The old Adage “No Pain, No Gain” has always been a guide for many of us in our pursuit for physical excellence. Sometimes you have to keep pushing on when every cell in your body seems to be saying “stop, please. Seriously…” This post is not a Free Pass from Kicking Ass. It is however a sober look at something that can kill you if you’re not being mindful of your body and you think vomiting is a mandatory response to an optimal workout.

Rhabdomyolysis is a condition in which muscle cells rupture. This isn’t the good kind of “Tear it down so we can rebuild it” kind of muscle breakdown that we are aiming for in the gym. This is when the cell literally rips apart and the contents of the cell dumps into the blood stream. What ends up happening is we have now spilled a bunch of Potassium into our bloodstream (remember, Potassium lives in the cell, Sodium lives outside of it, and together their fight back and forth keeps a perfect fluid balance in and outside of the cell) along with stuff called myoglobin. What then happens, is we end up with an influx of Sodium and Calcium into the muscle cells and then water naturally follows. So we have a situation where we have high potassium in the bloodstream, leading to heart issues, and we have decreased sodium in the bloodstream because it is going inside of the cells, something we don’t want.

Increased Calcium influx leads to further destruction of muscle tissue. Again, this is not cool at all.

In extreme cases, we end up with “compartment syndrome” which is where the muscle swelling caused by excess fluid, causes the intracompartmental pressure in the muscle to be greater than the capillary perfusion pressure. This is a very serious situation that involves immediate surgery to help restore fluid balance and involves slicing up meat and other stuff I don’t want to go into.

While Compartment Syndrome is a critical case that requires immediate hospitalization, I think it’s just as important to talk about the steps leading up to a severe reaction such as this. After all, if you are in a position where immediate hospitalization is needed, you’re not going to be thinking about whether you should go or not. You will feel like utter hell and will not be in a position to do much else besides vomit and ask for help.

What concerns me more is the other effects of Rhabdomyolysis and what can happen long term with a low grade version of this. Think of Myoglobin as the gunk inside of muscle cells. It should stay inside muscle cells where it belongs. When it gets into the bloodstream your kidneys have to work like hell to filter it out. In cases of high levels of Myoglobin, your kidneys will begin to fail because of tubular necrosis. The little filter units in your kidneys are dying because they can’t deal with this amount of funk. A darker colored urine, almost tea colored is what to look for in this case. But it’s tough when you pee in a toilet that has a lot of water in it, to always detect whether or not it is “dark”. Just know that if it’s anything but golden colored, and you feel crappy after working out or drinking too much or being in the heat all day, this could be a cause for concern.

The reason I bring this up is because I think the Kidneys are one of the most vital organs we have in our body, and I think they’re also one of the most abused in athletics or bodybuilding specifically. The heart is without a doubt critical, yes. The liver also takes a great deal of abuse, but it was designed for that and for the most part can rebuild itself as long as the damage hasn’t been too much. But when the kidneys go, they go, and nothing short of a transplant will keep you running optimally. Dialysis, a filtering of the blood, can extend your life, but trust me when I say you don’t want to do this the rest of your life.

So if Kidneys are important. The amount of strain we put our kidneys through can do irreversible damage to them. One of the things we can do to strain our kidneys is to release too much myoglobin in the bloodstream and we can do this by causing rhabdomyolysis. So let’s not do that, ok?

How do we avoid this?

While we still need to push ourselves, it’s important to recognize when we’re going too far. And perhaps if you’re hoping to go pro and it takes killing yourself slowly to get there, then maybe this warning isn’t all that valid. I mean this with sincerity. But if you want to live a long and healthy life while trying to look your best, then consider whether or not a workout is going too far to an extreme. Perhaps you can work up to tackling Arnold Schwarzeneger’s Chest/Back workout by building up to it over a period of time. Eccentric exercise is the biggest factor in exertional Rhabdomyolysis.

Also here is a list of drugs to watch out for. Drugs can cause rhabdomyolysis on their own. Added to an extremely high workload, this can be asking for the kind of failure we DON’T want to reach, kidney failure.

In particular, the recreational drugs, AND the statins and fibrates have my biggest attention right now.

Alot of people I know who are using anabolic steroids are attempting to control the unavoidable cholesterol side effects by using fibrates or statins. I also used to advocate using fibrates for fat loss. Now I’m not sure whether that’s such a good idea anymore, especially when there are safer and more effective alternatives out there.

The point I am trying to make here isn’t one of “the sky is falling.” It is one of awareness. Be aware that you could be pushing yourself so hard that your causing damage to your kidneys. It’s as simple as that. What you do with that realization is up to you. If you kicked ass in the gym and feel like crap afterwards, that’s just how it is. But if it takes on a whole new level of crappiness, and you feel nauseous, your heart is skipping beats and your urine is tea-colored, it’s time to make a trip down to the hospital and see if your insurance is still good.

So why don’t I have a long list of symptoms of this? Because quite frankly you might not have any dramatic outward symptoms. If you have dark colored urine then it’s time to seriously consider this as a possibility. But sometimes you just feel like shit. And sometimes it will pass, and if it happens often enough, and in conjunction with drugs that cause it on its own like cocaine, pain pills, statins, ecstacy, then you c0uld be giving yourself a slow kidney damaging ride to the operating table.

In the past two years or so, my body has undergone a dramatic transformation. I have lost only 10 pounds of my original weight, but as far as muscle and bodyfat is concerned, I look like an entirely different person. I owe this transformation to Intermittent Fasting, aka IF, and a few supplements that have aided in the transition. By far, the most effective of those supplements has been Growth Releasing Peptides.

First a quick explanation of Growth Hormone Releasing Peptides. There are two basic types of Growth Hormone Releasing Peptides, the GRF (Growth Releasing Factor) and Growth Hormone Releasing Peptides (GHRP-2, GHRP-6 and my favorite, Ipamorelin). If you have any doubt of the efficacy of these compounds, a quick Pubmed search will cure what ails you. Here’s where the magic began, though. I think almost everyone has heard of Sermorelin, which was the original GHRP. It has been used in clinical practice to elevate GH levels and does a decent job of that. Along with that effect came unwanted side effects like increased Cortisol, increased Prolactin and increased hunger due to increased Grehlin production, a hormone found in the gut that influences appetite. Those side effects, along with the fact that it really didn’t elevate it to any dramatic extent, has kept interest at bay. That and the fact that Sermorelin is available by prescription only.

After several years of research, scientists came up with a GHRP that does all the things we want it to do, but without the side effects that we don’t want. That GHRP is called Ipamorelin. But even Ipamorelin by itself will only do so much. You see, we need to initiate a pulse and then let Ipamorelin amplify that pulse. That’s where GRF comes in. Also known as CJC-1295 w/o DAC, or Modified GRF 1-29, this substance actually initiates the pulse. Before using this extra compound all we could do is hope that a pulse was coming when administering Ipamorelin. Well you don’t have to wait any more. And as a matter of fact, the two together create a very strong pulse, and when used several times a day, these pulses can add up to around 2-4ius of Human Growth Hormone. That’s a serious dose of Growth Hormone if fat loss and muscle preservation is your main priority.

This is where Intermittent Fasting has found its answer. I believe now that IF is the single best way to lose fat and to keep it off. I don’t believe humans were intended to eat 6 times a day and I don’t think skipping meals is detrimental. What WAS detrimental was eating absolute crap when we did end up eating, and then there is always the fact we begin to use muscle as energy when we fast for any given amount of time. That can usually be offset by consuming a protein drink throughout the day, but it is still no perfect solution.

The perfect solution comes in the form of the two compounds I mentioned earlier, GRF 1-29 and Ipamorelin. Together these compounds create a beautiful pulse of Growth Hormone, which is a hormone that can have a powerful influence on bodyfat (it increases the release of fat from our cells to use for energy) and muscle preservation (it inhibits the systems that would normally initiate the consumption of muscle mass for food during times of hunger). And the thing about Growth Hormone, is that its best effects come during times of fasting. That’s after all, when our body prefers to release it. So taking these two peptides and then gorging on food is probably not the best protocol.

So the real magic happens when you are entering a fasting window during IF (usually for 16 hours a day – don’t worry, you’re usually asleep for the first 8). So a nightly dose of the Growth Hormone Releasers and then another round the next morning is a perfect way to guarantee two things. One, your fat cells will be dumping fatty acids into the bloodstream to use for energy, which you will need because you’re not consuming food, and two, it will ensure that the muscle you’ve worked hard to build will still be there after you break your fast and begin to eat.

I still encourage anyone to try IF regardless of your interest in these compounds. And I still encourage anyone to try these compounds regardless of your interest in fasting. But if you really want to see some magic happen, use all of them together and watch the show happen.

Reduced fat deposits, increased endurance, enhanced lifespan. What else could you ask for? Well for starters, can you make a pill that does all that? Almost. Is it bio-available? Not really. That’s where the story of Resveratrol left us. A really solid compound that could mean a host of solutions to everything from cancer to looking good. But after several years of popping as much Resveratrol as I could stand, I was still left unimpressed. Could it be that the bioavailabity of this wonder drug is what has kept it from really living up to its hype?

I think the answer is a little less concrete, but one thing is for sure. Since the moment Resveratrol was discovered, modern science couldn’t leave well enough alone, and instead opted to try and find a way to supercharge (and at the same time create a patentable version of) Resveratrol. Welcome Pterostilbene, Resveratrol’s hot(ter) sister. Pterostilbene, also known as Resveratrol 3,5 dimethyl ether, is a double methylated version of Resveratrol, which also happens to occur naturally in fruits, albeit in tiny amounts. It promises many of the same benefits as Resveratrol, but with a 65-80% bioavailability, something that kicks Resveratrol in the face.

So what are the benefits exactly? Pterostilbene activates PPAR-alpha, which leads to decreased LDL, increased HDL, and while the verdict is still out, I am willing to bet this will do amazing things for glucose(seeing as how a dose of 200mg has anecdotally caused hypoglycemia in HEALTHY individuals, I feel pretty strongly about this one). In addition to these effects, it’s a potent anti-inflammatory, has some potential anti-cancer benefits, and could help reverse cognitive decline. In fact, it exceeds at this task where Resveratrol fails : Low Dose Pterostilbene but not Resveratrol is a potent modulator in aging and Alzheimers disease

Not unique to Pterostilbene but still important to mention, it activates AMPk which is an energy sensor. This aids in fat loss, albeit at the expense of anabolism. In the bigger picture of things however, periods of AMPk activation go hand in hand with periods of silence of this enzyme. In other words, the yo-yo effect, but in a good way.

So, there are already quite a few sources for this wonder drug, but the only issue I can see with it is that it is very sensitive to light and air. That’s why there’s very little found in wine, in spite of the fact that the darker berries tend to have the highest concentration of this little gem. And even if you do find a good source, we’re still looking at 65-80% bioavailability, and that’s only if everything is just right in the gut.

It’s a good thing there’s a version out there that bypasses the gut and achieves 100% bioavailability

Buy Pterostilbene 50mg/ml 10ml

I’ve discussed the power of Topirimate on appetite reduction before on here. I stumbled upon its usefulness quite by accident, as I was looking for something to calm my agitated mind and thought mood stabilizers would do the trick. I then noticed  a profound loss of appetite on the drug. Well it was only a matter of time before some bright scientists decided to combine this lovely effect with another guaranteed appetite suppressant, Phentermine.

Lose 10% of your bodyweight in one year using this cleverly combined duo of an amphetamine derivative and an anti-seizure medication. It’s really quite simple and straight forward here. Phentermine does its thing through catecholamine release (norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine) which leads to increased energy expenditure, loss of appetite and a sudden urge to do extra cleaning around the house to boot!

And just in case you’re like me, where those magic speed pills don’t kill your appetite any more, Qnexa brand weight loss drug throws in some Topirimate, known as Topamax, which is an anti-seizure medication. This baby turns down the appetite and causes a loss of interest in food. It does so by lowering insulin levels throughout the day, which leads to far less dips and peaks of glucose and hunger, and as well I believe it has a direct effect upon the central chemistry involved in hunger. Actually I should say it doesn’t do a lot about hunger, the stomach gnawing, you-really-need-to-eat-or-you’ll-die kind. It helps curb that snacky kind of hunger, or cravings if you will, that affect so many of us privileged Americans who don’t hunt for their food anymore.

An added bonus IMO, would be the mood stabilizing effect of Topamax. Amphetamines, or anything that causes increased norepinephrine, makes me want to claw my eyes out. I get cranky, edgy and just plain not fun to be around. Topamax has the ability to lower that electrical storm that Norepinephrine causes, allowing those who are trying to keep from stuffing garbage in our mouths from spewing out garbage the next time we snap at someone for saying hello, which can happen if you get edgy like me.

So chill out, speed up, and stop eating so much crap by popping a pill. I am only half kidding about this all. I have no issue with someone using unique and creative means to end the battle of the bulge for them. Just know that decreased bodyweight does not always mean a postive body transformation as occured. If you want to starve yourself thin, then that will be just fine. But if you’re like me and you want to retain the muscle you have while burning off the fat you don’t want, then taking a drug that wipes out the appetite isn’t always the best solution. If you can’t get the desire to choke down enough protein in a day to stave off catabolism, then you’ve only taken one step forward and one step back.

So what about the risks? Well, increased chances of heart problems are definitely present, although not quite in the way that the original Phen/Fen combo caused. There are special serotonin receptors on the heart that cause problems for our little muscle if overstimulated. Phen by itself is somewhat safe in this regard, although if you have a pre-existing heart condition then I will scream at you if I see you pop one of these. But it was the combination of the two (phentermine and fenfluramine) that caused a rapid surge in the activation of this specific serotonin receptor which was breaking hearts quite a bit around here.

On top of that we also have the issue of Birth Defects. Topamax has been shown to cause Birth Defects. This is a tough sell of a product, when the main audience they sell to will be women. I think that’s particularly disturbing news, but it appears even more disturbing that the drug company is working hard to convince the FDA that it’s not an issue. Quoted from here http://www.chron.com/business/press-releases/article/Topamax-Containing-Obesity-Drug-Qnexa-Backed-by-3398877.php

However, Qnexa was not approved by the FDA in October of 2010 because of concerns regarding Topamax side effects that include the tendency for pregnant women who ingested topiramate to give birth to children with birth defects that include oral clefts. Qnexa’s manufacturer, Vivus resubmitted Qnexa for consideration by the FDA with additional study information.

This additional information included studies of 3,386 women who used Qnexa despite precautions asking that women in the study use contraception. An FDA expert on birth defects estimated there would be five babies born with a cleft lip defect for every 1,000 women who became pregnant while taking Qnexa. The advisory panel also stated that if Qnexa was approved, the FDA would require Vivus to train prescribers in the pregnancy risks of Qnexa and distribute warning pamphlets to patients regarding Topamax side effects and the possibility of birth defects.

 

Wow, a diet drug that precludes you must be on birth control before using it. Adding birth control to the mix, which has already been shown to be heard on the heart, doesn’t seem like an awesome plan. But neither does spending the rest of your life with Diabetes or Metabolic Syndrome.

A real quick note to my readers. I tested out a higher dosage of Selank for two weeks – 2.5mg a day. Honestly, I noticed very little added benefit at that dose and towards the end hardly noticed anything beneficial. It may be best used for a few days a week at .5mg in order to continue to reap the benefits. At the very least I have learned that more is not better with this drug.

As a side note: My brother takes adderall as prescribed by a physician for ADD. He has a horrible time keeping an appetite and a regular sense of calm during his usage of this drug. Selank has completely restored his appetite and reduced his anxiousness, without the sedation of something like clonazepam, which was his original attempt at curbing the anxiety. He does not feel sedated or dulled, rather his thoughts are clear and calm. He called it the same thing I did, and I never told him this before he tried it. He called it “Meditation in a bottle.” And I think that is very apt for this product. He has since ordered five more bottles. 

After my initial success with the Russian Nootropic, Selank, I have decided to do a little experiment (You can read about my initial response to Selank here). Most of the information I have gathered from around the internet suggests a dose of 1-3mg per day. I have been using about 250-500 micrograms of it. Perhaps the higher dosages are because the main route of administration for Selank seemed to be intranasally in the form of a nose spray. It would seem to me, some of the potency would be lost with this method and so injectable forms might prove to be as beneficial, while needing less than normal amounts for the same intended effect. Nevertheless, I’m an adventurer, so what the hell.

I ordered 5 more bottles from here and plan on running 2mg per day for ten days to see what, if anything, arises from this increased dosage. I am splitting the dose up in two injections – late afternoon and early evening. I just recently took my last 1mg injection about twenty minutes ago. I’m struggling to stay awake at this point. Now, let me explain that I did get up rather early this morning so I’m due to feel some fatigue today. There seems to be another level to this fatigue though. Not a knockout feeling, but a subdued and relaxed feeling, urging me to curl up on the couch and let the dog snuggle up next to me as I sleep off the next hour or so.

In general though, sleepiness has not been a common effect for me on this. The effect has been much more qualified as a mood stabilizing effect. I suppose I’m feeling sleepy because I’m tired, I just ate two apples with peanut butter, and I took something that activates, or degrades the enzymes responsible for breaking down endorphins.

You see, one of the the studies I pulled up about Selank mentions that Naloxone, a potent opiate receptor blocker reversed Selank’s ability to make mice get jazzed on apomorphine (Something I’d love to get a hold of one of these days anyways). So it seems we have one mechanism involved with Selank, the ability to modulate our own internal opiate system.

I found another interesting study here that points out mice that are given a drug that halts serotonin production in the brain were given Selank, and that Selank reversed this inhibition. Perhaps that’s why I’m feeling noddy. Extra serotonin following an indulgent snack during the afternoon =  sleepy time.

Another interesting facet of Selank is that it has anti-viral properties. You see, Selank is an analog of a naturally occurring peptide called tuftsin. Tuftsin is strung together like this Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg, which means a Threonine amino acid is attached to a Lysine which is attached to a Proline which attaches to Arginine. Selank is the same peptide, except for the addition of a Pro-Gly-Pro, or Proline, Glycine Proline.  In mice studies exploring the immune system, scientists have discovered a Proline-Glycine peptide has a pronounced effect on cytokines, chemokines and their respective receptors. If you notice, this almost a near match at the end of the Selank, which is Pro-Gly-Pro. Scientists discovered Selank shares some of this other peptide’s abilities to modulate inflammation signals.

Last but not least I’d like to mention anhedonia. That’s a state of blahness. You simply get no pleasure out of things anymore. Maybe you’re not depressed, hell maybe you are pretty content with life. But nothing pushes your button. Eating seems like a chore, sex just doesn’t get your attention anymore and maybe a favorite hobby of yours has gone unnoticed for a while because it just doesn’t lead to satisfaction. That’s what I say when people ask me what anhedonia is. As a matter of fact, I first explain that this is how I feel, and then I give it the fancy name. I struggle with this issue, if you can call it that.

So what I found so interesting about the research in Selank is that scientists are looking at ways to detect anhedonia in rats. In addition to depression tests, like the forced swimming test (don’t ask), they have added a sucrose taste test in an attempt to measure whether or not the mouse is feeling anhedonic. If the mouse is pretty jazzed, then he will continue to self administer the sucrose. If he just doesn’t get any kicks, then he won’t keep pushing the button. Selank seemed to help restore the hedonic tone of the mice, as more of them continued to self administer the sucrose.

So at this point here’s what I know.

• Selank is based off Tuftsin, an immune peptide produced by the spleen.
• Selank increases endorphins, most likely via an inhibition of the enzymes that normally keep endorphins in check.
• Selank restores serotonin metabolism in spite of measures to inhibit it.
• Selank is immunomodulatory, meaning it has an effect on cytokines, chemokines and their receptors.
• Selank increases Tyrosine Hydroxylase, which is a rate-limiting step in the production of Dopamine in the brain.

I will write in once more about my trial of 2mg by the end of the week. If things continue at this rate, I may have to buy up as much as I can before it’s run out of stock, or before the “man” decides I don’t know what’s good for me.

There always seems to be some really cool shit going on in Russia. I’ve always wanted to make a trip out there. For one, I think Russian women are hot. Well, to be clear, I think HOT Russian women are HOT. I’ve also appreciated all of the changes that have occurred over time in that country. So much strife, revolution, and yes – experimentation.  If we wanted to know more about crazy, revolutionary drugs or programs, even if they turned out bunk in the end, we’d turn to Russia.

Selank is an example of the Ruskies getting it right. Damn right if I do say so myself. Selank is a peptide, a string of amino acids, that have some really unique effects on the body and mind. It is touted as both an anxiolytic (reliever of anxiety) and nootropic (it makes you smart). I can’t yet vouge for the nootropic effects of this compound, but I can definitely attest the anxiety relief that Selank offers.

I purchased 5mg of Selank from here. I had read of several other people talking about this having a subtle but noticeable mood stabilizing effect. The dosages in studies are usually somewhere between 1 and 3 mg per day. This 5 mg bottle wouldn’t last me long at that dosage, and even at 1 mg a day I’d have to buy about 6 bottles at $25 per to make it a whole month. Not exactly cost-effective. But I have heard of users experimenting with amounts in the microgram range, so I started with 250mcg.

I am very sensitive to how drugs make me feel. Call it a gift, call it a curse. In this case I called it a godsend. After about an hour I just became calm and focused. I enjoyed menial tasks like cleaning the kitchen. My body experienced a subtle tickling effect, similar to goosepimples you get when you hear an amazing song or watch an amazing performance.

I have since continue to dose the same amount, and it’s been five days. If things continue in this fashion I’ll probably be taking it for as long as it’s available. To be clear, there was no abusable sense of euphoria from this product. I did not get high. It just made me feel good.

So my next step was to start digging into the research behind this chemical. After all, Russia is very secretive about their special stuff, AND even if they’re completely open, I don’t speak a single word of Russian.

I am not going to write a dissertation on this but here are two studies I found that really highlight Selank’s effects.

The first one: Selank is most likely doing a lot of its magic by increasing endorphins. Scientists gave mice a drug that releases a lot of dopamine called Apomorphine. Selank had a particularly strong effect of increasing Apomorphine’s effects. But when they gave an opiate blocker, naloxone, the beneficial effect Selank had on things was greatly diminished.  So it appears that Selank works some of it’s magic through the endorphin system, the internal opiate system.

The second one: After rats were given a special poison, 6 hydroxydopamine which causes severe damage to receptors for catecholamines (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine), they were then treated with Selank. In the rats treated with Selank, cognitive functioning was restored. What does this mean to me? Well, someone who may have never abused drugs before in their life may find very little benefit to this drug.

But if you’re like me and you’ve probably done one too many tabs of ecstacy or one too many beers, or so on, you probably notice along with that remorse, a certain sense of mental dull. If my hunches serve me well, and they usually do, Selank may actually help me get that mental brightness back that I had before I wasted so many brain cells trying to achieve hedonic bliss.

References:

1. Naloxone-blocked depriming effect of anxiolytic selank on apomorphine-induced behavioral manifestations of hyperfunction of dopamine system.

2. Effect of Selank on cognitive processes after damage inflicted to the cerebral catecholamine system during early ontogeny

Recently, a new doping drug has come on the scene for horse racing. Actually it’s been around for a while, but it seems to be catching on. So what does this have to do with humans? A lot.

Thymosin Beta-4 is a unique peptide that was first discovered in the thymus, a gland in the human body. Since that initial discovery, however, thymosins of all sorts have been found present in all different types of tissue throughout the body. One particular place we see Thymosin Beta-4 that is of interest to us, is muscle, both smooth  (like heart muscle) and skeletal (our movement muscles). Thymosin Beta-4 is upregulated when damage occurs to muscle tissue. When trauma occurs, Thymosin beta-4 is released to increase the healing of that trauma. It also acts to prevent the formation of adhesions. This means less scar tissue, and hopefully, more flexibility.

TB500 is a synthetic version of Thymosin Beta-4 which does all the same wonderful things that its natural counterpart does. Some of the claims made by makers of TB500 include:

• Endothelial (blood vessels) cell differentiation
• Angiogenesis (growth of new blood cells from pre-existing vessels) in dermal tissues
• Keratinocyte migration
• Collagen deposition; and
• Decreases inflammation.

In some  instances, these are all good things. Increased blood flow, healthy vasculature, enhanced healing from skin abrasions (keratinocytes are part of the barrier in our skin that keeps bad stuff from just seeping in) collagen deposition (healthy joints, and of course decreased inflammation.

The last one in particular should make a lot of sense. Thymosin beta-4 is involved in regulating the immune system. Increasing levels of Thymosin Beta-4 through the use of TB500, would decrease our inflammatory response to injury, because the injury would be healing at a much faster rate. Inflammation is our body’s signal to repair. Once that repair is underway, inflammation goes down.

So we know what makers of it are touting for dogs and horses. Increased endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, less scarring, and decreased inflammation. But are there any benefits for humans? Some scientists think it may be able to help our hearts heal after a heart attack. I have seen one study show that Thymosin Beta-4 activates progenitor cells after a heart attack, essentially allowing the heart to heal itself. I have also read elsehwhere that this effect has not been reproduced during further testing.

What do i know about this new drug? Not much. I have actually experimented with 5 mg a week of this and have found it to be a great preworkout booster of sorts, but nothing dramatic as of yet. It has been said results come over time, so we shall see. I personally think the dosages being sold on the internet are much lower than we should take in order to see results, but that doesn’t surprise me, as most online sources of research peptides tend to make sure the profit margin is well within their own favor. If supply becomes abundant and we see larger amounts surfacing for reasonable prices I may try and go for something more like 10 mg a day and see how that treats me.

In the meantime I keep stretching, and hoping this stuff will help increase my flexibility, which was the primary reason I showed interest in this. I am one giant muscle knot.

BUY THYMOSIN BETA 4 TB500

Simple Table Sugar can Supercharge Workouts.

Exercise Intolerance is more than just a simple dread of working out. For some people, those with a disease known as Mc Ardle’s disease,  exercise can be a toxic affair. Mc Ardle’s disease is a rare affliction that affects the body’s ability to store glucose in the muscle, otherwise known as glycogen. As anyone who has practiced low carb dieting can attest to, anything above  a moderate intensity can be laborious if you’ve cut out carbs for even a few days.

I’ve always stressed that the problem of fatness comes down to excess carbohydrate and the detrimental effects it has on hormones involved in fat storage. To be more precise, metabolic syndrome arises due to an excess of insulin, and more recently realized – decreased growth hormone. But for some people with a unique metabolic disease, if intense exercise is part of the cure, then cutting out sugar completely can lead to intolerance, and rhabdomyolysis, leading to kidney failure.

Do you find that working out sucks? That might be natural. But if you’ve been exercising with consistency for a while now and you still experience muscle aches, pains, weakness, the kind of ache and weakness that stops you in your tracks, especially if it happens initially and then you catch a second wind, it might not hurt to get checked out for Mc Ardle’s. Now I’m sure there would be a lot of debate about the specific criteria used to determine whether or not you are truly intolerant of exercise. After all, very few of us actually enjoy or feel good after intense exercise. But I am willing to bet some of you out there may in fact have a biological reason why you are intolerant of intense exercise, and it may be killing you.

With that doom and gloom out of the way I still think it’s worth noting that even those of us who are not inflicted with this disease may very well be doing ourselves a disservice by not training with some kind of sugar in our bloodstream. During the rest of the day when the body is at rest it’s paramount to avoid simple sugar. It serves one purpose -  to deliver instant fuel source for intense energy demands. Delivered in an environment where that energy is not in demand, and we get a surge of insulin, and we get fatter.

If you’ve been dedicated to lower carb existence, but your workouts have gone to shit, there’s no need to turn to any kind of fancy preworkout supplement. BCAA’s are always a recommendation from me, but if you are really hitting the gym hard, throw in a tablespoon of plain old table sugar into that intra-workout drink and sip on it. See what that does for you. If it means the difference between killing it in the gym, or just plain feeling dead, then it’s worth every single extra calorie it provides to the mitochondria of your muscle cells, who need that instant energy while the metabolic processes involved in breaking down glycogen are slowly working to provide that second bump of intensity for your workouts.

Read more about Mc Ardle’s Disease on Wikipedia. Study referenced here.

If you’ve been exercising vigorously for over 8 weeks, then congratulate yourself. Then, take a break. Now, vigorously might mean three hundred different things to three hundred people, so let me put it simply. If you’ve gotten to the point where lifting has become a chore, then stop for a minute.One of the best things you can do for long term body composition is to adhere to a strict lifting/exercise routine. The second most important thing is to adhere to a consistent diet of mostly protein, fats, leafies, and starches/sugars only as needed. The third most important thing is rest. Growth Hormone for instance, peaks when one is in a fasted state. Go to sleep a little hungry, and get plenty of sleep.

But one often overlooked strategy for long term body composition goals is a periodic break from what you’re doing. So many people I know that struggle to get this part of their life handled are also the kind of people that would go nuts if they weren’t lifting as often as possible. But I’ve learned from experience, any time you force yourself to do something, even if you know it’s good for you, the results you get from that work will start to dwindle when it becomes a “chore” rather than a “choice”.

What happens when something becomes a “chore” we figure out how to do it as efficiently as possible. We figure out that sticking a bunch of shit under the bed is a quick fix for organizing our things so they’re more easily accessible the next time we need them. We figure out how to mindlessly get through it and in effect we also learn how to not maximize our physical effort in doing so. Look at the ghosts on the treadmills. They’re buried in a book, or staring off into the flatpanel tv dangling precariously from the faux ceiling. The “choice” to become stronger, leaner, sexier, has become a “chore” that must be quickly taken care of, rushed through with little thought of WHY we’re here in the first place.

If you’ve found yourself getting into this mindset, and be honest here – you’re the only one you have to be accountable to, then it’s time to break yourself free from that mindset. The first step towards making it a “choice” is to CHOOSE NOT TO. That’s right.

There are ample studies showing that a 7 day break from any kind of hardcore training can be beneficial to the mechanisms responsible for growth and metabolism. But that’s not why I’m interested in the break. I’m interested because I’ve discovered after 15 + years of lifting and dieting, that anything I feel like i HAVE to do, becomes something I don’t treat with care and concern.

So do it. Take the day off. Hell, take the week off. Do something you love to do instead. If you still love to lift, fine, take a week off anyways. Let that week of getting decompressed fuel you to kick ass twice as hard the week you do resume your training. When you do get back in the gym, form a gameplan, but always leave room for choices. That’s why I prefer to lift with a focus on movements rather than muscles anyways, because it leaves a whole window open for choice. Sick of doing pullups? Work on another pull exercise, like pulldowns, palms facing, slow and controlled. The idea here is to leave room for recognizing that, even though you’re a driven and determined individual, the decision to challenge yourself every workout is still a choice you make. Keep it playful. As much as Nike and Gatorade, and Powerbar might try to convince you this is some serious shit, it’s not. IT’s what YOU MAKE IT. And if being serious all the time, and working out when you don’t really feel it, or staring off into the distance while you’re on a treadmill just putting along is working for you, then don’t stop.

But if you’re like me, and you find yourself waking up from a bad dream known as “I’ve been doing this so long I don’t even think about it anymore” then snap yourself out of it. Change things up, and most importantly, take a break every now and then. If for no other reason than to motivate yourself to push twice as hard the next time you get in the gym.

I’m not talking about tricking the muscles, or muscular adaptation here. I am far from the expert in that realm and there’s plenty of people making a living figuring out why muscles begin to adapt to certain workloads and forces and routines. What I am an expert at, is the mind, and when the mind has adapted to something it tends to lose interest, and lost interest tends to lead to lost benefit. Once you’ve adapted to something, it’s time to shake things up. Start with a week off, de-stress, re-set some goals and then let me know how you get on with it!