Is Your Protein Powder Toxic?
I just posted up the second part of my Bodybuilding Supplement Video Review Guide below:
One of the main issues that I cover in this video is with regards to protein powder safety. Especially with the recent uproar over certain protein powders containing toxic levels of Heavy Metals.
This is a serious topic and it has a lot of bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts concerned about whether or not they should stop drinking protein supplements all together!
This is something that you really NEED to watch right now, especially if you are consuming protein supplements on a regular basis.
After you watch the video, please leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear your feedback about this…
Bodybuilding Supplements Guide
Are you confused and unsure what to take when it comes to muscle building and fat loss supplements? If so, then welcome to the club because I’m confused about supplements as well. In fact I think if anyone tells you that they AREN’T confused about supplements, either they couldn’t care less about them, or they are lying and won’t let their egos admit that they are confused.
I mean every month there are new products hitting the market, some new weird and wonderful anabolic concoction that’s promised to be the long lost secret to achieving the ripped muscular body of your dreams. Or some new loss super duper fat loss diet loss pill that will melt the fat off you quicker then a stick of butter in a red hot frying pan.
And these supplements can be tempting. Especially when you read the glossy full page magazine ads with all the scientific jargon, and the picture of some jacked up muscle dude claiming that he built his body as a direct result of taking “Supplement X”. Then to top it off they’ll stick a picture in the background of a guy dressed as a doctor with a stethoscope around his neck and a clipboard in his hand to make the whole thing seem “official”.
I mean with all that stuff being heavily promoted in an internationally published bodybuilding magazine, how can one not help but to be a little intrigued about this magic muscle building breakthrough miracle that they are selling.
Now before you think that I’m just going to go on a big “Anti-Supplement” rant, I’m NOT. I actually do use and whole heartedly believe there are huge benefits to taking certain supplements. But what I don’t like is the deceptive tactics and BS that most supplement companies use when promoting their products.
My goal with this video is to help you become a more educated consumer so that you don’t fall prey to the lies and misconceptions that greedy supplement marketers use to trick you out of your hard earned money. I also want to help you make intelligent supplement choices that will move you closer to achieving the lean muscular physique you desire. Rather then just getting a lean wallet, which is all most people end up with when buying supplements.
Part 1:
Part 2:
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Note: I need your help with creating Part 2 of this video…
Please leave me a comment letting me know exactly what are YOUR biggest questions with regards to bodybuilding supplements. It could be anything from fat burners, muscle builders, weight gainers, protein, creatine, pre and post workout nutrition, or whatever…
It’s your call, just leave me comment below with your “biggest supplement questions”. I’ll be reading through all the comments and I’ll be sure to include information about the most common supplement questions and concerns in my future video presentations.
all the best,
Lee
Should You Take Protein Shakes?
To Use Protein or Not Use Protein… That is the question…
Everyday I get tons of questions from my followers about protein supplements such as…
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- Should I have protein shakes? - Are protein supplements safe? - Are protein shakes necessary? - Will protein damage my kidneys? - Can I just eat high protein food? - Is it ok for a teenager to take protein? - When should I take protein? - What’s the best kind of protein? - Do I take protein before or after my workouts? - Will protein stunt my growth? - Should I mix protein with water or milk? - Will protein shrink my dick / balls? - Does protein powder contain steroids? - And on, and on, and on… |
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Those are just a handful of the many frequently asked protein related questions that I get asked on a regular basis.
First off, for all the absurd questions; like if protein will stunt your growth, shrink your junk, or if it contains steroids… The answer is NO to all of the above. Those are just stupid BS myths that get spread around by people who don’t have a clue what their talking about.
As for the questions with regards to protein’s safety, I think most of these come from concerned, but mis-informed parents, who are just looking out for their kids. But the fact is that protein powders are just natural food supplements. For example, whey protein, egg protein, vegetable protein, etc. So protein powder is just as safe as eating the natural foods themselves. And using protein supplements is safe for everyone; men, women, and teens.
Another common myth is that protein is bad for your kidneys and again that’s totally false. There has never been a single study what so ever that has shown a high protein diet causes kidney damage. Only people who already have pre-existing kidney problems need to be concerned with keeping their protein in check, and that’s something that would be looked after by a doctor. But again high protein foods & protein supplements Do NOT cause kidney problems to begin with.
Alright, so now that we’ve got the safety issues covered and we know protein is “safe” to consume. Now we need to cover the “why” questions.
Why use protein supplements in the first place?
Why not just eat high protein foods?
Well, you could and you should. There is nothing wrong with eating high protein foods. The only problem comes in with cost and convince.
Most typical bodybuilding diets require that you consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily, spaced out over 6 meals. Now if you have the time to cook, prepare, and eat 6 high protein food meals per day go for it. This will certainly help meet your protein intake needs.
The problem for most people is that we have a life outside the kitchen. So we either work, go to school, etc. and it makes it difficult to get in 6 high protein food meals each day. This is where protein supplements can help big time. You can simply mix them up in a shaker bottle and take them with you where ever you go and have a liquid high protein meal on the run. It’s harder to this with high protein foods like meat, chicken, fish, eggs, etc.
Another issue to consider is the cost. While most people look at protein supplements and think they are “expensive”, they are actually cheaper when you at the big picture. Sure a 5 pound tub of protein powder is about $50 bucks (depending on where you live and the brand you buy). But you are getting 1600+ grams of pure protein from that 5 pound container. If you were to buy that much protein from lean beef, you’d have to buy about 20 pounds, and even at just $5 per pound it would cost you twice as much money on a gram for gram basis as buying the same amount of protein from protein powder.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should give up solid food protein and just live on supplements. But by including supplements in your diet you can make consuming a high protein diet much easier, and cheaper as well.
Ok, so we’ve established the basics here about protein safety and why we should use it. In my next blog post I’m going to cover the best times that you should have a protein shake.
So you can click on the link below to go check that out right now at:
What Is The Best Time To Have A Protein Shake?
Caffeine Increases Testosterone…
Looking for a pre-workout energy boost that can also help jack up your natural testosterone levels? Well just reach for a cup of Joe before you hit the gym!
Bodybuilders and athletes have been know to use caffeine (i.e. caffeine pills, energy drinks, coffee, etc.) prior to training to help increase mental focus, energy levels, and workout intensity. Basically it gives you a good swift kick in the arse before hitting the gym, we all need one of those from time to time.
But the caffeine is doing more than just increasing energy…
It is also increasing testosterone levels! New Zealand researchers have found that taking caffeine induced higher blood levels of testosterone during weight training.
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And of course we all know that higher levels of testosterone helps with muscle growth, recovery, reducing bodyfat, building strength, and increasing sex drive.
I’ve always drank a cup of black coffee prior to my workouts for the energy boost, but now it appears that the caffeine may also be helping build more muscle mass due to increased testosterone levels. A nice added perk if you ask me! |
(Note: this study was published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition Exercise Metabolism 18: 131-141, 2008)
Does Acai Berry Really Work?
I posted up a whole rant about Acai Berry on my old blog back in November. But I’m still getting several e-mail on a daily basis from guys asking me: “Does Acai Berry Really Work?”
So that’s why I’m sharing this info again here. Please read it and then forward it on to your friends so they don’t get caught in the scam. Below this post there is a share button that will allow you share this with your facebook friends and twitter followers. I encourage you to share this post, after all if we can prevent just one person from getting scammed out of their money then it will be well worth it!
So without further delay, I shall answer the question below…
“Does Acai Berry Really Work?”
I’m sure that if you have surfed the Internet at all over the last few months you must have seen these Acai Berry banner ads plastered everywhere. Usually with the headline: “How I got ripped in 4 weeks…” or something along those lines along with a “before” and “after” picture of some dude who is jacked and in awesome shape.
And you know what…
These ads can be tempting. I mean when I first seen those banners myself I had to click on them and go check it out to see what it was all about. But anytime I see an ad hyping up a supplement I always put on my BS detector. After all when it comes to supplements if they are legit and work, you’ll hear about it from real world feedback. NOT from an advertisement.
After all… anyone who has an iota of sense knows that there is no other way to build a muscular physique than busting your butt in the gym on a consistent basis. If anyone (or any advertisement) tries to tell you otherwise they are full of sh!t.
By the way, Acai Berry is nothing more then some over priced, over hyped fruit. In fact you could go and eat a handful of blueberries and get more anti-oxidants and health benefits. I don’t think you would ever be so naive as to think you are going to get big and ripped eating blueberries… Well, Acai Berries are no different.
Now the fact that these ads (which are plastered everywhere) are out right lying and being dishonest about a Bull Sh!t product and trying to scam people out of there money is pretty bad…
But that’s not the worst of it…
ACAI BERRY IS A FRIGGEN SCAM!!! STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM IT!!!
It’s bad enough that they are selling a BS product, but to tarnish the image of honest people with their scam just makes my blood boil.
In fact the Better Business Bureau has received literally thousands upon thousands of complaints from consumers. And they have released a statement warning everyone to be wary of any website offering acai berry-related products.
Unfortunately, law enforcement officials have yet to catch up to these rogue operators because they operate in foreign countries and they don’t provide any contact information or anyway to get in touch with them. But sooner or later they will get caught, it’s only a matter of time, and when they do you can bet they are going to face some heavy fraud charges and hopefully some serious jail time as well.
If you want to read more about the acai berry scam just check out this article on CTV News at:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090323/acai_090323/20090323
Please use the share / save button below to pass this along to your friends, you’ll be doing them a favor! You can send it to your facebook friends, tweet it to your twitter followers, e-mail it, etc.
Supplements To Help Relieve Joint Pain Naturally
Do you have problems with sore joints, tendinitis, etc.? Overtime weight training can put a lot of stress on your joints, tendons, and ligaments. This can really slow down your workouts and progress in the gym.
The joints most often affected are the weight bearing joints, such as the knees, elbows, hips, and the small joints of the hands. The pain in these joints is the result of cartilage damage, the main reason being the cumulative effects of years of use of the joints compounded by the inability to restore joint cartilage.
The current treatment for joint pain includes the use of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen. These medications provide only the short term benefits in the relief of both the pain and inflammation.
There is a natural substance found in high concentrations in our joint structures known as Glucosamine. Numerous double blind studies have shown that Glucosamine produces better results in the treatment of joint pain than traditional drug therapy.
The main function of glucosamine is to stimulate the manufacture of substances necessary for joint repair. Glucosamine is a well tolerated, natural treatment. There have been no reported adverse reactions. In rare instances, some gastric discomfort was reported but was easily relieved by taking the supplement with food.
For the past few years I have been supplementing with a Glucosamine, Chondroitin & MSM supplement and I find that it works great! I used to frequently have pain in my elbows, knees, and shoulders. But after a couple weeks of taking the supplement I haven’t had any problems with joint pain. And I have been able to train harder and lift heavier weights. I highly recommend it for anyone who suffers from joint pain.
You can get Glucosamine, Chondroitin & MSM supplement at most any drug store or supplement store.
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