Examining Leucine and the use of BCAAs for Fitness
Branched chain amino acids, better known as BCAA’s in the fitness world, play a pivotal role in strength and physique improvements. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and BCAA’s are essentially comprised of leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These amino acids make up about 1/3 of the skeletal muscle in the body. Serious bodybuilders supplement BCAA’s religiously to either pack on mass when bulking, or preserve mass when dieting. They are a very beneficial supplement to use since they can be used by the body as a fuel source, or aid in protein synthesis.
Perhaps the most pivotal amino acid in terms of muscle is leucine. Leucine has been proven to be the main contributor in promoting protein synthesis. Consequently, BCAA’s are often formulated in a ratio that results in leucine being the most prominent amino acid. Common ratios are 2:1:1, or even 4:1:1, of leucine: isoleucine: valine. An effective dose of leucine is 2.5 grams, which is usually included in these ratios, to make up a 5 gram serving. For example, for a 2:1:1 ratio, 2.5 grams of leucine, and 1.25 grams of both isoleucine and valine make up a 5 gram serving.
A good rule of thumb is to ingest a good deal of leucine around training. A proven method is to sip on a mixture throughout your workout, as well as with your post workout shake since this is the time your muscles are most susceptible to nutrients. Some people go as far as supplementing leucine between meals in order to stimulate and keep protein synthesis at its peak throughout the day.
Other than a quality BCAA or leucine supplement, a good source of leucine can be obtained from foods such as whey protein (contains the most of any food), red meats, eggs, and other dairy products.
If you are looking for a proven and effective way to pack on or preserve muscle, then leucine supplementation is a good choice. There are no side effects from leucine supplementation, except for the great possibility of a better body!
Top 5 Tips when Buying a Home Gym
A home gym can be one of the most costly of purchases of any piece of exercise equipment. Get the right one and you will have a friend for life: a faithful servant that will take any beating and grow and adapt to your fitness needs. Get it wrong and you’ll end up with an expensive, hulking mass of steel that takes up way too much room and fights you every step of the way.
Choosing a gym, whether it’s a Powertec, Tuff Stuff, Hoist, BodyCraft or Body Solid home gym, doesn’t have to be a difficult process if you following the following 5 tips.
Set your budget and stick to it
Mental well-being is more important than physical well-being. So, don’t put yourself under any financial stress. Buy what you can comfortably afford. If you can’t afford it then either wait until you can or make do with a bench and some weights until you can afford to buy your home gym. And never, never let a sales rep talk you into buying above your set limit, even if they’re offering some kind of ‘easy repayment plan’.
Be realistic and set your goals
This is important as defining your goals will define the kind of workouts and stations your gym should have, which ultimately determines what you’ll need to pay. Sure, we all want to have the best toned body in the State but be honest with yourself and determine what it is you realistically want to achieve. Do you require a gym for upper body workouts, leg strengthening, abs toning or general overall strength training? Make the list and search for the gym that best offers the features you need.
Think about your goals now but have an eye on the future
As your training regime, knowledge and experience grows over the months and years you’re using your gym you’ll almost certainly want to expand on the types of training you can perform. So, look at the add-ons or extensions that are on offer for each type of home gym you’re thinking of buying. If it comes ‘as is’ with no optional additions you want to be sure that you’re never going to need them. If the gym does come with extensions then ask about whether the optional extension (and home gym for that matter) will still be available to purchase in, say, five or ten years from now. Again, think about budget. Don’t feel pressured to buy optional extras if you can’t afford them. Do without for now and buy them when you are both physically and financial ready.
Don’t forget to ask about the warranty
It’s amazing how many buyers don’t know what the warranty is even after they’ve bought the product. Make knowing the warranty a top priority. Many good quality gyms now come with residential lifetime warranties on every part of the machine to the original owner: very impressive and reassuring though you usually do have to pay a high premium for such outstanding warranties.
And don’t forget about customer care either
Though this can be more problematic to know at time of purchase – after all, we only really get to know how good a company’s customer care service is only when there’s a problem – it’s definitely something you should try to get a feel for. So, ask the sales rep about the company’s customer care. Ask questions like, ‘what happens if the gym arrives damaged or parts are missing or something wears out during the warranty period?’ Also ask who actually deals with the customer support, the retailer or the manufacturer?
By following the five tips above you’ll make the buying process easier on yourself. If you have any doubts on any of these points then simply move on. Eventually you will find your perfect home gym, though you may not achieve that ‘perfect body’ you have in your mind’s eye.
Robert Mangan is the owner of www.fitnessLyceum.com an online retailer of fitness equipment were customer care is of paramount importance. The company retails America’s best brands at the lowest price possible.
5 Amazing Foods to Boost Your Metabolism
We all know that exercising boosts your metabolism. And exercise is good for us in a number of other ways, too. However, exercising takes time and effort. Those of us who have serious weight loss goals, or who are even trying to maintain a healthy weight, can’t exactly afford to exercise all day long in order to keep the metabolism up. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was something we could do to kick our metabolisms into high gear, without having to sweat it out at the gym? Fortunately, there is. And believe it or not, eating is the solution. Yes, eating Did you know there are things you can eat that actually work for your metabolism, rather than against it? Here are five amazing foods to boost your metabolism:
Hot peppers. Believe it or not, hot peppers can go a long way in boosting your body’s metabolism. That is because they contain a chemical called capsaicin, which has been found to trigger the release of your body’s stress hormones, thereby raising your metabolism.
Grapefruit. The grapefruit diet, which sounds ridiculous to some, is actually based on some realities about grapefruit. There is a chemical in grapefruit that is shown to reduce insulin (sugar) levels, which promotes weight loss, and increase your metabolism. Of course, it is not recommended that you eat grapefruit and only grapefruit . . . but it definitely makes a smart addition to a well-balanced diet.
Broccoli. Bet you when your parents told you to eat your greens, they didn’t exactly have weight loss in mind. Broccoli is high in calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and fiber – all things that help your body burn calories and lose weight.
Lean meat. Protein is a proven metabolism booster. Not only that, protein is the building block for muscle, and muscle is responsible for burning fat. Just remember to keep the “lean” in lean meat. Otherwise, you could be working against your body’s fat-burning process by just taking in more fat. Try white-meat turkey and chicken, or fish.
Oatmeal. This is a breakfast staple for body builders and fitness fanatics, and for good reason. Oatmeal is virtually fat-free, and is full of the good kind of carbohydrates. This gets your body revved up for calorie burning, and fills your tummy up so that you are not craving other, less advantageous foods.
As you can see, eating really can contribute to your weight loss goals. You just have to eat the right things. These foods are great for your metabolism, and chances are, most are already a part of your regular diet.
About the Author: Consuelo Erps studies nutrition and hopes to one day open his own gym. Make sure you talk to a personal trainer about workout plans for weight loss in addition to dietary changes. A combination of both will prove most effective.
