Creatine monoydrate supplementation safe for athletes
August 30, 2010 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
Recently there were some student athletes in Oregon due to rhabdomyolysis (i.e., a rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle due to injury that typically presents with marked elevations in the enzyme creatine kinase [CK] in the blood). It is well known that excessive exercise in hot and humid environments can promote dehydration, muscle breakdown, and result in marked elevations in muscle CK levels. In severe instances, this may lead to exertional rhabdomyolysis particularly in athletes who have been engaged in intense exercise in hot and humid environments for several days and who become chronically dehydrated. The athletes were not allowed to drink during workouts and the temperatures got as high as 115-120 degrees F.
Of course, the media was quick to jump on the finger-pointing wagon and say that investigators are looking into whether creatine was linked to the incident eve though the athletes stated they were not using this supplement. In addition, creatine is very safe and has not been scientifically indicated to cause dehydration, cramping or other muscle injuries.
Below is a positional statement from the International Society of Sports Nutrition complete article published in the JISSN here:
1. Creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes in terms of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.
2. Creatine monohydrate supplementation is not only safe, but possibly beneficial in regard to preventing injury and/or management of select medical conditions when taken within recommended guidelines.
3. There is no scientific evidence that the short- or long-term use of creatine monohydrate has any detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals.
4. If proper precautions and supervision are provided, supplementation in young athletes is acceptable and may provide a nutritional alternative to potentially dangerous anabolic drugs.
5. At present, creatine monohydrate is the most extensively studied and clinically effective form of creatine for use in nutritional supplements in terms of muscle uptake and ability to increase high-intensity exercise capacity.
6. Creatine monohydrate has been reported to have a number of potentially beneficial uses in several clinical populations, and further research is warranted in these areas.
Again, as always, we look to science and published studies for results verses “gym lore” and clever marketing schemes. Creatine has been extensively studied since the early 1990s and no negative health side effects have been reported. Exercising in extreme heat without fluid? Now that’s a different story.
-Ryan Irwin
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
www.nutrisportfpt.com
515-331-2141
Nutri-Sport training tip: Recovery or “deloading”
August 24, 2010 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
Getting one’s self into top physical conditioning, whether it’s onstage in a physique competition such as bodybuilding or figure, completing a triathlon or lifting a small house in a powerlifting meet, you train for weeks and months to get yourself into peak form to be at your absolute best you can be for that event.
Video of Ryan Irwin deadlifting at the recent Iowa State Fair powerlifting meet
You rocked the event, do the victory dance and enjoy the moment, now what???
While it’s usually no surprise the amount of work required to get there and the dedication needed, one should (needs to) plan and consider the recover or “deload” period after such an event. To progress, taper and peak then just drop back the intensity or diet overnight is a mistake.
Take a physique (bodybuilding or figure) competition for example. Besides the rigorous lifting and cardio sessions that take place, these athletes are on a very restricted diets for weeks at a time. After they enjoy a post contest victory meal, it is crucial to get back on their meal plan and do what I term “reverse dieting” to get their body back to normal. When I work with clients, I warn them that this is the hardest part of the program, as only your will power (verses getting onstage) keeps you focused. However by doing so, your metabolism speeds up and you stay leaner in the process. A much better health scenario, plus makes getting ready for the next contest that much easier!
Likewise for training. While 2-3 days off isn’t a bad idea, taking an extended time off of training is also a mistake. After pushing yourself physically extremely hard then just becoming a couch potato, you can quickly lose progress and motivation. Get back to training, but only go at 50% to allow the body to heal and recover. This keeps your metabolism running high, helps the body heal by pumping blood into the muscles and joints, plus keeps you in good habits.
So next time you peak for a competition, start planning your recovery phase for after the event. Your body will thank you for it and you will be that much ahead of the game for the next one!
For more information on how we can help you not only peak for your event but also plan an appropriate recovery plan, contact us today!
Ryan Irwin
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
www.nutrisportfpt.com
515-331-2141
Reverse diet -harder than the regular thing?
August 14, 2010 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
It’s been just over one month since my last bodybuilding contest. Since that time I have been following what I like to call a “reverse diet”. After restricting nutrients and increasing cardio progressively for 15 weeks to achieve a bodyfat of 3.9%, one cannot quickly shift gears and go on a normal “full feed” overnight. This would lead to a very quick and efficient accumulation of bodyfat, which not only is undesirable, but will make getting ready for the next physique competition that much more difficult.
My goal is to compete in the IFPA Yorton Cup in November of 2011. This is one of the top professional natural bodybuilding contests in the world and I will need to bring my best package to date. In order to accomplish this, I am focusing on progressively increasing my muscle mass while controlling my bodyfat. This is where the reverse diet comes into play. I continue to follow a structured eating plan, however each week I slowly increase my intake to allow for my metabolism to increase, but still foster muscle and strength gains. For me, a 1/2 pound gain each week is the goal. While this sounds great, both myself and my clients will testify that this is more difficult than the actual precontest diet. The reason is simply that you only have a long-term goal to aim for and your self-discipline to keep from eating all the foods you shouldn’t (or overeating the good ones too).
So far my progress is going great. My bodyfat as of yesterday is 5.8% and I have gained 3.5lbs over my contest weight. Strength has continued to climb and I, along with the rest of Team Nutri-Sport, will be lifting at the Iowa State Fair Powerlifting meet next Sat. If you are interested in watching, it’s at the ABC/Budweiser stage on the 21st from 10-3.
I will continue to update with my progress as I continue my journey back to the pro natural bodybuilding stage. If you are interested in getting into the best possible condition (either just to get into shape or get onto stage) we can not only help get you there but also the critical adjustment period afterward to get to a maintainable condition.
Below is a video of guest posing at the NANBF ProBody Championships in July.
Keep training hard!
Ryan
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
515-331-2141
www.nutrisportfpt.com
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training Video Tip: Isolation lateral raises
August 3, 2010 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
Shoulders are an important muscle group. Being the most unstable joint in the body, having strong and stable shoulders are critical for not only sport performance but also for just general health and longevity.
In this video, David demonstrates a great exercise that shows a variation of the common lateral raise. If you go to any gym, often times you will see some very ugly form and the people are working everything BUT there shoulders.
Give this variation a try on your next shoulder workout. For more information on personal training, classes, supplements, training and nutrition tips, visit our website or swing into Nutri-Sport to talk to one of the experts there.
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
www.nutrisportfpt.com
Nutri-Sport Monthly Newsletter & Monday Madness reminder
July 27, 2010 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bring in this coupon & get 20% off your purchase of the Met-Rx Revolution or the Immunity Formula (not valid with other offers/discounts.) Good thru 8/31/10. |
|
Nutri-Sport | 9992 Swanson Blvd | Clive | IA | 50325 |
Nutri-Sport training tip: static pull ups
July 21, 2010 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
Often times, people overlook the benefits and importance of body weight exercises. The ability to move one’s body in a variety of different angles and positions not only is great for sporting activities, but also just for everyday function. In this video, David demonstrates a great variation to pull ups, an exercise that stimulates the back and arms extremely well, but is also difficult for most to do.
If you are interested in learning more ways to shake up your routine or are looking for someone to push you past your current levels, come speak with one of our trainers who can work with you to make sure you are getting the results you desire.
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
www.nutrisportfpt.com
515-331-2141
Supplement research results: D-Aspartic Acid increases testosterone naturally
July 7, 2010 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
Testosterone is the male sex hormone that is well know to be a primary driver for muscle growth. In the pursuit of increasing muscle mass and strength, finding safe and effective ways to boost these levels is usually a priority in men.
Recently, in a scientific study published in the journal of Reproductive Biology and endocrinology, there has been an amino acid that has been shown to naturally increase testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in the body. D-Aspartic Acid was shown to increase testosterone by 40% and LH by 25% in males. This was done on healthy males aged 26-37 and are significant increases. (see study here).
Being able to increase hormone levels naturally and within safe levels without dangerous and temporary prohormones and steroids is obviously a very good thing. For males looking to naturally increase their testosterone levels without the negative side effects, look to this amino acid for a boost to your supplement stack.
Come in to Nutri-Sport for this new product and other supplements for scientifically proven ways to get the most out of your training.
“Results speak louder than actions and words!”
IFPA Natural Pro Bodybuilder Ryan Irwin
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
www.nutrisportfpt.com
515-331-2141
Nutri-Sport training tip: lying cable bicep curls
June 23, 2010 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
What is the first exercise that most people learn to do for weight lifting? Probably some sort of curl (followed shortly by the bench press). While all muscles of the body need to be given attention, this visible bodypart seems to get a bit more than it probably should.
That being said, in this video, David demonstrates a great variation of the bicep curl. When working the biceps, there can be excessive strain placed on the lower back and if one has difficulty with that, the lying cable curl can be a great alternative. Besides reducing lower back stress, it also allows constant tension from the cable.
Give this a try on your next bicep workout.
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
www.nutrisportfpt.com
515-331-2141
Bodysculpting results and testimonial
June 11, 2010 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
They say that pictures say a thousand words, well, one of our recent participants not only has some impressive pictures show her results from the 9-week Bodysculpting program, but also tells a great story!
Deanna just finished up her first 9 week Bodysculpting session at our Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat 6 AM time. She did amazingly and nailed it on all fronts, attendance, nutrition and workouts. In 9 weeks, Deanna lost over 15 inches around her waist/hips and lost over 7 inches in her arms/thighs. Her bodyfat went down 9.7% and she lost over 33 pounds according to the scale!
Below are the before and after pictures, but read her story in her own words below that.
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
515-331-2141
www.nutrisportfpt.com
Research finds popular diets fail to address proper nutrition
June 11, 2010 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
With the American population as a whole fighting obesity, plus with the popularity of reality TV shows like “The Biggest Loser”, main stream diet programs such as the Atkins and South Beach diet are commonly heard.
While there is no question that people have found success with these, there are some issues with such plans. A recent study in the Journal of Intl Sports Nutrition discovered that these plans are deficient in micronutrients, which can lead to dangerous and debilitating diseases. Read study here.
In addition to this, we feel that often these diets tend to be done in an aggressive manner, creating the “crash” diet scenario, which then leads often into a “yo-yo” pattern, as the individual has not learned healthy lifestyle habits but rather a temporary or quick fix (see client testimonial here).
With our nutrition coaching and meal plans, we work with our clients to make these lifestyle habits and eat healthy. This is for long-term results, plus proper health and nourishment. We spend a great deal of time digging into each individual to make a plan that is effective, yet fits into their lifestyle. The plans also are food-based, with only the “foundational” supplements such as a multi-vitamin, essential fatty acids like fish oil and a good quality protein highly recommended.
If you or someone you know is looking to make a permanent change in their appearance and lifestyle, contact us so we can set up an appointment to chat and start the individualized coaching for permanent and healthy results!
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
515-331-2141
www.nutrisportfpt.com
