Science
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Massages and recovery
Read more →Recovery is essential to getting huge. It’s needed to replenish energy stores, help repair damaged muscle and allow the nervous system to recover. Recovery is generally considered to be rest, sleep, proper eating and not much else. However, other methods allow you to recover from an intense session, such as active recovery, stretching, icing and even massages by a therapist. Massages are great for relaxation and overall well-being, but do they have a place in a bodybuilder’s methods of recovery? Researchers questioned if massages help improve overall performance and aid recovery after a session at the gym. What they concluded...
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Hard training weakens your spit
Read more →Every bodybuilder knows that there’s a down side to hard training: getting sick. Although training hard is needed to get strong and build serious muscle, overtraining can open you up to sickness. In a new study, researchers tried to figure out part of the reason why training can make you sick, and they think they’ve found part of the answer: it’s in your spit. Researchers tested a team of world-class rowers to see how intense exercise affected levels of lactoferrin and lysozyme, two immune-system saliva proteins that kill microbes such as bacteria and viruses. High levels of these proteins helps...
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Varying rest times delivers different results
Read more →Did you know that the amount of time you should rest between sets depends on your specific training goals? It’s true. A new study by researchers in Brazil makes it clear that, depending on your goal, you want to alter the rest times between sets. Researchers wanted to analyze the effects of taking different amounts of rest time between sets as a way of trying to get a specific training outcome – i.e., muscle growth, strength gains or enhanced endurance. They split subjects into groups and had them do a workout. The results show that in terms of acute responses,...
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Respect your recovery time
Read more →It’s really easy to “get into” muscle growth – work out hard and stay dedicated, and the muscle will come, right? Maybe, but it’s not that simple. While bodybuilders have no problem training all-out, many don’t give recovery the respect it’s due. But the fact is, while working out builds muscle, it can also hurt you for days after the gym. A new study by Greek researchers examined the effects of a hard workout on oxidant levels and the effects of oxidant activity on lipids, proteins and DNA. They found that a hard workout increases the oxidation of fatty acids...
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Low testosterone linked to early death
Read more →Bodybuilders need high testosterone levels to lift heavy, work out hard and grow massive. Testosterone is, quite simply, the lifeblood of muscle building. But there’s only one problem: Stress, pollution and aging all cause testosterone levels to sink. If you’re 30 or older, the situation is worse, as testosterone levels naturally decline at your age. A new study examining the effects of lower testosterone levels – total and free testosterone – on death rates has found that in addition to causing sexual problems and killing the motivation to train, lower testosterone levels make you 33 percent more likely to die...
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The truth about joint pain
Read more →For bodybuilders, the primary goal is muscle growth. To achieve this, you have to lift heavy, hard and often. Unfortunately, the great amount of forces borne by your joints over time can have side effects such as joint and cartilage injuries. This damage can manifest as arthritis, knee pain and other symptoms. But did you also know that adding muscle to your physique can place additional stress on your joints? Researchers at the University of Sydney had 111 high-body mass index (BMI) subjects take tests to assess their range of knee motion, quadriceps strength and alignment between thighs and shins....
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