Tips and Tidbits

Bodybuilders always want to know how many total sets they should do for a particular exercise. In essence, you should work a muscle until you lose your pump. At that point, the muscle is out of glycogen. Further training only makes it harder for you to recover for your next workout.

The only time you should train past your pump is during pre-contest training. By training past your pump, you draw on lipids (fats) as your energy source, since the muscle is depleted of glycogen. Extra body fat is burned as a result.

Find out how to use the Parrillo rep/set scheme by checking out the Parrillo Training Manual, particularly Chapter 3 – How Many Reps? How Many Sets? There you’ll find information on The Intensity Set, Pyramid Sets, Exhaustion Sets, and Fascial Stretching, which is performed in between sets for maximum muscle growth.

nutrition Tip of the month:

Calories from dietary fats should comprise no more than 5% of your total caloric intake. The easiest way to keep dietary fats to a minimum is to eliminate fatty foods from your diet. However, your body still needs the essential fatty acids (EFAs) found in dietary fats. EFAs facilitate the absorption of vitamins A,D,E and K and provide insulation, energy reserve and cushion for vital organs. Without sufficient EFAs, the tissues around your joints can deteriorate and cause joint pain and popping, grinding noises. Taken daily, one teaspoon of unsaturated oil provides the necessary EFAs. Safflower, sunflower, linseed, or 2 to 3 Evening Primrose Oil 1000™ gelcaps are all good choices.

Question of the month:

Question: Why is getting enough protein so important for bodybuilders?

Answer: Dietary proteins supply amino acids for building muscles. All metabolic processes, including increased metabolism require amino acids to function properly. Like most athletes, bodybuilders have higher-than-normal requirements for protein. One reason is that weight training causes a greater amino acid usage by the muscles during hard training. A serious bodybuilder should take in about 1.5 grams or more of protein per pound of body weight each day. Recommended lean sources include chicken, turkey, fish and egg whites, along with beans, lentils, peas and corn (vegetable proteins). Without adequate protein, the body simply cannot support increases in muscle mass, repair the breakdown of muscle tissue or drive the metabolic recovery and repair processes. You can tell if bodybuilders are lacking in protein by checking their muscle tone. In a flexed state, a protein-deficient muscle feels soft.

Breaking News

Fitness & Nutrition

Benefits of Compound in Turmeric Spice Studied

There may be a new way to spice up your weight loss routine, according to results from a new animal model study by Agricultural Research Service-funded scientists and colleagues. The researchers theorized that dietary curcumin could stall the spread of fat-tissue by inhibiting new blood vessel growth, called angiogenesis, which is necessary to build fat tissue. Curcumin is a bioactive component in curry and turmeric that has been consumed daily in Asian countries for centuries without reported toxic effects.

Eighteen mice were assigned to three groups of six mice each. For 12 weeks, the mice were fed special diets. A “control” group’s mix contained 4% fat, a “high fat” group’s mix contained 22% fat, and another group was fed the same “high fat” diet supplemented with curcumin. A mouse typically eats about 3,000 to 3,500mg daily, so the curcumin-supplemented mice would have consumed about 1.5 to 1.75mg of curcumin daily—a relatively small amount. The researchers recorded the body weight and food consumption of the mice twice each week. At the end of the 12-week period, their total body weight and fat distribution were measured. The study found that supplementing the animals’ high-fat diet with curcumin reduced body-weight gain and total body fat, even though food-intake was not affected, when compared to the nonsupplemented high-fat-diet group. The curcumin-treated group also had less blood vessel growth in fat tissue. Blood glucose, triglyceride, fatty acid, cholesterol and liver fat levels also were lower.

Quick Tip of the month:

Try making Parrillo’s protein-packed version of crêpes for a quick treat, using Parrillo Hi-Protein Pancake & Muffin Mix™ and Parillo Protein Frosting Mix™. Make a large pancake, place on a plate when it’s done cooking, spread frosting on one side and then roll into a crêpe. Enjoy!

- Rosalie Marion Bliss, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, May, 2009

Dominique’s Time Cruncher

Add fiber-rich beans and peas to your salads. Canned chick peas and other beans, like kidney or black beans, are a delicious and quick addition to salads. Just rinse, drain, and they’re ready to eat!

Nutrient Spotlight: Boron

By Cliff Sheats

First isolated in 1808, boron was thought to be of little importance in human nutrition. However, recent animal and human studies suggest that this trace mineral may be key in mineral metabolism, brain function and performance, hormone regulation, and prevention of osteoporosis.

A boron deficiency may affect mineral metabolism, cognitive function, steroid hormone and vitamin levels, and bone integrity. (1) Some recent studies suggest that a lack of boron may also diminish immune function. You can prevent this from happening by eating foods particularly rich in boron. These include tomatoes, green peppers, legumes, and other vegetables, since boron is found in all foods produced from plants. Meat and dairy products are poor sources.

Boron influences steroid hormone metabolism in humans, affecting the levels of estrogens and testosterone. (2) In particularly, boron helps the body metabolize and utilize estrogen, the basic female sex hormone. This is important, since too much estrogen in a woman’s body can promote fat storage. Some studies have shown that this mineral may also enhance blood levels of testosterone.

Boron is important for bone health. A study of 12 post-menopausal women indicates that boron can reduce the excretion of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, minerals necessary to keep your bones hard. These findings suggest that boron may be important in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, the brittle-bone disease that affects millions of older people. (3)

The government has not yet established a daily requirement for boron, although it is the most likely trace mineral to next receive such recognition. Most Americans consume an estimated 1 to 5 mg per day from foods.

In addition to diet, you’ll take in adequate boron by supplementing your diet with Parrillo Mineral Electrolyte Formula™ (each tablet contains 500 mcg of boron). The suggested usage of this supplement is one tablet with each meal. Weight-training, aerobic activity, and stress can easily upset the body’s delicate balance of minerals needed to function at optimum levels, including boron. Parrillo Mineral-Electrolyte Formula™ provides even the hardest-working athlete with a supply of these vital nutrients.

References

1. Nielsen, F.H. 1990 New essential trace elements for the life sciences. Biological Trace Element Research 26-27:599-611.

2. Nielsen, F.H., et al. 1987. Effect of dietary boron on mineral, estrogen, and testosterone metabolism in postmenopausal women. FASEB J 1:394-397.

3. Nielsen, F.H. 1988. Boron – an overlooked element of potential nutritional importance. Nutrition Today, January – February, pp. 4-7.