Full Moon…Time to Feast…I'm a Monster…IM A BEAST!!!

[NaturalPursuit]

REPOST from The Chef himself! Much appreciated Bob!


Oregon sues GNC for selling potentially unsafe ingredients

Oregon is suing GNC, accusing the dietary supplement retailer of selling products with ingredients that have not been approved for sale in the U.S. and may be unsafe.

The suit, filed by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum on Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, accuses the Pittsburgh-based retailer of knowingly selling products from third-party vendors that it knew or should have known contained illegal substances, some of which were mislabeled as dietary supplements.

The suit focuses on two ingredients: picamilon and BMPEA, neither of which is approved as a dietary supplements in the U.S.

According to the lawsuit, picamilon is a synthetic drug developed by researchers in the former Soviet Union. Though it's now a prescription drug used to treat a variety of neurological conditions in Russia, it has never been approved as a prescription or over-the-counter drug in the U.S.

Advocates for picamilon bill it as a wonder supplement and say its health benefits include improved energy, increased focus and decreased stress.

BMPEA is a chemical similar to amphetamine. According to the suit, it was first synthesized in the 1930s, but was never tested on humans.

What is BMPEA?
According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, BMPEA is a substance that does not meet the statutory definition of a dietary ingredient. BMPEA is also known as:
βMePEA
R-beta-methylphenethylamine
R-beta-methylphenethylamine HCl
Beta-methylphenethylamine
β-methylphenylethylamine
1-amino-2-phenylpropane
2-phenylpropan-1-amine
2-phenylpropylamine
alpha-benzylethylamine
1-phenyl-1-methyl-2-aminoethane
beta-methylbenzeneethanamine
beta-phenylpropylamine
2- phenyl-1-propanamine

According to a recent Forbes article about BMPEA, the compound is more likely to affect blood pressure than act as a stimulant. It is classified as a sympathomimetic drug, which mimics the effects of neurotransmitters, norepinephrine and epinephrine (adrenaline). Products containing the compound are sometimes sold as weight loss or performance-enhancing nutritional supplements.

A case study published in May found that a workout supplement called "Jacked Power" containing the compound was likely the cause of a 53-year-old Swedish woman's hemorrhagic stroke.

In April, the FDA sent warning letters to five companies asking them to stop selling supplements containing the compound.

The state's lawsuit also accuses GNC of selling products labeled as containing botanical acacia rigidula that had been spiked with unlabeled BMPEA.

According to statement from the Office of the Attorney General, thousands of products containing picamilon and BMPEA were sold in 25 GNC stores in Oregon from January 2013 to May 2015.

As of last fall, GNC had 6,500 U.S. retail locations.

The suit included a list of supplements sold by GNC since January 2013. Popular supplements that contained picamilon were Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, from manufacturer Prosupps USA. Popular supplements with BMPEA included Redline Ultra Hardcore and Meltdown from VPX Sports, Craze from Driven Sports and Fastin DMAA Free from Hi Tech Pharmaceuticals.

"It is scary to know that certain products sold by GNC contain an ingredient that is not even labeled -- let alone approved in the United States," said Attorney General Rosenblum in a statement. "When Oregonians buy a dietary supplement, they deserve to know that the ingredients in the products are safe and comply with the law."

GNC declined to comment, saying it does not comment on ongoing litigation.

GNC's shares plunged by 19 percent after the suit was filed. The price, $31.94 per share, marked the stock's 52-week low. Share prices recovered slightly to $34.50 at market close.

-- Anna Marum

[NaturalPursuit]

Bumped to the new page

Basketballs for shoulders so you're doing something right

I'm enjoying reading the studies you're posting

Haha trying to get them there and good man I'm glad! Not many people enjoy reading studies which I feel is a huge mistake

What have you found best to bring up your chest?

Tons and tons of benching and cable flys in every variation. Nothing had brought up my chest in the past but normal and close grip flat barbell as well as cable flys from every angle finally started to make it grow. Testing out dips to see if they will help…video below

Hey, why did your other thread get shut down?

Haha I have no clue. The admin just said I posted too many threads and I should keep my videos in here so I'll be keeping every update in here from now on!



HUGE superset this morning! Close grip benched 205x27 straight into dips +50 lbs x 31…FORCING these triceps to grow Beast Fitness​ style!

[willBstrong]

Here's the link fam: http://www.strengtheory.com/blood-fl...ccessory-work/

[nathangreen]

Enjoying all the higher frequency content! Keep it up!

I'm actually surprised you're seeing much progress from doing lateral raises with that technique. As I'm sure you know the supraspinatus is mainly involved in the first 15 degrees of shoulder abduction, with the deltoid taking over above that angle. You're ROM would seem to target the supraspinatus more so than the deltoid. Not trying to hate btw, because obviously its working for ya. More so curious from an anatomy viewpoint I guess.

[NaturalPursuit]

Here's the link fam: http://www.strengtheory.com/blood-fl...ccessory-work/

YOUR THE MAN! Going to read it now!

Enjoying all the higher frequency content! Keep it up!

I'm actually surprised you're seeing much progress from doing lateral raises with that technique. As I'm sure you know the supraspinatus is mainly involved in the first 15 degrees of shoulder abduction, with the deltoid taking over above that angle. You're ROM would seem to target the supraspinatus more so than the deltoid. Not trying to hate btw, because obviously its working for ya. More so curious from an anatomy viewpoint I guess.

Thanks man! It'll be more and more good content as my company expands!

I completely understand that questioning and the best answer I can give is a few things:
1. remember that muscle growth and general biomechanics DO NOT ALWAYS CORRELATE. Thats why we use research, general knowledge, and what application and results provide us

2. remember that I do not ONLY do these for my shoulders, I'll do side laterals with low reps, high reps, forced reps, partial ROM, full ROM, iso-holds, dumbbells, cables, machines and thats not to mention all the pressing movements I do in various degrees and angles

3. genetics…my shoulders have always grown from simply forcing as much blood into them as possible no matter the ROM. Back when I used to play lacrosse and do amateur boxing they grew from simply the pump…the same is seen in the gym and I found I can take advantage of that with forced laterals in this fashion

4. intensity, if you truly are pushing muscle groups to failure and constantly progressing, there has to be muscular adaptations occurring, no matter the stimulus

Hope that kind of explains it better dude!

[The Solution]

Enjoying all the higher frequency content! Keep it up!

I'm actually surprised you're seeing much progress from doing lateral raises with that technique. As I'm sure you know the supraspinatus is mainly involved in the first 15 degrees of shoulder abduction, with the deltoid taking over above that angle. You're ROM would seem to target the supraspinatus more so than the deltoid. Not trying to hate btw, because obviously its working for ya. More so curious from an anatomy viewpoint I guess.

The human body is not a textbook, You see some of the pro's do exercises with different variations that "Work for them"
if we were all the same, we would all do the same damn routine and exercises. Just don't work that way.

[nathangreen]

The human body is not a textbook, You see some of the pro's do exercises with different variations that "Work for them"
if we were all the same, we would all do the same damn routine and exercises. Just don't work that way.

To a degree maybe. But we aren't all special little snowflakes like many want to believe. The same muscles insert in the same places and have the same function in 99% of us. Obviously beyond that genetics offers a lot of variability but some of the basics don't change. So overall I'm agreeing with you, just adding that detail so other readers don't take it to an extreme or anything.

PS I had a random day the gym yesterday so I tried out your dual rear delt cable row. I had to use a standard cable set up (not sure how else to desribe, like this http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/fitnessgiant_2268_79275382) compared to the narrow version you had available but it still felt really good in the rear delts. So thanks for that variation

[willBstrong]

What I found most interesting was that, in Yamanaka's study and Cook's study, even muscles that weren't venuously restricted benefited from BFR. Could it be the GH spike?

[NaturalPursuit]

The human body is not a textbook, You see some of the pro's do exercises with different variations that "Work for them"
if we were all the same, we would all do the same damn routine and exercises. Just don't work that way.

To a degree maybe. But we aren't all special little snowflakes like many want to believe. The same muscles insert in the same places and have the same function in 99% of us. Obviously beyond that genetics offers a lot of variability but some of the basics don't change. So overall I'm agreeing with you, just adding that detail so other readers don't take it to an extreme or anything.

PS I had a random day the gym yesterday so I tried out your dual rear delt cable row. I had to use a standard cable set up (not sure how else to desribe, like this http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/fitnessgiant_2268_79275382) compared to the narrow version you had available but it still felt really good in the rear delts. So thanks for that variation

Completely understand your POV Nathan but even though what you said is 100% true, so is what Bob said.

ANYONE ELSE READING THIS, please take note that THIS is exactly why you need to use basic knowledge from research as well as experience. Utilizing one and not the other is exactly like training but not dieting or dieting but not training. Its the combination that makes professional level athletes

What I found most interesting was that, in Yamanaka's study and Cook's study, even muscles that weren't venuously restricted benefited from BFR. Could it be the GH spike?

I have seen this anecdotally via myself and literally everyone single one of my clients that uses BFR.

I believe its due to the overall effect BFR has on your body:
-hypertrophy
-hyperplasia
-satellite cell
-increased MPS mediated by IGF-1 through translation initiation
-as it does not elevate markers of damage (myoglobin, CPK, and lipid peroxide)
-and the overall hormonal effect caused by all of these processes happening

Its hard to pinpoint 1 specific thing to relate it directly to. I feel its more of the overall combination.

[NaturalPursuit]

Waking up to emails from clients saying that what you've done working with them is working has to be one of the BEST feelings in the world! A client of mine who wishes to remain nameless for obvious reasons sent me this email this morning:

"BIG NEWS!!! I just had another testosterone test done last week, and just got the results: You aren't going to believe this. My total testosterone is almost double what it was!!! It was 240, now it's 410!!! And my free testosterone is off the ****ing charts!! Normal range: 4.3-30.4 Mine: 83.1 This is a miracle man, I can barely believe it! Also, I did some (moderately hard) running today. Foot felt great."

This particular guy came to me roughly 8 weeks ago with the basic warning signs of having low testosterone and the blood work to back it up. By us talking through every possible fitness, health, and life variable, we were able to manipulate his training and nutritional protocols to favor a high hormonal producing bodily environment. Via these simple manipulations, we were able to double his testosterone levels naturally as well as increase his overall strength, lean tissue mass, and sense of well-being. Knowing how to manipulate your nutrition and training is key to longevity in any fitness goal. If you can be healthier and produce more fitness related optimizing hormones in the process, then you'll be able to do this for a life time.

THIS IS WHY I LOVE MY LIFE! I GET TO DO THIS SH*T FOR A LIVING!

[The Solution]

To a degree maybe. But we aren't all special little snowflakes like many want to believe. The same muscles insert in the same places and have the same function in 99% of us. Obviously beyond that genetics offers a lot of variability but some of the basics don't change. So overall I'm agreeing with you, just adding that detail so other readers don't take it to an extreme or anything.

Just like anything you read or see
Take it with a grain of salt, apply, adjust , and see what works for you.

[NaturalPursuit]

RISE AND MOTHERF#$KING GRIND!!!! Time to get new versa gripps…F#$KING SLIPPED ON THE LAST F#$KING REP!! I WANTED TO PUSH FOR 30!!!

[The Solution]

I just saw your videos on refeeds
how about this ?

Matt Stonie and Captain Crunch Challenge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIZp087K7aA

[NaturalPursuit]

I just saw your videos on refeeds
how about this ?

Matt Stonie and Captain Crunch Challenge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIZp087K7aA

LMAO! Im not that big a fan of that cereal actually haha

[VO2Maxima]

Wtf, Alex, you rest at the top of deadlifts!?!?! Haha that's awesome.

The human body is not a textbook, You see some of the pro's do exercises with different variations that "Work for them"
if we were all the same, we would all do the same damn routine and exercises. Just don't work that way.

Truth. Just to add another detail to this, there are some slight differences in muscle insertions, as well as structural proportional differences that cause different variations to work better for some people. It's why some people pull more sumo vs conventional and vice versa, and why some people have to practically do a good morning to hit a parallel squat (i.e. Layne Norton and his long femurs). So it goes too with stimulating muscles, but without the rigid standards that powerlifters need to hit to pass a lift, bodybuilders can be a little more creative with what it takes to optimally hit whatever muscle they want to focus on.

[NaturalPursuit]

Wtf, Alex, you rest at the top of deadlifts!?!?! Haha that's awesome.


Truth. Just to add another detail to this, there are some slight differences in muscle insertions, as well as structural proportional differences that cause different variations to work better for some people. It's why some people pull more sumo vs conventional and vice versa, and why some people have to practically do a good morning to hit a parallel squat (i.e. Layne Norton and his long femurs). So it goes too with stimulating muscles, but without the rigid standards that powerlifters need to hit to pass a lift, bodybuilders can be a little more creative with what it takes to optimally hit whatever muscle they want to focus on.

Yeah I paused at the top just because someone commented that I couldnt do high reps without pausing…had to do it haha

I have seen MUCH better hypertrophy from CTUT sets like I usually do

[NaturalPursuit]

Beast Fitness Arm Specific Blood Flow Restriction Protocol

Introduction
Utilizing all the research at our disposal, we can see the numerous benefits of Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training for anytime looking to increase muscular size. We see the goals of the original protocol being to restrict venous blood flow return from the muscle, causing the blood to collect into the targeted muscle. To accomplish this, wrapped or "occluding" the targeted limb approximately to 70% of maximum tightness of the cuffs or wraps you are using will do.

Mechanisms
BFR induces dramatic anabolic responses by a variety of mechanisms via hypertrophy, hyperplasia, increased satellite cell activation, increased MPS mediated by IGF-1 through translation initiation, a lessened elevation of markers of damage (myoglobin, CPK, and lipid peroxide), increasing growth hormone concentrations, and could cause shifts from slow twitch muscle fibers to fast twitch muscle fibers and a reduction in myostatin.


Traditional BFR Protocol
*3-5 sets to muscular failure
*weight used is 20-50% of your 1RM (generally kept with the 8-20 rep range)
*rest between 30-60 seconds between sets keeping the muscle occluded throughout the duration of the movement
The above method is utilized by wrapped your upper arm or upper thighs depending upon your target muscle group

BeastFitness Arm Specific BFR Protocol
*3-5 sets to muscular failure
*weight used is 20-50% of your 1RM (generally kept with the 8-20 rep range)
*upon completion of first set, bend at the hips allowing arms to stay in a "dead hanging" position for 15-30 seconds before standing upright for an additional 30 seconds keeping the muscle occluded throughout the duration of the movement
The above method is utilized by wrapped your upper arms to target either the biceps or triceps muscle group

The Difference
As you can see from above, the difference is protocols is extremely slight, yet I have seen it produce a 30-50% increase in venous blood flow simply by allowing the set to somewhat extend and pool more blood into your arms while still under occlusion. This is purely anecdotal evidence as I have no means to actually measure these increasing, but by simply manipulating how the rest period is done, I've seen a much greater increase in the overall "pump" effect of the muscle. If done correctly, the pain and increase in vascularity will greatly exceed that of a traditional arm BFR set.

Anecdotal Results
*increased hypertrophy (within 3-4 weeks)
*increased vascularity (within 2 weeks)
*increased nutrient delivery
*increased insulin sensitivity

This is not a ground breaking way to increase muscular hypertrophy. It is simply a small manipulation I have used with myself and clients that struggle to increase their arm size. By implementing this with a program emphasizing progressive overload along with a caloric surplus, your muscles will grow.



References

Abe T, Kearns CF, Sato Y. Muscle size and strength are increased following walk training with restricted venous blood flow from the leg muscle, kaatsu-walk training. J Appl Physiol. 2006 May;100(5):1460-6.

Anderson J. A role for nitric oxide in muscle repair: nitric oxide-mediated activation of muscle satellite cells. Mol Biol Cell 11: 1859–1874, 2000.

Fujita S, Abe T, Drummond M, Cadenas J, Dreyer H, Sato Y, Volpi E, and Rasmussen B. Blood flow restriction during low-intensity resistance exercise increases S6K1 phosphorylation and muscle protein synthesis. J Appl Physiol 103: 903–910, 2007.

Kacin A, Strazar K. Frequent low-load ischemic resistance exercise to failure enhances muscle oxygen delivery and endurance capacity. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2011 Dec;21(6):e231-41.

Kawada S and Ishii N. Changes in skeletal muscle size, fiber-type composition and capillary supply after chronic venous occlusion in rats. Acta Physiol 192: 541–549, 2008.

Kraemer W, Marchitelli L, Gordon S, Harman E, Dziados J, Mello R, Frykman P, McCurry D, and Fleck S. Hormonal and growth factor responses to heavy resistance exercise protocols. J Appl Physiol 69: 1442–1450, 1990.

Kubota A, Sakuraba K, Sawaki K, Sumide T, Tamura Y. Prevention of disuse muscular weakness by restriction of blood flow. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008 Mar;40(3):529-34.

Loenneke JP and Pujol TJ. The Use of Occlusion Training to Produce Muscle Hypertrophy. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 31(3): 77-84, June 2009.

Schoenfeld BJ. Potential mechanisms for a role of metabolic stress in hypertrophic adaptations to resistance training. Sports Med. 2013 Mar;43(3):179-94.

Suga T, Okita K, Takada S, Omokawa M, Kadoguchi T, Yokota T, et al. Effect of multiple set on intramuscular metabolic stress during low-intensity resistance exercise with blood flow restriction. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2012 Nov;112(11):3915-20.

Takano H, Morita T, Iida H, Asada K, Kato M, Uno K, Hirose K, Matsumoto A, Takenaka K, Hirata Y, Eto F, Nagai R, Sato Y, and Nakaajima T. Hemodynamic and hormonal responses to a short-term low-intensity resistance exercise with the reduction of muscle blood flow. Eur J Appl Physiol 95: 65–73, 2005.

Takarada Y, Takazawa H, Sato Y, Takebayashi S, Tanaka Y, and Ishii N. Effects of resistance exercise combined with moderate vascular occlusion on muscle function in humans. J Appl Physiol 88: 2097–2106, 2000.

Wilson JM, Lowery RP, Joy JM, Loenneke JP, Naimo MA. Practical blood flow restriction training increases acute determinants of hypertrophy without increasing indices of muscle damage. J Strength Cond Res. 2013 Feb 26.

[NaturalPursuit]

[The Solution]

315 for 20 sets is more than some people do in a month.

[NaturalPursuit]

315 for 20 sets is more than some people do in a month.

You know I'm not most people

Focused on relearning my front squat motor patterns. In the hole felt off and wasn't smooth overall. It needs to look perfect.

[The Solution]

best advice on grip for fronts?

[phillysteak]

Dude 405 for 20? Stop.

Stop!!! Freakin awesome man, love seeing this kinda stuff.

Also, I gotta book mark this. I keep forgetting your log isn't in the contest prep section and missing ya!

[graphlex]

Stabilizing 315 for a front squat is no joke and great form and depth. A little bobble on the way up on a couple reps but I have to figure that should be expected.

Just recently read an occlusion article and cool to see your method. Interesting stuff!

[Artemis00]

Wow, always blown away when I get a chance to catch up in here. Lot of great discussion, impressive videos and excellent knowledge.

Killer front squats.

[NaturalPursuit]

best advice on grip for fronts?

Puff your chest up, throw your elbows up high, and use your hands to actually push the bar down into your shoulders. If your arms are crossed right there will be a place that the bar will fit perfectly!

I've never liked the traditional olympic grip…always strained my forearms way too much

Dude 405 for 20? Stop.

Stop!!! Freakin awesome man, love seeing this kinda stuff.

Also, I gotta book mark this. I keep forgetting your log isn't in the contest prep section and missing ya!

HAHA Thanks a lot man! Wait till I hit that on front squats the goal for deads is to hit a 405x50 but that'll take a little time haha

Stabilizing 315 for a front squat is no joke and great form and depth. A little bobble on the way up on a couple reps but I have to figure that should be expected.

Just recently read an occlusion article and cool to see your method. Interesting stuff!

Thanks a lot man! Yeah that was just the 20th set that I put on repeat and had a slight forward lean on the concentric. All in all trying to work my way up on these front squats!

Wow, always blown away when I get a chance to catch up in here. Lot of great discussion, impressive videos and excellent knowledge.

Killer front squats.

Haha thanks a lot Artemis! Trying to provide as much as possible!

[NaturalPursuit]

I received this email from a client who I've been working with since his last competition. We're roughly 12 weeks into his reverse, up 20 lbs, up 2,000kcals, and strength levels are above his last precontest PRs. This is why a minimum of 2 weekly check ins are a must. "Hey Alex! Just checking in as per usual. Overall energy levels are high, strength is up, and I'm feeling better than ever! Not quite sure how I'm able to eat this much and stay this lean but I'm not complaining!"

The body changes too fast to only check in less than 1x per week. Taking the time to learn how a body responds to the smallest change will allow you to manipulate it to whatever extent you want.

[The Solution]

Proof in the pudding
Alex killing it.

[NaturalPursuit]

Proof in the pudding
Alex killing it.

Thanks for the constant support Bob!




Truly understanding HOW to manipulate the strength curve of any exercise is going to allow you to make the MOST progress in the shortest time. This was some bench pressing with chains to really overcome some of the issues I have within that movement. Knowing HOW and WHEN to implement these intensity techniques is key for growth.

[jakecork]

Beast! I'm subbed.

[NaturalPursuit]

Beast! I'm subbed.

Thanks for subbing in man!