Why you MUST do SQUATS ! Seriously Read on.

Notwithstanding men not being permitted to snort, an alternate developing pattern that could likewise be put in the weight room "pussification" classification is the Smith machine squat. Weightlifting was established on free weights! So why do meat heads do Smith machine squats? They are less demanding than free-weight squats, and the quantity of strands enacted in a free-weight squat is more than in a Smith machine squat.

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EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL : ITS AMAZING HEALTH BENEFITS (YES IT INCREASES TESTOSTERONE LEVELS TOO)

It’s always a bit controversial to talk about fats and how healthy most of them really are. Mainly because some of us still actually believe in such non-sense that all fat is bad and blocks arteries.
 
to hell with such claims as dietary fat, (yes saturated too) has been proven to be not only healthy for you and your endocrine system, it’s also a well researched fact that it’s absolutely essential for the human body and doesn’t block your arteries…
 
…However there’s one of them dietary fats in particular which seems to please all parties, and it’s the extra virgin olive oil.
 
Why you might ask? Why is it that nobody really bashes olive oil? What makes it so awesome?
 
 EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

There was and still is a time when fats were blamed for everything, and look where it got us?
 
Now we have an epidemic of obese people and diabetes rates have skyrocketed, not to mention the fact that since this low-fat nonsense started, cardiovascular deaths have increased significantly…
 
…So could somebody just use some common sense and finally admit that fat was never really that bad?
 
I mean people don’t even realize the fact that most fats actually improve your cardiovascular health! And this isn’t any bro-science at all. It’s a scientifically proven fact which has been seen in dozens of highly respected studies.
 
Extra virgin olive oil in particular has been one of the shining stars in heart health research.
 
Here’s some of what has been found out so far:
 

1. In this study, the Mediterranean diet which is extremely high in olive oil, was shown to decrease heart attacks, strokes and deaths by 30%

2. In this study, the researchers found out that olive oil drops systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and that it nearly halved the need of blood pressure drugs among the participants.

3. In this study, olive oil was shown to protect LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage (oxidative damage is the only reason why LDL may stick into the arterial walls).

4. Olive oil was seen to improve endolethial function in this study, and also in this study(endolethium is one of the linings inside your blood vessels, and the health of it is extremely important for cardiovascular health and erectile quality).

5. This study and also this study proves how olive oil prevents blood clotting (this is obviously beneficial for heart and erectile health).

6. Olive oil is also anti-inflammatory, which means that it significantly reduces inflammation in the body (inflammation is the trigger of cardiovascular problems in the western diet).

7. People who consume significant amounts of extra virgin olive oil are also far less likely to die from heart attacks and strokes. A conclusion which was made in both this, and in this study.

 
In a nutshell: Olive oil is extremely beneficial for cardiovascular health. Due to the fact that it reduces inflammation, keeps blood from clotting, and preserves LDL cholesterol from free radicals.
 
And they told you that fats were bad for your heart…
 

OLIVE OIL CONVERTS CHOLESTEROL MORE EASILY INTO TESTOSTERONE

Despite the fact that olive oil is awesome for our heart health, I still have to say that this is by far my favorite benefit of olive oil…
 
…It literally makes it easier for your balls to convert cholesterol into free testosterone (if you didn't already know, this is one of the key parts on how testosterone is made inside of your body, and it’s also the reason why cholesterol is hugely important for men’s health).
 
How do I know this? Mainly because it has been researched by a group of Argentinian scientists…
 
…This is what they found out:
 

At the Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata in Argentina, a group of researchers had male wistar rats as their test subjects

(for those of you who don’t know, male wistars share almost identical reproductive systems with us which basically means that the effects are most likely seen in humans too).

the researchers gave these rats a feed containing of different fats, and then measured their testosterone levels.

What they found out was that there were 2 oils in particular which skyrocketed the testosterone levels in their test subjects…

…Olive oil and coconut oil.

But they didn’t stop there, as they also wanted to know why did that happen. Why did these oils even boost testosterone?

After some more testing, the researchers came to a conclusion that both, olive oil and coconut oil, were able to do 3 things to boost testosterone levels:

1. Coconut oil and olive oil increased the activity of the 3beta-HSD and 17beta-HSD enzymes, both of which are involved in the process of testosterone production.

2. Both of the oils increased the amount of cellular antioxidants in leydig cells which are the cells that produce testosterone inside male testicles.

3. Both of the oils also improved the ability of testicular leydig cells to extract the cholesterol from its ester, which makes it easier for your testicles to use the cholesterol to convert it into free testosterone molecules.

 
NOTE: One site visitor notified me via email that coconut oil may also inhibit the conversion from testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is why I have shifted more to the side of olive oil which doesn’t inhibit the conversion, as I’m not interested in lowering my DHT levels.
  

OLIVE OIL IS ANTI-ESTROGENIC

Just when I though that olive oil couldn’t be anymore better for our endocrine system, I stumbled upon this study…
 
…A study which found out that a compound called Oleuropein which gives olive oil its flavor, inhibits the activity of aromatase enzyme.
 
If you’re not familiar with aromatase enzyme, in a nutshell, it’s the enzyme that converts testosterone molecules into the female hormone estrogen, which obviously is something that no man should have going on inside of his body.
 
So as you can see, not only does olive oil directly stimulate your testicles to boost your testosterone levels. It’ll also increase your testosterone levels indirectly by inhibiting the aromatase enzyme.
 
 

ARE ALL OLIVE OILS EQUALLY AS GOOD?

The answer is no. There’s huge differences between the oils on the market, and choosing the right product can make a huge difference in the quality of the oil.
 
It’s because of the fact that some manufacturers actually ‘enrich’ their olive oils with GMO’d soybean oil (which lowers testosterone and causes inflammation) and multiple other oils.
 
Some brands will also derive the oil from the olives with toxic hexyls, which is pretty stupid as the oil can also be cold pressed quite easily.
 
So what you should aim for, is to get yourself some extra virgin olive oil in a dark glass bottle. That’s the good cold pressed stuff (this is the brand that I use).
 
What you don’t want to do, is to buy olive oil that is not labeled extra virgin, and you don’t want to buy it in one of those clear plastic bottles either. That would be a very dumb move.
 

CONCLUSION

So as you can see, extra virgin olive oil is pretty darn amazing…
 
…And I didn’t even mention the fact that it has also been studied to prevent cancer and alzheimer’s disease.
 
All in all, it should now be pretty obvious that olive oil is something you may want to include into your diet as a testosterone booster, and also for heart health.
 
If you’re looking for a great high quality olive oil, then I highly recommend that you take a look at this brand, which is without a doubt my favorite one. 

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5 UNCOMMON TRICKS TO RAISE YOUR NATURAL TESTOSTERONE LEVELS

There’s tons of ways to actually raise your natural testosterone levels and I do also have a huge post with 100 ways to boost testosterone naturally. However there’s also these uncommonways to raise testosterone.

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7 TIPS TO IMMEDIATELY TRIGGER YOUR BODY TO PRODUCE MORE TESTOSTERONE

If you’re wondering how this picture of prison inmates working out is related to this post, then read on to find out how.

 

Most of the ways to increase testosterone naturally will take some time before you actually start seeing the effects. However there’s also these quick and effective tricks

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Pros and Cons of True Natural BodyBuilding

It is not always easy to be a true natural bodybuilder, and certainly not glamorous. In fact it is often quite frustrating as you have to deal with the following challenges:

• It will take very hard work and lots of patience to reach your goals.
• You will never get the same results as bodybuilders who use drugs.
• You will never be able to compete in

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Natural bodybuilders vs Steroid users

Natural bodybuilding is a bodybuilding movement with various competitions that take place for bodybuilders who abstain from performance-enhancing drugs. This categorically excludes the use of substances like anabolic steroids, insulin, diuretics and human growth hormone. If a bodybuilder meets the requirements of the sanctioning body (the recognized group or authority that sanctions and

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Dangers of Anabolic Steroids

Physical Effects

Musculoskeletal System

• Bones stop growing

Cardiovascular system

• Enlarged heart – increased risk of heart attack
• Water and salt retention = high blood pressure
• Elevated cholesterol and triglycerides
• Blood clotting disorders

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Growth Surge : Prime your body for gains with this week-long supplement-loading program.

What’s your first reaction when training isn’t working anymore and you hit a plateau? Do more! If a bodypart isn’t responding, you hit it harder and longer, beating it into submission to force a response. Often, however, that is exactly the wrong approach. It’s what causes us at FLEX to

whip out the term overtraining — which is probably a damn good word for Scrabble (if we even knew how to play that game), but a downright lousy word for bodybuilders.

Sometimes, a falloff in workout intensity is to blame for the aforementioned plateau. Other times, nutritional slip-ups might be the cause. For the sake of argument, let’s assume you’ve been your usual tough-as-nails self in the weight room, and that you’re adhering to a diet that fully supports your efforts, with optimal amounts of calories and protein being consumed every day at the right times. 

With all of these things in mind, it would appear that there’s nothing left to do — just keep trudging through, dealing with low energy levels and lackluster strength, holding out hope that you’ll soon bust out of the rut. Actually, there may be something more proactive that you can do. 

Some supplements, when taken in large doses for a short period, might be just the thing for blasting through that plateau. Combining the following ingredients at the prescribed doses for one full week could give your muscles everything they are asking for and then some. Instead of the usual beat-down tactics, you’re taking an alternative route to the same end by jacking up your power and energy while igniting your growth triggers. It’s an opportunity to get back on the path to huge, which isn’t such a stellar word for Scrabble players, but it is a kick-ass word for bodybuilders.

PLATEAU BUSTER 1: LEUCINE

Of the three branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine), leucine is the most critical because it has the unique ability to trigger protein synthesis. It enters muscle cells and turns on key biochemical processes that result in more muscle protein and, thus, more muscle size.

Supplemental leucine also decreases muscle breakdown. Leucine in muscle cells is broken down and used for energy during exercise. Low leucine levels lead to decreased muscle size and stunted growth processes. Taking extra leucine, especially before workouts, will spare the stores within muscles and provide additional quantities to get protein synthesis humming.

Therefore, this essential amino acid is not only a building block, but it is also needed to turn on the muscle-building process. Leucine also increases secretion of the anabolic hormone insulin, important for encouraging growth.

SURGE DOSE | Take five to 10 grams (g) of leucine five times per day — immediately when you wake up, between breakfast and lunch, between lunch and dinner, right before your workout and right after your workout.

MAINTENANCE DOSE | After one week, taper usage to maintenance doses of 5-10 g in the morning and before and after workouts.

PLATEAU BUSTER 2: GLUTAMINE

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in skeletal muscle. Dietary glutamine has demonstrated an effect that allows other dietary aminos to be used for protein synthesis and muscle growth, sparing amino acids. Glutamine also helps draw optimal amounts of water, glycogen and other nutrients from blood into muscle cells, where they can be utilized completely to help you grow bigger and stronger.

On top of all this, glutamine serves as a fuel source for the immune system and supports healthy gastrointestinal function. This might be as important as anything, because being sick for two weeks will destroy gains much faster than an “average” training plateau.

SURGE DOSE | To provide your muscles with a big surge of glutamine for one week, try taking 40 g per day — 10 when you wake up, 10 right before your workout, 10 immediately after your workout and 10 before bedtime.

MAINTENANCE DOSE | Take 5 g of glutamine at each of those four times of day.

PLATEAU BUSTER 3: ARGININE

The amino acid arginine is well established as an effective nitric oxide (NO) booster. For that reason, various forms of arginine (L-arginine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, arginine ethyl ester, etc.) are included in virtually every “pump” product on the market. Because arginine helps increase circulating levels of NO gas, it in turn promotes blood-vessel dilation and, therefore, the delivery of blood, oxygen, nutrients and anabolic hormones to working muscles. The effect is improved protein synthesis and more rapid recovery. Arginine also helps to draw more water into muscle cells (a contributing factor for better pumps) and boosts growth hormone release.

SURGE DOSE | During surge week, take 5 g of arginine four times per day — before breakfast, before lunch, before training and before bedtime.

MAINTENANCE DOSE | For maintenance, drop down to 3 g before breakfast, before training and before bedtime.

PLATEAU BUSTER 4: CREATINE

Creatine should be a cornerstone of almost every supplement program. It works by providing a source of “fast energy” within muscle cells, making it possible to complete more reps and in turn spurring muscle growth. Creatine also helps to pull water into muscle cells, making them look and feel fuller. New research shows that creatine may directly increase gains by influencing new muscle-cell growth and enhancing muscular levels of insulinlike growth factor-I.

SURGE DOSE | To load muscle cells quickly and efficiently with creatine, a seven-day surge is critical for those who are just starting to take the supplement. Follow this advice even if you have been taking the supplement for a while, to ensure that your muscles are loaded properly. Take 5 g with breakfast, lunch, preworkout, postworkout and with dinner.

MAINTENANCE DOSE | Take 3-5 g pre- and postworkout.

PLATEAU BUSTER 5: GREEN-TEA EXTRACT

Green tea contains a group of compounds called catechins, which are responsible for most of the antioxidant properties of green tea. Because green tea is such a strong antioxidant, it helps scavenge the large amount of muscle-damaging free radicals produced during intense exercise. The most powerful catechin, commonly referred to as EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), is up to 100 times more potent as an antioxidant than vitamin C.

EGCG also helps to enhance metabolism and increase the amount of fat utilized for fuel. Combine that with the caffeine in green tea — some brands may have 30-40 milligrams (mg) per eight-ounce cup — and you have a potent natural metabolism booster.

SURGE DOSE | Drink one cup of green tea at breakfast, lunch and dinner. At midday, before workouts and after workouts, take a supplement form that supplies 250-500 mg of green-tea extract standardized to 50% EGCG.

MAINTENANCE DOSE | Drink one cup of green tea with breakfast. At midday and before workouts, take a supplement form that supplies 250-500 mg of green-tea extract standardized to 50% EGCG.

PLATEAU BUSTER 6: WHEY PROTEIN

SURGE DOSE | Take 40 g before breakfast, an hour after lunch, before workouts, after workouts and an hour after dinner.

MAINTENANCE DOSE | For maintenance, it’s 20 g before workouts and 40 g after workouts, as well as other times of day when your protein intake from wholefood sources is not optimal.

By :Steve O'Reilly, RD

FLEX

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Hormone Control: Manipulate hormone levels to get ripped and stay full

A number of bodybuilders have e-mailed me requesting the same thing: “Can you check out my precontest diet?” Time and again, their approach to dieting is the same: no carbs. A no-carb or very-low-carb plan can be effective — it almost always means

fewer calories, so that’s a plus. It also means insulin, a potentially fat-storing hormone, is controlled. But it doesn’t guarantee a ripped fat-free physique. Getting ripped is about controlling calories while simultaneously keeping hormones in balance. That’s what this article is about — providing the guidelines for a hormonal profile that will keep your metabolic rate humming to burn bodyfat. Here’s the data on six main hormones you need to know about.

INSULIN

ACTION| Insulin encourages bodyfat storage, but it also helps create an anabolic environment for muscle growth.

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO| Keep your insulin levels as low as possible during rest periods (when you’re inactive) and elevated after training.

WHY YOU WANT TO DO THIS| Low insulin levels at rest help burn fat as long as calories are controlled. Elevated levels around training time prevent muscle loss and support anabolism — muscle growth.

HOW YOU DO THIS| Keep carbs low most of the day — stress low-carb vegetables and lean protein sources, such as egg whites, fowl, fish, lean beef and protein powders. Before and after training, make sure you eat carbs along with proteins. A rule of thumb while dieting is to eat .2 grams (g) of carbs just prior to training and .3 g afterward per pound of bodyweight. For a 200-pound bodybuilder, that would be 40 g before and 60 g after training. This creates an anabolic state during times when the body is most open to shedding mass — during and after training.

TESTOSTERONE

ACTION| Testosterone builds strength and size.

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO| Keep testosterone levels elevated as much as possible. Dieting — in any form — tends to cause testosterone levels to fall.

WHY YOU WANT TO DO THIS| Lower testosterone levels downgrade your metabolic rate. One reason for this has to do with growth hormone (GH). In general, when testosterone levels decline, GH also begins to slide, and GH is a noted fat burner.

HOW YOU DO THIS| Here are two ways to boost testosterone while dieting. First, increase your intake of dietary fat two days out of the week, stressing beef as a protein source, as well as egg yolks and a small handful of nuts. Keep carbs under control. I believe an extremely low-fat diet is conducive to cutting up, but eating almost no fat for too long seems to lower testosterone levels. Tricking the body by adding some fat every few days can prevent declines in testosterone.

Second, radically boost your carb intake once a week to 3 g (or a bit more) per pound of bodyweight. Carbs increase insulin, and higher insulin levels can decrease sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). SHBG clings to testosterone in the blood and moves it around. It’s a major influence on how much testosterone ultimately reaches tissues. Increasing insulin sheds SHBG from testosterone. This “frees” testosterone, allowing it to get to tissues — including muscles — rather than it being stuck to SHBG and unable to stimulate maximal muscle growth. Stimulating growth upticks your metabolism and contributes to a leaner physique.

GROWTH HORMONE

ACTION| GH supports fat burning. More important, it spares muscle loss.

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO| Increase GHlevels.

WHY YOU WANT TO DO THIS| Saving muscle while dieting is key to maintaining your metabolic rate. Increasing GH can also speed fat loss.

HOW YOU DO THIS| You can boost GH through supplements. Training increases GH, as does sleep, and taking specific supplements before each can augment the natural spike of this hormone during these two times. Consuming 5-6 g of arginine before training not only raises GH, but it also increases blood flow to muscles. Taking 200-400 milligrams (mg) of Mucuna pruriens (MP) before training can help. MP is derived from velvet beans and contains L-dopa, an amino-acid derivative that has potent GH capabilities. You can repeat the process with 5-6 g of arginine and 200-400 mg of MP taken an hour before bed.

CORTISOL

ACTION| Cortisol is a tricky hormone. It helps liberate and burn fat, but with too much of it, muscle is burned, resulting in a drop in metabolism.

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO| Keep cortisol levels from spiraling out of control for prolonged periods of time.

WHY YOU WANT TO DO THIS|Excess cortisol for too long burns muscle rather than bodyfat. Preventing it from staying high for lengthy periods will help save muscle. Don’t forget: muscle drives the fat-burning metabolism.

HOW YOU DO THIS| Post training insulin spikes help temper cortisol levels. To keep it from ratcheting up, choose any two dieting days each week when carbs are low and make sure your post training carbs are fast-burning carbs, such as russet potatoes and white rice. Gatorade, fat-free Pop-Tarts and cookies, sugarcoated rice cakes and cold cereals spike insulin higher than other carbs. This drives down cortisol, protects your muscle mass and keeps your metabolism elevated. If you want to add a supplement, take 800 mg of phosphatidylserine, which may help keep cortisol from rising.

ESTROGEN

ACTION| Estrogen, the “female” hormone, is also found in men. Elevated estrogen levels makes fat loss more difficult. 

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO| Keep testosterone levels elevated and estrogen minimized. 

WHY YOU WANT TO DO THIS| The testosterone-to-estrogen ratio in the body affects the way you look. Decreasing estrogen, increasing testosterone or a combination of the two actions can lead to a harder body, less bodyfat and less water retention. How you do this| Crunchy vegetables, specifically the cruciferous kind (including broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage), yield compounds called indoles. Scientists speculate that indoles lower the total amount of estrogen in the body by decreasing the production of estrogen or by interfering with estrogen absorption and uptake by tissues. While keeping carbs low, build your diet on a foundation of cruciferous vegetables. You can also supplement with the product 6-OXO to keep estrogen low and testosterone levels high.

THYROID HORMONE

ACTION| Thyroid hormone supports calorie burning and protein synthesis. 

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO| Keep thyroid hormone levels from crashing. All diets result in a decline in thyroid hormones.

WHY YOU WANT TO DO THIS|When thyroid levels fall, calorie burning falls as does protein synthesis — the rate at which the body takes amino acids from protein foods and deposits them into muscle tissue. 

HOW YOU DO THIS| Abandon your diet once every 10 or 12 days. Prolonged dieting results in lower thyroid hormone levels. Eating 3 g of carbs per pound of bodyweight a day just once every 10 days or so can trick the body into believing the calorie restriction is over, thereby preventing severe drops in thyroid levels.

CONCLUSION

When you know how to manipulate your hormones, your dieting will be more effective. Learn the perils and the actions to take, so you’ll see better results. Don’t forget that long-term continuous strict dieting (low calorie, low carb and low fat) eventually sends your body a message of starvation instead of bodyfat reduction. Occasionally, take a break from dieting using the approaches I’ve described. Those and the other strategies discussed here will help you reduce bodyfat levels while protecting your muscle mass. - FLEX

by : Chris Aceto

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Steroids Abuse and Their Harmful Side Effects

This article separates the steroid symptoms, clarifying how steroids influence distinctive body parts. Pondering taking steroids? Read this first. 

The term steroids ordinarily are connected with reference to a class of medications that are utilized to treat a mixed bag of restorative conditions. Steroids have a few uses for medicinal purposes, for example, keeping up sexual qualities in guys after surgery for evacuation of testes after testicular growth, in youthful guys enduring with breakdown of the pituitary organ,

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Nepal, the one country where you're free to use Anabolic Steroids

Dear Friend and Fellow Athlete,

I couldn't accept my eyes when I saw that there was a nation where steroid utilization was not viewed as a malevolent, unholy act that needs to be brought to a stop before it closes the world. Significantly additionally stunning, steroid use in this nation is truly regular and even acknowledged.

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Guys; Boost Your Testosterone like this

On the off chance that you need to support your characteristic testosterone levels, it serves to know all the best procedures — both done and finished with the rec center. 

Testosterone is the quintessential male hormone for building bulk. Having ordinary levels of testosterone is additionally essential for a bunch of different profits, including prosperity, 

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Zinc Supplements for Strength and Muscle

Zinc is a crucial mineral component characteristically show in sustenances like meats, fish, nuts, beans and seeds. Zinc is included in fundamental body courses of action, for example, wound mending, the invulnerable framework, protein building, and development and improvement in youth and pregnancy, and in addition being included in various chemical methods.

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Strategies for Testosterone Boosting

Maximize your muscle gains at any age by implementing these 11 strategies into your daily routine to enhance your natural testosterone levels :-Guillermo Escalante, MBA, ATC, CSCS 

As a weight lifter, eventually you'll be asked whether you need to utilize exogenous anabolic substances to support your muscle picks up.

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