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Beverly International E-Newsletter #19
Can you build a great body at lunch? Yes! We'll tell you how in this issue. You'll also learn how to avoid water retention, and why a good pre-workout formula should make you "tingle"!
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Build your body at lunch!
Yes, it really is possible to build a great physique at lunch time.
Jobs, family and other responsibilities can make getting up early to train a challenge, to say the least. For many of us, it doesn't get any easier at the end of the workday, when the gym is busier and you just want to get home, have dinner and relax.
So try training at lunch time! In 30 minutes you can build and shape your physique like a pro, if you know how to do it:
- Warm-up: Start by warming up on the treadmill. Your goal is to burn 100 calories as quickly as you can. If it takes you more than 12 minutes, you're going too slow. Either walk faster, run, or increase the incline of the treadmill. Once you've burned 100 calories, you should have broken a sweat. Now head over to the weights.
- Pump: Train a single muscle group (e.g. thighs, chest or back) for 15-18 minutes straight, or longer, if your schedule permits. Lift as much weight as you can for 5-6 reps on every set. Rest only 15-20 seconds between sets. You should have no problem banging out 10 sets this way. You can also jump back and forth between exercises (i.e. superset) to save more time. This type of training is very efficient. You'll get great pumps and build lean muscle.
- Protein: Assuming you have a 60-minute lunch break, a 30-minute workout doesn't leave much time to shower, dress and eat. You don't want to go back to the office smelling like a dirty gym sock, of course. To save time for training, use a shaker bottle to prepare a delicious protein shake with Muscle Provider or Ultimate Muscle Protein. In less than a minute, your body will have all the nutrients it needs to start building bigger, stronger muscles for several hours.
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How to avoid water retention
Water retention bothers the physique athlete more than the average person. Indeed, even if you're lean, the retention of water underneath the skin can create the illusion that you are carrying more body fat than is actually the case. Yes, vanity can be a real pain, can't it?
Don't let water retention blur your hard-earned muscle definition. Below we list half a dozen things you can do to help minimize it.
1. Sodium: Try reducing your sodium intake to 1000 mg. The human body is very good at retaining this essential nutrient. When it retains sodium, it retains water alongside. Everyone is different, of course. Some people can achieve a hard, muscular look while eating more sodium than others. The best way to avoid consuming too much of it is to avoid processed foods. Roughly 75% of sodium in the typical diet comes from processed foods.
2. Potassium: Increase your potassium intake. This will help push excess sodium and water out of your body. Most American diets provide far more sodium than potassium. You want the opposite. Foods in their natural state typically contain more potassium than sodium. This is another reason why you should minimize your intake of processed foods.
3. Food sensitivities: Experiment with your diet to find out which foods cause you to retain water. Believe it or not, some people retain water when eating oatmeal. For others, it's fruit. Alcohol bothers some, but not others. Try removing food items one at a time from your diet. Keep everything else about your diet (and your training and supplements) the same. If you don't see a reduction in water retention after 7-10 days, then replace the removed food item and repeat the process.
4. Supplement sensitivities: Here, too, experimentation is key. Physique athletes use BI supplements right up to contest day, and even on contest day itself. As with food, however, everyone is different in how they react. Look out for supplements containing Yohimbe, a common ingredient in many thermogenic formulas that is known to produce water retention. (BI does not use Yohimbe in any of its formulas.) The cellulose used as a binder in many tablets can even cause some people to retain water. Powdered products often contain artificial additives. These, too, may cause water retention in some people. Again, everyone is different. Experiment to find out which supplements you're sensitive to.
5. Cardio: A short, yet intense cardio session -sufficient to give you give you a good sweat- can help correct a temporary state of water retention caused by eating a high-sodium meal the night before.
6. Water: A common piece of advice is to drink more water to minimize water retention. But this tactic doesn't work for everyone. Sometimes it only makes matters worse. Again, you'll just have to experiment and see. Whatever you do, always make sure you are adequately hydrated, especially when training hard in hot weather.
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A good pre-workout formula may make you "tingle"!
Q: Especially if I'm doing legs or back, sometimes I'll take 3 scoops of Up-Lift to increase my dose of the vasodilators citrulline and arginine. I love the extra pump I get, but when I do this, I occasionally get a bit of a tingling sensation in my arms and lips. Is this normal?
A: Each serving of UP-LIFT contains 1 g of beta-alanine, which can produce the tingling sensation you refer to, also known as paresthesia. Incidentally, UP-LIFT contains more beta-alanine than you'll find in many other pre-workout products.
We've talked to several scientists who conducted studies on beta-alanine. In one of these studies, subjects took 1.5 g of beta-alanine four times a day. One of the scientists from this study told us that the only time a subject mentioned paresthesia or tingling was when they missed a dose earlier in the day and therefore doubled-up on their doses (i.e.taking 3 g instead of 1.5 g). The scientist also said that this side effect may be more common when you take beta-alanine in powdered form like Up-Lift as opposed to a tablet or capsule. Another scientist we spoke with said that after about 2 -3 weeks of taking beta-alanine, the paresthesia usually goes away.
The bottom line is that the tingling sensation produced by beta-alanine is nothing to worry about. If anything, it tells you that you are getting an effective dose of this proven performance-enhancing amino acid! | |
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