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Hemoglobin and Fatigue at Crunch Time with InsideTracker

Jimson Lee — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Question: I play soccer and notice that I am getting less separation in the end of games. Ever since I started eating better I have found that the improvements in body composition have not translated on the field. Last week I was found not to have mono but my hemoglobin was lower than the keeper on my team, who also is on the same diet plan. I am confused, shouldn’t I have a higher hemoglobin level being a midfielder?

Answer: Many athletes that play team or mixed sports find themselves halfway between power sports and endurance sports with hemoglobin values. The reason is that training endurance and games will raise one’s plasma volume (blood changes) for better microcirculation. The real culprit I see is not the drop in hemoglobin from changes in plasma volume (PV) but likely from eating stricter. Modifications like eating eggs without yolks or strict meal combining are common patterns that reduce the nutrients needed to support hemoglobin function. A one week food diary is invaluable to find what patterns of eating you are doing to see what micronutrients are causing problems. Most nutritionists try to give general advice for healthy eating with athletes, but extreme diets are often taken from bodybuilding and physique competitions that don’t care about human performance, just human appearance. Be careful about

Training is not going to make changes to your hemoglobin scores unless you are using altitude tents, and even if you did the impact is going to be minor. Most pro or elite athletes that would benefit with extreme adjustments are unable to sustain the use of the equipment because of travel demands. The irony is that those that need such devices are the least able to benefit from it from a logistics standpoint. The international Skating Union found no relationship between Hemoglobin levels of elite or lower level skaters.

"The number and percentage of abnormal hematological findings were found to vary between 0 and 2 %, and failed to show a clear pattern or trend over the years. There was no difference in mean Hb levels between top ranked and lower ranked skaters, and no meaningful relationship between Hb concentration and ranking could be found."

Does the research mean that no pattern exists with performance? It’s complicated, but a simple way to summarize the interaction with all of the factors is to get to normal ranges of mixed athletes. A German study¹ showed that normal values were very narrow, but if a severely low score is present, it’s suggested that one follow up with a medical professional. Ferritin can hint to why hemoglobin values don’t fall in norms, but rare combinations of normal ferritin scores and low hemoglobin scores can occur, and the reasons are so different no real pattern exists. Elite athletes may have lower scores than sedentary people, so high scores or very extreme scores are not necessary, and genetics play a huge role with biomarkers. Screening 3-4 times a year is suggested.

The takeaway here is to get tested during key milestones of the season 3-4 times and watch your diet carefully, especially during heavy training periods and with diets that have very strict rules and limited options. If the diet is not something the has variety or whole food options, one has to be very careful of micronutrient pitfalls.

For more information, visit InsideTracker.com

1. SCHUMACHER, Y. O., A. SCHMID, D. GRATHWOHL, D. BU ? LTERMANN, and A. BERG. Hematological indices and iron status in athletes of various sports and performances. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc.,Vol. 34, No. 5, pp. 869–875, 2002.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Research Review: Testosterone, Growth Hormone, Nutrition and Training

Jimson Lee — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Here is a follow up on my case study on How to Track and Improve your Testosterone & Zinc levels Naturally with InsideTracker.

Q – SpeedEndurance.com: After reading Dr. Stone’s interview, it seems that heavy training is important to help hormones for power and recovery. Any special considerations regarding nutrition and training that I should be aware of to maximize my testosterone and growth hormone levels? What can I do naturally to get an edge in speed, power and strength events? I heard brief workouts keep testosterone up and ZMA helps. Any ideas here?

Answer: Unfortunately very little can be done to increase hormone levels, unless you are severely impaired by overtraining or are malnourished. The endocrine system already does a great job regulating itself, but you can ensure optimized training and recovery by getting adequate nutrition. The classic Hakkinen and Komi study on junior weightlifters showed an increase of testosterone and power over time, but hormonal levels proved more difficult to interpret.

Training should challenge the body so that it learns to adapt to the demands of stress and competition. Those that have more power are more resistant to injury and overtraining. Research has found that intense, explosive multi-joint exercises elicit favorable adaptations for speed and power athletes. Sports teams with less training time benefit from maximizing, but throwing events do have the luxury of including more power-based exercises. Acute hormonal response from intense exercise is very difficult to monitor, so it’s best to look at changes over long periods of time rather than week to week. Sometimes (hormone) downregulation has had rebound effects in performance, but this hasn’t been proven in the scientific literature without invasive measurements..

Proper nutrition starts with the basics, such as caloric needs and basic micronutrient needs. No legal supplement has been shown to increase testosterone, but current protein and carbohydrate drinks have anabolism benefits without increasing testosterone. Growth hormone is very misunderstood and currently nothing can be done to increase the levels naturally in athletes. ZMA is popular, but research shows it does nothing for normal athletes who aren’t severely deficient. In fact, most athletes have normal levels of zinc and magnesium, although it may still be wise to monitor mineral levels during heavy training periods.

In summary, you should think about preserving your natural anabolic profile by simply getting sufficient sleep, making better food choices, and progressively overloading the body. Baseline screening of testosterone is a great way to create a handy reference to refer to if you see signs of overtraining – although by then it’s usually too late. To successfully avoid overtraining, experts suggest that you should get screened 3-4 times a year. Remember that you don’t need to have high testosterone to be a world-class athlete, but having low testosterone may be a sign of something wrong in either your training or diet.

For more information, visit InsideTracker.com

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

InsideTracker: How to Track and Improve your Testosterone & Zinc levels, Naturally

Jimson Lee — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:00:26 +0000

This is Part 4 of a multi-part series. Part 1 discussed Testosterone Creams & Gels: Victor Conte Revisited.

Part 2 discussed How To Increase Natural Testosterone, Naturally. Part 3 covered Sleep Deprivation and Testosterone Levels.

In all the years I’ve coached, it’s amazing to see how many people are willing to put stuff INTO their bodies to improve performance, but never take stuff OUT for proper analysis.

Moreover, people are conditioned to take supplements to raise or decrease their serum levels for optimum performance, instead of looking for natural, holistic methods. The answer isn’t always pills. (see articles on natural remedies and smarter food choices).

I am a firm believer that injuries and illness are the primary reasons why athletes retire from a lack of motivation. Thus knowing what’s going on inside your body is equally important as what you are doing outside at the track.

As I am approaching 50 years old, it’s normal that I go for routine medical tests to detect anything that is less than optimal. As an athlete, I like to track Testosterone, Zinc and Magnesium levels, for example. Other biomarkers include Vitamin D, Iron, and Creatine Kinase.

InsideTracker

I started using a service called InsideTracker and I highly recommend it for athletes and everyday people. If you live in the USA, you are probably familiar with LabCorp for blood and urine testing. There are over 1500 labs nationwide.

Here are some of the things I look for:

track key vitamins, minerals and other blood serum levels that may affect or identify performance issues.
repeat visits to show progress or decline
solutions with natural foods, as well as supplements (sometimes you may have to take supplements or you will overeat just to get sufficient levels, and that’s bad)
reputable testing lab

Getting a single blood test is one thing, but making dietary and lifestyle changes based on the results, and then re-testing is where the magic comes in. Why go through the trouble of improving yourself if you can’t test to see if it works?

I visit USA at least twice a year so visiting a LabCorp is not an issue. But if you have your blood results from another service or country, you can input them and get historical data. Canadian results are a bit trickier because we use the SI units of measure.

You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

InsideTracker, My Case Study

I know there’s a lot of concern over the privacy act, and particularly medical results, but I feel this service is worth sharing. Let’s take a closer look. Your mileage may vary, because InsideTracker customizes your recommended zones based on your age and other factors on your user profile.

Testosterone

Since the title of this article is How to Track and Improve your Testosterone levels, naturally we’ll start here.

Note my results are in conventional units (ng/dL), and not SI Units (nmol/L)

Also note Insidetracker’s recommended levels of 496 – 1197 mg/dL based on my user profile. So my results don’t qualify for external testosterone!

But they do give great suggestions on increasing my testosterone levels naturally, and not through pills, creams and injections.

Here is a screen shot or “dashboard” of their recommendations. As you can see, there is a biology snippet to show the importance of testosterone, as well as tips & suggestions to improve it.

Click on Image to Enlarge

You can’t see this on the screenshot, but you can click on the text (which are hyperlinked) for more information.

And finally, you have food choices to increase or decrease depending on your results. In your profile, you can choose food recommendations, or both food AND supplement recommendations.

Vitamin D

One of the mistakes I did on my month long road trip was forgetting my multi-vitamins, and that includes Omega3-6-9. Also, I currently do NOT take Vitamin D supplements.

Here are my results (conventional units, not SI units)

According to MedlinePlus, the normal range of calcidiol is 30.0 to 74.0 ng/mL. The normal range varies widely depending on several factors, including age and geographic location. Insidetracker’s recommended levels of 40 – 60 ng/mL based on my user profile.

My results are a shocking low 10.6 ng/mL

Gee, you think I should start taking Vitamin D? We know the correlation between Vitamin D and testosterone (see the importance of Vitamin D in section 2 of the article). As explained in the dashboard, it’s hard to increase Vitamin D levels with natural food, cod liver oil excluded, so I think I’ll be making a trip to the Farmacia.

Click on Image to Enlarge

Zinc and Magnesium

Now, just to show you I am NOT in desperate ill health and soliciting donations (even though Mark Hancock thinks otherwise), here are screen shots of my Zinc and Magnesium levels. According to the charts, I am in the optimized zone for these two important minerals. You think this has to do with me being a regular advocate of ZMA?

Click on Image to Enlarge

Conclusions

Like a graph with a single data point, this is just a baseline. But this is something that can be measured and improved upon. I will take these recommendations this summer and retest again in the fall. Then we’ll see how I improve based on InsideTracker’s recommendations.

For more information, visit http://www.insidetracker.com/

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

How To Increase Natural Testosterone, Naturally

Jimson Lee — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:15:00 +0000

This is Part 2 of the article Testosterone Creams & Gels: Victor Conte Revisited.

First, a DISCLAIMER. Artificial testosterone, whether creams, orals or injections, is a prohibited substance for tested athletes, including Masters athletes.

So it’s best to raise your testosterone levels naturally.

Here are 4 best ways to raise your testosterone levels LEGALLY!

1. Sleep

Unless you have a genetic pre-disposed condition, this is probably the best advice for anyone. NOT 8 hours as you may have been told by your mama, but either 7.5 or 9 hours because of your REM cycle. See the articles on REM sleep here: REM Sleep 2011, REM Sleep 2009, and REM Sleep 2009.

It’s the QoS (Quality of Sleep) that really matters, not just the actual number of hours. As well, it’s when you wake up from your REM sleep that is important.

Another tip for deeper sleeps is to take ZMA (more on that later in the article)

Other tips include getting the best mattress, pillow, and proper sheets. My Masters sprinter friend Francis Schiro has a neat sleep dream pillow that may help you sleep better.

One last tip is make sure your bed is pointing north for feng shui reasons, and that includes hotel rooms. If you have to sleep with your feet pointing to the headboard, so be it.

2. Diet

Two of the best ways to increase testosterone naturally are “good” fats and Vitamin D.

Now, I’m NOT promoting a high protein high fat diet like the Atkins or Paleo diet, but the fact of the matter is your body does need fat!

Make sure your diet is high in good fats, including monounsaturated fats found in certain nuts as well as adequate omega 3 found in fish and flaxseed. This is why I think Omega 3 is one of the top supplements to take in today’s lifestyle.

There are some things to consider with respect to Vitamin D when it comes to reducing the common colds and increasing natural testosterone:

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported in their Dec 2009 issue of "The Johns Hopkins Newsletter" that a deficiency of vitamin D can be linked to low testosterone and estrogen levels in some men.
Some people claim it’s the lack of Vitamin D in the winter months that causes sickness and colds. Sunshine stimulates natural Vitamin D production. There is less sun in winter months in northern countries like Canada and Scandinavia. If you can, sunshine in small doses is the best medicine without sunscreen. In rainy Vancouver, “sunny” winter vacation destinations are a must!
All Vitamin D pills not the same! The synthetic version of Vitamin D is Ergocalciferol or Vitamin D2, and the natural form is Cholecalciferol or Vitamin D3. The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for Vitamin D is about 600 IU per day.
Watch out for Vitamin D in “fortified foods”, like milk or cereal. In Canada, “fortified milk” adds D2, not D3. In the USA, milk is voluntarily fortified with 100 IU/cup (8 oz or 250mL) whereas in Canada, milk is fortified by law with 35–40 IU/100 mL.
The flesh of fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are among the best sources of Vitamin D3. Even canned sardines! Small amounts of vitamin D are also found in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks.
You can supplement your diet with cod liver oil, which is high in Vitamin D (1,360 IU/tablespoon or about 10mL) but also high in Vitamin A as well. So don’t over do it. More is not better.
Some high-end fish liver oils contain a natural source of Vitamin D without the extra Vitamin A. Just make sure it’s Cholecalciferol or Vitamin D3.

3. Resistance training

There’s a reason why the section on diet is a long read, and that’s because diet appears to play a bigger role in maintaining testosterone levels.

In a study published in J Appl Physiol. 1997 Jan;82(1):49-54 on individuals doing resistance training under various diets. The testosterone levels temporarily increased post-resistance exercise in all groups, but the true correlation between the groups resting testosterone levels, was actually due to their diet and fat intake!

But there’s also enough proof out there that weight training, strength training or whatever you want to call it is beneficial to maintaining healthy normal testosterone levels. Like your father said a million times, “hard work never killed anyone”. So get off your butt and move the body the way it’s supposed to move… manual labour, not automation. Walk to the market, not take your SUV to the 7-11 or le depanneur.

4. Zinc

In terms of getting your zinc levels up, oysters and crab are great dietary sources of zinc. Meat eaters can boost their zinc levels with poultry, beef, pork and eggs.

But the last thing I want you to do is overeat just to get your vitamins and minerals.

And don’t forget the mineral and trace element absorption rules. Zinc can be increased by certain amino acids. However, the absorption of zinc decreases with increasing calcium, iron, manganese, selenium and copper! The human body is complex!

I have mentioned ZMA and the new and improved ZMA-5 several times on this blog because I have personally used it during my training.

There are other research findings where zinc supplementation may improve insulin sensitivity and guards against diabetes, as well as protecting against prostate problems. Great news for men!

Just remember when buying vitamins, all are not created equal!

Part 3 of this series will discuss How to Track your Testosterone, Zn and Mg levels, and what you can do about it.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

The Science Behind SNAC’s PED (Performance Energy Drink), and Why it Works

Jimson Lee — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Ever since my ESPN radio show talk on Ergogenic Aids last fall, I’ve consulted many athletes and written numerous articles on this sensitive subject matter.

Basically there are four (4) types of supplements in this category (excluding IHT… Intermittent Hypoxic Training, which I’ll save for another day).

Here is a short list of legal supplements you can take on race day to improve your performance (links to previous articles are underlined):

Stimulants: coffee & caffeine
Nootropics: Redbull, 5 Hour shots and Vitalyze
Lactic Acid buffers: Beta Alanine and baking soda
Nitric Oxide: L-Arginine, Viagra and vasodilators

You can take these ingredients separately, but now there is a single product that has all four, and that is SNAC’s latest supplement called PED. Yes, you read that right, but it stands for Performance Enhancement Drink.

I reached out to Victor Conte of SNAC and asked about the science behind all these ergogenic aids, and below is the end result.

The first thing you’ll notice on the label is there is no mystery “proprietary blend” formulation behind the secret sauce. Every ingredient is labeled.

Another important factor to consider when buying supplements is check if that company sells prohormones or any product that is on the list of banned substances. This was the case with some supplement contamination in the past. SNAC’s factory does not make prohormones so there is no chance of contamination

The Research Behind PED and the Ingredients

This section was written by Victor Conte, founder of SNAC.

THE KEY PED (Performance Energy Drink) FORMULATION INGREDIENTS with REFERENCES

UPDATED Feb 29, 20111 @1:00pm PST

R-LIPOIC ACID JUMPSTARTS ENERGY FOR WORKOUTS

PED contains a potent ingredient called R-Lipoic Acid or R-LA, which is not included in the lion’s share of the pre-workout/energy products available. Some researchers believe R-LA may eventually be acknowledged as one of the most important nutraceutical compounds on the market for cellular energy production. R-Lipoic acid has properties that make it especially valuable for athletes. It improves the body’s utilization of glucose and may increase the body’s production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) within the muscle cells.

Mitochondria produces most of the cellular energy used by the body and R-LA is the only form of lipoic acid that functions as a cofactor for mitochondrial enzymes. Although R-LA is a more expensive form, it has been shown to be many times more effective than the more commonly used racemic alpha lipoic acid or ALA. It’s equally important to note that R-LA improves insulin sensitivity and accelerates the metabolic rate, which may help reduce the gain in body fat with aging (1, 2).

R-LA is more commonly known for its powerful and universal antioxidant functions since it is both water and fat soluble. R-LA also increases or maintains the levels of other potent antioxidants including coenzyme Q10, vitamin C, vitamin E and glutathione (3-5). Anyone who does intense exercise needs to take powerful antioxidants to combat the free radical damage from the oxidative stress and to facilitate muscle recovery.

Additionally, biotin is included in the PED formula because it enhances the absorption of R-LA. Biotin is a natural co-factor that compliments R-LA in promoting cellular energy for muscular endurance and improved workout performance. Likewise, this scientific formula contains both taurine and L-carnitine, which further supports the optimal blood sugar levels needed during high-intensity exercise. As a bonus, these ingredients support fat loss by increasing glucose uptake by muscle tissue, which helps to prevent fat cell deposition.

TYROSINE ENHANCES COGNITIVE FUNCTION

PED contains the amino acid tyrosine, which is a precursor of the brain neurotransmitters epinephrine (adrenalin), norepinephrine and dopamine, which transmit nerve impulses. Dopamine is vital to mental function. U.S. soldiers undergoing various psychological and physiological stress tests were given tyrosine to measure its effects on performance. The researchers found that the soldiers who took tyrosine performed significantly better on a variety of tests compared to those who took a placebo. They were more efficient, alert and had faster reaction times (6). Studies have also shown that tyrosine can considerably reduce fatigue, muscular discomfort and sleepiness (7, 8).

L-CARNITINE L-TARTRATE IMPROVES VO2MAX AND EXERCISE RECOVERY

There is lots of research examining the potential of carnitine supplementation to spare muscle glycogen and improve exercise performance (9, 10). The L-carnitine L-tartrate form contained in PED has been found to effectively assist in muscle recovery from high-repetition squat exercise. Researchers found the beneficial effects of carnitine on exercise recovery responses to include improved blood flow and reduced free radical formation, tissue damage and muscle soreness (11).

The positive effects of carnitine on aerobic work capacity or VO2 max has also been demonstrated in studies involving various types of athletes (12, 13). One of the consequences of high-intensity training is hypoxia (low blood oxygen), which increases the concentration of the metabolic waste byproduct ammonia (14). Ammonia accumulation is associated with muscle fatigue and L-carnitine L-tartrate has been found to decrease athletes’ ammonia levels in a well controlled study (15).

CITRULLINE MALATE PROMOTES AEROBIC ENERGY PRODUCTION

Citrulline malate has been shown to promote aerobic energy production by buffering lactic acid buildup and reducing fatigue. European studies have shown that it significantly reduces mental and physical fatigue and exhaustion (16).

Research indicates that citrulline malate may boost athletic performance and recovery by accelerating the elimination of the toxic byproducts of protein metabolism and improving the capacity of the liver to remove ammonia and lactate from the blood (17, 18). Also, citrulline is converted to arginine, which is the precursor for nitric oxide (NO2), a key cellular signaling molecule (19). Increasing NO2 levels induces the relaxation of smooth muscle cells in the walls of blood vessels resulting in vasodilation and increased blood flow.

BETA-ALANINE ATTENUATES FATIGUE FOR MORE TRAINING VOLUME

Beta-alanine is a precursor of carnosine, which is a di-petide that is concentrated in muscle and brain tissue. Carnosine regulates important aspects of cell metabolism and may provide stamina and energy-enhancement benefits. Athletes use beta-alanine to support optimal carnosine production, which plays a role as an acid buffer within muscle cells and attenuates fatigue (20). A study conducted in 2008 found that beta-alanine supplementation increased training volume and reduced subjective feelings of fatigue in college football players (21).

Researchers have also shown that carnosine has a number of beneficial anti-oxidant properties including hydroxyl-radical-scavenging and lipid-peroxidase activities (22, 23).

CAFFEINE IMPROVES ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

Caffeine is a central nervous system and cardiac stimulant that has been widely demonstrated to enhance athletic performance. The central nervous system controls many cognitive functions and caffeine has been shown to improve concentration and alertness in military personnel (24). In a study of caffeine consumption involving 22 resistance-trained men ranging from 18 to 29 years old, muscle endurance improved in the bench press and leg press by 11 and 12 %, respectively (25). Another group of study participants using a graded treadmill after the ingestion of caffeine were found to have significantly increased VO2max readings (26). Athletes participating in events that depend upon aerobic endurance, muscular endurance, and sustained mental concentration may be able to enhance their performances by taking caffeine prior to their activities.

Selected References

R-Lipoic Acid

1. Oxidative stress in the aging rat heart is reversed by dietary supplementation with (R)-(alpha)-lipoic acid. Suh JH, Shigeno ET, et al. FASEB J 2001 Mar; 15(3): 700-6.

2. (R)-alpha-Lipoic acid-supplemented Old Rats Have Improved Mitochondrial Function, Decreased Oxidative Damage, and Increased Metabolic Rate. Hagen TM, Ingersoll RT, et al. FASEB J 1999 13:411-418.

3. Cytokine-induced glucose uptake in skeletal muscle: redox regulation and the role of alpha-lipoic acid. Khanna S, Packer L, et al. Am J Physiol. 1999 May;276(5 Pt 2):R1327-33.

4. Age-associated decline in ascorbic acid concentration, recycling, and biosynthesis in rat hepatocytes–reversal with (R)-alpha-lipoic acid supplementation. Lykkesfeldt J, Ames BN et al. FASEB J 1998 Sep; 12(12): 1183-9.

5. Pre-treatment with R-lipoic acid alleviates the effects of GSH depletion in PC12 cells: implications for Parkinson’s disease therapy. Bharat S, Cochran BC, et al. Neurotoxicology. 2002 Oct;23(4-5):479-86.

Tyrosine

6. Treatment with tyrosine, a neurotransmitter precursor, reduces environmental stress in humans. L. E. Bandert and H.R Lieberman. Brain Research Bulletin, 1989 Vol 22, pp 759-762.

7. Effect of tyrosine on cognitive function and blood pressure under stress. J.B. Diejen and J.F. Orlebeke. Brain Research Bulletin, 1994 Vol 33, pp 319-323.

8. The effects of tyrosine on cognitive performance during extended wakefulness. D.F. Neri, er tal. Aviation, space and environmental medicine, April 1995, pp. 313-319

L-Carnitine

9. The role of carnitine and carnitine supplementation during exercise in man and in individuals with special needs. Brass EP, et al. J Am Coll Nutr (1998) 17:207-215.

10. Carnitine and physical exercise. Heinonen OJ. Sports Med (1996) 22:109-132.

11. L-Carnitine L-Tartrate supplementation favorably affects markers of recovery from exercise stress. Volek JS, et al. Am J Physiol Endrocrinol Metab (2002) E474-E482.

12. Studies concerning chronic and acute effects of L-carnitine on some biological parameters in elite athletes. Dragan GI, et al. Physiologie. 1987;24(1):23-28.

13. The effect of L-carnitine supplementation on plasma carnitine levels and various performance parameters of male marathon athletes. Swart I, et al. Nutr Res 1997;17:405-414

14. Supplementation of L-carnitine in athletes: Does it make sense? Karlic H, et al Nutrition (2004) 20:709-15.

15. Effect of 2 weeks supplementation with L-carnitine L-tartrate on plasma ammonia response to exercise. Galloway SDR et al. FASEB J (2004) 18(4-5):502.5.

Citrulline Malate

16. Citrulline malate promotes aerobic energy production in human exercising muscle. D. Bendahan, et al. Br J Sports Med, 2002 36 (4): 282-9.

17. Activity of citrulline malate on acid-base balance and blood ammonia and amino acid levels. Study in animal and man. A Callis, et al. 199, 41 (6): 660-3.

18. Pharmacological/clinical approach of citrulline malate activity: study of blood lactate levels during standardized muscular exercise. E. Fornaris, et al. Gazette Medicale 1984, 91(11):125-128.

19. Oral citrulline as arginine precursor may be beneficial in sickle cell disease: early phase, two results. W.H. Waugh, et al. J Nathl Med Assoc; 2001, 93(10):363-71.

Beta-Alanine

20. beta-Alanine supplementation augments muscle carnosine content and attenuates fatigue during repeated isokinetic contraction bouts in trained sprinters. J Appl Physiol. 2007 Nov; (5):1736-46. Epub 2007 Aug 9.

21. Short-duration beta-alanine supplementation increases training volume and reduces subjective feelings of fatigue in college football players. Hoffman JR, Ratamess NA, et al. Nutr Res. 2008 Jan;28(1):31-5.

22. Effect of carnosine and its components on free-radical reactions. Klebanov GI, Teselkin YuO, et al. (1998). Membrane & Cell Biology 12 (1): 89–99.

23. L-carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) and carcinine (beta-alanylanylhistamine) act as natural antioxidants with hydroxyl-radical-scavenging and lipid-peroxidase activities. Babizhayev MA, Seguin MC, Gueyne J, Evstigneeva RP, Ageyeva EA, Zheltukhina GA (December 1994). The Biochemical Journal. 304 (2):509-16.

Caffeine

24. Caffeine effects on physical and cognitive performance during sustained operations. McLellan, T. M., et al. (2007). Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 78(9), 871-877.

25. Effects of caffeine ingestion on one-repetition maximum muscular strength. Astorino, T. A., Rohmann, R. L., & Firth, K. (2007). Effect European Journal of Applied Physiology, 102, 127-132.

26. Effects of ingesting JavaFit energy extreme functional coffee on aerobic and anaerobic fitness markers in recreationally-active coffee consumers. Roberts, M. D., et al. (2007). Journal of the Internation Society of Sports Nutrition, 4(25)

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Testosterone Creams & Gels: Victor Conte Revisited

Jimson Lee — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

DISCLAIMER: Artificial testosterone, whether creams, orals or injections, is a prohibited substance for tested athletes, including Masters athletes. This article is not to encourage you to take testosterone, but to educate you.

It’s no secret men over 50 are getting testosterone injections to treat hypogonadism. The primary reasons are for increased sex drive, osteoporosis and muscle loss, among other symptoms.

Last week, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc. won the USA’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to sell “Bio-T-Gel”, a testosterone replacement therapy for men. BioSante is the original developer of “Bio-T-Gel” and they in turn license the cream to Teva, the world’s largest generic-drug maker based in Petach Tikva, Israel.

You might remember Abbott Laboratories won FDA approval last April 2011 for a testosterone product known as “AndroGel”, which contained 1% and 1.62% testosterone. At 1%, each gram of cream contains 1 milligram of testosterone.

Victor Conte and “The Cream”

Testosterone creams and gels may be a new drug for the FDA, but it certainly isn’t a new thing, as least not in the world of Athletics.

Over 10 years ago, Victor Conte was giving his athletes “the cream” and “the clear”.

Victor Conte’s formulation of “the cream” was 10 percent testosterone thus each gram of cream contained 10 milligrams of testosterone. I do not know what strength “Bio-T-Gel” will be, but most likely it will be near 2% and possibly as high as 5%.

How much is 10 mg of testosterone worth to you?

A Vial of Testosterone Enanthate

Modern treatment through injections to treat hypogonadism start around 100-200 mg of intramuscular testosterone, repeated every 1-3 weeks in the form of injectable Testosterone Enanthate or Testosterone Cypionate.

So one is a cream, applied topically, and the other is a needle. If you do use the cream, you have to watch out because you can transfer it by close skin contact!

Oral testosterone, which is broken down in the liver, may cause long term liver damage.

One can easily find out your testosterone levels by a simple blood analysis (and I’ll discuss a great service next week). When you do go for testing, you should aim for a morning test when your testosterone levels are at its highest. Leave the Morning Woody at home!

Normal total testosterone levels range from 300 – 1000 ng/dL, with 500 – 700 ng/dL considered normal for young, healthy men from 20 to 40 years of age. Men should monitor this carefully by the age of 50. If you start hitting the low end of the scale, then more advanced testing should be used to calculate free testosterone levels.

So for borderline cases of hypogonadism, you may want to consider a cream or gel if the thought of needles make you squeamish, but don’t think of running track! That’s cheating!

Use and Abuse

I’ll simplify this overly complicated subject of drugs:

DRUGS are used to change cells from a diseased state to a healthy state, so they have its place is modern medicine. The market for male testosterone products is over $1 billion in the USA alone.

However, like any drug, it can be used and abused.

Without proper out-of-competition testing, especially for Masters where it’s non existent (and some questionable Caribbean countries), I can easily see testosterone being used by men (and women!) to get an edge.

Unfortunately some athletes have such huge egos and will do anything to win… including taking banned substances. I won’t mention any names, but if you start seeing Masters improving with age, you know something is up.

Natural Ways to Increase Testosterone and HGH

Here are 2 ways to increase natural levels of Testosterone and HGH, both which I recommend with trial and error.

1. ZMA

Yes, shades of Victor Conte is back, since he invented the Zinc-Mg-B6 mixture, but the exact formulation is patented and sold through many vendors and not just by SNAC. (again, I’ll discuss a great service next week to test for zinc, magnesium and testosterone). I’ve discussed my experience with ZMA in several past articles with the only side effects being lucid dreaming from deeper sleep! Not bad for a bunch of vitamins and minerals!

2. ZERO CARBS in the post-workout recovery drink

To increase your natural HGH release, you should have ZERO CARBS in the post workout recovery drink. Sure, if you want to maximize recovery, I recommend a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein. But if you want HGH, you are better off with a high quality protein shake with little or no carbs. That’s your tradeoff. Younger professional athletes should focus on recovery and performance (because your paycheck depends on it), but if you are an old geezer like me, it may be worth a try.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

The Top 5 Supplements to Take (Updated 2012 Version)

Jimson Lee — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:42:00 +0000

One of my very first Blog posts written 5 years ago was titled The Top 5 Supplements to Take (or top 3 if you are on a budget).

OTC (over-the-counter) supplements for athletes come in 3 different categories: (1) for health reasons, (2) for recovery, and (3) performance. There’s a 4th category, and that’s for weight loss, but most Track athletes don’t have to worry about this.

In a perfect world, everything you need for your body is at the grocery store. Jeremy Wariner doesn’t take supplements, and neither does Usain Bolt with the exception of Vitamin C.

I have since changed the order of priority. For those on a limited budget and can only afford one item, then take the first one on the list. If you can afford 3, take the fist 3 on the list:

Photo credits: Getty Images

1. Fish Oils

There’s enough research out there that proves fish oils, or omega-3 fatty acids, are beneficial for overall cardiac health benefits, and well as reducing inflammation. It also keeps your omega-6 : omega-3 ratios in balance since we eat too much of the omega-6 variety in processed and fast foods.

Omega-6 is normally very high in North American diets, and I believe ratios are important, thus supplementing with Omega 3 makes a lot of sense. The ideal ratio of Omega-6 : Omega-3 is a probably around 2:1 or 3:1, but the average North American diet with fast food and restaurants is probably about 20:1 .

There are some major differences in flax oil (primarily alpha-linolenic acid) and Omega 3. Flax seed or oil is not enough. Flax is mainly alpha-linolenic acid, and he conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to linoleic acid (or EPA/DHA to be exact) is marginal.

So I believe healthy average people who eat crushed flax seed and plenty of fish are probably getting enough Omega 3, but athletes may want to supplement with fish oils.

2. Post Recovery workout drink

This doesn’t have to be a supplement, as I prefer real food any day. But sometimes a liquid snack is more portable and convenient. The question is, what ratio of carbs : protein should you consume? 1:1? 2:1? 4:1? And there’s the chocolate milk theory too (my McGill alumni teammates will understand this).

For further reading, see the Post Workout Drink Controversy.

3. Protein shake

We all agree protein powders have an edge for convenience. Some are RTD (ready to drink), and some require cold water and a shaker. But natural wholesome food sources have extra benefits beyond powders. Beef has iron. Fish has Taurine, Omega 3 oils, and B12. Dairy products have calcium.

Again, I prefer real food, and if you have access to chicken breast and broccoli, great. Or beef jerky. But sometimes when hunger strikes, you are better off with a protein shake than a carbohydrate loaded pastry and a coffee at the office.

There are many factors you should consider when choosing protein. Read Why Food can be Better than Protein Powders.

4. ZMA

Your recovery is as important as the training. This means rest days and proper sleep. The amount of hours is important, but the quality of sleep is equally as important. There’s a new and improved ZMA-5, which is simply ZMA + 5HTP + B9.

As far as sleep strategies, try to sleep in multiples of 90 min REM cycles such as such as 6, 7.5 or 9 hours of sleep to avoid waking up groggy. Here are 4 different sleep strategies.

5. Ergogenic Performance Aids

There are 4 types of supplements in this category, which would make this list 9 items long, but luckily there is a single product that has all 4, and that is SNAC’s latest supplement called PED. (Yes, you read that right, but it stands for Performance Enhancement Drink)

Here is a short list of legal supplements you can take on race day to improve your 400 meter times.

Stimulants: coffee & caffeine
Nootropics: Redbull, 5 Hour shots and Vitalyze
Lactic Acid buffers: Beta Alanine and baking soda
Nitric Oxide: L-Arginine, Viagra and vasodilators

6. Honorable mention: Powered Greens

Nothing can replace the macronutrients in real food. But for those who feel you must eat your veggies, then powdered greens may be your answer. If you plan to travel, and you know you’ll be eating out at restaurants, then carrying a small tub of powdered greens might be helpful.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

DMAA, Methylhexaneamine and Death?

Jimson Lee — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

When I wrote about Methylhexaneamine and Supplement Contamination last fall, I didn’t expect death.

Getting banned from your sport is one thing… dying trying is another!

In a recent article from the NY Times (if it’s the in the NY Times, it must be true, right? heh heh), they reported the United States Army is investigating whether certain “dietary supplements” for athletes may have played a role in the deaths of two soldiers.

Methylhexaneamine (also known as DMAA or 1,3-Dimethylamylamine) was available over the counter until recently at stores on military bases across the United States.

But is DMAA really a “dietary supplement”? Some medical experts said it should be classified as a “drug”, which would require approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before it can be sold in the marketplace.

“Dietary supplements” are defined as products containing only supplemental dietary ingredients, like vitamins or minerals.

Here is a snippet from the NY Times.

“How is this possibly being legally sold under the current rules for dietary supplements?” said Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency and an advocate for tighter regulation of supplements.

Last summer, a 22-year-old soldier collapsed at an Army base in the Southwest during a training run with his unit. Last fall, a 32-year-old soldier at the same base also collapsed after taking a physical fitness test. DMAA was identified in both soldiers’ toxicology reports, the Army spokesman said, but he declined to identify them.

Mr. Tygart said the issues raised by DMAA reminded him of the case of ephedra, another stimulant. The F.D.A. banned ephedra as a dietary supplement in 2004 after the deaths of several prominent athletes, including Steven S. Bechler, a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, who had used the substance.

Many fitness enthusiasts remain devoted to Jack3d, which, according to a widely disseminated online product description, “gives you the mad aggressive desire and ability to lift more weight, pump out more reps and have crazy lasting energy.”

Some of its users raved about the product last week on Twitter. “Jack3d got me feeling beastly! Gym time!! #beastmode,” Luis Vasquez wrote.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Do L-Arginine Supplements (Nitric Oxide) Work?

Jimson Lee — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:10:00 +0000

Last fall, I started a series on erogenic aids after being a guest on ESPN The Ticket radio show.

The big question is how do you define “cheating” vs. “performance enhancement”?

I define “performance enhancement” if it’s BOTH safe and legal.

If it’s illegal, then it’s called “cheating”.

If it’s not safe, well, what can I say? It’s your choice, and see your ~~doctor~~ psychiatrist first!

The Top 4 Supplements

This was the short list of legal supplements you can take on race day to improve your 400 meter times.

Stimulants: coffee & caffeine
Nootropics: Redbull, 5 Hour shots and Vitalyze
Lactic Acid buffers: Beta Alanine and baking soda
Nitric Oxide: L-Arginine, Viagra and vasodilators

Recent research as shown otherwise on the last item, nitric oxide.

In the paper Acute l-arginine supplementation increases muscle blood volume but not strength performance, the abstract reported:

We found that acute L-arg supplementation increases Mbv during recovery from sets of resistance exercise with no increase in strength performance.

It is still premature to recommend nutritional supplements containing L-arg as an ergogenic aid to increase muscle strength during resistance training in healthy subjects.

Funnily enough, supplements in the Nitric Oxide and Lactic Acid Buffers group are on the upper end of the price tags!

The conclusion?

Do your research, and ask lots of questions.

If you want to try it, always try it on a time trial or training run. Never try a new supplement on race day! (You’d be amazed how many people still try it)

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video