Ask the Exercise Scientist

[Immortal Soldier]

It sure can, in-fact there is extensive scientific literature on this effect. That is why practically every single exercise based scientific study is based off a 12 week program. It is found that for the average person the body fully adapts to any new exercise program at about 12 weeks. There is also extensive real world and anecdotal evidence in bodybuilding, athletic and powerlifting circles. Now not everyone responds the same of course some people adapt in only 8 weeks some as much as 15 to even 20 weeks. The body is all about energy conservation. If it can adapt to any new stimulus in a way that eventually it has to expend less energy to build proteins, or repair connective tissues ect. It will only do the minimal amount it has to do to adapt. Once it has fully adapted it does not have to improve or expend more energy to maintain homeostatsis.

So how would this effect gains?

[MuscleScience]

So how would this effect gains?

Full training adaptation is commonly called plateauing. Basically your gains are arrested and you plateau until you throw something new at the body to cause it to upset its normal routine if you will.

[Immortal Soldier]

Full training adaptation is commonly called plateauing. Basically your gains are arrested and you plateau until you throw something new at the body to cause it to upset its normal routine if you will.

Would changing up the exercise order be enough? Or would one have to adapt a whole new training program?

[MuscleScience]

Would changing up the exercise order be enough? Or would one have to adapt a whole new training program?

Pretty much a whole new routine, things like sets, reps, exercise choices, how many exercise and even diet to some extent. Its really a matter of opinion on what the best protocol or method is but I think most everyone that trains people for a living would agree that the general scheme of the routine needs to change at least every twelve weeks.

To be honest I have my routine to two different routines that work best for me throughout the year. I switch every 12 weeks and I continue to make my goals and gains each time.

[MuscleScience]

I know you guys have questions...Post them up boys and girls.

[RangersLTW]

Have you read the bodybuiling book 21st edition

[MuscleScience]

Have you read the bodybuiling book 21st edition

Sure havent, sorry.

[RangersLTW]

Good read

[MuscleScience]

Good read

Most of what I read when I have time is pretty technical shit. Been reading a lot about Lactic Acid and HGH release during acute, and post workout recovery

[Swifto]

I never seem to do the same workout twice. Sets, reps, weights and exercises are always different. Is this good? To keep the body guessing or is it simply too much to never do the same workout twice consectively?

[IM708]

^^^^
It's not my thread but it is a good method to use as long as it is within reason, as in not too much variation between workouts. Answer away Musclescience!! lol




What would cause a person to have a heart attack from using clen ? IMO it seems to be possibly in a situation where a person has a lack of foundation when it comes to exercising with weights and also cardio. Also a person who has an existing medical issues. It just doesn't seem possible to happen with a 100% healthy person....

[tadpoleboyy]

theres a few parts to this question

Is there a set maximum on protein intake and absorpton? For example, if i take one scoop of whey, im fine. If i take 2 or more, theres a good chance i will get the runs, which i assume is undigested protein (perhaps im slightly lacto?). Can i only absorb a certain amount at any given time, or can i absorb more after a hard workout?

Which leads to the next question

Are there actual classes of proteins? How does whey protein compare to a chicken breast or casein? If i eat chicken raw, will it have a longer lasting effect as opposed to cooking and denaturing the protein? Or would it simply be harder to digest. And why use fast acting protein like whey, if i could use casein and have it continually release all the time? What exactly makes casein release more slowly? I have read that its structure does not allow it to denature, so perhaps raw meat would act similarly? If i take a mega dose of casein, can i catch a buzz? Am i expending a significant amount of energy to denature this casein?

[xnotoriousx]

What is the best steps in sequence to recovery pre and post workout?

Sups, food type, timing etcetera

Your thoughts please..

[tadpoleboyy]

what enzyme is responsible for the conversion of 1, 4 Androstadiene-3, 17-Dione (EQ-plex) to boldenone ? Or is there a few steps? Any idea as to what percentage is actually converted?

[MuscleScience]

I never seem to do the same workout twice. Sets, reps, weights and exercises are always different. Is this good? To keep the body guessing or is it simply too much to never do the same workout twice consectively?

Its not going to hinder muscle growth and strength really. Now if you were say a shot put track athlete you would want to do core exercises that mimic what you would see during and event. Part of the adaptations to exercises is the building of better neuro-motor patterns to help improve things like precision in skilled movements or faster anticipation timing ect.

[MuscleScience]

^^^^
It's not my thread but it is a good method to use as long as it is within reason, as in not too much variation between workouts. Answer away Musclescience!! lol




What would cause a person to have a heart attack from using clen? IMO it seems to be possibly in a situation where a person has a lack of foundation when it comes to exercising with weights and also cardio. Also a person who has an existing medical issues. It just doesn't seem possible to happen with a 100% healthy person....

Well without getting super in-depth into the hows and whys. Clen is a Beta 2 agonist. Which means it has similar properties on this receptor the same as adrenaline does. Which means if increase BP, force of myocardial muscular contraction and of course heart rate. Some one could potentially take enought clen to cause Tachycardia or even irregular sinus heart rythm. I am sure that people with prior conditions have potentially more problems than the norm. But there are case reports in the medical Literature of clen overdose and severe health events.

PS. sorry for any typo's my contacts cause an allegic reaction to my eyes so i can bairly see what I am typing....

[MuscleScience]

what enzyme is responsible for the conversion of 1, 4 Androstadiene-3, 17-Dione (EQ-plex) to boldenone? Or is there a few steps? Any idea as to what percentage is actually converted?

I assume its 17beta HSD, but I am no steroid expert by any means.

[MuscleScience]

theres a few parts to this question

Is there a set maximum on protein intake and absorpton? For example, if i take one scoop of whey, im fine. If i take 2 or more, theres a good chance i will get the runs, which i assume is undigested protein (perhaps im slightly lacto?). Can i only absorb a certain amount at any given time, or can i absorb more after a hard workout?

There are lots of opinions and actually studies as how much protein can take in at once. From everything I have read in the literature it varies greatly but 20-50 grams seems be the range that I see lots of papers with these values

Which leads to the next question

Are there actual classes of proteins? How does whey protein compare to a chicken breast or casein? If i eat chicken raw, will it have a longer lasting effect as opposed to cooking and denaturing the protein? Or would it simply be harder to digest. And why use fast acting protein like whey, if i could use casein and have it continually release all the time? What exactly makes casein release more slowly? I have read that its structure does not allow it to denature, so perhaps raw meat would act similarly? If i take a mega dose of casein, can i catch a buzz? Am i expending a significant amount of energy to denature this casein?

Protein absorptions is dependent really on single amino acid exposure time to the surface of the intestinal wall. Proteins have to be broke down for their amino acid complement to be taken in by the body. The more complex or less denatured a protein is relative to the primary structure of simple linear amino acid chains make all the peptide enzymes that break down proteins less able to make contact and then break peptide bonds between amino acids. More complex protein formulas, can cause a slower but steadier release of amino acids into the digestive track over time.

[MuscleScience]

What is the best steps in sequence to recovery pre and post workout?

Sups, food type, timing etcetera

Your thoughts please..

It seems right now a lot of professionals are recommending this.

BCAA's pre-workout with a carb source. lots of water during training, post workout is basically protein+carbs within about 30 minutes.

Foods high in leucine and other bcaa's are catching favor along with de-inflammatory type diets high in good oils like flax, fish and olive oil.

[tadpoleboyy]

I have severe acid reflux. I take a variety of medications to knock down my stomach acid, or i lose my appetite and throw up and nasty shit. These medications reduce the amount of stomach acid produced pretty drastically. Ive read that stomach acid (a few different chemicals) is neccesary to denature protein and singal for the conversion of pepsin to break it down further. If my meds have done their job, will i have problems absorbing proteins, especially more complex ones? Should i drink an acidic drink with meals? Or is the impact insignificant?

[MuscleScience]

I have severe acid reflux. I take a variety of medications to knock down my stomach acid, or i lose my appetite and throw up and nasty shit. These medications reduce the amount of stomach acid produced pretty drastically. Ive read that stomach acid (a few different chemicals) is neccesary to denature protein and singal for the conversion of pepsin to break it down further. If my meds have done their job, will i have problems absorbing proteins, especially more complex ones? Should i drink an acidic drink with meals? Or is the impact insignificant?

The stomach really does not play a drastic role in protein denaturing. Basically that acidic environment of the stomach really only denatures whole proteins to their primary (linear structure) structure. Where as they are simple amino acids bonded by peptide bonds basically like a string of pearls. There of course will be some breaking down to a less complex structures but the actions of the many pancreatic enzymes called proteases in the duodenum are almost completely responsible for breaking down peptide bonds between amino acids thus having free form amino acids available for absorption. Truthfully these enzymes actually work better in a pH environment of around 8 (less acidic) such as in the case of Trypsin, which cleaves at the carboxyl side of the amino acid.

[MuscleScience]

Bump since I am a Vet now everything I say is gospel....LOL

[MuscleScience]

uhhh, bump

[energizer bunny]

when recovering after training......would an anti-inflamatry be usefull to help you recover quicker?

[MuscleScience]

when recovering after training......would an anti-inflamatry be usefull to help you recover quicker?

This is a very good question and one that I cant give you a definitive answer to. Right now the body of research as a whole is inconclusive on if NSAID's for example help or hinder muscle recovery. On one side inflammation is essential for proper and full recovery. On the other side decreased inflammation is associated with increase in recovery. Almost every other week it seems one study says it helps while another one says it hinders recovery. One thing I think is pretty clear is that NSAID therapy seems effective at decreasing the intensity and duration of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) which may not necessarily mean a increase in recovery.

An example of what I am talking about in the literature is documented by this paper.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

[energizer bunny]

interesting........so taking an NSAID after a 2 week break from training, when your muscles are more prone to sorness is a good idea...?

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

What is the best way to increase VO2 max?

And are there any supplements or anything that will help increase it?

[MuscleScience]

interesting........so taking an NSAID after a 2 week break from training, when your muscles are more prone to sorness is a good idea...?

NSAID's are probably good for short term muscle recovery. It is also probably not a bad idea if one is prone to getting sore to take them for a couple of weeks if needed. I do not think that the research is very clear if NSAID's are good for long term use as far as their effects on recovery.

I usually do not take any kind of NSAIDs unless I get really sore or if my knees get tender. I do not take them for more than a week or so. It is important to remember that the inflammation process is a necessary process for growth and repair. Without it muscle, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues are not effectively broke down if damaged and repaired properly.

[MuscleScience]

What is the best way to increase VO2 max?

And are there any supplements or anything that will help increase it?

The best way to increase VO2 max is to basically increase cardio and increase intensity. There are various methods which typically are sports specific. It is probably more important to increase lactate threshold. This is the point where a person can no longer exercise for long periods of time. Typically when someone reaches a serum lactate concentration of 4 mMol/L this is considered the physiological point at which lactate is being produced faster than the liver can clear it from the blood. By increasing the lactate threshold to higher intensities relative to maximum heart rate. A person can train themselves to be able to exercise for long durations at higher workout intensities by moving the point at which they reach Lactate threshold to a higher heart rate.

For example if a person reaches Lactate threshold at a heart rate 155 bpm. That means they can only exercise for a finite period of time if they pass this point. With training they may be able to raise their lactate threshold higher or closer to their maximum heart rate say to 170 bpm which means they can exercise at a higher intensity without becoming too fatigued. In competition this means they can run faster for longer than they could before training.

Probably one supplement that is very useful is beta-alanine. It is a lactic acid buffer in-vivo and helps the cell neutralize hydrogen ions (acid) before they can decrease the pH of the intra-cellular environment.

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

The best way to increase VO2 max is to basically increase cardio and increase intensity. There are various methods which typically are sports specific. It is probably more important to increase lactate threshold. This is the point where a person can no longer exercise for long periods of time. Typically when someone reaches a serum lactate concentration of 4 mMol/L this is considered the physiological point at which lactate is being produced faster than the liver can clear it from the blood. By increasing the lactate threshold to higher intensities relative to maximum heart rate. A person can train themselves to be able to exercise for long durations at higher workout intensities by moving the point at which they reach Lactate threshold to a higher heart rate.

For example if a person reaches Lactate threshold at a heart rate 155 bpm. That means they can only exercise for a finite period of time if they pass this point. With training they may be able to raise their lactate threshold higher or closer to their maximum heart rate say to 170 bpm which means they can exercise at a higher intensity without becoming too fatigued. In competition this means they can run faster for longer than they could before training.

Probably one supplement that is very useful is beta-alanine. It is a lactic acid buffer in-vivo and helps the cell neutralize hydrogen ions (acid) before they can decrease the pH of the intra-cellular environment.

Cool man. Thanks.

What type of cardio would be best? HIIT, longer durations, etc???
Also, any dose recommendation on the beta-alanine, or just follow the bottle? Ive actually been researching this stuff recently.

[IM708]

Cool man. Thanks.

What type of cardio would be best? HIIT, longer durations, etc???
Also, any dose recommendation on the beta-alanine, or just follow the bottle? Ive actually been researching this stuff recently.

Bigsexy, you obviously havn't been up on your reading....

Quoting me:

Beta-Alanine supplementation works indirectly as a intracellular buffer. Beta-Alanine when ingested is combined with the amino acid histidine to produce the dipeptide carnosine. Carnosine itself is a powerful intracellular buffer that keeps the pH within muscles in the optimal range. When you exercise lactic acid is produced as well as H+ ions given off through the hydrolysis of ATP which in turn drop the pH within the muscle tissue. Carnosine works as a buffer against these two systems by absorbing H+ ions raising to the pH to the optimal level. The longer you can stay in the optimal pH range the longer you can continue to exercise at close to full intensity.

Correct way to take beta-alanine?
Dosing tends to be very straight forward, around 4-5 grams per day tends to be the sweet spot for people the minimum being 3.2 grams. When taken for longer periods of time intracellular carnosine levels rise, so taking for a longer period of time around 8-12 weeks will yield you better results than taking for only 1-4 weeks.

[MuscleScience]

Bigsexy, you obviously havn't been up on your reading....

Quoting me:

I was going to suggest he get ahold of you on it but you beat me to it....lol

[energizer bunny]

NSAID's are probably good for short term muscle recovery. It is also probably not a bad idea if one is prone to getting sore to take them for a couple of weeks if needed. I do not think that the research is very clear if NSAID's are good for long term use as far as their effects on recovery.

I usually do not take any kind of NSAIDs unless I get really sore or if my knees get tender. I do not take them for more than a week or so. It is important to remember that the inflammation process is a necessary process for growth and repair. Without it muscle, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues are not effectively broke down if damaged and repaired properly.

cheers musclescience........much appreciated..

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

Bigsexy, you obviously havn't been up on your reading....

Quoting me:

haha, Im a busy man nowadays. I was meaning to get in touch with Jack. Probably get around to it this weekend.



MS, back to my first question.... best type of cardio? how many days a week? etc...

[MuscleScience]

haha, Im a busy man nowadays. I was meaning to get in touch with Jack. Probably get around to it this weekend.



MS, back to my first question.... best type of cardio? how many days a week? etc...

Well like I said its very sports specific. For example an elite level cyclist will not have as high a VO2max when running on a treadmill versus if he was cycling. If your just running and trying to improve, then what is best would be to put in as many miles as you can. For example one athlete we tested that was trying to qualify for the olympic time trials scored an initial VO2max of I think 72. That is pretty good, he was running about 70 miles a week at the time. After testing the PhD i worked under suggested that he up his milage and do some Lactate threshold training like indian runs ect. He also upped his miles progressively to 120 a week. At the end of his 12 week training period he scored an 81 on his VO2 max. That is a pretty good increase. Typically with training a person can gain up to a 10% increase in VO2max, depending on their particular level of fitness.

Basically if you want to increase your VO2max you need to increase your miles ran and also increase your lactate threshold like I described before.
That means 2-3 days a week you run and bump up and down around your Lactate thresthold. Go up and run for 5 minutes above your LT then go back down below and recover. Do this for the duration of your run. Then the other 2-3 days of the week just put in the miles. Time under load is probably the most important factor in increasing aerobic capacity to a point.

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

thanks MS

[GuybrushThreepwod]

(Might have been asked)
Is there any benefit to stretching pre workout? Or post workout? Or randomly during the day? Or is it a myth? (I read that it was not needed in a men's fitness mag)

[thegodfather]

What are the differences, in cell walls, between gram negative and gram positive bacteria? Which antibiotics are most efficacious at treating each respective type?

[MuscleScience]

(Might have been asked)
Is there any benefit to stretching pre workout? Or post workout? Or randomly during the day? Or is it a myth? (I read that it was not needed in a men's fitness mag)

Post number 53 in this thread.

If your weight training stretching can actually be counter productive. It can cause a reduction in the amount of weight one can lift.

If your going to be engaging in some sort of athletic event then stretching after a good warm up is beneficial at preparing you for that particular event.

However stretching has not been shown, pre competition or pre workout to reduce the risk of injury.

[MuscleScience]

What are the differences, in cell walls, between gram negative and gram positive bacteria? Which antibiotics are most efficacious at treating each respective type?

You can come up with a better question than that to try and stump me. Did you forget I worked in a Molecular Biolab for five years.

Newb....