Monday, October 31, 2011

What is the best PCT supplement and should I take one?


Our body likes to remain in a balanced state always. This condition is also known as homeostasis. In case you take any external substances that tend to stretch the homeostatic levels beyond than the normal your will respond by reducing its own production of those substances, so as to maintain the balance. This is particularly true with prohormone of any type and post-cycle therapy. As a result , your body lowers its own production of these important hormones, which may get well below the normal levels.

Prohormones are not expensive. All one needs to do is surf a bit or look at the local stores. These are generally included in the post-cycle therapy or PCT. The supplement is
utilized by people to restore the natural creation of hormones in their body. The best PCT supplement is also important for a complete and successful prohormone cycle.

PCT is essential for this "low" period, as one can lose a respectable amount of the benefits they made during the work out. And one should know that this is not a permanent condition but just a small phase. You body will soon return to its normal production levels. 

Prohormones lead to a rapid muscle growth with a major boost in protein synthesis. Exhibiting anti-catabolic properties, these reduce the effects of cortisol, which leads to lower protein loss from your muscle cells. But if the hormone levels get too low, the reveres happens, which leads to protein loss from muscle cells and hence loss of muscle.
Post-cycle therapy means using Prohormones to restore the natural production levels of certain hormones.

Prohormones come cheap but work too sometimes. Most of these are steroids and need cycle assist, and post-cycle therapy. As these can leave you with several side effects like
high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, dizziness and headaches, you need to take cycle assist supplements for a minimum of one month  post your prohormone cycle.

 When you are taking prohormones, you are introducing synthetic hormones to your body and thus elevating your testosterone levels artificially. As a result, your body produces much less natural testosterone. Well, this is not the problem when you’re on a prohormone cycle, but you are in trouble when this cycle is over. Your body, now used to the artificial testosterone isn’t making much testosterone on its own. This makes you vulnerable to all sorts of unwanted side effects. Your sex drive may go for a toss too and you will also feel a crash.

So, what will work best post-cycle therapy and cycle assist? Well, the main purpose of
PCT is to repair your natural hormone production levels as fast as possible. But it is easier said then done. You will have to use the right supplements. The food news is that there are certain compounds that really help. Some of the best sellers are ZMA, Tribulus Terrestris and Eurycoma Longifolia. These help you reach back to your normal hormone levels, working on healthy hormone function.

For those still pondering over whether they really need cycle assist and PCT just after a cycle of prohormone, the answer is that they are making a big mistake if they don't go for it. You’re risking losing all your gains for the explanations discussed above. You will need to stay on this regimen for at least a month. Of course, you need to follow your fitness trainer and physician as well as the guidelines by the manufacturer listed on the bottle.

To follow the best approach and to make sure you benefit completely from your workouts, you should start with Post-Cycle Therapy and cycle assist right away after you conclude your prohormone cycle.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Weight Lifting Stigmas


There are many stigmas that people carry with them. Now I am not talking about obsessive compulsive disorder stigmas but things that we were told at one point and hold true, even though we may have never tested the other outcome. 

Lifters all have their own stigmas. Some have to eat before they workout, others will argue that, that would hurt the effect of blood in the muscle. This article will shine some light on some stigmas that might be hurting your workout and muscle growth.

1) Eating during workouts: Many muscular women are told that eating during a workout can lead to a lack of blood in the muscle. This would cause a lesser muscle pump and reduce the effectiveness of the workout. This might be true if you are eating a steak in between sets, but not so true with supplementing. Supplementing with a small amount of whey protein and sugars you can increase muscle growth and recovery. You can create your own intra workout shake by adding about 5g of whey protein, Tang and a scoop of leucine into a shaker and sipping on that. This won’t take away blood from the muscle and will allow faster muscle recovery. Some people will also eat an apple or banana during workouts to help refuel glycogen. Eating high sugar fruit helps refuel the body without taking away from the muscle growth. 

2) Cardio before workout: Many people will not do cardio before workouts because it leads to the depletion of glycogen (muscle energy) before they even start their workout. This may be true, but if your diet is done correctly you will be able to supply your body with plenty of energy before and during a workout. This is another reason to have an Intra WorkoutSupplement. Also many people who take pre workouts enjoy doing cardio before because it propels the pre workout ingredients into the system faster.

3) Calories are what cause water retention: Too many calories can cause water retention, but so can too much whey protein. Often time’s people stop eating calories and load up with protein, but the problem with this is that calories allow the transportation of protein. When you stop eating calories it is more difficult for protein to load into the muscles. When you eat too much protein especially whey protein, it turns into fat because it is not being used right away. Whey protein is a fast absorbing protein, so when used to often and with little exercise, it will quickly transfer into fat.

Stigma’s can ruin your workouts; don’t allow the past hurt your future. Know that each body is different and understanding what works best for it is important. Just because someone says that something worked for them doesn’t mean that it works for you. These points made in this article are fueled by a conversation of exactly that; recognition of how each person is different and yet can still obtain their goals.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Beginning Weight Training For Women

It is essential that we do not underestimate the importance of weight training workout for women. Once known as a realm only for bodybuilders and athletes, weight training for women has gathered immense popularity over the last few years. The reason is the growing interest of women and advanced research and studies in this field. Before beginning weight training for women, it is essential to get well familiar with the guidelines and its benefits for women. Read on to know more on the topic.

Weight training workout for women has revealed unlimited benefits for them and should be an important part of any fitness routine. The strength training insures a well-balanced, flexible and optimal body system for any woman. All women should workout with weights on a regular basis as they are seen to derive some great benefits from strength training.

Earlier, women used to rely on a low calorie diet and cardiovascular activity to get the desired change in their physical appearance. But the low calorie diets only slows down the metabolism and overtraining in aerobics can lead to injury. Women now realize that if they really want to create positive visual changes in their bodies, then beginning weight training is the only way to go. In fact the benefits extend far beyond the visual.
ideas of weights for women.

To start with, consult an experienced trainer or get the guidance of someone who is well qualified with lifting weights to design the right regime for you. Don’t; be anxious about getting massive muscle sizes unless you go overdo things or have an unusually higher testosterone level.
Learn how to lift the weight properly from your expert or you may end up hurting yourself. Here are some guidelines for beginning weight training for women:
•    Do not “spot” train. Go for a variety of exercise rather than just focusing on your abs.
•    Lift weights in three sets consisting of about 10 repetitions. Remember to rest in between each set for about half a minute.
•    Carry out the weight training workout 2 or 3 times a week.
•    Avoid performing on two consecutive days as you need to rest your muscles
Start off with ease and gradually. Too much weight and too early can only harm you. You will only end up de-motivated and discouraged. Once you and your body have all the right techniques down and your muscles are well prepared, then you can decide to move on to onto heavier lifting, but again under the guidance of your fitness experts.

Myths regarding weight training workout in women
Most women avoid beginning weight training as they have some preconceived notions in their mindset. Let us look into these common myths and get to know the truth in them.

Myth #1 -Weight training will make you look masculine
It is not possible for a woman to gain huge muscle mass just by lifting a few weights  as they cannot produce as much testosterone naturally as males do.

Myth #2 - Weight training will increase your chest size.
As women’s breasts are made of fatty tissue, it is not possible for them to add on to their breast size with weight training. There is no way your cup size is going to increase, unless you go for breast implants.

Myth #3 - Weight training makes you inflexible
If you are doing all those exercises the right way with weight training, there is no way you van get stiff. Your flexibility will only increase.

Myth #4 – Stopping weight training will make your muscles turn into fat.
Muscles and fat are two entirely different kinds of tissue. Only bad dietary habits, inactivity can bring all that fat on to your body.

Myth #5 - You can eat anything you want.
This is completely false. Is we are taking in more calories than we are burning, it will show on us.

Myth #6 – For Weight training Women only need to do cardio
If you only did cardio, you will burn your fat and muscle for fuel. To get the muscle building machine going, one needs to lift weights too.