Don't Be An "A"Hole

Alternate Title:

Don't call yourself a strongman if you are NOT!!!

The inescapable theme pervading modern strength training is the idea of "work Your Weaknesses". Very good and practical advice for elite lifters and strength athletes, however for the less advanced it may, in fact, be problematic at best.

   ...…...How can addressing your weaknesses ever be a "bad" idea you ask.......

Let's say Strongman "A" is new to strongman and new to strength sports in general. "A" competes in a local event and does well in the NOVICE division. After reviewing his performance "A" identifies overhead pressing as his prevailing weakness.

   

        ………...Sounds Logical So Far You Say.................

"A' now prioritizes his training to bring up his OHP to the standards of his other events

(strengths), But remember "A" is a novice and his "good" events are likely abysmal by national standards! So now after a full training cycle "A" is (potentially) a rounded novice.............not MY idea of a well developed long term goal!

I submit that "A's" better course of action would be to implement a more basic and rounded training protocol with the goal of bringing up  his body weight and general strength to a more "nationally" competitive level. It is my experience as a coach that often just training to be STRONG for an extended period of time has the unexpected (too many) effect of "smoothing out" weaknesses!

So many times an "A" type lifter will come to me for coaching and say something like "I'm 100kg and my OHP (or whatever) isn't as good as the other 105kg guys" My response is always YOU NEED 5kg BEFORE YOU CAN MAKE A COMPARISON! 5kg is a WHOPPING pile of muscle, even in unrelated/ correlated muscle groups it will have a measurable impact on OHP performance! Trust me as a coach, no amount of shoulder specialization will pile on 5kg of raw muscle!!!!

My goal here is not to question the value of knowing and evaluation your weaknesses, but rather to question the standard (the prevailing standard that is) definition of weakness!

As a rough guide, I'd say if you do not have a minimum of a double bodyweight squat and deadlift and perhaps a bodyweight or better bench press you may not use the term "Strongman" to describe yourself no matter how many times you've competed!.

B.Chavez

Evil Genius Sports Performance, 2016©

Find Us On The Web At:

www.TeamEvilGSP.com

www.Teamevilgsp.podbean.com

www.facebook.com/TeamEvilGSP  

www.instagram.com/teamevilgsp

www.twitter.com/TeamEvilGSP

www.youtube.com/EvilGSP

www.google.com/+Evilgsp

I'm here to tell you it's HARD

B.Chavez,

©2016 Evil Genius Sports Performance

………....to pull with a stiff bar............and it should be! Whimsical titles aside I really do believe in the premise of using the LEAST Advantageous lifting conditions for base (off Season) training.

The late great genius A.Jones of Nautilus Sports Medicine fame was quoted many times saying "never make an exercise easier, make it harder!". Safety is one thing, but if you are using a specific piece of lifting apparatus just to be able to say your training weight is 700lbs rather than 650lbs you could be (ARE) setting yourself up for heartache on event day. Especially if you're forced to do things the "HARD WAY".

We seem to have entered an era where weight on the bar is far more of a prize than progress at one chosen endeavor!

Growing muscle and developing strength beyond the physiological norm is about applying stresses not finding clever ways to avoid them! I'm not campaigning against the use of flexible deadlift bars................ I'm merely trying to point out that by avoiding and even criticizing stiff bar pulls I have seen of late on many different social media outlets you are most certainly putting your long-term progress at a distinct disadvantage.

I have even recently witnessed vids of famous puller (and his washing machine) doing 2-inch deficit deadlifts while using a bar with 3 inches of bend! Is behavior such as this good for pulling progress or just good for social media attention?

Individual criticism aside, my strong suggestion to you dear reader is to stop making TRAINING depressions based on load used and/or facebook likes and seek out HARDER MORE CHALLENGING modes of training! If you are truly strong come event day no apparatus or lifting condition will be a disadvantage!

B.Chavez is available for programming and nutritional consultations Email: EvilGSP@gmail.com

Or Find Us On The Web At:

http://www.youtube.com/EvilGSP

http://www.facebook.com/TeamEvilGSP  

https://www.google.com/+Evilgsp

http://www.instagram.com/teamevilgsp   

https://twitter.com/TeamEvilGSP  

A Few Of My Favorite Things!

This is the continuation of a  serial style segment titled "a few of my favorite things".

The intended purpose of for this series is to both allow me to do "mini product reviews" as well as bring you market awareness of some of the industries more niche products and items I like that I feel you should be aware of!

 B.Chavez

MET-Rx High Protein Pancake Mix
Product Description
Flavor: Original Buttermilk
These pancakes are light and fluffy, with only 2.5 grams of fat per serving.
Each serving also provides several key vitamins and minerals needed for muscle metabolism.

An EvilGSP breakfast 3-5 days/week!


Find Us On The Web At:
http://www.youtube.com/EvilGSP 
http://www.facebook.com/TeamEvilGSP  
https://www.google.com/+Evilgsp 
http://www.instagram.com/teamevilgsp  
https://twitter.com/TeamEvilGSP 

Glucophobia

“The irrational fear of sugar”

Glucose / C6H12O6 
a monosaccharide (or simple sugar), is an important carbohydrate in mammalian biology. The living cell uses it as a source of energy and metabolic intermediate. Glucose is one of the main products of photosynthesis and starts cellular respiration in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The name comes from the Greek word glykys (γλυκύς), which means "sweet", plus the suffix "-ose" which denotes a carbohydrate.

Insulin
(from Latin insula, "island", as it is produced in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas) is an anabolic polypeptide hormone that regulates blood plasma glucose levels and the availability and entry of macro nutrients to the cellular mitochondria. Insulin is composed of 51 amino acid residues and has a molecular weight of 5808. Insulin's structure varies slightly between animal species. Apart from being the primary agent in carbohydrate homeostasis, it has effects on amino acid & fat metabolism as well as changes the liver's activity in storing or releasing glucose and in processing blood lipids. Insulin exerts a strong effect on other tissues such as fat and muscle. The amount of insulin in circulation has extremely widespread effects throughout the body.

The actions of insulin on cells include

translocation of Glut-4 transporter to the plasma membrane and influx of glucose, glycogen synthesis, glycolysis  and fatty acid synthesis
Control of cellular intake of substrates, most prominently glucose in muscle and adipose tissue.
Increase of DNA replication and protein synthesis via control of amino acid uptake.
Modification of the activity of numerous enzymes (allosteric effect).
Increased glycogen synthesis – insulin facilitates the entry of glucose to the liver (and muscle) cells; lowered levels of insulin cause liver cells to convert glycogen to glucose and excrete it into the blood.
Increased fatty acid synthesis – insulin facilitates the entry of blood lipids to adipose tissue which can then be converted to triglycerides; lack of insulin causes the reverse.
Decreased proteinolysis – forces reduction of protein degradation; lack of insulin increases protein degradation.
Decreased lipolysis – forces reduction in conversion of fat cell lipid stores into plasma fatty acids; lack of insulin causes the reverse.
Decreased gluconeogenesis – decreases production of glucose from various substrates in liver; lack of insulin causes glucose production from assorted substrates in the liver and elsewhere.
Increased amino acid uptake – facilitates the absorption of circulating amino acids; lack of insulin inhibits absorption.
Increased potassium uptake – forces cells to absorb serum potassium; lack of insulin inhibits absorption.
Arterial muscle tone – forces arterial wall muscle to relax, increasing blood flow, especially in micro arteries; lack of insulin reduces flow by allowing these muscles to contract.

The above excerpts are from various papers I’ve written and works by other authors I’ve reference in the past. I bring forth these items in response to the ever loudening clamor on the internet message boards in regard to what I can only term as ”glucaphobia”…….the irrational fear of sugar!

I’ve not written much on the subject of carbohydrate consumption and bodybuilding only because I felt it was a bit of a no brainer and to some degree an unworthy subject for an “EvilGenius”!

However for my own entertainment here is all you need to know to understand why you NEED sugar to achieve muscle building success!

Factual Statements
Athletes both professional and recreational are known to be taking exogenous insulin for its obvious and clinically documented ANABOLIC properties!

Sugars potentiate a potent insulin response

In child like simplicity!

INSULIN IS ANABOLIC
SUGAR STIMULATES INSULIN
THEREFORE
SUGAR IS ANABOLIC

In truth there is a bit more to the subject than just that, but not a whole lot more!

B.”EvilGenius”Chavez                                                                                                                                              EvilGenius Sports Performance
www.EvilGSP.com

Posted via Blogaway Pro

George Frenn

One Of  the very best strength athletes no one has heard of!

B."EvilGenius"Chavez
www.EvilGSP.com 

DHT

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is an androgen, synthesized primarily in the prostate gland, testes, hair follicles, and adrenal glands by the enzyme 5α-reductase by means of reducing the 4,5 double-bond of the hormone testosterone.

Effects On Sexual Development
In men, approximately 5% of testosterone undergoes 5α-reduction to form the more potent androgen, dihydrotestosterone. DHT has three times greater affinity for androgen receptors than testosterone and has 15-30 times greater affinity than adrenal androgens. During embryogenesis DHT has an essential role in the formation of the male external genitalia, and in the adult DHT acts as the primary androgen in the prostate and hair follicles.
An example illustrating the significance of DHT for the development of secondary sex characteristics is the congenital 5-α-reductase (5-AR) deficiency which can result in pseudohermaphroditism. This condition results in underdeveloped male genitalia and prostate. These individuals are often raised as girls due to their lack of conspicuous male genitalia. In the onset of puberty, although their DHT levels remain very low, their testosterone levels elevate normally. Their musculature develops like that of other adults. After puberty, men with this condition have a large deficiency of pubic and body hair, and no incidence of male pattern baldness.
Unlike other androgens such as testosterone, DHT cannot be converted by the enzyme aromatase to estradiol. Therefore, it is frequently used in research settings to distinguish between the effects of testosterone caused by binding to the androgen receptor and those caused by testosterone's conversion to estradiol and subsequent binding to estrogen receptors.

Pathology
DHT is the primary contributing factor in male pattern baldness. However, female hair loss is more complex, and DHT is only one of several possible causes. Women with increased levels of DHT may develop certain androgynous male secondary sex characteristics, including a deepened voice and facial hair. DHT plays a role in the development and exacerbation of benign prostatic hyperplasia, as well as prostate cancer, by enlarging the prostate gland. Prostate growth and differentiation are highly dependent on sex steroid hormones, particularly DHT.
Relevance To Athletics
DHT holds extreme relevance to athletics for many reason, it is measurably more “anabolic” on a mg to mg basis and numerous AAS compounds used by athletes today are actually tailored from the DHT parent and not testosterone proper.
DHT management is a major concern to “doping” athlete due to the potential negative effects on health from unregulated DHT levels. 5-A reductace inhibitors and other pharmacological means have been used for this purpose in both clinical medicine and sports polypharmacy.

B."EvilGenius"Chavez
Www.EvilGSP.com 
Www.Twitter.com/TeamEvilGSP
Www.FaceBook.com/TeamEvilGSP

Posted via Blogaway Pro

Conjugated Linoleic Acid

B."EvilGenius"Chavez 
www.EvilGSP.com

Binding Proteins

SHBG

Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein that binds at the plasma level (in the blood) to sex hormones, specifically testosterone and estradiol based hormones. Other steroid hormones such as progesterone, cortisol, and other corticosteroids are bound by transcortin (a plasma marker of overtraining).

Transport of Sex hormones

These sex hormones circulate in the bloodstream, bound mostly to SHBG and to some degree bound to serum albumin. Only a small fraction is unbound, or "free," and thus biologically active and able to enter a cell and activate its receptor. The SHBG inhibits the function of these hormones. The binding globulin then releases the hormonal compound at a controlled rate (the decay of the SHBG protein).Thus bioavailability of sex hormones is influenced by the level of SHBG.

Production

SHBG is produced by the liver cells and is released into the bloodstream. Other sites that produce SHBG are the brain, uterus, and placenta and vagina. In addition SHBG is produced by the testes; testes-produced SHBG is also called androgen-binding protein.

Regulation

SHBG levels appear to be controlled by a delicate balance of up and down regulating mechanisms. Its level is decreased by high levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and possibly Growth Hormone. Also, high androgen levels decrease SHBG, while high estrogen and thyroxine levels

Plasma Levels

When determining levels of circulating estradiol or testosterone, either a total measurement could be done that includes the "free" and the bound fractions, or only the "free" hormone could be measured. A free androgen index expresses the ratio of testosterone to the sex hormone binding globulin and can be used to summarize the activity of free testosterone. Sex hormone binding globulin can be measured separate from the total fraction of testosterone, however the total testosterone is likely the most accurate measurement of plasma androgen levels.

ABP

Androgen-binding protein (ABP) is a glycoprotein (beta-globulin) produced by the Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubules of the testis that binds specifically to testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and 17-beta-estradiol.By binding to T and DHT these hormones are made less lipophilic and become concentrated within the luminal fluid of the seminiferous tubules. The higher levels of these hormones enable spermatogenesis in the seminiferous tubules and sperm maturation in the epididymis.ABP has the same amino acid sequence as sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG); the difference is the site of production and the addition of different sugar moieties. ABP’s production is regulated under influence of FSH on Sertoli cell, enhanced by insulin, retinol, and testosterone.

Summery

Binding proteins are likely simultaneously the most important, misunderstood and ignored aspect of hormonal application/manipulation. Binding globulins like SHBG (and others) act as a buffer or time release mechanism to “prevent” a large (sudden) influx of hormone to its target tissue.

With a little thought and imagination a perspective “endocrinologist” can begin to see the pointlessness of many of the common practices in sports performance. Tapering, Front-Loading and many other misguided practices can be “explained away” once binding proteins are fully considered.

Maintaining elevated plasma Insulin levels (hard for the low carb contingent!) and minimizing catecholamine production (overtraining) are simple non-pharmacological means of maintaining a positive bound of unbound sex hormone ratio.

    

B.”EvilGenius”Chavez                                                                                                                                              EvilGenius Sports Performance
www.EvilGSP.com

%2

I squat once per week, always have.

With only 52 weeks in a year and 2 spent on taper/event....that leaves effectively 50 training se

ssions per year. Simple math shows us that each weekly squat session is %2 of my yearly progress.

When you dwell on this point it realy begins to dawn on you the urgency of each and every session! If I was to miss even one session %98 of my potential is the MOST i could hope to achieve. Sobering thout isnt it?

No one can totaly avoid the ocasional "off" day where things are tougher than normal, but with %2 of your yearly gains at stake who can afford to turn an "off" day into a day off?.

I'll see you at the squat rack! My %2 isnt an option it is a certainty!

B."EvilGenius"Chavez

www.EvilGSP.com.
www.YouTube.com/EvilGSP
www.FaceBook.com/TeamEvilGSP

Volume Training

Big Alex N. finishing up his 10th set of 10 reps in the high-bar squat. EvilGSP athletes know the "POWER" of high volume training! Filmed on 5-18-13 during an EvilGSP Happy Hour" Squat & Deadlift Session!

Volume Training

To squat a lot you must squat a lot……as in shitloads of them! That’s what I was told in broken English when I visited the national training facility in the former czechoslovakia in the early 1990’s. The athletes that I met in Eastern Europe followed this dictum with deranged monk like dedication. I watched amazed as these men (and Women) did set after relentless set of high bar squats and front squats and cleans. The coaches and trainers later explained to me in graphic detail the failings of western thought on the subject of strength training and how there athletes would never “forget” to be strong!

In modern strength-coaching circles, this method is often called the "ten sets method." This methodology seemingly has its roots in German-speaking countries so; it is most often referred to as German Volume Training. I’ve seen dozens if not hundreds of variants on this theme, so for the sake of simplicity we will limit our discussion to the original as much as possible.

This training system originated in Germany in the mid-'50's and was popularized by Rolf Feser throughout the 1960’s & 70’s. Feser was the German National Weightlifting Coach and prototype for all modern thinkers in the field of strength and sports performance. A similar training protocol was being promoted by Vince Gironda on the west coast of the U.S. at or around the same time, but likely he gleaned it from one or more high profile ‘exchange” athletes he was famous for working with.

In Germany and the eastern bloc, this volume based method was used in the off-season to help athletes gain lean body mass and provide repetitive skill at the basic weightlifting movements. It was found to be so efficient at promoting lean body weight gains that lifters routinely moved up a full weight class within one off-season. Arnold Schwarzenegger himself mentioned squatting for 10 sets of 10 in some of his earliest interviews as the only thing that helped developed his legs.

The program works because it targets a group of motor units, and exposes them to an extensive volume of repeated efforts. The body adapts to this extraordinary and specific stress by hypertrophying the targeted fibers and developing a deep neurological connection (coordination) to the targeted motion.

Protocol
The goal of the German Volume Training method is to complete ten sets of ten reps with the same weight for each exercise. You want to begin with a weight you could lift for 20 reps to failure.

Rest Intervals
Rest 90 seconds between sets. Because of the importance of the rest intervals, you should use a stopwatch to keep the rest intervals constant.
Number of Exercises
One exercise should be performed, with little or no assistance work.
Training Frequency
One training session every seven days per body part is plenty.
Progressive Overload
Once you're able to do 10 sets of 10 with constant rest intervals, increase the weight on the bar by 5lbs and repeat the process.
Application
A simple 3 day split provides plenty of stimulation and adequate rest.
Day 1:
Squat 10x10
Leg curls 3x10 (Rotate the kind used ever 2-3 weeks)
Calf raise 3x10 (Rotate the kind used ever 2-3 weeks)
Day 2:
Bench Press 10x10
Overhead Press 3x10
Triceps Pushdowns 3x10 (Rotate the kind used ever 2-3 weeks)
Day 3:
Barbell Cleans 10x10
DB Row 3x10
Biceps Curls 3x10 (Rotate the kind used ever 2-3 weeks)

*Note:
 Day 3 utilizes cleans rather than deadlifts due to the similar neurological recruitment patterns and muscular/skeletal overlap between squats and deadlifts. If a trainee need to perform volume training for deadlifts insert deadlifts in place of cleans, drop squats in favor of machine hack squats and flip the position of days 1 & 3.

B.”EvilGenius”Chavez
www.EvilGSP.com

The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life

[Hardcover]Timothy Ferriss (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 20, 2012

“If you crossed Jason Bourne with Julia Child, you’d end up with Tim Ferriss.” – Marco Canora, Chef-Partner of Hearth & Terroir

“Wildly inventive.. [a] rangy, obsessive immersion in food and its many wonders. [T]he tools needed to learn to cook well can be deployed in every manner of endeavor, from skinning a deer to memorizing a deck of cards. The author distills them into minimal, learnable units and examines how to order the units so as to keep readers engaged in their endeavors. Ferriss is a beguiling guide to this process, at once charmingly smart aleck-y and deadly serious, and he aims to make readers knowledgeable and freethinking.” - Kirkus Reviews

"Tim Ferriss distills kitchen wisdom like a rotary evaporator on power surge. The results are potent, lucid, and delicious." - Nick Kokonas, Co-Owner, Alinea, Next, The Aviary

WHAT IF YOU COULD BECOME WORLD-CLASS IN ANYTHING IN 6 MONTHS OR LESS?

The 4-Hour Chef isn’t just a cookbook. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure guide to the world of rapid learning.

#1 New York Times bestselling author (and lifelong non-cook) Tim Ferriss takes you from Manhattan to Okinawa, and from Silicon Valley to Calcutta, unearthing the secrets of the world’s fastest learners and greatest chefs. Ferriss uses cooking to explain “meta-learning,” a step-by-step process that can be used to master anything, whether searing steak or shooting 3-pointers in basketball. That is the real “recipe” of The 4-Hour Chef.

You'll train inside the kitchen for everything outside the kitchen. Featuring tips and tricks from chess prodigies, world-renowned chefs, pro athletes, master sommeliers, super models, and everyone in between, this “cookbook for people who don’t buy cookbooks” is a guide to mastering cooking and life.

The 4-Hour Chef is a five-stop journey through the art and science of learning:

1. META-LEARNING. Before you learn to cook, you must learn to learn. META charts the path to doubling your learning potential.

2. THE DOMESTIC. DOM is where you learn the building blocks of cooking. These are the ABCs (techniques) that can take you from Dr, Seuss to Shakespeare.

3. THE WILD. Becoming a master student requires self-sufficiency in all things. WILD teaches you to hunt, forage, and survive.

4. THE SCIENTIST. SCI is the mad scientist and modernist painter wrapped into one. This is where you rediscover whimsy and wonder.

5. THE PROFESSIONAL. Swaraj, a term usually associated with Mahatma Gandhi, can be translated as “self-rule.” In PRO, we’ll look at how the best in the world become the best in the world, and how you can chart your own path far beyond this book.

EvilGSP Review

The 4 Hour Chef is my new favorite book! I love both the science & art of the culinary world and this book does them both major justices. This is the book I wish I had when I embarked on my food education!

Not only does Tim Ferriss do a wonderful job “teaching” basic cooking skill he does much more, he teaches you how to learn! With the mindset and lessons between the pages of this tome you could & should learn to feed yourself and ENOJY feeding yourself as well as almost any other aspect of life!

I cannot recommend this book enough! Buy the book, learn to feed yourself, learn to enjoy feeding yourself & loved ones and learn how to learn!

B.”EvilGenius”Chavez
www.EvilGSP.com

Glycemic Index

The glycemic index or GI is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates (laden foods) on blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates (laden foods) that break down quickly during digestion and release glucose rapidly into the bloodstream have by definition a high GI; carbohydrates (laden foods) that break down more slowly have by definition a low GI.

The concept was developed by Dr. David J. Jenkins and colleagues in 1980–1981 at the University of Toronto. The purpose of their research was to find out which foods were most suitable for subjects with Diabetes Miletus.

A lower glycemic index suggests slower rates of digestion and absorption of the foods' carbohydrates and may also indicate greater extraction of carbohydrate digestion. A lower glycemic response usually equates to a lower insulin demand but not always, and may improve long-term blood glucose control.

You can find additional info relating to the GI at http://www.glycemicindex.com The Official Website of the Glycemic Index and Database.

Glycemic Index Defined
The glycemic index of a food is defined as the area under the two hour blood glucose response curve (AUC) following the ingestion of a fixed portion of carbohydrate (usually 50 g). The AUC of the test food is divided by the AUC of the standard (glucose) and multiplied by 100. The average GI value is calculated from data collected in 10 human subjects. Both the standard and test food must contain an equal amount of available carbohydrate. The result gives a relative ranking for each tested food in comparison to 50g of pure glucose.

Glycemic Indexes Of Foods    

Classification	GI range	Examples
Low GI	55 or less	most fruits and vegetables, whole-grain breads, pasta, legumes/pulses, milk, yogurt, fructose
Medium GI	56–69	whole wheat products, basmati rice, sweet potato, table sugar
High GI	70 and above	corn flakes, puffed rice, baked potatoes, watermelon, croissants, white bread, white rice, glucose (100)

The glycemic effect of foods depends on a number of factors such as the type of starch (amylose vs. amylopectin), physical matrix of the food, fat and protein content of the food and organic acids or their salts content. Adding vinegar, for example, will lower the GI of a meal. The presence of fat or soluble dietary fiber can slow the gastric emptying rate, thus lowering the GI
The glycemic index can be applied only to only foods with reasonable carbohydrate content, as the test relies on subjects consuming enough of the test food to yield about 50 g of available carbohydrate. Many fruits and vegetables contain very little carbohydrate per serving, and the average person is not likely to eat 50 g of carbohydrate from these foods. Fruits and vegetables tend to have a low glycemic index and a low glycemic load.

Related Glycemic Indexes

Glycemic load
The glycemic load (GL) is a ranking system for carbohydrate baring food portions based on their glycemic index (GI) and the portion size. Glycemic load or GL combines both the quality and quantity of carbohydrate into one ‘number’. It is one of the better best ways to predict blood glucose values of different types and amounts of food.

The formula is: GL = (GI x the amount of carbohydrate) divided by 100.The usefulness of glycemic load is based on the idea that a high glycemic index food consumed in small quantities would give the same plasma glucose effect as larger quantities of a low glycemic index food. By way of example white rice has a somewhat high GI, so eating 50g of white rice at one sitting would give a particular glucose curve in the blood, while 25g would give the same curve but half the height. Since the peak height is considered by many experts the most important parameter for diabetes control, multiplying the amount of carbohydrates in a food serving by the glycemic index gives an idea of how much effect an actual portion of food has on blood sugar level.

Many have questioned the value of using glycemic load as a basis for weight loss programs; however, glycemic load is generally a useful concept in dietary designs targeting health maintenance. Studies have shown that elevation in blood sugar and insulin levels may lead to increased diabetes risk. Studies concluded (repeatedly) that women whose diets had the highest glycemic index were 21 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women whose diets had the lowest glycemic index.

Insulin index
The Insulin Index is a measure used to quantify the typical insulin response to various foods. The index is similar to the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load, but rather than relying on blood glucose levels, the Insulin Index is based upon blood insulin levels. This measure can be more useful than either the Glycemic Index or the Glycemic Load because certain foods (e.g., lean meats and proteins) cause an insulin response despite there being no carbohydrates present, and some foods cause a disproportionate insulin response relative to their carbohydrate load.

Holt et al. have noted that the glucose and insulin scores of most foods are highly correlated, but high-protein foods and bakery products that are rich in fat and refined carbohydrates "elicit insulin responses that were disproportionately higher than their glycemic responses." They also conclude that insulin indices may be useful for dietary management and avoidance of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia.

Explanation of Index
The insulin index shows how much insulin is present in a subject’s blood as a result of particular food consumption, the glucose index shows how much glucose is present in the blood as a result of a particular food, and the satiety index shows how much a particular food decreases one's propensity to eat more.

Glucose (glycemic) and insulin scores were determined by feeding 1000 kilojoules (239 kilocalories) of the food to the participants and recording the area under the glucose/insulin curve for 120 minutes then dividing by the area under the glucose/insulin curve for white bread. The result being that all scores are relative to white bread. The satiety score was determined by comparing how much food was eaten by participants at a buffet after being fed a fixed number of calories of a particular food while blindfolded (to ensure food appearance was not a factor), then dividing that number by the amount eaten by participants after eating white bread. White bread serves as the baseline of 100. In other words, foods scoring higher than 100 are more satisfying than white bread and those under 100 are less satisfying.

Limitations And Criticisms

• The glycemic index does not take into account other factors other than glycemic response, such as insulin response, which is measured by the insulin index and can be more appropriate in representing the effects from some food contents other than carbohydrates.
• The glycemic index is significantly altered by the type of food, its ripeness, processing, the length of storage, cooking methods, and its variety
• The glycemic response is different from one person to another and even in the same person from day to day, depending on blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, and other factors.
• The number of grams of carbohydrate impacts blood sugar levels more than the glycemic index.
• Lowering glycemic index leads to small (momentary) improvements in blood sugar levels, but consuming fewer total carbohydrates would benefit the blood glucose profile much more.
• Carbohydrate impacts glucose levels most profoundly, and two foods with the same carbohydrate content are generally comparable in their effects on blood sugar. A food with a low glycemic index may have high carbohydrate content or vice versa; this can be accounted for with the glycemic load.
• Most of the values on the glycemic index do not show the impact on glucose levels after two hours.
• The GI of foods is determined under experimental conditions after an overnight fast (with only 10 test subjects), and might not apply to foods consumed later during the day because glycemic response is strongly influenced by the composition of the previous meal.

Relevance And Application
The Glycemic Index holds extraordinary relevance to a diabetic subject (or anyone using exogenous insulin). The ability to comparatively rate the release rates of dietary glucose holds life saving value to the clinical diabetic.

For non diabetic and non insulin using subjects the value of such data is questionable at best. The Glycemic Index holds almost no valuable info for the non insulin using athlete. Food volume and meal frequency has a far greater “GI” slowing effect than the carbohydrate bearing matrix or starch chemistry.

As the above overview illustrates dietary carbohydrate quantity dictates the total daily plasma insulin volume. The simple conclusion is that over consumption of carbohydrates not the comparative GI of said carbohydrate is the larger problem.

B.”EvilGenius”Chavez
www.EvilGSP.com

Hypertension and Anabolic Steroids: A New Pathway?

Here is a great new science piece on AS and Hypertension from our good friend Pat Arnold. This is a must read for gear users!

Hypertension and Anabolic Steroids: A New Pathway?

October 30, 2012 ,

by Patrick Arnold

People familiar with the use of anabolic steroids know that water retention and hypertension (high blood pressure) are potential side effects. This is due to the fact that all androgenic hormones have the capacity to cause some sodium retention (and hence water retention) through direct action via androgen receptors in the kidneys. Furthermore, anabolic steroids that are estrogenic or can convert to estrogens can cause even more sodium retention via additional interaction with renal (kidney) estrogen receptors. So it’s often thought that an anabolic steroids propensity for water retention is related to its potency both as an androgen and as an estrogen (manifested via aromatization to estrogenic metabolites).

Read the full txt @ http://www.ironmagazine.com/blog/2012/hypertension-and-anabolic-steroids-a-new-pathway/