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Bodybuilding (Muscle Growth)

Regardless of your sex or background, shapely, well-defined muscles are bodily status symbols indicative of not just sex appeal, but of overall well being. A muscular body cannot only make you look good, it can make you healthier. Some of the non-vanity-related effects that have been found to accrue from weight lifting exercise include:

· less likelihood of the muscle wasting that occurs with aging.

· improved general cardiovascular health.

· reduced likelihood of becoming overweight.

· improved quality of sleep.

· reduced risk of osteoporosis.

· reduced risk of depression.

Training with weights initially stimulates a condition known as catabolism (tissue breakdown) but this is followed by the magic of anabolism (muscle enlargement). For most people, weight training should comprise sets of six to twelve repetitions each.

Most of the herbs, foods and supplements mentioned in this section only exert their effects on muscle growth when they are used in conjunction with weight-bearing exercise (bodybuilding). The therapies mentioned in this list contribute to muscle growth via some or all of the following mechanisms:

· Providing the proteins that your muscles need to incorporate into new muscle growth initiated by bodybuilding.

· Increasing levels of anabolic hormones (such as testosterone) and growth factors (such as human growth hormone) that signal muscle cells to grow in response to bodybuilding.

· Inhibiting the activity of or lowering levels of catabolic hormones that break down and destroy muscles.

· Making your existing muscles stronger, allowing you to lift heavier weights in order to stimulate greater muscle growth.

The following are suggested therapies that may enhance muscle growth in bodybuilders:

Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)

Rationale:

Supplemental BCAAs, when used in conjunction with weight lifting exercise facilitate muscle growth. This occurs from BCAAs helping to minimize the body’s need to destroy BCAAs that are already in muscles during weight lifting exercise by providing an alternate source of BCAAs. By preventing the destruction (catabolism) of BCAAs from muscles, muscle BCAA levels are preserved and muscle growth is not impaired. In addition, a clinical study has confirmed the ability of supplemental BCAAs to increase muscle strength in bodybuilders.

Dosage:

6,000 - 18,000 mg per day.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA):

Rationale:

CLA exerts anabolic and anti-catabolic actions that facilitate muscle growth and inhibit muscle loss. It increases the transport of glucose, proteins and fatty acids into muscle tissue and increases nitrogen retention (a biomarker of increased muscle protein synthesis). In addition CLA has been found to increase muscle strength in bodybuilders.

In one study, rats fed a diet high in conjugated linoleic acid experienced a 5% to 14% increase in muscle mass.

Two human studies that have investigated CLA’s effects on muscle growth have found that CLA increases muscle mass by 5%.

Dosage:

6,000 - 8,000 mg per day.

Colostrum:
(Bovine Colostrum)

Rationale:

Colostrum is used by bodybuilders to enhance their muscle growth. Bovine colostrum contains an important growth factor named insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) that is known to stimulate muscle growth.

A recent controlled clinical trial on the effects of liquid colostrum supplementation by athletes found that colostrum supplementation during training resulted in higher IGF-1 levels than those observed in control subjects. This is an important finding for athletes as IGF-1, present in colostrum, is known to exhibit anabolic effects on muscle tissue.

Dosage:

6,000 - 12,000 mg per day.

Glutamine:

Rationale:

Glutamine is useful for bodybuilders for a number of reasons:

It may contribute to muscle growth by contributing the synthesis of new protein (anabolism) in muscles and by increasing the release of human growth hormone. Glutamine is also proposed to reduce the rate of catabolism of muscle tissue.

In rats, intracellular muscle glutamine levels have been shown to correlate with the synthesis of new protein in skeletal muscle.

Glutamine also helps to reduce the muscle pain experienced after weight lifting and to reduce the suppression of the immune system after intensive workouts.

Dosage:

3,000 - 8,000 mg per day.

OKG:
(Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglutarate)

Rationale:

OKG facilitates muscle growth in bodybuilders via several mechanisms. It improves the body’s nitrogen balance; increases plasma levels of arginine and proline; increases the release of human growth hormone and insulin (anabolic hormones); reduces the loss of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) from muscles; and increases the concentration of glutamine in the muscles of those who engage in weight lifting exercise. It therefore produces both anabolic and anti-catabolic effects.

In addition OKG helps to remove the additional ammonia - a cause of muscle fatigue - that is produced during weight lifting exercise.

Dosage:

5,000 - 10,000 mg per day.

Whey Protein:

Rationale:

Whey protein helps bodybuilders to maximize their muscle growth. One of the keys to increasing muscle growth is improving nitrogen retention in the muscles. Nitrogen retention from whey protein is believed to be sixteen times that of free amino acids and twice that of whole food. It also increases the body’s levels of a growth factor (IGF-1) that stimulates muscle growth.

Dosage:

20 - 25 grams per day.

Creatine Monohydrate:

Rationale:

Creatine monohydrate facilitates muscle growth in bodybuilders. This occurs from creatine increasing levels of a compound named creatine phosphate in the muscles, resulting in enhanced synthesis of muscle proteins such as actomyosin.

Scientific studies have demonstrated that bodybuilders using creatine monohydrate typically gain twice as much muscle mass during four to twelve weeks of weight-lifting exercise compared to subjects receiving a placebo.

Dosage:

5,000 mg (5 grams) per day.

Until 1997, it was generally believed that creatine monohydrate supplementation was not effective unless a “kick start” dosage of 20 - 30 grams per day was used prior to a daily maintenance dosage of up to 15 grams per day. During 1996, Dr Paul Greenhaff (widely recognized as the world’s most knowledgeable Creatine researcher) showed that creatine monohydrate supplementation is equally effective when used at a continuous daily dosage of 5 grams per day.

Tribulus terrestris:

Rationale:

Tribulus terrestris may be of assistance to bodybuilders seeking to maximize their muscle growth. Although this has not yet been tested in scientific studies, the likely effect involves Tribulus terrestris stimulating the production of a hormone named luteinising hormone. Luteinising hormone, in turn, signals the body to produce testosterone, a known “key player” in muscle growth and muscle strength.

Dosage:

750 - 1,500 mg per day

Vitamin E:

Rationale:

Vitamin E counteracts the damage inflicted on the body during weight lifting exercise.

Strenuous exercise significantly increases the production of free radicals that can damage DNA. Supplementing with vitamin E for at least two weeks prior to engaging in weight lifting has been found to prevent all of the damage to DNA that would be expected to occur in vitamin E’s absence.

Weight lifters who over train experience impairment in their immune system function, making them more prone to bacterial and viral diseases. Vitamin E helps to prevent this impairment in immune system function and therefore helps to eliminate the increased risk of bacterial, viral and fungal infections that otherwise plague bodybuilders who over train.

Weight lifting exercise can cause inflammation and damage to skeletal muscle. Vitamin E counteracts this damage, which results in a reduction of muscle cramps and muscle pain that often occurs after weight lifting.

In addition, vitamin E improves stamina in bodybuilders by enhancing respiration in heart and muscle cells. It therefore permits these cells to survive on less oxygen resulting in increased stamina.

Dosage:

400 - 1,200 IU per day.

Magnesium:

Rationale:

A significant proportion (26%) of the body’s total magnesium content is concentrated in the muscles where its role is to ensure that sufficient oxygen is delivered to the muscles. It is also required for muscle movement and for the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles.

A 1992 clinical trial found that the use of supplemental magnesium in conjunction with weight lifting increased muscle strength to a greater extent than strength training alone.

Other evidence indicates that magnesium deficiency can be one of the underlying causes of muscle weakness.

Dosage:

200 - 600 mg per day.

Chromium:

Rationale:

Chromium facilitates muscle growth in bodybuilders. Various studies have indicated that chromium increases lean body mass and decreases the percentage of body fat in people who perform weight lifting exercise.

In one human trial it was found that 200 mcg of chromium picolinate per day for 72 days caused an average gain in lean body mass of 0.54% and 400 mcg per day for 72 days caused an average gain in lean body mass of 0.68% in subjects who did not currently undertake weight-lifting exercise: This suggests that use of chromium picolinate combined with isotonic exercise would further enhance muscle growth.

The mechanism for chromium facilitating muscle growth is believed to be via its ability to enhance the actions and effects of insulin (a known anabolic hormone). Supplemental chromium has also been found to increase muscle strength in bodybuilders.

Dosage:

200 - 400 mcg of the chromium picolinate form of chromium per day.

Calcium:

Rationale:

Calcium facilitates muscle growth in athletes.

In one study basketball payers who were given supplemental calcium carbonate or calcium citrate recorded a 3.2% increase in muscle mass after 12 months compared to a 1.2% increase in muscle mass in control subjects.

It is likely that other forms of calcium would also be effective.

Dosage:

600 - 1,000 mg per day.

Sarsaparilla:

Rationale:

Although poorly studied, there are some claims that sarsaparilla contributes to muscle growth. The possible mechanism for this effect is that sarsaparilla contains several steroid-like constituents (e.g. sarsapogenin) that may enhance your body’s production of testosterone (a known facilitator of muscle growth). It should be stressed that this use of sarsaparilla is purely speculative and that there is no scientific evidence yet for this use of sarsaparilla.

Dosage:

1,500 - 3,000 mg per day (using sarsaparilla capsules/tablets).

3 - 6 ml per day (using sarsaparilla 1:2 fluid extract or tincture).

References

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)

· Shimomura, Y., et al. Exercise promotes BCAA catabolism: effects of BCAA supplementation on skeletal muscle during exercise. Journal of Nutrition. 134(6):1583S-1587S, 2004.

Chromium

· Kaats, G. R., et al. Effects of chromium picolinate supplementation on body composition: A randomized double masked, placebo-controlled study. Curr Ther Res. 57:747-756, 1996.

Colostrum

· Antonio, J., et al. The effects of bovine colostrum supplementation on body composition and exercise performance in active men and women. Nutrition. 17:243-247, 2001.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

· Lowery, L. M., et al. Conjugated linoleic acid enhances muscle size and strength gains in novice bodybuilders. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 30(5):S182, 1998.

Creatine Monohydrate

· Volek, J. S., et al. Performance and muscle fiber adaptations to creatine supplementation and heavy resistance training. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 31(8):1147-1156, 1999.

Glutamine

· Roth, E., et al. Glutamine: An anabolic effecter. J Parent Ent Nutr. 14(4 Supplement):1305-1365, 1990.

Magnesium

· Brilla, L. R., et al. Effect of magnesium supplementation on strength training in humans. J Am Coll Nutr. 11(3):326-329, 1992.

Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (OKG

· Brocker, P., et al. A two-centre, randomized, double blind trial of ornithine oxoglutarate in 194 elderly, ambulatory, convalescent subjects. Age Aging. 23:303-306, 1994.

Tribulus terrestris

· ADAM. Nutrition Care Practitioner Manual Edition 4. 2001:1-2.

Vitamin E

· McBride, J. M., et al. Effect of resistance exercise on free radical production. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 30:67-72, 1998.

Whey Protein

· Staff of the Colgan Institute. Sports seminar hits the latest. Muscular Development Fitness Health. 34(1):32, 1997.

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