The Infonian

Testosterone is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland in both males and females. As we age, testosterone production slows down and the body has a decrease in the amount of free testosterone that is available in the bloodstream. These reduced levels of testosterone can cause a variety of problems including hair loss, irritability, growth of unwanted body hair in women, a reduced libido, and the inability to maintain all of your muscle mass. If you want to counteract some of these problems, there are several ways to increase your testosterone levels naturally so that you can look and feel better. Raising your testosterone levels can happen if you eat the right kinds of foods. Studies have shown that the proteins in eggs and whey allow the adrenal glands to keep the levels of testosterone in the body steady. Eating fruits and vegetables can also have a positive effect on the levels of testosterone in your body. Because fat contains enzymes that convert testosterone to estrogen, having a lot of fat on your body increases your chances for developing low testosterone levels. Eating fruits and vegetables can help you lose fat and also develop a stronger immune system. Eating meat can also help you to raise your testosterone levels. In a research study, one group of participants ate a vegetarian diet while others ate a diet of meat. Those who ate the meat diet experienced an increase in their testosterone levels. The protein in nuts can also be very beneficial for raising your testosterone levels. Studies have shown that nuts, particularly peanuts, can raise testosterone levels better than other foods.

Weight bearing exercises are also an excellent way to help increase the levels of testosterone in your body. Instead of training one or two of your small muscles, you should concentrate on training large muscle groups to get the maximum effect of these exercises on your testosterone levels. When you are doing these exercises, doing a heavy workload can also maximize the benefits of this type of exercise when it comes to increasing your testosterone levels. Instead of doing many repetitions with a low amount of weight, do five repetitions with a weight that is difficult for you to lift. Working large muscles groups by using a heavy workload has been shown to help with your efforts to increase testosterone levels in your body.

Several ways of increasing your testosterone levels are actually very common-sense approaches to health and wellness. One method of increasing your levels is to limit the amount of alcohol you consume. Consuming alcohol makes your body slow down its production of testosterone and other hormones because it is busy processing the alcohol to clear it out of your system. Another method of raising your levels is to get enough sleep at night. Scientific research shows that people who get a good night’s sleep are able to maintain higher testosterone levels than those who are sleep-deprived. If your levels are low, try changing your sleeping habits to get a better night’s sleep. Following all of these natural methods of increasing your testosterone can raise your levels and make you look and feel better.

Mike Westerdal is the owner of www.criticalbench.com . Visit his site to receive two free PDF reports entitled, “31 Days To Bigger Arms” and “Boosting Testosterone Levels for Big Muscle Gains.”

Author: Mike Westerdal

Then you’re probably determined to get one. It’s that same determination that will be your struggle. The more you want it, the harder you want to work and the longer you want to stay in the gym. This is going to lead to overtraining which will stunt any strength gains you’ve made and delay any dreams of an even bigger bench.

How do you know if you’re at risk of overtraining? If you feel run down after a workout, notice that you aren’t making any gains, you always do forced reps, you’re not getting enough rest, your diet stinks, you have a bad attitude or you aren’t motivated you’re probably overtraining. Insomnia is another big sign. Put it this way, if a weight continually feels heavier than normal, chances are you haven’t gotten weaker, you just haven’t recovered from previous workouts.

There are three distinct stages of metabolism. The first is a state of equilibrium easily described as the fully recovered state where energy is neither being depleted and tissue is not being damaged or repaired. The second stage is catabolism. Catabolism is the stage you are in during a workout. Energy is being depleted and muscle tissue is being damaged. Your goals should be to keep catabolism in the gym, but many people that overtrain keep this stage going long after their workouts end and lose hard-earned muscle tissue to help the recovery. Finally the stage that usually doesn’t get much of a chance to kick in before we’re back in the gym for another session. The third stage is anabolism where energy is restored and tissue damage is being repaired. So after you lift you want to heal and reach a state of homeostasis, but instead many of us are back in the gym tearing our muscles and using energy when we haven’t even let the muscle fully recover from the previous workout. Never lift a muscle group that is still sore. I know it’s difficult but sometimes more isn’t better.

There is always the urge to overtrain thinking that if we just work harder the gains will come. How do we resist the urge? First off lets think, quality not quantity. If you lift each muscle group only once a week and spend less than 1 hr in the gym you’re on the right path. Although you don’t have to spend a lot of time in the gym the time spent must be intense. Every single exercise and rep should be performed with a passion and you will accomplish more in 45 minutes than most people do in two hours. If you are truly pushing yourself you should be exhausted at the end of the workout. After tearing your body apart, do you think it’s going to be ready to do it again in two to three days? I think not, try at least a week.

So all you benchers out there if you’re lifting heavy, workout after workout make sure that the reason you hit a plateau is not that you are trying too often. Let your body recover, heal, and grow before you start ripping it up again. When you hit each body part several times a week you don’t really try as hard because you know you’ll get another shot at it in a week. When you only lift each body part once per week you develop a sense of urgency. You know you better lift hard because you won’t get another chance to train it again for a week. Then as the week passes by you find yourself looking forward to your next chest day. Anyone that thinks they might be overtraining take a couple of days off and go back to the gym revived and motivated with the determination to train smarter and harder.

Author: Mike Westerdal

But can the same response be triggered without actually putting ourselves in mortal danger? Is it possible to “flip a switch” and move our bodies into that heightened response, “ready for battle” state at will? Lots of people say that it can be done, using nothing more than the power of our own minds. According to them, all it takes is plenty of discipline and lots of practice.

Epinephrine is temporarily elevated when we exercise at very high intensity levels, which is one of the reasons an intense lifting session can feel so good. At these levels though and with normal training, it’s usually enough to make us feel good but not enough to have a significant impact on strength. But if you could control that “adrenalin rush” and bring on an intense burst of epinephrine at will-making the body’s energy reserves instantly available-it could really give you an incredible burst of strength for a maximum lift attempt.

There are a number of ways to create an adrenalin (epinephrine) rush in the body without putting yourself in mortal danger. One method is train yourself under conditions that cause your body to release epinephrine. This can mean intense training sessions that push you out of your comfort zone. The keys here are to focus on short bursts of intense training that are outside of your normal comfort zone-this is important. When we’re lifting a weight that we know our bodies can handle, the body doesn’t need to release that extra burst of epinephrine-fueled energy. It’s when we’re training in “uncharted” territory that our bodies will have the incentive to give us the boost we need.

Some say that proper breathing techniques can be taught that induce an adrenalin rush. One of these strategies says that learning to control your breathing and matching it to the intensity of your workout can facilitate an adrenalin rush in the body. The theory here is that when we “breathe normally” during an intense training session, our breathing lags behind and the cells wind up with an oxygen deficiency, putting the body somewhat behind the power curve.

Practitioners of this technique say that by matching our breathing-that means breathing hard and deep-to the intensity of our workout from the onset, we can trigger an adrenalin rush. Learning to do this properly will of course require lots of discipline and plenty of practice. You can start by ensuring that you are breathing properly in everything you do. The normal human tendency is to hold our breath when exerting ourselves-for example, doing something as simple as getting up from a chair. When walking, match your inhaling and exhaling to your step. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. The point is to learn to coordinate your breathing with your body’s motions.

Visualization is another strategy that some experts say can be used to induce an adrenalin rush. There is an entire school of thought related to visualization techniques, with much of it coming from the martial arts world. Though in any situation, the methodology is essentially the same. It’s more complex than it sounds but it boils down to visualizing a previous scenario that triggered an adrenalin rush. It’s not just thinking about it though-it entails actually reliving every aspect of the situation in your mind in an effort to induce your body to release bursts of epinephrine into the bloodstream to boost performance.

While the thought of an adrenalin rush for a max lift attempt is appealing, it’s not something that everyone can do. Like I said early on, developing the ability to bring one on requires a lot of discipline and even more practice. And though not easy, it can be done. It’s important to note though that excessive, long-term releases of epinephrine into the bloodstream will diminish its effectiveness (your body gets used to it) and could lead to health problems. Remember the saying “all things in moderation.” But if you think you’ve got what it takes, it certainly is something that you can learn to do.

Author: Mike Westerdal

You may not have even heard of it but Adrenal Fatigue is a health disorder that can affect anyone-even bodybuilders. It is a condition that is marked by persistent or deep fatigue, loss of strength and a decline in endurance. It can also be a contributing factor in a variety of health conditions ranging from allergies to obesity. Adrenal fatigue is not adrenal insufficiency, which is a condition that can result in Addison’s disease-the worst degree of adrenal insufficiency that can lead to serious illness or even death. Adrenal fatigue is thought to be the result of a decline in the function of the adrenal glands, which play a vital role in our bodies’ management of stress-physical, emotional and psychological. The adrenal glands secrete a complex array of hormones including cortisol, testosterone and estrogen that regulate a broad range of functions in our bodies. Adrenal fatigue sets in when the adrenal glands become weakened and in turn, their response to stress becomes insufficient.

Adrenal fatigue can be debilitating and can lead to serious health problems. People suffering adrenal fatigue usually find that they have trouble being active. Weight training becomes difficult, they tire more easily and find that recovery from the exertion takes a lot longer than usual. Besides just not “feeling well,” some suffers of adrenal fatigue also experience mild joint and muscle pains, reduced sex drive, bursts of energy in the evening (but tired the rest of the time), an unexplained craving for salt, as well as other symptoms.

It’s thought that adrenal fatigue is brought on by chronic, persistent stress of any kind. Some experts also say that it can be brought on by persistent overdosing of stimulants found in energy drinks, fat burners and even coffee. They say that the stimulant overexposure exacerbates the weakening function of the adrenal glands.

Diagnosing adrenal fatigue isn’t an exact science but there are several lab tests that can be done that can provide an indication of how well the adrenal glands are functioning. Blood pressure tracking, pupil contraction testing and temperature tracking are some of the other methods used that might indicate the presence of adrenal fatigue.

Besides cutting out the stimulants and eliminating the stress in your life (easier said than done, I know), adrenal fatigue treatments include hormone replacement therapy, a regimen of specific supplements and a healthy diet.

Diets that include refined sugars and processed carbs are not just hell on your body in general, but they’re particularly stressful on the adrenal glands. A proper diet with the right balance of proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats can help prevent adrenal fatigue and can help you recover from it too. Eat frequent small meals (five to six a day) and avoid prolonged hunger.

Here are some of the supplements that have shown some promise in being effective in preventing and treating adrenal fatigue:

Pantothenic Acid (PA): Also known as vitamin B5, PA plays a major role in the production of adrenal hormones, especially during high stress situations;

Ascorbic Acid: This is a sugar acid that has strong antioxidant properties. It is found in the highest concentrations in the cortex and the medulla of the adrenal gland. It is widely believed that a deficiency in ascorbic acid results in reduced adrenal activity;

Vitamin C: The adrenal gland has one of the organs that has the highest concentrations of vitamin C;

Vitamin E: The adrenal gland also has very high concentrations of vitamin E. In the adrenal gland, vitamin E plays an important role in steroidogenesis;

Vitamin A: Another important cofactor in steroidogenesis;

Vitamin B6: Pyridoxal phosphate (P5P) is the active form of vitamin B6. It helps stimulate release of adrenal catecholamines. P5P also alters cell receptor response to steroid hormones.

Hormone replacement therapy is the third option for treating adrenal fatigue. Specifically, treatment for adrenal fatigue calls for bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). This differs from general hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that BHRT involves supplemental doses of steroid hormones (hydrocortisone and aldosterone) that have a chemical structure identical to human hormones produced by the human body. HRT uses animal or synthetic hormones that have structures similar or identical to those produced by the human body.

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue can vary from very mild to downright debilitating. Your best defense against it is to maintain a healthy diet, cut the stimulants, limit your caffeine and make sure that your supplement regimen includes the vitamins and compounds listed above.

Author: Mike Westerdal

If you’ve never heard of a “positive nitrogen balance” and are wondering what the hell I’m talking about don’t feel bad, you’re not alone. The term isn’t something you hear every other guy in the gym talking about. But I can guarantee that even though he may not be familiar with the term, every gym rat on the planet knows what happens when you have a positive nitrogen balance-you get big. The whole thing is pretty complicated but can be explained fairly simply. Nitrogen is a chemical element found in protein, which we know is the primary building block for muscle growth. And in order to pack on muscle mass, you have to take in more protein than your body uses-otherwise you’d lose weight not gain in.

A positive nitrogen balance means that the body is retaining more protein than it is using as fuel or just otherwise excreting (sweat, urine and feces). In other words, the total amount of nitrogen excreted through body functions is less than the total amount of nitrogen consumed through diet or supplementation. That means you’ve got to have a positive nitrogen balance in order to grow new muscle tissue and get big.

Now you’re wondering, “Okay, so I know what a positive nitrogen balance is, how in the world do I know if I’ve got a positive nitrogen balance?”

Protein, carbohydrates and fat all contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen molecules but only protein has the additional nitrogen molecule. Given that around 70% of protein is found in muscle tissue, a relatively simple nitrogen test can be conducted to determine if there is a positive or negative nitrogen balance.

The nitrogen test can determine the body’s anabolic status-showing whether or not the body is primed for muscle growth by maintaining sufficient protein balance. A positive nitrogen balance will prevent catabolism-the opposite of anabolism-which basically means that the body is using muscle tissue to get the nutrients it needs.

Nitrogen balance can be negative, positive or at equilibrium. By now you should know that a negative nitrogen balance is bad. It means that your body is in a catabolic state and is more or less cannibalizing muscle tissue to meet its nutritional needs. A positive nitrogen balance puts your body in an anabolic state, which is what you want. Here, your body is primed and pumped for muscle growth. It also means that your body is sufficiently recovering from your workouts.

A nitrogen balance that is at equilibrium indicates that no progress is being made but the body isn’t in a catabolic state either. Here, nitrogen intake and loss are the same. You won’t get any bigger but at the same time, at least you’re not losing muscle too, so even though it’s not ideal it’s better than a negative nitrogen balance.

Since about 90% of nitrogen loss occurs through urination, the most common-and widely accepted-method for testing nitrogen balance is done by measuring urine urea nitrogen loss. This test measures the amount of nitrogen in the diet and subtracts the amount excreted over the previous 24 hours and gives you the nitrogen balance.

If you think that a negative nitrogen balance is caused by not consuming enough protein, you’re only partially correct. You also have to take in sufficient carbs and fats too. Yeah, protein is the primary building block of muscle tissue, complex carbs and healthy fats also play a vital role in protein synthesis. Without them, protein may be metabolized for energy purposes, which will ultimately result in a negative nitrogen balance. Overtraining can also result in a negative nitrogen balance. Remember, muscle growth occurs during recovery not training.

Proper nutrition, training hard and getting plenty of rest are the three essential keys to achieving and maintaining a positive nitrogen balance and getting big. First, you’ve got to take in more calories than you burn and make sure you’re getting plenty of protein, along with sufficient complex carbs and healthy fats. Proper nutrition also includes making sure that you are consuming enough vitamins, minerals and other supplements that contribute to proper body function.

Next, you should not just be training, but training hard. Since you’re taking the time to do it, you might as well do it right and reap the rewards. And finally, make sure you’re getting plenty of rest. Rest entails a good night’s sleep and giving your muscles enough time to recover between workouts.

So there you have it-a basic overview of achieve a positive nitrogen balance and why you should care.

Author: Mike Westerdal