Spirulina 101

Spirulina 101Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is 62-65% protein.  Blue-green algae are a plant-like organism that is usually found in salt water and a few fresh water lakes.  Most of the time they will be found in tropical and subtropical waters with high salt content.  Most of the spirulina produced now is grown in labs where conditions can be controlled (see Figure 1). It is used as a source of B-vitamins and iron as many blue-green algae’s are.  Spirulina is rich in B-vitamins, beta-carotene, manganese, zinc, iron, copper, vitamin E, selenium, and gamma linoleic acid, which is an essential fatty acid. Figure 1Blue-green algae have been used for many medical conditions but there is lacking scientific evidence on whether or not they are effective for humans.  They have been used for ADHD, hay fever, diabetes, weight loss (has not proven to be effective), stress, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and PMS.  Improving memory, increasing energy, lowering cholesterol, speeding up healing, and improving digestion are a few other uses to add to the promising list.Studies in animals suggest that spirulina may have anticancer, antiviral, and immune system boosting properties.  It has also been show to help against allergic reactions in animals, stopping the release of histamines, the very culprits that cause allergy symptoms.  There has been one controlled study where taking spirullina reduced precancerous lesions, called leukoplasia, in tobacco chewers.  The lesions disappeared quicker in the spirulina group vs. the placebo.  Don’t go all wild wild west on us cowboys; more research is needed on this one.It’s not all fun in the sun, however.  Spirulina can contain microcystines, toxic metals, and harmful bacteria, which may be harmful to some people.  It is important that you purchase spirulina from a trusted manufacturer.There is not enough scientific information to determine dosing protocols.  I have been using it at 5g’s per day great success.  I don’t think I could stomach anymore.  This stuff smells absolutely awful and doesn’t taste too great either.It is available in a few forms.  Most people take in in pill or powder form but it can also be found as flakes (see Figure 2).  Spirulina Maxima from Mexico and Sprulina Platensis from California are the two most popular forms.  It is widely available and sold online from many trusted websites.  Spirulina may contain toxins and bacteria so please use with caution.  Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not risk it.  Just to be safe, talk with your health care provider before taking this stuff. Figure 2The main problem with spirulina and other blue green algae is there is not enough hard data to prove the vastly claimed health benefits are legitament.  There aren’t many dosing protocols and big commercialized success stories.  I am not completely sold, but I am getting there.  My experience with spirulina has been promising.  I eat 5g per day with a smoothie that also includes around 2 cups of Kale, Greek yogurt, frozen berries, whole milk, and 1/2c oats.  It has been over a year since I have been sick and I used to get a cold at least every other month.  Let me give you some advice:  THIS STUFF IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.  Frankly, it’s gross.  Through much trial and error, I have found the best way to mask the taste is with orange juice or in a smoothie.Sources: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/spirulina-000327.htm            http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/923.html

How To Stay Motivated

Everyone seems to get to that point in their weight training where everything gets boring and motivation drop faster than a fat lady with a hole in her parachute.  I have often thought that it would be great to develop a supplement that decreases or eliminates these negative feelings and lack of motivation in training scenarios.  Unfortunately, methamphetamine has negative consequences and doesn’t motivate you to do much eating, so that option is out the window.  We all know that caffeine is a stimulant and gives the body a boost, helping athletes run father and lift more.  But how does it exactly affect the mind? And does it have the power to improve your outlook on going to the gym and enjoyment while lifting?  In the following article I will breakdown a study geared towards answering this exact question.Psychologists at Leeds Metropolitan University wanted to know more about how caffeine affects the brain.  The researchers corralled 12 cyclists to ride for 90 minutes at 70% of their VO2max.  During one test, the athletes took a placebo an hour before the exercise and during the other test, they took 6mg of caffeine per kg of bodyweight.  I am 81 kgs, so I would be taking 486mgs of caffeine.  Granted, this dose of caffeine would probably send me straight into an anxiety attack.  This dose is high and most people will not be able to take this amount without noted side effects.  I do not recommend taking this amount of caffeine without further accessing your tolerance with lower doses.During the exercise intervals, and the first hour after the exercise, the subjects were asked how they felt at regular intervals.  They found a pattern.  When asked how tired the athletes were, the caffeine reduced feelings of exhaustion compared to the placebo results (Figure 1). Figure 1 The athletes were also asked to what extent they were experiencing feelings of pleasure.  They discovered that caffeine actually prevented the athletes from negative feelings about the exercise while they were cycling.  Caffeine consistently appeared to make physical exercise more pleasurable, or at least not as unpleasant (Figure 2).  You can see from the picture that once they achieved that “runner’s high,” (or cycler’s high in this case) the caffeine supplementation started to even out with the placebo.  Once the brain started producing it’s own endorphins, the caffeine didn’t have as much of an effect on feelings of pleasure. Figure 2 The following is a quote from one of the researchers in the study:  “The findings have demonstrated that this supplementation regime was associated with a maintenance effect in relation to feelings of pleasure and lowered perceptions of effort.  The observation of positive subjective effects may partially explain the ergogenic effects of caffeine.”I find this fascinating.  I like hard data.  Sometimes just knowing something was proven will change my perception of what I may or may be feeling at the moment.  Granted, “feelings of pleasure” is a little hard to measure and hard data is hard to extract from emotions and feelings.  I think that this study is significant enough to take seriously.  My suggestion is to start with 100mgs of Caffeine, pre work out.  Most pre work out formulas contain around 150mgs per serving.  A cup of coffee will be around 60-80mgs.  Two other motivational tips:1: Take before and after pics, even if you are an experienced athlete.  Set a goal for the month and take a “before” and an “after” pic and compare the progress.  Just this little bit of self-accountability can help give you that extra nudge to get off the couch.  I find that setting shorter goals is easier for me as the task doesn’t seem as daunting when I am only a couple weeks in and I start getting discouraged.2:  This one might sound obvious but it is important.  Try different workout plans.  Experiment, trust yourself, and be creative.  Google “workout programs” and try some weird shit.  Muscle growth is stimulated by muscular confusion and it can add a little spice to your workouts.  Stop doing the same ol’ routines.  No wonder you would rather lay on your roommate’s old sex ridden couch than get in the squat rack.

Optimization of male hormones: part 1

Everyone always asks me online and in person, "How can I increase testosterone levels", or "which I take to increase testosterone levels."  A problem with these questions is that testosterone is only one piece of a delicate puzzle that is our hormones in the male body.  There is another hormone called DHT which is up to 10 x more anabolic than testosterone and is responsible for welfare, concentration and brain health, energy, sex drive and confidence.  Insulin is another powerful hormone that has a tremendous effect on body composition, fat loss, strength and muscle gain.  Be able to optimize these hormones will do worlds of good for the male physique.  I will refer me to DHT and insulin later.  Another problem with this thinking is that the increase of testosterone just trying to cure the "Symptoms" and is not directed at the cause.  We all want to take a pill and have everything disappears.  That's our culture in the Western world, and is rather sad.  The same types who are concerned about their levels of "T" also have a stressful job, nagging wife, awful sleep quality and diets unstable.  No wonder that you feel like shit!  Taking a pill will not fix life in a world of magical dream where your boss is suddenly Mother Teresa and his wife becomes a loving and affectionate Meghan Fox.  The majority of men who talk about is the brain to think that if raise testosterone that they will be a sex God and beast in the gym.  This is not the case.  Hormonal balance is what we must seek.  Testosterone is only a piece of the cake.  Properly maintain ratios of testosterone into estrogen, decreasing the resistance to insulin, optimization of DHT, DHEA and androstenedione ratios.  I know it sounds complicated, but if you keep reading, you'll find that hormonal optimization is not only relatively simple, but is one of the best decisions a man can do in life.  Optimization and hormonal balance is the #1 priority when a man wants to increase vitality, energy, sex drive, confidence, healthy aggressiveness, muscle gain, fat loss and achieve a healthy drive and lust for life.DHT has been given a bad reputation.  There is a common misconception that can possibly lead to an enlargement of the prostate and prostate cancer.  Modern science has contradicted from this belief and DHT is making its way toward the center of attention.  You see, DHT is responsible for masculine traits.  In fact, testosterone is indeed a DHT prohomormone that converts testosterone into DHT along with a couple of other things.  When a man reaches a high level of DHT you will experience a feeling of well-being, drive, strength, decrease in estrogen and a huge boost in the bedroom.   Take substances like Finasteride, Proscar, etc. to lower their levels of DHT and in turn make you feel like shit.  In Europe, offering a DHT gel but in United States, you can not buy it without a prescription.  About PHs there is conversion to DHT, which are legal and non-toxic.  These products are precursor Alpha 5 test AMS Epi-1 and LG EpiAndro.  These products are very effective in increasing the levels of DHT in the body, but it will also be repressive.  This means that when you come from these products you will have a rebound effect where you need to run a post therapy (PCT) cycle to help restore your natural hormone levels.  Apart from these options, eating a clean diet, maintain high testosterone, and remain absent DHT suppression of drugs will help optimize your body itself.  Basically, for that body optimize DHT naturally have to optimize other hormones that work towards that process.Testosterone is very good, but only on an individual basis.  This means that different levels will be benefits for different men.  People respond differently.  Testosterone does many good things for your body, including keeping your heart healthy, maintain and build muscle, increases stamina and sex drive, confidence, reduce body fat and increase mental clarity.  The problem with testosterone is that also converts to estrogen through the process of aromatization.  An increase of testosterone also increase the estrogen, which can lead to the retention of water, emotional instability, impotence, exhaustion and high blood pressure.  Your body is already set to a point so maxing out testosterone levels is not always the best approach.  On the other hand had, free testosterone use, and keep estrogen levels at the lower end, is one of the best ways to receive more of the benefits of hormones you already have.  There are two measures of testosterone in the body called free and Total.  Total is the amount of testosterone in your body.  Free testosterone is what your body can use.  As well as men, free testosterone is the only number that matter to us.  We want testosterone to be free to do all your manly goodness.  The best natural way to increase testosterone is a combination of changes in habit.  Exercising regularly, having sex and eating healthy are some of the most important things in the maximization of testosterone.  A high percentage of fat diet has been shown to increase testosterone in men.  As usually around 35% fat, 20% and 45% carbohydrates protien.  It seems to me that make it much better and have more energy on a high carbohydrate diet fat/low.  Zinc has also been shown to increase levels of free testosterone.  Zinc blocks the conversion of testosterone into estrogen.  Zinc citrate is the best "version" for absorption.  I take zinc daily and they have been for three years.  It is really cheap and you can find it anywhere. This concludes part 1 of my series of Hormonal optimization.  In the second part, I will comment on the most anabolic hormone in the body, insulin and how to make it work in your favor.  Will also cover estrogen control and optimization of DHEA.As you go through the week, in all facets of life and the daily stress, remember to treat the cause and not the symptoms.Until the next.

Protein Timing: Optimizing Muscle Growth

Athletes who lift weights build muscle best if they ingest a 20g serving of protein every three hours throughout their day.  Splitting up the protein intake this way works better than taking it every six hours or every hour and a half.  Believe it or not, the obviously health conscious researchers at Nestle brought us this study.Everybody and their alcoholic uncle know that athletes who train with weights build muscle easier if they eat more protein than the average person.  There seems to be constant debate however about the effect of ingestion timing.  A nutritionist at the Nestle Research Center, Daniel Moore, brings us the following:24 young men, ages unknown, who were active in strength training four to six times per week, were participants in this study.  Moore had them train legs on a leg extension machine (scientists love using this near pointless machine) in his lab before they ate breakfast.  They first warmed up with 5 sets at 60-70% of their one rep max.  After the warm up sets they did 4 sets of 10 reps at 80% of their one rep max.  Moore concentrated on this one isolated exercise so it would be easier to measure protein synthesis activity in the muscle.  Following the training, the men were giving 80g of whey protein isolate throughout the next 12 hours.  “BOLUS” were given 40g of protein in two portions, one every six hours.  “INT” group ingested 20g portions of protein every three hours over the twelve-hour period.  The “PULSE” group was given 10g of protein every 1.5 hours over the twelve-hour period.  That equates to eight total servings of protein for the “PULSE” group.The net protein balance, shown in the bottom graph, was higher in the INT group who spread their intake over three hour intervals.  The higher the net protein balance, the more anabolic you are.  Protein synthesis – Protein breakdown = Net protein balanceIt is important to note the high P-values throughout the test.  This means that the test is not statistically significant.  In statistics and research, this is usually caused by a lack of participants.  This was a small study and the net muscle increase was subtle.   With a higher number of participants, it is likely that there would have been a more significant difference.Moore responded to the test: “Whole-body protein balance tended to be greatest with moderate 20g feedings every 3hr, which may have implications for individuals aiming to enhance whole body anabolism including lean body mass accrual with training.  Collectively, our data highlight that the acute pattern, and not only the total amount, of ingested protein should be considered when determining feeding strategies to alter whole-body protein metabolism.”Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23067428

Big Ramy’s Pre Olympia Downfall

 Big Ramy just turned 29 this month.  The time has come for the young star to face the music.  There is so much hype surrounding Big Ramy it’s ridiculous.  I haven’t seen this much “raving” since the original Matrix came out.  Needless to say, he deserves it.  After sweeping the competition at the New York Pro, his first pro contest, now he’s stepping up with the big boys.  The main thing that is of concern when it comes to Ramy is exactly what makes him spectacular.  He’s young and he’s only been working out a few years.  He has premature muscle, and a lot of it.  Look at the pictures in this article and you can see what I mean.  He has so much mass it is ridiculous.  In fact, he will out mass every single person on the stage this weekend.  But look at the lack of separation and the lack of detail.  Dennis Wolf, Dexter Jackson, and Phil all look like they are hard as granite.  They are peeled to the bone.  This comes with muscle maturity and time.  Well, in Phil’s case, it’s genetic gifts.    Bodybuilding isn’t about who’s biggest, it’s about who has the best lines, conditioning, symmetry, stage presence, and density.  Have you ever tried to wrestle your old man, or maybe fight with him a bit as a kid?  When guys reach around 30+ they’re muscles start to mature and are deceptively strong.  I call this “grown man strength.”  And it’s scary.  Ramy doesn’t have this.  He looks soft in comparison.  I don’t think he’s ready.  I think he will place 4-7 simply because of the political influence in bodybuilding; To “keep us on the hook” if you will.  Ramy has the biggest legs in the game, but he needs separation.  His trainer, Dennis James, has been working on this all year.  See the image comparison below.  On the right are Ramy’s legs recently.  On the left are Ramy’s legs at the NYP.  Dennis is throwing all sorts of crazy techniques Ramy’s way to harden up the Egyptian hulk.  He is having Ramy do extremely slow reps; I’m talking 15-20seconds per rep, designed to increase density and replicate maturity.  Look at Branch Warren and Dennis Wolf if you want to see what dense and mature muscle looks like.  Tomorrow it starts to unfold.  Everyone’s ready, and Dennis James states his muscle project, Ramy, is going to be crowned Mr. O by 2015.  We’ll see Dennis, we’ll see.

Athletes: How to Increase IGF-1

 At mindandmuscle.com, we always play on the side of caution.  In an industry where people make money at the expense of the customer’s health and well-being, we think it is only humane to be the exception.  That being said, we are a little skeptical about all the research peptide companies popping up.  I’m sure many of them are legitimate, but I’ve been in the industry long enough to know that many of them are not.  Also, I spent a good amount of time in China.  Trust me, nothing is as it seems in China. That being said, many athletes and body builders alike are turning to these growth hormone releasing and IGF-1 boosting peptides with tremendous success.  It is no secret that some consider the insulin acting IGF-1 the holy grail of muscle building.  However, one cannot just inject pompous amounts of synthetic IGF-1 LR3 and expect to get continued benefits with minimal diminishing returns.  Long story short, after a few weeks of exogenous synthetic IGF-1 supplementation the body’s receptors are filled and the excess IGF-1 doesn’t get utilized by the body.  Similar to testosterone cycles and comparing “total testosterone” and “free testosterone.”  One of the problems with GHRP and IGF peptides is in drug testing.  If you are a college athlete who gets tested for banned substances, HGH, and steroids, you will most likely come up dirty for using these peptides.  Don’t get me wrong, it is still your choice as to whether or not you want to throw your career out the window or not.  That seems to be the trend these days anyway. This brings us to the question of the hour.  How can we legally maximize the body’s own production of IGF-1 while staying within equilibrium and therefore maximizing long term benefits of the hormone?  Got milk?In the US, people drink more soda pop than milk.  I think we can all agree that milk is the healthier of the two.  But besides the protein edge that milk has on soft drinks, what about hormone levels?  Researchers from the University of Copenhagen gathered together 11 healthy men, ages 22-29, to drink 2.5 liters of coke per day for ten straight days.  After the ten-day course, they drank 2.5 liters of milk each day for ten more days.  Many fattening and sugary foods raise insulin levels and insulin resistance.  Milk and coke both scored high on that test.  That can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it and your timing of ingestion.  Below you can see how both the milk, and the coke, effected insulin and glucose metabolism in the subjects (Figure 1).I am not as concerned about that as I am with IGF-1 levels.  The levels of the extremely anabolic hormone, IGF-1, decrease during the ten days of coke ingestion (Figure 2). Figure 1 Figure 2Like I was saying before, not all IGF-1 is active in the body.  Some of it is bound to the IGFBP3 protein, which makes it the most active.  And although the P levels were a bit to high to be statistically significant, drinking milk did increase the IGFBP3 production as well (Figure 3).  Here you have milk helping your liver pump out more IGF-1 while simultaneously stimulating IGFBP3 production.  This equals more active IGF-1 in the body inducing anabolic effects. Figure 3 So we can definitely say that bodybuilders, athletes, and kids are better off drinking milk than coke.  That’s obvious. IGF-1 is used in the body to recover after training and build muscle by stimulating tissue repair and growth.  I am not saying that drinking 2.5 liters of milk is healthy in the long term, and neither are the researchers in this study.  I do find it interesting, however, that milk can have that type of effect on IGF-1 in only ten days.  ***Adding to this weeks grocery list, “Buy a cow.”  Cheers.Sources: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19772696

2013 Mr. Olympia: Is Phil Heath Ready For Perfection?

Phil Heath sucks at bodybuilding!  Wipe that condescending look off your face, I’m just joking.  This dude is a genetic God and as a fellow west coaster, I like Phil.  In Seattle, Washington, 1979, Phillip Jerrod Heath was born.  The current 2nd year Mr. Olympia title holder was an impressive athlete from the start, playing basketball for Rainier Beach High School as a shooting guard and graduating to play D1 ball for the University of Denver team.  He was a little guy at 5ft 9” and just over a buck seventy.   He should have been nicknamed “The Gift” a while ago considering he was a successful college athlete double majoring in IT and Business Administration.  Let’s be real though, I doubt UD had a b-ball team that was really worth a shit.  But screw it; I’ll give him the credit because I’m sure he’s better than me.  In 2002 he decided to put his gifts to work in the bodybuilding arena.  He started with a 185lb base and bulked up to a 215lb 6% bodybuilder in the first year.  He competed in 2003 at a shredded 192lbs at The Rocky Mountain NPC USA Championship where he walked away with the overall title.  Yes, you heard right.  Phil heath has been kicking ass and taking names since the very beginning.  He was quite gifted genetically, which actually ended up hurting him in the beginning.  He was a slacker (relatively speaking).  He leaned on his “gifts” and lost competitions because of his lack of proper training.…he got his act together and ended up as Mr. Colorado and later earning his pro card at 215lbs.  To give you an idea of where Phil has come from, let’s look at his weight.  Currently, he stalks the bodybuilding stages at 240lbs lean and mean.  That’s 25lbs of solid lean body mass that he has gained since turning pro.  That’s a ton of muscle on a 5ft 9” frame.   In the past, Phil has sported 22” arms, a 19” neck, and 20” calves suspended on a 29” waist.  That’s just ridiculous Phil, you’re a freak.  He isn’t the biggest guy out there, that’s for sure.  Big Ramy should be a monster this year, but he won’t beat Phil.  Phil is said to be the most proportionate bodybuilder alive.  Ronny Coleman said this about Phil and the 2013 Mr. O, “He has several insane body parts, always nails his conditioning, and presents great separation and thickness.”  Big Ron continues to question Phil’s limiting structure and says his frame may, very well be, “maxed out.”  I would say Kai Greene is Phil’s nemesis in 2013 as was the case in 2012.  Phil barely squeezed the victory from Kai who has a previously lacked back thickness.  Kai does have Phil beat on a few key traits.  Kai will carry more muscle mass than any other bodybuilder on that stage lbs. per inch and he also has hair that would make CONAN The Barbarian rise from his grave and start doing the YMCA.I think it will be won by stage presence.  The competition this year is ridiculously high.   Is this the year Phil will be de-throned?  We will find out next week.  There is no doubt that Phil will bring the whole package to 2013.  His favorite movie is gladiator, favorite food is steak, favorite music is Rock and Hip-hop, and favorite Hobby is hanging out with his two angry dogs.  Basically he stays in the zone 24/7 and I wouldn’t expect anything less from the champ.  He is cocky and he likes to back it up.  He is rumored to make around 3.5million per year.  Considering he drives a Bentley that is worth as much as my house, I wouldn’t doubt those numbers.  He is backed by the biggest and best in the game; Sponsors include Muscletech and Muscle & Fitness/ Flex magazine.  Phil even has a sponsor for chicken breast and egg whites.  Red Bird’s Chicken and Lana’s Egg Whites fuel the beast with high-grade protein.  He is living the bodybuilding dream and has the talent, drive, and dedication to become the Floyd Mayweather of bodybuilding.  In fact, there is one and only one thing “The Gift” is lacking and has been lacking since the very start, hair.

2013 Mr. Olympia: He Will Crack the Top 6….and He Just Joined the Gym

The year was 2010.  Perhaps one of the most genetically gifted men in bodybuilding history didn’t even have a gym membership.   In 2011, after working out for a year and eating as much as he could, he shot up to 200lbs.  In 2012, on the Amateur Olympia stage, he stood peeled at 286lbs.   His professional resume consists of one contest where he placed first in the NY Pro. Now it is 2013 and only a week and a half until the Olympia where some of the industry’s best, like Flex Wheeler, are calling for Big Ramy to take the crown from Phil Heath. Ramy was born Mamdouh Elssbiay in Cairo, Egypt.  He grew up fishing with his brother and father and now he’s knocking on the door of the Olympia, while putting his stamp on every big name muscle mag in the world. Ramy was discovered in Kuwait and trains under IFBB pro and Team Weider prep coach Dennis James.  If you GoogleDennis James, he will be with Ramy, and vise versa.  James has made statements about Ramy like, “…so much potential its unreal.”   He said, “Pictures do not do him justice,” and “…in person, the size and mass of Ramy is incredible!”  Ramy won his 2012 Amateur Olympia class and the Overall Title, which earned him both a Pro Card and a spot on the 2013 Mr. Olympia lineup.  This guy is a freak and has the genetics of a Greek god.   If he can come on stage again at 285lbs conditioned, there is no one who will “out mass” him.  He took pictures 4 weeks out at 310 with abs like blocks so it looks like he’s right on track.German American Technologies, or otherwise know as GAT, sign the Egyptian masterpiece this year.  They have high hopes for Ramy, saying that they have never seen an athlete with the size that he has.  Ramy is excited as well saying, “I know I can count on GAT to help me continue gaining muscle at the super human speed that I have come to be known for.”  No doubt, Ramy has the potential to knock off bodybuilding’s top tier; and he’s only been lifting for 3 years.  His trainer has said that there is no secret supplement or food that he is implementing but sheer genetic gifts that Ramy is blessed with.  I’ll say.  At 5ft 9’ and 285lbs shredded, if I saw this guy on a street corner I’d throw my wallet at him and run.  This year’s Mr. O line up is the most impressive we have ever seen and the competition for the top 6 is incredibly hard to predict. We at Mind & Muscle will keep you up to date with Ramy, and other surprising threats, as the stage is dusted off for the 2013 Mr. Olympia.

Biohacking Intro

Biohacking is the term we use here for getting the most out of your body. We hack our eletronics all the time. People jailbreak iPhones, root Android and overclock their CPU’s. Hacking eletronics is as old as the electronics business. What if you could hack your mind and muscle the same way you can hack your computer? Overclock your mind, increase muscle performance and perform sexually at a level that only porn stars can achieve. That is our goal and we have started a community that will hopefully help you reach your goals faster than ever before. We do insist that you be over 18 and prefferably over 21 so you are an adult and know your body.Also, you need to realize that biohacking is at your own risk. While we don’t ever expect anything that we sell or promote will be dangerous, we do know that anything can be dangerous when used improperly. Don’t over do things and be safe, but we hope you reach your goals. Also, nothing will happen without proper diet and exercise, so keep that in mind, biohacking is not just about pills, it’s about maximizing your hard work with some help, but don’t forget it’s hard work!Winners take short cuts. Why slave in the gym for 10 years to make little progress? Why study for 10 hour days when you can hack your brain to do the same job in 4 hours? Everyone takes shortcuts, and to be honest the modern world is more competitive than ever before. If you are not taking shortcuts, you can bet your competition is… It doesn’t matter if that competition is for girls, money or a bodybuilding competition. Everyone is taking a short cut. What are good genetics anyway…isn’t it just natures shortcut to success?What is fair about a person who was born 6’11” playing basketball? How about guys who have a perfect physique and spend very little time in the gym? I once knew a guy that would walk around at 260lb of solid ripped muscle, 5% body fat and would eat Burger King, Hostess treats and chips all day long. What the hell is fair about that?You can “Hack” your body and to do that you need information!Why is the site called mind and muscle? Because this site is about hacking your body with the best legal compounds out there. If you live in the United States, you probably don’t want to break the law, but you do want to push your body to the utmost and overcome your limitations. Don’t you want to be as good as the kid who was born smart or the high school football player that all the girls love?We expect a few things from you though. First, you will need to be over 18 and preferably over 21 before you start any diet and exercise program or use any supplements. While we don’t condone the use of drugs, we do hope you will be under the supervision of a doctor for all of your drug use, should you choose to go down that path.The information on the site is for your enjoyment only and is not considered medical advise, thus you use any diet and supplement program at your own risk, should you choose to “hack” your body.We theorize that you can hack your muscles and change your body type forever. Supplements help you do that and in fact there are some really amazing preliminary studies that show things like creatine, BCAA’s, growth hormone potentiators and prohormones can change the amount of muscle you carry for life! That means over time your body can change and carry more muscle for the rest of your life. It worked for me and I know it can work for you too!Also, we are always learning about the best way to work out to achieve your goals. Physiology is always discovering the most effective way to work out to reach your goal, whether that is making size gains, losing fat or gaining strength. We want you to discuss the latest research with your fellow biohackers on the forum.Smart drugs and supplements are a genetic equalizer. While we don’t sell drugs on this site, we don’t withhold this information because we feel that, as an adult you should be able to take anything that you want to look and feel your best and maximize your income. The good news is that supplements can mimic the effects of many of the “smart drugs” that are not legal to sell in the US market.Every guy wants a bigger, and fuller penis. He also is now compared to porn where the men on screen can go for hours and shoot massive loads. With such a high bar set, women expect each man to perform like a porn star and have a huge cock. Also, you may have a low sex drive or even a partner with a low sex drive, you can try and biohack that too. Everything is on the table here for discussion.You can use supplements to biohack your mind and muscle, hence the name of the site. You need to check out our biohacking 101 pages for the mind and biohacking 101 pages for the muscle there is a lot of good preliminary data in pubmed and other repositories that give us clues. While biohacking the penis is expirimental we can at least achieve some of the effects seen in porn with supplements.Biohacking the mind – discussion forumBiohacking muscle – discussion forumBiohacking sex – discussion forum

The blending of man: change your life. Change your body. Save time.

There are so many fashion there shakes have polluted Google searches to the point of exhaustion.  I'm here to cut through the garbage and give them something you want.  This is a shake that give you a lot of energy in the morning, allow you to keep your sick days for holidays, increasing the concentration and build muscle.  It sounds ridiculous, I know.  Since that I've been drinking it all the days that I have not been sick, was cold, nothing for about 2 years. It is the antioxidant heaven.  It is good for you and knows it well... that's hard to beat.  The following recipe has been carved from years of failure in an exquisite artwork.  I will now turn to my Smoothie secrets about yourself.* Buy a good blender.  See the Blendtec or the Vitamix.  The Ninja will do, but something less than $100 is garbage and too chucky and more sauce than a smoothie.* *3/4 c frozen wild fruits (I buy at Costco.  Blue, black and Raspberry)2 Frozen whole strawberries (Also big bag at Costco)2 Cups frozen Kale (Any kale will do.  Get the deep green that you find and put it in the freezer2/3 Cup fat free non flavored Greek yogurt (I but at Costco to save a few bucks, but you can find anywhere) * Note: you can leave this out if you're dairy free1/2 Cup raw oatmeal8-12 oz water3 Ice cubes* Note: If you blends the mixture on the heights with protein powder turns very frothy and full of air.  So then add protein as described above.To add the next but can be substituted depending on their supplement regimen:5g of Creatine monohydrate, ground flax seed, LG EAAs and BCAA 1tblsCharging time: Add 1tbsn almond or peanut butter, 2 whole eggs and Vitd3 use milk instead of water.Cutting time: skip the oatmeal and yogurtFOR women: skip the yogurt and add a little loveWithout changes, the previous original Smoothie should receive around:25-30 g Protein60g Carbs1 - 2g fatAs this Smoothie every morning with 2 whole eggs and 3 egg whites cooked.   This is great post training also.ENJOY!

Dana conocer: El mejor físico del mundo

Dana Linn Bailey is an incredibly beautiful and very talented physical competitor.  This latest 2013 Mr. Olympia, was crowned with the first physical women.  This was the first time that the world had seen physical of the women in the Holy Grail of bodybuilding, stage or Mr.   Starting in October 2013, it is the best competitor of physicist in the world.Dana grew as an athlete and played 6 sports to grow.   Before high school, I played football, basketball, hockey, field, track, swimming and softball equipment.  He studied Kinesiology at the West Chester University where he was recruited to play football.  She was crowned as the defensive player of the year when he was a junior and senior.  It was aggressive and fearless, similar to how he competes today.  The girl has no fear.He started working out because her boyfriend at the time was a dedicated weightlifter.  Told that if she wants to see it, I could see him in the gym.  A tough guy.  I like this guy.  Forward a couple of years, Dana is incredibly proportional and has a great set of legs.  His shoulders and back are so detailed that they are almost transparent.  And her butt is not so bad either.  Way of work to Dana and congratulations for the great win to Mr. o..  M & M eagerly follow Dana along their journey, so stay tuned.

Increase muscle mass with these vegetables

What most people do not know is that there are changes in diet small which can be implemented to create a State of "Pro-muscular".?  In sporting circles we call it, creating an anabolic environment.  It is important to minimize muscle loss periods during the day and help the body to remain in an anabolic State as much as possible.  Although, this kind of practice will keep you in the area of fitness throughout the day.  There are so many choices of different proteins, different carbohydrates, fats and different vegetables to choose.  I've found breast of chicken and tuna to the most rewarding proteins, but today I will talk about vegetables and what are optimal for the creation of anabolism.There is a compound called sulforaphane, which is located in cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage.  Sulforaphane has been taunting athletes and scientists for a while with research promoting improvements in a stem cell that is capable of becoming muscle cells.  Recently, a group of molecular scientists in Italy have found sulforaphane disables myostatin, which is a muscle growth inhibitor.  This compound also has anticancer effects and detoxification.  The researchers gave a group of pigs, that the cells of muscles like almost identical to human cells, different concentrations of sulforaphane.  What they found is that it increases the vitality of cells and dramatically reduces the synthesis of caspase-9 and - 9, which are proteins of suicide.  However, this is extremely intriguing because sulforaphane reduced the vitality of the cancer cells and activates the mechanism of suicide.In conclusion, sulforaphane can actually reduce muscle atrophy and increase protein synthesis.  This includes in your diet will help to maintain that anabolic environment that everyone worked very hard to create.  Of what it does is breaking the ass in the gym if your body are not getting the nutrients you need repair and build.  On your next trip to the grocery store, wouldn't be a bad idea to grab a bag or four broccoli and cabbage.The best natural sources of sulforaphane are fresh broccoli and Brussels sprouts.  Buy a big bag of frozen broccoli and heat it for lunch and dinner.  Heating broccoli reduces positive effects for at any time you can eat it fresh is more beneficial.  Unfortunately, I don't have the time or resources to constantly store fresh produce what I work with what I have.Source: http://www.ergo-log.com/cauliflower-broccoli-bodybuilders.html

Everybody is taking Beta-Alanine….and taking it wrong.

 Take Beta-Alanine With MealsMost people have caught the beta-alanine wave and those who haven’t are jumping on board to ride out the wake.  This amino acid has been shown to increase strength and more notably endurance during high repetition or long exercise intervals.  It will not create bulging veins and 1 rep PRs, but it is being used by many to create that endurance based edge in the gym, on the track, or during their game.  Beta-alanine supplementation has been researched quite a bit recently.  I stumbled across a pretty good study while surfing the web that I thought I would share with all you strength athletes out there. Athletes will retain higher levels of beta-alanine in the body if they take it during meals or more notably, with an insulin spike.  Scientists at Ghent University in Belgium are the guys to thank for this one.  They found that taking the amino acid when you eat leads to a quicker increase in carnosine concentration in the muscles than when taken outside of meal times.Carnosine is a dipeptide responsible for suppressing or neutralizing the acids that are formed in the muscles when they are exercised.  You know that burning feeling in your muscles when you workout….that’s when you know that you could use a little beta-alanine (aka increasing carnosine levels) in your life.  The more carnosine in your muscles, the longer you can exercise for.  It’s pretty simple, and tremendous news for athletes.Basically the body makes carnosine by attaching two amino acids together, beta alanine and histidine.  The body has a ton of histidine already but not beta-alanine.  That’s why taking beta-alanine from an exogenous source is a good way it increase carnosine levels in the muscles and help the athlete push farther.  We have found that creatine and l-carnitine are absorbed well when levels of glucose, amino acids, and insulin in the blood rises.  Will beta-alanine exhibit the same characteristics?For 46 days, the scientists gave three different groups of test subjects 3.2mg of BA every day.  This is a very low dose that they are using for the study.  Usually dosing around 3-5mgs/day is optimal for performance enhancement.  (PBA) took BA four times through the day between meals.  (PBA + Meal) took their BA three times during meals.  The last group (SRBA+Meal) used a slow releasing BA supplement 30 minutes before their meals.  The researchers measured the amount of carnosine in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the participants before and after the experimental supplementation period. Taking BA with meals led to a quicker and higher level of carnosine in the muscle.  More specifically, carnosine rose by 57%.  In the “in between meals” group, PBA, an increase of 40% was noted.  The slow release BA supplement taken before the meal generated the same results as taking BA with a meal.The muscle cells seem to absorb BA better, on average, with a spike of insulin.  When you eat carbohydrates, your body produces insulin.  Hence why taking BA with meals tends to be more beneficial for plasma levels of BA.  Beta-alanine is mostly discarded through urine and a small amount actually reaches the muscle.  This is important to note as the more bioavailable you can “make” the supplement, the better.  Many people supplement BA with a pre workout.  This is usually to small of a dose to do anything.  According to this study, it is also suboptimal unless consuming carbohydrates at the same time.Source:www.Ergo-log.com

What is Big Ramy Doing Now?

It has been a little over a week since the young IFBB Pro, Big Ramy, placed 8th in the 2013 Mr. Olympia.  He placed a little lower than many expected, but for it being his 2nd pro contest, he brought as much as he could and I was extremely impressed.  He was admittedly nervous and intimidated posing down with bodybuilding’s elite.  Ramy came in well conditioned but not very hard.  He has very young muscle that will just take time and lots of work to harden up.  I just want to point out one thing, however.  What show were the judges watching?!  Jay Cutler brought the worst package since his pro debut to the 2013 O and they gave him 6th.  I will put up a couple comparison pics in this article for you to compare.  Ya, we all know Jay was coming off of an injury, blah blah blah.  The only reason he placed at all was because of his name.  It’s a shame really, and a bad year for the Olympia, which is supposed to be the least political pro competition of the year.  Bodybuilding is becoming like boxing….simply ridiculous.  There is no possible way one can look at Jay and say, “hmmm, his legs look great!”  He was not conditioned, small, and he looked drunk. What is Ramy doing now?  He is back to his grind after many much deserved cheat meals.  His trainer Dennis James “promises” that the nervous rookie will not return in 2014 as a nervous rookie.  This is going to take some work and creative planning on James’ end.  His posing needs polishing, as well as his lower half, which needs hardening and increased defenition.  We are looking forward to following Ramy through 2014 to see what kind of house Dennis can build with this Egyptian beast.

Andro Prohormones and Protein

If you are going to start an andro prohormone cycle it’s important that you have the necessary items on hand to make the most of it.  Prohormones are not going to do the work for you in either the kitchen or the gym, so you need to understand the principles that will make each cycle successful. There is no way you are going to see results on a prohormone cycle unless you do the proper kind and amount of exercise.  The routine you pick is somewhat immaterial as long as you workout hard and put in maximal effort. If you don’t have an idea how to best workout you should look at one of our training programs and also start with this article to help you choose a workout that’s right for you!Workout By Body TypeOnce you get an idea of how to workout, it’s important to eat right.Protein is very important on a prohormone cycle.  No matter if you use natural andro or even the harsh chemically altered prohormones, it is important that you take a large amount of protein.  The minimum we suggest with any cycle is 100g per day.  This is a good amount to help you grow yet still manageable on the eating spectrum.  To give you an idea though, protein is hard to come by unless you drink shakes.  An egg has about 5-6g of protein, so to get 100g you would need to eat roughly 17-20 eggs per day.   Meat isn’t that much more dense.  Chicken, Steak and Pork have about 7-8g per ounce of lean cuts.  This means to get a full day, you would have to eat about 12.5 ounces of meat per day.  That’s not too bad, but can get pretty expensive and also inconvenient to eat throughout the day.  Shakes can add in a good mix of protein and also give you another tasty source of protein to consume during the day.  While it’s not necessary to drink protein shakes, they do give you a high dose of L-Leucine which can improve your amino acid profile when working out.  Shakes come in 20-30g scoops and can contain everything from zero carbs and fat (whey isolate) to night time protein for slow digestion (micellar casein) to high carb weight gainers. Depending on your goals and body type it is important to pick the right kind of shake and drink it during the day to help increase the amino acid profile. Amino acids can also help you increase your mass gains when you want to get an extra edge.  The best form of amino acids to combine with an andro cycle is BCAA or branched chain amino acids.  These are the primary amino acids used for building muscle and L-Leucine is king of the mass builders.  Also important are Arginine and Beta Alananine, but the big ones to take are BCAA’s.  These give you the most intense recovery while making a very anabolic environment. If you want to make sure you get the best gains in the gym with your prohormone cycle, its best to make sure to get the proper nutrients in the right amounts.  Water and protein are key to mass growth, so consume each one of them liberally!  

Spirulina: An Athletes Best Friend

 Spirulina:  An Athletes Best FriendSpirulina is a bule-green algae that has been named the new trendy superfood.  This is not surprising as it seems like those pop up every week.  But this stuff could be the real deal.  See my Spirulina 101 article for more.  In this article, however, I will address it’s rumored muscle building effect based on a Sao Paulo State University study in Brazil.  Lets get one thing straight, this stuff smells like…..well…..dirty….well….I don’t want to offend any women in the audience.  Let’s just say, it smells like shit.  Before you get too excited about the possible muscle building properties of this algae, remember this: you have to eat somewhere around 60g of this stuff to get around 42g of protein.  It is 62-65% protein, but it IS NOT pleasant.  The best way to mask this stuff is in smoothies or with OJ.These Brazilian researchers are saying the spirulina may even be better for your muscles than casein (slow digesting dairy protein).  This is quite interesting for us athletes considering casein has been a strategic source of protein for those looking to build muscle by optimizing digestive timing.  The Brazilians did the trials with 30-day-old rats.  By the time the trial ended, the rats were 90 days old (which in rat years means they are adults).They divided the animals into two groups.Group 1:  These rats were given a diet where the protein, which was 70% of the energy intake, came from casein protein.Group 2: These rats were given spirulina as their source of protein in place of the casein. Figure 1After the study was done, the researchers noticed a couple differences in the two groups.  Production of muscle protein in the soleus (see figure 2) was actually higher in group 2, the ones eating spirulina. (see figure 1) Figure 2In the gastrocnemius, which is another part of the calf muscle, group 2 also built more myosin, which is the protein that is known for generating force or otherwise called, “motor proteins.” (see figure 3)However, they did not look at how much more muscle the group 2 rats built, if any.   They measured the ratio of fat, water, and protein between the two groups and there was no different noticed.  Large organs can also mean more protein, so it is hard to say if Group 2 had more muscle or not.Does this mean you need to go to your latest health food store and stock up?  Or steal spirulina out of your local fish store?  Not quite.  Save the looting for when ESPN reports that Lebron James is officially better than MJ.  To say anything about the anabolic effect of spirulina, one would have to either weigh the rat’s muscles or measure the nitrogen retained in the two groups.Animal protein is still the holy grail of muscle building because the amino acids match human amino acid requirements.  And, lets not forget, it tastes good.  I’m a big fan of spirulina, but the jury is still out on whether I can ditch my protein powder and start scraping my fish tank.Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18807105

An analog of methamphetamine in mania?

The mania is a pre-workout made by the sports supplement company led supplement.  It has recently been pulled from shelves for sale retail as a precaution laboratories reports began arising.  The reports are accusing the craze to contain an analogue of amphetamine which is used as a recreational drug and has never before been used in humans.  Always researched by Harvard Medical School, the FDA, the RIVM in the Netherlands and South Korea National Forensic service were involved in the shooting down of the hobby.What initially led to these studies were reported in the WADA.  The WADA reported that hunters discovered doping analogues of methamphetamine in the tested athletes than ever had seen in previous anti-doping tests.  Each of the athletes who were captured came clean about his use of the mania.  After all, it was legal and presumed harmless.  The researchers then went to buy some tubs of hobby and proceeded to analyze the contents in their laboratories.Mania disclosed some analogues of beta-phenylethylamine, which is a stimulating soft common permissionevent in many common foods, including chocolate.  Had a very peculiar substance that raised suspicions, however; N, N-Diethyl-phenylethylamine.  The companies are not regulated by the FDA and are very good to add amphetamines or other stimulants and them listed as a peculiar name on the label of nutrition supplements from underground.  The researchers believe that the list 'N, N-Diethyl-phenylethylamine' is actually N, Alpha-di-ethylphenylethylamine.  If this proves true, then in fact led sports include an analog of amphetamine in the product.If you were to attach a methyl Beta-phenylethylamine group, you can protect the substance of enzymes and therefore increase the stimulant activity.  So that what has happened is the harmless compound becomes amphetamine drug Street.  If a group more methyl is attached, then you get methamphetamine, also known as "Meth".  The substance that researchers found in mania was one that has been created by joining two groups (not methyl) ethyl to beta-phenylethylamine.  N, is called Alpha-di-ethylphenylethylamine.No research has been done on humans.  In fact, it was the only research carried out with this compound in animals.  Knoll Pharmaceuticals patented in 1988 and considered marketing as a stimulant.  Knoll calculated that the effective human dose should be around 10-150 mg and most suitable be 30mgs.  Interestingly, when the researchers measured the amount of the drug in mania, it turned out to be between 21 and 35mgs per tablespoon.  Iiiiiiinteresting.Driven Sports has announced that this substance naturally occurring Orchid dendrobium and mania includes extracts from this plant.  This sounds very similar to the case of Jack3d a year ago.  Plant "extracts" always seem to be going to companies in hot water.  The researchers say that it is highly unlikely that mania contains these extracts causing a dose such a measure.  Below is a quote from them.  Stay safe my friends.Source: testing and analysis. Article published online: 14 October 2013. DOI: 10.1002/dta.1578.

Mr Olympia 2013: Future Mr. O at only 3 years pro

 Roelly on the Rise A small island named Curacao sits in the southern wakes of the Caribbean Sea.  Off the coast of Venezuela, Curacao spans only 40 miles from the southeast corner to the northwest tip.  This island is considered to be one of the best islands to live on in the world.  The “Dutch Beast” was born here; on an island most would call paradise.  Wait a second.  “Dutch Beast” doesn’t really make much sense when it comes to describing the dark skinned, muscle bound islander.  Here’s a little geography lesson for all those who were confused as I was.  Curacao is a Dutch island that is actually part of the Netherlands Antilles.  One thing is for sure; this island breeds some pretty big boys.  Roelly Winlaar happens to be massive, and he sports what some call the best set of arms in the world.The 2013 Mr. Olympia qualified the most impressive set of bodybuilding athletes in history.  There are crowd favorites like Kai Greene, Jay Cutler and Phil Heath.  And there are old school vets like Victor Martinez, Branch Warren, and Dennis Wolf.  The massively muscled Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay is sure to make his mark as well.  What kind of room does this leave Roelly Winlaar, a pro since only late 2009?The Dutch Beast’s first professional competition was in 2010 at the IFBB Arnold Classic.  He went up against incredible competition and still snagged a respectable 7th place finish.  2010 was big for Roelly.  He placed third at the Australia Pro Grand Prix and pummeled the competition in the IFBB New York Pro placing first place.  This guy came out of nowhere.  He was a bit of a late starter, competing in his first pro competition at 33.2011 brought a couple 2nd place finishes and a discouraging 9th place at the NYP, losing his crown that he held from the year before.  But there is something special about this guy and people are predicting a top 6 finish at the upcoming Mr. O.  Shit, he moved here from paradise island to throw weights around and eat chicken and rice so he must be on to something!  He “grows every time we see him,” says Mike Salazar, author from Flex magazine.  One thing that helps the older competitors is muscle density and quality.  With age comes grey hair, Hawaiian collared shirts, and dense muscles.  We like the dense muscles part so we will ignore the rest.  Roelly is beefy beast off season at 280lbs.  Keep an eye out for Roelly making an impact in the top tier this year.  He should be coming in at 5ft 6” and a chiseled stage ready 230lb frame.  His back is retarded and his arms are in a world of their own and will rival last years champion, Phil Heath.

Bigger Calves in 30 Days

I am writing this article out of frustration.  For me, calves have been the hardest muscle to grow out of any individual muscle on my frame.   The genetic gods have cursed me.  The only thing that has come out the past fifteen years of calf training has been veins….more and more veins.  My legs are veiny as shit.  But the mass just wouldn’t come.  I have tried everything.   I have tried working them everyday, supersets, once per week, twice per week, heavy weight, light weight, high reps, low reps, seated, standing, sprinting, etc.  All of my frustration and countless hours of calf training have led me to this:  SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS!  And it works in only around 15min/day.  Read and follow the workout listed below and you will put on ¼-1” on your calves in 30 days.  If mine can grow, yours can grow too.First of all, you need to do something that the calves are not used to.  They are a very unique muscle in that we use them all day every day while walking, standing, and driving.  They are used to performing high repetition movements, so lets just throw that idea out the window now.  High reps = bad for calve growth.  The calf raise is a great exercise that really isolates the calf muscle.  We need to incorporate muscle isolation, with time under tension and an unfamiliar movements.What I have found, under direct recommendation from people that I respect in the sport, is that the calves respond great to heavy weight and constant tension.  We are not giving this motion to the calves all day so they are not used to performing in this way.  Warm up, and lets get going.Load the standing calf raise machine with heavy weight.Stand on the balls of your feet in the “tiptoe” position and hold it.All we are doing is contracting the muscle and holding it until it fails.  THAT’S IT.Make sure that you are connecting your thoughts with the flexion of the calf muscle.  When your mind starts to wander, bring it back to focusing on contracting the muscle as hard as you can.Hold that position for as long as you can.  Usually your hips will fail first as they start shaking and wobbling.When you start shaking, keep holding.  When it burns, keep holding.  This is when you know you are tapping into something that the body hasn’t seen before.  This is when the real work starts.Perform 4-5 sets of these 4-5xs per week at the end of each workout.  It shouldn’t take but 10-15min at the most.  You can use this idea for seated calf raises as well, although I do not find it as effective.  Try rotating your stance with pointing your toes inward and outward to get both heads of the calf. If you haven’t trained calves in a while, do not start with this.  You will not be able to walk if you train this way with untrained calf muscles.Train hard and train consistent!  Leave me a comment after you give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Cutting Prohormones

 People often want to know what is the best prohormone for a certain goal.  One of the biggest goals is to cut fat while maintaining muscle and this article will outline the best prohormones on the market for doing just that and why each hormone has its advantages.First off, there is no supplement that is going to make a difference without a good diet and exercise program.  Cutting requires you be in a calorie deficit yet still maintain a good amount of protein to be able to build (or at least not lose) muscle during your cut.   Your exercise program should be geared to higher rep and less weight compared to a bulking program.  If you need more information on a good diet plan and exercise program, you can check out these articles.  While we won’t detail an exact meal plan or exercise program (you can thank the lawyers for that one), these articles will give you some good ideas.Workout For Your Body TypeFoods For Bodybuilders At Mind and Muscle we only sell natural andro prohormones and there are definite differences between the grey market chemically altered steroids on the market and our natural andro prohormones.  We put each manufacturer through a 6 point quality check to ensure that you are only getting legal prohormones that are legal with the FDA and DEA.  Unfortunately, some people may be being illegal grey market or black market steroids online and fail a drug test with no recourse.  Grey market steroids are bad for you and require liver protectants and may do serious cardiovascular damage.  Legal andro prohormones are reasonably safe when used by men over 21 and don’t show any of the serious toxicity of the chemically altered ones.If you want to use a cutting prohormone or a cutting stack (called a cycle) here are the things you will need to know.Use hormones that don’t convert to estrogen at all – estrogen is useful for bulking but on a cut you want no part of it!You don’t need cycle support – natural andro prohormones don’t require liver protection.  If you are prone to hairloss then maybe use a product like SUPERCYCLE from AMS, but it’s not necessaryNot all prohormones work the same for each person – this is why you stack, but you may have to try a couple of prohormones before you find the one that works best for youYou can stack two or more prohormones together for an additive effect  1+1=3For Post Cycle Therapy you should have a supplement with an aromatase inhibitor like 3,5-diene-7,17-dione and some testosterone boosting herbs like ginger, stinging nettle or othersHere are the top compounds on the market for cutting.  Make no mistake, these are real prohormones and they are best used for men over 21 ONLY!Epiandrosterone – this is a precursor to DHT that helps cut fat and increase aggression in the gym while making you horny as hell1-Androsterone – this adds more strength than Epiandrosterone but isn’t as likely to have hair loss and it will also put more mass on you17a-hydroxy-5a-pregnane-3,20-dione – this is very similar to epiandro in cutting effects but does not have any aggression or sexual effects11-keto-androstenedione (11-OXO) – this is a mildly androgenic prohormone that is also a good cortisol inhibitor, thus it will help you cut without being hard on the hair.That’s it for cutting compounds.  I picked only the most conservative compounds that won’t bloat you at all, so the list is rather short, but it’s a good solid list.  You can combine any of them to make a great cutting stack, but here are a couple cycles I like:EpiAndrosterone + 11-keto-androstenedione = this mix cuts cortisol and also increases DHT (which is good for burning fat).  It will make you strong as hell and give you good sexual stamina.  Take 4-6 doses of Epiandrosterone per day and 300-400mg of 11-OXO add in your PCT and perhaps some BCAA’s on cycle and you are all set.1-Androsterone + 11-keto-androstenedione – good strength and mass gains while cutting cortisol.  Take 4-6 doses of 1-Androsterone per day and 300-400mg of 11-OXO per day with PCT and BCAA’s.17a-hydroxy-5a-pregnane-3,20-dione + 11-keto-androstenedione – almost no side effects at all from my theories and a good combination of leaning out plus strength.  Same thing, add in PCT and BCAA’s.

Spirulina 101

Spirulina 101Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is 62-65% protein.  Blue-green algae are a plant-like organism that is usually found in salt water and a few fresh water lakes.  Most of the time they will be found in tropical and subtropical waters with high salt content.  Most of the spirulina produced now is grown in labs where conditions can be controlled (see Figure 1). It is used as a source of B-vitamins and iron as many blue-green algae’s are.  Spirulina is rich in B-vitamins, beta-carotene, manganese, zinc, iron, copper, vitamin E, selenium, and gamma linoleic acid, which is an essential fatty acid. Figure 1Blue-green algae have been used for many medical conditions but there is lacking scientific evidence on whether or not they are effective for humans.  They have been used for ADHD, hay fever, diabetes, weight loss (has not proven to be effective), stress, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and PMS.  Improving memory, increasing energy, lowering cholesterol, speeding up healing, and improving digestion are a few other uses to add to the promising list.Studies in animals suggest that spirulina may have anticancer, antiviral, and immune system boosting properties.  It has also been show to help against allergic reactions in animals, stopping the release of histamines, the very culprits that cause allergy symptoms.  There has been one controlled study where taking spirullina reduced precancerous lesions, called leukoplasia, in tobacco chewers.  The lesions disappeared quicker in the spirulina group vs. the placebo.  Don’t go all wild wild west on us cowboys; more research is needed on this one.It’s not all fun in the sun, however.  Spirulina can contain microcystines, toxic metals, and harmful bacteria, which may be harmful to some people.  It is important that you purchase spirulina from a trusted manufacturer.There is not enough scientific information to determine dosing protocols.  I have been using it at 5g’s per day great success.  I don’t think I could stomach anymore.  This stuff smells absolutely awful and doesn’t taste too great either.It is available in a few forms.  Most people take in in pill or powder form but it can also be found as flakes (see Figure 2).  Spirulina Maxima from Mexico and Sprulina Platensis from California are the two most popular forms.  It is widely available and sold online from many trusted websites.  Spirulina may contain toxins and bacteria so please use with caution.  Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not risk it.  Just to be safe, talk with your health care provider before taking this stuff. Figure 2The main problem with spirulina and other blue green algae is there is not enough hard data to prove the vastly claimed health benefits are legitament.  There aren’t many dosing protocols and big commercialized success stories.  I am not completely sold, but I am getting there.  My experience with spirulina has been promising.  I eat 5g per day with a smoothie that also includes around 2 cups of Kale, Greek yogurt, frozen berries, whole milk, and 1/2c oats.  It has been over a year since I have been sick and I used to get a cold at least every other month.  Let me give you some advice:  THIS STUFF IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.  Frankly, it’s gross.  Through much trial and error, I have found the best way to mask the taste is with orange juice or in a smoothie.Sources: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/spirulina-000327.htm            http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/923.html