from creatine might increase true strength and mass gains.
Nobody seems to have an answer for the whole creatine and protein
thing and I've seen arguments on both sides of the fence. It seems
anecdotally that people have taken creatine with protein and without
and it works pretty much the same so I don't personally thing
there's any worry.
As to amount, there are a couple of options. 1. Fast loading:
this is the standard loading phase which is 20 grams per day (5
grams 4 times per day) for 5 days.
2. Medium loading: Some people, like myself, find that 20 grams
of creatinte per day causes stomach upset and diarrhea. The first
time I took creatine, I lost 4 lbs because I couldn't eat and was on
the toilet all day. As a compromise I found that I could handle 10
grams of creatie per day (2 5 gram doses) and loaded for 10 days.
3. Slow loading: a recent study showed that 3 grams taken for a
month results in the same creatine levels as with the fast loading
phase. So decide whether you want to load fast or slow.
There is (contrary to what supplement companies want you to
believe) no evidence supporting the maintenance phase for creatine
supplementation. Daily turnover of creatine is about 2-3 grams and
anyone eating sufficient red meat should stay creatine loaded for
quite some time without any additional creatine. If you're paranoid,
take 5 grams once or twice a week (after training) after your
loading phase.
2) I was going to use Androstene , but
I was reading and I saw that it does have some side effects.I was
going to take only 100g a day and I want to know if there's any
visible side effects like ginecomastia and prostate enlargement.
There's no easy answer to this one, too individual. In the same
way that some people get gyno/prostate enlargement from using
anabolic steroids but others don't, I imagine the respons to
androstene will be the same. At 100 mg/day I would be surprised if
you got gynocomastia but there is no way to be sure until it's too
late.
3)Is there any other non steroid
supplement I should give a try?
Food.
Lyle,
I hope this doesn't sound too stupid. I
am fairly new to using supplements. Everybody seems to be using
creatine. In one of you responses you mention that it adds strength
and water. It doesn't add muscle mass?
A: No, not in terms of actual contractile tissue, at least not in
the short term. Now, technically speaking water is considered to be
lean body mass (as is glycogen, electrolytes, etc). This has led
some supplement sellers to imply (without ever saying) that creatine
increases muscle mass. That is you'll read ads that say "Gain 10 lbs
of lean body mass in 5 days" or whatever. TEchnically this isn't
wrong, since water is lean body mass (it's not fat). But they know
that lifters will read the ad as "Gain 10 lbs of muscle mass in 5
days" which is incorrect. One particular researcher (no names of
coures, but he was one of two people who brought creatine to the
forefront) actually had the gall to look me in the face (at a
conference) and tell me that the mass gains from creatine were
contractile tissue. Bullshit.
How quickly are strength gains seen
from creatine? One week? Two?
If it's gonna work for you, you should notice results within 5-7
days. if your bodyweight/strength has not gone up in that time
period, you are what is called a non-responder and might as well
quit taking it. Frequently, non-responders to creatine can become
responders by taking their creatine with a simple sugar (i.e. fruit
juice or something) as insulin enhances creatine uptake.
Although you didn't ask specifically, one thing to note is that
most creatine powder mixes very poorly meaning that some may be left
at the bottom of hte glass. Two possible solutions (and no, one of
them is NOT micronized creatine). First try using a warm liquid to
mix your creatine in (increaes solubility). Yes warm grape juice is
gross as hell but live with it. Second (and perhaps preferable), get
your juice out, get your teaspoon of creatine, dump the creatine
straight into your mouth (it tastes like sand) and then chase it
down with the juice. Kind of like an ergogenic tequila shot. The
lemon is optional.
Does anyone take E/C/A and creatine at
the same time, or would you be working at cross purposes?
I'm sure somebody out there takes both. I think of it this way:
ECA is primariy a dieting supplement, increases fat loss, may spare
muscle tissue. Creatine is primarily a mass/strength supplement. I
think you should focus either on fat loss OR strenght gains, but not
both. Of course some people use creatine during their diets to keep
their strength levels up.
The
article on the Mesomorphosis' website says that E/C/A provides
thermogenic benefits for up to 20 weeks.
Just for the record, I disagree with this. I recall a paper (have
no idea where I saw it) that ECA continues to have a thermogenic
effect far longer than this. I seem to recall the study lasted over
a year.
What happens when you stop after the 20
weeks? Do you pack on fat?
If you go back to your old diet/activity habits sure. I think ECA
should be used as a helper compound, along with a good fat loss diet
and intense training. That way when you go off the ECA your
diet/activity habits are set in place and you can keep the fat off.
But there aren't any negative adaptations from using ECA that make
you regain fat if that's what you're asking.
How long do need to cycle off of E/C/A
before you can start again?
I'm not really sure, nobody seems to be sure how long it takes
the receptors to upregulate (if they downregulate in the first
place). I generally only use ECA for my dieting cycles, which
typically last 4-6 weeks at a shot. Then I'll stay off hte ECA while
I'm in a mass cycle which lasts varying amouts of time. If I'm off
of the ECA for long enough, going back on is just like when I took
it the first time, I get all edgy and pissy (well, edgier and
pissier) with people.
Sorry if these are simplistic questions
that have been answered time and time again. BTW, the BodyOpus diet
is fascinating. A totaly different approach than the traditional
high-carb (absolute crap) diet. I ran cross country in college and
never got exceptionally lean. I am leaner (with way more LBM) now
doing virtually no aerobics following the Neanderthin diet.
As John Travolta said in "Broken Arrow" 'Ain't it cool?'
Dear Lyle,
How often should I change exercise
routines?
A: The short answer: whenever you get stale with your current
routine.
Muscle Media writer Charles Poliquin
suggests changing routines every 3 weeks or 6 workouts (he has his
athletes train each bodypart twice a week apparently). Since I can't
stand this much volume, I only work each muscle group once a week.
Should I change my routine every 6 weeks or every 3? Since Poliquin
also works with extremely gifted athletes (Olympians), should normal
people (like me) change routines less frequently than this? I've
read some authors in other magazines saying they believe that 3
weeks on one routine is too frequent of a change... Poliquin also
says you should change routines when you get bored with them. is
this good advice? I get pretty damn bored after 3 weeks and start to
dread going back to the gym. I've also been lifting for a couple of
years if that makes a difference.
I think how often you need to change your exercise routine
depends on a lot of factors. One is probably personality. If you are
bored with your workout (and people get bored at different rates),
you won't be pushing as hard (or you may skip workouts entirely,
funny how it's always leg day that we skip). Although we can debate
this routine vs. that routine, we can all agree that working hard is
one of the single biggest factors in reaching your goals. So if
mixing up your workouts to avoid boredom means that you push harder
during your workout, I think it makes sense.
Now, on the other hand, you also have to consider how long it
takes you to start getting results from your training. I've made the
frequent mistake of changing routines too often wih the end result
being I end up spinning my wheels. When you change a routine
(exercises, sets, reps, whatever) you may take a couple of weeks to
figure out the correct weights to use, or re-learn form if you
introduce an exercise that you haven't done before. In which case
changing too soon may be a negative.
That is, let's say you haven't deadlifting for a bunch of months
and decide to start doing them. First you have to re-perfect your
form, which may take a week or two and which must be done at a
submaximal level. Then you start ramping up the intensity, raising
weight or training to failure or whatever. If you are scheduled to
change routines again in 3 weeks, you might only get 1 productive
week of training with that exercise before it's time to change
things up.
As a more real-world example, a guy I'm working with is just
coming off a heavy strength cycle. Lots of low reps, heavy weights,
etc. So he's pretty beat up, wrists are bothering him a bit, etc. So
it was time to move back into some more typical growth work (and
bring up lagging bodyparts). First thing I wanted him to do was
spend a couple of weeks submaximally to let the little aches and
pains go away. But I went ahead and started him on the program that
I'm gonna have him use. he spent 2 weeks subimaximally, also working
on form on a few new exercises, but he's into maximal work now. I'm
gonna hammer him on this routine until he starts to get stale (which
won't take long, it's a big jump in volume) and then switch things
up. But if you include the 2 weeks he spent submaximally, he might
be on this program for 6-7 weeks total.
Does how often you change routines
depend on your exercise goals? Would switching routines more or less
frequently be better for strength or growth? My goal is growth if it
matters.
I think to a degree how often you change depends on goals. If
pure strength is you goal, I'm assuming that you have some specific
exercise (perhaps bench press or squat) that you want to improve in
which cases sticking with that movement a bit longer may be useful.
Poliquin seems to think that growth will be better with more variety
as the body may recruit motor units in a different order (giving
more muscle fibers a chance to get a growth stimulus).
I guess the most general answer would be that it's very dependent
on the person. I can hammer away at the same movements for months
without getting bored, just adding a little bit of weight to the
bar. But I usually take a 3-5 week run-up at submaximal weights
before I start nearing my previous bests. This is sometimes called
intensity cycling and pretty much mandates that you stick with the
same routine for a while to make progress above and beyond your
previous best. As well since I'm fairly slow to put on muscle, I
have learned to stick with teh same routine for a while to evaluate
if I'm making progress or not.
Hope that vague answer helps! |
