Ask the Exercise Scientist

[Friend]

I'm full of questions today. Though this one is a little off topic.

After a course of accutane, is it correct that acne does not return?

Even if you are acne prone while on cycle, and you continue to cycle post accutane treatment?

[Mr.Rose]

You muscle science you sexy slut, we need you home!

...don't leave us,

[peachfuzz]

Hey bro. What are your thoughts on directly training abs with an inguinal hernia. I plan to get it taken care of but not in the immediate future. I have been able to train around it with slight discomfort. Legs cause the greatest grief. In your opinion should I avoid directly training them?

[MuscleScience]

How long should meals be eaten apart? 2 - 2.5 hours, what are your thoughts?

And, how long after eating your last meal should you wait before sleeping?

Most professional bodybuilders usually dont go more than a few hours without eating. The school of thought is to keep the amino acid pool filled (theoretically speaking) and keep insulin levels steady.

As far as bed time meals, most do not eat carbs or fat before bed. They will take in some protein source either in the form of a shake or as a meal. Usually to keep BCAA's up during the night fasting period. Again usually no more than two hours before bed for a regular meal for most.

[MuscleScience]

Are you still around bro??? Or have you fallen off the face of the earth???

Yeah still around, I have been traveling a lot and I have this new girl friend that has a lot of my free time...

Sorry I will try to be around more.

[MuscleScience]

can taking digest enzyme help stop gas? I started eating a healthy diet again with 1.5 to 1.7x my weight in protein and eating good carbs (starchy and fiberous) and low fat. No aas just this diet and lifting. Whats causing me to have so much gas and it is absolutely horrible!?

Typically when someone develops gas after a diet change it is due to the intestinal micro-flora being forced to adapt to new food stuffs being ingested. Over time the micro-flora should adapt and start producing less gas. Digestive enzymes may be a good idea and potentially could help alleviate some of your problems.

[MuscleScience]

Does caffeine hinder gains when taken 600mg plus, pre-workout regularly? I dont think it will hinder your gains any, however over time you will build up a tolerance to that much caffeine.

Does masturbating/ejaculating lower testosterone or have an effect on other hormone levels? And if so, for how long after?

Most of the studies I have read show that test levels are not effected positively or negatively by masturbating. However engaging in sexual intercourse has been shown to raise testosterone levels after sex for a period of up to two hours according to some sources I have read.

[MuscleScience]

I'm full of questions today. Though this one is a little off topic.

After a course of accutane, is it correct that acne does not return?

Even if you are acne prone while on cycle, and you continue to cycle post accutane treatment?

I am not sure on that. That is a little outside my knowledge base, well actually a lot outside my knowledge base.

[MuscleScience]

Hey bro. What are your thoughts on directly training abs with an inguinal hernia. I plan to get it taken care of but not in the immediate future. I have been able to train around it with slight discomfort. Legs cause the greatest grief. In your opinion should I avoid directly training them?

Yes, you should avoid all activities or at least limit those that cause intra-abdominal pressure to increase. (Valsalva Maneuver) Over time the hernia can become larger and cause more pain and discomfort as well as being harder to treat. I usually shut someone done completely when I suspect a hernia and refer them to their MD. If you havent already, you should speak with your doctor about treatment plans.

[peachfuzz]

Yes, you should avoid all activities or at least limit those that cause intra-abdominal pressure to increase. (Valsalva Maneuver) Over time the hernia can become larger and cause more pain and discomfort as well as being harder to treat. I usually shut someone done completely when I suspect a hernia and refer them to their MD. If you havent already, you should speak with your doctor about treatment plans.

Im sorry but this is not acceptable. please give me an answer that i would like to hear.

thanks.

[creactiveprotein]

Great thread, real quick, I have a bachelors degree and im looking to get into a masters program, im seriously considering a masters in nutrition and then work as an RD. Whats the job market like for nutritionists? I've thought about exercise science but i just dont see any money there.

[MuscleScience]

Great thread, real quick, I have a bachelors degree and im looking to get into a masters program, im seriously considering a masters in nutrition and then work as an RD. Whats the job market like for nutritionists? I've thought about exercise science but i just dont see any money there.

With both your looking at fairly similar job options. With a Masters you open up more career opportunities so it is worth it for sure no matter the route. If you do your Master in Ex Sci, you are looking at doing mainly stress testing in a hospital or cardiac rehab clinic. Which is ok money and a rather intense job at times. Depending on the area you live in you can also jump into a sports training clinic rather fast I would assume. Or if your like me I do more of a special populations practice if you will where I train those that are to unhealthy to train with most other trainers or on their own. There is a large need for this especially in-home services. Because at home care is usually only paid for by insurance for 4-6 weeks at the max. Of course your time is not cheap but it is needed and is less costly than home health that the medical profession provides.

With your Nutrition Masters, again working with a medical group for special populations or rehab clinics is probably a good bet. Even opening your own clinic or being a consultant is a good way to go. If you do that route you have to remember your competing against weight watchers and jenny craig for the average client. Mostly what I have seen is that a nutritionist will go into hospital or specialty clinics when they are done with school.

Of course with both you could also teach at a junior college or even at University.

[Jumbo18]

I have a question: My growth plates are completely closed, and I believe I have very small hands and feet for my age, as did the doctor think so to. It does not run in the family, but I believe it was because I had been very malnutritioned as a young child. I was suffering from an eating disorder and I was not feeding my body enough cals as I was growing up in my important developmental stages throughout teens. It has been a year and half since my diet is perfect, and it will stay like this forever. I am supplementing with steroids as I am on hrt as well, and since I know steroids don't increase bone density that pronounced; is there a possibility the size of my hands/feet can still growth in girth if I keep eating properly and train well? As I mentioned the growth plates are completely closed from an xray I had, but I am feeding my body more nutrients than I did a few years back. On top of the eating disorder, I had low testosterone for a year and half that was steroid induced which has put me on hrt now ( been on hrt for almost one year now) . If all else would supplementing with growth hormone right now help me try to push through and excel any further possible physical development even though growth plates in my hands/feet are closed or make them bigger? I actually noticed my feet size had gotten smaller as I once asked you a long time ago in this thread.

[MuscleScience]

I have a question: My growth plates are completely closed, and I believe I have very small hands and feet for my age, as did the doctor think so to. It does not run in the family, but I believe it was because I had been very malnutritioned as a young child. I was suffering from an eating disorder and I was not feeding my body enough cals as I was growing up in my important developmental stages throughout teens. It has been a year and half since my diet is perfect, and it will stay like this forever. I am supplementing with steroids as I am on hrt as well, and since I know steroids don't increase bone density that pronounced; is there a possibility the size of my hands/feet can still growth in girth if I keep eating properly and train well? As I mentioned the growth plates are completely closed from an xray I had, but I am feeding my body more nutrients than I did a few years back. On top of the eating disorder, I had low testosterone for a year and half that was steroid induced which has put me on hrt now ( been on hrt for almost one year now) . If all else would supplementing with growth hormone right now help me try to push through and excel any further possible physical development even though growth plates in my hands/feet are closed or make them bigger? I actually noticed my feet size had gotten smaller as I once asked you a long time ago in this thread.

Since your growth plates are closed your bones will not grow in length. Your bone density may improve but should not increase in diameter in any noticeable way. Generally after the complete fusion of the growth plates bone diameter and length will only increase due to pathological processes such as Pagets Disease. (osteitis deformans)

There are surgical options for those that are under developed but those are relatively extreme majors.

I think your best bet is to keep eating healthy and live an overall healthy lifestyle. That means eating enough calories to keep ones body in a healthy state. For the most part, restrictive bodybuilding pre-contest style diets are not the best option. Especially for someone that is recovering from past eating disorders.

[Jumbo18]

okay thank you MuscleScience...I want to ask when growth plates are closed does that mean that I just won't grow in height? As in will my bones still get bigger and thicker? because as I heard that low test levels can decrease bone mass, as I experienced low test for 2 years which put me on hrt. Is there still a chance for my bones to get bigger/thicker since hormones are all normal now. Also would HGH be able to help me grow my bones bigger/thicker if they are not fully matured the way they should from my eating disorder long time ago and low test levels for 2 years near nil?

[MuscleScience]

okay thank you MuscleScience...I want to ask when growth plates are closed does that mean that I just won't grow in height? As in will my bones still get bigger and thicker? because as I heard that low test levels can decrease bone mass, as I experienced low test for 2 years which put me on hrt. Is there still a chance for my bones to get bigger/thicker since hormones are all normal now. Also would HGH be able to help me grow my bones bigger/thicker if they are not fully matured the way they should from my eating disorder long time ago and low test levels for 2 years near nil?

When the growth plates fuse in the long bones, the growth of the bone typically is arrested. In conditions such as acromegally where someone either has a naturally very high hgh production or through exagenous means the flat bones of the face and skull can grow along with those of the fingers, toes and the pelvis to some extent. By the time of bone maturation, the bone already has its basic stucture and diameter in place. The density of the bone can change but the overall diameter and lenght usually does not change to any noticable extent.

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

What would be the best way to create a football workout?

More specifically, for combine events such as the 40 yard dash, 225 bench press for reps, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone drill, and the 20 yard/60 yard shuttle.

Best exercises to increase scores on those?

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

Linebacker position

[stevey_6t9]

i know you dont answer q.s about aas, hopefully this has more to do with chemistry.

"Adding an ester delays the amount of time that it takes for the steroid to leave the body, although peak concentrations are realized (with both long as well as short esters) within a day or two at most."

Discuss if you believe or not peak testosterone concentrations are equally achieved within the same amount of time regardless of the ester present on a given testosterone molecule.

Support your answer with appropriate references if used.

[MuscleScience]

What would be the best way to create a football workout?

More specifically, for combine events such as the 40 yard dash, 225 bench press for reps, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone drill, and the 20 yard/60 yard shuttle.

Best exercises to increase scores on those?

The best way to train for the combine is to practise each event as much as you can. Training for specificity means that you train the body with exercise that mimic that particular movement pattern/s. However you incorporate overload into the workout which simply means that. You overload te body with a stimulous that is more intense in training than that of the event so that the body adapts and improves far beyond what is needed more the body to stay at it's maintenance levels.

[MuscleScience]

i know you dont answer q.s about aas, hopefully this has more to do with chemistry.

"Adding an ester delays the amount of time that it takes for the steroid to leave the body, although peak concentrations are realized (with both long as well as short esters) within a day or two at most."

Discuss if you believe or not peak testosterone concentrations are equally achieved within the same amount of time regardless of the ester present on a given testosterone molecule.

Support your answer with appropriate references if used.

It is true that no matter the ester that the drug will peak at roughly the same times if the delivery system is the same. In this case let's say IM. What is different is the ratio of bound vs free drug in the system. A drug will not interact with it's target tissue if it is bound to a carrier such as serum albumin. The reason that some drugs are esterfied or chemically altered in some was is that a drug can either have fast peak freely bound drug molecules, or longer overall concentration in serum. When a drug is free it will interact with it's target and then be rendered inactive chemically. If you add an ester to a compound like T. The drug is not chemically altered and inactivated as fast as say an un-esterfied T molecule.

[stevey_6t9]

It is true that no matter the ester that the drug will peak at roughly the same times if the delivery system is the same. In this case let's say IM. What is different is the ratio of bound vs free drug in the system. A drug will not interact with it's target tissue if it is bound to a carrier such as serum albumin. The reason that some drugs are esterfied or chemically altered in some was is that a drug can either have fast peak freely bound drug molecules, or longer overall concentration in serum. When a drug is free it will interact with it's target and then be rendered inactive chemically. If you add an ester to a compound like T. The drug is not chemically altered and inactivated as fast as say an un-esterfied T molecule.

so your saying that the smaller an ester on a compound (in this case test.) the faster the compound may bind to an AR because it is able to elude any SHBG's which would make it inactive?

Are you sure this would have an effect?

I would have assumed being that a fast acting ester such as test prop, would evoke an equally high amount of SHBG's (albumin) from its rapid increase in E2 from aromatization, and the exogenous testosterone being administered. (knowing that SHBG's rise dramatically with E2 and androgen levels).

[MuscleScience]

so your saying that the smaller an ester on a compound (in this case test.) the faster the compound may bind to an AR because it is able to elude any SHBG's which would make it inactive?

Are you sure this would have an effect?

I would have assumed being that a fast acting ester such as test prop, would evoke an equally high amount of SHBG's (albumin) from its rapid increase in E2 from aromatization, and the exogenous testosterone being administered. (knowing that SHBG's rise dramatically with E2 and androgen levels).

What I'm saying is that an esterfied compound will not bind with the AR until said ester is cleaved off the molecule. The bigger the ester the more chemical reactions it takes to have a bare molecule of test to bind with the AR. An ester simple extends the life that a compound like T is circulating in the blood. It really does not have much to do with it's effectiveness at binding to it's target and eliciting a response. Once T is free to bind it doesnt matter if it was administered as a proponate ester or a ethanate ester.

[BJJ]

Have you ever used AAS?

[terraj]

Hello MS,

I read this artical by Dr. Joe Klemczewski a while back, I wanted to know your thoughts on the Doc's optimal usage of cardio for fat loss ....


First, let’s lock on the target: what is the actual goal in terms of physiology? The vast majority of “fat” in our body (over 80%) is collected in one form and stored in body fat cells. To get rid of it – using it as energy – is a process called lipolysis. I’m going to briefly explain the mechanism of this process primarily through exercise (avoiding diet for now), and then the hard part begins: applying those “truths” to the many different circumstances and body types that we find in our great sport.



Activity-related hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine speed up lipolysis greatly. In other words, when we start working out, we start shuttling out these glycerols and fatty acids (fat) from our body fat cells. As a matter of fact, research shows that the greatest increase in fat usage starts immediately upon exercise, hits a peak level within 5 minutes, sharply decreases, by the 15-minute mark starts to plateau, and within 30 minutes is back almost to a rate matching a control group. So, what do we do with the common mantra that carbohydrates (blood sugar) are used exclusively for the first 15-20 minutes of cardio? In fact, blood sugar is the dominant source of energy used by the cells of our body during the onset of exercise, but in order to provide a seamless transition into longer-term energy stores, the liver (through the action of the hormone glucagon) starts pumping out stored glycogen and as described, body fat cells start releasing glycerols and fatty acids. It all sounds good so far, but it gets a little tricky when the liver runs out of glycogen. When this happens, the liver keeps trying to contribute to the energy deficit, but it does so by turning amino acids into glucose. Of course the liver has a reservoir of aminos available, but still, this is a catabolic event and nothing sends a bodybuilder shrieking to the blender to pound down another protein shake like the thought of catabolism. Interestingly, though, even during the harshest, longest bouts of exercise, only 3 to 6% of energy is consumed from amino acid use. As long as fat is available, the body spares protein as if it were the most precious commodity it has. Nice to know the brain agrees with us on that one. But, as they say, the devil is in the details. Before we even address things like duration, frequency, and intensity think about the parameters I just laid out. Even a small percentage of amino acid use can add up if it’s a repetitive occurrence. I also mentioned “as long as body fat is available”…what happens when the supply is reaching a pretty slim margin? This is where body type comes into play. An ectomorph has to have a healthy fear of “too much” cardio since they will be at the higher end of the population in terms of using amino acids for energy. But, those that lose very slowly need to understand that muscle preservation is their greatest asset – they need to embrace cardio as a very necessary part of their contest prep.



Here is where armchair interpreters of research often start showing that it takes more than throwing some big words around to master the subject. The rate of lipolysis is virtually unchanged whether we’re at just 25% of our VO2 max or 85%. That means that whether you’re walking on a treadmill or slamming out 12-mile-an-hour sprints, your body is releasing the same amount of body fat to be used. Before you say, “Aha!! I knew that slower, longer cardio sessions were the right thing to do,” you have to differentiate between just releasing fat to be used and actually using it. If you maintain a slow pace, though the body is releasing much fat to be used, when it’s not used, it simply resynthesizes the glycerols/fatty acids to be re-stored as body fat. So, we’re still stuck with the questions: Due to a slower rate of usage, should one just perform a longer duration and ultimately use the same amount of calories as someone doing a shorter but harder session? Which will use more body fat and which will be less catabolic?



Keep in mind that the body has a vested interest in using these fatty acids for energy. Glucose and glycogen aren’t in endless supply and when activity levels increase, the body needs to turn not only to its larger material source of energy, but it wants to be efficient at it. As lipolysis is increased, so is the blood flow to the exercising muscles, and so are the chemical processes that convert the fatty acids into usable energy. Here is yet another twist in the road. As intensity increases, these glycerols are used at a higher rate – a good thing. But, when exercise intensity reaches a level where blood flow is necessarily shunted more sharply to the working muscle tissue, blood flow to the available fat stores is restricted tremendously, decreasing the rate of fat that is made available to be used as energy.



If we perform light cardio we release just as much body fat as high-intensity work, thus we’re not risking losing as much muscle, but then due to a slower rate of fat usage, we simply re-store the released body fat. We can do longer sessions of low-intensity cardio, but after 30 minutes, fat release actually decreases – not increases as conventionally taught. Trying to keep every variable straight is like trying catch a greased pig. It’s like the squirrel in the animated movie Ice Age; as soon as you stick every available finger and toe in the leaking wall of ice, another confusing point of physiology springs out of a new crack. No wonder there isn’t a consensus on the subject.

As I mentioned in the beginning of the article, you would be making a mistake if you take this article as covering every facet of the subject – think of this as just an outline and the book isn’t finished. Read on for an action plan…



The ease of your body’s ability to burn body fat will affect how much cardio you do. Being that all of cardio is catabolic, you want to do the least you have to in order to be shredded. For some that may mean twice a week and for others that may mean twice a day. Consider two glaring facts: Your body immediately starts releasing body fat with exercise and continues for 30 minutes until the law of diminishing returns virtually eliminates any further benefit. If we are going at too slow of a pace, the released fat gets re-stored and if we get too high in our intensity, we shunt blood flow away from fat cells. I believe, therefore, that there are two types of cardio that we can benefit from and still meet our goal of sparing as much muscle as possible. The first is thirty-minute sessions at a good pace – heart rate sustained at 130-150 beats per minute for most people. Remember, even at just 25% of our VO2 max we’re going to be releasing all the body fat that we can, but we need a pace that will actually use what is released, but not so much intensity that the body goes into a fight-or-flight mode channeling blood to the muscle tissue systemically and away from the adipose cells and organs. I also believe the value of super-high-intensity cardio is tremendous but you have to weigh the catabolic effects and the fact that it won’t take long to be counterproductive and decrease the amount of fat actually being released (due to the changing blood flow patterns). I would recommend using high-intensity sessions 1 to 3 times per week for 15 to 20 minutes to create longer-term fat usage through the increased metabolic effects. Ectomorphs may have plenty by doing just 10-minute high-intensity sessions, but even endomorphs shouldn’t do more than 2 to 3. The amount of actual leg muscle recovery necessary should be a limiting factor – you’ll need to recover almost like a leg workout. The “baseline” 30-minute sessions could be done daily or even twice a day for those who lose weight slowly or have more lower body stores to contend with.



That doesn’t mean that longer, slower cardio is worthless, you just get a fraction of the fat loss after the first 30 minutes. Breaking up an hour of cardio into two sessions can net more fat loss if the pace is high enough and consistent. The great thing about human performance research, however, is that we’re still very much in a pioneering phase. Studies conducted with different variables keep adding to our understanding and more specific information is sure to be discovered. For now, this is my story and I’m sticking to it.

Dr. Joe Klemczewski

[MuscleScience]

Have you ever used AAS?

Nothing without a doctors script.

[MuscleScience]

Hello MS,

I read this artical by Dr. Joe Klemczewski a while back, I wanted to know your thoughts on the Doc's optimal usage of cardio for fat loss ....


First, let’s lock on the target: what is the actual goal in terms of physiology? The vast majority of “fat” in our body (over 80%) is collected in one form and stored in body fat cells. To get rid of it – using it as energy – is a process called lipolysis. I’m going to briefly explain the mechanism of this process primarily through exercise (avoiding diet for now), and then the hard part begins: applying those “truths” to the many different circumstances and body types that we find in our great sport.



Activity-related hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine speed up lipolysis greatly. In other words, when we start working out, we start shuttling out these glycerols and fatty acids (fat) from our body fat cells. As a matter of fact, research shows that the greatest increase in fat usage starts immediately upon exercise, hits a peak level within 5 minutes, sharply decreases, by the 15-minute mark starts to plateau, and within 30 minutes is back almost to a rate matching a control group. So, what do we do with the common mantra that carbohydrates (blood sugar) are used exclusively for the first 15-20 minutes of cardio? In fact, blood sugar is the dominant source of energy used by the cells of our body during the onset of exercise, but in order to provide a seamless transition into longer-term energy stores, the liver (through the action of the hormone glucagon) starts pumping out stored glycogen and as described, body fat cells start releasing glycerols and fatty acids. It all sounds good so far, but it gets a little tricky when the liver runs out of glycogen. When this happens, the liver keeps trying to contribute to the energy deficit, but it does so by turning amino acids into glucose. Of course the liver has a reservoir of aminos available, but still, this is a catabolic event and nothing sends a bodybuilder shrieking to the blender to pound down another protein shake like the thought of catabolism. Interestingly, though, even during the harshest, longest bouts of exercise, only 3 to 6% of energy is consumed from amino acid use. As long as fat is available, the body spares protein as if it were the most precious commodity it has. Nice to know the brain agrees with us on that one. But, as they say, the devil is in the details. Before we even address things like duration, frequency, and intensity think about the parameters I just laid out. Even a small percentage of amino acid use can add up if it’s a repetitive occurrence. I also mentioned “as long as body fat is available”…what happens when the supply is reaching a pretty slim margin? This is where body type comes into play. An ectomorph has to have a healthy fear of “too much” cardio since they will be at the higher end of the population in terms of using amino acids for energy. But, those that lose very slowly need to understand that muscle preservation is their greatest asset – they need to embrace cardio as a very necessary part of their contest prep.



Here is where armchair interpreters of research often start showing that it takes more than throwing some big words around to master the subject. The rate of lipolysis is virtually unchanged whether we’re at just 25% of our VO2 max or 85%. That means that whether you’re walking on a treadmill or slamming out 12-mile-an-hour sprints, your body is releasing the same amount of body fat to be used. Before you say, “Aha!! I knew that slower, longer cardio sessions were the right thing to do,” you have to differentiate between just releasing fat to be used and actually using it. If you maintain a slow pace, though the body is releasing much fat to be used, when it’s not used, it simply resynthesizes the glycerols/fatty acids to be re-stored as body fat. So, we’re still stuck with the questions: Due to a slower rate of usage, should one just perform a longer duration and ultimately use the same amount of calories as someone doing a shorter but harder session? Which will use more body fat and which will be less catabolic?



Keep in mind that the body has a vested interest in using these fatty acids for energy. Glucose and glycogen aren’t in endless supply and when activity levels increase, the body needs to turn not only to its larger material source of energy, but it wants to be efficient at it. As lipolysis is increased, so is the blood flow to the exercising muscles, and so are the chemical processes that convert the fatty acids into usable energy. Here is yet another twist in the road. As intensity increases, these glycerols are used at a higher rate – a good thing. But, when exercise intensity reaches a level where blood flow is necessarily shunted more sharply to the working muscle tissue, blood flow to the available fat stores is restricted tremendously, decreasing the rate of fat that is made available to be used as energy.



If we perform light cardio we release just as much body fat as high-intensity work, thus we’re not risking losing as much muscle, but then due to a slower rate of fat usage, we simply re-store the released body fat. We can do longer sessions of low-intensity cardio, but after 30 minutes, fat release actually decreases – not increases as conventionally taught. Trying to keep every variable straight is like trying catch a greased pig. It’s like the squirrel in the animated movie Ice Age; as soon as you stick every available finger and toe in the leaking wall of ice, another confusing point of physiology springs out of a new crack. No wonder there isn’t a consensus on the subject.

As I mentioned in the beginning of the article, you would be making a mistake if you take this article as covering every facet of the subject – think of this as just an outline and the book isn’t finished. Read on for an action plan…



The ease of your body’s ability to burn body fat will affect how much cardio you do. Being that all of cardio is catabolic, you want to do the least you have to in order to be shredded. For some that may mean twice a week and for others that may mean twice a day. Consider two glaring facts: Your body immediately starts releasing body fat with exercise and continues for 30 minutes until the law of diminishing returns virtually eliminates any further benefit. If we are going at too slow of a pace, the released fat gets re-stored and if we get too high in our intensity, we shunt blood flow away from fat cells. I believe, therefore, that there are two types of cardio that we can benefit from and still meet our goal of sparing as much muscle as possible. The first is thirty-minute sessions at a good pace – heart rate sustained at 130-150 beats per minute for most people. Remember, even at just 25% of our VO2 max we’re going to be releasing all the body fat that we can, but we need a pace that will actually use what is released, but not so much intensity that the body goes into a fight-or-flight mode channeling blood to the muscle tissue systemically and away from the adipose cells and organs. I also believe the value of super-high-intensity cardio is tremendous but you have to weigh the catabolic effects and the fact that it won’t take long to be counterproductive and decrease the amount of fat actually being released (due to the changing blood flow patterns). I would recommend using high-intensity sessions 1 to 3 times per week for 15 to 20 minutes to create longer-term fat usage through the increased metabolic effects. Ectomorphs may have plenty by doing just 10-minute high-intensity sessions, but even endomorphs shouldn’t do more than 2 to 3. The amount of actual leg muscle recovery necessary should be a limiting factor – you’ll need to recover almost like a leg workout. The “baseline” 30-minute sessions could be done daily or even twice a day for those who lose weight slowly or have more lower body stores to contend with.



That doesn’t mean that longer, slower cardio is worthless, you just get a fraction of the fat loss after the first 30 minutes. Breaking up an hour of cardio into two sessions can net more fat loss if the pace is high enough and consistent. The great thing about human performance research, however, is that we’re still very much in a pioneering phase. Studies conducted with different variables keep adding to our understanding and more specific information is sure to be discovered. For now, this is my story and I’m sticking to it.

Dr. Joe Klemczewski

I think he is really spot on in most of this. I looked up his acadimic qualifications and he is certainly able to speak about this stuff with some credibility. My own views are very similar to his. Mine are shaped by the current exercise literature as is his, not personal or anecdotal experience. Because of that, we have a similar stance on most of the key points in the article. I have also read some of his other works on another forum and enjoy his articles.

Good find!

[stevey_6t9]

Can taking AAS before the age of 25 permanently damage your HPTA. Excluding anecdotal evidence.

[DSM4Life]

Is it possible to do a penis push-up ?

[BJJ]

Nothing without a doctors script.

Are you on TRT?

[MuscleScience]

Are you on TRT?

Not as of yet, and I am trying to avoid it if I can.

[MuscleScience]

Can taking AAS before the age of 25 permanently damage your HPTA. Excluding anecdotal evidence.

The last study I saw was a paper from 07 or 08 that showed something like 98% of people recover completely after as much as two years. That was part of that huge study that came out of China a few years back that had to do with male birth control.

[MuscleScience]

Is it possible to do a penis push-up ?

I am sure out of the 3billion males on this planet, that at least one dude could???

[stevey_6t9]

The last study I saw was a paper from 07 or 08 that showed something like 98% of people recover completely after as much as two years. That was part of that huge study that came out of China a few years back that had to do with male birth control.

so theres no evidence... im not suprised. thanks.

[Mr.Rose]

I need to get a diagnosis my scientific friend.

For almost 14 weeks of my current 18 week cycle, i have been injecting the peak of my vastus lateralis on each leg EOD. I was shooting prop ED and each leg got an injection EOD. So that was around 3-4 injections a week into each lateralis. For two weeks i have not injected them and moved onto other sites because of a problem that developed. There are hard lumps right under the injection site, deep in the muscle, well i shouldn't really call them lumps, lets just say that are is 'harder' than other muscle. Not painful at all, but they are there.. Now the big problem, when i inject in the lateralis site with 1-1.5" pins, the gear will not go through the pin, i physically cannot inject into the lateralis no more. When i pull the pin otu to 0.5inch deep, then the oil starts to flow out of the pin.

What is it? and what will it take to get rid of it?

I've heard of scar tissue, but i never thought deep scar tissue can develop.

[BJJ]

Not as of yet, and I am trying to avoid it if I can.

How old are you?
How many cycles have you run so far?

[MuscleScience]

so theres no evidence... im not suprised. thanks.

Well the study/s are conducted on adults 18-45 for the most part. But generally there is no statistical data based on a particular age. Unless the study is designed in such a way. Technically though someone could pull the data and do a retrospective analyse if they wanted to. I dont know if its been done or not. So no I couldnt provide you with any cold hard evidence, sorry.

[MuscleScience]

I need to get a diagnosis my scientific friend.

For almost 14 weeks of my current 18 week cycle, i have been injecting the peak of my vastus lateralis on each leg EOD. I was shooting prop ED and each leg got an injection EOD. So that was around 3-4 injections a week into each lateralis. For two weeks i have not injected them and moved onto other sites because of a problem that developed. There are hard lumps right under the injection site, deep in the muscle, well i shouldn't really call them lumps, lets just say that are is 'harder' than other muscle. Not painful at all, but they are there.. Now the big problem, when i inject in the lateralis site with 1-1.5" pins, the gear will not go through the pin, i physically cannot inject into the lateralis no more. When i pull the pin otu to 0.5inch deep, then the oil starts to flow out of the pin.

What is it? and what will it take to get rid of it?

I've heard of scar tissue, but i never thought deep scar tissue can develop.

Well we are kinda on a slippery slop here as far as AAS questions. I do not like to answer questions about AAS usage and such but technically I guess this isnt really. So I will try to carefully answer the question and not break my own rules.

Scar tissue can develope anywhere in the body for the most part. Anytime a tissue is traumatized its structure changes and scar tissue developes as a patch or repair. Its never really the same after the insult. Bone typically can repair itself in a way that does not make it apparent of past trauma. Meaning the tissue can be repaired in a coherent manner, of course there are exceptions.

The lumps develop as part of an inflammatory response to the oil being in the muscle. The IM injection for AAS is called a suspension delivery method or Depot. Any PharmD's out there forgive me if I butcher this. But what essentially happens is that the Steroid molecules are desolved into the oil solution. The oil is then deposited in the muscles or depositied and this depot of oil is resorbed by the body and the steroid molecules fall out of solution and crystalize and are carried away slowly by the body. Repetitive IM shots to the same area can cause a prolonged response by the body. Sometimes even something called a injection site granuloma can develop. Which is basically a calcified reminate of a past injection.

[MuscleScience]

How old are you?
How many cycles have you run so far?

Not to get to personal into my medical history, but I had a prolonged illness as a child that damaged my endocrine system. I have been on conservative treatments for the past 4-5 years.

[BJJ]

Not to get to personal into my medical history, but I had a prolonged illness as a child that damaged my endocrine system. I have been on conservative treatments for the past 4-5 years.

Sorry to read that and I wish you a full recovery.