1001 Muscle Building Tips

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342. AND YOUR COOKWARE
You probably wash the pots and pans, but how about the cutting board? Likewise, the knives and forks you use to eat with will be placed in the dishwasher but how about the large knife you used to slice the tomatoes? Any cooking utensil, no matter how large or small, needs to be throughly washed - and not just wiped - when you are finished with it.


343. POWER SETTINGS
For most frozen, pre-cooked foods such as soup and stew, a microwave power settings of eight for about three minutes should suffice. Even though this time will vary, at least you will know that the food was cooked beforehand and you will only have to heat the meal until it suits your needs.


344. BEWARE OF "GOOD FATS" FOR COOKING
Until recent researchers condemned all saturated fats as bad and said to cook with only polyunsaturated fats. New evidence suggests that the "good fats" are not all that good. When polyunsaturated oils are heated they undergo oxidation. This produces various new compounds that may be harmful. It has also been proven that vegetable oils can accelerate the aging process. Other studies have shown that while people who switched from saturated to polyunsaturated fats for cooking had lower levels of heart disease, mortality rates remained the same. So our advice is to only use the minimum amount of oil to cook with and drain all excess oil from food afterwards.

 

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345. EGGS - STILL ONE OF THE BEST
Eggs have received a bad rap over the years. All the talk about the dangers of cholesterol has turned people away from eggs in droves. While eggs do contain cholesterol, they also contain choline and lecithin; two substances that keep the cholesterol in eggs emulsified and "moving" when it enters the bloodstream. Eggs are ones of the healthiest foods available and should be part of the diet of all hard training bodybuilders.


346. EGG WHITES
If you are still worried about cholesterol , or if you just want to cut down on your fat consumption, try egg whites. Throwing away the egg yolk gets rid of all the fat and only half the protein. Many bodybuilders will make an omlet containing one egg yolk for texture and color and four or five eggs whites. Vegetables can be cooked in to improve taste and nutritional value.


347. MEATS FROM BAD TO GOOD
In the hierarchy of fatty meats, pork is more fatty than beef, beef is more fatty than poultry with skin on it, poultry with skin is more fatty than skinned poultry, and skinned poultry is more fatty than fish. Within the categories of poultry, dark meat has more fat than white.

 

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348. COMPLETE PROTEIN FOR VEGETARIANS
Vegetarians need to be very creative to ensure they are eating a balanced diet. One of the richest sources of plant protein is legumes. When combined with seeds, nuts, or grains, all the amino acids are obtained. Likewise, rice with beans or brown bread and peanut butter provide complete protein.

349. BUYING VEGETABLES
To ensure maximum nutrient content, try to buy only fresh vegetables. Don't buy unripe vegetables. Unlike fruits, most vegatables will not ripen in storage. Likewise, only buy vegetables that are in good condition. Bruised or damaged vegetables tend to be reduced in nutrient content.


350. STEAMED OR RAW
Try to eat your vegetables uncooked when ever possible. Cooking destroys much of the nutritional content. If you must eat your vegetables warm, try steaming rather than boiling. Boiling will leach out 50 to 75 percent of the nutritional content. You'll end up pouring the best part fo your vegetable meal down the drain!

 

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351. GREEN AND SPROUTED
When buying root vegetables like onions or potatoes, don't buy the ones that have sprouted. Never buy green potatoes either. The green and sprouted parts contain a poisonous chemical called solanine. If this has happened after storage cut away all green or sprouted parts before cooking.

352. IN THE WASH
As soon as you bring vegetables home from the store, wash them. This is not only helps get rid of pesticides, dirt and germs, but also the nasty creepy crawlies that sometimes hang out in plants. Insects such as spiders and centipedes have been known to pop out of grapes and cabbages when least expected.

353. MORE IS NOT BETTER
Unlike meat, which should always be cooked for health reasons, vegetables and fruits should be consumed with the least amount of preparation as possible. Heating plant material not only destorys much of the nutrient content but also removes much of the taste. Carrots, for example, become tasteless after boiling.

354. STORING MEAT
For both health and taste reasons, meat shouldn't be kept for more than two to three days. For maximum freshness keep it in the coolest part of your freezer or refigerator. As with vegtables it's a good idea to rinse the meat with water as soon as you bring it home. It's also a good idea to discard the store wrapping and rewrap the meat in foil. Under no circumstances should you put cooked meat back in the origional wrapping. That's a great way to get food poisoning.

355. A BIGGER BIRDIE?
When buying poultry such as turkey or chicken, it is more economical to buy large birds, as you get a higher percentage of lean meat as opposed to fat and bone.

 

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356. BEWARE OF BOTTOM-FEEDERS!
Despite their reputation as aphrodisiacs, oysters and other shellfish should never be eaten raw. Shellfish are examples of what are called bottom, feeders. They take in surrounding water and force it back out through special filters. In this manner they capture tiny particles of food. The problem with this is that shellfish become a dumping ground for toxins and over time such compounds as mercury can rise to dangerous levels.

357. CAN IT
Although fresh is better there are times when you'll have to get your fish from a can. The two best examples of this are tuna and salmon. Tuna has been a staple of bodybuilding diets for decades. When buying canned fish, always look for fish that is packed in water alone. Avoid oils or sauces as they tend to be high in fat and salt. Once you open the tin, transfer leftovers to a sealed container and refrigerate. Don't store it in the origional tin - this not only increases the risk of food poisoning but may also give the meat a "tinny" taste. While many call light tuna "catfood grade," it carries 1/3 the amount of mercury as does albacore.


358. GETTING FRESH WITH FRUIT
Fruit are no different from vegetables and meat, the fresher the better. Unless you plan on using it for baking, give the old, on-sale fruit a pass. The nutrient content may have deteriorated by 50 percent or more.


359. KIWIS - THE WONDERS FROM DOWN UNDER
If you're tired of apples and oranges, try kiwis. Gram for gram, kiwis provide more vitamin C and minerals than oranges, apples or pears.


360. EAT DRIED FRUIT SPARINGLY
Dried fruits have become popular in recent years and if prepared properly retain most of the nutrient content of the hydrated version. The only drawback is that the natural sugars have become concentrated (this is why raisins tend to taste sweeter than grapes). As expected, this increases the calorie content significantly. If you're trying to lose fat, keep your dried fruit intake to a minimum.

 

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361. CUTTING-BOARD HYGIENE
It's amazing the number of people who will cut both their raw meat and bread on the same cutting board. While the meatwill be cooked, rendering bacteria an germs harmless, the bread will be eaten raw. Any bacteria contained in the meat can be easily transferred to anything cut on the board afterwards. Always wash your cutting board after cutting meat products on it. Better still, have separate boards for meats, breads, and vegetables.


362. PRIORITIZE YOUR MEALS
Most people eat backwards. They have little or nothing for breakfast, a small lunch, and then a large cooked supper. In reality it makes more sense to eat the other way around. Assuming you had your last meal a couple of hours before bed, and you get six to eight hours of sleep, your body may have gone ten hours without food. The first thing you should do when you get up in the morning is get some good quality nutrients in there.

363. GRAZING FOR GROWTH
The biggest animals on the planet are constantly eating and so must you if you want to gain any significant amount of muscle mass. We don't mean literally eating every waking minute, but you should be feeding your body nutrients every couple of hours. Instead of two or three large meals, try five or six smaller meals. This not only ensures that the body is getting nutrients on a continuous basis, but smaller meals place less stress on the digestive system.

 

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364. THE BLENDER - A BODYBUILDER'S BEST FRIEND
It's much esier to drink nutrients than eat them. In the fast world we live in, extra time is usually in short supply. Unless you take our advice and prepare meals ahead of time, you may not be able to cook five or six meals a day. One way to get round this is by blending. A blender allows you to combine a large number of nutrients into a liquid meal. It's also very fast and convenient, and when you're finished a quick rinse with hot watter lets you be on your way.


365. YOGURT - AN ALTERNATIVE TO MILK
For those who are lactose intolerant, or have an allergy to milk, yogurt might be a healthy alternative. The reason many of the people who can't tolerate milk can digest yogurt is that the bacteria contained in the yogurt break down some of the problem causing lactose. Yogurt has been linked to reduced cholesterol levels and increased longevity. If you've been avoiding protein shakes because ou can't drink milk, give yogurt a try.


366. ANOTHER REASON NOT TO DRINK HEAVILY
Each gram of alcohol has seven calories. If your aim is to have a flat stomach or lose weight, either cut back your alcohol consumption or be prepared to carry a higher-then-average body-fat level.


367. WHEN ARTIFICIAL IS BETTER
One of the easiest ways to cut calories from your diet is by usig artificial sweeteners. Despite the bad press some of them occasionally receive, most are apparently safe and from a nutritional point of view contain few if any calories. Try using them in your coffee, on your cereal, or even in your baking. In no time you'll have cut hundreds of calories from your daily intake

 

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368. DROWSY
If you start to feel drowsy after eating it usually means one of two things, either your portions are too large, or you ae consuming too much simple sugar. If cutting down the portion size and/or simple sugar content doesn't alleviate the problem, consult a physician. You may be developing diabetes-related problems.

369. THE ALL-IMPORTANT BREAD-MAKER
Store-bought white bread was not created for bodybuilders. Not only have most of the good nutrients been leaced out, but also it's loaded with salt. Just two slices of store-bought white bread contain the recomended daily intake of salt. Bread-makers are not that expensive and give you complete control over the ingredients. Instead of white flour you can use whole wheat, and salt and sugar can be kept to a minimum. Set it in the morning and come home to a nice fresh loaf.

370. LOW-CARB BREAD
It's not surprising with the big emphasis on low-carb diets these days that manufacturers have made low-carb breads available. As with most low-carb and low-fat alternatives, the taste is rather bland, but you are saving a heap of calories.

371. CARBS FOR BODYBUILDERS
With all this talk of carbs and calories, you'd think they were bad for bodybuilders. But it depends on your present goal. When it depends on your present goal. When you are bulking up you need plenty of complex carbohydrates.

 

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372. BREADS NEVER BEST
While you need plenty of carbs, breads are never your best bet. Even whole-grain breads are a more refined product than potatoe, sweet potato, corn or oatmeal.

373. FRUIT VS. JUICE
Although fruit is generally made up of simple sugars, the actual fruit has loads of fiber to slow down its digestion. This is not the case for juice. Pick pieces of fruit over juice, even at breakfast.

374. POST-WORKOUT JUICE
The one time it's okay to drink fruit juice is immediately after your workout, when an insulin surge helps bring nutrients to muscles. Make sure to include some protein. Studies show that consuming carbs and protein in a 3:1 ratio post workout brings the most muscle gains.

375. PREWORKOUT
You want to reach muscular failure during your sets, not fail because you didn't give you body enough energy. Eat everywhere from 1 hour to 2 1/2 hours before training. Experiment with times to see which works best for you.

 

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376. TIMES MAY BE DEPENDENT
You may find that you have to eat 2 hours before training legs but only 1 hour before training arms, because of the different stressess on your system.

377. WHAT TO EAT?
Your preworkout meal should also contain carbs and protein, but make sure the carbs are complex raher than simple. Simple carbs would be gone from your system by the time you need them.


378. MEAL PLANNING
The best results come when you plan your meals a week in advance. Then when you go shopping you know exactly what to buy and in what quanitites, making day-to-day like much easier.

379. SHOP THE OUTER AISLES
Most supermarkets keep the fresh produce, meats and dairy products in the outer aisles and the prepackaged food youshould be avoiding throughout the middle of the store. Shop the outer aisles first - a cart full of healthy food will give you more willpower to avoid the cookie aisle.

 

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380. DON'T SHOP WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY
Going into a supermarket when you're hungry is like sending kids to a chocolate factory - you want it all. Unless you have great willpower, one of the worst nutrition mistakes you can make is buying you groceries just after leaving the gym. By then your blood sugar is low and you'll find it craving the high-calorie, sugar-loaded items. Your shopping basket will be loaded with items you'd normally avoid. And let's face it. Once they're in your house, you will break down and eat them. If you must shop when hungry, bring a list iwth you and only buy what's on the list. No sweets. No junk.

381. PLATE SIZE - WHEN ILLUSION IS REALITY
Are you the type that piles your food on the largest plate in
the cupboard? One fo the easiest ways to reduce you calorie intake is to use a smaller plate. Even if you cover most of its surface with food, you're still eating fewer calories than the super-sized version. Many studies have confirmed this. Those who use smaller plates for their food report the same feelings of fullness as when they sued larger plates, yet consumed far fewer calories.


382. PORTION SIZE
Going cold turkey on foods you've been eating for years can have disastrous results. Feelings of deprivation can set in, and then over-consumption usually occurs. Instead of going cold turkey, try reducing your portion sizes. Here's a guide: A serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards; grilled fish should be the size of a checkbook; a pancake the size of a CD; steamed rice, enough to fill a large cup; a bagel the size of a hockey puck; pasta, enough to fill an ice-cream scoop; cooked vegetables, the size of you fist.

 

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383. KEEP 'EM CLEAN
Although this tip has nothing to do wth nutrition and calories, it does have serious implications for your long-term eating habits. The next time you are eating; try chewing your food with just your lips and gums. As comical as that sounds, this where you will be headed if you don't keep your teeth clean. Your mouth is the first stop in your digestive system, and the teeth are its machinery. All that leftover food from those four to six meals a day you are eating is a perfect breeding ground for enamel-destroying bacteria. Unless you want to be toothless or wearing false teeth, take a few minutes after each meal and brush and floss your teeth.

384. BREAKFAST - VALUABLE PLANNING TIME
One of the best times for mapping out your daily schedule is breakfast time. As you are eating your eggs or oatmeal, decide what clothes you'll wear, what physical activities you'll engage in, and what social contacts you'll make. One of the keys to success is great planning.

385. KEEP PRE-WORKOUT MEALS SMALL
While you probably shouldn't be eating a large meal at any time of the day, this is especially true before a workout. As soon as food is ingested, the body sends extra blood to the stomach region to aid in digestion and absorption. The larger the meal the more blood. If you go to the gym immediately after a large meal, the body will start shifting some of this blood to the muscles. As expected this will interfere with proper digestion. Your workouts will suffer, as well. If you do eat a large meal, wait at least two to three hours before working out.

386. READ THE LABELS
If you intend to get serious about your eating, start learning how to read the labels on your food products. For example "light" and "low fat" are often decoys for foods loaded with sugar. Likewise some manufacturers make it seem that a food is low in calories by recommending small serving sizes.

 

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387. ADJUST YOUR FOOD INTAKE
If you have to stop training for any reason (vacation, injury, etc), reduce your calorie intake. Regular cardio and strength training burns enormous amounts of calories. Unfortunately, your appetite may not diminish even when your energy expenditure has been greatly reduced. If you keep eating the same amount oas while you were training the excess will go right around your midsection.

388. HAVE A JUNK MEAL
Unless you reach the point where you have no desire to eat junk food (yes, it happens), pick one day a week and let loose for one meal. Have that piece of chocolate or cheesecake. Grab a candy bar or bag of potatoe chips. The few extra calories won't have any effect on your waistline. Notice we said junk meal, not junk day. A couple of hundred extra calories won't make any difference but a couple of thousand will!

389. TABLE MANNERS
Weight control can be summed up in the following three statments: Leave the table hungry and you will lose weight. Leave the table satisfied and you will maintain weight. Leave the table full and you will gain weight.

390. TAKE A MULTIVITAMIN
As they cost less than $10 for a three-month supply, and are perfectly safe, we strongly suggest taking a multivitamin. While they won't make any dramatic changes to your physique, they are a good way to ensure that you are receiving all the major vitamins and minerals your body needs. Take the multivitamin with your meals as vitamins and minerals have no benefits on their own. They are used by the body to catalyze biochemical reactions involving the other main nutrient groups (carbs, fats, protein, etc).

391. BUY A GOOD COOKBOOK!
it's one thing to eat someone else's great cooking, but another thing entirely to prepare your own. A good cookbook will give you creative freedom over what you eat. It will also give you hundreds of choices to spice up your eating.

 

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392. BUYER BEWARE!
Despite being worth billions of dollars aanually, the supplement industry is poorly regulated. Just about anyone can market a product as a health food supplement. To ensure you are getting exactly what you paid for, only buy supplements from reputable companies such as Twin Lab.

393. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Before taking any substance, learn everything you can about it. Even some common supplements like vitamins and minerals can be toxic in high dosages. Don't let Johnny Biceps at the local gym talk you into taking something when you don't have a clue what it is. At the very least you may be out your hard-earned cash. But you may also end up taking something that is illegal and/or dangerous to your health.

394. CHECK OUT THE "STUDIES"
Just because a supplement company claims they have studies that prove their product is effective doesn't mean everything is cut and dried and above board. Check out the studies for yourself. If the studies are legitimate they will be published in the trade scientific journals. Even then, hold a degree of skepticism. Find out who funded the study. In many cases the manufacturer is the one funding the money for the lab. The researchers often feel obligated to creatively select the data to show the product in the most positive light.

395. FOOD COMES FIRST
Never take a supplement in place of food. Food contains far more nutrients than any supplement ever could. As the name suggests, supplements should "supplement" food, not replace it. For example, if you find you are not getting adequate amounts of protien through your diet, then a protein supplement makes sense. Don't, however, give a chicken breast a pass for a protein supplement.

396. CYCLING FOR MAXIMUM
The late Vince Gironda said the best way to maximize the benefits of supplements was to cycle the product in question. The body adapts to taking the same substances for long periods of time, resulting in reduced effects. Try taking your supplements for six to eight weeks and then taking two to three weeks off.

397. THE NUTRIENT WINDOW
One of the most common questions is: "When should I take my supplements?" Generally speaking the body is begging for nutrients during the hour immediately following your workout more than any other time. have your creatine or whey protein shake already pre-mixed. This makes it very convenient to get your nutrients on the drive home or in the gym's lounge area.

 

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398. WHEY IS WAY BETTER
There are three primary types of protein supplements, soy, milk and egg, and whey. Soy is derived from plant sources and is an incomplete protein. This means it doens't contain the full compliment of amino acids. Milk and egg protein is complete but you'll need a blender to miss it. Whey is derived from milk and is the purist form of protein. You can mix it with a spoon and it doen't cause the digestive problems that often accompany milk and egg proteins. Besides being the best source of protein for building muscle, whey protein helps boost the immunity system.

399. BEWARE OF SOY PROTEIN
Soy protein has made a comeback in recent years because of some studies that suggest it can lower the rish if certain cancers. Unfortunately soy can also elevate estrogen levels. This is not a problem for females, but for a hard-training male bodybuilder, elevated levels of a female hormone is not a desirable quality. Given that soy protein mixes poorly and has been known to cause gas, we suggest you avoid soy protein.

400. USE AMIND ACID SUPPLEMENTS WITH CAUTION
As refinement techniques improved, it wasn't long before the individual amino asicds that make up protein became available. Such amino acids as arginine, lysine, glutamine, and histidine are touted to do everything from increasing growth hormone levels to speeding up protein synthesis. A few words of caution are needed. First, scientists don't know the full effects of taking high concentrations of one or more amino acids. Second, no one knows in what proportions amino acids should be consumed. Finally, amino acid supplements are much more expensive than protein supplements.

401. FRUIT FLAVOR
Despite the advances in supplement production, many people still find them rather bland in taste. One way to flavor things up is to add fruit. Place your powder and mixing mediium (milk, juice, yogurt or water) in a blender and then throw in a banana or handful of strawberries. A few seconds later you have a great-tasting protein drink fortified with extra vitamins and minerals.

 

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402. FAT FOR FAT LOSS
It may seem contradictory but one of the best supplements for losing body fat is medium chain triglycerides or MCTs. MCTs work by speeding up the metabolism, causing bodyfat to be consumed faster. Many biochemists say MCTs are oils that act like carbohydrates. It seems one of the byproducts of MCTs are ketones, which the body can use as an energy source. Start off by taking half a tablespoon per meal for the first week and then slowly increase the dosage to 1 to 2 tablespoons.

403. CREATINE - BODYBUILDING'S NUMBER ONE SUPPLEMENT
Creatine first broke onto the bodybuilding scene in the early '90s and has quickly leaped to the top of the supplement charts. Creatine increases muscle power by serving as a short-term energy source. When adenosine triphosphate, ATP, breaks down into adenosine diphosphate, ADP, and a single phosphate group, creatine can regenerate ATP by donating a high-energy phosphate group. The result is more energy available for contracting muscles. Start by taking 15 to 20 grams of creatine per day for 5 to 7 days, and then cut back to 3 to 5 grams per day.

404. INSULIN RELEASE FOR MAXIMIZING CREATINE ADSORPTION
Besides transporting glucose (sugar) out of the bloodstream, insulin also shuttles other substances, one of which is creatine. To maximize absorption, take your creatine supplement with a high-carbohydrate drink like grape juice. The sugar in the juice will cause the body to release insulin, which will speed the transport of creatine out of the bloodstream and into the muscle.

 

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405. POWDER VERSUS LIQUID
As the first-generation creatine supplements came in powdered form and had to be mixed, a few enterprising supplement manufacturers jumped the gun and started marketing creatine in liquid form. There are a few problems with this. For starters creatine is not stable in liquid form. Also, despite claims to the contrary, no one is sure how effective these liquid creatine supplements are. Another factor is price. It costs more money to manufacture liquid creatine and this extra production cost gets passed on to you, the customer. Our advice is to stick with tried-and-true powdered creatine.

406. TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT
Creatine is one of those supplements that seems to be dependent on the temperature of the mixing medium. If the liquid is too hot you may destory some of the creatine. Conversely, cold liquid prevents proper mixing. For best dissolving results, try using lukewarm liquid. Granted warm juice is not that appealing, but you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you've maximized your creatine absorption.

407. CREATINE AND CAFFEINE - KEEP THEM SEPARATE?
A number of recent studies suggest that high doses of caffeine may interfere with creatine absorption. Taking creatine with one cup of coffee is probably no big deal but if you like to pop a couple of caffeine tablets (or a couple of cups of coffee) before a workout, it probably makes sense to take your creatine a few hours later.

408. DON'T MEGADOSE ON SUPPLEMENTS
Because they are relatively cheap and promoted to cure just about every disease outthere, many people take mega doses of supplements. This is not advised. Some vitamins and minerals are toxic in high doses. Likewise large amounts of creatine and protein may cause diarrhea and other digestive problems.

 

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409. GLUTAMINE - THE MUSCLE-BUILDING IMMUNITY BOOSTER
Glutamine is an amino acid that falls into the "conditionally essential" category. This means the body can manufacture it from other amino acids, but at certain times demand exceeds the body's rate of synthesis. Glutamine is taken by bodybuilders because it keeps the body in positive nitrogen balance - the necesssary environment needed to turn protein into muscle tissue. In times of stress glutamine levels may drop to the point that negative nitrogen balance occurs. The end result is a bodybuilder's worst nightmare - muscle wasting. Besides promoting muscle growth, glutamine increases production of glutathione, one of the precursors of antibodies and lymphocytes - the immune system's two primary germ-fighting cells. Although the scientific literature is lacking with regards to dosage, the anecdotal evidence suggests 5 to 10 grams per day works best.

410. MEAL REPLACEMENT POWDERS
Meal replacement powders (MRPs) are an excellent way to obtain heealthy nutrients quickly and easily. While they won't replace a regular meal of food, they have the advantages of being lower in calories and easy to prepare. If you're stuck for time or trying to cut back on calories, try to make one of your meals an MRP.

411. EPHEDRINE FOR FAT LOSS AND STIMULATION
Ephedrine is one of the few over-the-counter supplements that does exactly what it claims - it promotes fat loss and increases short-term energy. Ephedrine is an example of what's called a thermogenic drug. This means it promotes fat loss by elevating body temperature. Ephedrine also provides energy because it is a sympathetic nervous system stimulant. Despite the bad press it has garnered over recent years, ephedrine is relatively safe provided you don't have a history of heart problems and you don't take megadoses. Make sure you follow the directions on the bottle. Needless to say, use it only where it is legal to do so. Never exceed recommended doses.

 

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412. THE ECA STACK
The name ECA is derived from the first initials of the words ephedrine, caffeine, and aspirin. Bodybuilders discovered that ephedrine's stimulant and fat-burning effects are magnified if combined with caffeine and aspirin. If you decide to experiment, the proportions are 25 mg ephedrine, 200 mg caffeine (about one cup of coffee) and one aspirin. Caffeine is also a stimulant, so those with a history of heart problems should avoid both ephedrine and high doses of caffeine. Always follow the directions on the bottle when taking supplements.

413. AN ASPIRIN A DAY?
If you have a history of eart disease in your family, check with your doctor about the possibility of taking an aspirin a day. Aspirin is commonly called a "blood thinner." It has reportedly been scientifically shown to reduce the build up of plaque on arterial walls.

414. FORGET THE APPLE - TRY ZINC!
An apple a day may keep the doctor away but zinc may cure your cold. Studies have shown that those people who take lozenges containing zinc had a significant reduction in their cold symptoms. For best results try dissolving one zinc-containing lozenge every two hours.

 

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415. HYDROXYCITRIC ACID - HCA - A SAFE ALTERNATIVE FOR FAT LOSS
For those who don't like the stimulant properties of ephedrine, HCA may be the answer. HCA is a substance obtained from the rinds of the Garcinia fruit of Asia. HCA's primary role in athletics is to promote fat loss by decreasing fat storage. It does this by interfering with the enzyme (citate lyase) that converts excess carbohydrate into fat. The less new fat stored, the more old stored fat will be burned during exercise.

416. MORE FAT LOSS WITH CLA - CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID
Like MCT oils, CLA promtoes the loss of stored body fat. The exact mechanism is unknown but it is believed that CLA tricks the body into "thinking" it has more fat than it needs and so is less likely to hold onto fat stores. In addition, many biochemists believe that CLA may indirectly promote fat burning by increasing lean muscle mass. The more lean muscle mass carried by the body the higher the person's metabolism (one of the primary reasons women are encouraged to train with weights). To get the 2 to 4 grams of CLA recommended by biochemists, supplement your diet with flax and fish oils.

417. TRIBULUS TERRESTRIS - THE SAFE WAY TO BOOST TESTOSTERONE?
Sooner or later many readers will toss around the idea of taking anabolic steroids or other testosterone derivates. We recommend against this. Not only are there health risks, but steroids are now illegal in most states. Before jumping on the pharmacological bandwagon, give tribulus terrestris a try. Tribulus is an herb that is believed to increase testosterone levels bystimulating the pituitary gland to release leutinizing hormone (LH), LH is turn stimulates the testes to produce testosterone. The recommended daily dose of tribulus is 500 to 750 mg.