Training Tip of the Month:

Get Results with the Incline Leg Press: With the incline leg press, you can work various angles of your thigh by altering the position of your feet on the platform and by changing the point from where you push. If you place your feet high on the platform with a wide stance, the exercise emphasizes your glutes and hamstrings. If your foot placement is lower with a narrow stance, then emphasis shifts to your quads. How you press makes a big difference too. When training bodybuilders on the leg press, I ask them where they want to “burn” their legs. Give me a six inch region anywhere on their legs and I can instruct them on how to isolate that specific area. I place a 2 x 4 board against the leg press platform under the bodybuilder’s heels. Then I have him push with the heels. This isolates the outer thighs tremendously. Next, I remove the board and instruct the bodybuilder to push with the balls of the feet. This shifts the stress to the frontal quads.

Nutrition Tip of the Month:

The combination of foods you eat at each meal is critical for building mass and burning bodyfat. It’s one thing to select the right foods and yet another to know how to properly combine them to build metabolism. Each meal should include one lean protein source, one or two starchy carbs and one or two fibrous carbs. The protein and fiber slow the digestion of starchy carbohydrates, giving you consistent energy levels throughout the day. In the growth season, you need at least one gram of protein from a lean protein source, such as white chicken, turkey or fish, per pound of bodyweight. You should also obtain an additional .25 to .5 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight from carbohydrates. You can refer to the Parrillo Nutrition Manual for more detailed dietary guidelines.

Question: I’ve been hearing differing opinions on including deadlifts in my bodybuilding workouts. Is it a good training choice for bodybuilders?

Answer: Many bodybuilders avoid deadlifts because this exercise can thicken the waist. But often, you need to build your physique to a point beyond where you want to be. Then you can use isolation exercises to sculpt away thickness while still holding your size. So, for gaining that initial size and thickness, deadlifts are an excellent exercise.

As you begin the exercise, make sure your shoulders move up and back. Keep your back slightly arched. As you lift the barbell, drive your hips forward. As always, keep your muscles tight throughout the range of motion and use your opposing muscles to return to start. The same techniques apply to the sumo-style deadlifts, in which a very wide stance is used.

Breaking News-Fitness and Nutrition

^{Dietary Protein & Bone Health Revisited}

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists first compared high-meat protein diets with low-meat protein diets. Now, they’ve compared animal-protein diets with vegetable-protein diets. This “sequel” study rocks the foundation, again, of a commonly held belief that high-protein diets can be bad for bones. Nutritionists Zamzam (Fariba) Roughead and Janet Hunt, with colleagues, carefully controlled the diets of 13 healthy, postmenopausal women. Two seven-week experimental diets were provided to each of the volunteers. A two-week break was scheduled between each of the two diet phases.

Both diets provided 15% of energy–or daily caloric intake–from protein, a percentage that represents average U.S. consumption. One diet contained mostly meat protein, and the other substituted 25 grams of high-isoflavone soy protein for an equivalent amount of the meat protein provided daily. The remainder of each diet was mixed to represent typical daily intakes of calcium and other nutrients. The scientists measured biomarkers in blood and urine collected during each seven-week diet phase and found no indications of differences in calcium or bone metabolism after eating either diet. Moreover, the soy-protein-substituted diet did not change the absorption or excretion of calcium. Some scientists long have theorized that high-meat protein diets can leach calcium from bones. Others theorize that the phytate, a component of soy protein, can interrupt mineral absorption in general.

The study’s findings suggest that calcium absorption from these two important sources of dietary protein is similar.

- Rosalie Marion Bliss, Feb. 2005, Agricultural Research Service, USDA

Quick Tip of the Month:

Get an electric food steamer with multiple steamer baskets to steam your rice and vegetables at the same time. Electric steamers help vegetables retain their nutrients better than traditional boiling, and they also speed up the process with instant steam. Some models have programmable digital timers, so your vegetables are done just right.

Dominique’s Time Cruncher:

ÚRecipe database websites are a great way to search for quick meal ideas. Some have advanced recipe search features, like “Ingredients You Want” and “Ingredients You Don’t Want”. You can even add keywords to narrow down your recipe searches; use keywords like low-sodium, low-fat, baked, crockpot, slow cooker, etc.

Parrillo Tips and Tidbits January, 2010

Tips and Tidbits the month

Training Tip

Muscle fibers are divided into three types: slow-twitch, fast-twitch oxidative-glycolytic and pure fast-twitch. Slow-twitch and fast-twitch oxidative-glycolytic muscle fibers get most of their energy from burning fat. You can actually change pure fast-twitch fibers into fast-twitch oxidative fibers by high volume training such as long duration aerobics or high-intensity training. This type of training also increases the number of mitochondria in fast-twitch fibers to levels higher than those found in slow-twitch fibers. With more mitochondria in muscle cells, the fast-twitch muscle fibers burn more fat. Through high-volume training, your body literally becomes a fat-burning machine. If you want to burn more body fat, do high-rep work using heavy poundages. Work out intensely, so that you’re breathing hard each time you finish a set.

Nutrition Tip

Weight training athletes must include ample protein in their diets to promote muscular fitness. Individual protein needs vary and depend on a number of factors, including an athlete’s training intensity and level of conditioning. Based on our experiences at Parrillo, hard training bodybuilders can achieve excellent results by consuming 1.25 to 1.5 or more grams of protein per pound of body weight a day. On our program, at least one gram of your protein intake per pound of body weight should come from lean protein sources such as lean white meat poultry, fish, and egg whites. Avoid red meats and egg yolks, as these are high in fat which easily converts to body fat. The other .25 to .5 per pound of body weight should come from vegetables, particularly beans, corn and legumes.

Breaking News

Fitness & Nutrition

Panting Through Your Workouts?
Try Getting Enough Zinc

Consuming lower than recommended levels of dietary zinc could be especially hard on the body during exercise, according to an Agricultural Research Service study. That’s because tiny amounts of the mineral are contained in hundreds of zinc-dependent enzymes that play a role in regulating energy expenditure. One such friendly, zinc-dependent enzyme—carbonic anhydrase—helps the body clear away byproducts of daily cellular activity. The enzyme actually escorts carbon dioxide out of the body—from body tissue to blood, from blood to air sacs in the lungs, and from the lungs out into the air.

During the study, a group of active young men in their 20s and early 30s experienced a significant drop in physiological efficiency while exercising, when their zinc intake had been reduced to about one-third of their Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for nine weeks. They were fed a low-zinc diet of slightly more than 3.5 milligrams (mg) daily, compared to the RDA of 11 mg daily. For contrast, when the same group exercised the same way for nine weeks while consuming the same foods, but supplemented with 15 mg of zinc daily, their physiological response was normal during exercise. When zinc intake is too low, carbon dioxide backs up all the way to muscle cells, according to Lukaski. That results in acid-laden cells that require more oxygen for clearing toxic byproducts.

- Rosalie Marion Bliss, April 2006, Agricultural Research Service, USDA

Question

Question: What are the benefits of supplementing with branched-chain amino acids?

Answer: The branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine are directly involved in building muscle tissue. By carrying nitrogen, they assist the muscles in synthesizing other amino acids to promote growth and repair. Following hard and heavy weight training, a big dose of BCAA’s will immediately set about repairing damaged muscle tissue, thereby speeding the recovery process and providing the traumatized muscle with the micronutrients needed to heal and then grow. Parrillo uses high-quality amino acids in all of it’s formulations and Muscle Amino Formula™ is a particular favorite of some of the most prolific bodybuilders of all time that use or have used our products.

Quick Tip

Do you like eating raw vegetables with delicious dips, but think raw broccoli is too bitter, or raw green beans are too tough? Some vegetables taste better after blanching in a pot of boiling water, then quickly cooling them in a bowl of cold water. It only takes 1 minute of blanching for broccoli, cauliflower and fennel bulb, 30 seconds for snow peas, and 2-4 minutes for asparagus and green beans (depending on size.)

Reference: Live! from Marilyn’s Kitchen by Marilyn Harris

Dominique’s

Time Cruncher

ÚHere’s a great idea for a quick and delicious salad dressing that uses CapTri^® MCT oil in place of olive oil: Buy a package of Kraft’s Good Seasons Salad Dressing Mix with a glass cruet included, then mix dressing according to package directions, replacing the olive oil with CapTri^®. Good Seasons comes in several different flavor varieties, but the favorite at Parrillo HQ is the Italian dressing.

Resolution

Revolution

December 2009 Tips and Tidbits

Training Tip

of the month:

Use Full Range of Motion

Many bodybuilders like to incorporate partial reps and limited range lifts into their routines. The problem with these techniques is that a lot of muscle goes unworked. To get the most from every rep, use full range of motion—but without resting between each rep. Full range of motion activates more muscle fibers. By using full range of motion, you also work your synergistic muscles (those muscles which assist or stabilize the muscle producing the primary
action).

nutrition Tip

of the month:

Because the human body cannot store much carbohydrate, it’s very important, especially for athletes, to regularly consume a diet high in complex carbohydrates to fuel the body. Many experiments indicate that carbohydrate is the body’s preferred fuel during exercise. More than 99% of the carbohydrate is used in the body to form adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which is the fuel source used directly by the muscles to power contractions. ATP is not stored by the body so it must be constantly produced from the aerobic metabolism of carbohydrates, fatty acids, and amino acids (aerobic means “with oxygen”).

Question

of the month:

Question: I need some help choosing the right complex carbohydrates for my nutrition plan. Which foods would be the best choices?

Answer: We divide complex carbohydrates into two categories: starchy carbs and fibrous carbs. Starchy carbohydrates include such foods as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, rice, oatmeal, and other unrefined cereals, beans and legumes. In addition to supplying vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, these foods give you energy to train and the ability to recover quickly.

Fibrous carbs include asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, spinach, salad vegetables, and other high fiber, low calorie vegetables. Besides providing fiber, these foods also supply an abundant amount of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes and antioxidants. During pre-contest dieting, you can adjust your intake of starchy carbs and fibrous carbs to help burn more bodyfat.

Breaking News

Fitness & Nutrition

Strength Training Is an Antidote
to Muscle Loss

Resistance or “strength” training has repeatedly been shown to be a safe and effective method of reversing sarcopenia, or muscle loss, in the elderly. The condition actually starts around age 45, when muscle mass begins to decline at a rate of about 1 percent per year. Scientists funded by the Agricultural Research Service have been studying the factors involved in gradual muscle loss
since 1988.

While older adults need strength training to maintain their muscle mass, exercise can also help reduce the risk and symptoms of many chronic diseases, such as arthritis, coronary artery disease, diabetes, frailty, obesity and osteoporosis. Exercise is by definition different from moderate physical activity. Actual exercise–by design–improves the five key components of physical fitness: muscle strength, muscle endurance, body composition, cardio-respiratory endurance and flexibility.

The findings show that in a group of volunteers with osteoarthritis, a joint disease, muscle strength increased by 14 percent and balance improved by 55 percent after a 12-week strength-training program. Flexibility also improved by 17 percent, and pain, based on self reports, decreased by 30 percent.

- Rosalie Marion Bliss, May 2005, Agricultural Research Service, USDA

Quick Tip

of the month:

Taking in the proper amounts of calcium, whether from food sources or supplements, along with daily physical activity and weight bearing exercises, can help to maintain a healthy bone density, which is especially important for females. Be sure you are also getting enough vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium.

Dominique’s

Time Cruncher

ÚBuy pre-made spice mixes instead of spending extra time to mix all your own spices together while cooking. You can find many different varieties, like Italian spices, Curry blends, Cajun seasoning, Jamaican Jerk seasoning and Mexican spice mix. Be sure to watch out for the amount of sodium in the mix!

Tips and Tidbits November 2009

Training  of the month:

Your ability to build additional muscle is limited by your degree of cardiovascular density. Without aerobics in your total bodybuilding program, your body can’t create any new supply routes for your newly developed muscles. The more blood vessels you have and the bigger they are, the longer and more intense your workouts can be. In other words, the better your cardiovascular density, the greater potential you have for building bigger muscles.

Read more

Tips and Tidbits – October 2009

Training Tip of the month:

The order of exercises in your routine should vary from workout to workout. Every third or fourth workout, start by training a minor muscle group, such as biceps, triceps, calves or abs. Small muscle groups often get shortchanged on intensity when continually worked last in a training session. Giving them priority every several workouts leads to fuller, more proportional development.

Read more

Tips and Tidbits September, 2009

Nutrition Tip

of the month:

A successful approach to losing body fat involves alternating one month on a weight gain cycle and one month on a fat loss cycle. The first month you would gain a pound each week (4 lbs.) and 75% of it is muscle. In the second month you lose a pound a week (4 lbs. total) and 75% of that loss in fat. At the end of the two-month cycle you will have gained 2 lbs. of muscle and lost 2 lbs. of fat. Extend that to a year and you’re looking at 12 lbs of muscle gained and 12 lbs. of fat lost. You’re constantly making progress and your metabolism never gets the chance to slow down. These goals are quite realistic and very easily attainable for anyone, particularly easy for bodybuilders who are giving 100% effort to their training and nutrition program.

Training Tip

of the month:

Which is more effective for losing fat, weight training or aerobics?

Both aerobics and weight training can be very effective at promoting fat loss. Aerobics burns fat during the session and the harder the aerobic workout, the more fat you burn during your aerobic session. Weight lifting, on the other hand, burns less fat during the workout, but your metabolism will stay elevated as your body recovers from an intense workout, which burns fat between workouts. It’s best to include both hard aerobics and intense weight training if you want to be both lean and muscular.

Question

of the month:

Losing Weight May Lower Cholesterol, Boost Immunity

Question: Why aren’t fruit or dairy products in Parrillo’s nutrition diet plan? Aren’t they part of a balanced diet?

Answer: Fruit contains a simple sugar known as fructose, which is easily converted to fat in the liver. Although fresh fruit and low fat dairy products are healthy, nutritious foods, they contain a lot of natural sugars which are easily converted into body fat. So if you’re striving for ultimate leanness and a high energy level, avoid the consumption of sugary foods, including fruit and
dairy products.

It’s true that fruit is high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber – but so are natural, complex carbohydrates. If you want to get leaner and more muscular – and build your recuperative powers by re-stocking glycogen more efficiently – avoid fruit. Choose starchy and fibrous carbohydrates instead.

Breaking News

Fitness & Nutrition

Scientists funded by the Agricultural Research Service found that volunteers with high cholesterol and/or triglycerides–who followed both a low-fat and low-calorie diet–not only lost weight, but also significantly enhanced their immune response. The volunteers consumed different diets during four distinct test phases lasting more than one month each. The first three phases were designed to maintain body weight, and the last phase was not. The researchers tested the volunteers’ immune functions through blood tests and skin-patch tests geared to measure immune response at the end of each phase.

Cholesterol levels were significantly reduced during all phases, compared to the baseline-diet phase. But during skin-patch tests after the last phase, the volunteers showed significantly better immune responses than after any of the other three phases of the study. Blood tests also indicated enhanced cellular immune response. The study’s authors concluded that high-cholesterol individuals who follow recommended low-fat diets are unlikely to erode their immune systems, and they may well improve their immune response if they lose weight at the same time. The researchers now are planning more studies to gauge the effects of caloric restriction on health status and immune response in larger groups of volunteers.

- Rosalie Marion Bliss, September 2003, ARS, USDA

Quick Tip

of the month:

Keep multiples of kitchen tools you use often for cooking, things like measuring cups & spoons, bowls, spatulas, large spoons, etc., in your kitchen cabinets. This way, you’ll always have what you need, ready to use, even if you haven’t had a chance to do the dishes.

Dominique’s

Time Cruncher

ÚHave a food processor on hand in the kitchen! Keep it ready to go on your counter top, so it’s convenient to use. You can slice, dice, shred, or chop your vegetables with a food processor, which will save you so much prep time when cooking your meals!

Tips and Tidbits > August 2009

Training Tip of the month:

Squats: On any squat movement, to keep from straining your lower back, you must push your hips forward and straighten your back as soon as you begin your ascent from the bottom of the movement. The moment your rear end goes up and back, stress is placed on your lower back.

No matter what area you work, frontal thigh or outer sweep, you must stay tight and practice slow, strict form throughout the exercise. Many bodybuilders make the mistake of relaxing at the bottom of the movement and then bouncing off the bottom of their calves. Such action can injure the ligaments in your knees.

If you’re training for bodybuilding competition, eliminate heavy squatting one to two weeks before the contest. This is so your legs will reduce slightly in size, giving more area under the fascia tissue for separations and actually making your legs look bigger.

nutrition Tip of the month:

It’s not who diets the hardest, it’s who diets the smartest! Pre-contest dieting is not time for starvation. You should eat enough and do plenty of aerobics to build your metabolism. Lose bodyfat gradually by dieting in stages. Monitor your body composition every week so you know if you are losing bodyfat or lean body mass. Finally, keep precise records of everything you do the week before your contest. Analyze the results so you can look even better the next time. As we continue to work with top bodybuilders, we realize more and more that the human body is truly the ultimate anabolic.  Train it properly, give it the nutrients it needs, and it will do amazing things.

Breaking News Fitness & Nutrition

Vitamin D-Rich Mushrooms: A Research Success!

Now there’s an even better reason to add fresh mushrooms to your breakfast omelet, noontime burger, or dinner salad. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Albany, Calif., have teamed with Monterey Mushrooms, Inc., of Watsonville, Calif., to boost the vitamin D content of white, brown and portabella mushrooms.Thanks to UV-B light—like that in sunshine—the company’s new Sun Bella line of fresh mushrooms offers at least 100 percent of the recommended intake of vitamin D in each 3-ounce serving.

An estimated 40 percent of Americans don’t get enough vitamin D. The nutrient is essential for strong bones, properly functioning liver and kidneys, and a robust immune system. Some research suggests that vitamin D may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and Alzheimer’s disease. The idea of using UV-B light to enhance mushrooms’ vitamin D levels isn’t new. But Tara H. McHugh, a research leader and food technologist at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, and colleagues at Monterey Mushrooms are likely the first to determine exactly how to best use UV-B rays for commercial-scale production of vitamin D-rich mushrooms.

McHugh did much of the work under terms of a research and development agreement with the company. Monterey Mushrooms recently introduced Sun Bella mushrooms in supermarkets nationwide.

– Marcia Wood, Nov. 2008, Agricultural Research Service, USDA

Question of the month:

Question: I want to tweak my training routine, do you have any advice for a more effective workout?

Answer: Training routines come in many forms and many variations. There’s no single routine that always works better than another. If your routine is working, keep doing it. When you fail to get results, then change your routine. Regardless of what routine you follow, your success ultimately depends on your state of nutrition. When planning a routine, apply my suggested rep/set scheme, starting with low reps and heavy weight and finishing up with high reps and lighter weight. Be sure to do one intensity set per body part. The order of exercises in your routine should vary from workout to workout. Every third or fourth workout, start by training a minor muscle group, such as biceps, triceps, calves or abs. Small muscle groups often get shortchanged on intensity when continually worked last in a training session. Giving them priority every several workouts leads to fuller, more proportional development.

Quick Tip of the month:

Bored with eating plain steamed veggies everyday? Try adding some salt-free seasoning mixes, like Mrs. Dash^® Lemon Pepper, Fiesta Lime, or Carribean Citrus, to your steamed vegetables for a little taste variety. It’s great for quick meals!

Dominique’s Time Cruncher

ÚOrganize your spices in alphabetical order to save time when cooking. I have all my spices organized on a Lazy Susan, so if I need to find the dill or cumin jars, I know right where to look! This way, you don’t waste time hunting in the back of your cabinets for herbs or spices.

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.

Tips And Tidbits

Training Tip of the month:

Many bodybuilders avoid deadlifts because this exercise can thicken the waist. But often, you need to build your physique to a point beyond where you want to be. Then you can use isolation exercises to sculpt away thickness while still holding your size. So, for gaining that initial size and thickness, deadlifts are an excellent exercise.

As you begin the exercise, make sure your shoulders move up and back. Keep your back slightly arched. As you lift the barbell, drive your hips forward. As always, keep your muscles tight throughout the range of motion and use your opposing muscles to return to start. The same techniques apply to the sumo-style deadlifts, in which a very wide stance is used.

nutrition Tip of the month:

When following the Parrillo Nutrition Program, be sure to keep accurate records of everything you eat by using Diet Trac Sheets, found at the back of the Parrillo Nutrition Manual. Diet Trac sheets go hand-in-hand with the Food Composition Guide & Formulas for Success (both found in the Nutrition Manual), as well as your food scale, when planning your meals to meet the nutritional requirements of your fitness plan. Diet Trac sheets have eight columns: Time, Food and Quantity, Calories, Protein, Fat, Carbs, Sodium, and Potassium. As you plan your meals, you record the foods and their values in the appropriate columns. You can refer to the Nutrition Manual for sample Diet Trac sheets.

Breaking News Fitness & Nutrition

Secrets of Fish Oil Compound Probed

A compound found in oil-rich fish such as salmon reshaped the blood lipid profiles of volunteers in an Agricultural Research Service-led study. Research chemist Darshan S. Kelley of the ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center and federal and university co-investigators conducted the study of DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid thought to improve cardiovascular health. The research is likely the first to analyze—in high-triglyceride males—DHA’s effects on both fasting and post-meal triglycerides, and on quantities and sizes of HDL, LDL and VLDL cholesterol particles. High triglycerides, high cholesterol and a high number of small particles of LDL cholesterol in the blood increase risk of cardiovascular disease, the nation’s leading cause of death, according to Kelley.

Blood samples taken after fasting, and within eight hours after meals, showed that DHA reduced by 22% the number of small LDL (low-density lipoprotein) particles. LDL’s small particles are the size most harmful to the cardiovascular system. DHA increased the number of large LDL particles by 127%. Since large LDL particles are less harmful than small ones, some researchers believe large LDL particles do not harm the arteries. DHA also lowered triglycerides by 24% in both the fasting and post-meal samples. The after-meal effect, shown in only a few other studies, may be of particular interest to medical professionals looking for alternatives to conventional triglyceride-lowering therapies, according to Kelley. By Marcia Wood, Dec. 3, 2007, ARS – USDA

Question of the month:

Question: How do I add lean muscle mass without gaining a lot of bodyfat in the off-season?

Answer: Don’t become an off-season binger! Intelligent bodybuilders always maintain a good off-season diet. They utilize these months to add lean muscle mass and minimize bodyfat. They eat basically the same foods as they would on a pre-contest diet, but in larger quantities and slightly different protein/fat/carbohydrate ratios. When it is time to start a pre-contest diet they have less bodyfat and more muscle mass. For the first two to three weeks, put on one-and-a-half pounds per 100 pounds of body weight each week. During the remainder of the off-season, gain an average of one-half pound of muscle mass per 100 pounds of body weight each week. (As you gain weight, have your bodyfat tested about once a week to be sure you are gaining lean mass and not bodyfat.) Look to the Parrillo Training Manual for more information about off-season training and nutrition.

Quick Tip of the month:

When you make baked chicken or turkey, prepare enough for another meal and you can use the leftovers to make sandwiches or a quick casserole for dinner the next day.

Dominique’s Time Cruncher

Make a big bowl of salad for dinner and take the leftovers to work for lunch the next day. Just remember to take out the portion for tomorrow’s lunch before adding your salad dressing so everything will stay crisp!

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